Spicy Thai Coconut Tofu Soup

A few weeks ago my sister sent me a recipe for Thai Shrimp Soup that she created with her friend, Kelly. I thought it sounded great, but I don't eat shrimp. I decided to sub in tofu. I also wanted to bulk up the veggies, so I added in the snap peas. This was very spicy and delicious! There was much more broth, but to see the veggies and noodles, I strained it a bit for the photo, then re-plated it with more broth.

Spicy Thai Coconut Tofu Soup

1 tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 yellow onion, minced
4 tsp. ginger paste
Crushed red pepper
4 cups chicken stock

1 15 oz. can light coconut milk
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 c. sliced snap peas

1/2 package thin rice noodles
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. hot red curry paste
2 tsp. honey
1 block extra firm tofu, diced

In a large pot, heat olive oil, sautee onion, garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper (to taste, about ¼ tsp.) till fragrant, about one minute.

Add chicken broth, coconut milk and carrots.

Bring to a gentle boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Add the noodles and snap peas.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and warm water.

Add slurry, curry paste, honey and tofu.

Cook for about 5-10 more minutes.


Serve the soup with a lime wedge. It adds great extra flavor. (I didn't have one, so I added scallions)

A Year Ago: Sausage and Peppers Rustica Pizza and Country Challenge - Argentina

Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup

For dinner tonight, I made a recipe that my sister emailed to me and thought I might like. I saved it for a dinner when JJ wouldn't be home because he's not a big fan of garam masala and vegetarian meals. It was very good! Thanks, Kris!

Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup

Modified from Better Homes and Gardens

1 c. dried lentils

2 1/2 c. butternut squash cubes

1 chopped onion

2 sliced carrots

2 minced garlic cloves

1 teaspoon garam masala

4 c. low sodium vegetable broth (I used chicken stock)

Salt and Pepper

Rinse and drain lentils.

Place lentils, squash, onion, carrot and garlic in a slow cooker.

Sprinkle garam masala over vegetables.

Pour broth over all.
Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8 to 9 hours or on high heat setting for 4 to 4 1/2 hours. Adjust seasoning.

Ladle into bowls.
Top with sour cream, garnish with chopped cilantro.

A Year Ago: Moroccan Spiced Burgers with Cranberry Chutney, Pine Nut Whole Wheat Cous Cous, and Almond Green Beans

Creamy Broccoli and White Bean Soup

Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. I love creamy broccoli soup, but I don’t like to add cream to soup, or use a roux, made with lots of butter because the calories and fat really add up! In order to give this soup a creamy texture without added fat, I used pureed cannellini beans. They keep the consistency of the soup velvety, don’t alter the color, and add a nice texture. I like to puree 2/3 of the broccoli and leave some with a bit of texture, but you can puree it all, or leave it chunky. I serve with with beer bread for a delicious, warm, wholesome vegetarian meal.

Creamy Broccoli and White Bean Soup

1 head of broccoli, steamed
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained
1 tbsp. EVOO
1 yellow onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 c. vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 c. skim milk
¼ tsp. dried oregano
Salt and Pepper


Garnishes:
Cheddar Cheese
Scallions
Sour Cream
Crumbled Bacon


Heat a large soup pot over medium heat.

Add EVOO, onion and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes.

While onions and garlic cook, add stock and 2/3 of the broccoli to a blender. Puree.

Pour into the pot with the onions and garlic.

Put the cannellini beans in the blender with the milk, puree.

Pour into the soup.

Chop the remaining steamed broccoli to desired size, add to pot.

Add oregano, taste for seasoning.

Bring to a bubble. Plate, serve with toppings.

A Year Ago (I forgot to do this for a few days):

Country Challenge - Thailand - Green Curry with Tofu

NASCAR Challenge - California - Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart & Spinach Citrus Salad

Inaugural Tuesday's With Dorie - Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits

Artichoke Lasagna Rollatini and Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Isn't our CFO so cute?? She turned as red as her jacket!

Earlier this week, it was announced that my boss, Shannon, was promoted from Controller to CFO! It is a huge milestone for her career, and a goal she has had for 5 years! My co-workers and I were so proud of her, and so happy that she accomplished it, we threw her a surprise party!

Shannon loves Chocolate Chip cookes, and usually has them for breakfast, so when I said I'd make a cake, I thought a chocolate chip cookie cake would be fitting. I love the cookie bar recipe Trish gave me, and decided that would probably work best. I used a little less baking soda so it would spread a little more, and not rise as much, and it came out perfectly! I baked it in a 14" cake pan lined with parchment, and it was very easy to transfer to my stand.

I iced it with buttercream and used little royal flowers for decorations. Of course, we served sparkling grape juice with it. Have I mentioned I LOVE MY JOB AND COWORKERS?!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

based off chocolate chip cookie bars

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 c vegetable oil

1 c light brown sugar

1/2 c granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cp semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the sugars with the oil.

3. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, mixing well.

4. Gradually add dry ingredients.

5. Stir chocolate chips.

6. Line a 14" cake pan with parchment paper, spray with nonstick spray.

7. Spread the dough into the pan.

8. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes until light golden brown.

The Lost Shower Cake!

Back in August, my mom co-hosted a bridal shower for a friend's daughter. They asked me to make the cake, so I brought my supplies home to my parents house, and made the cake there, and forgot my digital camera! I was so sad about it, but my mom said she'd have one of the other women take a photo for me. So here it is, I absolutely loved this cake! They gave me a napkin (which you can see in the top left corner) as something to design the cake around.
I made it with Paula Deen's Almond Sour Cream pound cake recipe, and made a lemon curd and raspberry filling and iced it with vanilla buttercream.
I heard it was better than Bon Bonnerie's! (a big, local bakery)


Unfortunately, the photo was taken with a flash, so Tricia offered to photo shop it and take away some of the brightness, so here is her awesome photoshop work, and then the original!

Vegetarian Cincinnati Chili 4-Way

My family moved to Cincinnati when I was 13 years old. I soon learned that there are many food items and brands associated with Cincinnati that Cincinnatians are very proud of. Some of those are Montgomery Inn Ribs and Sauce, Graeters Ice Cream, Busken Bakery's Smiley Face Cookies, LaRosa's Pizza (very saucy, my favorite!), and of course, Cincinnati Chili! There is debate of who rules, Skyline or Gold Star, but I prefer Skyline (mostly because I get the jingle stuck in my head...)
Cincinnati Chili is very different from a chunky, beef and bean type chili that's super hearty and a meal in and of itself. Skyline Chili is more like a sauce, the meat is almost pureed, and always served over a heaping pile of spaghetti, or topping a coney (a hot dog).The chili is very spicy and hot, it has incredible depth of flavor, and it's very hearty.
There are a few traditional ways to eat Cincy Chili:
3-Way: Chili over spaghetti topped with mounds of Cheddar Cheese
4-Way: Add minced, raw white onion to a 3-way
5-Way: Add cooked kidney beans to a 4-way


Anyway you eat it, it's delicious. When JJ and I go, we usually each get a 4-way coney and share a 4-way spaghetti. You can buy skyline chili in the freezer or in a can, but it's not the same, so I decided to tackle making it at home.
I love to incorporate Morningstar Farms crumbles in place of ground beef whenever I can, and it actually was perfect for this chili. Since the meat is broken down so far it's almost pureed, the crumbles were just the right texture.
I think I hit the spice blend pretty well, but I think not having the beef flavor made it a little off, but it was pretty close! This meal was delicious and reminded me of home!

Vegetarian Cincinnati Chili 4-Way

1 tbsp. EVOO

1/2 medium onion, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 package Morningstar Farms Grillers Crumbles

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. allspice

2 tbsp. Dutch process cocoa powder

Salt

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 c beef stock (or vegeable stock)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

1/2 lb. Barilla plus spaghetti

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Diced raw white onion

Heat a soup pot over medium heat.

Add EVOO, onions, garlic, and season with salt.

Cook for 3-4 minutes, until onions are translucent.

Add crumbles,spices, tomato sauce, stock, worchestershire, and bay.

Simmer covered for 30 minutes.

If it's too watery, simmer uncovered, if it's too thick, add some more beef stock.

Prepare pasta and mince onion.

Plate pasta, ladle chili over, top with cheese and minced onion.

A Year Ago yesterday: Chocolate Oat Pancakes and the day we bought Black Bean!

A Year Ago: Homemade Do-si-so's, and NASCAR Challenge: California - Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart & Spinach Citrus Salad

Vegetarian Gumbo

With Mardi Gras on my mind, I was craving gumbo... but I don't eat seafood, and I've made a chicken and andouille gumbo, so I decided to go vegetarian. I added an element that is southern, but not normally in gumbo - sweet potato! It makes the dish a little more hearty, which could get lost with the lack of meat. This was absolutely delicious, spicy and hearty.

Vegetarian Gumbo

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 large sweet potato, diced (I leave the skin on)
1 green bell pepper, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. flour

1 c. beer

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. hot sauce

1 tsp. gumbo file seasoning (which is ground sassafras leaves)
1 tsp. smoked paprika

2 c. frozen okra

Sour cream, for garnish (optional)

Prepared brown rice

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat.

Add olive oil, sweet potato, pepper, onion and garlic.

Season with salt and pepper, sauté for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle in flour and stir to coat.

Cook for 2 more minutes, turn to high and add beer.

Allow alcohol to cook off, turn to low add tomatoes, hot sauce, and seasoning.

Stir to combine, cover and simmer for an hour.

Add okra, stir to combine, bring back to a simmer.

Serve over brown rice.

Top with sour cream.

A Year Ago:

Mediterranean Pizza

My Inaugural Country Challenge - Thailand

Red Curry with Chicken & Bamboo Shoots (Gaeng Phed Kai Sai Nawmai)

Roasted Sweet and Sour Tofu with Peanut Soy Noodles and Veggies

About two weeks ago, during my quick/cheap/few ingredients challenge, I made a Peanut Soy Chicken and Noodle Bowl. It was so great, I honestly wanted to make it the next night. I was originally going to make it with tofu, but since my husband isn't a big tofu fan, I went with chicken.

Since he was gone again for dinner, I decided to make another version of it, but with roasted tofu and some different veggies. I also had the noodles warm this time. It was so delicious, even better with the tofu!

Roasted Sweet and Sour Tofu with Peanut Soy Noodles and Veggies

(serves 2)

1 brick of extra firm tofu, drained and diced

2 tbsp. light soy sauce

1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. thai chili paste

1 tbsp. creamy peanut butter

3 tbsp. light soy sauce

5 oz. Barilla plus thin spaghetti

1 red bell pepper, sliced
3 scallions, sliced
1 6 oz. bag snap peas

2 carrots, peeled and shredded
handfull of cilantro, minced

Whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, honey and thai chilie paste. Toss tofu in mixture, refrigerate for 30 minutes to a few hours.

Preaheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Line a baking sheet with foil, spray with nonstick spray. Place tofu on the baking sheet, and roast for 15 minutes, tossing a few times to brown all over.

Add pasta to boiling water, during the last minute add snap peas. Drain, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine soy sauce and peanut butter, whisk until smooth. Add veggies and pasta, toss to combine.

Plate, top with tofu cubes and cilantro.

A Year Ago: Chicken Enchiladas

The Best Ever Roasted Cauliflower

I believe in fate... especially when it comes to good food! Sadly, baseball season is in full force, so my husband will be missing many dinners at home over the next few months, but it's ok, because I get to make some of my favorite dishes (and eat vegetarian meals)!
JJ will eat almost anything I put on his plate, but he's told me he refuses to eat cauliflower, so don't bother making it for him ever. I respect his hatred (though I can't understand it!) so when I was planning this week's menu, I had to include some cauliflower!
I was just about to ask for some recommendations when Cara said she had the best ever cauliflower for dinner. She simply roasted it, then tossed it with balsamic vinegar and blue cheese, two of my other favorite ingredients! It was fate... and it was GOOD!
I decided to plate it over some barilla plus rotini and I added a chopped up chik'n patty (morningstar farms faux chicken).

The Best Ever Roasted Cauliflower

(Balsamic and Blue Cheese Cauliflower)

by Cara

1 head of fresh cauliflower, washed and chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 oz crumbled blue cheese

Preheat oven to 400F.

Toss cauliflower in olive oil and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast for about 18 minutes, then remove from oven.

Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and toss to distribute.

Sprinkle with cheese and returns to oven for another 5-10 minutes.

If desired, turn on broiler at the end to finish browning to your liking.

Since I haven't posted much this week, there's a bit of A Year Ago's, as an aside, these are some of my absolute favorite dishes EVER:
German Potato Salad
Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs & Baked Zucchini Sticks with Marinara
Sausage and Lentil Stew with Cheddar Herb Beer Bread
Pesto & Pea Orrecchheti with Prosciutto and Provolone Stuffed Chicken

Everything Breakfast Quiche

I decided to declare this week clean out the fridge week because I hate having lots of food on hand. I rarely buy things I don't need, but when things are on sale and I have coupons, I can't help myself. I did a lot of baking at Christmas, and had leftover savory pie crust in the freezer. I also have eggs, some cheddar cheese, and ham and sausage left from last week's dinner challenge, so I decided to make quiche. I love making quiche because you literally can just clean out the fridge/freezer and put anything and everything in it. Peppers were not on sale this week, so all I bought was a bag of diced peppers and onions from the freezer section, and there's dinner for only $1.19!

I wasn't going to blog this week, but maybe my clean out the fridge will spark some ideas for you to have your own clean out the fridge/pantry week!

Everything Breakfast Quiche

1 pie crust, rolled into a pie plate

5 eggs

1/4 c. milk

1/4 lb. sausage, cooked and crumbled

1/4 c. diced ham

1 c. frozen diced bell peppers and onions

1/2 c. lowfat cheddar cheese

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

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

Add sausage, ham, peppers, onions, and cheese to pie crust.

Pour egg mixture over top.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until quiche is set in the middle when you jiggle it, puffy, and brown.

Pulled Pork and Lowfat No Mayo Coleslaw

Finally, NASCAR season is back! You might have read posts in the past that refer to how my husband and I met - we were both in the lobby of our dorm on the second night of school, freshman year, watching the Bristol night race. Seriously, we didn't mess around wasting time, finding eachother! We began talking, and the rest is history.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know last year, I took it upon myself to do a little NASCAR Challenge. See A Year Ago: Daytona 500.

Seriously, I love the challenges, bring 'em on!

So the premise was I'd cook a meal that is symbolic of the city or state where the race was held. I began last year with Daytona, and proceeded to blog 13 more races. If you're a NASCAR fan, you know the tracks begin to repeat halfway thru the season, and many tracks are located close toegether, so I blogged about half the season.Now I'm not going to do another season of NASCAR food, but I did want to kick off the season right and cook a meal that reminds me of my wonderful years in North Carolina. This whole meal is super simple to put together, and very delicious!

Pulled Pork Open Faced Sandwiches with Lowfat, No Mayo Coleslaw

1 1lb. pork tenderloin (mine was already seasoned with a peppercorn crust)

1/2 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, or a combination of a few (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Mesquite Hickory and Brown Sugar, and added a touch of vinegar and mustard)

1/2 c. chicken stock

2 slices bread (or texas toast or a roll)

Place pork, stock, and BBQ sauce in a slow cooker on low, cook for 6 hours.

Shred and let it soak up the liquid.

Serve on toast with extra BBQ sauce.

Lowfat, No Mayo Coleslaw

1 sack of coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1/4 c. light sour cream

2 tbsp. champagne or apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp. mustard powder

salt and pepper

1 tbsp. powdered sugar (you can use granulated, powdered dissolves easier)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sour cream, vinegar, mustard powder, salt, pepper and sugar.

Toss in cabbage, mix to distribute.

Let coleslaw sit in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving, toss before serving.

Nutella Swirl Cheesecake

For Valentine's Day, my co-workers and their husbands and JJ and I went to dinner at a Japanese Hibachi Restaurant, then we went back to Michele's to play games and have dessert, which I offered to make. I asked what everyone would like, and they all said whatever, so I started throwing out ideas. I said how about cheesecake, and everyone said YES! Then I said well, I want it to have chocolate and fruit, so I asked them if they liked Nutella. Vickie said she and her husband love it, but the other's hadn't had it, so I knew I'd have to introduce them to it!

I decided to make a plain, New York style cheesecake, but with a chocolate graham crust, rather than plain, and then swirl in the Nutella so it didn't completely overpower the cheesecake.

I think the Nutella could have actually been a little stronger, it wasn't completely overshadowed by the cheesecake batter, but it wasn't a very predominant flavor. Maybe next time I'd swirl it on top after cooking, as well, because I think cooking it might have reduced some of the flavor. Also, I'd use the whole jar, rather than a jar less 2 giant spoonfulls that I ate :)

This cheesecake is SO amazing, decadent, but really light, super creamy, and wonderful, another Dorie classic I'll go back to from now on! Just be sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature, and make sure you listen to the directions about how long to whip and cream the ingredients (something I tend to rush)! Also, I used a 3" high springform pan, I think 9" in diameter, and I had the perfect amount of batter.

Nutella Swirl Cheesecake

adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Tall and Creamy Cheesecake

Crust:
2 packages of Chocolate Graham crackers (out of a box of 3), crushed, about 2 c.
1 stick of butter, melted
2 tbsp. sugar

Filling:
4 8 oz. bricks of Cream Cheese
1 1/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1 c. Nutella hazlenut chocolate spread
6-8 Strawberries, halved (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in a bowl, toss in graham cracker crumbs and sugar.
Spray a springform pan wrapped in foil with nonstick spray.
Press graham cracker mixture into the bottom and up the sides, about 2" (I use a glass to help me press in the sides).
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove, set aside. Reduce oven temp. to 325 degrees.

While crust bakes, prepare filling.
Boil a kettle full of water.
Beat the cream cheese at a medium speed until soft and creamy (about 4 minutes).
With the mixer still running add the sugar and salt and continue to beat for another 4 minutes or so, the cream cheese should appear light and creamy.
Add the vanilla and the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition, about 1 minute.
Reduce speed to low, add the sour cream and beat for 1 minute.

Pour the water into a large roasting pan (I used a steel sautee pan with high sides)
Place the spring form pan in, then pour half the batter in the crust.
Put the nutella in a piping bag and make a swirl of it over the batter.
Pour the remaining batter in, it will go above the crust.
Pipe a cross-hatch pattern on the top with nutella, use a toothpick to swirl at a 45 degree.
Bake the cheesecake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. It will be a little golden on top, and will puff up above the rim.

Turn off the oven, prop open, and allow to cool gently for a further hour.

Remove the tin from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature on a cooling rack, about another hour.
When the cake has cooled to room temperature refridgerate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
Before serving, top with strawberries.

Dinner Challenge: Balsamic Apricot Chicken with Asparagus and Cous Cous

For the last night of my dinner challenge, I wanted to do something a little fancier and something that could be made quickly and cheaply for Valentine’s Day.
I love balsamic vinegar glazed on my asparagus and on chicken, and I love the sweet and savory combo, so I decided to make an apricot balsamic glaze.
A super easy, quick starch side is cous cous, which goes really well with the chicken and asparagus. Sometimes I like to buy plain cous cous and flavor it, but tonight I went with a box of whole wheat garlic cous cous.

Balsamic Apricot glazed Chicken with Asparagus and Cous Cous

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin (on sale for $2.49/lb.)

Salt and pepper
½ c. Balsamic Vinegar (Used 1/4 of the bottle, which I had, so about $1)
1 tbsp. honey (Already had a large bottle, so about $.50)
10 dried apricots, minced (in the bulk bin, 1/4 lb. for $1.25)

1/4 tsp. dried or fresh rosemary (had dried on hand, sub any herb you have)
1 lb. asparagus spears (On sale this week for $1.28/lb, sub green beans or any veggie on sale)
1 box of whole wheat cous cous ($2.99)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Preheat large nonstick skillet to medium-high heat.
In a small pot over medium, add vinegar, apricots, rosemary and honey. Reduce.
Pound chicken in plastic, season with salt and pepper. Add to nonstick sillet and brown each side, about 5-6 minutes.
Toss asparagus with salt, pepper and EVOO. Roast for 10 minutes (I don't wait for the oven to preheat, I get them in asap).
In another small pot, add 2 c. water and bring to a boil. Add cous cous and seasonings, turn heat off and cover. Set aside.
When chicken is cooked, turn heat to low, baste with vinegar mixture to caramelize it.
Fluff cous cous with a fork.
Plate cous cous, asparagus and chicken, drizzle with remaining vinegar mixture.

Total Time - 18 Minutes

Total Cost - $9.51

Total Ingredients - 7

A Year Ago: Classic Valentine's Day Fondue and Spicy Chicken Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Restaurant Review: Dunn Inn

Dunn Inn

208 S Dunn St.

Bloomington, IN

(812) 330-2002

http://www.thedunninn.com/

Location: Downtown on Dunn between 4th and 3rd
Cuisine: American Bistro
Price: Sandwiches/Burgers about $10, Dinner Entrees about $15

I have been to the Dunn Inn two times, once for lunch with a group from work and once for dinner, so I have tried many things there! I enjoy going with groups because I tend to eat vegetarian and others don't, so I get a better idea of the whole menu.

The Dunn Inn is a relatively new restaurant in Bloomington. It's got a great patio for sitting outside, a nice, big bar area, and about 15 tables inside. Both times I went, I noticed it seemed kind of dark inside, especially at lunch time.

The Dunn Inn has a great beer selection including Guiness on draft, which made me very happy! The prices are pretty standard for beer and wine. Both times we had great servers. When I eat out I drink a lot, and the waiters were great about keeping up with my refills.

My first dining experience there was with co-workers for a birthday at lunch, so we all chose lighter options. I had the Black Bean Burger and Red Cabbage Slaw. The burger was pretty standard, but the Dunn Inn dressed it up with an avocado spread and feta, which I would have never thought to pair together, but were delicious. The slaw was also very good, fresh and crisp red cabbage in a sweet and sour vinaigrette.

All of my co-workers chose Burgers including the Bleu-Bacon, the Done Inn's Burger. They said they were both standard burgers, juicy and a good portion. All three ordered the fruit salad, which looked like it had specks of saffron and mint in it. I appreciated the way that took something simple like fruit salad, and added some nice, quality ingredients to really dress it up.

The second time I went to the Dunn Inn was when my dad visited Bloomington for the weekend. We started out our dinner with the Roasted Garlic Hummus with Grilled Pitas appetizer. The hummus was great, however we all felt that the portion could have been a bit bigger. I think we each got 2 pita points with a smear of hummus and piece of red pepper.

*As a side note, ordering/buying hummus and paying so much tends to irk me anyway because it's so cheap to make at home, but I try to look at reviewing restaurants from the average patron's point of view who can't make hummus*

When it came time to order, something very funny happened, JJ and my dad both ordered the same beer, and then both proceeded to order the Famous Crab Cake Sandwich. It was a large lump crab cake seared and served with a garlic aioli. Both my dad and JJ really enojoyed the crabcake and said it was priced well for what they got.

I ordered a Grilled Eggplant and Pepper Panini with Pesto and Mozzarella. I thought the sandwich components were delicious, but the bread was too greasy for me. It's important to note that I do not like greasy food at all, so others might not find it as greasy. I again ordered the red cabbage slaw, which was as great as the first time.

I would definitely recommend the Dunn Inn for a nice, casual restaurant with a great bar selection and something on the menu for everyone. It would be 'safe' for picky eaters (grilled turkey and provolone), but it has enough flare on the menu for patrons who expect something different (like the avocado spread and mint saffron fruit salad). I would also recommend going in the summer and enjoying the nice patio seating and the abundant parking downtown when school is out!

Twilight Cake/Cookies and Party!

Last fall, one of my co-workers, Cindy, began reading the Twilight series. She eventually talked the 3 of us into reading the series, and we were all hooked. For about 2 months, we were talking about Twilight 24/7!

Cindy's birthday was December 31, and Vickie wanted to get a carboard cutout of Edward to put in the office, but it wasn't going to be shipped on time. Vickie told me about it, and I said how about we do it on Valentine's Day.

Well the ideas snowballed, and we decided to have an all out Twilight themed Valentine's Day party. We surprised Cindy with it, and it was so much fun.

In this post, I'm going to have directions to make the Twilight cake, which has many elements, and took me all week to make (but could probably be made in one marathon day)!

To plan the perfect Twilight party, we had the cutout, a cake, cookies, apples with caramel and chocolate dip, "Blood" punch, then for decorations we had red, black and white balloons, red and while tulips (like the New Moon cover), banners with the Twilight font, and we listened to the Twilight soundtrack all day.

So here is how to make the cake, with the cookie decorations, fondant, icings, cake, filling, and assembly.

This post will be LONG, with lots of photos!

Twilight Cake!

I made this cake over 4 days, each day I did a part of it, taking about 3 hours each day.

Day 1 was making the sugar cookies and royal icing.

Step #1 - Cookie Decorations

My Famous Sugar Cookies!
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tbsp. lemon zest
5 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Powdered sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cream butter and sugars in a mixer for 5 minutes.
Add in eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly.
Add in vanilla, almond, and lemon zest.
Beat for 10 seconds.
Add in baking powder and salt, beat again.
Add in flour 1 c. at a time, mix for 15 seconds between each addition.
Do not over mix, this process should take about one minute.
Chill dough for up to a week in the fridge, or roll out and cut right away.
Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for about 7 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom.

This recipe made about 50 cookies - I made 6 small sized of each cover icon (3 total cookies, on sticks, sandwiched), and 4 large to give away to my co-workers. Then I also made 16 skinny hearts (8 total cookes on sticks)

To make the sugar cookies, I used the following

Twilight Apple - pumpkin cookie cutter, bottom pinched in to make it apple shaped

New Moon Tulip - upside down tulip cookie cutter

Eclipse Ribbon - cancer ribbon cookie cutter

Breaking Dawn Chess Piece - I used a baby bottle cookie cutter with the sides cut out

To make the cookies on sticks, I rolled them out really thin, brushed warm water on the top, then pressed the other cookie on top. These baked for about 9 minutes.

I made 3 (only used 2 though) in case one broke or the icing was messed up.

I made a large batch of Royal Icing to ice the cookies, and to pipe on the cake:

Wilton Royal Icing:
3 tablespoons Meringue Powder
4 cups (about 1 lb.) confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons warm water

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer).
NOTE: Keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.

I put half the icing in one container, left white, and the other half in another container, and dyed it red with Christmas Red gel food coloring.

I filled bags with each icing, then piped the outside edges of each cookie.
I made sure the bags still had lots of icing in them, then I added a few TBSP of water to the containers holding the icing so I could use it to flood the cookies. You want it to be like maple syrup in consistency.

I like to use squeeze bottles to fill my cookies, it's easier to control the flow.

To make the tulips, I filled them with white, then made 3 stripes of red with the flooded red in a squeeze bottle. I used a toothpick to make the red run like feathers.

Since the apples and tulips have a few elements, I left them with just the icing. With the ribbon and chess pieces, since they're somewhat plain, I used sanding sugars to give them a bit more dimension. Make sure you sprinkle them right away or the icing will dry and it won't stick.

It's optional to pipe leaves on the apples, they don't need it, but it does add some color. Use folled fondant to make the stem (which we'll make later...) Here are the final cookies with the cooresponding books. Let the cookies dry overnight to harden.

I made Chocolate Frosting for the cake on night 2, here is the recipe:

Chocolate Frosting
1 cup butter
3/4 c. Dutch process cocoa
6 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream Butter, add in cocoa powder and mix together on low. Add vanilla.
Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.

Keep refrigerated until use.

I covered this cake in Chocolate Rolled Fondant. I used my white chocolate recipe, but subbed in dark chocolate candy melts and some cocoa powder. It cracked much easier than the white chocolate fondant, but it tasted much better!

Chocolate Rolled Fondant: (For photos of steps, see this post)

1 lb. dark chocolate candy coating
3/4 c. corn syrup
1 c. Cocoa Powder

3.5 lbs. powdered sugar
8 tbsp. hot water
1 c. glucose (I get this at cake/candy supply stores)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. white crisco

Step 1: Melt the chocoalte chips in the microwave or over a double boiler, stir in the corn syrup, set aside so it cools. It should form a pasty dough.

Step 2: Put 3/4 of powdered sugar and cocoa powder in the bowl of a mixer, make a well in the center. Set Aside.
Step 3: Mix water, glucose, vanilla, salt, and shortening together in a saucepan. Heat until shortening is almost melted.

Step 4: Pour into the well of powdered sugar, use dough hook and mix until incorporated, about 4 minutes. Add white chocolate mixture to mixing bowl a tablespoon full at a time, until incorporated.

Step 5: When mixture is too hard to mix, take it out and turn on a powder sugar dusted surface, knead in the remaining powdered sugar.

Wrap very tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a ziplock bag. It will get somewhat hard, but kneading it will loosen it up. Use within a month. (Do not refrigerate)

I made a Red Velvet cake with creamcheese filling for the Twilight cake. I used this recipe.

Red Velvet Cake (original recipe for cupcakes):

15 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
13 ounces granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons red food coloring
1 1/4 teaspoons vinegar (white or apple cider can both work)
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 cup water

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a bowl and set aside.
In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix oil, sugar, and buttermilk until combined. Add eggs, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and water and mix well. Add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time and mix on low, scraping down sides occasionally, and mix until just combined. Be sure not to over mix, or the batter will come out tough.

Line 2 8" and 2 10" cake pans with parchment and spray with nonstick spray.

Pour batter into 1 8" and 1 10" pan. Make another batch and fill other pans.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Cool for 10 minutes, invert and cool until room temperature.

Cream Cheese Filling:

1 8oz. brick of cream cheese

1 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. milk

Cream together all ingredients, beat until smooth.

Use a serrated knife to level out cakes. Fill with creamcheese filling, then ice with chocolate buttercream.

Roll out fondant, cover cakes.

Decorate cake with icing and cookies!

For conversation heart cookies, see recipe and instructions HERE!

Dinner Challenge: Hawaiian Pizza and Salad

How could I make a night of quick dinners without making pizza?! I asked JJ what kind of pizza he wanted this week, and of course he said Hawaiian. We both absolutely love the sweet and savory combo dinners, and we could eat pizza every night. In fact, most nights when I don't blog a dinner it's because we had Hawaiian pizza!

I have been on a big Olive Garden mock salad kick lately because it's so simple and delicious! Sometimes I like to sub crispy prosciutto, deli sliced ham, bacon, or pancetta for the canadian bacon or ham, and sometimes I add red onions, but tonight I went basic.

Also, I used Penzey's Pizza seasoning on my pizza, which I absolutely love. It's not necessary, but I think it adds so much flavor to this, or any pizza!

Hawaiian Pizza

and Mock Olive Garden Salad

1 pizza crust (Pillsbury, 2.89, I had an $.80 off coupon, $2.19)

1 5 oz. can Italian style tomato paste ($.69)

1 bag Skim shredded Mozzarella ($1.49)

1/2 pineapple ($2.99, used half yesterday, so it was $1.50)

1/2 c. diced ham, or canadian bacon ($2.99)

1 tbsp. Penzeys pizza seasoning (optional, sub crushed red peper flake and oregano)

1 bag Salad mix (Whatever is on sale, I got Dole Just Lettuce for $1.99)

1 tomato ($1.99/lb, $.50)

1 bag of croutons ($1, half for tomorrow, $.50)

1 bottle of Ken's light dressing (Get whatever Italian is on sale, this was $1.49, only using part - $.75)

1 can Olives ($2.19, will use half tomorrow - $1.10)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out pizza on a baking sheet.

Cover with tomato paste, then cheese.

Top with chopped pineapple and ham.

Sprinkle with Penzey's pizza seasoning.

Bake for 13 minutes.

While pizza cooks, arrange salad.

I actually had about 8 minutes to do some dishes and clean while pizza cooked and salad was done!

Remove pizza, slice and serve.

Total Time - 18 Minutes

Total Cost - $13.70

Total Ingredients - 10

Dinner Challenge: Sausage and Peppers Breakfast Burritos

For tonight's dinner challenge, I decided to do a breakfast for dinner. I'm not a huge breakfast person, but I do love eggs. This is super quick and simple dinner (or breakfast). I love eating pineapple with these, and I needed half a pineapple for dinner later this week, so I prepped it tonight for use later in the week.
One thing I have noticed doing this challenge is I'm really stocking the pantry, but still staying under budget (new sour cream, salsa, 6 extra tortillas and 6 extra eggs tonight, plus new peanut butter and soy sauce last night) which means I could try carrying on the challenge another week using these pantry ingredients, and I could probably do dinner for under $10.... hmmm....

Sausage and Peppers Breakfast Burritos

6 eggs (3 whole, 3 whites) ($2.89 for 1 dozen, $.80 off coupon)

1/2 lb. bulk turkey sausage ($3.99/lb. - $2)

2 green bell peppers (2 for $1)

1 red onion ($.59)

1/2 c. prepared salsa ($.99 for a new jar)

1/2 c. cheddar cheese ($1.49 for a 2 c. bag)

Chopped cilantro (from last night's dinner)

Sour Cream ($2.19 for new container, $.55 off coupon - $1.64)

Pineapple Spears ($2.99 but only used half, rest is for Friday - $1.50)

Whole Wheat Tortillas ($2.99 plust $1 off coupon - $1.99)

Heat a large nonstickk pan over medium high. Add sausage, break apart and cook for 6-7 minutes.

While sausage cooks, seed and dice peppers and onion.

Pour sausage onto a papertowel lined plate to get the grease off.

Add onions and peppers to the skillet, season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.

While peppers cook, whisk eggs in a small bowl. Set aside.

Break down pineapple and slice into spears (half).

Add the sausage back into the onions and peppers, toss, then move to the sides of the pan.

Pour the eggs into the middle and scramble.

Once eggs are cooked, stir the entire mixture to distribute all ingredients evenly.

Lay out tortillas, top with egg mixture, cheese, chopped cilantro, salsa and sour cream.

Serve with pineapples

(Makes enough for 4 large burritos)

Total Time - 19 minutes

Total Cost - $13.39

Total Ingredients - 10

One Year Ago: Spinach and Sausage Calzones

Dinner Challenge: Peanut Soy Chicken and Cold Noodle and Veggie Bowls

For dinner tonight, I wanted to make something Asian inspired, with chicken, and pantry items to keep within my 10 ingredients. I used the same ingredients in the marinade and sauce, and used a thin pasta noodle because it was on sale, I had a coupon, and it cooks quickly! I also pounded the chicken extremely thin so it cooked very quickly and was still moist.
This was a giant bowl of food, super filling and delicious, and very healthy!
The price is pretty negotiable because most people have peanut butter and soy sauce on hand, but I bought new just to price it out exactly.

Peanut Soy Chicken and Cold Noodle and Veggie Bowl

2 chicken breasts, pounded very thin (on sale for $1.69/lb)

3 tbsp. creamy peanut butter (bought a new jar for $1.50)

1/2 c. lite soy sauce (new bottle for $1.99)

black pepper

1/2 box Barilla plus thin spaghetti ($1.50)

1 can water chestnuts, sliced ($.99)

1 orange bell pepper, sliced ($1.50)

1 bunch scallions, sliced ($.50)

1 6 oz. bag snap peas ($3)

1 bunch cilantro ($.50)

Sesame seeds, sesame oil, grated ginger, or any other garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Preheat grill pan to medium-high heat.
In a shallow dish, whisk 2 tbsp. peanut butter with 1/4 c. soy sauce.
Microwave for 45 seconds if necessary, to loosen peanut butter.
Add black pepper, whisk.
Pound chicken thin between saran wrap.
Spray pan with nonstick spray.
Dip chicken in peanut sauce, then place on the grill pan. Cook for 4 minutes.
Drop the pasta in the water, cook for 6 minutes.
Chop the veggies.
In another large bowl, whisk together 1 tbsp. peanut butter, 1/4 c. soy sauce and pepper.
Again, microwave for 45 seconds if necessary.
Flip the chicken, cook for another 4 minutes, or until done.
If desired, during the last minute of cooking pasta, add the snap peas to take off the bite.
Drain and rinse with cold water, pour into the bowl with sauce. Toss to coat.
Add the veggies, toss again.
Take the chicken off the grill pan.
Plate the noodles, slice the chicken, place on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.


Total Time - 19 minutes
Total Cost - $13.17 (including new jar of peanut butter and bottle of soy sauce)
Total Ingredients - 10

One Year Ago: Baked Chicken Parmesan and Penne with Eggplant Puree

Dinner Challenge: Zucchini, Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Paninis with a Soup Duo

For tonight's dinner, I used a store short cut to make it in time! I got 2 coupons for V8 soups, plus they were on sale, so I decided to get them. I read the boxes, and they're both low in calories and fat, no artificial flavors/perservatives, etc, so I had no problem taking a short cut with them!
Since we're all about the soup and sandwich, I wanted to do something simple, but with lots of flavor and few ingredients. I love the combination of prosciutto, goat cheese, and zucchini (see here and here) and this sammy was delicious, and very dipable!
Note: To make the soups even in the bowl, I heated them in pyrex measuring cups and poured them simultaneously then swirled them with a knife.
(I made 3 sandwiches, but had lots of leftover bread)
Also, I found a sweet vidalia onion chutney/spread at the market and thought it would be AWESOME on these sandwiches, but to stay under, I didn't get it - it was $3.99 (Boar's Head brand) - next time I think I'd get it because an acidic bite to these sandwiches would have made them outstanding.

Proscuitto, Goat Cheese and Zucchini Paninis

with Soup Duo

2 boxes V8 soup (on sale 2/$5, I had 2 $1 off coupon, so $3 for both)

-We used Sweet Red Pepper and Broccoli, the Red Pepper was so good!

1 loaf of Hearty Grains bread ($2.50)

1 lb. or 2 zucchini ($1.69/1 lb.)

1 log goat cheese (whatever is on sale that week, this was $3)

1/4 lb. Boars Head Prosciutto (&10.99/lb - $3.00)

Preheat grill pan over medium high.

Slice zucchini length-wise, salt and pepper, grill for 2-3 minutes per side, until they have nice grill marks and are a little limp. Set aside.

Slice bread on an angle, smear with goat cheese, top with zucchini and prosciutto.

Turn grill pan to medium-low.

Spray with nonstick spray.

Place sandwiches on grill pan, place a heatproof plate on top, then top with heavy object (I used a full tea kettle) or put in a panini press.

Cook for 4 minutes, flip and cook another 4 minutes or until toasty.

While paninis are cooking, heat soup in a pot or in the microwave. Plate.

Slice sandwiches and plate.

Total Time - 20 minutes exactly

Total Cost - $13.19

Total Ingredients - 6

Success!

And One Year Ago: 2008's Valentine's Packages Including:

Coconut White Fudge Truffles

Peanut Butter Hearts

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Kahlua Dark Chocolate Truffles

Strawberry Jam Thumbprints

Outrageous Brownies

Cranberry White Chocolate Biscotti

Banana Spritz Hearts (RIP my stupid plastic cookie press...)

Dinner Challenge: Roasted Red Pepper Pesto with Chicken Sausage and Artichokes

Tonight's dinner was the first in the week's challenge of 10 ingredients, $15, 20 minutes... and I did cut it a bit close on time... but I just made it (maybe it was more like 22 minutes, but I was waiting on the water to boil!
So here's the breakdown:

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto with Chicken Sausage and Artichokes

2 Red Peppers ($2 from Sam's club)

1 5 pack Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage ($4 from Sam's Club - but I used 3 of the 5 sausages)

1/2 lb. Barilla Plus Rotini ($1.50)

1 c. Basil ($2)

1/4 c. Walnuts ($1 from bulk bin)

1 15 oz. can Artichoke hearts ($2.50)

1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese, grated ($3)

1 garlic clove ($.10)

Begin by preheating broiler to high.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for pasta.

Slice peppers in half, place on a baking sheet and under the broiler for 6-8 minutes, until charred.

Drop pasta, cook 10 minutes, or until al dente.

Bring 1" of water to a boil in a sauce pan, add sausages and cook until water boils off.

While peppers, pasta and sausage cook, drain artichokes, set aside.

Put walnuts, half of parmesan, basil, garlic clove, salt and pepper into food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.

Take peppers out of oven, cool for 2 minutes, then peel off skin.

Chop 1 pepper and place in food processor with pesto ingredients, turn on and stream in 2 tbsp. EVOO.

Slice the other pepper.

Drain pasta, turn heat off, put back in the pot.

Add artichokes, sliced pepper and pesto. Toss to coat.

Slice sausages, add to pot and toss with pasta.

Plate and top with remaining parmesan cheese.

Total Cost - $15.10

Total Time - 22 minutes

Total Ingredients - 8

A Year Ago: Pasta e Fagioli and Beer Bread

A Weekly Menu Post

Baked Corn Dogs with Molasses Baked Beans

Dinner Challenge update!

So I changed the challenge up a bit, and decided to go for 6 dinners this week, all under $15, 10 ingredients or less (salt, pepper, and EVOO don't count though) and I'm going to make them in about 20 minutes or less instead of 30.... because we all need more time, right?

Chocolate Cherry Chip Cookies

For the final cookie in the package, I went back to my favorite, Chocolate Covered Cherries, and turned them into a cookie. I used my Double Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, and added in some dried cherries. They are fantastic!

Chocolate Cherry Chunk Cookies

2 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cup sugar

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 c. dried tart cherries

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cream sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat at high speed until well blended.

Add vanilla and eggs; beat well.

Beat in baking powder, soda and salt.

Gradually add flour.

Beat just until combined.

Fold in cherries and chocolate chips.

Drop 2 inches apart onto baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for 12 minutes, cool completely on wire racks.