Annie's Eats | Making your days taste better.

Annie's Eats

My hope is to inspire you to be fearless in the kitchen, to try new things, to take the time to make things the homemade way and most importantly, to have fun doing it!

Merry and Bright Holiday Party

19 comments

posted in: Christmas, Holiday, Parties & Entertaining

12.13

2011

This past weekend we hosted our annual holiday party. I’ll admit that with everything that has been going on lately, it felt a bit like a farce putting up festive decorations, prepping everything, and generally acting cheerful. Once party time rolled around though, it turned out to be exactly what I needed. Having so many wonderful friends and people I love in one place, all mingling, joking, and having fun – it was good for me. (Also watching IU beat Kentucky in the last seconds of the game and hearing the deafening cheers fill my living room…totally awesome. Go Hoosiers!)

I didn’t have quite as much fun planning this party as I normally would, but I think the end result was still very nice and everyone had a great time. Since I was short on time, energy, and enthusiasm I made mostly old recipes with just a few new things thrown in. As far as savory fare went, I wanted to be sure to include some classic comfort foods in miniature forms and I’m happy to say this went over very well. The highlight was definitely the mini mac and cheese in small mason jars. So many people commented on how much they loved it and I can’t say I’m surprised – it is mac and cheese, after all. Our full menu was as follows:

Savory Appetizers
Mini Twice Baked Potatoes
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup Shots
Mini Mac and Cheese
Chevre and Roasted Bell Pepper Crostini
Pizza Bites
Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls

Sweet Treats
Peanut Butter Fudge
Cappuccino Fudge
Cherry Hazelnut Fudge
Chocolate Espresso Macarons
Peppermint Brownies
Mini Pumpkin Spice Cheesecakes
Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes
Mini Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Mini Gingerbread Cupcakes

A huge thanks to Molly at The TomKat Studio for the lovely party printables. Little details like coordinating printable tags, signs, etc. make such a difference in creating a finished look and pulling a party together.

I’ll be sharing a few new recipes from the party in the next week or two so be sure to check back for those. In the mean time I’m trying to figure out what to do with all this leftover fudge because fudge is sort of like my personal kryptonite…

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabellos

21 comments

posted in: Main Dish, Quick/Weeknight Meals, Vegetarian

12.12

2011

Every once in a while I’ll be flipping through a magazine or cookbook and a recipe will stop me dead in my tracks. That’s what happened the moment I laid eyes on this recipe. Roasted portabello mushroom caps topped with a spinach and artichoke filling. Are you kidding me?! There was no doubt in my mind that we would love this meal and of course, we did. What I did not love, however, were the awful photos that resulted from my first attempt at this dish. It was late, I was tired from work, and I had no time or energy to achieve decent lighting. They did not do the meal justice in the slightest. Thankfully this meal is so wonderful we were happy to enjoy it a second time in the same week in order to get some proper photos.

So, what’s not to love here? We’ve got a hearty roasted portabello cap, a creamy spinach and artichoke filling, and a crisp topping of breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Another plus is that you can have the whole thing on the table in under 30 minutes from start to finish. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m thinking the mayo in the filling could be easily substituted with Greek yogurt to lighten it up a bit. Both times I’ve been able to stuff five large portabello caps with the filling mixture. With three of us eating them for dinner, that makes two portions of excellent leftovers. In fact, guess what I’m having for lunch today?

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabellos

Ingredients

3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
4-5 medium-large portabello mushrooms, wiped clean and stems removed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature (reduced fat is fine)
3 tbsp. mayonnaise (reduced fat is fine)
1½ tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves, divided
9-10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
9 oz. frozen artichokes, thawed, patted dry and coarsely chopped
½ cup coarse breadcrumbs
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450˚ F. In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with two thirds of the minced garlic. Scrape the gills from the inside of the mushroom caps. Set the mushroom caps on a baking pan, gill side up, and brush lightly with the garlic-oil mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the filling. Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, remaining garlic, ½ teaspoon of the thyme, and the spinach in a medium bowl. Stir together until evenly blended. Gently stir in the artichokes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the filling mixture over the roasted mushroom caps.
In another small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and remaining 1 teaspoon of thyme. Stir with a fork to blend. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the filling mixture on each mushroom. Bake for 10 more minutes or until golden and warmed through. Serve immediately.

Source

Fine Cooking

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

17 comments

posted in: Chocolate, Cupcakes, Dessert

12.09

2011

We don’t need to discuss my profound love for pastry cream again do we? Okay, good. And it is a well known fact that almost anything topped with ganache becomes instantly better. So then it only makes sense that a cupcake combining a light sponge cake, amazing pastry cream, and rich ganache is going to be awesome…and of course these cupcakes are just that. I already loved the full size Boston cream pie so of course I love the individual cupcake version just as much if not more. Despite the multiple components involved, these were quite easy to make and assemble. Normally when I bring cupcakes into work I am perfectly content with just one (or sometimes even none, when I’m being really good), but these had me itching for seconds. Happy cupcake Friday!

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Yield: about 30 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the pastry cream:
4 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
Pinch of salt
2 cups milk
1¼ tsp. vanilla extract

For the cupcakes:
9 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pans
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2¼ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
¾ cup milk
4 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1½ cups sugar
1½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the ganache:
9 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1½ tbsp. light corn syrup

Directions

To make the pastry cream, place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually add the milk in a steady stream and cook until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble, about 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add about a third of the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks to temper. Return the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a full boil and is thick enough to hold its shape when lifted with a spoon, 2-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Lightly brush standard size muffin pans with melted butter. Coat the muffin wells with flour and shake out the excess. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine the milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
Add the eggs, egg yolk, and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed until pale yellow, fluffy, and thick enough to ribbon when the spatula is lifted, about 5 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium-low speed just until incorporated.
Bring the milk mixture just to a boil. With the mixer on low speed, add the hot milk mixture in a slow, steady stream, mixing just until smooth. Blend in the vanilla.
Fill the prepared muffin cups halfway with the batter. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes total. Transfer the pans to a cooling rack and let stand for 10 minutes. Run a small offset spatula or knife around the edges of each cake to loosen. Turn the cakes out onto the cooling rack and let cool completely.
To make the chocolate glaze, place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Combine the cream and corn syrup and bring to a simmer in a saucepan (or with short intervals in the microwave). Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand 1-2 minutes until the chocolate begins to melt. Gently whisk the mixture until the chocolate is totally melted and a smooth ganache forms.
To assemble the cupcakes, split each cake horizontally with a serrated knife. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the pastry cream on the bottom half of each cupcake. Replace the top halves. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the chocolate glaze over each cupcake. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. (These can be made and assembled up to 1 day in advance.)

Source

Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

DIY Flavored Syrups – The Holiday Edition

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posted in: Beverages, Christmas, Holiday

12.08

2011

Like it or not, it seems more and more people are beginning to mark the change of the seasons or a holiday time by what seasonal beverages are available at Starbucks. I do enjoy indulging in one of those lovely concoctions from time to time, but I do not enjoy the cost or the waste that comes with the pretty red cup (cute though they may be). Ever since I first posted about DIY flavored syrups a few months ago, I know many readers have been looking forward to some seasonal flavors. The pumpkin spice latte was all the rage back in the fall but now that holiday season is in full swing, I’ve got a few more festive flavors for you. This time there are eggnog, toffee, peppermint, and gingerbread flavors. You can do with these what you see fit – mix them into lattes, mochas, iced coffee, hot cocoa or even some fun adult beverages. Save yourself a few bucks and be your own barista!

DIY Flavored Syrups – The Holiday Edition
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Eggnog Syrup
Ingredients:
½ cup water
¼ cup eggnog
¾ cup sugar

Directions:
Combine the water, eggnog, and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high, stirring occasionally, just until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and transfer to a liquid measuring cup. Let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes. Use a spoon to skim the solids off of the top. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Toffee Syrup
Ingredients:
¾ cup water
¾ cup sugar
½ cup toffee bits

Directions:
Combine the water, sugar, and toffee bits in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high, stirring occasionally, just until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a liquid measuring cup. Let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes. Use a spoon to skim the solids off of the top. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Peppermint Syrup
Ingredients:
¾ cup water
¾ cup sugar
1 candy cane, crumbled (optional, for color)
½-1 tsp. peppermint extract

Directions:
Combine the water, sugar, and candy cane in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high, stirring occasionally, just until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a liquid measuring cup. Stir in the peppermint extract – ½ teaspoon is a good starting point and then you can add an additional ½ teaspoon if you desire. (Word to the wise – do not take a giant whiff of the still hot syrup unless you want a peppermint burn inside your nostrils. Trust Ben and I on this.) Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Gingerbread Syrup
Ingredients:
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. molasses
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let simmer gently for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Note: The bottles pictured here are olive oil bottles I found at Target.

Source

peppermint syrup slightly adapted from Cook Like a Champion, all other flavors Annie originals

DIY Chocolate Syrup

50 comments

posted in: Beverages, Dressings & Condiments

12.07

2011

I strongly believe that one of the very best things about being an adult is that I can drink chocolate milk whenever I want, and no one can say a single word about it. It is a perk I enjoy frequently. However, as an adult I am increasingly aware of both the ingredients we consume as well as the environmental impact of our habits. We have eliminated the majority of processed foods from our diets and I am generally pretty careful not to buy items containing high fructose corn syrup. Because of this, each glass of chocolate milk I drank was less and less enjoyable – I felt very guilty about my reliance on Hershey’s chocolate syrup.

So, what else to do but make my own chocolate syrup? Thankfully this recipe is so simple it can be made in less time than it would take to run to the store for the bottled stuff, and it uses just a few pantry staples. Of course I use it for so much more than just chocolate milk – making homemade mochas, drizzling on ice cream sundaes, etc. And as with just about everything homemade, this puts Hershey’s to shame. It is so much more rich and chocolatey – a little bit goes a long way.

Note: The bottle pictured is from Sur La Table. The straws are from Bake It Pretty.

DIY Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients

1¼ cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
¼ tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and cocoa powder and whisk briefly to break up any clumps. Stir in the water and salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Once the mixture reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Store in the refrigerator.

Source

52 Kitchen Adventures