Veg Cream Cheese

I debate even posting this "recipe". But it is so so good. If you are lucky enough to live in Utah and have had the opportunity to visit Rich's Bagels in Salt Lake you have had the chance to taste the BEST veg cream cheese ever! If you visit Salt Lake make sure you go there and try their veg cream cheese on an Asiago Cheese bagel...to die for! However, I no longer live in Salt Lake, so I have to make my own veggie cream cheese. Yes, I know you can buy it in the grocery store, but let's be honest the veggies are really just specks of flavor. I want veggies in my cream cheese, not specks. So I came up with this Super Simple recipe for homemade veg cream cheese. Feel free to add other veggies and try experimenting with different herbs or season salts. Get a great bagel (I like the everything bagels from Costco) add some cucumbers, freshly ground pepper, and you have yourself a great sandwich.

Bread & Bake Chicken

Well, well, well folks this is it! This has got to be one of the easiest, but tastiest recipes I have ever made. There are literally 4 ingredients: chicken, butter, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese (okay, maybe some salt, pepper, and dry spices). This also makes it a great recipe to introduce our latest Label and Picture Link tab (on the right side of the blog). We have decided to make recipes that we will title "Super Simple". These will be go-to recipes for those times when you want something that is easy to make and doesn't require a whole slew of ingredients. We would love to know if you like these recipes, what you think of them, and we would love for you to email us your go-to recipes to feature here on two little chefs.

Walnut Basil Pesto Pasta

With the exception of the weekend, I don't have time for much cooking these days, and I don't anticipate that changing until the end of this semester...in May. I suppose that's what I get for thinking it's a good idea to work a full time job and teach two 5 credit classes. The bad thing about this whole situation, aside from bordering on crazy and not really having time to cook, is quite obvious: I get home from work late, tired, and brain-dead and just want something moderately good-tasting (sometimes I'd even settle for something mediocre) to be put in my mouth without having to lift a finger. What a lovely dream.

The good thing is that it has forced me to try to think of speedy dishes that taste good but won't make me grumpy with the effort. This pesto is one of those creations.

White Candied Popcorn

After a break from the blog I have decided to come back. Why did I take a break you may ask and leave poor Kelly with all the work, and while she doesn't have a stove....well let me just show you the reason.

Sarah was born on May 5th and just turned three months old. She is my sunshine! After her birth I just couldn't seem to find the time or energy to think about and possibly execute a meal. Not only that, but also photograph and document that meal, thus Kelly gave me "maternity" leave; well actually I more told her I was taking a break and she was so kind as to accept.

Now here I am, back with what I contend is truly the easiest recipe on our blog. I know that Kelly claims her Toasted Pitas with Hummus and Veggies are the easiest meal, and perhaps it is, but this is definitely the easiest treat, using only 3, yes 3 ingredients, and a microwave.

Pasta Aglio e Olio

My mom used to make something similar to this dish (with spaghetti) all the time when we were kids. Since none of us spoke Italian at the time, we pronounced it as one long word "spaghetti-al-le-olio" in about as American an accent as you can muster. I loved it. But then one day my sister and mom happened to eat this for dinner and then happened to be sick later in the evening...and we never ate it again.

So here's to the return of spaghetti-al-le-olio!

Toasted Pita with Hummus and Vegetables

This might possibly be the easiest meal we've ever posted, and for that, I must thank my dear friend M. As we were chatting the other day, or rather as I was moaning about the heat- she lives in Seattle and has been donning a sweater the past few days, so I'm not sure she could truly sympathize- M suggested that I make these lil babies as a fast and heat-free meal.

And may I just say that M is a genius, for these are delicious! A little hummus, a little cheese, a bunch of vegetables, and maybe a sliced peach or fresh cherries on the side, and you have a perfect, fast, healthy lunch or dinner. Now I'd highly recommend using your own homemade hummus (preferably our very own recipe found here), especially because you might end up with some kind of weird tomato mixture on top like mine had (I've never been particularly fond of that), but there are plenty of tasty substitutes to be found. For a little variety, consider adding alfalfa sprouts or sliced green/red peppers.

Ham Fried Rice

As promised by guest poster Jessie, here is her recipe for Ham Fried Rice, and I can attest that it is good. After the Easter dinner I was sent home with some spiral cut ham, yum! Jessie had sent me this recipe so I gave it a try; having never made ham fried rice before I can guarantee that even the most novice cook will be able to make this recipe and be delighted with the results. Thanks again to Jessie! -Caroline

We love ham at our house. It is so versatile and so delicious. You can buy ham in all varieties at the butcher or grocery store: whole, half, portion, bone-in, boneless, ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook. Lately, I have taken to purchasing ready-to-cook butt or shank portions (appetizing names, I know). This type of ham tends to be less expensive then more prepared varieties, has more flavor, and allows me to prepare the ham to my desire.

Ginger Cake

Aside from gingersnaps and gingerbread (the real bread-type stuff, not gingerbread men. But those are good too), this might be my favorite ginger recipe...though I'm not sure what other dessert would have ginger as the main ingredient. This cake is simple and ridiculously easy. Just dump the ingredients in a bowl, slap the batter into a pan, and 30 minutes later, voila! Your house smells divine and the cake just has to wait to cool. That's actually the hardest part- the waiting. Once the cake is cool, it needs a bit of whipping cream to bring it to perfection. Or powdered sugar. I think next time I make this I'll sprinkle the top with some powdered sugar, meaning I won't have to keep it in the fridge, meaning I'll have easier access to sneaking pieces when no one's looking. Not that there's ever much left to sneak...

Ginger Cake
recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light October 2006
Picture by Caroline

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 large egg
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup apple juice
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream*
1-2 tablespoons white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray or shortening. 
2. Combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and stir with a whisk.
3. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar and butter until well blended. Add the egg and mix well. Add the applesauce and molasses (batter will look slightly curdled). Add the flour mixture and mix just until blended. Add the apple juice and stir just until combined. Pour into cake pan. 
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely. 
5. Meanwhile, beat whipping cream on medium speed in a small bowl until it begins to stiff. Gradually add sugar and continue beating and until soft peaks form. Top cooled cake with whipped cream and serve immediately.    

*I suppose you could use cool whip to top this cake. But since real whipped cream is so much better, why would you?

Chicken Tacos with Tomatillo Sauce

Tomatillos are a new discovery for me. I've seen them in stores and occasionally mentioned in recipes, but never tried them for myself. Today's dish was inspired by the tomatillos withering into oblivion in my former neighbor's garden . She recently moved, and I took it upon myself as my duty to eat them.

Tomatillos are in the tomato family, and in Spanish are known as tomate verde (green tomato). They grow with a husk around the fruit, and as they ripen, the husk slowly pulls away. You know they're ready when the husk is wrinkly and splits open at the bottom. I think they're very cute. And little did I know (until today) that they're also the key ingredient in green salsas...there's obviously not a whole lot of salsa-making at my house. 

Baked Ziti

This is a SUPER SIMPLE dinner that you could make tonight. Admittedly, it is far from healthy with three cheeses making up half the ingredients, but hey, occasionally you just need something rich and delicious. This pasta is almost like a simplified stuffed ricotta dish, or perhaps a glamorous, meatless spaghetti. There are truly only a handful of ingredients, and prep time is basically as long as your pasta takes to cook. You could even compile this in the morning, throw it in the fridge, and then take it out and bake when you get home. And likely you have most of the ingredients in your pantry right now, so this could become a fall back weeknight dinner, especially on a cool wet day like it is here.

Baked Ziti
Recipe adapted from Everyday Foods
Picture by Caroline

Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces ziti rigate (ridged) or other short pasta
1 cup part-skim ricotta
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
2 large white mushrooms, diced
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1 jar (24 to 26 ounces) best-quality tomato sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions; drain and reserve.
2. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, half the mozzarella, basil and mushrooms; season with salt and pepper.
3. In the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole dish, spread half the tomato sauce. Top with ziti, then ricotta mixture and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Place casserole on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

Saffron Orzo with Shrimp

The other day I was home early from work, in the mood to cook, but not wanting anything heavy or difficult to make. And seeing the shrimp on this blog last week made me crave them even more (sadly, Caroline made her shrimp without me). So I hopped on my scooter, zipped down to the store, and promptly became quite irate when there was no shrimp to be found. I know the grocery store by my house is bad, but really? No shrimp?!

Yorkshire Pudding

Yorkshire pudding is one of my very favorite bread-type sides EVER. And it's so simple- think a less buttery, less sweet German pancake. So it's actually not pudding at all in the American sense, but in the British. Yes, Yorkshire Pudding hails from England (Yorkshire, actually...big shocker, eh?) and is traditionally served with roast beef. Sometimes it is baked in a pan, sometimes in a special shallow muffin tin made just for individual puddings. They usually puff beautifully when baking but fall as they cool, though my pudding sometimes struggles with the puffing bit. 

Some little old ladies I met in a kitchen supply store in northern England once told me that the key to retaining the puff was baking batter that had been very chilled. Another lady across the aisle told me I could only use eggs at room-temperature. Another admitted that she cheated by adding a bit of baking powder to the batter. I've tried all of these methods, and none have ever been consistent in their results. My conclusion: yorkshire pudding has a mind of its own and will puff if it dang well feels like it. Regardless of appearances, it's always the same buttery salty comforting pudding I crave.

Yorkshire Pudding

Recipe slightly adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook

Picture by Kelly

2 cups flour

2 cups milk

4 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place butter in 9 x 13 inch pan and melt (but do not brown).
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, milk, eggs, and salt. Pour batter into hot pan with melted butter. Bake about 25 minutes, or until deep golden brown (pudding will (hopefully) puff during baking but will deflate shortly after being removed from the oven.

Cabbage Apple Soup

The other day I was looking through our recent posts and realized we haven't had soup in a really long time. Granted, I don't feel much like soup during the summer, but I think the last one we posted was back in February. Aside from being a travesty (because soup is oh-so-good), it definitely doesn't reflect what I'm actually making in my kitchen. I love soup. And I'd make it much more often if my husband didn't claim hunger 2 hours later.

This is a simple soup. It makes an excellent appetizer or side, but you'd probably have to eat half the pot to fill you up if you ate it as the main course (and then your belly would feel sloshy and no one likes that, right?), or serve it with plenty of Focaccia bread. I like it because of, not in spite of, its simpleness. And as you may have guessed by the picture, I started eating it before I remembered that I needed to take a picture of it. Oops!

Two Bean Corn Salad

Leave this salad layered and take it to a picnic, everyone will be impressed. This salad is loaded with healthy summer veggies making it a great summer stand-by. It works well as an appetizer paired with tortillas or as a side to grilled fish or chicken. I'm perfectly content eating it as my main course, actually. The flavors are light and simple and become stronger the longer the salad sits. A beautiful, nutrient rich addition to any meal.

Shaved Zucchini Salad

 

This is an easy and lovely no-cook salad that is sure to impress any dinner guests. Something about eating your food in the shape of ribbons seems to do that. But don't worry- it's not hard. All you need is a regular old vegetable peelers and suddenly your boring old zucchini aren't so boring. And remember how I mentioned uncooked zucchini are delicious in the Zucchini Orzo Salad? Well, if you didn't believe me then, you simply must try this one. 

Deviled Eggs

We used to have neighborhood barbecues almost every Sunday during the summer. It was great. Always informal and friendly; bring your own meat and something to share. One of our neighbors claimed that the only thing she knew how to make really well was deviled eggs...so that's what she always brought. And they were quite delicious. Since then, any time I make/see/eat them, I think of that old neighbor.

There's just something about deviled eggs that screams summer. No picnic is truly complete without them. And are there ever really enough? Never. My husband says he has an insatiable appetite for them. It's always a battle to keep his paws out of my eggs while I'm making them. As soon as one lands on the plate, it somehow ends up in his mouth, unless of course I defend my territory with a swift whack of a spoon....or a knife. 

Zucchini Orzo Salad

A few weeks ago, I had the questionable pleasure of throwing a baby shower for a friend, questionable because I'm not what most would consider a real party-planning type. I don't know if our friends realized this and therefore volunteered to share the burden or if they're just great like that, but I didn't really end up doing a whole lot. The games/prizes were planned by someone else (thank heavens!) and several of them even brought food, including a delicious pasta salad that gave me the inspiration for this one.

The thing I found most interesting about this salad is that the zucchini isn't cooked. It had never occurred to me to eat zucchini uncooked. I don't know why; it just seemed weird. Shouldn't zucchini always be sauteed in a hearty amount of butter or breaded or grilled? Raw zucchini weeps and becomes as slimy as a cucumber, but without the flavor. Right?

Strawberry-Chocolate Layer Cake

This is one of the most impressive yet simple layer cakes I've made recently. Topped with strawberries and whipping cream, it looks as though you spent all afternoon molding the perfect cake...when in reality it took almost exactly 1 hour (including preparation, baking, cooling, and eating. 

Truth be told, I cheated a little on this one. Not that there's anything wrong with cake mixes, but I generally make my cakes from scratch. I think they taste better, especially the batter, and I'm trying to teach myself how to make the perfect cake without looking at a recipe (I still have a long way to go) so you usually don't find a cake mix in my cupboards. But tonight I was tired and sore and didn't really have the umph left in me to get out my Bosch mixer and more than 4 ingredients. So instead I sent my husband, who was quite delighted to get to eat a box cake, the 4 blocks down the street for a cake mix, and voila. Cake. If you're a purist, try making this with my Grandma's Chocolate Cake.

I like the tussled, disorganized look of the strawberries and whipped cream. It looks fresh and summery, and doesn't require perfection in the "frosting" process, which is a good thing, since I'm not always the tidiest with layer cakes. So feel free to be as artistically messy as you'd like.

Roasted Salmon with Garlic, Lemon, and Coriander

This is a light and easy main course, typical of the Middle Eastern style of serving fish. It has a warm, spicy (but not in the hot sense) flavor that highlights rather than overwhelms the flavor of the salmon. And if you like a bit of pizazz to your fish, add some hot red pepper flakes. Serve with a Middle Eastern side like tabbouleh.

You may notice that occasionally we have links to various books or kitchen utensils we like to use on a regular basis. The links are all through amazon, and if you like what you see well enough to buy it, we would implore you to make your purchase through our link. You see, we get a very small percentage (6%? 10%? it hasn't happened yet, so we're not exactly sure of the precise amount) of any purchases made on amazon through our blog. You can help sustain our "test kitchen" by buying yourself some of the best kitchen wares around.

Blueberry Buttermilk Waffles

Another blueberry dish, which makes me dearly hope that you like blueberries at least a little. But what you didn’t know is all the blueberry things I haven’t been posting. Like blueberry muffins, blueberries and cream, or steel cut oatmeal and blueberries. I’ll save those for another day. For now, I recommend you ignore any protests about having breakfast for dinner and go whip up a batch of these babies.