Homemade Pita Chips

If there is one thing I hate, it is bringing store bought food to a BBQ or Potluck dinner. I absolutely, positively refuse. The two exceptions I will make are Paradise Bakery cookies and these homemade pita chips with store bought hummus.  Making your own pita chips is so easy and worth the effort.

Ingredients:
Store bought Pitas (preferably the pocket kind)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Then, cut the Pitas into triangles like this:

If you bought the kind with the pockets, pull apart the two triangles. Lightly drizzle them with the olive oil and sprinkle the parmesan cheese.

Pop in the oven for a few minutes until slightly browned. Arrange them on a plate around the hummus and you have a simple, homemade appetizer.

Peanut Butter Balls

I came across a "No Bake" recipe for these delightful things the other day and was extremely skeptical. What do you mean that there are only 4 ingredients? Surprisingly, I had all 4 so I had to try them right away. I emptied the jar of peanut butter into the bowl and added 16 ounces of powdered sugar. Lastly, I added 1/4 cup of melted butter. Stir it all together... and it was a white mess. I knew this couldn't be right so I rolled a little ball and tasted it. It tasted like sugar. So I added a couple more spatulas full of peanut butter until the color and taste was just right. I had to improvise a little but it all worked out in the end.

Roll those little suckers into 1 inch balls and pop them in the freezer for about 5 minutes. Get the chocolate melted and coat them in it. Place them on a foil covered tray and back in the freezer. Once hardened, I moved them to tupperware and put them in the fridge. They are delicious cold! They are so decadent, that I can only eat one. I brought a bunch into work and sent Jeff with some as well. Had to get those tasty things out of the house! 

With some modifications, here is my version of the recipe:

1 jar of peanut butter ( I used reduced fat Peter pan kind)

16 oz powdered sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

4-6 ounces additional peanut butter to taste

melting chocolate (I have been using a Baker's Milk Chocolate for Dipping. Just pop it in the microwave and it is so good)

Happy Birthday Ryan! -- a Double Post!

My brother, Ryan, just had his 20th birthday. One of his longtime favorite snacks are the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts. After seeing a recent post for homemade strawberry pop tarts on my aunt's blog, most lovely things, I decided to make my brother's favorite.

I used a recipe I found online for the filling with a typical pie dough and improvised a little bit with the icing by creating my own from the leftover filling!

First here are some pics of the Smores ones I tried. They pretty much bombed because the Marshmallow Fluff practically evaporated. 

This is the size I chose to make the poptarts. You can't tell from the pic, but I put a pretty thick layer of the filling. Totally worth it.

Used some egg wash to hold it together and crimped the edges with a fork. Don't forget to poke holes in them!

Here are the beauties all hot, fresh, and ready to devour!

Recipe


Pie Dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for shaping and rolling
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
4-5 tablespoons cold water

Combine all of the dry ingredients and then add the butter. Easiest with a food processor, but I used one of the beaters from my hand mixer to mash it all up. This was very intense, but kind of added to the fun. Add the water after the mixture is broken down to pea size. I only added about 3 tablespoons of cold water so this will vary. Divide into two, wrap and refrigerate.

Filling:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg, to brush on pastry before filling


Combine all dry ingredients. Brush the bottom crust with egg wash and put a heavy spoon of filling on top.  Close it up and crimp the sides with a fork. Poke holes in the top of the pastry. Refrigerate for 20 minutes and then bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them depending on how thick you made the crust. I prefer the crust thin so it is nice and flaky.

Icing: Use the remaining filling (or make a partial) and add powdered sugar and milk until it is the consistency you like. I wanted it to be able to be drizzled on, but it is up to you!


Oh but how can I forget...I also made him some Key Lime Pie! I still dream about the Key Lime Pie I had when I was in Miami for the Orange Bowl in 2008. Maybe I am stuck on it because Kansas won the game, but this pie made me change my mind about Key Lime Pie. Clearly I don't have the ingredients to make it exactly the same as it is at the restaurant, but I can certainly use this recipe they post on their site!

Ingredients:

1 cup 2 1/2 tbsp graham cracker crumbs
5tbsp melted unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
Grated zest of two limes
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp powdered sugar

Crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch pie pan. Break up the graham crackers; place in a food processor and process to crumbs. (If you don't have a food processor, place the crackers in a large plastic bag; seal and then crush the crackers with a rolling pin.) Add the melted butter and sugar and pulse or stir until combined. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pie pan, forming a neat border around the edge. Bake the crust until set and golden, 8 minutes. Set aside on a wire rack; leave the oven on.

Filling:
Meanwhile, in an electric mixer with the wire whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks and lime zest at high speed until very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add the condensed milk and continue to beat until thick, 3 or 4 minutes longer. Lower the mixer speed and slowly add the lime juice, mixing just until combined, no longer. Pour the mixture into the crust. Bake for 10 minutes or until the filling has just set. Cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Topping:
Whip the cream and the confectioners' sugar until nearly stiff. Cut the pie in wedges and serve very cold, topping each wedge with a large dollop of whipped cream.

Coming this week: Risotto!

I can't wait to make the Risotto. Sounds so good right now even though it is a little heavy for summer.

I also think I will be making the Cake Pops for Friday at work!

3 Ingredient Fettuccine Alfredo

I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical of this Fettuccine Alfredo recipe, if you can call it that. It is basically the ultimate buttered noodles and surprisingly delicious. Some words of advice: use good quality butter and Parmesan cheese.

This recipe was so simple. It took longer to get the water to boil than it did to make the dinner! I also prepared some tasty garlic bread from a Bobby Flay recipe.

The Ingredients: Unsalted Butter 2 sticks, 8 ounces of Parmesan cheese (plus enough to sprinkle on top), and noodles (I opted for Linguine over Fettuccine).

Boil the water and add salt before adding the noodles. Cream the butter and Parmesan with an electric mixer. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before straining the pasta. After you have strained the pasta, put it back in the hot pot. Stir in the butter and cheese mixture. Add the pasta water until you get the consistency you are looking for (I added only a couple of tablespoons). Serve it up in your favorite pasta bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and fresh Parsley for garnish. That's it! In just a few minutes, you get a bowl of buttery and cheesy goodness!

Now, for the garlic bread. This is a very simple recipe as well. My new favorite bread is the par-baked Ciabatta loaf from Trader Joe's. It's the freshest you can get. Finely chop 6 cloves of garlic while melting 1 stick of butter on med-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Slice the loaf in half and brush on the garlic butter mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and finely chopped fresh Parsley. Wrap the loaf in foil and put in the over at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and then bake until the bread gets the level of crustiness you prefer. Slice up the bread and pair it with your pasta.

No one will know just how easy all of this was! I made dinner for two last night and he claims to have loved it, but he is biased :). Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did!

Upcoming Posts

I am excited to get started. I plan to start with about one post per week showcasing new recipes I am trying. They will range from baked goods to comfort foods, but will also include healthy options. My boyfriend, Jeff, has been begging me to make him "cake balls" for months. Since cake pops are all the rage, I think I will finally move forward with this fun trend.

The other day, I stumbled upon an easy recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo on Pinterest.com that only has 3 ingredients. A really good cheese will make that tasty. I will probably start with this one since I am in the middle of redoing my living room and reorganizing my bedroom.

Coming very soon will be a risotto. Jeff has never had it and it is certainly a must try. I love the challenge to get the perfect texture. Most likely will go with a white wine and Parmesan risotto accompanied with chicken.

Looking forward to making some tasty dishes!

Inspiration

I have always loved cooking and baking. I especially love making sweets for my coworkers and the people I love. Pinterest has led me to some recipes that I have never tried before. I want to be more adventurous and be able to document my attempts. Luckily, most of what I make ends up delicious. Thank you to Food Network for giving me the skills to fix broken recipes!