Cherry Lemonade Donuts

These are wonderful baked mini donuts

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
1/2 cup cherry juice
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp cherry juice
1 – 2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and position a rack in the center. Butter and flour your mini doughnut pans and set them aside.

Cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest until it's light and fluffy. Add the eggs and blend them until they're just incorporated. Mix in the 1/2 cup of cherry juice.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt then combine it well with the cherry mixture until the color is smooth.

Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a round tip with the batter and pipe it carefully into the prepared mini doughnut pans. I found that filing each circle about 2/3 – 3/4 of the way makes perfect mini doughnuts. Filling them any more than that will create shrunken or non-existent doughnut holes.

Bake them for about 5 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown and the tops are matte and springy to the touch. Don't be afraid of under-baking, be more afraid of over-baking. Gooey doughnuts can be fixed with a little more oven time and crunchy burned doughnuts can't. Allow the doughnuts a few minutes in the pans to cool off before flipping them out onto a cooling rack. The pan may need a few encouraging taps, but they should come out easily.

In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, cherry juice and powdered sugar until you get your desired consistency. When stirred, the glaze should leave swirls on the surface that disappear slowly but are not permanent. If the swirls disappear almost instantly, you need more powdered sugar. Dip the top of each doughnut in the glaze, give it a few taps then set it on a rack to drip and set. For easy cleanup, place a piece of wax paper under the rack to catch all the drips. Enjoy!

London Fog Layer Cake

This is a delightful cake. I made it with cream cheese frosting with a vanilla bean added, but your preference of vanilla frosting would be fine too.

Ingredients:
2/3c milk
4 early grey tea bags
2 whole eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.25c + 2Tbs cake flour (160g)
1c sugar
2.25tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
1/2c butter, room temp
blue or purple food coloring, if desired

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line two 8" round cake pans with parchment paper.  Grease and flour.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk until simmering.  Remove from heat, add the tea bags, and steep for 5 minutes.  Remove the tea bags and allow the milk to cool completely.

Whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla in a small bowl.  Set aside. 
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Add the butter and cooled milk to the dry ingredients.  Beat on low until well-blended.  Raise the speed to medium and beat for another minute.

Add the egg/vanilla mixture in three additions, beating well after each addition. If desired, beat in food coloring.

Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Layer Cake

This recipe comes in several steps. Make the cake, make the caramel, make the buttercream, assemble the cake, make the ganache. Phew!

CHOCOLATE CAKE
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Oil and flour three 8-inch baking tins.  Begin by filling a sauce pan with water.  Set it on high heat until it boils. While you are waiting for the water to boil, whisk to gather the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda until it is completely blended.  You can begin to add in the wet ingredients, starting with the oil and milk. Continue beating in each egg, one at a time, into the mixture.  Next beat in the vanilla .  

Ok, remember that boiling water? Beat 1 cup of boiling water into the batter.  THE BATTER WILL BE REALLY THIN, don't worry! Immediately fill you cake tins with the batter and put it in the oven.

If making cupcakes, bake for exactly 18 minutes, no more, no less.  If making cake, start by checking them at 22 minutes, and continue to check on the cakes using the "stick a for in it test".  My cakes usually take between 25 and 30 minutes.

SALTED CARAMEL SYRUP (this gets added to the buttercream)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 stick of butter, softened and cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Sea salt to taste

In a medium saucepan with high sides, combine the sugar and corn syrup with 1/2 cup water. Stir the mixture gently so you don’t slosh any of it up the sides of the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high and continue stirring until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high, stop stirring, and allow the mixture to boil. Once it begins to turn a rich caramel color (if you don’t want to eyeball it, take the caramel to 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer), remove it from the heat, add the butter and cream, and a generous amount of sea salt and stir until combined. 

SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM
Ingredients:

1½ cups sugar 
1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour 
1 1/2 cups whole milk 
1⁄3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1⁄3 cup plus 2 tablespoons Salted Caramel Sauce (above), at room temperature

In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the milk and cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes. 

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter and vanilla; mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add 1⁄2-3/4 cup of the caramel (to taste) and continue mixing until combined. 

CHOCOLATE GANACHE FROSTING

Ingredients:

12 oz. good quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup very hot water

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar

Pinch of salt

Sea Salt for finishing

To make the chocolate ganache frosting, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Set aside and let cool to room temperature.  In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and water and stir until smooth.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, confectioners’ sugar and salt.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, gradually blend in the melted and cooled chocolate until well incorporated.  Blend in the cocoa powder-water mixture until smooth.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
To assemble the cake, level the cake layers if necessary.  Place one of the cake layers on a cake board or serving platter.  Top with half of the caramel buttercream and smooth in a thick, even layer.  Place a second cake layer on top and smooth the remaining salted caramel buttercream over that.  Place the final cake layer on top.  Cover the top and sides of the cake with the chocolate frosting and smooth with an offset spatula.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Before serving, sprinkle with sea salt.

Biscuit-style Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

3 cups Swanson’s reduced-sodium chicken broth or your favorite

1½ cups onions, chopped

1 cup potato, peeled and cubed (½ inch cubes)

1 cup sweet potato, peeled and cubed (½ inch cubes)

1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup celery, sliced

1 lb chicken breasts (boneless, skinless), cut into bite-size pieces

1½ cups frozen peas (not defrosted)

1½ cup reduced-fat milk

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 pkg. Pillsbury Golden Layer Flaky Biscuits (100 calories for each biscuit)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan, add chicken broth and bring to a boil.

2. Stir in onions, potato, sweet potato, carrots and celery. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 6 minutes.

3. Add chicken pieces and frozen peas, breaking them up. Bring back to a boil, turn heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Place a colander into a large bowl. Pour chicken, vegetables and broth into colander. Add strained broth back to the pan. Set aside chicken and vegetables.

5. In a separate small bowl, add flour. Gradually add milk to the flour stirring with a whisk, until well blended.

6. Increase heat to medium with the broth. Stir in milk/flour mixture with a whisk. Cook for 5 minutes or until thicken. Stir often.

7. Add back chicken and vegetables, along with thyme, salt and pepper. Mix well.

8. Coat an 11 x 7 baking dish with cooking spray and pour in the chicken stew.

9. Open the package of biscuits, separate them and place on top of chicken stew. Line them evenly over top.

10. Place the pie on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 14 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown.

11. To serve, spoon into each bowl and top with 1 biscuit. There will be two extra biscuits for whoever wants it.

Serves 8 (each serving, ⅛ of recipe and 1 biscuit); 7PP

Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken Ingredients:
• 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• orange chicken sauce (ingredients below)
• toppings: thinly-sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, orange zest
Orange Chicken Sauce Ingredients:
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup honey (add more to sweeten, if desired)
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• zest of one orange
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute for about 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and nearly cooked through.

Pour in the orange chicken sauce, and stir to combine. Let the sauce come to a boil, then boil for an additional minute or two until thickened. Remove from heat and serve immediately over quinoa or rice. Garnish with green onions, sesame seeds and additional orange zest.

Crockpot Mediterranean Chicken

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)

1 can tomato sauce (14.5 oz)

1 onion thinly sliced

4- 6 garlic cloves, whole

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 T olive oil

12 pitted kalamata olives

palmful Italian herb mix (thyme, basil, rosemary, oregano)

ground black pepper and salt to taste

Pour the olive oil in to the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the chicken breasts into the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Top each breast with sliced onion, garlic cloves and Italian herbs.

Mix vinegar, tomatoes and tomato sauce and pour over chicken. Cook on high about 4 hours. 

Remove the chicken breasts, slice on the bias, and place back in the tomato/vinegar sauce. Add olives and let them warm through for ten minutes. Serve with crumbled feta over whole wheat spaghetti.

Slow Cooker Chicken Verde

Good over rice or as a burrito filling.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs chicken breasts
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbs lime juice
16oz jar of your favorite salsa verde
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1.5c low fat sour cream

Place chicken in slow cooker. Mix all other ingredients, excepts beans and sour cream, and pour over chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove chicken and shrd. Add sour cream and beans into the sauce, stir well. Place shredded chicken back in slow cooker. Serve when beans are warmed through, about 10 minutes.

6 WWP+

Cranberry Curd

You can be fussy about this recipe or you can take a more artisanal approach and accept a level of seeds. I'm comfortable with texture but introduce cheesecloth, if you must.

Ingredients:

4c fresh cranberries (approx. 14oz)

1/2c water

2/3c orange juice (from about 3 oranges)

5 Tbs unsalted butter

1.75c granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

3 large egg yolks and 1 whole egg

Place cranberries, water and orange juice in a saucepan, cover, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst - about 15 minutes.

Press cranberries through a sieve, scraping to get all the pulp out. You should have about 1.75 cups of cranberry mash. Discard the remaining solids.

Cook pulp in pan with butter, sugar and salt over medium heat, stirring until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved, about 7 minutes.

Whisk together yolks and egg. Temper with cranberry sauce and add egg mixture to cranberries and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to jar and press plastic wrap directly on surface of curd to cover. Refrigerate. 

Thug Burritos

This roasted chickpea and broccoli burrito is complements of the Thug Kitchen blog. The original recipe, complete with colorful language, is available here.

Ingredients:

3 cups of cooked chickpeas  (2-15 ounce cans, drained)

1 large yellow onion

1 red bell pepper

1 large crown of broccoli

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 lime

Spice Blend:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander or more cumin if you don’t want to go to the store

black pepper or cayenne pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Chop up the onion, bell pepper, and broccoli so that all the pieces about the size of a chickpea. Chop up the garlic real small but save for later. Place all the chopped up veggies in a large bowl with the cooked chickpeas. Pour in the oil and soy sauce, stir, and then add all the spices in. Mix until all the vegetables are covered.

Bake large rimmed baking sheet for 20 minutes. Take it out of the oven, add the garlic, and bake for another 15 minutes. Squeeze the juice of half of the lime over the pan and stir the roasted chickpeas and veggies all around. Make your burrito with your favorite additional toppings such as avocado, cilantro, and salsa.

Makes 6-8 burritos

Homemade Pizza Sauce

My favorite basic pizza sauce from Pizza and Other Savory Pies by Brigit Binns.

1/4c olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 - 15oz can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
up to 2 Tbs red wine vinegar
salt to taste

In a small frying an over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to scorch the garlic!

In a bowl, stir together the garlic-oil mixture, tomatoes, dried spices with 1/3c of water and 1.5Tbs of the vinegar. Seasons to taste with salt and vinegar.

Refrigerate up to one week or freeze for future pizzas.

Spring Vegetable Risotto

From Cook's Illustrated, this lovely dish serves 4 as a main course or 6 as a first course.

Ingredients:
Gremolata
2 Tbs minced fresh parsley, stems reserved
2 Tbs minced fresh mint leaves, stems reserved
1/2 ts finely grated lemon zest

Risotto
1lb asparagus, tough ends snapped off and reserved, spears cut on bias into 1/2 thick pieces
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts halved lengthwise, washed and sliced think (about 4c) - 2c rightly chopped greens reserved
4c chicken broth
3c water
5 Tbs butter
salt and pepper
1/2c frozen peas
2 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tsp)
1.5c Arborio rice
1c dry white wine
1.5oz (about 3/4c) grated Parmesean cheese, plus extra for serving
2 tsp lemon juice

Chop tough asparagus ends and leek greens into rough 1/2 inch piece. Bring chopped vegetables, reserved mint and parsley stems, broth and water to boil in large saucepan. Reduce to med-low heat, partially cover and simmer for 20 min. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Return broth to saucepan; cover and set over low heat to keep warm.

Heat 1Tbs butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add asparagus spears, pinch of salt  and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is crisp-tender, 4-6 minutes. Add peas and continue to cook 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to plate.

Melt 3Tbs butter into now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add leeks, garlic, 1/2tsp salt and 1/2tsp pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are softened, 4-5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 min. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 2-3 minutes.

When wine is fully absorbed, add 3c hot broth to rice. Simmer, stirring every 3-4 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and bottom of the pan is almost dry, about 12 min.

Stir in about 1/2c hot broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes; repeat with additional broth 3 or 4 times until rice is al dente. Off heat, stir in remaining Tbs of butter, Parmesan and lemon juice; gently fold in asparagus and peas.
Serve immediately sprinkling with gremolata and passing additional Parmesan.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatloaf

A quick and easy meatloaf that has some nice additions to make it a bit different.

Ingredients:
1.5lbs ground turkey
10oz frozen spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2c bread crumbs
1c part skim mozzarella, shredded
1/2c minced onions
2 egg whites
2 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 375*. Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a greased loaf pan, pack mixure into shape. Bake for 60 minutes or until top gets golden brown. Let stand 5-10 minutes after baking.

Makes 6 servings
6pp

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

A great comfort food and excellent as leftovers.

Ingredients:
1c brown rice, uncooked
1lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts - cooked and diced
2c chicken broth
1-2 cubes boullion (I use Better than Broth base)
16oz frozen broccoli
8-10oz frozen mixed veggies
1c reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1.5c fat free sour cream
1c nonfat milk
2 Tbs whole wheat flour
1 Tbs butter
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400*. Spray 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.
Prepare rice using chicken broth, enhanced with boullion, rather than water.
Blanche frozen veggies for about 3 minutes. Drain and spread evenly into the bottom of the pan. Top with cooked chicken. Sprinkle with onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
Top with 1/2c of cheese and then top that with the rice.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly start adding the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Pour mixture over the rice and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8
7pp

Holly's Bartender Margarita

This recipe has been scrawled on a kitchen chalkboard for several years and is almost to be point of being illegible, so I'm transferring it here along with the fond memories of entertaining with my dear friend, Holly!

Ingredients:
1.5 measures Tequila
Splash of cranberry juice
3/4 measure Triple Sec
3 measures Sweet and Sour mix
1/2 a lime
Grand Marnier float

Chicken Chow Mein

from Skinny Kitchen - 7PP


Ingredients for Chow Mein:
8 ounces dry whole grain spaghetti, see shopping tip
2 cups celery, sliced on the diagonally
2 cups onion, diced
5 cups cabbage, shredded
1½ cups cooked chicken breast, diced
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons vegetable oil


Ingredients for Sauce:


⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce  (6 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cloves garlic, mined
2 teaspoons ginger (from a jar), see shopping tip
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Cook the spaghetti for about 6-7 minutes just until soft. Do not over cook.
2. In the meantime, prep all vegetables and dice the chicken. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, add all sauce ingredients and mix until well blended. Set aside.
4. Coat a large nonstick wok or pan with cooking spray. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in pan.
Add celery and onions and saute over medium-high heat for several minutes until onions become soft. Add cabbage and chicken. Saute another few minutes until soft.  Turn down to medium heat, add noodles and soy sauce mixture.  Stir-fry for about 2 minutes or until noodles are heated through. Stir constantly to blend everything.
5. Store any leftovers in the fridge for a few days.
Makes 5 servings (each serving, 1½ cups)

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons ginger
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breast, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
⅓ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 packages Stevia, Truvia, Splenda or your favorite sugar substitute

Instructions
1. Cook rice.
2. In the meantime, coat the bottom of a nonstick pan with cooking spray. Heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken mixture from pan; set aside.
3. Coat pan again with cooking spray and heat remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil.  Add onions, carrots, celery and red bell pepper to pan.  Sauté 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender.  Drain pineapple, reserving ¾ cup juice. Add 1½ cups pineapple chunks to pan; cook 30 seconds (Reserve remaining pineapple for another use).  Combine the reserved ¾ cup pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, flour, sugar and Stevia in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.
4. Return chicken mixture to pan. Stir in juice mixture; bring to boil. Cook 1-2 minute until sauce thickens a bit.
5. To serve: Spread ½ cup rice over each plate. Top each with about 1 cup sweet and sour chicken.
6. This dish freezes great. Mix together the chicken and rice and freeze in individual servings.
Makes 6 servings (1 cup sweet and sour chicken plus ½ cup rice)


From Skinny Kitchen- 7PP

Melanie's Favorite Easter Quiche

This quiche was part of our Easter brunch earlier this spring. The recipe is for a deep dish quiche, that you would make in a straight sided nine inch cake pan, rather than a pie dish. It still works fine in a pie dish, just anticipate that you will have extra pastry and extra filling, which can easily be used to make muffin-sized quiche snacks, and adjust your cooking time.

Pastry Dough   
1.75 cups (8 3/4 ounces) all purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 teaspoon table salt 
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and frozen 10 minutes 
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/4-1/3 cup ice water  
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Custard Filling  
8 ounces hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed 
1/2 pound broccoli rabe, washed, trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 
1.5 tablespoons cornstarch 
1.5 cups whole milk 
8 large eggs plus 1 large yolk 
1.5 cups heavy cream 
1 teaspoon table salt 
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg 
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
6 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)

Instructions

1. FOR THE DOUGH: Process flour and salt together in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and pulse until butter is size of large peas, about ten 1-second pulses.
2. Mix sour cream and ¼ cup ice water in small bowl until combined. Add half sour cream mixture to flour mixture; pulse for three 1-second pulses. Repeat with remaining sour cream mixture. Pinch dough with fingers; if dough is floury, dry, and does not hold together, add 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water and process until dough forms large clumps and no dry flour remains, three to five 1-second pulses.
3. Turn dough out onto work surface and flatten into 6-inch disk; cover disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm but not hard, 1 to 2 hours, before rolling. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Let thoroughly chilled dough stand at room temperature 15 minutes before rolling.)
4. Cut two 16-inch lengths of foil. Arrange foil pieces in round 9 by 2-inch cake pan so they are perpendicular, pushing them into corners and up sides of pan; press overhang against outside of pan. Spray foil lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Roll out disk of dough on generously floured work surface to 15-inch circle (about ¼ inch thick). Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into cake pan. Working around circumference, ease dough into pan by gently lifting edge of dough with 1 hand while pressing into pan bottom with other. Trim any dough that extends more than 1 inch over edge of pan. Patch any cracks or holes with dough scraps as needed. Refrigerate any remaining dough scraps. Refrigerate dough-lined pan until firm, about 30 minutes, and then freeze for 20 minutes.
6. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line dough with parchment or foil and fill completely with pie weights or dried beans, gently pressing weights into corners of shell. Bake on rimmed baking sheet until exposed edges of dough are beginning to brown but bottom is still light in color, 30 to 40 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and pie weights. If any new holes or cracks have formed in dough, patch with reserved scraps. Return shell to oven and bake until bottom is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Remove shell from oven and brush interior with egg white. Set aside while preparing filling. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
   
7. FOR THE CUSTARD: Cook sausage in 12-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring to break sausage into ½-inch pieces, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate and discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. Return skillet to medium heat, add rabe, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 6 minutes. Transfer rabe to large plate lined with triple layer of paper towels. Gently press with double layer of paper towels to remove excess moisture.
8. Place cornstarch in large bowl; add 3 tablespoons milk and whisk until cornstarch has dissolved. Whisk in remaining milk, eggs, yolk, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne until smooth and homogeneous.
9. Scatter sausage, rabe, and mozzarella evenly over crust. Gently pour custard mixture over filling. Using fork, push filling components down into custard and drag gently through custard to dislodge air bubbles. Gently tap pan on counter top to dislodge any remaining air bubbles.
10. Bake until top of quiche is lightly browned, toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, and center registers 170 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 1 to 1 ¼ hours. Transfer to wire rack and let rest until cool to touch, about 2 hours.
11. When ready to serve, use sharp paring knife to remove any crust that extends beyond edge of pan. Holding edges of foil, remove quiche from pan; gently slide thin-bladed spatula between quiche and foil to loosen, then slide quiche to serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

From Cook's Illustrated

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

This easy recipe would work on the grill or under the broiler.

Ingredients
1½ Tbsp Thai Fish Sauce (for marinade)

1 Tbsp Thai Fish Sauce (for sauce) 
1 Tbsp Ginger root, peeled and minced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Lime Juice (for peanut sauce)
2 tsp Lime Juice (for marinade)
1½ pound(s) Chicken breast, cut into thin 2-inch strips
6 Tbsp Coconut milk, light
3 Tbsp Peanut butter, reduced-fat
2 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped
4 tsp Honey
1 tsp Lime zest, freshly grated
⅛ tsp Red Pepper flakes, crushed

Instructions
Combine 1 1⁄2 tablespoons of the fish sauce, the ginger, garlic, and 2 teaspoons of the lime juice in a zip-close plastic bag; add the chicken. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag; turn to coat the chicken. Refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, 1 hour. 

To prepare the peanut sauce, combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, cilantro, honey, the remaining 1 tablespoon each fish sauce and lime juice, the lime zest, and red pepper in a  medium bowl; whisk until smooth. 

Preheat the broiler or prepare the grill for a hot fire; spray the broiler pan or grill rack with nonstick spray. Thread the chicken strips onto the skewers, then broil or grill the skewers 4 inches from the heat, turning once, until they are cooked through, 3–4 minutes per side. Serve at once with the peanut sauce. 

Yields 4 servings with about 2 tablespoons peanut sauce per serving.

4pp

44-Clove Garlic Soup with Parmesan

This little gem was discovered via Smitten Kitchen where she credits adapting it from Bon Appetit, February 1999. This would be a great small soup course to a multi course meal.

Ingredients:
26 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 1/4 cups sliced onions
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
18 garlic cloves, peeled
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup whipping cream (I think half and half would work as well)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
4 lemon wedges


Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 26 garlic cloves in small glass baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic between fingertips to release cloves. Transfer cloves to small bowl.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and thyme and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add roasted garlic and 18 raw garlic cloves and cook 3 minutes. Add chicken stock; cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan; add cream and bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide grated cheese among 4 bowls and ladle soup over. Squeeze juice of 1 lemon wedge into each bowl and serve.

Coconut Bread

This wonderful recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen.
Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (295 ml) milk
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
5 ounces (140 grams) sweetened flaked coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray for baking pan

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add sugar and coconut, and stir to mix.
Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients and stir together until just combined. Add butter, and stir until just smooth — be careful not to overmix.
Butter and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or coat it with a nonstick spray. Pour batter in pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, anywhere from 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan five minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Note: This makes a very tall loaf. A bread pan with high sides is beneficial.