Eggless Cookie Dough ;-)

I've mentioned before that I usually ignore the warnings about raw eggs. I've made custard using a raw egg base and I eat cookie dough by the spoonful whenever I bake. In my opinion, raw eggs aren't something to be that concerned about unless you are in a high-risk group: those with suppressed immune systems, the elderly, children, and pregnant women. So, I've never had a reason to worry, until now . . . Yep, I'm pregnant! 16 weeks today, so I'm due in early December.

Bob and I are so excited! This is our first child, and we couldn't be more thrilled. I've felt very lucky to have had a relatively easy first trimester, although the fatigue has been pretty intense, hence the lack of blogging. I rarely cooked and when I did it was more heating up something frozen or making pasta with jarred sauce. My beloved chicken sounded absolutely unappealing for many weeks, and a lot of the new recipes I'd see just did not look good. I had a lot of posts that needed to be written, but the last thing I wanted to do was spend time on my computer when I got home from work when I could be napping. Thankfully my energy is slowly starting to pick up, as is my desire to try new recipes.

I'm not sure about any of you, but when I'm told I can't have something, I want it more. (I won't even go into how much I've been craving a cold sub sandwich from my favorite local deli!) One of the first things I thought when I found out I was pregnant was: Uh oh - no cookie dough! Luckily, I remembered seeing eggless cookie dough recipes specifically for pregnant women, so I relaxed a little.

I decided to make the dough and then scoop it out into small portions to freeze. Now I can have a little ball of cookie dough anytime I want! The dough is definitely not as tasty as real cookie dough, so I may play around with the recipe a bit, but it's a good starting point.

Eggless Cookie Dough

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1 cup flour
Pinch salt
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar and butter until smooth.

2. Stir in vanilla and milk. Mix in the flour, salt, and chocolate chips until well blended.

3. Chill in the refrigerator, or scoop onto waxed paper covered baking sheet and freeze.

Source: Adapted from Fun Foods on a Budget

Have a great weekend!!!!!!!

My First Dessert Table!

I've mentioned this in several posts, but I threw my sister Lisa a bridal shower in March and tackled my first dessert table! When my sister got engaged last summer, I immediately started brainstorming ideas for her shower. I had never hosted a shower before, and I wanted it to be so special for her. I had such an amazing bridal shower, thanks to my sister, my aunts, and my cousins, and I wanted Lisa to feel the same way.

I've been inspired to do a sweet/dessert table ever since first hearing about them from my friend Kat (and seeing her amazing work!). Lisa absolutely loves desserts, and I thought this was the perfect idea for her shower. Her colors were coral and ivory, so I decided to make that the theme of the shower. After many months of planning, shopping, and sketches, here is what I came up with:

And one of the biggest feats: the cake!

Here are Lisa's first reactions (priceless in my opinion!) - sorry for the paparazzi-style photos- I wanted to capture each moment!:

The menu (you can sort of see my reflection in the glass!):

The table went over very well with the guests too. I think it was fun for them to get to sample a variety of desserts but still partake in the main dessert, the cake. I will be sharing the recipes for the desserts over the course of several posts. Here is the complete run-down of the desserts so you know what to expect:

Mini Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Meringue Cookies

Oreo Truffles

Strawberry Cake Truffles

(the truffles were stored in the freezer, hence the condensation)

Decorated Sugar Cookies: wedding dresses, wedding cakes, and diamond rings

(they were also the favor)

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

I also used Sour Patch Cherries

and White Fudge-Covered Pretzels

I hope you come back soon to check out the fun posts I have coming up, including the recipes for these desserts, a Salsa Showdown, and the Groom's Cake I made for my sister and her new husband's rehearsal dinner! :)

And the winners are . . .

I used Random.org random number generator to determine the 5 winners of the Archway cookie giveaway. Here they are:

svberge

Martina's Moments

styxfanhouston

Kathleen

Tiffany

Please email me asap with your mailing address so I can get them to the Archway rep and you can get your cookies! Thanks so much for entering, and have a great weekend! :)

Back with a Cookie Giveaway!!!

Oh my goodness, it has been a very long time since I posted! We have been super busy with my sister's wedding, her and her new husband moving back to St. Louis, among other things. I have SO many posts that I need to get out - including the Dessert Table from my sister's Bridal Shower!!! To make up my slacking around here, I'm hosting a giveaway!

First, some background: Several months ago I was contacted by a representative from Archway Cookies asking if I would be interested in receiving a complimentary package of assorted cookies. Bob immediately jumped at the chance, as he has fond memories of Archway's Molasses cookies. Personally, I don't think I'd ever had Archway cookies before, but free cookies? Why not!

The package arrived with 3 containers of cookies - Triple Chocolate (ok seriously my favorite cookie flavor ever!), Shortbread, and Peanut Butter:

Now, given my experience with packaged cookies, I was expecting them to be good but nothing special. I first ripped open the Triple Chocolate package and was surprised to find that they are big, soft, bakery-style cookies! They were very good! Next, I tried the shortbread. I like shortbread, but it's definitely not my top pick in a cookie. Well, let me tell you, these shortbread cookies are phenomenal! They have such a good flavor, I was really impressed. Because of my nut allergy, I didn't try the Peanut Butter cookies, but Bob happily finished those on his own - he loved them. When I wrote the representative back, I told her my thoughts. She actually said that they have been receiving really positive feedback on the shortbread - I'm glad it's not just me!

Now for this giveaway, 5 - yes 5! - lucky people will win a similar package full of Archway cookies! Eat them by themselves, or come up with some fun recipes with them! I'm thinking crushed shortbread cookies would make an awesome crust! Or how about putting some homemade French vanilla ice cream (or even cinnamon!) between two of the Triple Chocolate cookies to make an ice cream sandwich? Mmmm

I also want to mention that Archway is partnering with First Book from June 1 until July 15 and donating a portion of the proceeds to this organization in order to purchase 10,000 new books for children of low-income families. What a great cause! And lastly, you can also nominate someone to receive a "Goodness Package" full of cookies and a glass platter and pitcher here!

To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment telling me what your favorite cookie is! Announce this giveaway on your blog or on Facebook? Just leave me a separate comment for each and you'll get another entry! Contest ends Tuesday, June 14 at 6pm CST. I apologize in advance, but only residents of the continental U.S. are eligible due to shipping restrictions.

Good Luck!!!! :)

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for a double baby shower at Bob's work. One woman was having a girl, and one was having a boy, so I decided to make Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and use Royal Icing Decorations to give them blue or pink accents. These cupcakes were really, really good. They are definitely more dense than a box chocolate cake mix; my mom compared them to a chocolate muffin texture, but the flavor is amazing. I would eat them plain! Adding the Vanilla Buttercream made them even better. Bob said these went over very well with his coworkers. I was happy to see how cute the Royal Icing decorations turned out - I have since used this technique again and love the results!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes; Note: this recipe does not double well; it is best to make two separate batches and bake each separately.

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa (1 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (3 3/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup sour cream (4 ounces)

Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-sized muffin pan (cups have 1/2-cup capacity) with baking-cup liners.

2. Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

3. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

4. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogenous and thick.

5. Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

6. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.

7. Store leftover cupcakes (frosted or unfrosted) in the refirgerator, but let them come to room temperature before serving.

Source: America's Test Kitchen Cookbook

I love these cupcake liners by Reynold's:

They have aluminum foil on the inside so the grease doesn't soak through the liner, and the design stays perfect. It also makes it easy to scrape the crumbs off the empty liner, if you like to do that!

Royal Icing Decorations

Note: this isn't exactly a tutorial on how to make these decorations but rather the steps involved if you are familiar with royal icing.

1. Prepare a batch of Royal Icing.

2. Add very small amounts of warm water to reach a medium consistency.

3. Pipe desired shapes onto waxed paper and immediately add a sugar pearl to the center of the shape, if desired.

4. Allow to try overnight, uncovered.

5. Gently peel off the decorations off the waxed paper and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Garlicky Shrimp Pasta

Bob and I usually stay in on Valentine's Day and make a special dinner together. This year we decided to make this Garlicky Shrimp Pasta that we've been eyeing for a long time. This was a simple, quick dinner that was every bit as good as it sounds. I'm glad to add another shrimp pasta to our dinner repertoire!

Garlicky Shrimp Pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients:
5 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 5 teaspoons), plus 4 medium cloves, smashed
1 pound large shrimp (21-25), peeled, deveined, each shrimp cut into 3 pieces (we just did 2)
3 tablespoons olive oil
table salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound pasta in short, tubular shapes, such as fusilli, campanelle, or mezze rigatoni
2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry vermouth or white wine
3/4 cup clam juice (we used vegetable stock)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice plus 1 lemon, cut into wedges
ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Toss 2 teaspoons minced garlic, shrimp, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Allow shrimp to marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.

2. Heat 4 smashed garlic cloves and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is light golden brown, 4 to 7 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and use a slotted spoon to remove garlic from skillet; discard garlic. Set skillet aside.

3. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Cook until just al dente, then drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water, and transfer pasta back to Dutch oven.

4. While pasta cooks, return the skillet with oil to medium heat; add the shrimp with marinade to the skillet in a single layer. Cook the shrimp, undisturbed, until oil starts to bubble gently, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the shrimp and continue to cook until almost cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to medium bowl.

5. Add the remaining 3 teaspoons minced garlic and pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute; stir in vermouth and cook for 1 minute. Add clam juice (or vegetable stock) and parsley; cook until mixture starts to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Off heat, whisk in the butter and lemon juice. Add the shrimp and sauce to the pasta, adding reserved cooking water if sauce is too thick. Season with black pepper. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.

Source: America's Test Kitchen Complete TV Show Cookbook

Chicken Francese

When looking for a main dish to go with the Mashed Potatoes and Root Vegetables, Bob and I decided on Chicken Francese - a lightly coated chicken with a lemony sauce. In the words of Ina Garten, "How bad could that be?" Well, it's delicious! The chicken has a nice coating, and the sauce is very flavorful. I pretty much knew by reading the recipe that I'd like this chicken, and it definitely delivered. This was a great main dish to go with the potatoes, and one we'd like to make again and again.

Chicken Francese

Serves 4

Ingredients:
For the Sauce:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 very small onion, minced (about 1/3 cup)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1/3 cup lemon juice from 2 lemons
2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Table salt and ground black pepper

For the Chicken:
1 cup all-purpose flour
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each), tenderloins removed, breasts trimmed of excess fat, halved horizontally, and pounded to even 1/4-inch thickness
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack on rimmed baking sheet and place sheet in oven.

2. For the sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon butter in medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour and stir until light golden brown, about 1 minute. Whisk in wine, lemon juice, and broth; increase heat to high and bring to boil, whisking constantly. Lower heat to medium-high and cook, whisking occasionally, until mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain sauce through mesh strainer, return to saucepan, and set aside.

3. For the chicken: Set second wire rack on second rimmed baking sheet on counter. Whisk together flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk eggs and milk until combined. Season both sides of each cutlet with salt and pepper. Using tongs and working with 2 cutlets at a time, coat cutlets in seasoned flour; shake off excess flour. Transfer cutlets to egg mixture; coat evenly and let excess run off. Return cutlets to seasoned flour; coat evenly and shake off excess flour. Place coated cutlets on wire rack on counter.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon each butter and oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, place 4 cutlets in skillet. Cook until well browned, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Carefully flip cutlets and continue to cook until lightly browned on second sides, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer chicken to wire rack in oven. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Repeat, using remaining 1 tablespoon each butter and oil to cook remaining cutlets in now-empty skillet. After transferring chicken to oven, wipe out skillet with paper towels.

5. To finish sauce: Transfer the sauce to now-empty skillet and set over low heat; cook until the sauce is heated through, about 1 minute. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter; add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: Remove baking sheet with chicken from the oven; transfer 4 cutlets to the skillet, turn to coat with sauce, then transfer each serving (2 cutlets) to individual plates. Repeat with the remaining cutlets. Spoon 2 tablespoons additional sauce over each serving and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately, passing extra sauce separately.

Source: The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook