Lolly's Sweet & Savory Treats

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Ah, chicken fingers. The food that is universally loved by all. When I was younger I went through a stage where all I ordered at restaurants were these easy to handle bites of chicken. Now I am older and much wiser (please note the sarcasm) and my tastes have broadened, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate what I used to love every once in awhile.

The great thing about these chicken fingers are that they are baked. Instead of requiring cups of oil to fry, this recipe only calls for two tablespoons of olive oil. I’ve made baked chicken fingers before, but the coating never stayed on and they always came out of the oven soggy. These, my friends, are different. The coating is made with flour and crushed rice crispies and it has a magical way of adhering to every centimeter of the chicken.

Although I don’t have any children, I think these babies would be a favorite for little ones. And adults will love them, too.

Happy Friday, everyone! Have a wonderful weekend.

Baked Chicken Fingers

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Salt and pepper
• 4 cups crisp rice cereal
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475. Place flour in a shallow bowl, and egg in another one; season both with salt and pepper. Pulse cereal and oil in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Season with salt and pepper; transfer to a third shallow bowl.
2. Coat chicken: first in flour, shaking off excess; then with egg, letting excess drip off; and finally in cereal mixture, pressing to help it adhere. Place on a baking sheet, and bake until light golden brown and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes, turning over halfway through.

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Egg in the nest is a special treat my mom used to make my siblings and me for breakfast while we were growing up. I always thought this was her own invention until I saw a recipe for it a few years ago. And then I saw it on Pioneer Woman. And then I saw it on Pinterest. I was flabbergasted, yet happy to know that others have come to love this wonderful creation.

It’s super simple to make.  All you need is a piece of bread, an egg, a little butter, and salt and pepper. Next you cut out a little “nest” in the bread, toast both sides of the hollowed out bread and extra bread nugget, add the egg and a little salt and pepper and cook according to your preference. It’s a lovely. And it’s a perfect treat for your Valentine, or for yourself.

Happy Wednesday!

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Awww yeah- it’s the week before Valentine’s day and pink and red hearts are flooding my thoughts and dreams. While I don’t consider myself a girlie girl who likes chick flicks  and princessey (I’ve decided to make that a word) stuff, I absolutely adore Valentine’s Day. Mostly because I love chocolate. And baking. And, of course, my wonderful husband Robert.

To kick off the Valentine’s day celebrations, I made these red velvet whoopie pies. Two cakey red cookies are filled with a rich cream cheese frosting for a fun twist on a special dessert.

Whether or not you are celebrating this Valentine’s day with a special someone, it’s always nice to have a little heart-shaped treat to help remind us of the people in our lives that we love, be it our moms, dads, siblings, friends, partners, or even pets. Love is in the air.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Printable Version

Yield: About 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1/2 oz red food coloring, more or less depending on how red you want the batter to be (I used Americolor food coloring)

For the frosting:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa power, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low, add in the egg, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add in the vanilla and mix until combined.

4. Gradually add in the flour mixture and the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined.

5. Add in the food coloring and stir until mixed evenly. Do not overmix!

6. Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a large round pastry tip (I used Wilton #12 tip).

7. Pipe hearts onto the baking sheets, keeping them about 2 inches apart. Smooth down the top of the batter with a greased knife.

8. Bake for 7-9 minutes, remove from the oven, transfer to baking racks,  and allow to cool completely.

9. To make the frosting, whip together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and mix until combined. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag.

10. Pipe frosting onto the flat-sided cookie of each pair, leaving the edges clear.  Sandwich the cookies together so the flat sides are facing each other and press gently to help the filling reach the edges.  Refrigerate or freeze in an airtight container.

Source: Annie’s Eats

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What is it with Americans and ranch dressing? People eat it with everything- salad, raw vegetables, baked potatoes, pizza, chips.  I’m starting to think all of these foods are just vehicles for the creamy sauce that us Americans apparently can’t eat enough. I’m not usually a fan of ranch dressing. I prefer blue cheese and vinaigrettes, but I saw this recipe on Pinterest and thought I should give the homemade version a try. The result? No contest. The homemade version is ten times better than what you buy in the store. It’s so much more flavorful with the fresh herbs and garlic. And it barely takes 10 minutes to throw together. I even lightened it up by swapping some of the mayo and sour cream for plain Greek yogurt.

If you love ranch dressing, you must give this version a try.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Yield: 16 2-Tbsp dressing

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 small bunch of chives
• 1 small handful of parsley leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper (white pepper, preferred)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Place all of the ingredients into a blender with only 1/4 cup of buttermilk.

2. Blend for 10 seconds. Gradually add in more buttermilk until you achieve the desired consistency.

3. Store in an airtight container for 1 week.

Source: Slightly adapted from Pennies on a Platter

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Oatmeal cookies are one of my favorite comfort foods. Especially chewy ones. Like these. A few years ago, my mom stumbled upon this recipe and it has been our favorite ever since. They are perfectly chewy with a perfect balance of salt and cinnamon. The only thing that would make them better is throwing in a heaping handful of plump, juicy raisins; but there is a boy that I live with that likes oatmeal cookies sans raisins. He’s not normally picky, but in this instance he is. And since I can’t eat the whole batch myself- well technically I could- I left them out. Also, my mom sometimes adds in coconut and almonds and that is really delicious too. It’s really up to personal preference.

If you are looking for a great oatmeal cookie that’s chewy and flavorful, look no further. These are quite tasty. And they make your house smell heavenly.

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

Printable Version

Yield: About 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups quick cooking oats
• Raisins, nuts, coconut (optional)

Directions

1.In a medium bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.

2. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well blended. Stir in vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon.

4. Add in the oats and stir until just combined. Add in any extras (raisins, nuts, coconut, etc), if desired.

5. Transfer the dough to plastic wrap, cover, and chill for at least an hour.

6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch diameter balls and place on the cookie sheets, about two inches apart. Press down gently with fingertips.

7. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Don’t overbake. Allow to cool on baking sheets for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com

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Monday is here again. By Sunday night, I tend to start to get that dreaded feeling of facing the week ahead. No more sleeping in or going about as I please. It’s back to the daily grind and Friday seems so far away. Mondays don’t get a lot of love, but it’s time to change that. It’s time to start looking Monday square in the face with a big smile. There’s no way of avoiding it, so why not make the most of it? And why not do it with one of these banana cream cheese muffins?

These muffins are an adaptation of my favorite banana bread recipe with a delightful dollop of cream cheese filling in the center of this flavorful cake. It’s a tasty breakfast treat and will give you just enough moxy to say, “bring it on, Monday.”

Bring it on, Monday!

Banana Cream Cheese Muffins

Printable Version

Yield: 1 dozen large muffins

Ingredients:

For the cream cheese filling:

• 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

For the muffins:

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 4 large, very ripe bananas
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar

Directions:

1. To make the filling, whip the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until combined.

2. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and roll into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place in the freezer for about 1 hour to allow to harden.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with spray oil. Set aside.

4. To make the banana bread, place the bananas in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and slit a few slices in it to act as a vent. Microwave for 5 minutes.

5. Remove from the microwave and place the banana mixture in a sieve over a bowl and gently stir. Allow it to sit for about 15 minutes to ensure the excess liquid drains from the bananas.

6. Transfer the banana liquid to a small saucepan and cook on medium heat until it reduces to about 1/4 cup. This takes about 5 minutes.

7. Combine the bananas and the banana liquid in a bowl and mix until smooth. Add in the vanilla, eggs, and butter. Stir.

8. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add to the banana mixture and mix until just combined.

9.  Remove the cream cheese mixture from the freezing. Retrieve the muffin tin and fill each cup about halfway full with the banana batter. Cut a 1 inch slice from the cream cheese log and place on top. Add another scoop of the banana batter.

10. Place in the oven and bake for 22 minutes, or until the muffin springs back when you touch it. Cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the tin and allow to cool completely. Enjoy!

Source: Banana bread and cream cheese filling adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Cook’s Illustrated and BakeSpace

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Nana’s chocolate chip and whipped cream frosting is the food memory of all food memories. This delicious treat has been a staple in my mom’s side of the family for a long time. Nana was my mother’s paternal grandmother and my great grandmother. I never had the opportunity of meeting her as she passed away 3 years before I was born, which happened to coincidentally be only days after my sister was born (my parents joked that Selby was the one who did her in).

This frosting is rich, fluffy, and similar to a mousse. My mother always prepares it with angel food cake and whenever she makes it, she always recounts how excited she would get as a little girl when she discovered this dessert in the fridge. I was the same way.

From what I’ve heard, Nana was quite a lady. She raised five children during the depression and wasn’t afraid to give a few good spankings. My mom tells stories of spending summers with Nana and Dadsey (her grandfather) in Willard, Ohio when she was young, where she would stroll along the storefront windows and follow adults around all day. I can imagine that Nana made this specialty several times while my mom was staying with them. It’s comfort food at its best and I love that my mom was able to recreate this dessert for special occasions while we were growing up. I hope to continue to pass this recipe down as the generations pass.

Thanks for the food memory, Nana.

Nana and my Aunt Molly in Willard, OH. Circa 1955?

Nana’s Chocolate Chip and Whipped Cream Frosting

Printable Version

Yield: About 6 cups of fluffiness

Ingredients

• 1 16 oz package of semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 pint (2 cups) heavy whipping cream

Directions

1.Melt the chocolate chips over a double broiler or in the microwave until smooth and shiny.

2. Remove from heat and add in the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until combined.

3. In another bowl, whip the egg whites in until they form a soft peak. Gently fold into the chocolate mixture and mix until combined.

4. In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until fluffy. Carefully add into the chocolate mixture and fold until combined.

5. Serve with angel food cake and refrigerate until chilled.

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Making angel food cake from scratch has been a bit of a personal quest for me. My first attempt ended in dismal failure. I was so young and foolish back then; a young 21 year-old newlywed of barely two months trying to make a dessert to bring to dinner at my in-laws. I was feeling ambitious and decided I would try to make an angel food cake without using a box mix. I found a recipe and it seemed simple enough. False. I ended up with a 3 inch tall hockey puck and had to quickly scramble to the nearest bakery to pick up an already-made version. “I will try to make homemade angel food cake again,” I vowed to myself that day. It wasn’t until I was a more mature 23 that I tried to make the cake from scratch once more. This time I used a different recipe. A tried and true one from Baking Illustrated. “This should surely work,” I confidently thought. Wrong again. It turns out, the problem was me. I failed to properly beat the egg whites and the angel food cake came out dense and tough. After I finally learned how to properly beat egg whites, I was so timid that I didn’t mix the batter enough and there ended up being clumps of flour in the cake. It seemed as if it wasn’t meant to be. That is, until last spring. Hardened from several battles with this devilish cake, I rolled up my sleeves and gave it another go. This time the stars aligned and out of the oven came a tall, fluffy, and golden brown angel food cake. There may have been tears of joy involved.

My heart can rest easily knowing that I am now at peace with angel food cake and I no longer have to hold my breath while I’m making it.

Angel Food Cake

Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (3 ounces) sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups (10 ounces) sifted sugar
• 12 large egg whites (1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons), at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Clean a 9-inch diameter ungreased large tube pan and set aside.

2. Whisk the flour and 3/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Place the remaining 3/4 cup sugar in another small bowl near the mixer.

3. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer just until broken up and beginning to foam. Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat at medium speed until the whites form soft, billowy mounds.

4. With the mixer still at medium, gradually at the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at time. Stop when the whites are glossy and form soft peaks.

5. Add in the vanilla, lemon juice, and almond extract and beat just until blended.

6. Place the flour-sugar mixture in a sifter over parchment or waxed paper. Sift the mixture over the whites, about 3 tablespoons at a time.

7. Gently fold in, using a large rubber spatula. Sift any of the flour-sugar mixture that falls onto the paper back into the whites.

8. Carefully scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any large air bubbles.

9. Bake until the cake is golden brown, and springs back when pressed firmly, about 50-60 minutes.

10. If the cake has prongs around the rim for elevating the cake, invert the pan onto them. If not, invert the pan onto the neck of a bottle or funnel. Allow the cake to cool completely, 2 to 3 hours.

11. Run a knife around the edges of the pan. Slid the cake out of the pan and cut the same way around the removable pan. Store in an airtight container.

Source: Baking Illustrated

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Oh egg whites. I never realized there was such an art to beating these protein-packed puppies until I started baking a lot of things from scratch. Cream of tartar, soft peaks, stiff peaks… what did it all mean!?! My lack of knowledge for beating egg whites has caused me to ruin a number of cookies, cakes, and frostings. After several flops, my ineptitude finally lead me to seriously research the topic so I could confidently conquer this sometimes finicky method. It turns out, there are some great fail-proof ways to ensure you have billowing and beautiful egg whites whenever you please-except, maybe, on a very humid day in the middle of July.

I’ve included what I’ve learned, along with pictures, below.

Happy Monday!

How to Beat Perfect Egg Whites

1. Start out with cold eggs, as they are easier to separate. Separate egg yolks and whites, making sure no yolks are mixed in with the whites (I like to use pre-separated egg whites from the grocery store when I’m in a hurry).

2. Cover the whites with plastic wrap and allow to warm to room temperature, for about 30 minutes. You can speed up this process by placing the bowl of egg whites in a bowl of hot, but not boiling water and gently stirring for about two minutes. Having them at room temperature allows the protein to maximally expand, which ensures you get the most volume out of your egg whites (apparently I do use those college chemistry courses in everyday life ).

3. Before you beat the whites, be sure you have a clean and dry electric beaters as well as a large stainless steel, glass, or copper bowl. Any fat left on the bowl or beaters will prevent peaks from forming.

4. With the mixer on low speed, beat the whites until are frothy then add 1/8 tsp of an acid (cream of tartar, vinegar, or lemon juice) per egg to help stabilize the whites and prevent over beating.*

5. After the whites are frothy, gradually increase the speed of the mixers to medium-high. Once you are beating the eggs, you don’t want to stop for long periods of time as the whites will start to disintegrate. For a recipe that calls for soft peak egg whites, stop when the whites form rounded peaks that droop when the beaters are lifted. Be sure to scrape along the bottom of the bowl.

6. If the recipe you are using requires sugar, gradually start adding the sugar at the soft peak stage. For best results, only add 2 tablespoons at a time to allow the sugar to dissolve after each addition.

7. For stiff peaks, stop when the whites form glossy peaks that hold their shape when the beaters are lifted.STOP mixing when you reach this stage. Over beaten egg whites are clumpy and watery and are irreparable, so be careful not to reach this point.

8. Use the whites immediately.

*When making meringues, only add 1/8 tsp for every 2 egg whites.

Sources: Baking Illustrated, Good Housekeeping, About.com, Epicurious.com

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