Archive for January, 2011
The weekend is the perfect time for scones; you can make a batch on Saturday morning and have breakfasts and snacks for the rest of the weekend. We love this recipe because scones tend to be sweet and, while we do love our sweets, this one is savory. This recipe from www.cooksrecipes.com only takes about a half hour to make and satisfies our savory tooth perfectly.
photo via www.myrecipes.com
Ingredients:
- 2 c cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs, like Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence
- 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes, optional
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes marinated in oil, drained and chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Sift flour, Parmesan cheese, baking powder, sugar, herbs, onion flakes (if using), salt and chili powder in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk, egg and sun-dried tomatoes until just moistened; do not over mix. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough forms. Pat into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Cut into triangles and place on a cookie sheet. Brush with a beaten egg, if desired.
- Bake for 18 to 21 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 8 scones.
photo via www.bettycrocker.com
Do you like chocolate, caramel and toffee? Then keep reading. If not, you should still keep reading because this recipe might change your mind. If you recognize the title, then you have probably had this amazing dessert and your mouth is watering now at the thought of it. If you haven’t tried it, read this post and make this cake tonight (or this weekend, but the sooner the better) and prepare to be blown away. The name of this cake suits it well, it is truly better than almost anything. Here is the recipe, courtesy of www.bettycrocker.com:
Ingredients:
- 1-box Betty Crocker® Supermoist German Chocolate® Cake Mix (calls for eggs, water, oil)
- 1-14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1-16 or 17 oz jar of caramel, chocolate or butterscotch ice cream topping
- 1-8 oz container of frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 1-8 oz bag toffee chips
Directions:
Did you know that January is National Soup Month? As the month is coming to an end, we propose sending it off with a bang and making one of the funnest soups there is – Stone Soup! There are tons of recipes out there, but this one from www.cooks.com seems like the perfect stone soup recipe. All it takes is a little rice, chopped veggies, some seasoning and a stone, of course, tossed in a pot to cook for a few hours.
Which ”Stone Soup” book do you remember reading as a child?
Ingredients:
- 3 clean, smooth stones
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 large carrots
- 2 medium onions
- 2 medium potatoes
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon marjoram
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup parsley
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup rice
Chop those veggies in no time with your Chef’n VeggiChop and put all of the ingredients in a large pot and cover with water; let it cook on high for 2-3 hours. Remove the bay leaf (and stones!) before serving, and enjoy.
We love garlic! Could you tell? We only have about a half-dozen or so products that help you prep garlic. Well, one of our favorite garlic-y dishes is Garlic Fries with bits of garlic right on the fry! They are pretty simple to make, so why not treat yourself to this delicious savory treat?
Photo via www.foodchannel.com
To make them, just peel and cut 3 pounds of baking potatoes into 1/4 inch strips or use pre-cut frozen potatoes to save time and energy. Coat with 4 teaspoons of vegetable oil and 3/4 teaspoons fo salt; you can do this by tossing it all into a big ziplock and shakin’ it up. Next, coat a baking sheet with non-stick spray and lay the ‘taters on there in a single layer. Pop them in the oven, preheated to 400 degrees, and let them bake for about 50 minutes, or until golden brown, turning them half-way through.
Next, prepare about 8 cloves of garlic just the way you like — you can chop them with the GarlicZoom™ in seconds or use the FreshForce™ Garlic Press to press them. Combine the garlic and 2 tablespoons of butter in non-stick skillet and cook on low heat for just 2 minutes, stirring often. Put the fries in there too, along with 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese to coat the fries. Serve them while they are hot and fresh and listen for “yummmms” from everyone around.
photo via www.worththewhisk.com
W
hile it is nearing the end of January and, at least here in Seattle, we have seen a few sunny days, it’s still January. There are still more rainy days than sunny, and there is always a chill in the air. During these chilly months a nice hot cup of coffee, tea, chai, cocoa, or whatever you like will usually do a decent job of delivering warmth. But add some home-made biscotti and you’ve got a combo that just might make you forget all of your winter-time woes — at least while you’re eating it. Our favorite is almond biscotti dipped in chocolate…mmmmm; below is the recipe from www.joyofbaking.com. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup blanched whole almonds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toast almonds for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely.
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl lightly beat the eggs and extracts together.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until blended (about 30 seconds). Gradually add the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms, adding almonds about halfway through. On a lightly floured surface roll dough into a log about 14 inches long and 3 – 4 inches wide. Transfer log to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until firm to the touch (log will spread during baking). Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
Transfer log to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut log into slices 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick on the diagonal. Arrange evenly on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another 10 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.
Note: Can substitute hazelnuts or walnuts for the almonds. If desired, add 1 tablespoon of orange or lemon zest to the egg mixture.
To dip in melted chocolate - Melt 3 ounces (85 grams) of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon vegetable shortening or butter in a small metal bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Dip one end of each biscotti in the melted chocolate and let dry on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Makes about 28 biscotti.
This interesting ingredient is made from a type of sea-weed and is used as a substitute for gelatin. The sea-weed is freeze-dried and sold in the form of sheets and powder. Agar-agar is traditionally used to make jellies, puddings, custards and other desserts, such as this layered coconut coffee jelly:
photo via allrecipes.asia
and this chocolate latte cotto:
photo via allrecipes.asian
But our favorite agar-agar creations are agar-agar cups! They come in different flavors and are made to compliment the drink you put inside of them. Cool, huh? What would you make out of agar-agar?
photo via thewayweseetheworld.com
The Chef’n office has seen some mischief today. Some noticed that the Chef’n tree had suddenly disappeared. It was found in the woman’s bathroom, hanging out in one of the stalls! It was then moved to this cubicle until the marketing team finally returned it to its rightful place in the corner of the marketing area.
You might remember this wonderful tree from when we posted about in December. Some may say it is a Christmas tree (and feel like they should therefore remove said tree from the office’s view), but the truth is, it is a Chef’n Tree! So keeping it up year-round is acceptable. It was moved today sometime between noon and 1 o’clock. Everyone we asked says they didn’t see who moved it, but someone must have. We’ve got a real case of whodunit here at the Chef’n office, and we will solve this mystery!
Chef’n just launched the new SleekStor Pinch + Pour Measuring Cups. These bad boys have some pretty great features. First of all, you can pinch the sides to engage a pour spout so your ingredients go in the bowl and not on the floor. Cool, huh? Plus, they expand for use and collapse for easy storage — that means no more bulky measuring cups hogging all your drawer space. Not to mention, they come in awesome colors! Check them out at www.chefn.com.
Since measuring cups are pretty much a necessity when it comes to baking, we thought we would share a recipe for our favorite kind of cupcake right now: coconut! Believe us, these are delicious. We found this recipe from MarthaStewart.com.
Photo via marthastewart.com
Ingredients
Makes 2 dozen
- 3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 8 large egg whites
- 1 1/4 cups shredded sweetened coconut
- Martha Stewart’s Seven-Minute Frosting
- Fresh Roasted Coconut, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.
- In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Gently fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture; stir in shredded coconut.
- Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each with a heaping 1/4 cup batter. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack. Invert cupcakes onto rack; then reinvert and let cool completely, top sides up. Frost cupcakes with seven minute frosting, swirling to cover. Cupcakes may be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Garnish with fresh coconut just before serving.
‘Tis that time of year again. The time when pretty much everyone around you has the sniffles, a cough and/or the flu. Yuck. While we are not doctors and really have no place giving medical advice, we do have some tips and recipes worth sharing to help you stay healthy this winter.
photo via www.wholeliving.com
First of all, there is super-tea. According to Whole Living Magazine, hot green tea with lemon, honey, and pomegranate seeds is super-packed with antioxidants, which boost your immune system. Whether you are preventing a cold or virus or fighting one, this tea is your friend (especially when you have a sore throat).
The article also offers a Citrus Salad with Cashews and Mint recipe, which is high in antioxidants and cold-killing power. To prepare it, combine the following:
- 2 peeled grapefruits, cut into segments
- 2 peeled clementines or tangerines, cut into slices
- 2 peeled kiwis, cut into slices
- 1/4 cut chopped, toasted cashews
- 1/4 fresh mint leaves
- sea salt
For more tips on foods that can help your immune-system, read this. Good luck staying healthy this winter!
Chef’n is welcoming 2011 with a whole slew of great new products! To go over all of the features and benefits of each here would talk too much space. They are just that great! So, let’s just focus on the new and improved VeggiChop™ for today. “New and improved?” you might ask. The answer is “yes!” it truly is both.
Let’s start with what’s new: the VeggiChop™ now includes a convenient storage lid so you can keep your food fresh. So now when you whip up a batch of fresh guacamole or salsa, you don’t have to find and dirty another container to store it. Convenient, huh?
Now for the improved part; The blade mechanism, the lid (which now locks into place), and the noise factor (which is much lower and more pleasant)!
Check out www.chefn.com for an instructional video on the VeggiChop™ and to see our other new products!
