New Foods 2020 - Pasta Primavera

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Farmers' market primavera #yum 🥕🍅🥦🥒

A post shared by April Moore (@princessapr) on Jul 5, 2020 at 11:23am PDT

This isn't really a new food, but we went to the Farmers' Market and picked up a bunch of veggies - carrots, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, broccoli.  I roasted the cherry tomatoes and broccoli while I sauteed some garlic and red pepper flakes with the carrots (added the squash a little later because it cooks faster).  Then, I combined all the veggies, added chicken broth, a splash of cream, and some parmesan cheese.  I tossed in some linguini and called it a day.   I do these a lot.  Sometimes, I use wine or a dollop of red sauce or some lemon or onion.  It's just a good way to use up excess veggies and leftover odds and ends.  The fresh veggies made a big difference though. 

New Food 2020 - Muffin Corn Dogs

I'm not even going to link a recipe because it's super easy.  Captain browsed on Pinterest and chose this recipe.  He also thinks it's dinner and dessert all in one because it's a hot dog and a cupcake.  I made regular-sized muffins even though most recipes will call for mini muffins.  Because I did regular-sized muffins, there is a weird hot dog to corn bread ratio.  

You make cornbread mix (from scratch or by box) and then put it into a greased muffin tin or liners.  Cut the hot dogs in 1/3 or so and stick them in the middle of the muffins.  The whole thing goes into a 400 degree oven for 15 -20 minutes depending (or until toothpick comes out clean).  

I, personally, think this ruins perfectly good cornbread, but it was fun to cook with Captain, and he ate it in record time so that's a win.  

New Food 2020 - Pizza Dough

OK, this one was mediocre.  I think it would be fine with some herbs or with better toppings, but for a plain pizza, it's a bit tasteless.  Still, it's a good dough and consistency.  The kids are it, but they complained about it.  So, for kids to complain about pizza, it is not a win.

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Pizza dough without yeast - all random pantry items. It's good but it needed to be baked longer and was a bit tasteless, good enough for kids! https://pin.it/4kb5GMt

A post shared by A4MinimalEffort (@a4minimaleffort) on Apr 22, 2020 at 4:36pm PDT

New Food 2020 - Skinnytaste Bagels

I liked these bagels. They taste best right out of the oven or air fryer. I think they'd be best as a breakfast sandwich, but they were pretty good plain, too. The kids said they didn't love them, but they ate half of them.

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I made bagels today! I made 2 in the air fryer and 2 in the oven for comparison. https://pin.it/mgfjaRw

A post shared by A4MinimalEffort (@a4minimaleffort) on Apr 26, 2020 at 10:45am PDT

New Food 2020 - Molten Chocolate Cakes

We made molten chocolate cakes (twice actually) in the Instant Pot.  So good and so easy.  It's from the book, The Instant Pot Desserts Cookbook from Williams Sonoma. For the recipes in the book, you do need a few special tools.  So, we purchased a silicone trivet, ramekins, springform pan, and fluted cake pan (bundt pan).  Nothing was very expensive.  The trivet and ramekins have multiple uses.  You can use all in the oven if you prefer.  It's nice because baking in the Instant Pot makes smaller servings in the smaller baking pans so we're not stuck with a ton.  The molten chocolate cakes use a ton of eggs, but they don't use much of anything else and we happened to have everything in our pantry.  I'm looking forward to cooking more with this cookbook and trying out more baking in the Instant Pot.

New Food 2020 - Pizza Dough Garlic Knots

   

Pizza Dough Garlic Knots

Ingredients

• 1 pound pizza dough ball* homemade or store-bought
• 6 tablespoon salted butter
• 8 large garlic cloves pressed with a garlic press
• 1 teaspoon water
• 3/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pizza sauce for dipping optional

Instructions

PREP THE BAKING SHEET:

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

KNOT THE DOUGH:

• Place the pizza dough onto a floured surface and roll it into a 12x6-inch rectangle.
• Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 6-inch strips.
• Stretch and roll each strip into a 12-inch long piece.
• Tie a piece of dough into a knot.
• Tuck one end of the dough into the center of the knot.
• Pull the other end of the dough up through the center of the knot and tuck in the end.
• Place the knot on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining strips of dough. Please each knot 2-inches apart on the baking sheet, and cover the knots loosely with plastic wrap.
• Let the knots rise until doubled in size, about 40-60 minutes.

PREHEAT AND MAKE THE GARLIC BUTTER:

• Move oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
• After the knots have risen for 25 minutes, make the garlic butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the garlic and water and cook, stirring frequently, until the tiny pieces of garlic are straw-colored, about 2-3 minutes. Take the saucepan off the heat, stir in the parsley and salt and set aside.

BAKE THE GARLIC KNOTS:

• Once the knots have doubled in size, discard the plastic wrap and bake the knots for 5 minutes.
• Remove the knots from the oven, brush with half of the garlic butter, rotate the pan, and bake for another 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.
• Brush the garlic knots with the remaining garlic butter. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes.
• Finally, serve warm.

We made this because we had all the ingredients.  The kids love to bake and cook, and with the grocery store like  weird, scifi movie, we thawed some pizza dough from the freezer and whipped these up.  It's basically a garlic herb butter over knotted dough with a little salt on top.  These are definitely delicious with a little marinara to dip into.  We thought they should be cooked a little longer, but they were solid and delicious when considering the small amount of effort required.

10 possible points - Taste (possible 5), Was it worth the effort?  (possible 3), Appearance (possible 1), Would we make it again? (possible 1)

 

Standings:

Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp - 9 points
Orange Chicken - 9 points
Crepes - 9 points

Pizza Dough Garlic Knots - 8 points

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Sugar Snap Peas - 8 points

Vanilla Cake - 7 points

New Food 2020 - Garlic Parmesan Roasted Sugar Snap Peas

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients

• 3 cups sugar snap peas , trimmed, rinsed, dried
• 3 tablespoons STAR Roasted Garlic Olive Oil (see notes if using regular olive oil)
• 1/2 cup panko crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• salt and fresh ground pepper , to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Combine sugar snap peas and olive oil in a mixing bowl and toss to coat.
4. In a separate bowl mix together panko crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
5. Add the panko mixture to the sugar snap peas and toss to combine.
6. Arrange in previously prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
7. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crispy, turning once during cooking.
8. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

If you do not have "garlic olive oil", use 2 tablespoons minced garlic for the peas mixed with regular olive oil.

WW SMART POINTS: 2

We really liked this.  It was easy, and the crunch made it worth it.  We made our own garlic oil.  We just put smashed cloves and heated them in the oil on low for awhile and let it all hang out.  We probably should have let it rest longer, but we didn't.  It didn't make much difference.  I don't know why I've never roasted sugar snap peas before.  I probably would rank this higher than crepes, but we take an average and that's how the numbers played out.

10 possible points - Taste (possible 5), Was it worth the effort?  (possible 3), Appearance (possible 1), Would we make it again? (possible 1)

 

Standings:

Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp - 9 points
Orange Chicken - 9 points
Crepes - 9 points

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Sugar Snap Peas - 8 pointsVanilla Cake - 7 points

New Food 2020 - Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp

Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta 

INGREDIENTS: 
8 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions (half of a 1-pound box) 
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) 
1 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste 
1 pound large shrimp, peeled, de-veined, and cleaned with tails off (I prefer 12-15 count shrimp) 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon pepper 
1/4 cup lemon juice 
1 teaspoon lemon zest, optional 

DIRECTIONS: Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and set aside. To a large skillet, add the butter and heat over medium-high heat to melt. Stir in the garlic powder. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes total, or until just pink and cooked through. Flip shrimp halfway through cooking. Cooking time will vary based on size of shrimp and pan used; don’t overcook or shrimp will become rubbery and tough. Add the lemon juice, optional lemon zest, and stir briefly to combine. Turn the heat to low, add the pasta to skillet with the shrimp, and toss to combine and coat. Taste, check for seasoning balance, and make any desired tweaks (add more salt, pepper, garlic powder, lemon juice, etc.). Serve immediately. Dish is best warm and fresh, but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently prior to serving.

Link and recipe from website above.  Here's how we changed it.  We doubled the recipe.  We used linguine.  We used large shrimp, but we cut them in half.  We had leftovers so, when we reheated, we splashed some chicken stock on it, squeezed a lemon wedge and sprinkled some more garlic poweder (and mixed).  In the future, I would use real garlic instead of garlic powder.  That said, when you do that, it sometimes turns green from the lemon OR I would season the shrimp with garlic salt and pepper.  I think it would up the flavor a little, but that depends on your taste.  I would maybe sprinkle some red pepper flakes in there, too.  Anyway, solid recipe, easy, and it was a hit in the house.   It does taste best right after you make it, but with the tweaks, it was a decent leftover meal, too.

10 possible points - Taste (possible 5), Was it worth the effort?  (possible 3), Appearance (possible 1), Would we make it again? (possible 1)

 

Standings:

Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp - 9 points
Orange Chicken - 9 points
Crepes - 9 points
Vanilla Cake - 7 points

February 2020

February was a long month.  The first weekend, Little Miss and I went to Williams Sonona to make and decorate Valentine's Day cookies.  It was a private class!  We got the cute little conversation heart cookie cutter set.

The second weekend, we went back to Williams Sonoma to make some orange chicken which was just a jar of sauce and chicken in the air fryer.  It was so good (see other post).  The next day, we went back to make salted caramel pretzel cheesecake and chocolate molten cake.  They were so delicious and so easy to make!   It's in the Instant Pot, takes no time at all, and we got to take the cookbook home.=

The third weekend,  we went to the Parents' winter vacation house and met up with family.   We celebrated Mom's birthday a little early.   I played beer pong for charity.   Poorly.  Sister and Brother-in-Law won the tournament,  Cousin won pint glasses,  and I won the 50/50 cash raffle and a shirt.  Great time all around!  We also think Captain has his first crush on my youngest Cousin's girlfriend (above). 

The last weekend was relatively quiet.  We ran a lot of errands.  Little Miss scored her third goal in four weeks at hockey and is in the playoffs.  Captain got new sneakers.  It was not earth-shattering.

New Food 2020 - Vanilla Cake with Fruit Filling & Homemade Buttercream

Full disclosure: we made this recipe before as a cakelet and loaf.  It's a really good vanilla cake.  We wanted to see how it was with a fruit filling and buttercream, a more traditional cake.  We tweaked and made it for Mom's birthday.

Vanilla Cake

Ingredients

• 4 whole eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 3 egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• ¾ cup butter, at room temperature
• ¾ cup shortening
• 1 tbs pure vanilla extract
• ½ tsp lemon extract (optional)
• 3 cups cake flour (To make cake flour, replace 2 tbsp of flour with cornstarch per cup. So, for this recipe, add all the flour to a bowl, remove 6 tbsp and then add 6 tbsp of cornstarch. Whisk well to combine.)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
• 1 cup buttermilk, full fat, at room temperature

 

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Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325. Grease and flour three or four 8 or 9 inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with a round of parchment paper that is also slathered with a bit of butter or shortening.
2. Separate the 4 whole eggs, placing the 4 yolks in a small bowl and the whites in a separate medium size bowl. Add the 3 additional egg whites to the other 4 for a total of 7 egg whites. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy. (*See note.) Slowly pour in 1/4 cup of the sugar, beating as you pour. Continue to beat until the meringue is glossy and stiff peaks form when you lift the whisk from the beaten egg whites. Set aside.
3. Fit the standing mixer with the paddle attachment and cream the butter, shortening and remaining 2 cups of sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl a time or two. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
4. Add 2 of the egg yolks and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining 2 egg yolks, beat for about 20 seconds, until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg to a large bowl and mix with a wire whisk just to combine.
6. Beating on low speed, add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour: 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the buttermilk, 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the buttermilk, 1/3 of the flour. With each addition, beat on low speed, just long enough to incorporate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
7. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter just until distributed. You should still see some streaks of egg white throughout the batter. Do not over mix.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. If baking 3 layers, bake for 40-50 min. If baking four layers, bake for 30-35 minutes. When done, the cakes will be golden brown and pulling away from the sides of the pan. To check for doneness, stick a toothpick into the center of one of the layers. Remove the toothpick and look for signs of raw batter. If only cake crumbs stick to the toothpick, the cake is done. You can also scoop a tiny amount of cake from the center of one of the layers to check for doneness. (You’ll be covering the cake with frosting anyway.)
9. Let the cakes cool on wire racks for 5 minutes in the pan, then gently turn them out of the pans onto the wire racks to cool completely. If you don’t plan on frosting the layers immediately, wrap each tightly with plastic wrap. The layers can be stored at room temperature for 1 day, or frozen for up to 2 months.

We used this buttercream and not the one in the above link:

Buttercream

Ingredients

• 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon Butter Vanilla Bakery Emulsion (or vanilla extract)
• 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, add butter. Beat butter on medium speed with the whisk attachment for about 1 minute, until butter is smooth.
2. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar, and beat until combined. Repeat with 1 more cup.
3. Add bakery emulsion and heavy whipping cream and beat until combined.
4. Add the remaining powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating until combined after each addition.
5. Beat for about one additional minute, until frosting is thickened, smooth, and fluffy.
6. The frosting should be smooth and fluffy, but stiff enough to hold its shape. If it's too stiff, add more whipping cream, half a tablespoon at a time, until you achieve the desired texture (2-3 tablespoons total).

For time, I just added Smuckers jelly as the filling (and not enough), but if you go full fruit preserves and liberally apply, I think it would be tasty.  This recipe makes a decent amount of cake.  I made 3 square layers.  That said, the buttercream did not make enough to cover the entire cake so I added the strawberries along the bottom to cover it up best I could.

So, the points are below.  Little Miss gave it a 6 because she doesn't like jelly.  I gave it an 8.  The average is 7 points.

10 possible points - Taste (possible 5), Was it worth the effort?  (possible 3), Appearance (possible 1), Would we make it again? (possible 1)

 

Standings:

Orange Chicken - 9 points
Crepes - 9 points
Vanilla Cake - 7 points