Brown Butter Oatmeal Toffee Cookies ~ ElephantEats.com

I haven’t really been cooking anything worth sharing. I’m just trying to get used to my new job and schedule…and the fact that I have to walk further to get to and from work. Sadly, it’s only about 2 or so miles round trip, but when I get home I just want to go sit on the couch. It’s a pretty nice walk though. I work in Rockefeller Center and on my way to work yesterday I walked by a window and saw Matt Lauer filming the Today Show.

Today Show filming

I thought it was pretty cool, but I texted it to Nate who said I was “such a nerd.” I hear that from him a few times a week. I think it’s probably true.

Anyway as I said, I haven’t done much cooking. The other night we had “homemade” pizza using the Pillsbury pizza crust that comes in the can. Has anyone else every used that? It’s seriously just their crescent roll dough that’s made into a big sheet that can fit a 10×15 sheet pan. It’s yummy if you want a crescent roll but it’s kind of a funky/sweet tasting pizza dough. It does get nice and crispy and hold toppings, though.

Usually if I don’t have time to make dough, I’ll either buy it fresh or frozen from the market, or even get some from the pizza parlor across from my apt. You know my beef with nyc supermarkets though…they rarely have what I need. I checked all over for any sort of dough and came up empty. I was pretty upset.

I used some premade pesto and then sauteed some fresh broccoli and garlic to put on top, with some mozzarella cheese. It was pretty tasty for a meal that got thrown together quickly.

Brown Butter Oatmeal Toffee Cookies ~ ElephantEats.com

That being said, it wasn’t much of a recipe so it’s not something worth sharing. All I have for you today are these cookies. I almost didn’t post these either because I kind of feel like most people have plenty of cookie recipes. I added a little something special to these though- brown butter*. It’s what happens to butter when you cook it past melting but before burning. It takes on a nutty, caramelized taste and turns a rich caramel color.

People in the food blogging world have been obsessed with it for quite some time but I never really got into the whole trend. I thought I’d add it to basic oatmeal cookies, though, to give them a little something special. I also threw in some toffee bits, because why not.

These cookies came out a little salty and sweet, with a great crumbly texture. The oatmeal gives them some bite and the browned butter definitely makes the whole thing taste like caramel. If you’re looking for a cookie to liven up your repertoire, give these a try!

I brought our realtor a dozen of these because I felt so bad for her for having to show me sooo many houses. I suppose that is her job, but still. She ate a couple as a pick-me-up after house number 5 or so, and I don’t blame her one bit. Now that I think about it, I wonder if it was the houses or me that was so exhausting ;)

*If you’d like a good tutorial for browning butter, you can find one here on How Sweet It Is.

Brown Butter Oatmeal Toffee Cookies ~ ElephantEats.com

Brown Butter Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

Very slightly adapted from the Food Network

Print this recipe!

makes about 3-4 dozen, depending on size

2 sticks butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup whole oats (not quick-cooking oats)
1 cup toffee bits (or chocolate covered toffee bits)

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt 2 sticks butter over medium heat until browned (see directions at http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/10/exactly-how-i-brown-my-butter/), then cool.

Beat the browned butter, brown sugar and white sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla and eggs.

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt, then stir into the butter mixture. Add oats and toffee bits and chill 30 minutes.

Drop by tablespoonfuls and bake 12 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Braised Chicken with Artichokes and Olives ~ ElephantEats.com

Whelp, I’m back. I know I disappeared for a bit, but so much has been going on.

This past weekend I saw a few of my childhood friends (you might remember them from my visit to Cleveland), and I got to give two of them, who happen to be married, a blanket I made for their second child who’s due in June. It was my first time sewing a blanket, as opposed to crocheting, and it definitely came out a little crooked. I realize you can’t tell unless you really stare at it though, so whatever.

IMG_7638sm

I order these little tags to sew into the lining. On one side it says “Handmade by Amy Carota <3” and on the back it has washing instructions. So cute, right?! The blanket is a white fleece on one side and just a cute fabric on the other, with a satin trim. I’m excited to try to make another one soon, so hopefully another of my friends will get preggo :)

IMG_7637sm

Today, I officially had my last day at work! I said my goodbyes to everyone, and they even got a Carvel ice cream cake for me. Yum :)

I spent Wednesday morning looking at a couple houses, because I could. It was the last time I could really take off part of a weekday, since I start my new job on Monday. Saturday I’m going to look at MORE houses (10 I believe). I think I must be setting a record with the amount of houses I’ve seen in the last 3 weeks. I definitely know the things I do and don’t want, though, which makes it extra hard since I’m picky!

Braised Chicken with Artichokes and Olives ~ ElephantEats.com

As you might imagine, I haven’t had much time to cook, and thus to share yummy recipes with you. I did manage to make us this meal last night. It was something I pinned a few weeks ago and finally got around to making.

I loved the combination of flavors and ingredients. They definitely aren’t ones I find myself eating often. It had the perfect balance of protein and veggies  (and carbs since I served it over brown rice). The spices are really delicious and unique.

Braised Chicken with Artichokes and Olives ~ ElephantEats.com

I made this after I got home from work, so unlike the Tomato Quiche, you could easily make this for a weeknight meal ;)

Hopefully I’ll be back soon with a cookie recipe I baked up this week too!

Braised Chicken with Artichokes and Olives ~ ElephantEats.com

Braised Chicken with Artichokes and Olives

From The Longevity Kitchen via Epicurious

Print this recipe!

Serves 4-6

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs- about 1.5 pounds (you MUST use thighs or they’ll dry out)
salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Generous pinch red pepper flakes
1 cinnamon stick, or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and mixed with a spritz of lemon juice and a pinch of salt
8 thawed frozen or jarred artichoke hearts (see note), quartered
1/2 cup pitted green olives, such as picholine or manzanilla (I used pimento stuffed ones because that’s all I could find)
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or cilantro (I used mint)

Pat the chicken dry and season salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, working in batches if necessary, and cook until well browned on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Decrease the heat to medium. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until soft and slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pour in 1/4 cup of the broth to deglaze the pot, stirring to loosen any bits stuck to the pot. Stir in a pinch of salt and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the remaining 1 3/4 cups of broth, the lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Decrease the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the chicken, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, and olives and stir gently to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste; you may want to add another squeeze of lemon juice or pinch of salt.

Garnish with the mint.

Note:
The artichokes hearts can be fresh, frozen and thawed, or packed in water in a jar. Whichever type you use, rinse them well. If using fresh artichoke hearts, add them right after adding the garlic.

Variation: This dish would work well using a firm white fish, such as 1 pound halibut, cut into 4 ounces pieces, in place of the chicken. Begin the recipe by sautéing the onion. Proceed as directed, but substitute vegetable broth, homemade or store-bought, for the chicken broth. Add the fish during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Tomato Quiche~ ElephantEats.com

As I mentioned in my last post, Nate and I have had quite a lot happening around here lately.

Some of you may have already know based on my comments on other blogs, but I officially got a new job offer! I was kind of passively looking because while my current job wasn’t horrible, it also wasn’t ideal. I’m so so excited for this new opportunity! There seems like there will be more room for growth. Althought I’m still working at my “old” job for another couple weeks, I have a new hire appt tomororw and I get my new ID badge and stuff!

Tomato Quiche ~ ElephantEats.com

This new job is the first place I’ll have worked where the people there will only know me by my married name :) At my current job they still refer to me by my old name, and it’s kind of annoying me at this point that they can’t remember. Although maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh because I was initialling a document the other day and used my old initials and totally didn’t even notice…it even took me another minute to realize after Nate said “oh, come on, Amy!”

Tomato Quiche ~ ElephantEats.com

So what does this all have to do with this recipe? Well, just that if you’re busy you shouldn’t assume because a recipe’s title contains the word “quiche” that it will be quick to make. I mistakenly went to prepare this at around 7pm the other night thinking I could whip it right up. It wasn’t until I actually read the recipe (after having already started it) that I realized you have to essentially make a homemade tomato sauce before assembling the quiche. And if I had made a homemade crust it would have been even more effort.

I will say however, that if you take into account the correct amount of time it will take, it’s TOTALLY worth it. Nate and I both thought this was outstanding. The tomato sauce, while incredibly basic, was so delicious. I kind of want to make it again to just put over pasta. What’s great about this quiche is that you can make it in the winter with canned tomatoes or in the summer with fresh and it’s delicious both ways. It’s fancy and tasty enough that you could definitely make it for company. It would be great to serve at brunch as well as dinner!

Tomato Quiche ~ ElephantEats.com

This is one of the recipes Nate sent me in the morning during his breakfast perusal of the New York Times. As I’ve mentioned before, I find their recipes highly reliable.

I thought to make this quiche because I’ve had a premade pie-crust in my freezer forever. I don’t know why I bought it. If I’m going to make a pie, I would totally make the crust from scratch, so I think I actually bought it to make a quiche. With a store-bought crust, a typical quiche is a great weeknight meal. This one requires slightly more effort but please do it!!

P.S. You can make the tomato sauce ahead of time and then it’s really not bad for a weeknight dinner :)

Tomato Quiche ~ ElephantEats.com

Winter Tomato Quiche

From NY Times with some shortcuts by me

Print this recipe!

 Serves 6-8

1 9- or 10-inch whole wheat Mediterranean pie crust, gluten-free whole grain
Mediterranean pie crust, or yeasted whole wheat olive oil pastry (*I used a regular old frozen pie crust in pan)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
1 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes in juice, with juice (*I used the ones with rosemary and oregano)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Pinch of sugar
Salt to taste
1 sprig fresh basil or rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Freshly ground pepper
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup low-fat (1 or 2 percent) milk
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1/2 cup, tightly packed)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/4 cup, tightly packed)

If making crust, roll out the crust and line a 9- or 10-inch tart pan. Refrigerate uncovered (place in freezer if using the yeasted crust) while you make the filling. If using a premade frozen crust in pan, defrost in fridge and don’t take it out until you’re ready to use it.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy saucepan and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and continue to cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile pulse the tomatoes in a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in a mini-processor.

Add the garlic to the onions and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add to the canned tomatoes and turn up the heat slightly. Add the tomato paste, sugar, salt, basil or rosemary spring and thyme and simmer briskly, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, and add pepper. Remove from the heat. Remove the basil or rosemary sprig and, if you used rosemary, remove any rosemary needles that may have detached from the sprig. Allow to cool slightly. You should have about 1 cup of the sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl. Brush the bottom of the crust with a small amount of the beaten egg and pre-bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Beat the milk into the eggs. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, freshly ground pepper to taste and beat together. Stir in the cheeses and the tomato sauce and combine well. Scrape into the crust, using a rubber spatula to scrape out every last bit from the bowl. Place the tart on a sheet pan for easier handling and place in the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until set. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes before cutting.

Advance preparation: The tomato sauce can be made through Step 3 up to three days ahead and refrigerated uncovered. It can also be frozen. Allow to come to room temperature before making the tart. The tart will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in a low oven or serve at room temperature.

Spice Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting ~ ElephantEats.com

Pardon my lack of posts. There have been so many changes happening in the Elephant Eats household, making me a bit busy and causing me to have insomnia. I’ve been waking up at like 3 or 4 in the morning with my mind racing about various things…hence my finishing up this blog post at 4am. Surprisingly I haven’t been as tired as I would imagine the next day. I guess adrenaline will do that to you!

The house hunting thing is stressing me out a bit. Like how do you know when you like a house enough to want to buy it and that something better won’t come along? I’m obsessively combing the listings on a daily basis.

Spice Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting ~ ElephantEats.com

This past weekend was super busy. It started with a little house hunting Saturday morning with a realtor. It made me realize how expensive things are for how little you get in this area. I’m hoping there will just be something that I fall in love with (that’s in our budget).

Then I rushed off to my friend Emily’s bridal shower and bachelorette! She was one of my maids of honor and I’m one of her bridesmaids. I, along with the other two bridesmaids, planned the whole shower/bachelorette weekend. We put a lot of hard work into it and I think it came out great and went off pretty much without a hitch!

Spice Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting ~ ElephantEats.com

Plus, Emily told us she loved every second of it :) We did any Asian-themed shower because she loves sushi. I got some hanging paper lanterns in her wedding colors to decorate her soon-to-be sister-in-law’s house. They looked great! I unfortunately was too lazy to upload the photos but maybe I’ll add them soon.

The bachelorette went late into that evening and ended with a sleep over. I didn’t get much sleep and was up early to go house hunting some more on Sunday!

Spice Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting ~ ElephantEats.com

Nate told me he doesn’t care at all about the house and that it’s totally up to me. I guess he trusts my judgement.

It was so fun to go in all the houses, and driving around the suburbs on a gorgeous spring day made me dread going back to the city.

This is all completely unrelated to this recipe. I made it when we were down in PA two weekends ago, and it was a perfect way to end to our Easter dinner! (pardon the photos, as they were taken after daylight and I didn’t have my trusty food photography lights!)

 

Spiced Layer Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

very slightly adapted from Bon Appetit (11/09)

Print this recipe!

Makes one 3-layer cake

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup orange, peach or apricot jam
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)*

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 9-inch-diameter cake pans. Line bottom of pans with waxed paper. Butter and flour pans; tap out excess flour. Sift first 8 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter and orange peel in large bowl until fluffy.

Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture alternately with sour cream and milk. Divide batter among prepared pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer pans to racks and cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 1/4 cup jam and then 2/3 cup frosting over. Top with second cake layer. Spread rest of jame and then 2/3 cup frosting over. Top with third cake layer. Cover top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.)

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
2 8-ounce packages chilled cream cheese
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup chilled sour cream

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until well blended. Beat in sugar, then orange peel and vanilla. Beat in sour cream. Cover and refrigerate until frosting is firm enough to spread, about 30 minutes.

*note that I found the frosting barely covered the cake. In making this again I might 1 1/2 the recipe.

Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms ~ ElephantEats.com

We headed down to my mother-in-law’s for the long Easter weekend. Since Nate was in California for a couple months, we hadn’t been down since Christmas and it was nice to just relax and eat tons of yummy food.

Tired Haley

Nate’s mom totally spoils us and we both got giant Easter baskets filled with our favorite candy. She got me Peeps!!!

Peeps are yummy

We also dyed some Easter eggs. This here is our easter egg family. Do you see the resemblance?

Easter Egg Family

The paw print one was Nate’s representation of L.C….not bad.

But I think my version of Nate was pretty spot on ;)

Easter Egg Beardo

Since Nate’s mom was going to cook a big meal for us for Easter dinner, I decided to make a yummy appetizer for the night before. This is another of those recipe’s from the recipe box I got handed down from my mom. I remember her making these for dinner parties and some catering too.

Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms ~ ElephantEats.com

They’re super easy to make and only take 10ish minutes to cook! You can totally make them ahead of time and they can sit out til you’re ready…or you can probably even make them the day before if you really want, and just keep them in the fridge.

Definitely keep this recipe on hand for your next dinner party or just to make your weeknight dinner a little fancier :)

Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms ~ ElephantEats.com

Stuffed Mushrooms

From mom’s recipe box

Print this recipe!

Serves 8-10 (can easily be halved with no probs)

25-30 lg. mushrooms, stems removed
2 cups sourdough breadcrumbs (i used regular but I think it wasn’t as good)
1/2 cup pesto
1/4 cup pignoli nuts, toasted
3-4 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
3-4 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine crumbs, pesto, nuts, parsley and basil. Slowly mix in broth until moist but not wet. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Fill Mushrooms. Top with cheese. Bake 10-12 min.

*Must serve hot!*