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The Great Food Blogger Cookie Exchange: World Peace Cookies

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Kelley

I can’t believe it’s mid December already! Already mid December and I’ve barely given away any cookies yet. I did send out my holiday cards though, and have about half my shopping done. I didn’t think Thanksgiving being one week later this year would throw me off that much!

This year I only received cookies from two fellow bloggers. Camilla and Laura. Camilla made a matcha-black sesame shortbread. Her cookies were so well packaged in individual bags! Laura made a red velvet biscotti. Both were delicious – thanks ladies!

World Peace Cookies, from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking, makes about 36

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 85% cacao), chopped (no pieces bigger than 1/3 inch)

Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth but not fluffy. Add both sugars, vanilla, and sea salt; beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; beat just until blended (mixture may be crumbly). Add chopped chocolate; mix just to distribute (if dough doesn’t come together, knead lightly in bowl to form ball). Divide dough in half. Place each half on sheet of plastic wrap. Form each into 1 1/2-inch-diameter log. Wrap each in plastic; chill until firm, about 3 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using thin sharp knife, cut logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies appear dry (cookies will not be firm or golden at edges), 11 to 12 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

Posted in Desserts, Holidays, Recipes | Tagged cookies, fb cookie exchange, holidays, the great food blogger cookie exchange | 2 Comments

Malbec Risotto

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Kelley

Move over white wine, risotto has a new favorite companion. Red! I was very skeptical about this combination at first, but it turned out fantastic! The richness of the red really complimented the creamy risotto. This would be a great accompaniment to a steak dinner. Or you could doctor up the risotto itself with things mushrooms, peas, Italian sausage, bacon, etc. to make a more complete meal.

When I received this bottle of 90+ Cellars Malbec, I knew I didn’t want to use it for a recipe that required a lot of it because Malbec is one of my favorite wines! I did however, want to incorporate it into the dish rather than just pair it with something. The best of both worlds!

Malbec Risotto
makes 4 servings

3 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large or 2 small shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup arborio rice, or medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup 90+ Cellars Lot 23 Malbec
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus additional for serving
Salt and black pepper to taste

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer. Reduce the heat so the broth barely simmers, and keep warm.

In another saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about another two minutes. Add the rice and stir until it becomes opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, a little at a time, and cook, stirring constantly, until all of the wine is nearly absorbed, 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add a cup of the hot broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is almost completely absorbed. Continue adding the broth, a 1/2 cup at a time and stir constantly, until the rice is tender but still slightly firm in the center and creamy, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the butter, cheese and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the risotto into bowls, top with more grated Parmesan if desired. Serve immediately.

Make sure to head over to the 90+ Cellars website for more great recipes, and of course to shop wine for this holiday season!

*Note: I received this bottle of 90+ Cellars Malbec free of charge. Opinions on the wine are my own.

Posted in Main Courses, Recipes, Vegetarian | Comments Off

Stuffed Burgers with Smoked Gouda, Bacon and BBQ Sauce

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Kelley

My husband has been asking for stuffed burgers all summer. I always thought it was going to be so much work for some reason, but they were so easy! And there’s so much flavor inside, you don’t even really need any toppings. Plus, you could basically stuff the burger with anything you like or switch out ingredients depending on what you have in your refrigerator.

I recently received a sample of Littles and Lydees Zoe’s Jerk BBQ Sauce to try, so I wanted to come up with something a little different to use it for. This sauce had a great spice to it, and I can’t wait to use it in other recipes!

Even though it’s September and Starbucks is pushing pumpkin spice lattes, there’s still plenty of warm weather and summer left to enjoy! So go get those grills fired up this weekend and throw on some burgers.

Stuffed Burgers with Smoked Gouda, Bacon and BBQ Sauce, makes 4

2 lbs ground sirloin
2 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and chopped
2 ounces smoked Gouda, diced
4 Tablespoons BBQ Sauce (I used Littles and Lydees Jerk BBQ)
salt & pepper to taste
4 pretzel buns

Divide beef into 8 equal parts. Form into flattened patties. Top four of the patties with equal amounts of chopped bacon, Gouda and one tablespoon of barbecue sauce. Top with remaining four patties and pinch together to form a seal. Season with salt and pepper.