Spring Break BBQ

My friend and I wanted to BBQ at his house and now that it's spring break we're able too! Instead of simply burgers and hot dogs I am making the burger patties with lots of good flavors and instead of hot dogs I got really good looking italian sausage both spicy and mild. There were about 8-9 people there so this ingredient list serves that many.

Our grill was really small so I couldn't grill veggies and I didn't feel like doing too complicated side dishes so I just bought some chips and dip. For dessert I made brownies from a store bought mix. I love these because they are a huge time saver and they're a crowd pleaser.

The biggest hit of the night was the cheese inside the patties so I really suggest everyone try that!

Ingredients:
Your favorite sausage (2 packs of 5 since I got 2 diff kinds)
Buns for sausages and burgers
2 sweet onions
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
Slices of american cheese for topping burger

For Burgers:
2 lbs. ground beef
2 slices of swiss cheese cut into 8ths
2 eggs
2 tbs. salt, 1 tbs. pepper
1 tbs. dried thyme
1 tbs. red chili flake
1 tsp. cumin
1 tbs. paprika
1 tbs. onion powder
1 tbs. garlic powder
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbs. ketchup
1 tbs worchestire sauce
slices of swiss cheese, chopped small


Directions:

to do before the BBQ-
1. slice onion and bell pepper thin and place into a large pan with 2 tbs. olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook this down over medium low heat until onions are slightly browned and bell peppers have a little browning on edges. Allow to cool then place into a container to take to BBQ area.

2. Combine all ingredients for burger into a bowl except for cheese. Mix well but be sure not to squish the meat too much. I suggest using your hands for this but feel free to use a fork. Lightly push meat into an even layer in bowl, score with your hands into quarters, then split each quarter in half so you end up with 8 even sections. Shape into globes/patty shapes. Then push your thumb into the middle and place a small amount of cheese inside. Reform meat around cheese and make sure to seal well. Place burgers on a sheet pan lined with parchment and cover with saran wrap and keep in fridge until your ready to grill.

3. Cook brownies according to package directions. Allow to cool and cut into small squares and place in a plastic bag or cute container.

When It's BBQ Time:

1. Bring out everything on the ingredient list. Also put out condiments and anything extra you want to eat or top your food with.

2. Heat up some coals in a grill or preheat your electric grill. (if using coals let them heat for a while then right before cooking add an extra layer of coals so you don't run out of heat while cooking)

3. Place burgers onto grill. Cook on one side for about 5 minutes. Don't flip the burger or you won't get a nice crust. Also don't press down on the burger, you know that sizzling sound you hear when you do it? that's all the juice come out of the burger and making your meat dry.

4. At the same time your grilling the burgers, grill the sausages. About 4 minutes per side until it gets a slight char.

5. When first side of burgers are done, flip and top with cheese. Throw buns onto grill for about 30 seconds to lightly toast. Place cooked meat into the toasted buns and top with onions and pepper and any condiments you like. Plate your food with chips or grilled veggies and enjoy pleasing your friends!

Apple Pie Surprise

There's nothing as American as apple pie. At least that's what they tell me haha. I made this as a birthday surprise for my dad. I'm just going to pick up some vanilla ice cream and candles and I'll be all set when we celebrate tomorrow! There's a lot of steps but each is simple. It's really impressive to people when you say you made a pie from scratch. As a short cut you could buy a premade frozen pie crust. You could then use a sheet of puff pastry and cut that into strips for the top. Make sure to dock all the puff pastry by poking it all over with a fork so it doesn't puff too much.

You can freeze the uncooked pie, but don't brush it with egg or dust it with sugar beforehand. Place the pie in the freezer for 30 minutes, to harden it slightly, and then double wrap it with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 6 months. When ready to bake, unwrap the pie and brush it with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake, from the frozen state, until golden brown, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. This is great to keep around because if guests ever surprise you to come over for dinner you know you have dessert finished and waiting.

Ingredients

For Dough
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
7 tablespoons cold butter, diced
3-8 TBS, cold water

For Filling
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 pounds baking apples like Golden Delicious, Cortland, or Mutsu (about 4 large apples)
2/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling on the pie
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Generous pinch of ground nutmeg
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1. To Make the dough by hand. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles yellow corn meal mixed with bean sized bits of butter. (If the flour/butter mixture gets warm, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before proceeding.)

2. Sprinkle up to 8 tablespoons of cold water over the mixture. Add water 1 tbs at a time to mixture until you can squeeze dough and it stays formed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour until dough has had time to hydrate and rest.

3. Make the filling. Put the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Peel, halve, and core the apples. Cut each half into 4 wedges. Toss the apple with the lemon juice. Add the sugar and toss to combine evenly.

4. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the apples, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer, about 2 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the apples soften and release most of their juices, about 7 minutes.

5. Strain the apples in a colander over a medium bowl to catch all the juice. Shake the colander to get as much liquid as possible. Return the juices to the skillet, and simmer over medium heat until thickened and lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.

6. In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the reduced juice and spices. Set aside to cool completely. (This filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated or frozen for up to 6 months.)

7. Cut the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half of dough into a disc about 11 to 12 inches wide.

8. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

9. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan with one of the discs of dough, and trim it so it lays about 1/2 inch beyond the edge of the pan. "dock" the pie crust by taking a fork and piercing some holes in the bottom of the dough. This way the dough won't puff up while cooking.

10. Put the apple filling in the pan and mound it slightly in the center. Take the second disc of dough and cut into 1/2-1 inch thick strips. Place them one way across the dough then lay them the other way. Make sure to weave the layers together like a plaid pattern. Brush the surface of the dough with egg wherever the strips touch the outer edge of the pie pan. Flute the edge with a fork. Brush the surface of the dough with egg and then sprinkle with sugar. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

11. Bake the pie on a baking sheet until the crust is golden, about 50 minutes. Cool on a rack before serving. The pie keeps well at room temperature (covered) for 24 hours, or refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Tri Tip with Roasted Veggies

I go to Loyola Marymount University up in LA and I now live alone. Previously I lived in the dorms with some awesome chicks and since we haven't hung out in a while I invited them all over for dinner as a roomie reunion. I love having an excuse to make lots of food and this meal was pretty simple to do but impressive to eat.

I was shopping in costco and discovered a marinated tri tip. I love this because it keeps for a long time in the fridge or freezer and as it sits, it's marinating and becoming more flavorful. It's just so awesome! hahha. Plus it's a large piece of meat so I had leftovers which will be used on here shortly.

For the Roasted Veggies I suggest using fresh herbs. You can use dried but use less because dried herbs are much stronger then their fresh counterparts.

For dessert I made a pizookie of chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream. We had a great time eating it straight out of the pan. I was excited because the ice cream scoops looked so perfect haha.

Ingredients:
Pre-marinated tri tip
3 russet potatoes
5 carrots
Olive oil, salt, pepper
1 tbs. rosemary, finely chopped
2 tbs. parsley, finely chopped
1 lb green beans, blanched
1 shallot, thinly sliced
3 pieces of bacon, cooked crisp with fat reserved
Tube of pre-made crescent rolls

Directions:

1. Take tri-tip out of fridge so it comes to room temp. Wash potatoes under running water and peel carrots. Cut potatoes into medium sized chunks and cut carrots on the bias/diagonal about 1/2 inch thick.

2. Preheat oven to 375. Place potatoes and carrots on a sheet pan lined with foil. Drizzle olive oil over veggies and season with salt, pepper, and chopped herbs. Place in oven 1 hour 15 min before you want to serve dinner. Stir gently every 20 minutes.

3. Put thermometer into tri tip in the very center of the meat or as close to it as possible. Place in oven 5o minutes before dinner. You'll want to pull meat at 120 so the carry over temp cooks it to medium rare.

4. Place 1 tbs of bacon fat into a large pan. Add shallots and cook over medium heat until caramelized, about 5 min. This can be done ahead. Right before serving dinner add blanched green beans and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes or until heated through.

5. Place everything into nice serving dishes, make sure to let meat rest and slice the tri-tip across the grain for a juicer meat. Crescent rolls are also a great touch because just about everybody loves fresh rolls.

Roasted Lamb with Polenta Rounds

When I rolled up my polenta and threw it in the fridge to store I was thinking about what meat to use to top the polenta for tomorrow and I just happened to throw it right next to the lamb and it was just an "AHHHHHH" moment of enlightenment and I knew what to make haha.

I cut the meat of the bones from the left over lamb. I wanted to make a really tasty sauce for this and I wanted something hearty so I chose to make a lamb gravy from the bones.

Ingredients:
leftover lamb (including bones)
Left over polenta, cut into 1/2 inch rounds. The flatter/straighter the cuts the better.
chopped parsley

For Gravy:
bones
olive oil
pat of butter
1 tbs flour
1 cup beef stock
pinch of salt, pepper, red chili flake, thyme

Directions:
1. Cut off any extra meat from the bones that you can. set aside

2. Add a drizzle of olive oil to a large pan. Add bones and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until some brown bits appear in the bottom of the pan.

3. Remove bones and add butter and flour. Whisk together well and let roux cook for about 2 minutes. Add beef stock and dried herbs and whisk everything together. Cook until gravy is slightly thickened. Add lamb to gravy and turn off heat.

4. Melt another pat of butter into a small sauce pan over medium heat. Place polenta rounds in it and cook about 2 minutes per side or until there is a golden crust. Flip and repeat.

5. Place polenta rounds on a plate then top with lamb, gravy, and fresh herbs. Enjoy your leftovers.

Herbed Polenta with Shrimp

I wanted something simple but still really good. I had all these ingredients in the fridge randomly so it was super easy to make this. There was some left over polenta once I'd finished the shrimp so I went ahead and placed it in parchment paper in a long tube shape like I would cookie dough. Then I refrigerated it and I'm planning to slice into it and grill it to make little polenta rounds next time I have some left over meat.

Ingredients:

For Polenta:
1 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup whole milk or cream
2 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For Shrimp:
2 pieces bacon, cooked crispy with fat reserved
6-8 shrimp
1 tbs butter
paprika
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cook up bacon until crispy. Remove and reserve 1 tbs of fat.

2. Bring the water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes.

3. Put butter into bacon fat pan and melt. Add shrimp and season with a good sprinkle of paprika, salt and pepper. Cook about 1 or 2 minutes per side or until shrimp is pink.

4. Remove polenta from the heat once cornmeal is finished. Add the cheese, milk, butter, parsley, rosemary, salt and pepper, and stir until the butter and cheese melt. Transfer the polenta to a bowl and top with shrimp, a little extra cheese, some chopped parsley, and crumbled bacon then serve.

Eggs In Purgatory

Eggs in Purgatory refers to cooking the egg right in the tomato sauce. This adds a lot of flavor and is an easy sauce for the dish. I also love that this is yet another eggs and bacon dish.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 egg
1/2 bagel, toast, or english muffin
grated parmesan cheese
2 slices of bacon

Directions:
1. cook bacon until it is nice and crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

2. Toast bagel and butter lightly.

3. Place tomato sauce into a small saucepan. Crack an egg on top and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes over low heat then place a lid on top and continue to cook until whites are set but yolk is still runny. You'll want to stir the tomato sauce but try to leave egg alone.

4. Once egg is finished, place on top of bagel. If sauce is really thick from cooking, add a tablespoon of water and stir to combine. Spoon sauce over egg. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top and serve with bacon.

Brown Rice Risotto with Leftover Salmon

I was trying to think of a way to spice up my salmon and brown rice and I thought to myself I love risotto. I've never made risotto with brown rice so I was excited to try it out. I used the exact same method for making other risotto but substituted brown for arborio rice. This risotto also stretches one salmon fillet to serve two people. To be honest normal risotto is much quicker than the brown rice risotto. I did this to be healthy and nutritious but I mean rice is rice haha.

The leftover salmon was sitting in the fridge all night in the foil packet. The salmon seems to have infused with the lemon/oil liquid that was on the bottom of the packet and it's really delicious! The downside to this dish is the fact that the brown rice takes forever to cook. It took me about 55-60 minutes. If your in a rush I suggest just cooking brown rice in chicken stock because it still gets a lot of flavor and it takes a lot less stock and time.

Ingredients:
1 cooked salmon fillet (salmon in foil style from my november post, with shallots and tomatoes)
Pat of Butter
1 cup brown rice
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 onion chopped
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. red chili flake
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Lemon

Directions:
1. Place chicken stock in a separate sauce pan and set over medium heat until it's simmering

2. Remove shallots from foil packet and roughly chop. Add this and chopped onion to a pat of butter in a pan. Season with salt and pepper and other dried herbs and cook until onions are translucent about 5 min.

3. Add rice and toast for a few minutes or until fragrant about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of stock and stir into rice. Turn up or down heat so liquid is slowly simmering. Keep stirring as rice absorbs liquid and once absorbed add another 1/2 cup of liquid. Continue until rice is tender

4. Flake salmon into very large pieces (they will break up when stirred into the rice) Once rice is finished add salmon, tomatoes from fish packet and 1.2 cup of grated parm cheese. Stir until salmon is warmed through. Plate family style and top with extra parm cheese and lots of fresh lemon.

Pan Seared Salmon with Brown Rice

This is a spin on my salmon in foil dish. I used the same flavors but cooked the fish on the stove top and not in the oven so it was much faster. It only takes about 7-8 minutes to cook each fillet so this is great if you need to feed someone in a hurry or if your in a rush between classes like I was.

This method is best for fillets that are about 1 inch thick. If it's 2 inches thick or more use the oven method because with the pan sear the outside will be cooked and the inside will be raw. This method is also good if you want to eat crispy skin. As long as the scales are off the skin is safe to eat but heads up, the skin is fatty.

For a fancy garnish you can grill lemon halves. Simply cut the lemon in half and place directly on the grill cut side down for 2-3 minutes or until grill marks appear. You can do this in a skillet pan but it won't get as crisp. The carmelization just adds a depth of flavor to the lemon juice.

Ingredients:
1 salmon fillet
olive oil
1 shallot, sliced thinly
1/3 can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. rosemary
salt and pepper
lemon

Directions:
1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan. Add shallots and saute over medium heat until softened and translucent. Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook another minute. Remove veggies to the side.

2. Cover salmon in olive oil then season with spices and salt and pepper. Turn heat on pan to medium high and place salmon flesh side down. Cook for 4 minutes. This will give it a nice color and slight crust

3. Flip salmon gently (you might need to use two spatulas). Cook another 4 minutes or until salmon is firm to the touch.

4. Once fish is done put on a plate and serve with some brown rice, shallots and tomatoes, and lemon. For a fresh taste you can add some fresh chopped basil or parsley.

Hot Chocolate

I wanted something warm and chocolate-y that wasn't too heavy so I made some hot chocolate. Make sure to have lots of whipped cream for topping. Whipped cream is one of those foods that both delicious and really fun haha.

Ingredients:
1 cup milk (if you want to be really decedent you can use heavy cream instead)
hot chocolate mix packet
1 tbs. espresso powder
1/4 tsp salt
chocolate chunk or bar for garnish
whipped cream

Directions:
1. heat milk or cream in microwave or on stove top. Add hot chocolate, espresso powder, and salt and mix well.

2. Pour into a cup and top with whipped cream. Grate a little chocolate on top and serve.

Duck Risotto

I used up a frozen duck quarter that was in my fridge. When I thawed it I found it a bit stringy so I wanted to soak it in a flavorful liquid. I decided to shred the meat off the bones and then use the bones and skin for a sauce. This dish was surprisingly flavorful.

Ingredients:
For Duck "sauce":
1 duck quarter
1 carrot roughly chopped
2 celery stalks roughly chopped
1/4 onion roughly chopped
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups beef stock

For Dish:
1 cup arborio rice
4 cups beef or chicken stock
2 tbs butter
1/4 onion, roughly chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 large basil leaves, chopped

Directions:
1. Shred meat off duck bones. Set aside. Add olive oil into a pan and saute carrots, celery, and onion(1/4) until soft. Add duck bones and skin to pan and turn heat to medium. Allow to all cook together about 5-8 minutes. Add stocks and allow to simmer for 20 minutes over very low heat. Allow liquid to cool then strain and return to pan. Add duck meat and allow to soak at least 30 minutes.

2. To make the risotto saute the onion and shallots in some butter in a large pan while heating stock in a separate pan. Once onions are translucent add arborio rice. Toast for 2 minutes while stirring constantly. Add spices and stir. Slowly ladel in stock about 1/2-1 cup at a time. Stir constantly and once rice has absorbed first amount of stock. Continue doing this until rice is almost tender.

3. For the last 2 or 3 ladelfuls add the liquid you cooked the duck in (keep duck till end). Once this is absorbed and rice is tender add duck, cheese, and half of basil. Stir until duck is heated through

4. Pour into a bowl and top with a little more parmesan cheese and the reserved basil. Then ENJOY!

The Hot Dog- Deconstructed

I still have some weiners from alpine village so I wanted to deconstruct a hot dog. This isn't the most creative way but instead of the bun I used a buttered piece of bread, served the hot dog on the side and dipped it in a little ketchup since that's what I normally top a hot dog with. This dish is quick and simple to make because the only cooking is the wiener. Boil some water, place wiener in pot and then turn off water. Allow dog to cook for 5 minutes in warmed water. Then butter some bread, squirt some ketchup and serve!

100th Blog Post Dinner

I was really excited to make this meal because rack of lamb is expensive so I've never made it before. I was worried I would burn it or mess it up but it turned out fabulous! I invited some friends over (hey joe, clare, ryan, and axel! haha) and we all had a good time hanging out and eating. I was stoked to use a torch for the creme brulee but when I went to use it, it didn't work! We ate it anyways and it was a tasty custard but without the crunchy top it's just not the same so if your making this make sure you have a torch. I made the creme brulee because it can be made a few days in advance and stored in the fridge, this way I was able to focus on my expensive lamb. You could use the marinade from this dish for a cheaper piece of lamb.

Menu:
Rack of Lamb with roasted fingerling potatoes and crescent rolls
Creme Brulee

Lamb:
marinade:
2 lamb racks, frenched about 1 1/2 pounds each. Try to make them as equal in size as possible
2 tbs chopped rosemary
2 tbs chopped garlic
1 tbs chopped parsley
1 tbs dijon mustard
1 tsp worchestire sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp red chili flakes
salt and pepper
5 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup red wine

For Potatoes:
1 lb. fingerling potatoes, cleaned and halved lengthwise
1 tbs finely chopped rosemary
2 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs salt
1 tube pre-made crescent rolls (bake according to package directions)


Creme Brulee
1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
6 large egg yolks
2 quarts hot water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually.

4. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. It's easiest to do this step when the pan is on the oven shelf so the water doesn't get into the custard.

5. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.


For the Main Course:
1. Combine all ingredients for the marinade. Place into a plastic bag and add lamb racks. Remove as much air as possible and seal bag. Rub meat all over with marinade and place in a bowl (in case of leakage) and place in the fridge for up to 8 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 375. Pull lamb out of fridge so it comes to room temp.

3. Cut potatoes in half and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet covered with foil. Sprinkle butter, oil, salt and rosemary over potatoes and mix well with your hands. Place in oven 1 hour before you want to eat.

4. Remove lamb from marinade and place into a large roasting pan on a rack so that bones curve downward. Place a probe thermometer into the center of the meat (make sure it's not touching a bone) Once potatoes have been cooking 15 min add lamb to oven.

5. Pull lamb out of oven when temp reaches 122. With carry-over heat it will reach about 130 which is medium rare. I think this is the only way to serve lamb but medium is 140 and well-done is about 150. Make sure to pull the lamb earlier then desired temp due to carry over. Rest lamb on a cutting board for about 15 min and cover loosely with foil.

6. Let potatoes finish in oven while lamb rests and add crescent rolls to bake. Plate potatoes in a nice bowl and add a little extra butter and salt (I added some parsley to garnish)

7. Slice lamb into portions. I like 2 bones per piece but cut it up how you like. An electric knife makes this step much easier. Serve everything together and watch as everyone is filled with joy and delicious food.

8. Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. (pull it out right before you start to eat lamb) Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Snickerdoodles

This is the third month of cookie of the month for my cousin Alexa. She requested snickerdoodles so that's what I made. Make sure theres plenty of room between the cookies when you bake them because they puff up and if they're too close they make one giant cookie. This is tasty but not necessarily what I wanted today for my cousin. I wanted to have a little fun with the dough so I used cookie cutters to make fun shapes. Refridgerate the dough for an hour once finished. Then roll out thin on a flour cutting board then use cutter to make shapes. If you don't want to do this just follow the directions below for circular cookies.

Ingredients
For the topping:
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the cookie dough:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

2. To make the cookie dough, stir together the dry ingredients.

3. In a bowl with a paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add the sugar and continue to mix, then add the eggs, corn syrup, and vanilla, and mix thoroughly.

4. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Chill dough 1 hour if it's sticky or difficult to handle.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

6. Roll balls of dough about the size of a walnut then roll them in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Place on an un-greased sheet pan 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until puffed up and the surface is slightly cracked. Let cool on the sheet pan a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

Lasagna

I made this dish for some friends Axel, Ryan and Joe. I taught Axel how to make it so I hope he tries it again soon. Ryan made us drinks and joe just ate haha. It was a blast to hang with everyone and teach someone to cook. Then we got to enjoy our meal and then play some halo. It was a good night. haha

Ingredients:
1 jar tomato sauce
1 package of lasagna noodles (make sure they are the pre-cooked or no boil kind)
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, rough chopped
salt, pepper, 1 tsp red chili flake, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika (you need salt and pepper but the rest are optional)
1 small container ricotta cheese
5-8 basil leaves, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
squeeze of lemon juice
2 cups of packaged of shredded mozzarella
1 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Place some olive oil in a large saute pan. Add onion and season with salt and peppper. Saute until soft and translucent. Add ground beef and seasonings. Cook over medium high heat until beef is browned.

2. Preheat oven to 350. Add jarred sauce to beef and stir to combine. set aside.

3. Place the ricotta in a bowl. Add half of chopped basil, squeeze of lemon, and some salt and pepper. Mix. make sure to taste and check seasoning/balance.

4. Prepare a 9 x 13 casserole dish by rubbing butter around the outside. Now add a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer noodles (takes about 4) over sauce. make sure layers slightly overlap. Add a few spoonfuls of ricotta cheese (about 1/3). Spread all over noodles because any dry part of noodle will stay hard and crunchy after cooking. Sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan on top of ricotta. Spoon on some sauce. Add noodles. Add cheese layers. Repeat this pattern sauce, noodles, cheese until you get to the top of the casserole. Don't put any ricotta on the top layer and only use the parm and mozz so you get a nice crust on the top.

5. Cover with foil (make sure it doesn't touch cheese or it will take off the layer. you can spray the foil with some non-stick spray) and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook another 20-25 minutes or until top is melted and slightly browned. Let set after cooking for 10 minutes. (this is a good time to cook garlic bread) Then just slice it up and serve!

Finger Sandwiches

I love small sandwiches. And since I bought a ton of meat at Alpine Village when I bought the wieners I figured mini sandwiches would be a win win. You know, the mini, bite size, petite kind of sandwiches. haha. The daintiness of the sandwich makes you feel better about eating 3 or 4 of them! You can use croissants or bread instead of crescent rolls but I just happened to have some left over.

Ingredients:
roast beef
smoked turkey
danish butter cheese
mayo
salt and pepper
crescent rolls

Directions:
1. cut crescent roll sin half with a serrated knife.

2. Spread a little mayo on both halves

3. put cheese on both halves.

4. Add roast beef and turkey to each sandwich

5. Close sandwich, serve with chips, and eat!