Better Than Friskies

So last night's dinner wasn't exactly gourmet, but that didn't bother Roger. Chicken sausage beats canned cat food any day...

Cinnamon Buttermilk Muffins

A few months ago we got new neighbors next door, and we've slowly been getting to know them. They invited us over for brunch tomorrow, and although I was told not to bring anything I always feel the need to bring something, so I decided to try the Williams Sonoma Cinnamon Buttermilk Muffins from Annie's blog.

The muffins didn't disappoint! They were easy to make and taste just as good as bakery muffins. The cinnamon sugar topping really makes the muffin! I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn't change a thing, although next time I will make significantly less topping, as I ended up throwing out most of the melted butter and cinnamon sugar mixture. Thanks, Annie, for introducing this great recipe! I can't wait to share these tomorrow with our neighbors.

Cinnamon Buttermilk Muffins

Ingredients

7 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the topping:

2/3 cup sugar

1 Tbs. ground cinnamon

6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 9 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.To make the muffins, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well until pale and smooth.In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Add to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each three-fourths full. Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let stand until cool enough to handle.

To make the topping, in a small, shallow bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Put the melted butter in another small bowl. Holding the bottom of a muffin, dip the top into the melted butter, turning to coat it evenly. Immediately dip the top in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, coating it evenly, then tap it to remove excess sugar. Transfer the muffin, right side up, to the rack. Repeat with the remaining muffins. Let cool completely before serving.

Makes 9 muffins.

This is what an angel must taste like...

Excuse my title, its an obscure reference to my favorite comic strip, Get Fuzzy. In that particular installment, Satchel the dog makes the above comment after tasting a Fig Newton for the first time. Unfortunately, my Crockpot Angel Chicken from last night didn't taste quite as heavenly as Satchel's Newton. The dish was certainly easy and wasn't bad, it just wasn't spectacular. I found the taste of the cream of mushroom soup to be overpowering to the rest of the ingredients. I don't think I'll make this again, since I have an arsenal of much better crockpot recipes, but I've certainly had worse dinners.

I beleive the original Angel Chicken recipe is from All Recipes, but I used a version modified for the crockpot that I found on Bake Space. I served the chicken over whole wheat angel hair pasta with a side of steamed snow peas.

Crockpot Angel Chicken

6 boneless chicken breasts (I used 4)

1/2 cup butter

1 pkg dry italian salad dressing mix

1 can golden mushroom soup (I used Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup)

1/2 cup white wine or 1/2 c. chicken broth

4 oz. onion & chive cream cheese

1 pkg angel hair pasta, cooked according to box directions

Place chicken in crock pot. In sauce pan melt butter. Stir in italian salad dressing mix, soup, cream cheese & wine. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 4-5 hours (mine cooked on low for about 8 hours and plenty moist and saucy). Pour over cooked pasta.

Back to School

Whenever Joe and I are going out to eat or getting takeout our first choice is usually Italian, and typically, one of us will order penne vodka for our entree. Since we both love the dish so much in restaurants, I've recently begun trying to recreate the dish at home. Last night was my second attempt - the first recipe (an old family one from my friend Kim's grandmother) was good but too spicy and not really what I had in mind. So I decided to try the recipe for Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce from the September 2007 issue of Cooking Light and see how that measured up. I also chose this recipe becasue I wanted to make a special dinner for Joe, since it was his last day of summer vacation before returning to school to educate the youth of Freehold Township for another year.

The finished dish was quite tasty, and Joe certainly enjoyed it, but still not really like the version we have in favorite restaurants. This could have to do with the fact that this recipe called for only 1/4 cup of cream, and I can only imagine the amount of cream in the restaurant versions! Still, the dish was easy and delicious (and relatively guilt-free) and I will definitely make it again - while continuing my search for the "perfect" vodka sauce! I served the pasta with some grilled shrimp and made a copy cat version of the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits - Joe's favorite of all breads. These were also very good - easy and pretty close to the Red Lobster version.

Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 pound uncooked penne pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup vodka

1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup whipping cream (I used light cream)

3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil (I omitted this)

Preparation

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add vodka; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by about half. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Place tomato mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Process until smooth. Return tomato mixture to pan; stir in cream. Cook 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked pasta, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and basil. Serve immediately.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 354(25% from fat); FAT 9.9g (sat 3.9g,mono 4.1g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 8.5g; CHOLESTEROL 20mg; CALCIUM 36mg; SODIUM 662mg; FIBER 3.1g; IRON 1.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.6g

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick (I used lowfat)
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
few pinches of dried parsley flakes

Mix the Bisquick, milk, and cheese together until dough forms. Mix for about 30 seconds. Form into balls and place on an ungreased cooking sheet. Bake in oven at 450 for 10 minutes. While they are in the oven, combine melted butter, garlic salt, and parsley. Remove from oven and pour melted butter mixture over buscuits while still hot. I turned off the oven and then put the bisquits back in and let them sit and soak up the butter.

Tagged!

Less than a week into having my own blog, I've been tagged - twice! First by Mari of Mari's Munchies and then by Tiffany of Tiffany's Temptations . So I guess I have to share my 8 facts, since you're all dying to know ;)

1. My favorite thing to eat in the whole world is chocolate chip cookies, as you may have guessed from the theme of my blog. Nothing makes me happier than a soft, giant cookie. My favorite store-bought cookies come from Quick Chek, and being the wonderful husband that he is, Joe often stops there and picks me up treats.

2. I will not go upstairs to bed until the couch cushions are fluffed, the TV remote is neatly sitting on the coffee table and the house is generally in order. I am slightly obsessive compulsive like that.

3. I am addicted to Yankee Candles, but only the dessert-scented ones. Keep your "Fresh Linen" and "Gardenia" scents and give me "Chocolate Chip Cookie," "Creme Brule," and "Vanilla Cupcake."

4. Animals just crack me up. Show me a cat slipping off a windowsill or a dog bumping into a wall and I will laugh until I cry.

5. I was filmed for a Tae Bo infomercial last fall. While my footage ended up on the cutting room floor, I did get to spend the day working out with and talking to one of my fitness idols, Billy Blanks. He is a wonderful and inspiring person and it was a great experience.

6. One of my favorite places to be is the gym. I love socializing with people there and taking different classes. I also teach a class of my own called BodyAttack.

7. I get way too much pleasure from my cats. I love my dog Tucker, don't get me wrong, but I ADORE my kitties, Roy and Roger. They make me happy every day, and there's nothing better than being snuggled in bed with Roy in my arms Roger on my feet.

8. My husband Joe is the best friend I've ever had. We've been together for over 10 years and he is truly the love of my life. I am grateful every day that we found each other so young and are able to experience nearly our entire lives together.

So there you have it! I'm tagging the following 8 bloggers. Have fun!

Elizabeth's Cooking Experiments
Beantown Baker
Blonde Ambition in the Kitchen
Ashley's Treats
Exploring Angela's World
Good Things Catered

Living Insanity's Loving Food

It's All About Sustenance

Easy Chicken and Sweet Potato Casserole

I've had this recipe for Aimee's Quick Chicken from All Recipes saved for several weeks and finally got around to making it last night. The reviews I read mainly said the dish was good but very salty, so I decided to modify a bit. I left out the teriyaki sauce completely as it seemed unecessary, and I used sliced mozzarella cheese in place of the parmesan. Otherwise I followed the directions and it was easy and flavorful. The recipe is below with my modifications. I served this with Light Sweet Potato Casserole, also from All Recipes. This was also easy and tasty.

Quick Chicken

INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 ounces Dijon mustard
1/4 cup bacon bits
4 slices mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Slather mustard evenly over chicken. Sprinkle with bacon bits, then cover with cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Light Sweet Potato Casserole

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan or Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Drain.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the sweet potatoes, milk, egg substitute, brown sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a 1-1/2-qt. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (2/3 cup) equals 160 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), trace cholesterol, 187 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch.

Doofus Cake

Also known as Texas Sheet Cake, but based on my performance while preparing it, the first name is a better fit. I've heard nothing but rave reviews about this cake on my cooking board, so when my September issue of Cooking Light arrived featuring the cake, I knew I had to try it. Joe and I are having a Labor Day cookout so I had the perfect reason to bake. I've never made a cake and/or icing from scratch before, but the recipe seemed pretty foolproof. Rest assured, nothing is impossible for this fool to screw up!

I prepared the batter for the cake and poured it into my prepared pan. As I was doing this, I thought, "Wow, this cake doesn't have any sugar! I wonder where it gets its sweetness?" Then I thought, "IS it sweet?" and tasted the batter. Ew, ew, ew! Returned to the recipe and realized I had left out the 2 CUPS of sugar required. Poured the batter back into the bowl, beat in the sugar and returned the batter to the pan...and realized I never greased the pan this time around. Dumped the batter back into the bowl, greased the pan, returned batter and baked. Cake came out looking perfect and the icing was made without incident. The finished cake was beautiful. So beautiful in fact that it distracted me from the fact that the cake was piping hot out of the oven, and I grabbed the pan with both bare hands to move it from the counter. OUCH! This cake better taste damn good...

I followed the recipe exactly, except that in my oven the cake took 35 minutes to bake in my 13X9" pan as opposed to the 22 the recipe recommended.

Texas Sheet Cake

Ingredients
Cake:

Cooking spray

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup butter or stick margarine

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Icing:

6 tablespoons butter or stick margarine

1/3 cup fat-free milk

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.
To prepare the cake, coat a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with cooking spray, and dust with 2 teaspoons flour. Set prepared pan aside.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour and next 4 ingredients (2 cups flour through salt) in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Combine water, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; pour into flour mixture. Beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and eggs; beat well. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake at 375° for 17 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack.
To prepare the icing, combine 6 tablespoons butter, milk, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and gradually stir in powdered sugar, pecans, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Spread over hot cake. Cool completely on wire rack.
Note: You can also make this recipe in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake at 375º for 22 minutes.

Yield
20 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 298(30% from fat); FAT 10g (sat 5.5g,mono 3.2g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 3.1g; CHOLESTEROL 44mg; CALCIUM 25mg; SODIUM 188mg; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 49.8g