S’more Bars

These bars are a make at home version of the campfire favorite, and sure enough, they make you want to come back for more. The crust is modified sugar cookie dough with the addition of graham cracker crumbs, toasted in the oven, then covered with chocolate chips, then marshmallows browned under the broiler. The graham cracker sugar cookie dough is another example of taking a base sugar cookie recipe and changing it up a bit and creating a new flavor profile

Dreamy reminders of campout S’mores, with the crunchy and nutty graham cracker crust, the melted so smooth milk chocolate, and the toasted on top yet smoothly softened marshmallow topping, a classic without the fire. In your home too with this recipe!

Bryan made these with a little help from the family as part of our new Christmas Cookie tradition.

The Step-By-Step

Step 1. Pre heat the oven to 375° F. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the sugar and butter until smooth. In a separate bowl combine the four, salt and graham crackers. On the lowest mixer setting gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and then mix until well blended. Add a few drops of water to the sides of the bowl just until the dough separates from the sides.

Graham cracker sugar cookie dough

Step 2. Press the soft dough into an un-greased 9×13-inch pan.

Pressing the graham cracker sugar cookie dough into the 9×13-inch pan

Step 3. Bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes or until slightly brown and set.

Graham cracker sugar cookie dough toasted

Remove from the oven and sprinkle then spread the chocolate chips evenly over the top of the crust.

Adding the milk chocolate chips layer

Allow this to stand for about 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt slightly.

Spreading the milk chocolate chips layer

Step 4. Set the oven controls to broil. Sprinkle the marshmallows evenly over the melted chocolate.

Adding the miniature marshmallow layer

Step 5. Broil with the top of the marshmallows about 5 to 6 inches from the heat for about 30 to 60 seconds, or until the marshmallows are evenly toasted and browned on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Then cut into bars.

Toasted marshmallow layer

What you will need…

Another view…you want s’more!

More S’More’s Bars

To Serve: Cut into bars by making 6 rows by 4 rows. Transfer to a serving platter.

Yield: 24 bars

Bon appetite!
CCR
=:~)
©2010 CCR

Raspberry Delights

These cookies remind me of several store brands, yet I do believe that this recipe surpasses them all in flavor, texture, and quality. Of course, made from scratch at home is always better than factory made anytime. These cookies also incorporate a box of cheesecake flavored pudding and pie mix giving it a cheesecake flavor profile.

This cookie recipe uses a sugar cookie dough base and is perfect for thumbprints, or rolling and cutting into any shape, especially for your favorite Christmas cookie cutters.

These cookies are now a part of our new Christmas Cookie Tradition, replacing our gingerbread house tradition that the boys seem to have outgrown. Ben made these with a little help from his family!

A new family tradition, Christmas cookies! Ben is mixing the dry ingredients, while Monique and Bryan brush up on another cookie recipe.

The Step-By-Step

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° F. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the sugar with the butter until smooth, then add the vegetable oil and mix until fluffy. Add the egg and beat until blended well.

Step 2. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and pudding mix. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth and incorporated. Add water, a few drops at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Mixing the dry ingredients

Step 3. Shape the dough into 1 ½ to 2-inch balls, and then place them onto an un-greased cookie sheet pan and about 1-inch apart. Using your thumb or the back of a wooden spoon make an indentation in the center of each ball. Then spoon about ½ teaspoon of the raspberry jam into each indentation.

Shape dough into 1 ½ to 2-inch balls

Then make your thumbprint indentations in the center of the dough balls

Spoon the seedless raspberry jam into the indentation

Step 4. Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Allow to cool for several minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes.

Baked Raspberry Delight cookies cooling on the rack

Step 5. Sprinkle with the shaved white chocolate.

Sprinkle the Raspberry Delight cookies with shaved white chocolate

What you will need…

To Serve: Arrange cookies on a platter. These keep for several weeks in an airtight container, but will probably be eaten well before any expiration of quality.

Yield: approximately 24 cookies

Bon appetite!
CCR
=:~)
©2010 CCR

Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast Served

We all know about the endless ways of preparing a turkey, including a different preparation found in every moms and grandmothers recipe card file. Brined, marinated, injected, smoked, roasted, deep-fried, rotisserie, the combinations and ingredients are mind numbing.

This roasted boneless turkey breast recipe is another winner, and I am here to tell you it is so quick and easy to prepare, you may never go back to another way of putting out that holiday meal. Not only is it easier to make, but it is healthy too, and with only 220 calories per 5-ounce serving, it is sure to please any discriminating palate.

So, how do get from start to finish on this wonderful Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast Served, as shown in the image above?

The Step-By-Step

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Step 2. Bind each turkey breast separately with a 1 yard length of kitchen string to form a solid, tight and uniform width throughout the length of the breasts. This will ensure even cooking throughout the meat. Evenly season all sides of the turkey breasts with the sea salt and fresh black pepper.

For a demonstration on cinching up your boneless turkey breast, you can follow along with similar procedures found in this recipe for a boneless leg of lamb Smoked Leg of Lamb with Rosemary Sauce.

Bind the turkey breast with kitchen string

Step 3. Arrange the onions, celery, carrots, (Mirepoix) and garlic in a single layer onto a large roasting pan, and reserve for step 5. Optionally you can add fresh herb sprigs such as rosemary and thyme with the mirepoix and garlic.

Mirepoix, French for onions, celery, carrots

Step 4. In a large nonstick sauté pan heat the olive oil until just smoking, and then brown the turkey breasts well on all sides. Turning after 4 to 5 minutes on each side, with total browning time being about 16 to 20 minutes.

Browning the turkey breasts in saute pan

Be sure to brown on all sides.

Browning the turkey breasts in saute pan on all sides

Step 5. Remove the turkey breasts from the sauté pan and transfer them to the roasting pan with the Mirepoix mixture, spacing evenly distributed with both browned breasts in the pan.

Step 6. Roast in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, checking thereafter every 15 minutes, until the internal temperature is measured with a meat thermometer at 160° F.  Depending on your oven the time may vary.

Step 7. Remove from the oven and allow the turkey breasts to rest for about 20 minutes, this allows the juices to redistribute.

Roasted turkey breasts resting for 20 minutes

Step 8. Once rested, gently remove the kitchen string using a set of kitchen shears, then brush a generous even layer of Dijon mustard over each turkey breast, and then sprinkle evenly and generously with the chopped fresh parsley.

Brushing with Dijon mustard

Parsley crusted turkey breast

To Serve: Transfer the turkey breasts to a serving platter, then cut into thin slices and serve it with your favorite sauce or gravy on the side.

Slicing the boneless turkey breasts

Sliced boneless turkey breast, ready for service

What you will need…

To Serve: Transfer the turkey breasts to a serving platter, then cut into thin slices and serve it with your favorite sauce or gravy on the side.

Yield: 24 5-ounce portions

Bon appetite!
CCR
=:~)
©2010 CCR

Turkey Stock

We saved the leftover turkey bones, wings, legs, and about three pounds of meat from the Thanksgiving dinner, and I froze all of this to use in this Holiday Gumbo. The original turkey was about 22 pounds, and with this size bird, there is plenty of leftovers to make a wonderful turkey gumbo.

Serve with steamed or boiled white rice with this healthier gumbo version, it has no roux, no oil or butter, and is thickened only with the okra and filé slurry.

Gumbo Filé

A short history of Filé
Filé is ground sassafras leaves, and is a popular flavoring agent used primarily in gumbo, some soups and stews in Cajun and Creole recipes. Gumbo filé powder is a necessity for cooking authentic Creole or Cajun cuisine. Quite simply, gumbo filé powder is the powdered leaves of the sassafras tree.
Long before the use of filé powder for Creole and Cajun cooking, American Indians pounded sassafras leaves into a powder and added them to soups and stews. In addition to contributing an unusual flavor, the powder also acts as a thickener when added to liquid.

Filé Powder Slurry

Before adding a large amount of the filé powder to your gumbo you will want to create a slurry by whisking it into a small quantity of cool water, then adding this slurry to the gumbo. This will prevent any lumps of the powder forming in your final product.

A word on kitchen scraps: In the stock portion of this recipe you will find that I mention using any kitchen scraps. In my kitchen I keep a kitchen compost bin with various organic material that eventually gets recycled in my outdoor garden compost bin. These scraps consist of various items such as onion peels, garlic skins, carrot shavings, unwanted celery stalks, herb twigs and stems, tomato peels, and such. These are typical food scrap items that can be added to any stock and result in added flavoring and richness of taste. Use these scraps for all your liquid stock needs.

A Pictorial Step-By-Step

Step 1. The turkey stock, close to 8 cups of finished liquid. Gather up the turkey wings, legs, and bones, onions, celery, carrots, and any other kitchen scraps you may have on hand and place them into a large stock pot and cover with the cool filtered water. Bring to a simmer, and then keep covered on a low simmer for up to 8 hours. Strain and reserve the turkey stock liquid. Allow the turkey parts to cool, and then remove the meat from the bones.

Finished Turkey Stock

Step 2. In the large stock pot add the strained turkey stock, turn the heat to high, and then add the chopped onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer over medium heat.

Gumbo Step 2

Step 3. Add the smoked sausage, the tasso, all the spices and bay leaves, the Worcestershire sauce the stewed tomatoes, and okra. Bring back to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer over medium heat. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Tasso

The stewed tomatoes added.

Stewed Tomatoes

Add the okra.

Add the okra to gumbo

Step 4. Add the turkey meat, the filé powder slurry, Crystal hot sauce and allow to simmer about 5 minutes.

Chunked turkey meat added to gumbo

Step 5. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Season to taste

To Serve: Ladle portions into soup cups or bowl and serve with steamed or boiled white rice.

Yield: 32 cups

Gumbo is ready!

Gumbo is ready!

Cup of gumbo!

Cup of gumbo!

We served our gumbo with a batch of Cajun Country Rice, we received 3 pounds of the samples, and this is a great white rice in the Cajun tradition, perfect for any gumbo or Cajun and Creole preparation that calls for white long grain rice.

Cajun Country Rice

Bon appetite!
CCR
=:~)
©2010 CCR

Chicken Bryan

Nothing like perfecting one more restaurant menu item knock off than one from another chain, nevertheless Carrabba’s Italian Grill does have some really good food.  This recipe consists of grilled chicken breast meat which is topped with tempered goat cheese and smothered in a basil and sun-dried tomato beurre blanc sauce.

Saute Chicken Breast

While it was way to cold outside to fire up the grill on the back deck the other night, I did pan sauté the olive oil coated and seasoned chicken breasts and while the nice char smoky flavor was missing, the cheese and sauce elements remained. So, if you want to enjoy this restaurant favorite in your own home, here is the recipe.

Goat Cheese Slices

Sun-dried Tomato Beurre Blanc

Chicken Bryan

To Serve: Place one chicken breast on the plate, top evenly with two slices of the goat cheese, then spoon about ¼ cup of the  sun-dried tomato basil beurre blanc sauce. Serve with your favorite vegetable or starch on the side. We served ours with steamed cauliflower and baby carrots.

Yield: 8 servings

Bon appetite!
CCR
=:~)
©2010 CCR