Crunchy Little Croutons

At the end of the week, I inevitably have bread left. Today, it happened to be rolls that hubby and I just couldn't eat up fast enough. One thing I can't get locally is croutons. Raise your hand out there if you DON'T like croutons. Yep, that's what I thought :). Why, what's a Caesar salad without the croutons?

You can add different spices to these, depending on what you like and have. This recipe is for a good ol' standard garlic parm crouton. A classic crouton in my house.

Crunchy Little Croutons

Stale bread (whenever have you seen me use this in a recipe? The staler, the better. It will cut down on baking time

Olive oil (or melted butter)

Garlic salt or powder (be sure to add salt if you are only using powder)

Parmesan cheese (Kraft will work, but use the fresh if you have it.)

Preheat oven to about 325 degrees. Cut the bread into cubes, leaving the crusts on. I prefer larger croutons, but cut to the size you like. Place the bread cubes in a bowl and drizzle in olive oil, lighting coating cubes. Stir with your hand or a spoon. Mix in garlic salt and Parmesan and continue to stir until bread is coated. Place on a jelly roll pan/cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake in oven for 10 minutes and check croutons. They are done when they are toasty brown. Watch the last few minutes so that they don't burn (this has happened to me!!!). Once out of the oven, cool completely. Store in sealed container for up to 1 month.

Next time you're looking for a little crunch in your salad or just need a little something before dinner, break these bad boys out. You'll never buy the packaged kind again.

Hot Toddy

You've tried the DayQuil, the tea with honey, Vicks slathered on your chest and none of it's working to get rid of that cold. Well, I suggest an alternative treatment for you that will warm up your tired, achy bones and put a little spring back in your step.

What you'll need:

6 oz. of boiling water

slice of lemon

2 tsp. brown sugar

healthy shot (or two) of rum (preferably spiced)

Set a tea pot on to boil and when the whistle blows, pour water in a mug, dissolving the brown sugar in the hot water. Stir the sugar water, and add the slice of lemon (I used a lemon from my bergamot lemon tree in the back yard and it was perfect for this occasion). Then, add the rum. Let cool, sip, and enjoy.

You may even invite your perfectly healthy husband to sit and have one with you. It's a great way to warm up on a chilly night. Cheers.

Scratch Brownies

When it comes to baking or cooking for an event, I'll take baking any day. Maybe it's because I have a major sweet tooth, but I prefer it since in my earlier young adult days, stuff from the oven always came out better than from the stove top. Ask my hubby. I was making my Mint Brownies(check them out in my earlier post) and didn't have a brownie mix. What's a girl to do? Find a good brownie recipe.

This one comes from http://www.allrecipes.com/ and I believe it's the best from scratch batch that I've tried in the past year. The two things that you may not be able to find locally (or of good quality) is unsweetened cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Sub in what you can, and pray to the baking gods for the best! By the way, these are not for those of you on a diet out there as you will see from the first couple of ingredients.

Most Awesome Brownies
1/2 cup of butter (that's 1 stick :) )
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8X8 pan. In a large saucepan, melt the butter slowly. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat in cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder (I used a hand mixer for this, but you can mix by hand). Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake in preheated pan for 25 to 30 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness and be sure not to over bake. Remove from oven and cool.

If you are ever out of box mix, give these brownies a shot.

Chicken Soup

I said I wouldn't do it, and I did it. I'm posting about chicken again. I wish it weren't so. But the sad truth of things is this: when it's cold, gray and rainy, a little chicken soup goes a long way. And while everyone can open a little can of Campbell's, I think there's something to be said for going the extra mile to put on a pot of your own home-made chicken loveliness.

Suggestion: if ever you see a whole chicken on sale, grab one and stick it in the freezer. You never know when you might need it. Today I opened the freezer and was so grateful to see my little chicken stash, as the rain pelted the windows and the heater was struggling to keep the house warm.

What you'll need:

1 whole chicken, on the bone with skin

rosemary

or

thyme

or

sage

or all of the above

salt

pepper

water

pasta noodles

Remove frozen chicken from freezer and place chicken in a stock pot. Cover the chicken with water, and set on stove to boil. Add whatever herbs you have on hand; if fresh, a sprig of rosemary, thyme, or sage. If dried, add a pinch of one or a combination of all three (based on your preference). Salt and pepper the water, cover with lid, and bring to a boil. You may add carrots, celery and onion, if you like, but even without veggies, the broth is still tasty and rich. When the broth boils, turn down the heat to simmer. Let cook for 2-3 hours, or until the chicken meat begins to fall off the bones. When the meat separates from the bone, remove the entire chicken, and let cool. Remove the skin and bones, and set aside. At the same time, in a separate stock pot, ladle in chicken broth and bring to a boil. When broth boils, add a package of your favorite small noodles (mini farfalle, mini penne, tiny chicarinna, etc), and cook the pasta thoroughly. When the pasta is ready, do not drain. Add the deboned chicken to the broth/pasta, and incorporate evenly. The broth will become thickened by the pasta.

Spoon into bowls, season with salt and pepper, and pair with good crusty bread or some crunch crackers. This simple, hearty soup will take the cold edge off any winter day. And frankly, nothing makes a home smell homier than one with chicken soup cooking on the stove.

Awesome Lettuce Wraps

You know 'em. You love 'em. If you are an Asian food lover like me, you have eaten at P.F. Chang's in the states and ordered their lettuce wraps. Well, I found a healthier version in my Hungry Girl cookbook (check out http://www.hungry-girl.com/ for ideas on how to trim some calories on your favorite dishes), but changed it up a bit due to what I found at my local grocery store. These turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

I think the key to this dish is having an Asian section at your grocery store. Even in Tunis, we have one with the basic sauces, noodles, etc.. The recipe is for how I made it, which is different from Hungry Girl's. This is definitely something your family will love. This makes enough for 2 people for a dinner.

Lettuce Wraps
1 and 1/2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into chunks
1/2 cup of carrots, cubed
1 cup of bean sprouts, drained (Yep, I found this at Carrefour)
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (If you can get the low sodium type. I think mine came from the commissary or from my original stash from the states.)
1TBsp brown sugar (I'm a baker, so I always have this on hand. If you can't get it, I would suggest using honey or regular sugar)
1TBsp of sweet chili sauce (The original recipe calls for garlic chili sauce, but I couldn't find it.)
1 clove garlic, minced (If you use the sweet chili sauce)
Sprinkle of ginger powder (Or 1 tsp grated fresh)
Shake of chili flake (Use if you like a little extra kick)
1/2 cup of green onions, sliced into small pieces
Several medium washed lettuce leafs
Extra sweet chili and peanut satay sauce (These are extra, but I was going through my fridge and needed to get rid of these misc. sauces. Hubby and I both thought the wraps tasted better with a little bit on top of each wrap.)
***The original recipe calls for 1 cup of water chestnuts, cubed. I was unable to find these ANYWHERE and I subbed in the carrots to give a little crunch. Please, please, please use them if you have them. ***

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, sweet chili sauce, garlic, ginger and chili flake in a small bowl. Mix well to make your sauce. I ended up making double BECAUSE my Asian recipes never have enough sauce. In a wok or large fry pan, combine cooked chicken, bean sprouts, carrots, and soy sauce mix (and water chestnuts if you are using 'em). Heat through for about 4-6 minutes. Throw in green onions another minute. Serve hot in the lettuce leaves and top with peanut satay sauce or extra chili sauce. Makes about 6-10 leaf servings.

Hope you enjoy this one as much as hubby and I did!

Toll House Pie

For those times when you want a taste of chocolate chip cookies, but don't want to slave away in the kitchen, awaiting each batch, this pie is for you. It's super simple and is always a pleaser. I've essentially swiped the recipe from the TollHouse site, so please forgive copyright infringement.

What you'll need:

2 large eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup soft butter

1 cup chocolate chips (or chocolate bar broken into chunks if no chips available)

1 cup nuts

1 frozen pie crust (if you have access; if not, try our pie crust recipe posted earlier)

Line a pie plate with the crust, crimping the edges. In a mixer, beat the eggs until they are foamy. Then, add the granulated sugar, followed by the brown sugar, and blend well. Add the soft butter until the mixture is smoothly emulsified. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts, and once incorporated, spoon mixture into the pie shell. Bake at 325 F for 55-60 minutes, or until pie is set. Cool on wire rack; eat warm.

Bon dessert!