Vickie's Birthday Dinner

Vickie was so sweet, she took a photo of her dinner last night that I made! She said they even had some Medieranean Red Rock salt that they sprinkled over the Hericot Verts and it was delicious!

Four Cheese Gorgonzola Ravioli, Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs and Zesty Red Wine Marinara

Today is my co-worker, Vickie's birthday. It's become a tradition for me to make my co-workers dinner for their birthday present. A while ago, Vickie saw my mozzarella stuffed meatballs on the blog, and said they sounded great. Then, when we went to Olive Garden at Christmas, she ordered the Steak Gorgonzola and loved it. So I decided to take a few of those ideas and I made her Gorgonzola Ravioli, Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs, and Hericot Verts bundles. She loved the dinner, and is going to have it tonight rather than go out to eat! Of course, I doubled the batches and made some for us for dinner.

Four Cheese Gorgonzola Ravioli & Mozzarella Stuffed Ravioli

In a Zesty Red Wine Marinara

Fresh pasta cut into 2.5" wide sheets

(3 c. flour, 3 egg whites, 2 eggs, 1 tbsp. EVOO and a dash of salt)

1 8 oz. tub of ricotta

1 c. crumbled gorgonzola

1/4 c. grated parmesan

1/2 c. grated mozzarella

salt and pepper

1/2 tsp. oregano

egg wash

Mix together cheeses, season with salt, pepper and oregano.

Drop teaspoonfulls onto one pasta sheet.

Use a pastry brush and make a ring around the pasta, press another sheet on top.

Cut with a ravioli cutter or a cookie cutter.

Place on a sheet pan and freeze, when frozen, place in a plastic bag.

To cook: Drop in heavily salted boiling water for 5 minutes, or until ravioli float (if cooking fresh, about 3-4 minutes)

Mozzarella stuffed meatballs:

1 lb. organic lean ground beef
1 egg
¼ c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
¼ yellow onion, grated
1 clove garlic, grated
2 tbsp. grated parmesan
Salt and Pepper
½ tsp. oregano
2 tbsp. tomato paste
15 mini mozzarella balls
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, gently toss together beef, egg, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, parmesan, salt, pepper, oregano, and tomato paste. Divide into quarters. From each quarter, make 4 balls. Roll each mound into a ball, push your thumb in and stick in a piece of cheese. Close the hole, form into a ball, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Continue until all balls are made.
Place into the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and gently place each meatball into simmering tomato sauce.
Simmer for 20-30 minutes or longer.

Zesty Marinara:
1 tbsp. EVOO
1 yellow onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. fennel seed
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
½ c. dry red wine
2 28 oz. cans organic crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can organic tomato sauce
1 5 oz. can organic tomato paste


In a saucepot over medium low, add EVOO, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Sweat onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Turn heat to high, add red wine, reduce by half, turn to low, add spices and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Chicken Castellina

Years ago, Olive Garden had a dish on the menu that I absolutely loved - Chicken Castellina. I have such a hard time deciding what to get when I eat out, so when I find something I love, I always stick with it. Eventually, JJ even started ordering it. Then, the worst happened - they took it off the menu! After going to Olive Garden last weekend, JJ and I were reminiscing about the delicious Chicken Castellina, and I decided to try making it at home.

From memory, I knew it had chicken, pancetta, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, and mushrooms. I wasn't completely sure about the sauce, seasonings, and details. I thought the sauce had maybe asiago or gouda, some parmesan... I wasn't sure...but I just went with what I thought was right!

It wasn't exactly right (I think they use half and half or cream for their sauce, mine was not quite as rich) but it was still very good.

Of couse, since it was from Olive Garden, we had mock Olive Garden salads on the side.

Chicken Castellina

½ lb. cavatapi pasta (or penne, rigatoni, any tube pasta)
1/8 lb. pancetta, minced

2 small chicken breast, sliced into strips
½ tsp. rosemary

salt and pepper

10 cremini mushrooms, sliced

10 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
15 oz. can quartered artichoke hearts
½ c. white wine

1 c. 2% milk
1 c. smoked gouda, shredded

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt heavily, drop in pasta. Cook until al dente, drain and leave in the colander while preparing the dish.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high.

Add in chopped pancetta, toss and cook until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel.

Pour the grease out of the pan. Drop in chicken strips, season with salt and pepper.

Toss to brown both sides, then move to the edges of the pan.

Drop in mushrooms, season with salt, pepper and rosemary. Toss to cook.

When mushrooms have sweat out most of their moisture, add artichokes and tomatoes, gently toss with mushrooms and chicken.

Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. flour, toss to coat.

Turn heat up to high, add wine, and reduce. Add milk, and gently stir until sauce thickens.

Turn to low, add in gouda and parmesan. Gently stir in the cheeses.

Add in pasta, toss with the veggie/chicken/sauce mixture.

Sprinkle with pancetta, plate and serve.

Sausage and Peppers Baked Pasta

About a week ago, one of my readers, Jennifer, told me that she was only 3 weeks away from having her 3rd child! She has twin boys who are 3, so she's going to be very busy!

She asked me if I could maybe blog some quick meals for the busy mom, or even do a whole week of easy meals.

Well I definitely love a challenge in the kitchen, so don't worry, Jennifer, I'm going to be selecting a week pretty soon to make dinners each night that take 20 minutes or less!

As for tonights dinner, this is the kind of meal I normally wouldn't blog because it's not so much a recipe, it's just some stuff thrown together in about 15 minutes! So for the over worked, stressed, and tired readers, here's a quick, healthy meal that can be made in under 20 minutes, or it can sit and stay warm in the oven until your husband gets home from work (as was the case for me tonight!)

I served this with a bag of dole light caesar salad for a complete meal!

Sausage and Peppers Baked Pasta

1/2 lb. short cut pasta

1 red onion, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 orange bell pepper, sliced

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 15 oz. can crushed tomato sauce

3 links of mozzarella and garlic chicken sausage (from sam's club)

1/2 c. ricotta cheese

1/2 c. shredded mozzarella

1/4 c. grated parmesan

If you're eating this right away, preheat broiler. If you're waiting 30 min - 1 hour, preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Bring pot of water to a boil, salt and drop in pasta. Cook until al dente.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute onions and peppers, season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add in spices, tomato sauce, ricotta and sausage, toss and mix well.

Add drained pasta to a casserole dish, top with peppers and sausage.

Stir well, top with cheeses.

Boil for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted, or bake for 30 minutes to an hour.

Kale and White Bean Soup (and Storytime!)

Last week, I got an email from my sisters friend Kelly. She gave me a recipe for a soup that she had and loved, and thought I might like it too!
As soon as I scanned the ingredient list, I knew it was perfect for JJ and I. I love vegetarian meals, and especially soups with the whole garden in it, and this was one of them. JJ's not crazy about vegetarian meals, however white beans are his favorite, so he was happy! I love fennel seeds, and I only ever use them when making sausage and tomato sauce, so it was nice to have another place to use one of my favorite flavors.
As for the saffron, it's quite pricey. I found some at Trader Joes last time I was there, it was the cheapest I've ever seen, about $7 for a little glass bottle. However when I opened it, there were maybe 20 strands, so I've been very guarded with using it!


I asked Kristine, my sister, if Kelly sent her the recipe too, and she said yeah, but she thought it sounded gross because it was made with Guinea pig food (aka kale), which is where story time starts...


When I was in 5th grade, we had a class pet. A black guinea pig named Norman. I loved to sign up to bring him home over the weekends, and eventually talked my mom into letting me get my very own guinea pig. I talked her into letting me get 2, both girls named Lucy and Josephene. After about 2 weeks, Josie started to get bigger and more pear shaped. Eventually, the balls on the sides started rolling around. She was pregnant!
So she had two babies, a boy I named Stewart, and a girl I named Lila. Since Lila was albino, we were told she wouldn't live too long, so my mom let me keep Lila, and I had three pigs.
My mom told me when I got the pigs that she wanted me to really take care of them, and one thing I read was pigs should eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. My pigs absolutely loved Kale. It was by far their favorite food! Whenever anyone would open the fridge door and slide out the vegetable drawer, the pigs would start 'meeping' like crazy, and earned the nickname "the meepers".
I think the abundance of kale and oranges in their life is the reason they lived to be as old as they did. Even Lila, nicknamed el diablo by my sisters, who was supposed to only live to be maybe two, was a little over 5 when she died!
To any parents out there who have children asking for hamsters, gerbils, mice, bunnies, or pigs, I highly recommend guinea pigs. They're so sweet, so cute, and very gentle. They do take some time to warm up to you, they can be skiddish when you get them at the pet store, but every guinea pig I've ever had has been a sweetheart!

Lucy (black), Josephene (large orange - mom), Lila (albino) and Stewart (little orange - looked like a hamster when he was a baby!)

And when they were babies, they started eating regular pig food right away, this photo is of them 2 days old!

So anyway, when I was at kroger picking up kale (it was always 50 cents a bunch back then!) I couldn't help but remember my three little pigs :)


Now, on to the recipe... thanks so much, Kelly! I absolutely loved it!

Kale and White Bean Soupwith Sundried Tomatoes and Saffron

(from Farmer John's Cookbook)

3 tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1 1/2 cups leeks

2 medium potatoes, chopped

1 small carrot, chopped (doubled)

1 small parsnip, chopped (omitted)

1 1/2 cups peeled chopped fresh or canned tomatoes

6 cups chicken stock

2 bay leaves

1 tsp dried oregano

6-7 large kale leaves, stems removed (3-4 cups)

3/4 cups cooked or canned (rinsed, drained) white beans

1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sundried tomatoes

pinch saffron

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and fennel seeds, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add onion and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add potato, carrot and parsnip and cook, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes.
2. Add fresh or canned tomatoes. Pour in stock. Stir in bay leaves and oregano. Bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce heat so it continues to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the kale, beans and sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer until veggies are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat; add safron, stir.

- I topped my soup with grated parmesan and served it with a chunk of ciabatta bread.

Cookbook Recommendations

One of my new readers, Michelle, asked me if I could make a list of my favorite cookbooks.
Most of the time when I cook, I don’t use cookbooks. In fact, I think I only own 3 or 4! Usually I see a recipe in a magazine or on TV, or take a classic recipe, and give it my twist.
However, I do check cookbooks out weekly to complete my country challenge, and of those, I do have a few favorites! So here they are, in no particular order…
The cookbooks I own:

• Moosewood – Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant and Low Fat Favorites (These I collected when I was a vegetarian, but I still use them often!
• Baking, From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan – I bought this when I joined Tuesdays with Dorie, and though I’m no longer baking with the group, this is my baking Bible. It is full of wonderful recipes, as well as information and each recipe has a few variations, so there are literally thousands of recipes!
• Tangy, Hot, Tart, and Sweet by Padma Lakshmi - My sister got this for my, autographed, for Christmas. I love how Padma has a great variety of recipes from around the world!
• The Irish Spirit by Margaret Johnson - I bought this book when I blogged about Ireland because I found so many delicious recipes and were all based around the alcohol of Ireland. It's a fun format, and each recipe is better than the next.

Here are a few that I've used in the past and love:

• The South American Table by Maria Baez Kijac - This is probably my absolute favorite book I've found so far. It has hundreds of recipes from all over South America, filled with classics and obscure recipes. It also is so informative about how the recipes reached a region, and the ingredients used. I have used this cookbook many times, and will most likely one day buy it!
• Sam Choy's Island Flavors and Sam Choy's Polynesian Kitchen - I absolutely love Sam Choy's recipes. I think the reason is because he takes ingredients with big flavor, and makes simple but delicious recipes. I also LOVE pairing sweet and savory, and his recipes (Mango Chicken - yum!!) often combine fruit with protein.
• Baja Cooking on the Edge by Deborah Schneider - This cookbook dives into my husbands favorite, tex-mex cooking. This cookbook is so colorful, and has tons of delicious recipes.
• Bobby Flay's Bold American Food - This cookbook is another one with beautiful photos, and some Bobby Flay classics, like yucatan chicken, and many of his delicious sauces and condiments. It's full of big flavor!
• Tuscany, The Beautiful - This cookbook is full of beautiful photos of the food, land, and people. It has many classics and really showcases the ingredients of the region.

Tres Leches Cake

Last time Will and Allison were over, Will challenged me to make a Tres Leches cake. I surprised him tonight by taking on his challenge. He was skeptical, but I think I pulled it off pretty well! If I were to make this again, I would make a few slight changes. The cake puffed up along the edges, so most of the soaking liquid pooled in the middle, and the middle was very moist and dense, while the edges were a bit dry.
The cake itself is actually a dry cake, waiting to soak up all of the liquid. In order to make it happen, next time I think I would slice off the very top of the cake and then poke my holes in so the cake is more level, and the soaking liquid penetrates the cake better.
Overall though, I think it was a success - very rich and super delicious!
And Will looks happy, right?

Pastel de Tres Leches

(Three Milk Cake)

Cake:

6 large egg yolks

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. milk

soaking liquid:

1 c. whipping cream

1 c. half and half

14 oz. can condensed milk

2 tbsp. rum

Preheat oven to 375.

Line a 10" cake pan with parchment.

In a standing mixer, whip egg yolks until they're pale in color, about 3 minutes.

Add sugar and mix for another 2-3 minutes.

Add vanilla and baking powder, mix.

Alternate adding flour and milk, starting and ending with flour.

Batter will be very dense.

Pour and spread into pan.

Bake for 24-26 minutes, until golden brown and puffy.

Cool for 10 minutes.

Whisk together soaking mixture ingredients.

Poke with a fork all over cake, and pour soaking mixture over.

Cover and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

Top with whipped cream and berries

Mom's Rouladen

Of all dishes to not get a good finished photo... This is one of my favorite slow cooking, cold winter day recipes to make. It is so delicious, hearty, and has great stage presence.
I took photos of the beginning steps, but forgot to take one when I took the rouladen out of the oven, and didn't get a good shot of it all sliced up.
It is a bit of work in the beginning, but then cooks in the oven all day, so it's great for having company over because there is no work and you can focus on getting your sides done - we had roasted hericot verts and fresh fettucini tossed in the remaining tomato sauce from the rouladen.

Mom's Rouladen

rouladen:

2 lb. flank steak

1 small package of herbed stuffing mix (3-4 cups)

2 c. chicken stock

2 tbsp. butter

1/4 lb. salami

1/4 lb. provolone

3 hard boiled eggs, sliced

Salt and pepper

EVOO

braising sauce:

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, smashed

2 c. dry red wine

1 5oz. can Italian style tomato paste

3 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prep rouladen ingredients:

Cook eggs, peel and slice

Slice salami and provolone

Mix melted butter and warmed stock with stuffing mix

Construct rouladen:

Butterfly flank steak, pound out with a meat mallet.

Top with stuffing, salami slices, provolone, and egg slices.

Roll up, tie with butchers twine (I asked my butcher for some and he gave me a few feet)

Season with salt and pepper

Preheat dutch oven over medium high. Add a few tbsp. EVOO.

Brown steak on all sides, remove from the dutch oven.

Turn to medium, add onions and garlic, saute for a few minutes.

Add wine, reduce by half, add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and bay leaves.

Stir well, turn heat off, and put rouladen back in.

Make sure rouladen is covered, if not, add chicken or beef stock to make the sauce cover the beef.

Place in the oven and cook for 3 hours.

Remove from the sauce and place on a platter, cut off twine, and let the roll rest for 5 minutes.

Slice and serve.

If the meat has cooked for too long, it will begin to shred when you slice it (as mine did)!

This will yield extra sauce, serve with pasta or reserve for a later time, it's delicious!

Be My Valentine!

VALENTINES COOKIES PACKAGES!

Dear Friends, Family, and Readers,

It seems like Christmas just ended, but here we are approaching another holiday! What better way to show someone you love them than to send them a box full of homemade sweets?
There will be one round of mailings for these, they’ll be made over the weekend of Feb. 7 and mailed Feb. 9. Again, priority mail, so packages should arrive by Thursday, February 12 at the latest!
Please have all orders and money to me by Thursday, February 5.

Contact me with any questions or for an order form!

ashlee.wetherington@gmail.com

Valentine’s Cookie Packages
Price is $15 plus $10 flat rate shipping
Double the cookies/candy in 1 order is $20 plus $10 flat rate shipping



5 Sugar Cookies Iced as Conversation Hearts
(These can be personalized, please contact me with specifics, if not they’ll have standard conversation heart messages!)
4 Pink and Red M&M Cookies
4 Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
2 Chocolate Cherry Chunk Cookies
2 Cranberry White Chocolate Biscotti
2 Homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries
2 Bee Mine Honey Shortbread
2 Mint Chocolate Baileys Fudge Balls

Cheddar Pierogi

The reason I decided to cook Hungarian food this week is because I was craving my Great Grandma's pierogi. We called her "Oh My Goodness Grandma" because whenever she saw my sisters and I, she would say Oh My Goodness, you've grown up so much!
I can remember visiting her, sitting at her kitchen table and eating pierogi. They were the best!
So I asked my mom for the recipe. She didn't have it, so she asked my Dad (it was his Grandma) if he knew who had it, and he didn't. Then my mom rembered her friend from church learned her mother in law's Polish pierogi recipe, and it gets rave reviews! So my mom asked Mrs. Hudak if she would give me the recipe and let me blog it, and she was more than happy to!


So here is the recipe Mrs. Hudak gave me. It is absolutely delicious! They are a little time consuming to make, but I think it's worth the effort.
Now when I looked at this recipe, I thought it seemed pretty rich, but I planned on making it as it was written. However, when I went to get the butter out of the fridge (something I rarely use) I was out! So I used chicken stock rather than butter. I also used skim milk in the dough, and light sour cream (even though she says not to, it's all I had!) So I think i was very sucessful at making this a bit lighter, but I would like to try the ultra rich version one day too!


I served my pierogi as my mom always did, with some sauteed onions and sour cream.
For the sides, I made red cabbage and creamed spinach (see next post)


I hope you have enjoyed Hungary, as I have loved every dish from the country!
Thank you very much for sharing your recipe, Mrs. Hudak!

Mrs. Hudak's Cheddar Pierogi

Pierogi Filling (40 pierogi)
5 Idaho potatoes
1 8 oz. bar extra sharp cheddar
1 8 oz. bag grated sharp cheddar (I only used cubed)
1/2 stick butter (I used 4 tbsp. chicken stock)
ground pepper

Peel and cube 5 potatoes.

Boil until tender (25 min)
Drain very well. Mash with an electric mixer.

Add butter and mix.

Cube the bar of extra sharp cheddar and mix.

Add grated sharp cheddar until the filling feels really thick like play dough.

I'm not sure how much of the grated cheese I put in. The filling will look very orange. If you want the filling to be whiter, you can use brick cheese or some white American, along with the extra sharp cheddar, but I like the flavor of the sharp cheddar and don't care how orange the filling is.

Add ground pepper to taste. I'm generous with the pepper.


Dough (40 pierogi):
1 egg
1/4 cup milk (she likes to use half and half)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sour cream
2-2 1/2 cups flour


Whisk egg, milk, water, and sour cream in a small bowl.

In a large bowl put in the flour. Slowly add liquid. Mix well. Knead. Do not add more flour.

Dough will be smooth, elastic, and sticky.

Cover dough with a towel.

Roll out a little of ball of dough, enough to make 6-8 circles, on a lightly floured board using a lightly floured rolling pin.

Cut out three inch circles using a cookie cutter or a glass.

Put a blob of filling on each circle.

Fold over and pinch the edges.

Your fingers cannot have flour on them when you seal the pierogi.

Drop the pierogi into boiling water that is salted and has some oil in it to keep from sticking.

Boil 6 min. Remove the pierogi with a slotted spoon. Rinse.

Place pierogi in a nonstick skillet with sauteed onions until ready to eat.

The whole dinner plate, a great vegetarian dinner option!

The pierogi waiting to go into the water, I did 6 at a time

I used a cookie scoop to ration out the potato filling

Creamed Spinach

When I decided to make pierogies tonight, I thought about some sides that would go well. I found a recipe in a Hungarian cookbook for Creamed Spinach, and it sounded great. It's really healthy, simple, and delicious!

Creamed Spinach

1 ¼ lbs. spinach
2 c. milk
1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 piece white bread or a roll
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. flour
1/3 c. water


1. Wash spinach, add to a large pot of boiling water. Cook for 1 minute
2. Soak bread in ½ c. milk
3. Drain spinach in a colander, press out water
4. Put spinach, bread, 1 ½ c. milk, and salt in a blender and blend on medium speed for 30 seconds, or until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan.
5. Prepare roux with crushed garlic – Add oil to sauce pan over low, add flour and stir, add water, stir in garlic. Whisk until smooth.
6. Add spinach, bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce to low and stir for 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Ujhazi Chicken Soup

Ujhazi Chicken Soup is named after a famous 19th century Hungarian actor Ede Ujhazi who liked to entertain his friends with this rich soup. It is basically a glorified chicken noodle soup, but with TONS of veggies. It is so delicious! I never would have imagined putting brussels sprouts in a soup, but it works great. It's so warm, cozy, and filling!

Ujhazi Chicken Soup

3 lb. chicken, cut into 8 pieces (I used 2 breasts)
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into quarters
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into quarters
½ lb. Brussels sprouts
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and cut
1 stalk celery, cut in half
1 ½ c. fresh sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp. salt
10 peppercorns
½ tsp. caraway seeds
1 tbsp. tomato paste
½ tsp. paprika
8 c. water (I used 4 c. stock, 4 c. water)
1 c. sweet peas
1 c. thin egg noodles
1 tbsp. parsley


1. Wash chicken, place in a large kettle
2. Place all ingredients (except peas, noodles and parsley) in the kettle
3. Simmer over medium low heat for an hour, remove the foam at the top with a large spoon
4. Carefully pour soup through a sieve with another large pan underneath to catch broth.
5. When cool, remove chicken from bones , cut chicken and vegetables into bite sized pieces
6. Reheat broth over medium heat, add noodles and cook for 5 minutes, add peas, meat, and cooked vegetables.
7. Simmer 5 minutes.
8. Ladle into a bowl, sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Chicken Paprikash

For dinner tonight, I went back to Hungary. A classic Hungarian dish I love is Chicken Paprikash. It's in a tomato/sour cream sauce, with green peppers (a Hungarian staple) and sometimes, mushrooms. It has a deep flavor, and is very simple to make.

I serve mine over spatzle, a German egg noodle, but it can also be served over wide egg noodles or Galuska, Hungarian noodles.

Chicken Paprikash

3 lb. chicken cut into 8 pieces (I used 2 breasts)
4 tbsp. EVOO
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. paprika
¾ c. water
1 c. crushed tomatoes
2 c. sliced mushrooms
1 c. sour cream
1 tbsp. flour
1 green pepper, cut into rings (I used 1 green and 1 yellow)


1. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat, add mushrooms and onion and cook until transparent
2. Place chicken pieces in dutch oven, cook, turning often until lightly browned all over
3. Sprinkle salt and paprika on chicken, add ½ c. water and tomatoes and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender
5. In a small bowl, combine 1 c. sour cream, flour and ¼ c. water and stir well
6. Add peppers in, pour mixture over chicken and stir, simmer uncovered for 5 minutes
7. Place chicken in a deep serving dish, pour remaining sauce over.

Galuska

2 tbsp butter
1 egg
1 c. milk
2 tsp. salt
2 c. AP flour
12 c. water
1. In a medium bowl, cream butter and stir in milk, egg and 1 tsp. salt
2. Add flour a little at a time, stirring well after each addition until mixture is like cookie dough
3. In a kettle, bring water and 1 tsp. salt to a boil
4. Dip teaspoon in hot water, scoop up small pieces of dough.
5. Drop carefully into boiling water.
6. Boil dumplings 2 to 3 minutes or until they rise to the surface.
7. Drain in a colander.
8. Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a saucepan, add dumplings and stir gently until well coated. Serve immediately

Happy Blogiversary/500th Post, A Year in the Kitchen!

Today is not only my blogiversary, it's my 500th post! I can't believe that my little food blog I started last year has grown to be what it is.
I began A Year in the Kitchen last January because I was constantly having friends and family ask me for recipes and tips, so I thought it would be convienient for them to be able to access any recipe online!
Since my first post, Mexican Chicken and Dumplings with Black Bean Patties, I have blogged hundreds of dinner recipes, because that was the main reason for starting this - friends and family wanting fun, easy, and different dinner ideas!


Throughout the year though, I joined Tuesdays with Dorie, a wonderful baking group. I completed 18 recipes with the group, but dropped out after switching jobs and having no one to bring my baked goods to (JJ and I were eating far too many sweets)! But it was a fantastic group and I learned how to make so many new things - like marshmallows and brioche!


I then decided to start something called my Country Challenge, where I blogged about a country each week and cooked a few traditional dishes from it. I have had so much fun with this, and intend on continuing the challenge in year two!


So to wrap up this fantastic year, I'll leave you with some numbers (after all, I am an accountant!)
90,000 - the number of hits my blog has gotten!
500 - the number of posts I've made in 1 year!
455 - the number of google subscribers the blog has!
26 - the number of countries I have blogged about!
18 - the number of TWD weeks I participated in!


So what's a celebration without a cake? Or better yet, a cupcake?!
Keeping my husband in mind, and his openness to trying EVERY recipe and ingredient I threw at him this year, I decided to make his favorite, meatloaf. I remembered seeing meatloaf cupcakes a few months ago, so I had to do it.
So here is my blogiversary cupcake...

Turkey and Vegetable Meatloaf "Cupcakes"

with Parmesan and Roasted Garlic Whipped Potato "Icing"

and Sweet Pea "Sprinkles!"

I absolutely love using low fat and calorie, big flavor ingredients, to compensate for eliminating fatty and rich ingredients. One of my favorites is roasted garlic. It provides so much flavor, but is very low in calories and has no fat!

Usually I mash my potatoes with a hand held masher, but since I was going to pipe out the potatoes, I decided I better whip them.

Turkey and Vegetable Meatloaf Muffins:

1 large onion
1/2 red bell pepper

1/2 green bell pepper
1 carrot
1 celery stalk

6 mushrooms
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. Italian style organic tomato paste
1 lb. 99% fat free ground turkey breast
½ c. Italian style breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chunk all veggies to a 1-2" dice.
Add onion, bell peppers, carrot, mushrooms and celery to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add veggies. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, or until veggies have sweat out most of their moisture. Turn heat off and set veggies aside.
In a large bowl, add turkey, parsley, worcestershire, tomato paste, breadcrumbs, and egg. When veggies are at room temperature, add to the bowl. Gently toss all ingredients together.

Drop into 6-8 muffin tin cups (depending on how big you want them).

Place in the oven, turn heat down to 375 and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, place muffins on a baking sheet, pipe on potatoes and put back in the oven for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are browned slightly.

Parmesan and Roasted Garlic Whipped Potatoes

2 lb. russet potatoes

Salt and Pepper

1 bulb of roasted garlic

1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 c. skim milk

1/4 c. light sour cream

Peel and quarter potatoes.

Place in a pot, cover with water and add a handful of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes.

Drain, place back in the pot.

Add the remaining ingredients, whip with a mixer for 2-3 minutes, or until very smooth.

When cool, place in a piping bag and pipe on 'cupcakes'

Low Fat/Cal/Sugar Vanilla-Marsala Trifles

Occasionally while making something original, I come up with something else that is similar and possibly more delicious. Then the thought escapes and and I go along with life.
Last weekend I tried out a low fat/sugar tiramisu, which was good, but not great. While making it though, I laced my vanilla pudding with marsala wine, and it was divine. I thought it would be great over some pound cake and berries.
However, if you follow my other blog, www.ashisfit.blogspot.com, you know that I’m well on my way to reaching my weight loss goal of 100 lbs., and pound cake is not going to help get me there… so that dessert escaped my mind.
I went grocery shopping over the weekend, and the coupon machine spat out a coupon for a free box of reduced sugar cake mix. I don’t like to use cake mix because I have the ingredients on hand, and I feel proud when I make a cake from scratch… but it’s free, so why not? Then I thought to myself, if I make the cake fat free, and it’s low sugar, I can make my marasla pudding and top chunks of cake with it. When I got this week’s Kroger ad, I saw strawberries were on sale! When I got to the store this morning, the berries looked juicy and dark red, and my dream dessert was really shaping up!
So I decided to give in to fate and go ahead with making the dessert. I am so glad I did! It was simple, delicious, and low fat/cal/sugar!


1 box of Pilsbury Reduced Sugar Classic Yellow Cake Mix
2 egg whites
¾ c. plain yogurt
1 c. water


1 envelope sugar free Vanilla instant pudding
2 c. skim milk
2 tbsp. dry marsala


1 c. sliced strawberries


Prepare cake according to package directions.
Prepare pudding according to package directions.
Cube cake, top with pudding and strawberries.

Thanks for the free cake mix, Pillsbury!

Hungarian Goulash

Before researching Hungary, I didn't really know what Goulash was, or where it came from. I had an idea that it was somewhat of a stew, but I didn't know the specifics.
This dish was very easy to make, and very delicious. It's great for a cold wintry night (like tonight... it won't stop snowing!) It is commonly served over Csipetke, but I decided to instead serve it with Caraway-Rye swirl bread, as Caraway is a very common Hungarian ingredient.
The paprika provides a beautiful color, and the flavor is deep and complex. I added a red bell pepper just for some extra veggies, and served it with a mock Olive Garden salad.

Goulash

1 lb. beef round roast (I used 3/4 lb.)
1 lb. beef chuck (omitted)
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
½ c. finely chopped onion
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. caraway seeds
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 c. beef broth
4 potatoes
8 c. water
1 bell pepper, cut in strips (one green, one red)


1. Cut meat into 1” cubes, trim fat
2. Heat oil over medium heat in a dutch oven
3. Add onions, sauté until transparent
4. Add paprika, beef, salt and caraway seeds
5. In a small bowl, stir tomato paste into broth.
6. Add to beef mixture and stir. Simmer for 30 minutes.
7. Peel potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
8. Add potatoes and water, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes
9. Return soup to a boil, add peppers and csipetke and cook for 10 more minutes.


Csipetke


½ c. flour
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1 tsp. water


1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and egg
2. Knead until flour is absorbed, forming a stiff dough
3. Add 1 tsp. water if necessary
4. Flatten dough between palms until it is 1/8” thick, pinch off 1/2” pieces and drop into boiling soup.

Mock Olive Garden Salad

Strudel with Cottage Cheese Filling

In every cookbook I looked at, there were recipes for Strudel. There are so many types of fillings, and they all looked so good! I knew I had a roll oh phyllo in the freezer, and it had been there a while, so I figured I'd make a strudel. I took the healthiest looking recipe, and it ended up tasting great! It's a breakfast, often enjoyed with a good cup of coffee!

Strudel with Cottage Cheese Filling

½ package of Phyllo (1 wrapped roll)
6 tbsp. butter, melted
6 tbsp. powdered sugar
¼ c. raisins
½ c. warm water
1 egg
4 tbsp. sugar
16 oz. small curd cottage cheese (I used light)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used light)
1 tsp. lemon peel
4 tbsp. farina


1. Prepare filling – Soak raisins in warm water in a small bowl for 10 minutes. Drain.
2. Mix egg yolk with sugar until smooth, add cottage cheese, cream cheese, raisins, lemon peel and 2 tbsp. farina. Mix well.
3. In a small bowl, whip egg white until peaks form. Fold into cottage cheese mixture.
4. Set aside to prepare rolls
5. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9x13 pan
6. Place a damp kitchen towel on the counter. Place 1 phyllo sheet over the towel. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Repeat with 2 sheets.
7. Place half the filling on the bottom, leaving 1” on each side.
8. Fold in the 2 sides and roll up. Place seam side down in pan. Brush with melted butter.
9. Continue with 3 more pieces of phyllo and remaining filling.
10. Bake for 25 minutes


**I ended up making 6 mini rolls because my phyllo was cracked in half and I couldn't form long rolls. The photo is of a mini roll sliced. I also used cooking spray and not butter in my layers.

Country Challenge: Hungary

For this week's Country Challenge, I chose Hungary. I've been craving Pierogies, and my Great-Grandma made the best! She was part Hungarian (we have some Hungarian Gypsy in my family tree!) and she always made them for us when we visited her... so rather than just make pierogies one night, I decided to do a whole week of Hungarian food.

Hungary is a landlocked country in Europe, and has been invaded many times. As many armies swept thru the country, they left their culinary influences. The two that left the most impact were the Magyars and the Turks.

The Magyars gave Hungary it's traditional Goulash as well as the cooking vessel called a bogracs, a copper kettle that is suspended over an open fire.

Hungary is most commonly known for Paprika. No one can narrow down to exactly when or where it came from, but it appeared in the 1500's during the Turkish occupation. It was only used by low class, but eventually began to creep into Noble dishes, and even won Hungarian professor Albert Szent-Gyogyi a Nobel Prize for discovering it was the world's richest source of Vitamin C!

Strudel and Coffee are Hungarian staples that were also introduced during the Turkish occupance.

Today, Hungarian meals tend to be lighter, however the traditional dishes, as you will see this week, are all stews and soups with common ingredients!

Recipes this week and information in text are from:

Cooking the Hungarian Way, Magdolina Hargittai.
Lerner Publications Company, Minneapolis: 1986.

Gundel’s Hungarian Cookbook, Corvina Kiado
Egyetemi Printing House, Budapest: 1956.

Guava Sorbet with Lime

Even though it's been freezing cold here (actually, below freezing!) after the spicy chicken, I needed something to cool my mouth down. I found this simple recipe for guava sorbet in the African cookbook, and it sounded great!
I love guava juice, it has a flavor unlike any other, it's really bright and almost creamy. I love how the nectar has bits of guava still in it. I found cans of guava juice on the Mexican foods aisle in the grocery store. I hope you enjoy the last of my African cooking!

Guava Sorbet with Lime

1 ½ c. guava nectar
½ c. simple syrup
1 tbsp. lime juice
Lime slices for garnish

1. In a large bowl, mix nectar, 1 c. water, syrup and lime juice.
2. Chill mixture for 30 minutes, then pour into an ice cream maker.
3. Churn for 20 minutes, or until set.
4. Place back in the freezer until serving.

Chicken Imoyo

As I've researched many countries, I've been surprised at the amount of beef dishes. I was very happy to find many chicken recipes in the African cookbook. I absolutely love okra, but don't eat it often because I find it hard to incorporate into dishes. I was thrilled when I found this recipe for Chicken and Okra. It was warm, spicy, hearty, and healthy!

Chicken Imoyo

4 tomatoes (I used 1 c. crushed)
1 roasting chicken (2 chicken breasts)
8 oz. fresh or frozen okra
5 hot peppers, seeded and cut into strips (I used 2)
½ tsp. ground red pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ c. tomato paste
2 tbsp. EVOO
2 tbsp. lime juice
½ tsp. salt


1. Cut the tomatoes in quarters, remove seeds.
2. Cut chicken into pieces (I used 2 breasts and halved recipe)
3. Place chicken in a deep pan, add 3 c. water and cover. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 15 minutes.
4. Add okra, tomatoes and hot peppers to the pot. Continue to stir 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
5. Lift chicken and vegetables out of the pot.
6. Strain 2 c. of the broth and put into a smaller saucepan. Add red pepper, garlic, tomato paste, lime juice, oil and salt. Bring to a boil, simmer 10 minutes, uncovered.
7. Prepare Imoyo Eba, place on a large platter, arrange chicken and vegetables on top, Serve sauce in separate bowls for dipping.

Imoyo Eba

As I was looking through my African cookbook, I found a chicken dish called Chicken Imoyo, and it said to serve it with Imoyo Eba. I flipped to see what Imoyo eba was, and was happy to find it was a dish made with grits. We don't have grits often, but I had some in the pantry, so I decided that Chicken Imoyo with Imoyo Eba would be perfect representation of the West African countries this week!

Imoyo Eba

2 ¼ c. broth
¼ c. plus 2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 ½ c. grits
2 tbsp. butter


1. Mix broth and tomato paste in a heavy saucepan. Heat until just beginning to boil.
2. Sprinkle grits over broth, stirring vigorously until absorbed. Cook over medium for 10 minutes, or until siff. Add ½ extra c. of water if necessary.
3. Remove from heat, add butter and mix well, use wet hands to mold into a smooth, rounded shape.

Country Challenge: West Africa (Sub Saharan)

Benin

Ghana
Togo

Sierra Leone

For this week's Country Challenge, I had to combine about 10 Countries in Africa. I have found it very hard to find cookbooks on African cooking, as so much of it is passed thru generations orally. Many of the books are a compilation of regions of Africa. The book I found for this week was called South of the Sahara: Traditional Cooking from the Lands of West Africa.

The history of this area is very rich. One heavy influence on the cooking came from the slave trade in the 1500's. West Africa was a very popular port for slave ships. Many of the slaves were brought to Brazil and other areas of South America. When the slaves were finally freed in the 1800's, they brought back many Brazilian influces in their cuisine.

Some popular ingredients in West African dishes are: Tomatoes, Chilies, Root Vegetables, Black Eyed Peas, Plantains, Pineapple, Citrus Fruit, Chicken, Eggs and Grain Cereals.

This week's recipes are all taken from:

South of the Sahara: Traditional Cooking from the Lands of West Africa, Elizabeth A Jackson.
Fantail, New Hampshire: 1999.

Dorie's CC Cookies and a Re-cap

I feel like I've been on a quest to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie for a long time. I think my M&M ones are probably my favorite, they're derived from the Levain Bakery's chocolate chip cookies.... but I still search and try new recipes.
I decided to try out Dorie's recipe and see how it did. Overall, not my favorite. They spread too much, and were too crispy (much like Bobby Flay's - see below for link). I looked up reviews by others, and it seems that I'm not the only one who feels this way about them. I think I'll stick with my other recipe for now... but here it is if you're interested!
As an aside, I always refrigerate my cc cookie dough for at least an hour before I make them (with my M&M dough, I refrigerate it overnight)


Here is a listing of my previously made Chocolate Chip Cookies:
M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies (my favorite)
Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bobby Flay's Throwdown Chocolate Chip Cookies
My Lowfat Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Dorie Greenspan

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips or 2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate chunks

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well-blended. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes inches Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. On low speed, or by hand with a rubber spatula, mix in the chocolate and nuts.
Spoon the dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between spoonfuls.
Bake the cookies- one sheet at a time and rotating the sheet at the midway point- for 10-12 minutes, or until they are brown at the edges and golden in the center; they may still be a little soft in the middle, and that's just fine. Pull the sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for 1 minute, then carefully, using a wide metal spatula, transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature.
Repeat with the remainder of the dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake, Lightened-Up!

After making this cake a few times a few other ways, I decided to see what I could do to lighten it up a bit. I didn't want to change the integrity of the cake too much, but I did make some significant changes. It tastes great no matter what you put in it (fruit, nuts, spices, etc.) and it's a real crowd pleaser.

Light Brown Sugar Bundt Cake
original by Dorie Greenspan (see link above)

2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 stick of light butter at room temp.

3/4 c. plain nonfat yogurt
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
2 large egg whites at room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. skim milk at room temp.
3 apples in a small dice
1/2 c. dried cranberries

1 tsp. groudn cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a bundt cake pan.
In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in egg whites and yogurt. Scrape down, add in vanilla.
Add in baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix in for 10 seconds.
Add in flour and milk, alternating starting and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
Fold in apple pieces and cranberries with a spatula.
Pour into bundt cake pan. Bake for 50 minutes.
Cool for 60 minutes.

Smoky Tomato Soup with Pancetta Crisps

For tonight's dinner, I channeled Chef Michael (Dreamboat) Symon and his love of all things pig!

I've been wanting to make Monte Cristos for a while, and knew tonight would be perfect as it's freezing here! I wanted to make a soup to go with them, and I thought tomato, nice and basic, would be great. Then I figured to tie the ham and cheese sandwich with the soup, I'd throw in another form of pig - pancetta! Chef Symon would be so proud :)

I was going to just mince the pancetta and have it as the soup base, but I wanted to do something special, so I made some crisps to float at the top.

This meal was warm, cozy, and smoky!

Smoky Tomato Soup with Pancetta Crisps

1/4 lb. pancetta, sliced

1 yellow onion, minced

1 5 oz. can Italian style tomato paste

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 c. milk

1 c. chicken stock

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

salt and pepper

parsley

creme fraiche, sour cream, cream, etc. for garnish

Preheat oven to 350.

Cover a baking sheet with alumnium foil, place 4 slices of pancetta on baking sheet.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until crispy.

Heat a soup pot over medium.

Mince the remaining pancetta, and add to pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until some fat has rendered.

Mince onion and add to the pot. Stir in with the pancetta. Season with salt and pepper.

Place crushed tomatoes in the blender, set aside.

Add tomato paste to pot, stir, add crushed tomatoes, milk, stock, and smoked paprika.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Taste and season with more salt and pepper.

(If you have an immersion blender, I would use it now to puree the soup a bit more, if desired)

Plate the soup, top with garnish of choice, pancetta and parsley.

Monte Cristos

For the sandwich part of tonight's soup and sandwich dinner, I went with Monte Cristos. They're so warm and gooey, and the mix of tangy mustard and sweet jelly with ham and melty cheese is so good! They're super simple and delicious!

Monte Cristos

4 slices whole grain bread

4 slices honey roasted ham

3 slices swiss cheese (or shredded gruyere)

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

2 tbsp. jelly or preserves (I used raspberry)

2 eggs, beaten

splash of skim milk

salt and cayenne pepper

Preheat skillet to medium heat. Spray with nonstick spray.

Lay out bread slices, smear jelly on 2 pieces and mustard on 2 pieces.

Top the jelly pieces with 2 slices of ham and 1 1/2 slices of swiss, press the mustard coated piece on top.

In a shallow bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and cayenne pepper.

Dunk sandwiches in egg mixture, pressing in and letting the bread soak up the egg, then place in the skillet.

Cover and cook for 6-7 minutes, or until golden brown.

Flip and cook the second side for another 6-7 minutes.

Plate and serve with soup!

Philly Cheesesteak Wraps

Last weekend when I was at Kroger, I saw that they now carry Steak-ums! When I was younger, my mom used to always make philly cheesesteaks with steak-ums. I just had to put them on the menu for this week. I had some left over wraps, so I decided to make philly cheesesteak wraps instead of sandwiches.


2 steak-ums
2 green bell peppers
1/2 red onion, sliced
6 oz. mushrooms, sliced
2 slices provolone cheese
2 whole wheat wraps

1 tsp. Penzey's chicago steak seasoning

10 banana peppers rings, minced

6 sweet piquio peppers, minced

In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are softened.

Pour into a bowl, set aside.

Add steak ums to the pan, brown on each side and flip, shred if preferred.

Drain on a paper towel, wipe out pan.

Place steak and veggies back into the pan, top with cheese, cover, turn heat off and melt cheese.

Heat wraps in the microwave for 20 seconds.

Scoop steak mixture into wraps, serve with onion rings.

Crispy Oven Fried Onion Rings

To go with our Philly Cheesesteak wraps, I wanted a side that wasn't a starch, but still was something bar food-ish. I made these onion rings one time before and my husband loved them as onion rings are one of his favorite foods.

They're super simple, and so much healthier than deep fried onion rings. Last time I used a beer batter, but it was a little overwhelming. This time I went with something more basic, and they were great!

Crispy Oven Fried Onion Rings

1 large vidalia onion, sliced thick

1 c. skim milk

1/4 c. light sour cream

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 c. AP flour

1 c. panko bread crumbs

Whisk together milk, sour cream, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.

Slice onion, seperate rings, and drop in milk mixture. Soak for 2 hours.

Place flour and bread crumbs in 2 bowls.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Drop onion rings in flour, then dip back into milk mixture, then dredge in panko. Lay on baking sheet.

Contine with all onion rings. Bake for 45 minutes, flipping halfway thru.