My kind of bracket!

With March Madness nearly in full swing, there's basketball on our TV constantly. Most nights, I subject my poor husband to Food Network, E! News and shameful shows like the Kardashians or Toddlers & Tiaras. So for him to watch basketball for a few short weeks, well, I owe him at least that.

A few folks have suggested I fill out a bracket and try to follow along. Ha. I went to a football school and know about as much about NCAA basketball as I do about neurosurgery. I might as well just "Christmas tree" the thing (like I always wanted to try with a science test in middle school but never could get up the nerve).

But now this... this is a bracket I can get excited about.

Pulled Pork versus Fried Okra. Pimiento Cheese versus Deviled Eggs. Collard Greens versus Mac & Cheese. It reads like my favorite meat-n-three!

Click here to vote on round one. Winning dishes announced Friday. Round 2 begins next week. Here's pulling for Peach Cobbler!

PS - Happy Pi Day, friends! Or pie day, if you'd rather. : )

You go, grill!

Ladies, I almost blew it this weekend. (And guys, you'll know why in two seconds.) I asked my husband if I could cook the steak. Not because I don't like it when he grills it, but because I pinned a new method and I wanted desperately to try it.

He was kind enough to let me... and words cannot describe the deliciousness. Y'all, there is a reason that none of the high end steakhouses grill their steaks. And. this. is. it.

Oh. And your house will smell HEAVENLY.

Restaurant-Style Steak

Adapted from Whit's Amuse Bouche

Ingredients

• 2 6-8 ounce filet mignons
• 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened and divided
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400*.
• Make compound butter by mixing three tablespoons of softened butter with garlic, parsley, thyme and lemon zest.
• Shape into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• Generously season filets with salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon each per side.
• Heat remainder of butter and olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat.
• Sear filets, 2-3 minutes per side, spooning butter over filets as they cook.
• Transfer skillet (filets and all) to the oven and cook 6-8 minutes more for medium rare.
• Remove skillet from oven and each filet with a pat of compound butter.
• Serve immediately.

I don't know about you, but because of this recipe... we're about to starting eat more beef in this house. Please don't tell the Chick-fil-A Cows! : )

3-Ingredient Breakfast Pinwheels

5 out of 5 dentists agree that flossing is good for your teeth. (Or maybe it's your gums?) Either way, floss is fabulous. At least to them. But fun? Not so much. Until now. : )

Did you know you can use this stuff to make an easy weekend breakfast? I keep a little package in a kitchen drawer for this very purpose.

With floss, just 3 (count 'em, three) ingredients, and 10 minutes of prep tops... you're on your way to a winning meal!

3-Ingredient Breakfast Pinwheels

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 16 pinwheels

Ingredients

• 1 8-ounce can refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 lb. breakfast sausage
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350*.
• Unroll crescents into four rectangular pieces, leaving two rolls connected in each piece.

• Pinch diagonal dough seams together.
• Spread 1/4 of sausage evenly over each rectangle.
• Sprinkle cheese evenly over sausage.

• Roll each rectangle into a spiral, starting on the short edge.

• Cut a 12" piece of dental floss or thread. Crisscross around center of first dough log as if you were just beginning to tie your shoes (but don't thread it).

• Tug right and left so that floss slices through dough, creating a disc.

• Repeat method, slicing each log into four discs.
• Arrange pinwheels on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until crescents are golden brown, sausage is done, and cheese is bubbling.
• Serve immediately.

Great not just for breakfast or brunch, but also as an easy appetizer!

$5 Cookbook Clearance

Friends! If you like cookbooks, get thee to Taste of Home. Stat.

Now through February 27, they have a ton of great cookbooks for $5! (Some originally priced as high as $28.) I've purchased several Taste of Home magazines in the past, and they've all had great easy-to-follow recipes. No doubt their cookbooks are equally as awesome.

I'm pondering:

Fast Fixes With Mixes
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Slow Cooker & One Dish Recipes
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Healthy Cooking
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Now, I just need to decide on one more... because you can get free shipping on a $20 purchase with code LST108!

The Prize-Winning Cheesecake

Here it is, folks! The Biscoff Bake-Off winning recipe. Would you believe it was the first recipe I ever made up entirely by myself?

Delta had it posted on their site for a while, and I wasn't sure if I could put it here without conflict (I did sign my rights away when I entered the contest, after all). But now it's gone from their page and people are asking for it.  And what the people want, the people get. : )

So grab yourself some Biscoff Cookies (click here to find a retailer in your area; both Publix and Kroger sell them in my neck of the woods) and get to baking!

Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Winner of the 2011 Delta Biscoff Bake-Off

Ingredients

• Crust
• 24 Biscoff Cookies, finely crumbled
• 1/3 cup salted butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• Filling
• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 21-ounce can apple pie filling (Comstock "More Fruit" brand recommended)
• Topping
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup salted butter
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 8 Biscoff Cookies, coarsely crumbled
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350*.
• Prepare crust.
• Mix together Biscoff cookie crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter.
• Press mixture into the bottom of a well-greased 9" springform pan.
• Bake 10 minutes. Cool and maintain oven temperature.
• Prepare filling.
• Beat cream cheese in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
• Add sour cream, whipping cream, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and vanilla until well blended.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating just until incorporated after each addition.
• Assemble cheesecake.
• Pour half of cream cheese mixture into crust.
• Starting from the center outward, spoon apple pie filling onto cream cheese mixture. Leave at least 1" plain border around edge of cake.
• Gently portion remaining cream cheese mixture over top of apples, ensuring that no apples show through.
• Tap on counter to remove any bubbles.
• Bake.
• Fill a 9"x13" pan with hot tap water and place on bottom rack.
• Bake cheesecake on center rack until set, about 45 minutes to one hour. Center inch of cake should remain loose in order to firm during cooling.
• Turn off oven and let cheesecake stand inside with door closed for at least one hour.
• Cool.
• Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
• When cheesecake has reached room temperature, refrigerate overnight.
• Make caramel topping.
• Melt butter in a small, heavy saucepan.
• Add brown sugar and stir over medium-low heat until dissolved.
• Increase heat and bring to a boil.
• Gradually add heavy cream and whisk until smooth.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• Complete assembly.
• Pour warm caramel topping over center of cheesecake, allowing to spread outward to within 1" of cake edge.
• Sprinkle with coarse Biscoff cookie crumbles and sea salt.

Slice, serve and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

• This recipe is based on the size of Biscoff Cookies available in the grocery store.  If you travel like a madman and are stockpiling the Delta ones, they're actually a good bit larger. You won't need as many.
• If you use reduced fat anything (sour cream, cream cheese, etc.) the cake will almost definitely crack.
• About half of mine still crack even when I use the full fat goodies. Don't fret; that's what the topping is for! : )
• To slice without stress, run a large, sharp knife under hot water for about 60 seconds. Wipe blade with a damp towel between cuts to prevent transfer of cheesecake from one slice to the next. Run under hot water again after every other slice.
• This cheesecake is very rich. A little bit goes a long way! Recipe will easily yield 10 generous or 12 smaller slices.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I may have to go make another one of these!

Delta Biscoff Bake-Off Video

Remember Delta's Biscoff Bake-Off? I realized this week that (gasp) I never posted the winning recipe!  Next post. I promise.

Oh how I love thee, Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake. I'm drooling just remembering it.

And how's this for serendipitous...  a girlfriend from college stumbled upon the video below today! I knew they were filming, but I never saw the final result. So until the recipe goes up, here's a fun look at my first foray into competitive baking!

(Please someone tell me I don't always sound like a six year old. Or talk that fast. Whoa!)

Haute Chocolate

Happy February! It's officially the month of roses, cupids and (my personal favorite)... chocolate. : )

And while you won't see me turn down chocolates in a heart shaped box, I'm more of a haute chocolate girl myself. I like unexpected things, like salted caramels and spicy chocolates. Like the recipe below, for example. Spicy Dark Hot Chocolate from the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead. It's one of their Haute Chocolate Experiences, going on all through the month of February.

There's a candy making class this Saturday, a class on pairing port with chocolate Wednesday night, and a Haute Chocolate Bar available all month long. The bar includes not only the Spicy Dark Hot Chocolate below, but also a Milk Chocolate Caramel. And homemade marshmallows. Ohymyword.  The list goes on and on. Check out their website for details. I can't do it all justice.

In the meantime, you can make their Spicy Dark Hot Chocolate for yourself, courtesy of Pastry Chef Dallas Marsteller. Trust me, it is stellar! (Update: the Marsteller/stellar pun was entirely unintentional. I can't decide if I like it or if I'm a total goober.  Probably the latter. : )

Spicy Dark Hot Chocolate

By Pastry Chef Dallas Marsteller

of the Ritz Carlton, Buckhead

Ingredients

• 8 ounces half and half
• 1 package powdered hot cocoa mix
• 2 ounces chopped dark chocolate, preferably Valrhona brand
•  Cayenne pepper, to taste
•  Rose water, to taste

Directions

1. Combine the cocoa mix, cayenne pepper, and Valrhona chocolate in a bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the half-and-half and rose water in a pan, pour the hot liquid over chocolate mixture and whisk together.
3. Use a hand blender to completely melt/mix the chocolate.
4. Pour in desired cup, garnish with marshmallows, shaved chocolate or whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Lighter Twice Baked Potatoes

Notice I said "lighter." Emphasis on the -er. : )

These are still made with white potatoes and are definitely a nutritional splurge. But they're a splurge you can feel better about. And you'll never miss the full fat stuff!

Lighter Twice Baked Potatoes
Prep Time: 20 minutes / Cook Time: 90 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 6 medium baking potatoes
• 2 tablespoons buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)
• 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
• 1/4 lb. reduced fat grated cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 turkey bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup scallion greens, thinly sliced
  

Directions

• Wash potatoes well.
• Bake at 400* for one hour (or until well done). Allow to cool until easy to handle.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350*.
• Slice off top 25% of each potato and set aside.

• Using a spoon, carve out the center of each potato into a large bowl, leaving just enough flesh around the skin to hold its shape.

• Whip potato whites with a hand mixer on medium-high until no clumps remain.

• Add all remaining ingredients except scallion greens to bowl and mix well.
• Gently fold in scallion greens.

• Spoon potato mixture back into skins.

• Use a fork to make decorative indentions, if desired.
• Bake at 350* for 30 minutes (or until thoroughly warmed and lightly browned).

So it's turkey bacon instead of the real deal, lowfat cheese, fat free sour cream and better "butter". If you're craving twice baked potatoes, this should do the trick!

Bang Bang Shrimp

Bonefish Grill ranks very highly on my list of favorite chain restaurants. And we don't even have one in our neck of the woods. But I love them for one reason (clearly not their real estate strategy): Bang Bang Shrimp.

I came across a recipe on Pinterest and knew I had to try it. Mom's birthday was the perfect occasion!

Bang Bang Shrimp
Original Recipe from Chef Mommy

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 60 (including refrigeration)
Yield: 4 appetizer servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb. medium shrimp; peeled, deveined and tails removed
• Sauce
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 5 teaspoons garlic chili sauce, i.e. Sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• Egg Wash
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• Breading
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Japanese-style panko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 8-12 cups vegetable oil, for frying
  

Cooking Directions

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
   
2. Mix egg wash ingredients in a shallow container and set aside.
3. Stir together breading ingredients in another shallow container and set aside.
   
4. Bread shrimp by coating first in flour mixture, then in egg mixture, then back in flour mixture.
5. Arrange breaded shrimp in a single layer on a plate. When first layer is complete, top with plstic wrap and continue to stack.
6. Refrigerate breaded shrimp for at least 30 minutes. (This will help the breading adhere to shrimp and ensure a crisp coating.)
7. Heat oil to 350* in deep fryer or dutch oven.
8. When oil is hot enough, fry shrimp in batches for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Drain on brown paper bags or paper towels.
10. When all shrimp have been fried, toss gently with sauce mixture to coat.
11. Serve immediately.

Perfect by themselves as an appetizer or in soft flour tortillas with pico de gallo, these babies are sure to be a hit at your house!

Happy birthday, Mom!

My sister and I pulled off the impossible over the weekend. We surprised our mom! (If you have a family anything like ours, we come from a long line of Type A personalities. We like to know what's going on and when. And what we should wear, of course.)

At the Culinary Institute, back in October for the Bake-Off

And how do you celebrate the woman who taught you 99.9% of what you know?!? Who one day you'll inevitably turn into? (I open my mouth about once a week and hear her words come out.)

Anyway, she and Dad went to Florida with friends for a long weekend and were driving back on her actual birthday. So we swooped in, decorated the house and had dinner waiting when she walked in the door. Take that!

I made several new recipes (including Bang Bang Shrimp and lighter Twice Baked potatoes!), but more to come on those later. Life is uncertain, and I have one heck of a sweet tooth, so I figured I'd show you dessert first.

Meet Mom's favorite Caramel Cake.

She's a beaut.  And you'd never know she came from a box! Duncan Hines, to be exact.  And the frosting? From the Cake Mix Doctor.  Just piped on with a petal tip, inspired by none other than Martha Stewart herself.

I thought the cake was too pretty to write on, so I made a little birthday banner with wooden skewers, thread, cut out printer paper and tape.  Took about 5 minutes and turned out really fun!

So thanks, Mom, for all that you do and have done over the years. I can only hope to grow up to be half the woman that you are!

Easy Poppyseed Ham Sandwiches

Thanks to a girlfriend at the office, I'm kind of obsessed with these. Perfect for everything from a baby shower to a Super Bowl party, these little ham sandwiches look (and taste!) like you put forth all this effort... except you don't have to. Now that's my kind of food for entertaining.

With a combination of mustard, butter and Worcestershire sauce, your guests won't be able to tell what makes them so good. And then they'll ask for the recipe. Which, in my mind, is the highest compliment. : )

Easy Poppyseed Ham Sandwiches

may be prepared the night before an event, heated just before serving

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (one stick) butter, melted
• 1 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons classic yellow mustard
• 2 (12-ounce) packages white party rolls, i.e. Hawaiian brand
• 1/2 lb. deli sliced ham
• 1/3 lb. deli sliced swiss cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350* and line two baking sheets with aluminum foil.
2. Mix butter, poppy seeds, onion, Worcestershire and mustard in a medium bowl.
3. Separate rolls and slice each in half horizontally.  Set aside tops.
4. Arrange bottoms on prepared baking sheets.
5. Spread butter mixture over lower half of each roll and top with ham and cheese.
6. Replace tops and brush with remainder of butter mixture.
7. Bake 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and rolls are heated through.

Leftovers reheat in a snap for a perfect I-just-pulled-off-an-great-party-and-need-a-nap lunch the next day!

A Breakfast Parable

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Once upon a time, a girl woke up early on a Saturday morning, all excited to make pancakes. She whipped up said breakfast deliciousness, but they turned out more like a sad excuse for crepes than the lofty little syrup sponges she was looking for. Her sweet significant other, not being one to complain, said that they were just fine. But she knew better.

So she checked the recipe again, only to find that she hadn't left anything out. And then it hit her. She checked the date on the baking powder and sure enough, it had just a few weeks left before the "best by" date.

Moral of the story: purge the pantry.  That, or eat at Waffle House. : )

PS - I got rid of a lot more than Baking Powder today.  Who knew that things like cake mix and salad dressing had expiration dates?

Mix it up!

Perhaps the most used tool in my kitchen is my set of graduated glass mixing bowls. And right now, you can get a set of ten from Anchor Hocking (made by Oneida) for $17.99. Regularly priced at $40, these are a great buy!

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Plus, if you enter code TTE10, you'll get an extra 10% off.

Take a look around at the clearance section while you're on the site... there are a number of good deals on dinnerware, silverware and stemware as well. (Like this set of $64 steak knives for $16.99!)

Big thanks to Southern Savers for the heads up!