Easy Peach Cobbler

Is there anything tastier than a warm peach cobbler fresh out of the oven with a scoop of slow-churned vanilla ice cream on top? Obviously I don't think so since I just spent so much time describing it in so much detail.
Seriously though, the ice cream melts a little on top and combines with the warm cobbler... it's bliss.


Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup flour
2 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup milk
4 cups fresh peach slices
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Ground cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

Directions:

1.  Melt butter in  13 x 9-inch baking dish.
2. Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over butter (do not stir).
3. Bring remaining 1 cup sugar, peach slices, and lemon juice to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly; pour over batter (do not stir). Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.
4. Bake at 375 F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream on top.

Source: Southern Living: All-Time Favorites

Chocolate Macarons

Macarons are tricky beasts: mess up one step and the whole operation is ruined. I should know, since my first attempt was just shy of disastrous. But as I like to say, Mama didn't raise no quitter, so I pulled myself together for attempt number two. They still weren't perfect, as you can see from the cracks in the tops, but they were much better since I was able to identify where I went wrong the first time. First, make sure you whip the egg whites all the way to stiff peaks. Second, you can't possibly be too careful when you're folding the egg whites into the dry ingredients. I highly recommend looking it up on YouTube if you have any doubts as to the process. Finally, make sure you pipe the shells to the right size. The second time around, I drew forms on the underside of the parchment paper so they would all be the same size. Whatever you do, don't be afraid to try them just because they're a little more complicated! I seriously almost cried when I tasted the second batch and they were so much better. Attempting new things can only expand on your abilities!


Ingredients: 
For macaron shells
1 cup almond flour
3/4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, optional
For chocolate ganache filling:
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons Nutella

Directions:

1. In  medium bowl, sift together almond flour, powdered sugar and cocoa powder twice. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat. Slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until hard peaks form. 
3. Sift the almond flour mixture over the whipped egg whites. Gently fold the mixture, running the spatula clockwise from the bottom, up around the sides, and cut the batter in half. The batter will look very thick at first, but it will get thinner as you fold. Be careful not to overmix! Every so often, test the batter to see if it has reached the right consistency. Do this by dropping a small amount of batter and counting to ten. If the edges of the ribbon are dissolved within seconds, the batter is ready. Do NOT mix again. If you still see edges, fold the batter a couple more times and test again. 
4. Transfer the batter into a pastry bag with a round tip.
5. Pipe out 1.5-inch rounds about an inch apart on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. You should get about 42 shells. Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. If you don't release the air bubbles, they will expand during baking and crack the shells. 
6. Let the macarons rest and dry for 15-30 minutes. On a humid, this step will take longer. To see if it's ready to be baked, lightly touch it. If the batter doesn't stick to your finger, it's ready. Sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on each macaron right before baking, if desired. Preheat the oven to 300 F. 
7. Bake the macarons for 18-2 minutes. To check if they are done, remove one macaron. If the bottom doesn't stick, they're done. 
8. Transfer to wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then remove from the baking sheets.
9. While macarons are cooling, prepare the ganache filling. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave for a minute. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl and pour hot cream over them. Let it stand for a minute or two, then stir until smooth. Stir in Nutella. Cool the ganache in the fridge to thicken
10. Transfer the ganache filling into a pastry bag and fill the macarons.
11. Store the filled macarons in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the filled macarons in airtight container for up to 5 months.

Source: Sweet and Savory

Flourless Chocolate Cake

This cake is so good. It's got a crackly top and a fudgy, airy interior. It's also a lot lighter than traditional cakes because it gets its structure from whipped egg whites. Bonus: it's not that difficult to make! I have a really hard time keeping it in the house because the demand for it is so high! I found this recipe in one of the monthly editions of Everyday Food, back when they still had the paper edition. There were a lot of good dishes in those magazines. Good memories, good memories.

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
6 large eggs, separated
Confectioners sugar
8 oz bitter- or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275 F with rack in the center. Butter bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan, then set aside.
2. Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until completely melted. Let cool slightly, then whisk in egg yolks. 
3. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar and continue beating until glossy stiff peaks form. Whisk 1/4 of egg whites into chocolate mixture, then gently fold in remaining egg whites. 
4. Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until cake pulls away from sides of the pan and is set in the center, 45-50 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack; remove sides of pan. Serve at room temperature, dusted with confectioners sugar. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Source: Martha Stewart

Oven Barbecue Chicken Legs

 Hellooooo beautiful. Barbecue chicken legs should be their own food group. They're just so delicious, not to mention ridiculously easy to make. This is my all-time favorite barbecue chicken recipe, and I'm pretty sure that once you've tried it, it'll be yours too!

 Ingredients: 
12 thawed chicken legs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 cup BBQ sauce (I use Stubb's)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Rinse and pat dry the chicken and place it in a large roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.* Reduce heat to 375.
2. Remove chicken from the oven and brush - on both sides and liberally - with barbecue sauce. Put chicken back into the oven and cook for an extra 10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush both sides with barbecue sauce again. Return pan to the oven for an additional 7-10 minutes until the barbecue sauce caramelizes and the chicken registers 170 F on a meat thermometer placed close to the bone. You can also slice the chicken close to the bone, and, if it's pink, cook it in 5 minute increments.  

* I am all about that barbecue life, so I usually take the chicken out after 15 minutes and apply the first coat of barbecue sauce. The more, the merrier! After that, just stick it back in the oven and proceed as usual.

Source:  The Frugal Chef

Lemon Bars

After futilely raiding the cabinets for an evening snack, I pulled this recipe out of a Southern Living cookbook I got at a garage sale. When all was said and done, it was about 11 PM, so imagine my surprise when I got up the next morning to find that literally half of it was gone already. I think it's safe to say my family liked it; even my "I don't even want to smell it if it contains anything remotely resembling fruit" sister loved it. Although I've never made a tart-ish thing like this, it still turned out really well! It's 50% shortbread style crust and 50% creamy, delicious lemon filling. Maybe like .005% powdered sugar on top, if you're really counting. Apologies for the semi-vague picture, but there wasn't much left for a photo shoot!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar, divided
1 cup cold butter, cut up
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice

Directions:

1. Combine 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. 
2. Spoon flour mixture into a 13 x 9-inch pan; press into pan evenly and firmly, using fingertips. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. Combine 1/2 cup flour and baking powder; set aside. Combine eggs, 2 cups sugar, and lemon juice; beat well. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture, and pour over crust.
4. Bake at 350 F for 22-25 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and cut into bars.

Source: Southern Living: All Time Favorites

A brief tangent - I can't even think of lemon bars without thinking of Nancy Drew, and since this is also a book blog, it all works out okay in the end. Nancy's housekeeper, Hannah, is apparently famous for her lemon bars, something that comes up in the 2007 movie when she randomly pulls them out of her bag in perfect little tins to distribute to unsuspecting informants. It's actually a pretty good movie, if a little cheesy. At the very least, it's got plenty of humor, some of which you can see in the trailer below.

Sweet 'n Spicy Pork Chops

Mmmmm... pork chops. It's only recently that I've discovered a feeling other than hatred for pork chops. The meaty slabs of my youth were bland, tough, and always curled up on themselves, making them unappetizing and hard to eat. But now I've seen the light. With the right seasoning and cooking technique, pork chops can be good! In fact, they can be great! This recipe is one of my favorites; the chops come out sweet and a little spicy, but always juicy!

Ingredients: 
2 boneless pork loin chops (1/2 inch thick and 4 ounces each)
Dash of salt and pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard

Directions:

1. Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper. Place on a rack in a foil-lined broiler pan. Broil chops 4 inches from the heat for 5 minutes. 
2. Combine the remaining ingredients. Turn chops; spread with brown sugar mixture. Broil 5-8 minutes longer or until juices run clear. Serves 2.

Source: Taste of Home - Simple & Delicious Cookbook  

White Chicken Enchiladas

Alright, let's be real with each other. That picture doesn't show you anything except a gloopy pile of what might be rolled up tortillas. To be honest, tortillas covered in delicious, gooey cheese sauce are really challenging for unskilled photographers like me. Especially since we'd eaten half of them already. That being said, they taste AMAZING. Comfort food to the max. It takes a while to put together, but it's worth it!

Ingredients:
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2-3 hot chiles, such as jalapenos or serranos
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 TBSP. canola oil
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. paprika
Dash of salt
4 TBSP. (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
10 small corn tortillas*
Cilantro, for serving (optional)
Salsa, for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Begin by roasting the bell peppers and chiles on a grill (or directly under the broiler) until the skin is mostly black. Throw the chiles into a plastic storage bag and seal it. Let them steam inside the bag for 30 minutes or so. Core and seed the peppers, then scrape off the black skin. Chop and set aside.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and jalapeno in the canola oil until the onion is translucent, 2-3 minutes. Throw in the chicken, then stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth. Add 1 cup of heavy cream, 1/2 tsp. of the paprika and salt. Then, add half of the chopped peppers. Stir the mixture around and let it cook for a couple of minutes, then set aside. 
4. In a separate skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk it together to combine. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Pour in the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth, stirring constantly. Stir and cook until the mixture is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, then pour in the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream, remaining 1/2 tsp. paprika, and 1 1/2 cups grated cheese. Finally, stir in sour cream and the rest of the chopped peppers. If the sauce needs thinning, splash in as much broth as you need. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed. 
5. Warm the tortillas in the microwave until they're very soft. Place a small amount of the chicken mixture and a small amount of cheese in the center of a tortilla. Fold over the edges, then place them seam side down in a baking pan. Pour the sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup grated cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with cilantro, sour cream, and salsa, if desired.

*NOTE: I hate corn tortillas with a passion, so I subbed in flour tortillas and it came out fine. More than fine, actually. They were amazing.

Source: Food From My Frontier by Ree Drummond (a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman)

Rainbow Cake Pops

This was my first time making cake pops, and let me just state for the record that it's a ridiculous amount of work considering your return. It took me about 3 hours from start to finish, and it only made 10 pops. That being said, they were tootin' tasty (and made for a great Instagram picture)! If you've never made cake pops before either, the link at the bottom of the post leads to the original recipe, which has a video that shows you the steps. A couple of things I learned the hard way: 1) Don't overcook the chocolate or you'll never be able to get it to coat the pop. 2) If you don't have a cake pop holder (I sure don't), the holes in a basic kitchen colander are just the right size to hold the lollipop sticks while the chocolate is hardening.

Ingredients: 
Cake
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Rainbow food coloring
Cake pop filling & coating
100 grams white chocolate chips (about 3.53 ounces for our non-metric friends)
65 grams whipping cream (about 2.29 ounces)
300 grams white chocolate chips, melted (about 10.58 ounces)
Rainbow sprinkles
Lollipop sticks

Directions:

1.  Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, egg, and salt, and mix to combine. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add to the wet mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the milk. Divide the batter into 6 bowls and add a different color of food coloring to each. (I found that 3-4 drops of food coloring got a good, strong hue.) Pour the batter into a cupcake tin lined with cupcake liners, making sure to not mix the colors. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes, then cool completely. 
2. Weigh 60 grams (2.11 ounces) of each color of cake and crumble them into individual bowls. Pour 100 grams (3.53 ounces) of white chocolate chips and whipping cream into a small pot and set to medium heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate has melted, then divide evenly between the cake. Stir until cake is fully coated in the chocolate mixture.
3. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on your cooking surface and stack small disks of each color of cake on top of each other in the order of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple). Wrap the plastic wrap around the cake and shape into a ball. Remove the plastic wrap and place the cake pops on a plate lined with plastic wrap. Place in the freezer until firm, about 20 minutes.
4. Dip the lollipop sticks into some melted white chocolate and stick one into each cake pop. Return the cake pops to the freezer for the chocolate to set, about 5-10 minutes. Dunk the cake pops into the melted chocolate, gently tapping the lollipop stick to remove any excess chocolate. Sprinkle some rainbow sprinkles onto the top of the cake pops, then stick into a cake pop holder and transfer to the fridge for the chocolate coating to fully set, 10-15 minutes.

Source: Tastemade

Sloppy Joes

Remember when your mom used to make Sloppy Joes with Manwich, the sickeningly sweet canned sauce you'd add to ground beef? Yeah, me too. It was awful. It made me never want to touch anything remotely resembling Sloppy Joes again. That was before I discovered the Pioneer Woman, the queen of home cooking. She's got a recipe for pretty much everything you could ever want, and that includes Sloppy Joes. Once again, home cooking wins against processed, store-bought food!
 
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups ketchup
2 TBSP. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. chili powder, or more to taste
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, or more to taste
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Tabasco sauce to taste
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 kaiser rolls
2 TBSP. butter

Directions:

1.  Brown ground beef in a large pot over medium-high heat, then drain off the fat.
2. Add in green pepper and onion. Stir, then add minced garlic, ketchup, and 1 cup water. Stir to combine, then add brown sugar, chili powder, mustard, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, and pepper. Stir again, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
3. To serve, spread the kaiser rolls with softened butter and brown them on a griddle or skillet. Spoon the meat mixture onto the bottom roll, then top with the other half.

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Loaded Scrambled Eggs

I have a secret. A deep, dark secret. I. HATE. Scrambled. Eggs. Where do I start? The slimy, squishy texture? The hideous smell that pervades the house during cooking? The bland, gag-inducing taste? I'm going to go with all of the above. 20 years have I lived in fear of scrambled eggs. In fact, threatening scrambled eggs for dinner was a regular scare tactic used by my mother to motivate me to fix dinner. But the tables have turned. I have found the Holy Grail of scrambled egg recipes, the one that finally broke through my hatred and made it into my "favorite recipes" cache. To celebrate this momentous occasion, I thought it only fair to share my golden egg with you (pun intended).

 NOTE: This recipe differs only slightly from the original, which you'll find the link to below.
Originally, the recipe calls for tomatoes and crusty bread to serve it on, but I thought the tomatoes made it too watery and I served it with fresh-squeezed orange juice and turkey sausage instead of bread.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 red onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 TBSP. olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
8 large eggs, beaten
3 oz. Cheddar, grated (about 3/4 cup)
1/3 c. finely chopped flat-lead parsley leaves

Directions:

1.  Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 12-14 minutes. 
2. Add eggs and cook, stirring frequently, until the eggs are just set, 1-2 minutes. Add the Cheddar and cook, stirring, until just melted, 1-2 minutes more.
3.  Remove from heat, stir in parsley, and serve.

 Source: Real Simple