Women's Day

So the family fell ill the other week so I did not get the other chicken recipe up, but I will get another one up soon. But moving on to desserts. Yesterday was Women's Day at our church and I once again was given the privilege to do the dessert table. There were all kinds of things out yesterday anywhere from a flourless fallen chocolate cake to pumpkin cupcakes with maple buttercream (which always win over the crowd) to cheesecake bars. But the most requested recipes fell to the Apple Turnovers and Molasses Spice Cookies. I think the Molasses Spice cookies remind people of an old fashioned cookie that is just not easily found but still loved. So anyway, I thought I would write up these recipes here for anyone that might want them.

 Apple Picking in the Mountains! 

And I did use these mountain apples for my desserts.

Apple and dried Cranberry Turnover 

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 1/4 pounds tart apples, such as Empire or Granny Smith (3 apples)
• 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
• 3 tablespoons sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on top
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of each cloves and allspice
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 package (17.3 ounces, 2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 2. Combine the orange zest and orange juice in a bowl. Peel, quarter, and core the apples and then cut them in 3/4-inch dice. Immediately toss the apples with the zest and juice to prevent them from turning brown. Add the cranberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon,, nutmeg, and salt.
3. Flour a board and lightly roll each sheet of puff pastry to a 12 by 12-inch square. Cut each sheet into 4 smaller squares and keep chilled until ready to use.
4. Brush the edges of each square with the egg wash and neatly place about 1/3 cup of the apple mixture on half of the square. Fold the pastry diagonally over the apple mixture and seal by pressing the edges with a fork. Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the top with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, make 2 small slits, and bake for 20 minutes, until browned and puffed. Serve warm or at room temperature.
*To make these extra fancy looking sprinkle with large sanding sugar instead of regular sugar. 
*Another note I made mine in 4x4 inch squares to make mini turnovers, but you can do either. 
*This recipe is from Ina Garten, except she uses dried cherries instead of dried cherries.


Molasses Spice Cookies with Orange Essence
This recipe comes from Cooks Illustrated 

Measure the molasses in a liquid measuring cup. If you find that the dough sticks to your palms as you shape the balls, moisten your hands occasionally in a bowl filled with cold water and shake off the excess. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time. If baked two sheets at a time, the cookies started on the bottom rack won’t develop the attractive cracks. The cookies should look slightly raw and underbaked when removed from the oven. If you plan to glaze the cookies (see recipe below), save the parchment paper used to bake them.

Ingredients

• 1cup granulated sugar (about 7 ounces)
• 3teaspoons grated orange zest
• 2 1/4cups unbleached all purpose flour (11 1/4 ounces)
• 1teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4teaspoon table salt
• 12tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool
• 1/3cup dark brown sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2cup molasses (about 6 ounces), light or dark

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In workbowl of food processor, process 2/3 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons orange zest until pale orange, about 10 seconds; transfer sugar to 8- or 9-inch cake pan and set aside.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in medium bowl until thoroughly combined; set aside.
3. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and 1 teaspoon grated orange zest with brown sugar and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and add yolk and vanilla; increase speed to medium and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low and add molasses; beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to lowest setting; add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl down once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Dough will be soft.
4. Using tablespoon measure, scoop heaping tablespoon of dough and roll between palms into 1 1/2-inch ball; drop ball into cake pan with sugar and repeat to form about 4 balls. Toss balls in orange sugar to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are browned, still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), about 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake.
5. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature and serve. (Can be stored at room temperature in airtight container or zipper-lock plastic bag up to 5 days.)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Quick Chicken Dinners

I am going to try to post two different recipes for some great weeknight chicken meals. I know we all have a ton of chicken recipes, but it never hurts to have a few more. The first one is a great Chicken Cheesesteak recipe from Everyday Food on marthastewart.com (with just a few tweaks of my own). We have been making this recipe for several years now and it still one of our favorite quick weeknight dinners. 


Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwiches
For the chicken:
6 tablespoons kosher salt or 3 tablespoons table salt
3 tablespoons sugar
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each)
For the sandwiches:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 bell peppers, mixed colors (I usually use a red and yellow)
1 large red onion
salt and fresh ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
6 ounces sliced provolone cheese
4 hoagie type sandwich rolls, split lenghtwise
Mayo (optional)

1. For the chicken: Dissolve the salt and sugar in 1 1/5 quarts of water in a large resealable bag or plastic container. Add chicken and soak for 30 minutes. Remove from brine, pat dry and sprinkle with pepper. Meanwhile adjust rack to upper middle rack and heat the oven's broiler. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and place chicken on top. Cook for 8 -15 minutes until cooked through (watch your chicken it will just depend on how thick your chicken is and how hot your broiler is as to how fast the chicken will cook). Once cooked transfer to plate and set aside. If there is a lot of liquid on the baking sheet make sure to pour it off before proceeding with the vegetables.
2. For vegetables: On baking sheet, toss together peppers, onion, garlic, and tablespoon oil season with salt and pepper. Broil, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender with some brown spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Add chicken to broiled vegetables; toss, and spread in a single layer.
3.Top chicken and vegetables with cheese; broil until cheese is bubbling, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scoop out most of the doughy center from both halves of rolls; discard. Spread rolls with mayonnaise; fill with chicken and vegetables. Serve immediately.
* Extra notes if you don't have time to soak the chicken you can skip that part your chicken will just be a little drier. If you need to double the recipe just double the chicken but do not double  the brine (what the chicken is soaking in it is enough to handle that amount of chicken.) In our family we like the stronger provolone that you get from the deli counter and often it is cheaper than buying the package.

 Ella helping me whip up some brown butter and vanilla bean rice krispie treats.