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Party Nuts!

24 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Appetizers, Easy, Entertaining

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Tags

almonds, brown sugar, butter, cashews, mixed nuts, nut, nuts, pecans, salt, sriracha

Party NutsThese mixed nuts are one of my favorite things to make when we are having guests over…they’ve always gotten rave reviews. A lot of recipes call for roasting nuts in the oven, but I like doing these in a large skillet on the stovetop, it gives me a little more control. Always make sure you start with raw, unsalted nuts. They are quick and easy to make even though you have to keep an eye on them, but they can be made days in advance before your guests come over.Party NutsI typically use almonds, cashews, and pecans because I can buy them in bulk and they lend themselves to many other recipes and snacking for later. Feel free to do walnuts, macadamias, or any other nut you prefer.Party NutsThese nuts usually turn out different every time, but they are always awesome! (as long as you don’t burn them or over-season them). I usually experiment with different hot sauces each time I make them. But for starters, Tabasco or sriracha (or both, in my case) work really well. But if you don’t like hot sauce, you can go for Worcestershire, or what about sweet chili sauce? Really, there are lots of possibilities!Nuts!

Recipe
Party Nuts!
by Baked Northwest
makes about 3 cups, enough for a small crowd

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 1 cup raw pecans
  • 3 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp. butter
  • sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Tabasco
  • 2-3 sprigs rosemary and/or parsley (optional)
  • Optional moves – a dash of Sriracha or Worcestershire, sweet chili sauce, dijon, whatever you think sounds good!

Directions

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir to get it dissolved a little. Add a little salt to the mixture, then add all of the nuts at once. Roast for several minutes, turning up the heat if necessary. Toss the nuts around, making sure they aren’t burning! When they become nice and browned, remove from heat and add a few dashes of Tabasco or sriracha, any hot sauce works great! Be careful when you do this – the hot sauces may flare up and slap you in the face! I tend to add the hot sauce with the butter and brown sugar, just to get it all incorporated. Just be careful when you put hot sauce in a hot skillet! I like to add some chopped rosemary or parsley, when the nuts are done and off the heat, but it’s totally optional.

To cool, spread nuts out on a plate or sheet pan to in the thinnest layer possible. We don’t want the nuts sticking together! Cool via a quick blast in the freezer, about 20 minutes. Break any big nut chunks apart before serving. These can be made days (even weeks) in advance and stored in an airtight container in the freezer. I usually make them a few days before having people over and store them in the pantry. However, sometimes they disappear before the party even starts…

Thirsty Thursday | Grapefruit Margaritas

14 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Boozy, Easy, Entertaining, Thirsty Thursday

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

grapefruit, grapefruit juice, ice, lime, lime juice, limes, margaritas, orange liqueur, salt, tequila, triple sec

Grapefruit MargaritasI made these for a party we threw last week, and I think they were a hit! Until we ran out of triple sec…Note to self: Never run out of triple sec again or your party is ruined (not really, but serious buzzkill).

Any drink that you can make in a giant pitcher is a winner in my book…Because entertaining is hard enough, you don’t want to be shaking up cocktails one by one, do you?

Part of me thought this drink was too summery to serve at our fiesta – pink, fruity, and tons of tequila. That screams summer to me…but I’m always eating grapefruits in the winter, so suddenly this drink just made sense to mix up. I was tempted to make the easiest margaritas ever, but I’m happy I found something a little different, and seriously just as easy!Grapefruit MargaritasIna’s recipe calls for you to bust out the blender – but I just mixed everything together in a pitcher and it was still excellent. I have never been a big fan of blended margs and getting out the blender is too much work and too much of a mess when you are hosting a party.

Recipe
Grapefruit Margaritas
Adapted from Ina Garten
Makes 6 Margaritas

Ingredients

  • 1 Lime cut into wedges
  • Kosher salt (optional)
  • 1 cup ruby red grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 4 limes)
  • 1 cup triple sec (or any preferred orange liqueur)
  • 1 cup white tequila
  • ice (about 2 cups, or enough to fill 6 glasses)

Directions

If you like your margaritas with a salt rim, rub the lime around the edge of each glass and dip the rim lightly on a plate of kosher salt. Set aside to dry.

Combine the grapefruit juice, lime juice, orange liqueur, and tequila in a large pitcher and stir. Add ice to glasses, pour in the margarita mixture, and garnish with a lime slice!

Chocolate & Goat Cheese Truffles for a Very Special Person

22 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Desserts, Easy, Entertaining, Events, Holidays, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

black pepper, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, goat cheese, salt, truffles, vanilla

Although today is Thanksgiving and debatably (is that even a word?) the best Holiday ever, it is also another very special day – my Mom’s birthday. Every few years, her birthday falls on this day, and I wanted to do some special things for her.

That’s the reason I love cooking – on special days you can make people happy by making them something that brings them joy.

When I saw this recipe for Chocolate Goat Cheese Truffles I knew this would be my mom’s “Birthday Cake.” Like me, she loves goat cheese. Mixing it with chocolate sounds weird, but this turned into the easiest and tangiest chocolately truffles you’ll ever make.

A cocoa powder bomb!

Happy Birthday to the best Mom ever! I know you’re making the turkey today and doing probably over half of our Thanksgiving meal (recipes to follow!), but I Love You and hope you get to relax on a day that is normally filled with chaos for the master chef!

Recipe
Chocolate & Black Pepper Goat Cheese Truffles
From (where else?) The Joy the Baker Cookbook
Makes 15-20 truffles

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • coarse sea salt

Place about 2 inches of water in a small saucepan, and place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over, but not touching, the simmering water to melt the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted, remove bowl from the pot and set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together goat cheese, melted chocolate, sugar, vanilla, and peppercorns until fluffy and well incorporated. Cover the mixture in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

Once firm, portion a heaping teaspoon of the goat cheese mixture into clean hands and roll into a ball. Coat the ball in cocoa powder, place on a cookie sheet, and top with a few flakes of coarse sea salt. Serve slightly chilled.

Truffles will last, in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Salsa de Chipotle

02 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Appetizers, Easy, Entertaining, Sauces, Uncategorized

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Tags

chilies, chipotle, cilantro, garlic, onions, salsa, salt, tomatoes

I think this is the first homemade salsa I have ever made in my life. It is easy, delicious, and SPICY. I may have gone overboard with the amount of Chipotle peppers…Sweaty Betty over here.

This salsa would be good served at a party as a trio – with guacamole and maybe another more mild pico de gallo or salsa. Chipotle has a very distinct flavor that really spices things up a bit, but not everyone can handle the heat!

Recipe

Salsa de Chipotle

From the May 2012 issue of Glamour Magazine

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 6 medium sized tomatoes
  • Salt
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus 1 tsp. for pan
  • 1/4 spanish onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
  • 1-4 chipotle chilies in adobo, plus a little of the sauce (use less if you like things more mild!)

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut tomatoes in half, and place them on a baking sheet lined with foil for easy cleanup. Season tomatoes with salt, and place in oven. Roast for 90 minutes. In a medium pan, heat 1 tsp. oil, and saute onion and garlic until golden brown; set aside. When tomatoes are ready, put them into a blender. Add onions, garlic, cilantro, and chilies. Blend on slow speed, and add salt. Gradually increase speed while adding oil, and process until smooth. Serve with chips or as a sauce on tacos.

Gnocchi Night

11 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Main Dish, Pasta

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

alfredo, butter, eggs, from scratch, garlic, gnocchi, heavy cream, homemade, milk, parmesan, parsley, pepper, ricotta, salt

The perfect winter apartment picnic - homemade gnocchi, salad, fresh bread w/ olive oil & balsamic...WINE

My friend Erin and I have a shared loved for gnocchi – I am pretty sure we could talk about it for hours. We decided to have a gnocchi night awhile back. First, we were just going to do basic, store bought gnocchi (and tons of wine), but suddenly the plan changed to do homemade gnocchi. I was terrified.

But really, there wasn’t much to be terrified of.  We chose a more simple, ricotta-based gnocchi. The little guys actually turned out really well…here’s the rundown:

To start: mix ricotta, egg, and olive oil.

Add parmesan and flour, mix until you can form dough into a ball.

cut the ball of dough like your are slicing a loaf of bread. roll out each slice into a "rope" like pictured above.

This is why I was nervous. I can cook and everything…but when it comes to being crafty, decorating, or trying to make something look pretty, I almost always screw it up.

Once the ropes are formed, cut the individual gnocchi and use a fork to create imprints that will help hold the sauce.

I have to admit, I had a moment of panic where I thought these might be the ugliest gnocchi ever, but I actually think they all turned out kind of cute…maybe?

place the finished gnocchi on a sheet pan lined with wax paper. put it in the freezer for a few minutes to firm them up.

I also need to point out that Erin is amazing and helped out with our Pasta Primavera, and I am a horrible friend and didn’t give her credit where credit was well deserved! This whole gnocchi night happened Thanks to her as well. Love you, girl.

The gnocchi only take a few minutes to cook in boiling water - once they float to the top they are done.

Since we were going all out and making our gnocchi from scratch, we stuck with a really easy and basic alfredo sauce recipe. And because we love anything with heavy cream, butter, and cheese components.

Ready to dive in - the finished ricotta gnocchi in a basic alfredo sauce.

Next time we will make the gnocchi pieces smaller, as we think they will cook a little better and easier that way. Maybe a vodka sauce instead of alfredo. Really, this gnocchi would taste great with just about any sauce.

In the end, homemade gnocchi wasn’t that hard and tasted great! Erin and I were very proud of ourselves, who knows what we will tackle on our next cooking night!

Recipe

Ricotta Gnocchi

from Food52

Serves 4

  • 1 pound fresh whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 cups flour, sifted, plus extra for rolling dough
  1. Add egg to ricotta cheese and oil and mix thoroughly.
  2. Add grated parmesan cheese to mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Add sifted flour a little at a time and continue to mix thoroughly until dough comes together.
  4. Dump onto generously floured surface and work with hands to bring together into a smooth ball. Add more flour as necessary until dough is smooth and no longer sticks to your hands.
  5. Cut off slices of dough like cutting a loaf of bread and roll into ropes thumb size thick by spreading hands and fingers and rolling from center out to each edge of the rope.
  6. Line one rope parallel to another and cut 2 at a time into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece off the back of a fork to make imprints that will help hold the sauce.
  7. Transfer gnocchi pieces to a lightly floured or non-stick baking sheet so they don’t stick together and put in the freezer while making the rest of batch. If you plan to save any gnocchi for future use, allow them to freeze entirely on the baking sheet before storing in a ziplock bag to prevent sticking together.
  8. When ready to prepare, bring a large stockpot of generously salted water to a boil.
  9. Add gnocchi to boiling water and gently stir once with a wooden spoon to create movement and prevent gnocchi from sticking to the bottom. As gnocchi rise to the top {a sign they are done cooking} scoop them out with a mesh strainer or a bamboo wire skimmer and immediately place in serving bowl shaking off excess water.
  10. Scoop some sauce on top of each layer of gnocchi as they are placed in the bowl to eliminate the need to stir them with sauce in the end and risk damaging or smashing the pasta. Generously grate parmesan over the top and serve.


    Alfredo Sauce

    from All Recipes

    Serves 4

    Ingredients
    • 1/4 cup butter
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1 clove garlic, crushed
    • 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

    Directions

    1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and serve.

Baked Eggs in Ham Cups.

07 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Breakfast, Easy, Eggs, Healthy

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Tags

baked, cheddar, cheese, chives, cups, eggs, green onion, ham, pepper, ramekin, salt

Baked Cheesy eggs...in a ham cup.

Man, talk about the easiest, cutest, and tastiest breakfast ever. Well, as long as you have ramekins sittin’ around. (In the famous words of Jordan, “I don’t know what the hell a ramekin is.”) This might be something you could do in a muffin tin, but I’ll have to get back to you on that later.

Right before stickin' 'em in the oven.

Up close and personal...Just ham, chives, cheese and an egg.

Out of the oven at about the 15 minute mark - Poke holes where there are bubbles, then feel free to go crazy and add more toppings! Please excuse the fact that as these were baking the ramekin got kinda crusty around the edges...Also: depending on the size of the ramekin, 2 eggs in 1 ham cup is possible.

Recipe

Baked Eggs in Ham Cups

From So Delushious! 

  • Preheat the oven to 375
  • Spray a ramekin with non-stick spray
  • Line a ramekin with thinly sliced ham, make sure there are no gaps (you may have to use a few pieces of ham)
  • Put in fillings of your choice – we went basic for our first time, chives and cheddar.
  • Crack an egg on top, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper
  • Bake in the oven for 22-25 minutes. At about 15 minutes, pop/poke any bubbles with a fork…at this point you can also put some cheese on top (in Jordan’s case it was about 1 lb. of extra cheese)
  • Note: the eggs may look undercooked, but they definitely aren’t! We overcooked ours a little the first time, but they were still delish!

Pasta Primavera.

26 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Healthy, LuLu's Classics, Main Dish, Pasta

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

asparagus, blanch, broccoli, butter, cream, dinner, memories, mushrooms, new york times, parmesan, parsley, pasta primavera, peas, pine nuts, red pepper flakes, salt, spaghetti, spring, summer, tomatoes, vegetables, zucchini

My mom (the famous LuLu) had been planning on visiting for a girl’s weekend for about a month. At the very inception of these plans, my aunt said, “Let’s make pasta primavera.” I had heard of it, but couldn’t remember ever having it. The “retro” recipe is long and laborious, but so worth it. Now that I know our personal family history of it, I can’t wait to make it again.

Classic Pasta Primavera

As the days drew closer to my mom’s visit, I started asking more about the dish. She said, “Grammy started making it around the time we were in college. It was something we would eat in the spring or summer.” She then told me I could find the recipe in a New York Times article if I googled it. I didn’t realize Pasta Primavera was such a huge deal back in the day.  No surprise though, that Grammy was on the cutting edge of what to cook, long before Food Network, Pinterest, or blogs. It made me smile.

almost ready to eat...

Don't forget the parmesan cheese!

So, mid-afternoon on a Saturday after pedicures, the three of us girls started making the dish. We found parts of the New York Times Recipe to be a bit unclear, but hey, Ina can’t write every recipe out there.

Blanching the cooked broccoli

We blanched a lot of vegetables, all separately.

More blanched veggies. After the initial rinse, we started adding them all to bowls with ice cubes to keep them cold.

Fresh Cubed Tomatoes

cooked mushrooms with parsley, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper.

After blanching, the veggies go back on the stove.

Though delicious and worth every step, this is not a recipe you want to make if you don’t have many pots or pans, or don’t feel like doing a ton of dishes later. Wait, scratch that. Go out and buy more pots and pans, and make someone who loves you do the dishes. Problem solved!

See, tons of pots and pans. But how good does this all look?

We made a double recipe, so we had a little trouble fitting all the veggies into one pan.

The final touch before serving - toasted pine nuts. drooling.

When we finally sat down to eat, I was so happy. Surrounded by some of the people I love the most, with a plate of pasta you can feel good about eating. Pasta Primavera was more than a trendy dish made decades ago, but clearly brought back fond memories of Grammy for my mom and aunt. They said it tasted just like they remembered it. They wondered how she did it all by herself, never complaining or asking for help. It may have took the three of us to make it, but Grammy would have been proud.

The last few bites...

Recipe

Pasta Primavera

  • 1 bunch broccoli
  • 2 small zucchini, unpeeled
  • 4 asparagus spears
  • 1 1/2 cups green beans
  • Salt
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
  • 3/4 cup fresh or frozen pea pods
  • 1 tablespoon peanut, vegetable or corn oil
  • 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon minced hot red or green chili, or 1/2 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 3 cups 1-inch tomato cubes
  • 6 basil leaves, chopped
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, approximately
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts.

1. Trim broccoli and break into florets. Trim off ends of the zucchini. Cut into quarters, then cut into 1-inch or slightly longer lengths (about 1 1/2 cups). Cut each asparagus into 2-inch pieces. Trim beans and cut into 1-inch pieces.

2. Cook each of the green vegetables separately in boiling salted water to cover until crisp but tender. Drain well, then run under cold water to chill, and drain again thoroughly. Combine the cooked vegetables in a bowl.

3. Cook the peas and pods; about 1 minute if fresh; 30 seconds if frozen. Drain, chill with cold water and drain again. Combine with the vegetables.

4. In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 2 minutes, shaking the skillet and stirring. Add the chili and parsley. Stir, add the mixture to the vegetables.

5. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan and add half the garlic. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook about 4 minutes. Add the basil.

6. In a separate pan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and add the remaining garlic and the vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring gently, until heated through.

7. Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until almost (but not quite) tender, retaining a slight resilience in the center. Drain well.

8. In a pot large enough to hold the spaghetti and vegetables, add the butter and melt over medium-low heat. Then add the chicken broth and half a cup each of cream and cheese, stirring constantly. Cook gently until smooth. Add the spaghetti and toss quickly to blend. Add half the vegetables and pour in the liquid from the tomatoes, tossing over very low heat.

9. Add the remaining vegetables. If the sauce seems dry, add 3 to 4 tablespoons more cream. Add the pine nuts and give the mixture a final tossing.

10. Serve equal portions of the spaghetti mixture in hot soup or spaghetti bowls. Spoon equal amounts of the tomatoes over each serving. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a main course; 6 to 8 as an appetizer.

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