Confessions of A Wanna Be Cook

[cooking-confessions]

Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta

Ingredients: 

1 ⅛ teaspoon powdered gelatin

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup Nutella

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 ½ cups heavy cream

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup whole milk

¼ cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts, for serving (optional)

For the full recipe click here. 

[cooking-confessions]

Lavender Panna Cotta with Poached Rhubarb

Ingredients for Panna Cotta:

1 tablespoon powdered gelatin (2 sheets gelatin)

1/4 cup water

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon edible lavender buds

2 cups full fat buttermilk

Ingredients for Poached Rhubarb:

Juice of one lemon

1/2 cup water or sweet white wine or blush wine

2 tablespoons honey

5 stalks rhubarb, chopped into small pieces (1/2 inch)

For the full recipe click here. 

[cooking-confessions]

Marinara Pasta Bake

Ingredients: 

12 oz. Cellentani Pasta (or your favorite) 

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, diced into 1/2 inch pieces

3 tsp Olive Oil, divided

1/2 tsp dried oregano 

Salt + Pepper

8 oz White or Cremini Mushrooms, sliced 

1 Yellow Onion, diced

4 Cloves Garlic, minced

24 oz. Marinara Sauce (1 Jar) 

8 oz. Mozzarella, cubed

Parmesan 

Recipe: 

Preheat oven to 350. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp olive oil in a cast iron and add chicken. Half way through add oregano, salt, and pepper. Once chicken is cooked through add to a large bowl. 

In the same cast iron heat 1 more tsp of olive oil and add mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms until they have released their juices. Add the mushrooms to the bowl with the  chicken. 

Heat the remaining tsp of olive oil in the cast iron and add the garlic and onions. Cook until the onions are translucent and have some color. When they are done, add  to the bowl with chicken and mushrooms. 

Drain the cooked pasta, reserving a 1/2 cup of pasta water, and set aside. 

Heat the marinara sauce in the cast iron until it bubbles then add to the chicken bowl. Mix until everything is coated in the sauce. Add the pasta mixing to make sure everything is covered in sauce. 

Pour half of the pasta mixture into the cast iron. Evenly distribute half of the mozzarella on the pasta and add parmesan. Pour in the rest of the pasta and distribute the rest of the mozzarella on top. Cover with more parmesan. 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until heated throughly. 

Serve right away with a sprinkling of parmesan. 

Cooks Notes: 

This came out so much better than I was expecting! The chewiness of the mozzarella fits in perfectly. If you have any on hand, some basil would make this dish perfect. Please let me know what you think, as this is the first recipe I've created from start to finish! 

[cooking-confessions]

One Pot Honey Balsamic Chicken and Veggies

Ingredients: 

4 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on

1 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1/2 red onion, cut in julienne strips

2 cups 1-inch asparagus pieces

1 cup frozen green peas

1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

Find the full recipe here. 

[cooking-confessions]

One Pot Wonder Tomato Basil Pasta

Ingredients: 

12 ounces linguine pasta

1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid ( I used zesty red pepper flavor style)

1 medium sweet onion, cut in 1/4 inch julienne strips (use an onion such as Vidalia or Walla Walla)

4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (use regular broth and NOT low sodium)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch (about 10 to 12 leaves) basil, diced

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Find the full recipe here. 

[cooking-confessions]

Cherry Cheesecake Crumb Bars

Ingredients for the Crust:

2 cups quick oats (not instant)

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Ground Cinnamon

1/2 cup Karo® Light Corn Syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

Ingredients for the Filling: 

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup cherry preserves

Find the full recipe here. 

[cooking-confessions]

Apple Walnut Tart with Maple Custard

Ingredients for Walnut Crust: 

2½ cups walnut pieces (don’t waste your money on halves)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 egg white

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Ingredients for Custard: 

1½ cups milk

6 egg yolks

½ cup pure maple syrup

¼ cup cornstarch

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for Apples: 

2 apples, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced (keep in lemon water until ready to use)

juice of a lemon

¼ cup apricot jam, warmed (optional)

For the full recipe click here. 

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Cooks notes: I made one of these last night for Thanksgiving dessert! It came out pretty well. I really could suggest using a mandolin to slice the apples, I sliced mine with a knife and it just didn't come out as pretty. But oh well. I also used raspberry jam to glaze the apples as I didn't have any apricot and I think it looks a lot better. It added a nice red to the roses. We'll see how it tastes tonight I guess! 

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If you have a thanksgiving recipe or photos to share send me a link and I'll post it! 

[cooking-confessions]

Golden Girls Cheesecake

Fudge Crust Ingredients:

5 oz. semisweet chocolate (squares or chips- about 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs room temperature

1/2 cup flour

Ricotta Amaretto Cake Ingredients:

1 lb. whole milk ricotta cheese, room temperature

1 lb. cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup whole milk sour cream, room temperature

5 eggs beaten, room temperature

1/2 cup half and half, room temperature

1/3 cup amaretto

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup flour

For the full recipe click here. 

Cooks notes: 

I made this last night and it's amazing! It's so light it's almost mouse like. However I had some problems with height. The cake rose above the edge of the pan so it folded on itself a bit. If I were to make this again I would either halve the recipe or split it into two cakes. I also had to use almond extract (a little over 2 tsp) instead of amaretto and it worked out really well. I might be repeating this for Christmas dessert! 

[cooking-confessions]

Decadent Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

20 chocolate wafer cookies

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 packages cream cheese, softened

2 packages reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs

2 packages (6 ounces or 1 1/3 cup each) Driscoll's Raspberries, divided

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1/2 package (16-ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Click here for the full recipe.

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Cook's Notes: This is my favorite cheesecake I have ever made; and that's saying something as I LOVE to make cheesecake. This turned out to be really light, it had the consistency of mousse. I will most certainly be adding this to my repertoire. On a final not I did not make the chocolate curls, I did not have time and as far as I could tell it made no difference.

[cooking-confessions]

Berry and White Chocolate Blondies

Ingredients: 

112g butter, melted

220g light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

125g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

100g white chocolate chips

150g mixed berries (I used blueberries and chopped strawberries)

Icing sugar, to serve

For the full recipe click here. 

[kachinaslol]

[cooking-confessions]

I did it! First time making ice cream and it was a success!!!!

[cooking-confessions]

I now have an ice cream maker!!!!!!!!!

[cooking-confessions]

I spent a good hour online this weekend scouring the internet for an easy cookie recipe, with ingredients I had on hand, and that sounded interesting. Not easy criteria to meet. Right when I was about to give up these beauties popped up. These are ridiculously easy to make and the flavor explodes in your mouth. If you are looking for something to impress your friends, co-workers, family, or anyone with and are short on time and resources, give these a try; they vanished from the office within about 20 minutes. 

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Brown Butter Chai Spiced Snickerdoodles

Ingredients: 

1 cup (2 sticks, or 8oz) unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp. fine grain sea salt)

1 TBSP ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. finely ground black pepper

1/8th-1/4 tsp. cloves

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the full recipe click here. 

[cooking-confessions]

Beer Cheese Soup

Ingredients: 

3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped

1 sweet onion, finely diced

1/2 red pepper, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups of your favorite beer (I find that lighter wheat beers work best)

1 cup half and half

4 ounces sharp white cheddar, freshly grated

4 ounces extra sharp yellow cheddar, freshly grated

4 ounces colby jack, freshly grated

fresh herbs (I like cilantro) for garnish

salt and pepper to season if needed

Find the full recipe here. 

[cooking-confessions]

Eggnog Florentines

Ingredients for Florentines: 

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 tablespoons or 45 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (about 55 grams) pecan halves

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I halved this, found it to be just-enough)

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (I recommend doubling this)

1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, cold is fine

2/3 cup (65, oops, sorry, it is 130 grams) granulated sugar (I would drop this by a tablespoon or two next time)

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon corn syrup, honey, or golden syrup

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for Eggnog Filling: 

4 large eggs, hard-boiled

4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups (300 grams) confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon whole milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I halved this because I’m a spice wimp)

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I halved this too)

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons dark rum (can be skipped or reduced)

For the full recipe click here. 

[cooking-confessions]

Brandy Snaps

Ingredients:

1 stick Butter

1/2 cup Molasses

1/4 cup Sugar

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Brandy

3/4 cups Flour

1/8 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger

2 cups Heavy Cream

1/3 cup Sugar

2 Tablespoons Brandy (more To Taste)

For the full recipe click here.