Pretzel Rolo Amazingness

It's hard to imagine a Rolo can get any better than it already is. I'm happy to have discovered that it can!

My coworker, Barbara, shared this recipe with me:

-butter snaps pretzels (windowpane style)

-Rolo candy

Preheat over to 325. Place pretzels on wax paper on top of a sheet pan. Place one Rolo on each pretzel. Bake for 3-5 mins. Watch so the candy doesn't melt entirely! Remove from oven an top each with another pretzel. Cool and enjoy!

Basil, Lemon & Spinach Pasta

Rob and I made this a few weeks ago - yum! Although we were eating pasta, it felt fresh and light with the olive oil and lemon-based dressing. The use of spinach as the bed for the pasta took care of our vegetable need for the meal, and we served this with tofu for me, and steak for Rob as our proteins. Of course, we had some delicious, crusty garlic bread on the side too :)

There were plenty of leftovers, which made for a great lunch at work the next day for both of us.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound pasta (we used a fettuccine pasta)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons capers
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
• Crushed red pepper for seasoning
• Parmesan cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl. Add the garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.

Add the basil, capers, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the spaghetti mixture and toss to combine. Place 1/2 cup spinach in each bowl. Top with 1/4 of the pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Cranberry Brie Bites

This is my go-to Fall/Winter appetizer! It's exactly what I look for in an app - simple ingredients, easy to prepare, season-appropriate and can be reheated quickly upon arrival if you're traveling to someone's home.

INGREDIENTS

• Whole berry cranberry sauce 15 oz can
• Brie cheese 1 triangle
• Puff pastry 2 sheets

DIRECTIONS

Thaw puff pastry (about 40 minutes - place on wax paper on countertop). Preheat oven to 375. Using a pizza cutter, slice 16 squares from each puff pastry sheet (~2" x 2" per square). Cut brie cheese into 1/2" squares.

Press each puff pastry square into a slot in a mini muffin pan. Fill with one brie square and top off with one cranberry berry. Bake for 12-15 minutes, turning the pan halfway through cooking time.

*To reheat, place in oven at 250 for 10 minutes.

Easy Pumpkin Soup

I made this soup and served it in Mom's mini Irish coffee mugs as an appetizer for Christmas Eve this year at the Smithe house. It was soooo incredibly simple and easy to make, and it went over well!

This would make a fantastic addition to your weeknight meal options, as it uses ingredients you can shop for in advance, and preparation time is minimal. Enjoy!

2 15-ounce cans pure pumpkin

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup half and half

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon curry powder

Bring first 4 ingredients to simmer in large saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking often. Whisk in syrup, 2 tablespoons butter, and curry powder. Simmer soup 10 minutes, whisking often. Season with salt and pepper. (Soup can be made 1 day ahead. Chill until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Bring to simmer before serving.)

*Optional: Garnish with cinnamon-coated mini marshmallows

Italian Chocolate Cookies

Cousin Brian Smithe shared this cookie recipe with me the other day.  It is a family recipe from his mom Aunt Rosemarie, and he said they've been enjoying these cookies for as long as he can remember.

YUM!

2 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Crisco
1 Orange Zest
6 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Cloves
2 Tsp Vanilla
1/2 Cup Cocoa
1 Cup Brewed Coffee
6 Cups Flour
4 Eggs

Mix all dry ingredients. Add Crisco and mix well with hands. Beat eggs well. Add vanilla & coffee. Add nuts at this point of desired. Mix well with dry ingredients using hands. Form into balls. Bake at 350 deg for 15 min. Glaze while warm.

Glaze

3 Tbs Milk
3/4 Tsp Vanilla
2 1/4 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice"

Meghan's Pecan Brie Goodness

Meghan brought a dessertlicious (haha) appetizer to Thanksgiving last week. She found it on this site.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 Cup pecan halves, roughly chopped
One 3-inch round, Brie cheese

Preparation:Combine brown sugar, corn syrup and butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium heat. Stir mixture until it comes to a boil. Boil gently, without stirring, for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and, shielding hands with oven mitts, quickly whisk in baking soda. Stir in salt and pecans until mixture begins to set, about 30 seconds.

Working quickly, mound warm nut mixture on top of Brie and let caramel cascade down sides of cheese.

Caitie's Taco Dip

 

Here's another Smithe family favorite served on Thanksgiving last Thursday! 

 

Sour Cream (as much as you need)

Taco seasoning (add to desired "sodium level")

Cheddar Cheese

Jalapeno

Green Onions

 

Chop up the jalapeno and green onions and mix in to sour cream with taco seasoning and cheese... use however much of each ingredient you want!

(Great) Grandma Flynn's Coleslaw

Here's another recipe from Thursday's Thanksgiving feast!

It seems like my dad/Wally/Captain has taken the responsibility of carrying on Grandma Flynn's coleslaw recipe.  I'm so glad he did because it is such a nice side to have along with all the hot-n-heavy foods.  He said it is based loosely on recipes found on-line like this one http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/creamy-cole-slaw-recipe/index.html

As Dad/Wally/Captain said, one whole cabbage will feed an army, so don't worry about cutting this recipe in half.

Finely chop a whole cabbage, 2 large carrots, 1 small to medium onion and a handful of fresh curly parsley.  The chopping is a lot of work.  Put in a really big bowl and mix well by flipping the bowl like you flip an omelet.

Dressing is a cup or so of mayonnaise, a few table spoons sour cream, a few tablespoons white vinegar, a tablespoon or two of sugar. Cover with a layer of celery salt and garlic powder.  Whisk in a half cup or so of heavy cream, then as whisking add a bit more cream to get a consistency that will spread over the cabbage.  If too thick add some milk.  Fold it in to cabbage a couple of batches to get good distribution and stir well till evenly distributed.  Add regular salt and ground pepper to taste.   Better if refrigerated for an hour before serving.  Stir well before each serving since some dressing pools to bottom.

U. Mark's Rutabegas

For those of us gathered together at Mom/Mary/Granmary's home on Thursday, we all know just how delicious Mark's rutabegas were.  I asked for his recipe, and it is short, sweet and simple:

Organic rutabegas boiled in water with sea salt. Whip with a handheld mixer and a little butter.

Lebanese Lentil Soup

 This lentil soup is inspired by one on a blog written by a Lebanese woman.  I add additional seasoning, and I cook it a bit longer. It is a very comforting, tasty and easily vegetarian soup to make.


The recipe calls for red lentils. These are not the same as the lentils most of us are used to, and they can't be interchanged.  I buy them at Treasure Island because our Dominick's doesn't sell them.  The brand I use is Ziyad.

2 small onions, roughly chopped 
4-5 garlic cloves 
2 cups red lentils
10 cups of water or chicken/vegetable stock (I use chicken stock)
2 T cumin 
2 T tumeric
salt & pepper 

Saute the onion in a large pot with some olive oil until softened. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the lentils and stock/water. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and tumeric. Bring to a boil then simmer on low heat (covered) for 30 minutes. Serve with a quick squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Sour Cream Chicken

I found this recipe on a cooking blog today, and I made it for dinner tonight.  It will definitely become part of our regular dinner repertoire for a few reasons: 1) it was incredibly easy to prepare, 2) clean-up was a breeze and 3) normally picky Evie LOVED it and asked for seconds!

I know there are a few vegetarian Sisters out there - this is a good dish to prepare for your meat-eating family members because there is minimal meat-handling required :)

Along with this chicken we had mashed sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli.

• 2 pounds chicken breasts or tenders
• 1 1/2 cups of Pepperidge Farm Herbed Stuffing, the crumbles not the cubes
• 1 cup (approximately) of sour cream
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Lay the chicken close together on a foil lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Coat chicken with a thick layer of sour cream. Top that with the seasoned Pepperidge Farm breadcrumbs and then dot with the butter cubes. Bake for 35 minutes for chicken tenders or up to an hour for chicken breasts. Its ready when the chicken is cooked through and the breadcrumbs are nicely browned.

How To Post A Recipe

A few of you have mentioned that you have recipes you'd like to post to Sister Kitch'n, but that you don't know how to.  Here's an easy step-by-step:

1. Sign in: At the top right of the screen is a link for "Sign In."  Click it.
2. Type in your email address and password.
3. You are then brought to your "dashboard" - this should list any blogs you belong to.
4. Under "Sister Kitch'n" you'll find the "NEW POST" button in blue.  Click it.
5. Add a title for your post (the name of the recipe)
6. Type in the recipe in the big white box.
7. Once you are finished, click the "PUBLISH POST" orange button.

That's it!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My friend Kerri made these cookies the other day while the kids and I were at her house.  They were DELICIOUS!  I think the recipe is really interesting - no butter or white sugar are used...although shortening and brown sugar are in abundance!

3/4 cup butter flavored shortening
1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon real vanilla
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 egg

Heat oven to 375.  Combine shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large mixing bowl.  Beat at medium speed until well blended.  Beat in egg.  Combine flour, salt and baking soda.  Mix into creamed mixture until blended.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Line the pan with parchment paper.   Drop dough by teaspoon full, 3 inches apart onto cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes for chewy cookies or 11-13 minutes for crisp cookies.  DO NOT OVERBAKE.  Makes about 3 dozen.

It works best when you make small cookies. 

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

Found this recipe in yesterday's Chicago Tribune.  It comes from author Jodi Picoult. I made it for dinner last night and it was very warm and tasty.  Instead of chicken broth I used my homemade vegetable broth that I made using bits of leftover veggies I'd saved in the freezer.

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

 Ingredients:

3 cups chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
4 cups broccoli, chopped
Dash of garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
½ tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar
Slices of crusty bread

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, mix chicken broth, onion, broccoli, garlic powder, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.

2. Remove bay leaves and pour mixture into a food processor. Pulse until smooth, approximately 1 minute. Reserve in a bowl.

3. In the original saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour, salt, and a little pepper until a thick paste forms. Add milk and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Add cheddar; stir until it dissolves.

4. Pour in broccoli mixture and cook until blended. If necessary, add more chicken broth to thin. Season with additional salt and pepper. Serve with bread for dipping.

Mary's Caesar Dressing

We all know and love Papa's Caesar Salad, but here is Mom/Mary's easier spin on the favored classic.  She has made it several times to RAVE reviews!!!

For 1 C dressing:

Juice of 3 limes* or 1/3 cup
1 t kosher salt
2/3 C olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 eggs, coddled
fresh ground pepper
dash Worcestershire sauce
1/4 C minced anchovy fillets (in oil, drained)

Combine lime juice and salt to dissolve salt, set aside. Combine oil, garlic, eggs, pepper, Worcestershire and anchovies.  Whisk juice and oil mixtures and alternately add to/toss salad until lettuce is coated. 

Before dressing lettuce, toss freshly grated Parmesan cheese (use best available) throughout leaves. For 10 servings, which dressing recipe will serve, 1 to 1 1/2 C of cheese is sufficient.

*Can use lemon, but lime is used in original Caesar dressing recipe (of Mexican origin!).

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This recipe comes from Grandma/Nana/Flo/Mom/Mana.  She said it was one of their favorites more than four decades ago. It is delicious and very similar to a coffee cake available at the Corner Bakery.  She said that the wonderful aroma that fills the house as it bakes is tempting her to try it again!

 

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup sugar

11/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine in a small bowl and set aside

3/4 cup  butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 cups all  purpose flour

1 1/2 cup sour cream

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 

 

Beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and vanilla, beating well.  Combine dry ingredients and add with sour cream.  Beat well.  Grease 10 inch tube pan spread half of batter in pan. sprinkle with 1/2 of nut mixture . spread evenly with rest of batter and sprinkle with rest of nut mixture.  Bake 60 to 65 minutes at 350 degrees until cake pulls away from side of pan.  Cool completely before removing from pan.

Auntie Mary's Irish Brown Bread

This is Mary McIntyre's authentic Irish brown bread recipe, sent to me a few years ago by her niece Grace Galligan Dunleavy!

Dry ingredients:
1 cup flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbsp oat bran

1 tsp wheat germ

1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs sesame seeds

Wet ingredients:
1 egg
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 F
Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients.
Using a fork, slowly combine wet and dry ingredients.
Pour into circular cake pan or deep rectangular pan (brown bread is only sold in these shapes in Irish grocery stores!).
Make an X across the top of the batter and sprinkle with more sesame seeds.
Bake until toothpick comes out clean, around 50 minutes.

Amazing accompaniment to tea. Goes great with jam, butter, ham, or cheese. Slainte!

Alexis Strathmann's Corn Casserole

We all know and love Aunt Margie's Corn Casserole, but I thought I would post another one from our friend and almost-sister Alexis.  She made it on Saturday for Meghan's 30th Birthday Celebration and it was delicious along with pico from Caitie, guacamole from Maureen and tacos from Colleen.

To the below recipe, Alexis added onions, red, yellow and orange peppers, sharp white cheddar, and green chilies, but you could really add anything you want.

1 package frozen whole kernel corn
1 can creamed corn
1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin mix
3/4 cup melted butter
2 beaten eggs
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup sour cream

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix together.

Grease a 9 x 9 baking dish (Alexis has used 8 x 8 and a bread loaf pan and both were fine) and pour in mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. It should start to brown on top when its about ready.

Fish “Psari” Plaki

My Greek friend who shared her Greek roast chicken with us recently passed this fish recipe along. I can't wait to try it out!

Kristy Vahaviolos Kyriakopoulos' Fish “Psari” Plaki

1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes, cut roughly

1 large white onion, cut in long slices

½ cup dry red wine

¼ - ½ cup olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 teaspoon Oregano

2-3 lbs of a white flaky fish like flounder, cod or tilapia

 

Preheat oven to 375°.  In a Dutch oven, add roughly cut peeled tomatoes (I just take cooking scissors and chop them up roughly in the can), onion, wine, olive oil and seasoning and cook for 1 ½ hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so.  Add fish and cover with tomato mixture.  Cook for 20-30 minutes depending on how thick the fish is. Also, I often use frozen fish (like the kind at Whole Foods) and you can pop the frozen fish fillets in with no need to defrost and it still comes out fabu!  Serve with rice and/or some hunks of country bread and feta on the side.

Variation: Add small potatoes and a small bunch of parsley in the beginning