Misadventures with Tori

Support Make-A-Wish!

Tori — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:29:20 +0000

Life is still busy here…. but its almost time for a MINI break!

Michigan MINIs (and Detroit Tuned) throw a big drive every year to support Make-A-Wish. One of our own club kids (Bailey, shown above) was lucky enough to receive his wish 2 years ago, and so we are passionate about this cause.

The drive info can be found here- its really a MINI only event, but if you’d like to sponsor… anyone is welcome! (Its all for the kids, so I’m shameless!)

Please donate if you can - all funds raised will go to Make-A-Wish of Michigan.
Paypal is best, anything else please email me first. [ tori@ hyperpinkmini.com]

Thanks for all of your support guys and gals! :)

Its been a while!

Tori — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:34:08 +0000

Hello all!
Its been a while! We went to Chicago for MINIs take the States and have been super busy with work.
My kitchen is currently closed as the dishwasher is broken

While I wait, I’ve discovered a great new book site - PaperBackSwap that allows you to trade books with other readers out there. You list books you want to trade and can select others you’d like to read. Check it out- its a free service!
(If you do, please let them know thequeenofnebraska sent you!)

happy reading and cooking!

Tori

Manna of the Gods.

Tori — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:38:16 +0000

best. chocolate. chip. cookies. ever.

I prefer my cookies without chips… but these are so good, I’ll eat them WITH chips.

(for scale… the cookies are 4.5″ in diameter.)

I got this recipe from the lovely Katie#s and recommend you all trying it :)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled until warm

1 c brown sugar, packed

1/2 c granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Adjust oven racks to upper & lower to middle positions & heat oven to 325. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk dry ingredients together; set aside.

With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter & sugars until thoroughly combined.

Beat in egg, yolk and vanilla until combined.

Add dry ingredients & beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chips.

Roll scant 1/2 cup dough into ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball.

Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft & puffy (about 18 minutes in my oven)

White Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Tori — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:27:57 +0000

DH and I ate WAY too many of these in one sitting… blah. SO good though. Another AllRecipes find.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup white chocolate chips

7 ounces macadamia nuts, chopped (skipped… I just doubled the white chips.)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

Lightly grease cookie sheets.(I didnt, and they were fine.)

Beat butter and shortening until soft and creamy. Gradually add the sugars and beat well.

Add egg and vanilla and beat well.

Combine flour, soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture beating well after each addition. Stir in chips and nuts.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls (I recommend TABLESPOONS instead.) onto lightly greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until done.

Remove to wire racks to cool.

Post 50… and no pictures.

Tori — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:19:57 +0000

You know something’s good when it doesnt last long enough to have pictures taken!

Blueberry and Nectarine Cobbler!

(the recipe is for Southern Peach Cobbler…. but I used what I had. It was amazing!)

INGREDIENTS

8 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (skipped, as my nutmeg went MIA before I started cooking.)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 cup all-purpose flour
Topping

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1/4 cup boiling water
mix together and keep off to side:

3 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine fruit, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.

Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them.

Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

And…. Vanilla Ice Cream to go with it!
(warning : this recipe makes a GALLON of ice cream, so adjust accordingly.)

INGREDIENTS

2 (12 fluid ounce) cans evaporated milk

1/2 pint heavy cream

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

4 cups milk

DIRECTIONS

In large bowl, beat together eggs, evaporated milk, cream, condensed milk, sugar and vanilla, with electric mixer.

Beat in pudding mix until smooth.

Pour into freezer canister of ice cream maker and add enough milk to bring mixture to fill line. (I just measured and added with everything else.)

Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

WARNING: it takes FOREVER to freeze. Make the day before!

Maple Porkchops and Hot Crash Potatoes!

Tori — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:02:49 +0000

This was one of those nights where I couldnt figure out what to make… and I found these easy recipes… They were amazing! I highly recommend trying them! (DH hates carrots and loved these!)

These lovely chops came from Elizabeth’s Edible Experience… She added apple too… but we had apple last night, so I skipped it. VERY good…

Maple Porkchops and Apples

Ingredients

4 Pork Loin Chops, 1/2 inch thick

2 Tbsp. Butter

12 Baby Carrots with tops, halved lenghtwise (I used baby carrots…)

1 Medium apple, sliced and seeds removed

1/3 cup maple syrup

DIRECTIONS

Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper. In skillet melt butter over medium heat; add chops.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add carrots, apple, and maple syrup.

Cover; simmer for 8 minutes or until desired doneness.

Using slotted spoon, transfer chops, carrots and apples to platter; bring syrup mixture to a boil. Boil gently, uncovered, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over chops and serve

Hot Crash Potatoes
These are a WC cult food right now… I got the recipe from Venice who got it from Pioneer Woman.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs of baby red potatoes (or how much you need), scrubbed clean

a few sprigs of freshly chopped flat leaf parsley & basil (didnt have either, so I just did salt, pepper and garlic powder.)

salt & pepper

extra virgin olive oil for drizzling and basting

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and add potatoes.

When the potatoes are tender, drain.

Drizzle olive oil on a cookie sheet and place the potatoes on it and give plenty of room to spread out.

Use a potato masher and gently press down on the potato until it slightly mashes.
Then rotate the masher 90 degrees and finish flattening it. Of course, you don’t want to absolutely smash it into the pan—you want it almost to resemble a cookie.

Repeat until all are flattened. Next, brush the tops rather generously with olive oil.

Next, sprinkle the potatoes with sea salt or Kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper. Add some chopped fresh herbs.

Now throw them onto the top rack of a very hot (450-degree) oven, and cook them for 20-25 minutes. (Mine cooked while the pork cooked…) Or until they’re golden and crispy and sizzling.

Enjoy!

Apple stuffed chicken

Tori — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:39:59 +0000

I wanted something a bit different… This was easy… but kinda blah. If you do it, add a BUNCH of seasonings.

INGREDIENTS

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup chopped apple

2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon Italian-style dried bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon water

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Combine apple, cheese, and bread crumbs. Set aside.

Flatten chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper to 1/4 inch thickness.

Divide apple mixture between chicken breasts, and roll up each breast. Secure with toothpicks. (or skewers in my case)

Melt butter or margarine in a 7 inch skillet over medium heat. Brown stuffed chicken breasts. Add wine and 1/4 cup water. Cover. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. (I baked em- threw em in oven bags and forgot about them!)

Transfer chicken to a serving platter.

Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch; stir into juices in pan.

Cook and stir until thickened.

Pour gravy over chicken, and garnish with parsley. (we’re not gravy fans, so I skipped this too.)

Serve and enjoy!

The Infamous BakingBlonde Blondies

Tori — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:13:32 +0000

oh.
my.
god.

These are amazing. They take minutes to make… a little while to bake… and forever to cool. All that said, you cant rush perfection. Spend the time to make them…. your thighs might hate you, but your mouth will love you forever.

BakingBlonde’s Basic Blondies

INGREDIENTS

6-7 TBS butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder (optional, creates lighter blondie texture)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

Line an 8×8 pan with foil and lightly spray with PAM.

In a large microwave safe mixing bowl melt the butter. Allow to cool for 5 mintues.

Mix the brown sugar with the melted butter and beat until smooth.

Beat in egg and then vanilla.

Add salt, stir in flour and baking powder (if using).

Mix in any additions (some ideas below).

Pour into prepared pan and use a greased spatula to evenly spread mixture in pan and level the top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set in the middle. (My oven’s funny- they baked for 30-35 minutes)

Cool on rack before cutting. (This is the hardest part. They take FOREVER to cool, and smell AMAZING.)

Add in ideas:
I did:

1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate or butterscotch chips (I did white chocolate)

1/4 cup toffee pieces (I used 1/2 cup Heath bar pieces.)
other ideas :

1/2 tsp mint extract in addition to, or in the place of vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds

1/2 cup M&M candies

1/2 chopped Reese’s PB cups

Enjoy!

Breaded Baked Chicken.

Tori — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:54:59 +0000

We totally ran out of groceries… and ended up having breaded chicken twice in one week. Both were good…. the first one was a bit dry (I skipped the butter) and the second was super moist.

attempt #1 : chicken fried chicken… but baked.

INGREDIENTS

30 saltine crackers

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons dry potato flakes (i skipped because I didnt have them)

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Tori’s additions (based off of a reviewer’s recommendations)

1 T of seasoning salt

1 tsp of pepper

1 tsp of parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika.

DIRECTIONS

Place crackers in a large resealable plastic bag; seal bag and crush crackers until they are coarse crumbs.

Add flour, potato flakes, seasonings, and pepper to bag and mix well.

Beat egg in a shallow dish or bowl; heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

One by one, dredge chicken pieces in egg beat, then place in bag with crumb mixture, seal bag and shake to coat.

Reduce heat to medium and cook coated chicken in skillet for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently, until golden brown and juices run clear. (or bake until juices run clear.)

attempt #2 : italian chicken. (I was craving carbs… the potatoes are missing from the plate… haha) DH and I usually do this without the breading… but wanted to try something new. This allrecipes.com version inspired us…..

INGREDIENTS

4 (4 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 cup Italian salad dressing

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

Minced fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

Place chicken in a greased 9-in. square baking dish.

Drizzle with salad dressing; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and salt if desired. (We dredged in dressing and coated in breadcrumb + cheese mixture)

Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Ally’s Enchiladas and Fiesta Rice

Tori — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:14:55 +0000

At the time I did these…. (last month. oops.) the WC board had gone enchilada crazy. EVERYONE was making them…. and man did I soon learn why. These are AMAZING. I highly recommend making them if you get a chance… just dont overspice them like I did. (oops- I put in tablespoons of cayenne instead of chili powder.)

Shredded Beef Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce
(based on Cook’s Illustrated, but I got it from Ally at Culinary Infatuation.)

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. chuck stew meat

salt, pepper, garlic powder for seasoning

2 Tbs. oil

1 15oz and 1 8oz can tomato sauce

1/4 cup beef stock/broth/water

1 poblano pepper finely diced

1 onion finely diced

3 cloves garlic minced

1 Tbs. cumin

3 Tbs. chili powder

2 Tsp. ground coriander

dash of cayenne

salt and pepper

corn tortillas (I used flour… DH hates corn. sad.)

1 1/2 cups shredded mexican blend cheese (or a cheese you prefer)

Sour cream for serving

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.

Season beef with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Dredge in flour shake off the excess and brown on all sides in the dutch oven.

Remove with tongs and reserve on a plate.

Add onions and poblanos to the pot (add more oil if needed).

Saute until onions are beginning to brown (about 5 minutes).

Add tomato sauce, beef stock, cumin, chili powder, ground coriander, sugar, cayenne and salt and pepper.

Add beef back to pot and let simmer for an hour and a half or until beef is tender.

When beef is ready, remove and shred using two forks add chopped cilantro and mix together.

Take some of the sauce and spread it around a 9 X 13 baking dish.

Spray tortillas with pam and place in a preheated 400 degree oven until warmed through.

Roll beef in tortillas and lay in baking sheet.

Top with the remaining sauce and then top with shredded cheese.

Bake covered for 10 minutes.

Bake another 10 uncovered to get the cheese nice and bubbly.

The rice is from Tiny Kitchen Cooking- and watch out- it yields 8 cups of prepared rice… I halved it and there was STILL a ton. AND I also recommend cooking your rice BEFORE you start it in this recipe- it took me like 3+ hours to cook it… it just did NOT want to get soft!!! (I gave up and threw it in my rice steamer and let it sit until done.)

Fiesta Rice
Source: Cooking Light
INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup chopped green onions

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Dash of salt

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles, undrained

1 (15-ounce) can black beans (I halved everything but this. I put in the whole can and it was perfect!), rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add corn to pan; cook 10 minutes or until corn starts to brown, stirring occasionally.

Remove from pan. Set aside.

Melt butter in pan. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes or until tender.

Stir in rice, cumin, and garlic; cook 1 minute.

Add chicken broth, black pepper, salt, and diced tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat; stir in reserved corn and beans.

Cover and let stand 10 minutes.

Stir in cilantro and juice.