Bacon-wrapped Sausage-stuffed Dates

I had a nice dinner out with my friend Amy back in December. Everything we ate was delicious, but most of all we loved the Spanish Stuffed Dates, which are dates wrapped in bacon and stuffed with chorizo.
Here's my version... just as good if I do say so myself (and much cheaper!):

• 1 package of pitted dates
• 1 lb of bacon slices, cut in half
• 1/4 lb (maybe even less?) spicy sausage or chorizo
• toothpicks

Cut the dates with a pair of shears so that they are "butterflied." Put about half a teaspoon of uncooked sausage in the date and snap shut. Wrap with half a slice of bacon and close with a toothpick. Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat, turning as needed, until bacon is cooked. My photo is not very good and they do look a little charred, but they were perf. And the sausage inside cooks fine, no worries.

French Toast Egg Bake

I make egg bake/casserole type dishes a lot. They were big in my family, so I tend to gravitate towards these dishes whether sweet or savory. I made this on a whim recently because I had some leftover cinnamon bread that I didn't want to go bad. I layered the rest of my bread (about 6 slices) in a sprayed bread pan, along with some dried cherries, pecans or walnuts and a bit of brown sugar crumbled over it. Mix a few eggs and some milk (there is really no exact recipe for this, I make it differently every time) and pour over your bread. Drizzle some maple syrup if desired. Cover and let sit overnight in the refrigerator. Pop in the oven in the morning for about 20-30 minutes at 375, until eggs are set.
Slice and drizzle with maple or berry syrup (my favorite). 

Yum!

... Hello, 2012!

And hello to a bevy of new kitchen gadgets, thanks to Santa and all the other people in my life who spoil me. 

First up, my brand new "mini" bread maker. I guess it's called mini because it makes a smaller, one-pound loaf, but it's still a ton of bread for just me and John. That being said, I've already made three different loaves, with many more to come. I'll discuss these on a later blog. I love it. I also used a gift card my mom got me to buy myself a nice bread knife.

Next, I begged Santa to bring me this relatively cheap, but totally awesome smoothie maker. I am having a blast making smoothies and somehow avoiding the temptation to make MILKSHAKES in it. They're coming, though, I can feel it. 

Then, John's parents surprised me with a sweet and extravagant gift: a super nice 14-piece set of non-stick Calphalon cookware. I love them. I promptly took all my old pots and pans (except my "weathered" baking sheets) and donated them to a co-worker. I love my new pans and I'm being really careful with them, because pretty much anything you would think of doing with them voids the warranty! It's really nice having the perfect size pot/pan for any job, and a matching lid that actually fits! 


My brother got me one of those electrical mini-cupcake makers. It makes 7 mini cupcakes/muffins in 7 minutes, and one box of cake mix made over 60! I spent the better part of New Year's Eve-day baking cupcakes for my friend Jenn's birthday.


So yes, basically this is a blog bragging about all the cool stuff I got for Christmas. But not really... it's like, "here's what's to come!" ... And much more! 

Goodbye, 2011...

I have not been blogging much lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been baking! Here is a quick update on my recent culinary adventures!

Even though John and I spent Thanksgiving this year in Las Vegas, I still had to make a batch of the infamous pumpkin cookies.

Our close friends hosted an early Christmas/White Elephant dinner party, and I brought the mashed potatoes and pecan pie:

John's coworker hosted an hors d'oeuvres party, so I brought this amazing concoction called CRESCENT WRAPPED BRIE. I am making this again tonight for New Year's. Perfect with this raspberry chipotle sauce a friend suggested to me! 

And these are fairly traditional peanut butter blossoms, but Bakerella gave me the idea to use dark chocolate Kisses. They were so much more delicious this way!

Our 2011 Christmas postcard! 

I have a lot more to share, but I don't want to waste it all on this quick recap post. 2011 was a rough year for a lot of people, but I have the highest of hopes for 2012. 


Have a safe and happy New Year, and remember:


"There is no love sincerer than the love of food."
---George Bernard Shaw

Scallops with Salsa d’Acciughe e Rosmarino

Okay... I guess I should be upfront and honest here, since you're going to find out in a few moments anyway when you read this recipe...

The translation of the above Italian = ANCHOVY SAUCE.
And, no, I am not a fan of anchovies. But this sauce is delish, especially on some pan seared scallops. Mine (pictured) did get a very good sear because I'm pretty sure they had phosphates added, even though I specifically asked the fish dude if they were and he said NO. They were still good, I just had to contend with a lot of milky water invading the pan. I learned how to make this sauce in a recent cooking class. 

• 1 can of anchovy filets
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 lemons
• 4 T. rosemary leaves
• 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil 

In a food processor, emulsify all of the anchovy fillets, then add the garlic, the zest of both lemons and the rosemary. Process until very well chopped, and then drizzle in the olive oil, slowly. Add the juice of at least one lemon. Then, taste and add more garlic or the juice of the other lemon if need be.

Spoon over the scallops, or put on any fish, pasta or bread!

Stuffed Peppers

Hmm... I can't remember what recipe I used to make these, because I'm fairly certain I just sorta winged it. 

Cook up about a half a pound of ground turkey with a can of diced tomatoes and a small amount of quick rice (maybe like 1/2 cup cooked?)... Add pepper, garlic and parsley to taste, spoon into your gutted peppers. Add some breadcrumbs and parmesan on top! Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until tender. I think I was surprised that they ended up taking longer, but they tasted pretty good. 

 

crappy cross-section pic

I suppose the purpose of this post is to document the fact that I made these, and that they are a great healthy entree to consider. 

Peanut Butter

Stock up now, folks!

A little birdie told me that prices are going up at least 30% next month. I bought a few jars yesterday, reduced-fat for me, and some "regular-fat" for my baking. I don't want to help spread any panic or fear of peanutpocalypse, but if you love peanut butter and don't want to pay through the nose for it, get yourself enough to last you a while. Peanuts, too! And maybe a couple Snickers bars to stash in your freezer, for "emergencies?"

Ice Cream Sandwich

These are "homemade" in the sense that nothing is homemade about them except the assembly. With more planning, I would have made them from scratch, but these were a "happy accident."

I couldn't decide which picture to post, so you get both. The ice cream is Trader Joe's french vanilla. The cookies are ginger spice. Slightly warm, because you(I) have no patience. The sandwich pretty much falls apart after the first bite, but you(I) don't care.*

Yum.

*You can put these on a cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer a bit to harden them up, but it depends on preference or when you're serving them. 

Beignets

I get fierce cravings. And, no, much to my mother's chagrin, I am NOT pregnant. I just get something in my head and have to have it.


Like that time about a month ago I could not get Beignets out of my head? I decided to make them at around 9 pm on a Tuesday night. What a delicious disaster that was! 
Believe it or not, I have actually made these from scratch before (back in high school, I think), but after our recent trip to New Orleans, I will forever use Cafe Du Monde's box mix. These people are professionals - why mess with perfection? 


True perfection would be hopping on a flight to NOLA and picking them up fresh, but these really hit the spot.

Mexican Lasagna

A Rachel Ray recipe that is just too good. 

I made a few substitutions:

• used ground turkey instead of ground chicken (easier to find).
• used whole wheat tortillas because I couldn't find the spinach ones.
• used low fat cheese. 
• used more onion. 
• I drizzled some taco sauce on the top layer before topping with cheese.
• Garnished with light sour cream. 

This was so freaking good! I actually had a hard time going thru these photos because they're making me hungry! 

Note to self: Don't blog while hungry!

I found this picture online and had to add it as it seems so apropos to this post!