Saturday Blog Showcase #20 - Gazpacho

It's Week #20 for Saturday Blog Showcase.  Join Ann (Thibeault's Table) and me in featuring recipes from our fellow bloggers.  Look at the bottom of this post for guidelines to join in on the fun!

This week, I visited Budget Bytes, a wonderful blog devoted to eating well without breaking the family budget.  Beth's recipes are broken down cost-wise and into easy-to-follow steps.  Her gazpacho looked delicious and I was not disappointed.  Even using canned crushed tomatoes, the tomatillos, fresh cilantro and parsley, and fresh lime juice really brightened the flavor.   It was so easy to put together after work - a slight bit of chopping and blitz the rest in the blender.  A wonderful cold soup as the Texas temperatures start creeping upwards.  Thank you, Beth!

Summer Gazpacho

1 (28-ounces) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable juice (like V8)
1 small yellow onion
1 large cucumber
2 small tomatillos
1/4 bunch Italian parsley
1/4 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium lime, juiced
1 medium avocado

Wash, seed and finely dice the cucumber, tomatillo and yellow onion. Split the chopped veggies into two bowls. Half will be pureed with the other soup ingredients and the other half will be added at the end for texture.

In a blender combine the crushed tomatoes, half of the chopped veggies, the minced garlic, parsley, cilantro, olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper and half of the V8. If all of the V8 will fit in your blender, go ahead and add all of it but don't let the liquid exceed 3/4 of the blender's volume. Puree these ingredients on a fairly low setting until almost smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking.

Pour the contents of the blender into a bowl and stir in the remaining chopped veggies and remaining V8 juice. Dice the avocado and either sprinkle on just before serving or stir into the soup. If you stir it in, the acid from the tomatoes and lemon will keep it from browning. Let the soup chill for at least 30 minutes to blend the flavors. Serve cold!


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To participate in Saturday Blog Showcase:

1.Make a recipe from a fellow blogger's website and share the recipe on your blog with a link back to the blog where you found the recipe.

2.Add the Saturday Blog Showcase logo to your post.

3.On Friday night or Saturday, link your post to Mr. Linky:

Saturday Blog Showcase #18 - Avocado & Mango Tower with Grilled Scallops

It's the eighteenth edition of Saturday Blog Showcase - my, how time has flown!  Join Ann (Thibeault's Table) and me in showcasing our fellow bloggers and their wonderful culinary creations.  Check at the bottom of this post to find out how you can join in the fun!

This week, my blog pick of the week is The Catty Life.  Her charming wit, stunning photography and delicious-looking food has me visiting her site often.   Her Avocado & Mango Tower with Grilled Scallops definitely caught my eye.  It's beautiful, delicious and quick - the perfect combination for Friday night after work.

Following TCL's directions (and improvising just a tad on my own), it was just a matter of a little dicing some avocado (which I mixed with a small glug of olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a bit of cilantro), and layering that in the bottom of a ring mold, dicing some mango (which I mixed with about 1/8 teaspoon of minced red chili), then layered that over the avocado.  While the avocado and mango were setting up in the mold, I salted and peppered some scallops and pan-seared them until they had a nice golden crust on each side, about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side.  The sweet scallops and the buttery and not-too-sweet mango and avocado combination was amazing.  You don't have to be as fussy as layering the mango and avocado - a nice salsa made of the same ingredients makes for a nice bed to beautifully-browned scallops.  Thank you to The Catty Life!

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To participate in Saturday Blog Showcase:

1.Make a recipe from a fellow blogger's website and share the recipe on your blog with a link back to the blog where you found the recipe.

2.Add the Saturday Blog Showcase logo to your post.

3.On Friday night or Saturday, link your post to Mr. Linky:

Saturday Blog Showcase #17 - Strawberry Crepes

Another week has gone by and Saturday Blog Showcase is upon us yet again!  Thanks to Ann (Thibeault's Table) for hosting this week!  Join us in preparing recipes from our fellow bloggers.  It gives us the opportunity to meet new folks and revisit others!

Today I made a simple recipe of crepes with macerated strawberries from In Erika's Kitchen.  Erika has a wonderful way of writing, beautiful photographs - a great read!

It's not quite peak strawberry season here yet, so my strawberries were a little tarter than I'd hoped they would be.  A little extra sugar took care of that.  The crepes were light and flavorful, the perfect foil for these pretty berries.  This made for a special Saturday breakfast - thank you, Erika!

Strawberry crepes

• 2 pints ripe strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp Grand Marnier (or other orange-flavored liqueur)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 cup milk
• Pinch of salt
• Water, as needed

Combine the strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar and Grand Marnier in a mixing bowl. Let the mixture sit at room temperature while you make the crepes. The longer it sits, the more juice the berries will release.
Whisk together the flour, eggs, butter, milk, salt and remaining sugar in another bowl until the mixture is smooth. Add water, a little at a time, until the batter is the consistency of heavy cream. You want the batter to be quite thin so it will spread easily around the pan.

Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with cooking spray. Then, working quickly, add about 1/4 cup of batter to the pan. Immediately lift the pan and swirl the batter around so it coats the bottom of the pan evenly. When the batter stops moving and is starting to set, put the pan back on the stove.

In about 30 seconds, the edges of the crepe will begin to lift slightly and turn golden.  Flip the crepe carefully with a spatula (or, if you’re brave, pick it up with your fingers and turn it by hand). Cook briefly on the second side. Fold in half, then in half again so you have a triangle. Put the finished crepe on a plate and start over again.

To serve, place two triangles on a plate and top with the macerated strawberries. Those of you who like whipped cream should feel free to add some at this point.

Makes about 12 8-inch crepes.


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Thanks once again to Ann for hosting SBS this week!

Saturday Blog Showcase #16 - Mango Sorbet

Welcome to the sixteenth edition of Saturday Blog Showcase!  Ann (Thibeault's Table) hope you join us in showcasing some of the wonderful bloggers and their recipes.  The guidelines to participate can be found at the bottom of this post.  Join in the fun!

I found my inspiration for this week at Sidewalk Shoes.  Pam's beautifully presented Mango Sorbet caught my eye.  It was a great opportunity to break my ice cream maker out of winter hibernation.  I found some wonderfully ripe mangoes at my local produce market and I was set to go.  I thought Pam's addition of dark rum (just a smidge!) was brilliant.  The sorbet was delicious, the color rich.  It will become a permanent part of my frozen treat repertoire for the summer.  Thanks, Pam!

Mango Sorbet
adapted from the genius of David Lebovitz

2 large, ripe mangoes
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
4 teaspoons fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon dark rum, plus more to taste
pinch of salt

Peel the mangoes and cut into chunks. Place the mangoes and the rest of the ingredients in a blender. Squeeze the mango pits over the blender to try and get as much juice out of the flesh as possible. Puree until smooth. Taste and add more lime juice or rum. Chill thoroughly and the process in your ice cream maker per it's directions.



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If you would like to join us this week just :

1.Make a recipe from a fellow blogger's website and share the recipe on your blog with a link back to the blog where you found the recipe.

2.Add the Saturday Blog Showcase logo to your post.

3.On Friday night or Saturday, link your post to Mr. Linky

Saturday Blog Showcase #15 - Spanish Varillas

It's time for Saturday Blog Showcase again.  Thanks to Ann (Thibeault's Table) for hosting this week!  We'd love to have you join us.  To participate, make a recipe from another blog, introducing us to the original blog (or reminding us of one we already love!)  Link back to that blog and place the Saturday Blog Showcase logo on your post.  Then sign in to Mr. Linky (located at Thibeault's Table this week), and that's all there is to it!  It's a great way to show appreciation to the many great cooks of blogdom!

This week, i discovered a blog called Spache the Spatula.  With beautiful photography and delicious-looking and -sounding recipes, I knew my pick would not disappoint.  And it did not!  A simple recipe, but full of flavor, an appetizer called Spanish Varillas caught my eye.  With great ingredients like Prosciutto di Parma and goat cheese and arugula, how could it be anything but great?  A simple goat cheese mixture is spread over the prosciutto, layered with arugula and wrapped around a crispy breadstick, and cocktail hour is complete.  Absolutely delicious!  Thank you, Rachael! 

Spanish Varaillas

-Prosciutto di Parma (or serrano ham), sliced very thin
-crispy bread sticks (you could get flavored ones if you want but I just stuck with the traditional; also, I could only find grissini, the very thin breadsticks - so I used 2 per 'roll')
-goat's milk cream cheese (I couldn't find this but did find a creamy goat cheese - I used about 1/2 cup)
-chives, diced
-sun-dried tomatoes (I  used three), minced
-pinch of freshly ground pepper
-pinch of sea salt
-baby arugula (I used a mixture of baby arugula and baby spinach)

Mix together the chives, pepper, sea salt, sun-dried tomato, and cream cheese in a small bowl.  Spread the cream cheese mixture over one side of a slice of prosciutto and add the arugula on top of that.  Carefully roll the prosciutto around a bread stick. Repeat for as many as your heart desires.

Serve with leftover cream cheese mixture to dip!

Saturday Blog Showcase #14 - Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Welcome to the 14th week of Saturday Blog Showcase.  Join Ann (Thibeault's Table) and me in using this opportunity to showcase the delicious recipes of our many fellow bloggers. 

My entry for this week's Saturday Blog Showcase is Cate's World Kitchen's recipe for Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.  Cate's beautiful photos of these cookies were so compelling, I had to make these for myself.  And the cookie lived up to Cate's pictures.  I absolutely love the texture of these cookies.  The chocolate does not overpower the oatmeal cookie but adds another dimension.  The outside is slightly crisp, but the inside is soft and almost fudgey.  Thank you, Cate, for a wonderful recipe.  I'll be making these over and over again!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies

10 tbsp butter (2/3 cup), softened
1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
4 cups old fashioned oats

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a couple cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Beat the butter until smooth and creamy and add both sugars. Mix well, then beat in the eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, cocoa powder and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture and mix until all traces of dry ingredients disappear.  Stir in the oats.

To form cookies, scoop out 2-3 tbsp of dough at a time and flatten slightly, 12 to a cookie sheet.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until set on the edges but slightly fudgey inside (they’ll harden up as they cool).

Cool on the sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.



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If you would like to join us this week just :


1.Make a recipe from a fellow blogger's website and share the recipe on your blog with a link back to the blog where you found the recipe.

2.Add the Saturday Blog Showcase logo to your post.

3.On Friday night or Saturday, link your post to Mr. Linky
 

Saturday Blog Showcase #13 - Oven Roasted Cauliflower, Onions & Garlic

Welcome to this edition of Saturday Blog Showcase.  Ann (Thibeault's Table) is hosting this week.  Thanks, Ann!  To participate, make a recipe from a fellow blogger, add the Saturday Blog Showcase to your post, and sign on to Mr. Linky (on Ann's website this week).  That's all there is to it!  It's a great way to show appreciation to our fellow bloggers for their wonderful contributions we all drool over each and every week!

I recently discovered a wonderful blog called Butteryum - don't you love that name?!  She has wonderful recipes (my "to-try" list is growing exponentially!) and beautiful photographs of her dishes.  If you haven't yet visited her site, please do so.  You're in for a real treat!

One of Butteryum's dishes I've been wanting to try is her Oven Roasted Cauliflower, Onions and Garlic.  Her photos are stunning and made my mouth water.  I love roasted vegetables and cauliflower is no exception.  I loved the idea of roasting some garlic and onion along with the cauliflower.  The dressing adds a wonderful flavor element.  It took my oven a little longer to get that wonderful caramelization, but it was well worth the wait.  I'll be making this again and again!

Oven Roasted Cauliflower, Onions, and Garlic

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
3-5 cloves garlic, cut in half if large
1-2 small onions, cut into large cubes

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Optional Garnish - chopped parsley or chives, crushed red pepper flakes, or parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place veggies in a large casserole dish; toss with dressing. Bake at 400F for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Garnish.

Saturday Blog Showcase #12 - Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

It's time for Saturday Blog Showcase again, and I'm actually well enough to make something!!  Yay!  Join Ann (Thibeault's Table) and me in showcasing recipes from blogs we've been fortunate enough to discover!

This week I happened upon a blog called Peanut Butter & Jargon. Great writing and  beautiful photos, she and I share a penchant for Ina Garten recipes.  After I read her review of Ina's Roasted Shrimp Cocktail, I couldn't wait to try it.  It was an easy enough recipe to make after work, and a delicious treat for a Friday night.  Roasting the shrimp left them succulent and much more flavorful than the standard boiling method.  And the sauce was a simple stir of a few readily available ingredients.  I'll never go back to my old shrimp cocktail again!

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

(Recipe by Ina Garten)

For the shrimp:

• 2 pounds (12 to 15-count) shrimp*
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I use more like 3/4 tsp; we love pepper!)

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup chili sauce (recommended: Heinz)
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.

For the sauce, combine the chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Serve as a dip with the shrimp.

If you would like to join us for Saturday Blog Showcase this week just :

1. Make a recipe  from a  fellow blogger's website and share the recipe on your blog with a link back to the blog where you found the recipe. 
   
2. Add the Saturday Blog Showcase logo to your post.
   
3. On Friday night or Saturday, link your post to Mr. Linky
   
   
   

Saturday Blog Showcase #10 -

I'm down with the flu this weekend, so Ann (Thibeault's Table) has graciously offered to host Saturday Blog Showcase in my stead.  I hope to be feeling well enough to cook something tomorrow... it's been so long!

Thanks, Ann -

Saturday Blog Showcase #8 - Blueberry Squares

It's time for our eighth edition of Saturday Blog Showcase!  Join Ann (Thibeault's Table) and me in showcasing recipes from our fellow bloggers.  To participate in the fun:

1. Make a recipe from another blog on any day of the week.  Create a link to that blog in your post.
   
2. Add the Saturday Blog Showcase logo to your post.
   
3. On Friday night or Saturday, link your post to Mr. Linky.

Today I borrowed a recipe from Asha at Fork-Spoon-Knife. Her Cranberry Squares (aka Fruit Squares) looked delicious and the recipe looked so easy, a prerequisite as I started a new job this week!  I made the squares with blueberries instead of the cranberries and iced them with a simple glaze of confectioners' sugar, cream, and vanilla extract.  As part of my 'orientation' at the new office, I decided to bring these in to help introduce the newbie to the rest of the staff (thus no photos of them cut into squares - sorry!).  It was a good move. The president of the company was getting coffee as I dropped the squares off in the breakroom.  He wasted no time cutting into them.  (I also found out he's a foodie, too!)  Within minutes of returning to my desk, he had emailed the whole office about the squares and how delicious they were!  :D  Thanks, Asha, for making my first week at the office that much smoother!

Blueberry Squares (Fruit Squares)
(adapted from CD Kitchen)

** Asha's Note: I used a 8 inch square pan, so my squares turned out a bit thick. You could easily spread this on a 9x13 inch pan **

1-1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 cup flour
2 cup fresh blueberries or cranberries or other berries
1/2 cup chopped, toasted cashew nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the pan you are using.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until creamy and smooth. Whisk in the melted butter and almond extract. Add flour and fold until incorporated. Fold in blueberries and nuts (if using) carefully so as not to break the fruit and color the whole batter purple.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool completely (takes about an hour really!). Cut squares and serve.

For Printable Copy, Click Here

Saturday Blog Showcase #7 - Vanilla-Scented Granola

It's Saturday Blog Showcase time again.  Thank you to Ann (Thibeault's Table) for hosting this week.  To participate, make a recipe from a blog other than your own any day of the week.  On Saturday, place the Saturday Blog Showcase logo on your post, and link back to Mr. Linky.  That's all there is to it!

I've been in the mood for a good granola.  When I saw the Vanilla-Scented Granola on Dishing Up Delights, I couldn't resist!  I LOVE the aroma of vanilla, and the recipe seemed easy enough (I've been in a very lethargic mood for some reason this week!)  I wasn't disappointed.  The recipe was extremely easy, and the scent of vanilla and toasting almonds with a touch of cinnamon was heavenly.  Once it was removed from the oven, I could hardly wait for it to cool down to munch on some.  While it was cooling, I decided I was going to add some dried fruit to the mix, so I added in about 1/2 cup of chopped dried apricots and 1/2 cup dried cranberries.  I've got a delicious cereal and snack for a few days!  Yay!  Thanks again to Dishing Up Delights!

Vanilla-Scented Granola
Makes 2 cups

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup golden brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 300 degrees. Lightly spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Mix the oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in large bowl. Combine oil, honey, and sugar in small saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour hot liquid over oat mixture; stir well. Using hands, toss mixture until thoroughly mixed.

Spread granola on prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer sheet to rack; cool granola completely. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

 

Source:  Dishing Up Delights

Saturday Blog Showcase #6 - Chicken Satay

I hope you will join Ann (of Thibeault's Table) and me in participating in the sixth edition of Saturday Blog Showcase.

If you would like to participate, just:

1. Make a recipe from another blog on any day of the week.  Create a link to that blog in your post.
   
2. Add the Saturday Blog Showcase logo to your post.
   
3. On Friday night or Saturday, link your post to Mr. Linky.

I stumbled upon a mouth-watering blog called Dishing Up Delights, full of delicious-sounding recipes and gorgeous photographs.  One of the recipes that struck me was Esi's Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce.  I love satays and was anxious to try this version.  The marinade was so easy - just throw everything in the blender - and the aromas of gingerroot and garlic were heady.  I took one very large chicken breast and cut it into 1/4-inch thick slices, marinating the chicken slices for about 45 minutes.  Using a grill pan, I cooked the chicken til they were done but not dry.  The peanut sauce ingredients all went into a small saucepan over low heat until the peanut butter was melted and the sauce was smooth.  I did doctor the sauce just a bit.  I used lime juice instead of lemon, added about 1/4 teaspoon of sesame oil, along with a pinch of salt.  It was delicious.  Such an easy recipe with big taste!  Love that!!

Chicken Marinade

1/2 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tablespoon ginger root, grated
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound of chicken thighs, cut into cubes

In a food processor or blender, dump in everything except the chicken and blend until smooth.

Cover chicken with marinade. You can place the chicken into a bowl, cover/seal and chill, or place the whole lot of it into a ziploc bag, seal and chill.

If using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak your skewers in warm water for at least 20 minutes before preparing skewers.

Gently and slowly slide meat strips onto skewers. Discard leftover marinade.

Broil or grill a 8-10 minutes per side or until the edges just start to char. Flip and cook another 8-10 minutes.

Peanut Sauce

3/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar, plus more to taste if desired
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Mix the brown sugar, cumin, coriander, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Add soy sauce and lemon, mix well.

Over low heat, combine coconut milk, peanut butter and your soy-lemon-seasoning mix. Mix well, stir often.

All you’re doing is melting the peanut butter, so make your peanut sauce after you’ve made everything else in your meal, or make ahead of time and reheat.

Source:  Dishingupdelights.blogspot.com

For Printable Recipe, Click Here

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Saturday Blog Showcase - Cornstarch Waffles

 

Welcome to the fifth edition of Saturday Blog Showcase!!  Ann (Thibeault's Table) is hosting this week  Be sure to sign in on Mr. Linky at her blog to join in on the fun!

This week I decided on these Cornstarch Waffles from Cooking Stuff.  Bob wasn't entirely thrilled with these when he made them, but I was interested in seeing what the cornstarch did to the texture of the waffles.  The waffles were light, crispy on the outside and very tender on the inside.  Quite delicious.  To be honest, it won't replace my standard recipe for waffles, but it was a slightly different change of pace and a little easier to make than my recipe.  And to be fair, the taste was quite good!  The kitchen smells like I've been making pastries.  How great is that?!  Thanks, Bob -

Cornstarch Waffles

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (or a bit less)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup whole milk or buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add the oil, vanilla, egg and milk. Mix well. Let it rest for a half hour. Make the waffles according to your iron's directions.

 Source:  icookstuff.blogspot.com

For Printable Recipe, Click Here

Saturday Blog Showcase - Homemade Pita

It's time for our 4th Saturday Blog Showcase.  Ann (Thibeault's Table) and I are hosting the event.  Please find Mr. Linky at the end of my post to sign up.  We look forward to everyone's participation and can't wait to see everyone's creations and introductions to different blogs!

This week I made pita from Kosher Camembert, a lovely blog with photos and essays of Zahavah's travels.  Her pita bread recipe was so easy to follow.  The one diversion I did take from the recipe was that I did separate the dough into 10 pieces and rolled each individually into 6-inch discs of dough to form the pita.  Zahavah rolled the dough and cut out 6-inch circles.  I will have to try that sometime to see if my results are any different.  I was very happy with the way my pita puffed!  They're wonderful. Another great recipe to add to my ever growing repertoire!  Thank you to Kosher Camembert!!

Pita

Adapted from Janna Gur’s The Book of New Israeli Food and Joan Nathan’s The Food of Israel Today.
These pitot are the closest I have found to the ones you get in Israel, fluffy and perfect with hummus, for mopping up leftover salad dressing, or filled with chocolate spread. The trick to forming the pockets is baking in a very hot oven on a baking stone (or, if my case, on hot cookie sheets) and refraining from opening the oven during baking.
Makes 8-10 pitot.

- 2 1/4 t yeast
- 1 1/2 C warm water
- 1 T sugar
- 4 C flour (I used all-purpose)
- 1-2 T olive oil
- 1 t salt

Make the dough. Dissolve yeast in 1 C of the warm water with sugar. Allow to bubble up (takes ~ 10 minutes). Add to flour, olive oil, and salt in bowl of mixer. Knead with dough hook for 10 minutes. Add additional water, tablespoon by tablespoon, until dough forms a slightly sticky ball.

First rising. Pour a little olive oil into a large bowl. Roll the ball of dough in the oil until coated. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let dough rise until doubled (1.5 – 2 hours). I punch the dough down a few times during the rising.

Shape bread. Most recipes call for you to split the dough into 8-10 portions to roll out individually. But I prefer to easier method of rolling out all the dough and using a bowl to cut out 5-6 inch rounds. You can bake the scraps or re-roll them (this time I rolled the scraps into 3 individual pitot with not-so-round results).

Second rising and preheat oven. Allow the pitot to rise a second time for ~10 minutes. I do this on top of the oven as it preheats to 500º F. Heat cookie trays in the oven while preheating.

Bake. Pull a hot cookie tray out of the oven and quickly transfer half of the pitot onto it and return to the oven. Bake until all pitot have puffed to form pockets, 3-6 minutes. Repeat with remaining pitot.

Store. Pitot go stale pretty quickly, so the best way to store them is in in a bag in the freezer. You can reheat them for 20 seconds in the microwave after spritzing with a little water.

For Printable Recipe, Click Here

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To participate in Saturday Blog Showcase, remember:

   1. Make a recipe from another blog on any day of the week. Create a link to that blog in your post.

   2. Add the Saturday Blog Showcase logo to your post.

   3. On Friday night or Saturday, link your post to Mr. Linky.

Saturday Blog Showcase - Ann's White Chocolate Cupcakes

It's Saturday Blog Showcase time again.  Thank you to Ann for hosting this week's event.  Make sure you head over to Thibeault's Table to sign up for participation and to see everyone else's creations they've discovered from fellow bloggers!

This week, I had my 4-year-old niece, Ashlynne, for a couple of days.  She's a definite character - continuously asking questions and opining on everything from my dogs to President Obama (seriously!)  Coming to LaLa's house (how my nieces and nephew refer to me) always seems to mean cooking and/or baking for all the little children in my life.  And it was no exception this time.  The first thing Ashlynne wanted to do was make cupcakes.  Ann of Thibeault's Table reminded me of the white chocolate cupcakes she made not too long ago.  They sounded like the perfect choice for Miss Ashlynne's cupcakes.

I melted the butter and the white chocolate, while Ashlynne stirred up the dry ingredients.  On to the wet ingredients.  To my surprise, Ashlynne happens to be a pro at cracking eggs without dropping any shell into the bowl.  Who would have thought that a 4-year-old would be able to master a task that many adults have difficulty with??  We combined the ingredients, and using a handheld mixer, Ash made sure the batter was nice and smooth.  She put the cupcake liners into the tin, and I spooned the batter into them.  Now, as I may have mentioned before, I tend to be a bit cupcake-challenged.  I have great difficulty in measuring out the right amount of batter for each cupcake.  And this time was no different.  All the cupcakes ended up with flanged tops, so a little trimming was involved before frosting them.

I used a buttercream frosting that I decided to flavor with almond instead of vanilla.  It paired with the white chocolate cupcakes deliciously!  I piped on the frosting and Ash sprinkled colored sugars to her heart's content.  Of course, a little taste-testing was in order and my little chef was more than willing to comply.  The verdict?  Well, it was difficult to tell with all the cake and frosting in her mouth, but I think it was pretty positive.  :D  Another successful baking stint under our belts!


White Chocolate Cupcakes

2 cups all purpose flour
1-2/3 cups of white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces quality white chocolate
1/2 butter
1/2 cup water
1 cup of sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
Almond Buttercream Icing (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Melt chocolate with butter. Stir until smooth. Add water.

Mix together flour,sugar, salt and baking soda.

Mix together sour cream, vanilla and eggs, add butter chocolate mixture and flour. Beat with either a machine mixer or hand mixer. Pour into muffin tin lined with paper cupcake liners. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Yield:  24 cupcakes

Almond Buttercream Icing
1 cup butter, softened
6 - 8 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons almond extract

In a large mixing bowl, place the butter, 4 cups of the confectioners' sugar, then the milk and the almond extract.  On medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency.  You may not need to add all of the sugar.  If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.  Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.  Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.


Adapted from More from Magnolia, copyright 2004

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