Blueberry Orange Loaf Cake

This is a great holiday entertaining cake or a hostess gift idea. The orange makes you think of Christmas, yet this would also be great in the summer after an outdoor BBQ. Enjoy.

In one bowl, whisk 1 1/2 cup cake flour, 3/4 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt.

In another small bowl, mix orange zest from 1 big orange with 1/2 cup milk and a tsp vanilla extract.

In another med. sized bowl, whisk 1/2 cup egg whites until huge and fluffy, set aside.

In the biggest bowl you have, using a hand mixer, blend 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter with 3/4 cup sugar until fluffy.

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. In 3 batches, add flour mix and milk mix to butter mix.

3. When that is well mixed, fold in the egg whites, followed by about 3/4 cup fresh blueberries.

4. Pour in a lightly greased loaf dish and bake for an hour. Test with a tooth pick.

5. After 5 minutes, remove from pan and set on a wire rack to cool.

6. Once cooled, mix 1 tbsp fresh orange juice, a squeeze of honey and a sprinkle of sugar together, poke holes on top of the cake and brush the mix over the top.

Simply Moolicious!!!

Puffy White Coconut Chip Cookies

Friday is goodie night. Here is a quick cookie recipe and chances are you have the ingredients. If you don't have pastry flour you can use all purpose, but I find they come out fluffier with pastry flour. Enjoy, all you cookie monsters out there.

Mix the Dry:
1cup cake/pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

Whisk the Wet until smooth:
1/2 cup salt and fat free margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Add the dry to the wet in 3 batches and add in about 1/4 cup shredded coconut and 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips.
Form into tbsp sized clumps.
Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.

Moolicious!

Fettucine with Sausage and Sautéed Leek

So easy and so yummy. Leeks are so left out. I think people are intimidated by them... but I have been on such a kick lately with leek soup, leek baked on fish and this leek and pasta dish.

Here's what you do....

1. Get a large pot with water and boil for your fettucine.
2. In another frying pan, heat up some olive oil, then sautee some garlic, Italian sausage in pieces, 1 cleaned and chopped leek, until cooked...maybe 8 minutes.
3. Drop your fettucine in the water...
4. Next, add your fave marinara sauce to the sausage and leek.... then add the noodles to the pan.
5. Wilt in some arugula for color and sprinkle with some strong Romano cheese.


Moolicious!

Hot Beef with Dumplings and Veggies

Here was a fun dish to make. And I have tons of leftovers for tomorrow.

It's Asian-inspired...
Enjoy.

First, get the beef blade roast in the oven
1. Preheat oven to 325
2. On the stove top, heat a large Dutch oven with sesame oil and canola, season beef blade with salt and pepper and a few dashes of soy sauce and about a cup of water. Sear meat on both sides (1-2 min per side) put in oven for 45 minutes.

Next get your veggies ready

- Julienne 2 small carrots, the sides of 1 small cuke, 2 small celery, half a red pepper.

Next, get your sauce ready.

- In a medium bowl, whisk together: 1 tbsp cornstarch, zest and juice from 2 limes and a lemon, slice one small shallot, 1 small garlic clove, a small piece of ginger, salt, pepper, 1/4 cup soy sauce, some Sriracha hot sauce, 2 tbsps brown sugar, and 1 cup water.

When there's about 10 minutes left on the beef, bowl 2 bunches of Soba noodles and some Asian dumplings (frozen section) together. In another large pan, heat up the sauce until thickened...feel free to loosen it up with some of the noodle water.

Then, assemble everything: add noodles and dumplings, veggies and thick chunks of beef to the sauce pan. Scatter some black and white sesame seeds over the top... and done!

Moolicious!

Pineapple Express Chicken with Quinoa

I made this dish mid-week and boy was it yummo.

1. Prep all of your ingredients: clean and chop broccoli, open one can diced pineapple, chop one shallot, 2 cloves garlic, grate a piece of fresh ginger and cut chicken into bite sized pieces.
2. Heat up a tsp of sesame oil, olive oil in a frying pan. Once hot, add shallot, garlic, ginger and chicken and brown it up.
3. Whisk a tbsp of cornstarch with about 1/2 cup soy sauce and add to pan with pineapple and juice from the can.
4. Allow to simmer, thicken and then add a tbsp brown sugar, salt and pepper.
5. Prep a pot with water and make quinoa (follow package instructions for 1 cup) add broccoli to quinoa with a few minutes remaining (you want crunchy veg!)

Make a bed of quinoa/broccoli and put your chicken on top!

Moolicious!

Baked Tortellini with Asparagus and Goat Cheese

I am all about the goat cheese lately. I found a nice firm type that crumbles well and is not too goaty. It makes every day dinners seem more extravagant and when you buy it on sale, it's a bonus.

Bake the meatballs:
1. Mix 2 tbsps fresh or jarred pesto with a package of ground beef, salt, pepper, an egg, breadcrumbs.
2. Bake for roughly 35 minutes
3. Let cool, place in lasagna dish

Boil the tortellini (I used a green spinach tortellini stuffed with cheese) for 2 minutes.
Strain and place with meatballs.
Use the boiling water for cooking some chopped asparagus for 5 minutes and add to dish
Pour one cup of your fave sauce over the pasta, meatballs and asparagus. Add a chopped roasted red pepper and a few halved cherry tomatoes.
Crumble about a cup of goat cheese over the top
Next add a layer of bread crumbs, a layer of Parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of oil for browning
Preheat oven to 375
Bake for 30 minutes and then broil until top is golden.

Mooliciousness

Leafy Kale Chips

These yummy kale chips are my new favorite side dish. The best part about eating these chips is that you can polish off the whole bowl without feeling guilty!

Preheat oven to 350

Rinse and dry a bunch of kale. Rip into chip sized pieces, making sure there are no thick pieces of stem.
Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt, coating all the kale.
Bake on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes or until the edges are slightly browning and crispy.


Moolicious!

Strawberry 'n Nectarine Crisp

This delicious crisp came together in no time at all. It completes my Sunday supper!

In a bowl, mix together one large container of fresh strawberries, cut in nice bite sized pieces. Add two chopped nectarines, and sprinkle with two teaspoons sugar and a dash of cinnamon. Place in your pie dish.

Preheat oven to 350.

For the crisp. In a bowl mix together about 1/4 cup soft butter with about one cup large rolled oats, 1/2 cup flour, handful slivered almonds, pinch of salt and sprinkle in some cinnamon and brown sugar. Mix well and add to the top of the fruit.

Bake for about 45minutes or until top is nice and golden.

Moolicious....

My Dreamy Italian Wedding Soup

I love making this soup because it is so healthy and yet you feel like it should be an indulgence.
Yum.


For the meatballs.
Mix one package of ground turkey with about 2 tbsps pesto, salt, pepper, Panko breadcrumbs, some parmesan cheese and one egg.
Preheat oven to 375
Form tbsp sized balls, place on a baking tray and bake for about 40 minutes.

In the meantime, sauté 1/2 cup pot barley with 3 cloves garlic and a diced onion until softened. Then add about 4 to 5 cups turkey stock. Add salt and pepper to taste and then allow to simmer while the meatballs bake (you're simply cooking the barley)

Now, when meatballs are done, add them to the pot, followed by three nice large handfuls of baby spinach.

Done and Moolicious....

Mike's Goaty Cheesey Pizza

Mike sat me down to tell me something...I was curious as to why I had to be sitting for the news and boy was it ground breaking. He said that this was the best pizza he has ever eaten in 32years. Crazy because there was no mozzarella cheese, no red tomato sauce either. Here's what I did.

Roll out your dough and place on a sprinkling of cornmeal on your baking tray. Crisp up some chopped pancetta in a frying pan.

Preheat oven to 425

Drizzle some olive oil on the dough and bake for about 10minutes without toppings.

When 10minutes is up, brush some pesto on your crust, sprinkle some thinly sliced shallot, 2 sliced green onions, crumbled goat cheese and a handful of baby tomatoes, halved and the pancetta.

Now put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so, until crust gets golden brown. Put a few fresh basil leaves before serving.

Holy Mooliciousness....

Chicken Pot Pie with Pancetta

Fall is coming... which means soups, stews, hearty flavors and pies of the season.

I've created a chicken pot pie that reminds us all of the leaves falling but keeps some tastes of the summer with tons of fresh veggies. It's also healthier since I am not using cream or milk for the sauce and I am placing only a top crust and not a bottom one!

Enjoy.

1. Prep everything first, as bite sized as possible and put all in the same bowl.

- Chop half an onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 carrot, 1 stalk celery, handful green beans and a few mushrooms.

2. Dice up a few slices of pancetta. Prep a large pot with oil and fry until crispy. Remove.

3. Add in all chopped veggies and add salt, pepper, 1 sprig fresh rosemary (chopped), dash cayenne pepper, sprinkle of oregano. Saute until soft (10 minutes). Remove with pancetta.

4. Chop up 2 lean chicken breasts, season with salt, pepper and saute in the same pot. Add more oil if needed.

5. Once chicken is done, remove and it to the veggies.

6. Now we make the sauce. Heat up more oil and set a kettle with some boiling water next to it.

Sprinkle some cornstarch over the oil and whisk until smooth (maybe 1 tbsp). Once smooth, add water and some chicken/turkey boullion (cube is fine), keep whisking until thick. Add more water, until you have roughly 2-4 cups.

7. Add all chicken and veggies and pancetta, throw in a handful of peas.

8. Pour all contents into a deep pie dish. If you think it may be too liquidy, you can sprinkle some dry tapioca on top... this can also help thicken. Allow to completely cool (fridge) before putting top crust. (Picture shows pie without the top crust!)

9. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375. Roll out a ball of pie dough (I used a store bought piece) make a design in it if you want and place over the filling. Brush crust with an egg white and bake for about 35-45 minutes, until golden.

Moolicious!

Easy Cheesy Cannelloni

Cheesy Cannelloni.
Wow your guests with this amazingly cheesy dish. It will be ready in no time at all.

1. Make the filling.
Blend together a container of ricotta cheese with salt, pepper, dry basil and a dash cayenne pepper. Put mixture into a piping bag for easy filling.

2. Fill the hard cannelloni shells. You can find these anywhere now; get the no-boil ones... your sauce will help cook them in the oven.
Set shells in dish.

3. Preheat oven to 350.

4. Make a quick-fire sauce. Heat up a pot with oil, saute half an onion, and slowly add in about 1- 1.5 cups of tomatoe juice followed by a cup of cottage cheese, salt and pepper. Allow cottage cheese to melt in and then pour over the cannelloni.

5. Top with Romano cheese and bake for 40 minutes.

6. Sprinkle with fresh basil at the end.


Moolicious!