Four Foods on Friday #52

Four Foods on Friday time again. I'm a little early with this one, and I'm sorry for the sparse posting this week. I'm going to be living out of a hotel next week because I'm helping plan an enormous event at work; this week I've been doing lots of prep and have been zonked by the time I get home! I should be able to squeeze in some posting next week.

#1. Name something you use cream cheese in/on.
I just made mushroom and crab dip with cream cheese this week. It was great! You just take a brick of cream cheese, some crab, sauteed mushrooms, a few tablespoons of cream, and some swiss cheese (or any other kind of cheese), mix them together, and bake the dip at 375 until you're satisfied. Yum.

#2. Do you use yogurt in any recipes?
Not really, actually.

#3. Macaroni salad. What do you like/put in yours?
I've never made it, but I like minced red pepper in mine.

#4. Share a recipe that you use sour cream in.
I don't tend to cook with sour cream all that often, but I did make Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle Dressing once. The recipe is from Allrecipes, and I loved it! The spicy sour cream tasted great.

Thanksgiving Round-Up: Giada's Butternut Squash Lasagna

Last weekend was Thanksgiving in Canada, and it gave me an opportunity to try out some seasonal recipes I've been drooling over for awhile. For my boyfriend and his family, I made Martha Stewart's Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies. For my family's Thanksgiving dinner, I made Giada De Laurentiis's Butternut Squash Lasagna.


When my brothers heard what I was making, they weren't very impressed. Their reaction involved some crinkled noses and a few variations of, "Are you sure we can't sprinkle a little meat on top?"

But then they tasted it, and their concerns turned to praise.

This recipe is wonderful. Although my veggie-hating boyfriend could just tolerate it, the rest of us at the table really enjoyed it. In fact, other than him, I received all rave reviews.


A handful of basil adds a burst of pesto-like flavour to the bechamel sauce, and it complements the creamy squash perfectly.


Freshly cooked and pureed butternut squash is layered with noodles, the bechamel sauce, and a healthy dose of mozzarella cheese.


The result is a dish that takes like homemade squash ravioli but doesn't require as much effort. I'm looking forward to making it again. It's perfect for this time of year.

The original recipe can be found here. The recipe with the slight modifications I made is below.


Butternut Squash Lasagna
By Giada De Laurentiis
Yields 8 to 10 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk (I used 1% and it worked well)
Pinch nutmeg
3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles, or 12 regular lasagna noodles, cooked
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Asiago

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Four Foods on Friday #51

Four Foods on Friday time already. Where did the week go?

#1. I passed Costco and saw gas at $2.84 and have had Costco on the brain since. Share a cupcake, muffin or cookie recipe.

I'll share a recipe for the last batch of muffins I made. It's a Cooking Light recipe: Pumpkin-Cranberry muffins. I loved them! They froze well, and I would just grab one from the freezer, defrost it the night before, and grab it for breakfast the next morning.

Pumpkin-Cranberry Muffins
Yields 1 dozen
Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1 cup canned pumpkin
* 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
* 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 1 large egg
* 2/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries, chopped (such as Craisins)
* Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and next 5 ingredients (though cloves); stir well with a whisk.

Combine granulated sugar and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until combined. Fold in cranberries.

Place 12 paper muffin cup liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray. Spoon batter into prepared cups. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack.

#2. Cupcakes, muffins and cookies require something to drink. What do you drink with them?
Tea, always tea. Orange pekoe with a healthy dose of cream (I meant milk! I actually don't like cream in my tea at all) and sugar.

#3. Which do you prefer, mini muffins and cupcakes or full sized ones?
Full-size, for sure. When something's so good, why have just a little of it?

#4. What type of muffin or cupcake pan do you use? Silicone, disposable, etc.
I have one silicone and one metal pan, but I do prefer the metal. I always feels like half of the dough is going to tip out when I use the silicone!

Thanksgiving Round-Up: Martha Stewart's Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

This past weekend was Thanksgiving in Canada, and after driving an average of 40km an hour -- for 5 hours -- on the 401 (Ontario's major highway), and then hopping back on the highway for another 2 hours, suffice it to say that I was excited to be home. Especially for three whole days.

Living so far away from the people that I care about takes a toll, and on weeks that are particularly stressful at work, as last week was, I find myself aching for some time with my boyfriend and my family.

Thanksgiving came just in time. I got to spend quality time with my and my boyfriend's families, and truly recharge.

And I also got a chance to test out some holiday-friendly recipes that I've been drooling over for awhile: butternut squash lasagna and Martha Stewart's Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies. I'll be posting about the lasagna later in the week, but this post is all about the cookies.

These cookies are not the type of fare that's going to go over well with the kiddies (unless you're lucky to have kiddies with more grown-up tastes). There's fresh ginger and a heavy hit of molasses. And no gingerbread men could be made from this dough. However, if you're looking for a cookie with a complex flavour that is still mellowed out by a hit of chocolate, look no further.

Although my cookies looked very different from the photo in Cookies -- they were dark and tall, not reddish-brown and thin -- the taste was amazing. So perfect for the colder weather and holiday season.

I can't wait to make this cookie again around Christmas!

Recipe after the jump.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Recipe Via Martha Stewart
Makes 2 dozen

* 7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate
* 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
* 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
* 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
* 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (I used 1/2 tbsp.)
* 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
* 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.
4. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Maple and Chocolate Chip Biscotti

About a month ago, I was making a mental list of baked goods I have never made. Homemade marshmallows? Nope. Creme caramel? Nuh-uh. Biscotti? Never.

I knew I'd need to cross these items off my list at some point. I didn't know how quickly the last item would be crossed off, though.

Thanks to Gretchen of Canela & Comino, this week's Tuesdays With Dorie selection is, you guessed it, biscotti. Lenox Almond Biscotti, to be specific. Except in my case, it's totally devoid of any almonds or almond extract whatsoever. Sorry, Dorie! I bastardized your recipe!


Here's the thing: despite the fact that I really wanted to make biscotti, I don't really like biscotti. And I like almonds even less.

So I decided to make chocolate chip biscotti and maple biscotti. I paired the maple cookies with maple-cinnamon genmaicha green tea.

After making this recipe, I'm still not crazy about biscotti as a genre, particularly due to Dorie's whacky instructions, which resulted in teeny tiny cookies, not the lengthy biscotti that always look so gorgeous in jars in cafes. Still, I'm glad I made them. It was fun to experiment with different flavours. The maple was my favourite, since the sweetness of the icing made the biscotti much tastier.

Hopefully my forays into homemade marshmallows and creme caramel will be more successful.


You can find the recipe for the biscotti at Gretchen's blog. To see how other TWDers fared, check out the blog list. And the recipes for the maple icing and the tea are after the jump!

Genmaicha Tea

Maple Icing
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 tablespoon butter, softened
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup pure maple sugar

Place the icing sugar in a small bowl. Whisk in the other ingredients, adding more icing sugar if necessary.

Maple-Cinnamon Genmaicha (Green) Tea
Adapted from Green Tea by Mary Lou Heiss
Serves 1

1 tbsp. genmaicha leaves (roasted green tea and rice)
1/2 tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 cup boiling water

Combine maple syrup and cinnamon in a liquid cup measure. Steep for two minutes. Place genmaicha leaves in a tea pot, and pour water, maple syrup and cinnamon mixture over the leaves. Steep for another 2 minutes.

Strain into a mug and serve.