Adventures in Puff Pastry

Is it me or does puff pastry make things seem more “culinarily” complex?  But the secret is out… its super easy to work with and makes things light and fluffy, and who doesn’t want that?

1 package…2 recipes..huge success

Let’s change things up and start with Dessert first.  Palmiers.  These cookies bring along great memories of beach houses, coffee and early morning volleyball (that’s for you McGrath’s).

Ingredients:

Top/Right: Palmiers, Left: Spinach Pinwheels

From the freezer/fridge:

1 sheet of thawed puff pastry (found in freezer section)

1 egg

From the cupboard:

½ cup (ish) of sugar

1 tbsp of cinnamon

Throw it all together:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Sprinkle about 1/3^rd of the sugar on a clean surface.  Lay the puff pastry over the sugar and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to stretch, thin, and press in the sugar from below, keeping the dough in a square shape.  Add the rest of the sugar and cinnamon to the top of the pastry dough, and disperse with your hand.   Fold the two outer edges to the center, repeat.  It should look like two halves of four layers.  Fold one side over to complete.  At this point I freeze the dough for about 10 minutes (makes it easier to slice).  Slice the dough in quarter inch segments and lay them on a greased cookie sheet. (be sure to saw the dough back and forth in order to not smash the layers together).   In a separate bowl mix the egg with a bit of water to make an egg wash and brush the tops of the cookies with the wash.  Bake cookies for 8 minutes and then flip the cookies, add a bit more egg wash and then bake for another 8 minutes… Bake times may vary so keep an eye for a golden brown surface.  Enjoy!

Spinach Pinwheels

Usually boxes come with 2 sheets of pastry so I used the second for a savory appetizer. 

Ingredients:

From the freezer/fridge:

1 sheet of thawed puff pastry (found in freezer section)

1 egg

1 box of thawed, drained spinach

½ cup of feta cheese (I use reduced fat)

¼ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (be creative, any fillers can be used)

From the cupboard:

S/P to taste

Pepper flakes (optional)

Throw it all together:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.   Lay out the pastry sheet on a clean surface, roll with pin to stretch out a bit.  Disperse the spinach, cheese, tomatoes, S/P, pepper flakes on the pastry dough .. leave a 1 inch boarder on top portion of the dough.  Create an egg wash and brush the 1in border with wash.  From the bottom, roll the dough and press the border to create a seal.  You can freeze the dough for about 10 minutes or longer to make the slicing easier.  Slice the dough in quarter inch segments and lay them on a greased cookie sheet.  Brush the top of the pinwheels with the egg wash.  Bake for 18 minutes.. keep an eye on them for golden brown coloring and remove as needed. 

I served them on the side of sliced tomatoes and fresh mozz.

Bon Appétit!

Easter Feast with Special Guests

In an attempt to prepare an Easter feast for my best friends, the Sindayen’s, I got a bit adventurous with the menu.  Lamb? Why not?

There is an unspoken rule in the kitchen that you should not prepare something for the first time on dinner guests.. but hey, they’re family J

Ingredients:

From the fridge:

3 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary (chopped)

4 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

5 Cloves of Garlic (crushed)

3 Tbsp Lemon juice

3.5-4 lbs leg of lamb (no bone, trimmed)

From the cupboard:

2 Tsp Olive Oil

S/P

Butcher twine

Throw it all together:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees, prepare a roasting pan with a foil liner for easy clean up.

Combine the rosemary, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and s/p.  Rub the lamb with the mixture, roll the lamb and tie with the butcher twine.  Place on the roasting rack and cook for about 70 minutes (I should have kept it in for longer).  Meat thermometer should show about 140.  Let the meat rest for about 15 before cutting into it. 

Surprisingly, it turned out pretty well!  Especially when accompanied by Lindsey’s family recipe for Mac’n’Cheese..mmm mmm.

Welcome back Jesus!

WW pts+ = 6 pts per 4 oz.

Seattle aka.. Foodie Heaven!

3^rd time’s a charm... not to underplay the first 2 times but as I embarked on my third visit to Seattle I had pre-established expectations of what to expect in terms of the food scene…. And I still managed to be blown away!  I try not to make vacations all about the food, but I stopped fighting the inevitable the minute my foot stepped off the plane. 

Granted, the landscape is quite breathtaking and the company was top notch (not to mention hilarious at times…let’s just say, good thing we packed our stretchy pants J )  but a minute didn’t go by when we weren’t completely satisfied or FULL  after the last tasty bite.  Let me guide you through this food Epic and hopefully you’ll find an opportunity to frequent some of these gems.



Fresh OJ, Pancakes, and
 Donuts from Lola's



Late night arrival called for late night delicacies at Lola.  Quail, octopus, coconut, oh my! This is my third visit to Lola and every time my taste buds are jazzed with great flavor! To our benefit, we stayed in the Hotel Andra which shares the building with Lola, so we were pleasantly surprised when our birthday breakfast in bed (compliments of the Gambrell men) was from the breakfast menu of my new favorite restaurant!  I’m not much of a pancake lover, but these were so flavorful and paired with Lola’s famous donuts (featured on the Food Network).  In mid-“Carb Coma” we ventured to a WA state park to enjoy the landscape and seascape… and walk off our donuts. AKA making more room in our tummies.

Arrival of the ladies…We met the rest of the ladies at Lola’s sister restaurant (Several great Seattle restaurants owned and operated by Tom Douglas), Dahlia Lounge.  It just so happened that the waiter shared a birthday with my mom so he treated us to a huge slice of coconut cream pie, which followed our tasty cocktails and grilled cheeses.

Shopping, coffee, wine, cheese, Italian food, and more cheese led us into the rest of the weekend…

What would a vacation in Seattle be without a food tour in Pikes Place Market?  I could go on for days about this tour!  Essentially, you get all of the culture and best tastes of the market without having to fight the lines and you are led through the street by a very knowledgeable and fun tour guide from Savor Seattle Tours.  Food so tasty we had to purchase some to bring home with us, especially that smoked salmon.   In true fashion, we followed the tour with a beer tasting at the local Pike Brewing Company.  I’m pretty sure that this afternoon will keep us full clear into the next week.. but alas.. there’s always room for more in Seattle.



Ahi app from Etta's



We stuck with the theme of Tom Douglas’ restaurants to celebrate our last night in the city.  Etta’s is on the water and known for the seafood.  Sangria, Ahi, pasta and more delighted our palettes for the last time.

So long Seattle.. until the next time!

WW+.. not applicable :)

TJ's Eggs Beni

Fresh Bruschetta in cheese/spread section

Sooo.. I love Trader Joes.  And you may also.  But even if you don’t, I suggest you try out some of these items.  They’re my store favorites and I combined them all to make one spectacular breakfast!

A few of my favorite things: individual mini brie cheeses (2 WWpts each!), sliced prosciutto (adds elegance to any meal), fresh bruschetta (in the refrigerated section... hands down my favorite item!)

Ingredients:

From the fridge:

• 1 Mini brie
• 1 slice of prosciutto
• 2 eggs
• Bruschetta (as much as you want)

From the cupboard:

• 1 whole wheat English muffin
• ¼ cup of white vinegar

Throw it all together:

In a small sauce pan, bring water and vinegar to a rolling boil.  Crack each egg separately into a bowl and plop in the water.  Let eggs cook (avoid a violent boil).. I’m not an expert at poached eggs but I gave it about 7 minutes.. more or less depending on how firm you like your eggs.  Note: the vinegar is to help the eggs bind up to make nice, round, poached eggs instead of egg drop soup. 

While the eggs are boiling, slice the brie and prosciutto and divide for two servings.  Toast the English muffin (I use a toaster oven and add the brie at the end to make it melty).  Once toasted, stack the brie, prosciutto, bruschetta and the finished egg (remove from water with slotted spoon).

If by law eggs benedicts need to have hollandaise, so be it.  But I promise this will be so tasty you won’t miss the sauce and it will be MUCH healthier.   Technically you could classify this as two servings but it tasted so good, I consumed both halves.

WWpts: 5 per stack

Chicken Roll Ups

I like this recipe a lot… partly because it can be made with virtually any fillers and also because it makes one look more “gourmet” than in reality.  On this night I had an interesting variety of items in the fridge so I got a bit creative: sun dried tomatoes, reduced fat feta, and spinach.  To make it a bit more Italian I had some frozen basil cubes (from Trader Joes) for the filling.

I’ve also tried this with other types of cheeses, prosciutto, artichoke hearts, and I’m thinking a may try an apple chutney mixture some day.  But for today, I went with the tomato/basil/cheese combo paired with roasted garlic green beans.

Ingredients:

From the fridge:

• 6 Chicken breast cutlets **about 3 oz each (I bought thin cut from the grocer but you can pound the breast thin if you like)
• About 2 cups of fresh spinach (washed and dried)
• ¼ cup of reduced fat feta
• 1 egg white
• Tomato sauce

From the freezer:

• 4 Basil cubes
• 2 Garlic cubes

From the cupboard:

• ½ cup of chopped Sundried tomatoes
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)
• ½ cup Panko crumbs

 

Throw it all together:

Heat oven to 350.

Mix the spinach, basil, cheese, garlic in the food processor until well blended… but not a paste. Stir in the sunny tomatoes (don’t blend).

Lay the chicken cutlets out on your cutting board, spread about 2 tablespoons of the mixture on each piece of chicken and roll it up leaving it “seam side” down.  (be cautious of where you’re putting your raw chicken fingers).  Once they’re all rolled up, the dipping begins…Place the egg white in a shallow bowl (you can add a bit of water to stretch the liquid) and then place the panko on another plate to form your assembly line (I add S/P to season the panko or even a bit of parm cheese).. finish the line with a Pam coated backing sheet or dish.

Dip each roll into the egg wash… into the panko then onto the baking dish. Voila.. 6 coated roll ups.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes.  Feel free to add tomato sauce, but I think you’ll find that it’s not necessary.

WW PTS: about 4 per roll up.

Running list of what to keep on hand at all times...

If you are always on the go and can't grocery shop daily for new ingredients (let's face it.. who can?) here are my suggestions of what to keep in the kitchen to help with your last minute meals.

Fridge:

• Basics (Milk, Eggs, Onion, Tomatos, Mushrooms)
• Prepackaged herbs (found in produce section of most grocery stores) **Can also be frozen
• Ginger (Great with stirfry's and last minute soups)
• Basil
• Garlic
• Condiments (deli mustard, steak sauce, etc..)
• Bases (great way to pack flavor into simple dishes when mixed with water)
• Chicken
• Beef
• Vegegtable, etc..
• Fat Free Greek Yogurt

Freezer:

• Frozen Chicken Breast
• Frozen Fish/Shellfish (I like salmon)
• Frozen Ground Turkey
• Frozen herbs (I find these at Trader Joes)

Cupboard:

• Spices (granulated garlic, onion flakes, oregano, chili powder, chili flakes (great to add easy heat to meal))
• EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Canned crushed tomatoes
• Brown rice
• Whole Wheat pasta
• Chicken Broth

There are obviously many more items that can be stocked but here is a starter list that will be added on to over time... Happy Stocking!

"Everything but the kitchen sink" Frittata

I felt the need to start my Friday morning with something besides coffee... how about a veggie packed omelet?  Well I'm horrible at flipping omelets so let's stick to a frittata.

Ingredients found in the fridge:
1 Egg
2 Egg whites
Splash of milk
Handlful of cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
Handful of mushrooms (thickly sliced)


So good I had to snap the pic before it was all gone



4-5 Leaves of Arugula

1-2 Tablespoons of Reduced Fat Feta

Ingredients found in the cupboard:

Drizzle of EVOO

Salt & Pepper to taste

Onion Flakes to spice up the egg



Throw it all together:

Heat the EVOO, sautee tomatoes, mushrooms, S/P until carmelized.  Set to the side.

Beat the egg, whites, onion flakes and splash of milk and pour into egg pan.  Let the egg heat and set while pulling the egg to the center and letting all the yolk settle in the pan.  If this isn't working, feel free to scramble the eggs.  Add the veggie mixture + the feta cheese and arugula... enjoy!

(6 WW+pts)