Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Today we offer a cookie recipe to remind you to send us a recipe for the cookie contest...which ends today! It also happens to be my (Kelly's) birthday, and aside from the Le Creuset 5 quart dutch, I mean French, oven I've been pining for, I'd like nothing more than to receive dozens of cookie recipes. So send us one!

And now moving on to our topic at hand: oatmeal cookies. Did you know that Americans used to have an aversion to eating oats? Before 1850, many Americans considered oats to be animal food only. No oatmeal for them, thank you very much. But around 1860, a brilliant German immigrant took his steel-cut oats and marketed them as a delicious, nutritious, and cheap breakfast dish. And then it wasn't long before someone realized that adding oats to butter and sugar would make an excellent cookie. And voila! The oatmeal cookie was born.


So here we have a traditional oatmeal-raisin cookie that is just about perfect. It's chewy, it's moist, it sets up well without being too flat. It's everything an oatmeal cookie should be.

If you're a raisin hater, replace the raisins with chocolate chips and omit the cinnamon and nutmeg (though I personally like having a bit of spice with my chocolate).

Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
Recipe from the All-American Dessert Book
Pictures by Caroline

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups old fashioned oats*
1 1/2 cups raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease several large baking sheets (or use a non-stick mat like a Silpat, which happens to be one of the prizes for the best cookie submitted for our contest!).
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
   
3. In a large bowl combine the butter and sugars. With a mixer on low, then medium speed, beat until the mixture is well blended and ligthened, about 1 1/2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, honey, and vanilla and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes longer.
4. Beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the oats and raisins until evenly distributed. Let stand to firm up for 10 minutes.
5. Shape dough into balls. Bake for 9 to 14 minutes, or until slightly darker at the edges and almost firm when lightly pressed in the centers. Let cool on cooling rack.

*This recipe calls for old fashioned oats. If you use quick oats instead, your cookies may be less chewy. But they'll still be good.

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

As many of you may have guessed by now, we both have a bit of a crush on Italian food...especially pasta. And as much as I love a good old fashioned American meal, to me it seems somehow fitting to end a holiday weekend with a splash of Italy. So this dish is what happens when you take leftover Thanksgiving turkey and force it to become Italian: you get turkey and cheese and basil and tomato sauce and goodness. Aside from mashed potatoes, this is the perfect comfort food.

Since we made this dish before Thanksgiving so we could share it with you, we didn't have any bits of turkey lying about. We therefore used ground turkey (as picture above). It worked quite well and means you can make this any time you want!


Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells
Recipe from Everyday Pasta

Pictures by Caroline

1 (12 oz) box jumbo pasta shells
3 tablespoons evtra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound turkey meat, ground, or chopped into small pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped*
1 (15 oz) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or 1 1/2 tablesoons dried)
2 tablespoons chpoped flat-leaf parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried)
5 cups marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups grated mozarella cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add pasta and partiall cook until tender, but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4-5 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and the garlic and cook until the onion is soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes.
   
3. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the meat is lightly golden and cooked through (if using already cooked meat, just heat until warm through). Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine.
5. Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with 1 cup of sauce. Hold a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full (about 24 shells). Drizzle the remaining sauce over the shells and top with the grated mozzarella. Bake until the shells until warm through and cheese is beginning to brown, about 25 minutes.

*We couldn't find any frozen artichokes, so we used canned ones. Just be sure to drain them well.

Happy Thanksgiving

We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

May your potatoes be smooth, your turkey moist, and your pie sweet.

Check back on Saturday for a recipe on what to do with all your leftover turkey.

And don't forget to send us a recipe for our cookie contest by next Monday!

Ginger-Pear Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving has almost arrived, and we have some of our best recipes prepared for you. First, try this ginger-pear cranberry sauce, which would be great on Thanksgiving day or with pork or chicken. If you prefer a more traditional cranberry sauce, check out our holiday feast for a simple sauce, cider brined turkey, carmelized onions, green beans and French apple pie.

Ginger-Pear Cranberry Sauce

Recipe by Twolittlechefs

Pictures by Caroline

2 bags (12 oz) fresh cranberries

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 1/2 cups pears, peeled and chopped

2 teaspoons fresh ginger

1. In a large saucepan, add water, cranberries, orange zest, and sugar. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, or until most of the cranberries have burst.
3. Remove from heat. Place in fridge and let cool about 30 minutes. Add pears and ginger. Chill completely and serve.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

I don't usually like bread puddings. More often than not, they end up being some kind of mushy, soggy bread with runny custard underneath. Ick. But then one day I went to Biaggi's Italian Restaurant with my dad, whose face lit up like a 4 year old at a birthday party when he started describing their white chocolate bread pudding. He persuaded me enough to at least share a piece with him, grumbling about what a waste of a perfectly good dessert it was going to be.

After my first bite, I realized I had been oh so very wrong. Bread pudding wasn't disgusting; it was delicious! It was amazing! What could be better than french bread that has been sweetened with sugar and cream? I was crazy for having missed out on so many years of perfectly good bread pudding!

Pork Chops with Sweet Onion Marmellata

These pork chops were good. Really good. The marmellata (Italian for marmalade) is sweet and orangey and kind like putting applesauce on your pork chops, which, of course, is the best way to eat pork.

This recipe is definitely not difficult, but you will need about 30 minutes to season the pork and an hour or so to cook the onions. Serve with Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, which can bake while your onions cook down. Perfect!

And don't forget to become our fan on facebook to enter our cookie contest!

Pork Chops with Sweet Onion Marmellata
Recipe adapted from Giada's Kitchen
Pictures by Caroline

Pork Chops
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 to 6 boneless pork chops

1. In a small bowl, combine rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Rub the herb mixture over the pork chops. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30-45 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cook pork chops 30 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.
3. Serve with marmellata over the top.
   

Onion Marmellata
1/4 cup olive oil
4 large onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar

1. In a large pot, heat oil on medium high heat. Add the onions. Stir to combine and cook 2 minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients.
3. Cover and reduce heat for about 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. (The original recipe calls for cooking the onions 2 hours. The longer you cook them, the softer and more jam-like they become. If you prefer the onions more intact, cook them for less time).

*Substitute 1 teaspoon dried herb for 1 tablespoon fresh

It's a Contest!

To celebrate our new facebook page, and in preparation for the Christmas season, we are having a cookie contest!

Here's what you do:

1. Find your favorite Christmas cookie recipe (and we mean COOKIE, not cake, bread, candy, pie, etc). It may be a bar cookie, rolled cookie, dropped cookie, or whatever form you can think of. But make it a cookie!
2. To enter, become a fan on our facebook page (click on the link in the Fan Box on the right side of this page). Then send an email to twolittlechefs@gmail.com with the recipe. Please include the story behind the recipe. Is it a family recipe? Where did it come from? Why do you love it? The deadline for entry is November 30 at midnight.
   
3. We will test the recipe and determine a winner based on taste, appearance, texture, and originality.
   
4. The winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place) will be announced the morning of December 14th.

If you win, you may have your choice of one of these items (which happen to be some of our favorite kitchen accessories):









Microplane Grater - Silpat Baking Sheet - Candy Thermometer - Garlic Press - Silicone Oven Mitt
Images from amazon.com

Good luck!

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

If it were up to my husband, he would eat apple crisp morning noon and night. As a kid, he loved it for the buttery, oaty, sugary topping, and usually begged his mother for double (or even triple) topping (because everyone knows that any dessert with sugar, butter and oats is simply divine). Now that my husband is no longer 8 years old, his tastes are more refined: he actually enjoys the apple in apple crisp, even without triple topping.

We added cranberries to this apple crisp for the tartness, color and, obviously, the flavor. My husband would probably prefer them left out; Caroline and I are both big fans of leaving them in. Try it and you can be the judge.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

Recipe by Twolittlechefs

Pictures by Caroline

4-5 tart cooking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1 1/2 cups cranberries

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup quick oats

1/2 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2 1/2 quart baking dish (or n 11x 7 inch pan).
2. Soften butter and stir in brown sugar, oats, flour, and spices until mixture is crumbly.
3. Fill a small saucepan with water and add cranberries. Cook 2-4 minutes or until cranberries just begin to split. Immediately remove from heat and drain.
4. In a large bowl, toss apples and cranberries in 2 tablespoons sugar and pour into baking dish. Sprinkle oat mixture over the top. Bake 35 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is golden.

Chicken in Persian Pomegranate Walnut Sauce

This dish is a specialty from a Persian kitchen. Although its unique flavor and slightly chunky texture are definitely a change from the typical American/European sauces, it's easy to love. The first time I served it to my "American dishes only" father-in-law, he was slightly wary of the sweet cinnamony scent and brownish color of the sauce. But after his first bite, he went back for more...and more...and more.

This recipe is fast enough to make on a week day and elegant enough to serve to company. Pair with Asian Pear Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette and Chocolate Pound Cake.


Chicken in Persian Pomegranate Walnut Sauce
recipe adapted from Feast from the Mideast
Pictures by Caroline

2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 chicken breasts, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups walnuts, finely chopped
1 tablespoon flour (optional)*
1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
juice of half of 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat oil in large skillet. Add chicken and saute over medium-high heat until brown. Remove chicken from pan.
2. Add onion to pan and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until golden. Reduce heat to low and stir in flour and walnuts. Cook over low heat, stirring, for 1 minute.
3. Stir in water (or broth) and pomegranate juice. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently.
4. Add chicken. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
5. Add tomato paste, cinnamon, lemon juice, and sugar. Simmer 3 more minutes. Serve over rice.

*The flour will make the sauce slightly smoother and thicker. I usually include it, but it doesn't hurt to leave it out.

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

I love cranberries and cake - this is a great combination of the two. One thing that I especially like about this cake is that when the sugar cooks on the bottom of the pan, and becomes the top of the cake, it caramelizes here and there, leaving you with occasional caramelized pieces of goodness.

This would be a great cake to serve at a luncheon, a baby or bridal shower, or as a lighter dessert. It is not too heavy, it is both sweet and tart, and the red of the cranberries makes it very colorful.

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
Recipe from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
Pictures by Caroline

8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 3/4 cups cranberries
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
Sweetened whipped cream (for serving)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F., with a rack in center. Rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons of the butter.
2. In a small bowl whisk together ½ cup of the sugar with the cinnamon and allspice. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan; arrange the cranberries in a single layer on top.
3. With an electric mixer, cream the remaining 6 tablespoons butter and ½ cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until well combined. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, until well combined.
4. Spoon the batter over the cranberries in the pan, and smooth the top. Place the pan on a baking sheet; bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake; invert onto a rimmed platter. Serve with whipped cream on the side, if desired.

Sweetened whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (this is my personal addition to this recipe, you can leave the vanilla out if you prefer)

1. In a deep mixing bowl, combine cream and vanilla. Beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
2. Sprinkle the sugar over the cream; beat until soft peaks return. Do not over beat.

Fried-Green Tomatoes

If your kitchen is anything like mine, you have a box of newspaper wrapped green tomatoes waiting to ripen, and you are wondering how you are possibly going to eat all those tomatoes. So I was glad when I saw a twolittlechefs reader request a recipe for to use up her green tomatoes.

Now, I had never had fried green tomatoes, but have wanted to try them for years, probably ever since I saw the 1991 movie Fried Green Tomatoes. So I searched and found many recipes, some where very involved and some were much simplier. I choose two from the Food Network, one for the batter and one for a dipping sauce to serve on the side.

Macaroni Grill Chicken Milano

Last week I was looking through some of my recipe files and I came across this delicious Macaroni Grill copycat recipe. I couldn't believe that I had forgotten about this tasty recipe because it truly is so good. There really are not too many ingriedents to this recipe, but the flavor is very full and is very good. The sundried tomatoes are the key*, and although they are slippery and difficult to cut, they are packed with flavor. And they are easy to find at your local grocery store; likely they will be in a jar near the bottled jalepenos and roasted red peppers.

Try serving with our Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia and followed with our 24-hour Fruit Salad or Perfect Lemon Tart.

Macaroni Grill Chicken Milano
Adapted from a copycat recipe I found online a few years ago
Pictures by Caroline

1-2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic minced
½ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
½ cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup chicken broth*
1 cup heavy cream
1 chicken breast, diced*
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh basil
1 packet fresh fettuccini or bow tie pasta
Parmesan cheese

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat; heat oil. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper; cook until lightly golden and juices run clear, about 6-8 minutes. Take chicken off heat and set aside.
2. In the same skillet, melt butter over low heat with ¼ cup of the chicken broth, scraping the pan to deglaze it. Add garlic and cook briefly. Add the tomatoes and the remaining chicken broth, increase heat to a boil. When you reach a boil, reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes leaving uncovered.
3. Add the cream, and bring back up to a boil, stirring continuously. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, add mushrooms and cooked chicken; continue to stir until sauce has thickened, about 5-8 minutes.
4. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain pasta and put back into warm pot; pour the sauce over the warm pasta, sprinkle with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

*Note: This pasta could easily be made vegetarian by excluding the chicken and using vegetable broth rather than chicken broth. The flavor would still be fantastic.