Rosemary French Fries

I would rather have french fries than chocolate. (My youngest daughter would disagree since nothing beats chocolate.) If I eat out with my Mom, she always shares her french fries with me if they are absent from my order. Isn't she the best? She also said she craved french fries with me. 

 Now, I know french fries are not the healthiest food out there. I don't count them as a serving of vegetables to my children. We try to limit fast food to our children. (The main reason is my son would rather I cook something that will taste good. He has told me so.) 

 Once in a great while, I will buy frozen french fries. They don't always taste the best. So, I went to one of my trusted sources and searched french fries. Sure enough, I found one and had to try it. 

 When my husband tried this recipe, he said I should always make our fries this way. I agree with him. I will never buy frozen fries again. I will probably attempt to make sweet potato fries without the rosemary. 

Rosemary French Fries
6 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into even lengthwise wedges
5 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more for seasoning)
1/4 tsp pepper
11/2 Tbsp rosemary, chopped


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. 
2. Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl.
3. Cover with hot water.
4. Allow potatoes to soak for at least 10 minutes but up to 30 minutes.
5. Coat the bottom of a baking sheet with 4 Tbsp of vegetable oil.
6. Sprinkle the pan with the salt, pepper, and 1 Tbps rosemary. Set aside.
7. Drain the potatoes.
8. Pat dry the potatoes well.
9. Toss the potatoes with the remaining 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil and 1/2 Tbsp of rosemary.
10. Arrange the potatoes onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
11. Cover the baking sheet with foil and bake for 5 minutes.
12. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes.
13. Rotate the baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes.
14. Flip the fries over and bake for another 5 to 15 and until golden and crisp.
15. Remove from oven and transfer onto a paper towel lined plate. 
16. Season with additional salt to taste. Serve warm.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats and originally recipe found at The New Best Recipe cookbook.

Did you already know..............
-At a White House dinner, Thomas Jefferson requested potatoes made in the French way to be served.
-Potatoes are grown in all 50 states.
-The potato was the first vegetable grown in space.

Heart Pie Pops

Happy Valentine's Day

Every year, I purchase a box of chocolates for my honey (of course) and all the children. This year my youngest children would keep showing me what they wanted for Valentines which included chocolate, pink monkeys, and lots of candy. I informed them that I only purchase one gift for them so they need to decide what they want. They no longer wanted the monkey but chocolate.

Can I eat it now?

I wanted to make something fun for Valentine's Day. When I saw these heart pie pops at Williams-Sonoma, I figure I could make them. My daughter helped me so our pops have lots of sprinkles on them. Also, she helped with the food processor and rolling out the dough. I think she did a pretty good job. She thought they were really good.

Heart Pie Pops
Pie Dough (recipe follows)
1 21 oz can of cherry pie filling
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
sprinkles

Pie Dough (Pate Brisee)
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into little pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup very cold water

Directions:

1. Add the flour, salt, and sugar to the food processor. 
2. Pulse for about 30 seconds.
3. Add the butter and pulse about 19 times.
4. Continue to pulse while slowly adding the cold water into the food processor. Continue to add water until the dough comes together. Do not pulse more than 30 seconds.
5. Turn the dough onto a clean surface and gather into a ball. 
6. Cut the dough into half.
7. Wrap each half of dough and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate for at least one hour before using.

Directions for the Heart Pie Pops:

1. Combine the egg and water in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
2. Roll out the pie dough. 
3. Using a heart shape cookie cutter, cut out two hearts. 
4. Place one popsicle stick into the middle of one of the dough hearts making sure the top of the stick is about 1 inch away from the top of the heart.
5. Add about 6 cherries in the middle of one of the heart pie dough. 
6. Top the cherries with the other piece of dough. Seal the sides of the dough very well. 
7. Brush the dough with the egg mixture.
8. Sprinkle the desired amount of sprinkles on top.

Pie Dough recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living 2002 Annual Recipes cookbook.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Did you already know.........
-The oldest discovered love poem was written on a clay tablet around 3500 B.C. by the Sumerians.
-In the late 1800s, Richard Cadbury invented the Valentine candy box.
-On February 14th, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell applied for the telephone patent.

Wild Mushroom Soup

Do you like mushrooms? I do. Do you like to call your sisters and invite them over for supper on nights you are serving mushrooms especially since you know they don't like them? I do. I also invite my two mushroom hating sisters over for their second favorite meal of seafood. They decide not to come over on those nights either. I really don't know why. 

Don't worry they get even. One sister has tried to convince my youngest daughter that she doesn't like mushrooms either. My youngest daughter has always eaten mushrooms with no problem until recently. I always give her the option of cereal. She normally picks the mushroom meal so I guess my sister will have to work harder.

Wild Mushroom Soup
1/4 cup butter, unsalted
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb shitake mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp finely ground white pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste
fresh chives, chopped for garnish

Directions:
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pan.
Add the onion and cook until transparent about 5 minutes.
Add all the mushrooms and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir 1 Tbsp of flour at a time.
Return the pan to low heat.
Slowly, add the broth while stirring constantly.
Add the pepper, nutmeg, lemon juice, and sherry.
Simmer the soup over medium low heat for 10 minutes. 
Add the cream and stir until the soup is hot.
Add the cayenne and salt to taste.
Garnish with chives.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen.

Make sure to check out the other Project Pastry Queen members posts.

Did you already know............
-Another name for cremini mushrooms are baby bella, Roman, or brown mushrooms.
-Cremini mushrooms are portobello mushrooms. 
-Cremini (baby bella) mushrooms are harvested around 40 days while portobello mushrooms are harvested  around 45 days.
-Shiitake or button white mushrooms are excellent substitutes for cremini mushrooms.

Nutella Molten Chocolate Cake

I am going to surprise you. I know you have already read the title about what I am blogging about but I will still surprise you. Why is this dessert a surprise? Because this dessert is so surprising easy to make! Not only is it easy, the other surprise is how inexpensive it is to make. Now if you go to a nice restaurant like we did this past weekend, you will be surprised that it may cost $8 for one of these. I know just for one. We took a mini weekend trip up to the Bar Harbor area. (Yes, we know it is winter.) 

Since my youngest daughter was 100 months old, I told her she could get any dessert she wanted. Of all the dessert, she picked the $5 Oreo shake. I guess I don't make her enough shakes around here. See I am trying to distract you from the fact that I did celebrate my daughter turning 100 months. My husband just goes with it since he knows he'll benefit with a special treat! No, we didn't buy her a present. Let's not go overboard about this celebration. When she reaches 1,000 months and I'm still around, I'll buy her a present then.

I was really surprised how much the restaurant charged for this dessert since I make it all of the time at home for friends. I was able to make six of these for less than $8 plus I added a little of Nutella to mine! Aren't I fancy? Really, I just happened to have the Nutella still on the counter after making my daughter's lunch.

Nutella Molten Chocolate Cake

6 oz. of bittersweet chocolate (or a package of Baker's Baking Squares)
10 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup Nutella
1 3/4 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 cup flour
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
fresh berries, additional powder sugar, or chocolate fudge, etc for garnish

Directions:

1. Grease six 6 oz. ramekins or oven proof glass bowls with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 425 F. 
2. Microwave the chocolate, butter, and Nutella for about 2 minutes so all of the butter can melt. Stir well to combine.
3. Add the flour and the powder sugar until well incorporated.
4. Add the eggs and egg yolks. Beat until well blended.
5. Pour into the 6 dishes.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. The cakes should be firm around the edges but soft in the center.
7. Let sit at room temperature for 1 minute.
8. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen from the sides of the dish.
9. Place a plate on top of the ramekin facing down and flip. Top the cakes with your desired garnish. Wait a few minutes before serving since the insides of the cake will be really hot and gooey. 

Recipe adapted from the back of the Baker's Bittersweet Baking Chocolate Squares.

Did you already know.....
-Acadia National Park is adjacent to Bar Harbor.
- In the 19th century, Bar Harbor was a summer resort for the Rockefellers, Fords, Astors, etc.
-In Acadia National Park, Cadillac Mountain is where the sunlight of dawn first reaches the continental United States.

What we did in the Bar Harbor area!

Cream Cheese Lemon Hearts

Valentine's Day is less than a week away. My youngest daughter has already completed all of her Valentine cards to her classmates and have brought them into school. I was the same way when I was her age.I always liked to give Valentine cards to everyone. I would even make one for my Mom.

I still really like to give Valentine's Day gifts. My husband leaves for work really early so I leave his box of chocolates in his cars so he will be "surprised"! Since I do this every year, I'm not sure he is really surprised anymore but he humors me. (It is also a good reminder for him about the day.) Guess what? He has never forgotten to give me something for Valentine's Day. 

I also give the children a small box of chocolate before school. On a normal day, the rule is no treats before 10:00 am. Valentine's Day is different so I allow one piece before school but only after they have eaten their breakfast.

My husband picked this recipe. The recipe is suppose to be bows but I just omitted the bottom part of the bow. I will give you a warning that the dough is thick so they are hard to pipe. I did make some as circles and some I just rolled into balls and flatten a little. These cookies are really good with a hint of lemon.

Cream Cheese Lemon Cookies
3 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 Tbsp lemon zest, finely grated
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
powder sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
2. Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a medium bowl. 
3. Add the sugar and continue to cream.
4. Add the egg, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix well.
5. Slowly, add the dry ingredients.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Add a small amount of dough to a piping bag. 
8. Pipe the dough using a large finely ribbed French tip (like Ateco #865).
9. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Let cool and dust with the powder sugar.
11. Cookies will store for up to 3 days in an air tight container at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies. 

Did you already know...........
-One legend about St. Valentine is there was a Bishop Valentine in Roman times who would perform secret marriages. He was later executed on Feb. 14th by the Emperor.
-On Feb. 15th, the Romans celebrated the Feast of Lupercalia (a fertility festival) to honor the Roman God Faunas.