Dory in the Kitchen

This creamy mushroom pasta dish is so simple yet satisfying, you'll be tempted to make it night after night. Here's what you'll need to make it: Olive oil Butter Salt & Pepper Parsley Heavy cream Parmesan cheese Lemon Shallots Assorted mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shitake, etc)  Pasta (angel hair, spaghetti, or bucatini) While your pasta of choice is boiling away, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Rip 8 ounces of mushrooms into pieces and cook about half of them in a single layer, flipping occasionally, until mushrooms are golden brown. Be sure to salt the mushrooms and follow Julia Child's advice and "don't crowd the mushrooms".  One cooked, remove those mushrooms and set aside. Add a bit more oil to the pan and add the other half of the mushrooms. Once cooked, add the reserved mushrooms, and add a finely diced shallot. Cook until the shallots are translucent. Drain your pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta wa...

This is a delightful, light, buttery cookie with a wonderful hint of orange zest that I've loved since I was a child. Thanks to Aunt Shauna for the recipe! Gingerbread Cookies 1 c. butter 1 1/2 c. sugar 1 egg 4 t. orange zest 2 T. dark corn syrup 3 c. flour 2 t. soda 2 t. ground cinnamon 1 t. ground ginger 1/2 t. ground clove 1/2 t. salt Cream butter & sugar. Add egg; beat well. Add orange zest, corn syrup and mix. Sift together all dry ingredients then stir into creamed mixture. Chill thoroughly. Roll 1/4" thick on floured surface and cut into desired shapes. Place 1" apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes in preheated 375° oven. Cool before removing from sheets. Makes 2 doz. cookies.

If you're in need of a quick and easy homemade gift to share with friends, family, or neighbors, give my apple butter recipe a try. These little jars are packed with flavor, lots of warming spices, and tart apple sweetness, and your slow cooker does almost all of the work for you while fragrantly perfuming your home. Ingredients 4 lbs honey crisp apples, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped 1 cup honey 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves Directions Combine honey and spices in a cold crock pot. Add apples and stir. Set temperature to low, cover, and let cook for 7 hours or until the apples are completely softened. Remove cover and allow to cook for one more hour uncovered to thicken. Using an immersion blender, puree mixture and put into sterilized jars.

I kid you not, until this year, I had never ever once baked sugar cookies. Me and cookies, we just aren't a good pairing. I don't like to eat them that much and baking them can be a pain if your butter isn't right, if there's too much flour, if your dough is too warm, etc. If you know, you know. And sugar cookies.....ugh. They can spread. They can be thin and crispy. They can be boring. Not these! This recipe is easy to make and consistently turns out thick, soft, tasty, and shape maintaining cookies. INGREDIENTS 2   Cups   Unsalted Butter, softened 2   Cups   Granulated Sugar 1   tsp   Salt 2   tsp   Vanilla Extract 4   Large   Eggs 7-8   Cups   All Purpose Flour 1/4   tsp   Baking Powder 1/2   Cup   Milk INSTRUCTIONS Cream butter, sugar, salt and vanilla together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes) Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add eggs and mix on medium speed until fully c...

I like to imagine a world where my Grandma's toffee is cut to pieces, wrapped in foil, and traded like currency. It's just that good. Spread evenly in a buttered 8x8" buttered pan: 1 bag  chocolate  chips or 2 Hershey almond bars, chopped. In a heavy saucepan bring to boil over medium heat: 2 sticks butter (no substitute) 1 c. sugar (granulated) 3 T. water 1 T. light corn syrup Boil over medium high heat - to a temperature of 300° - stirring constantly. Pour over chocolate chips completely cover chips but do not stir. Let stand over-night. Place in refrigerator 2-3 hours then break into  pieces . Keeps best in refrigerator.

Because it's Christmas Eve, today, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite Danish dishes: Risengrød. Translating to rice porridge, this dish is typically consumed on Christmas Eve and comes with years of tradition in its simple recipe. Normally you'd serve it with a blanched almond in it, and whoever finds the almond is supposed to get married within a years' time. Obviously, I omitted the almond. Here's how to make my favorite risengrød: In a large and thick sauce pan, add 1 cup short grain rice (either sushi grade rice or arborrio), 1/2 cup water, and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Add 4 cups whole milk (or half and half to make it richer), 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and stir to combine. Return to a boil, cover, and let simmer on low for 30-35 minutes. Be sure to stir it occasionally to keep the mixture from sticking to and burning on the bottom of your pan. Once cooked, serve warm with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon ...

In my humble opinion, the best recipes are the ones that appear to have required loads of time, expert knowledge, and top shelf ingredients, but really require little to no effort. This recipe is one of those. The Forgotten Cookie. You literally make the mixture at night before going to bed and wake up to the most miraculous meringue cookie! My crispy cardamom spiced meringues filled with chocolate and pistachio, will soon be your favorite to make, eat, and gift. Here's how to make them: Whisk two room temperature egg whites, along with a pinch of salt, in the bowl of a stand mixture, just until soft peaks start to form. Gradually add 100 grams of sugar, in small batches, while whisking on high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture is shiny and glossy. To the meringue mixture, gently fold in 1 teaspoon white vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch.  By hand, fold in 75 grams of the chocolate of your choice, finely chopped (dark chocolate ...

 Ingredients 1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cardamom 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup salted butter 1 large egg 4 small peaches, pitted and sliced 1/4" thick Directions Brown your butter: Melt butter in a small/medium saucepan over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, go almost silent, and then finally start to turn brown and smell a little nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom. Do not let it burn, but once it's browned, place butter in a bowl and let cool in the fridge until solid. Preheat your oven to 390 degrees F, or 190 degrees C. Butter a 9x9 inch pan, or spray with baking spray. In the bowl of a food processor, add all dry ingredients, and give the mixture a few pulses to combine. To the dry ingredients, add your chilled browned butter and egg. Pulse a few times to allow the butter to break up and the mix...

I hate blog posts that go on and on with some boring story, so let's skip all that and go straight to this grilled cheese. This amalgamation of bruschetta, garlic bread, and grilled cheese is stupid addicting and you'll kick yourself for not using some of my techniques.  First, allow a few tablespoons of butter to come to room temperature. Once softened, add 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt and 1 tablespoon of that cheap pre-grated parmesan. Spread it evenly over the two outside sides of your bread.  I like to get my bread nice and toasted before adding the innards - it just speeds things up a bit - so let your bread come to a very light golden brown over medium heat.  Spread a little bit of pesto on the untoasted sides, and then top with your cheese of choice. I like swiss but you could use any good melting cheese.  Do not put your pieces of bread together, yet. Cover your pan with a lid, or foil, or something that'll trap the heat and let the cheese melt....

I might not know you, but I can guarantee that you've underestimated that packet of 20 cent ramen in your pantry. So let's hack your ramen. Let's flip the instant ramen script. Select two packets of ramen. Any flavor will do, but my flavor of choice is pork. The instructions will tell you to use two cups of water, per package, but we want flavor...not watered down broth. Use two cups of water for both ramen packets.  In a pan, add your water, two seasoning packets, and your fun ramen mix-ins. I recommend greens, and something more substantial. I chose bok choy and a variety of mushrooms: oyster, cremini, and shitake. Add those to your broth and bring to a low simmer just long enough to start cooking your veggies.  In a separate pot, hard boil some eggs for however long it'll take to get your favorite yolk consistency. I like mine jammy. Just a little gooey. Peel once done and slice in half.  Your veggies should be close to done so kick that temperature up, t...

Cookies 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 2 cups packed brown sugar 2 large eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats 2 teaspoons baking soda 3 tablespoons boiling water Filling (adapted from  “The All-American Dessert Book”) 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (about 1 1/2 packets) 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup water (divided) 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup powdered sugar 8 ounces vegetable shortening Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside (I prefer to use parchment paper as it saves me from doing even more dishes!). Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, sift together the salt, flour, and baking powder. Add to the creamed mixture. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and oats. Mix well. In a small dish, add the baki...

If spring had a flavor, it'd taste like peas. Sweet. Fresh. Full of life. And if you'd like to find a better use for a bag of frozen peas, something other than tossing a bag on a bruise, then this recipe is for you...Spring Pea Pasta. 8 ounce s orecchiette pasta 2 tablespoon s butter 2  medium shallots 3 cup s peas (fresh or frozen) ¼ cup   heavy cream ¼ cup  whole milk 1 ½  to  2  cups grated parmesan ½  Lemon,  Zested Salt, to taste Cook the pasta according to instructions. Drain, reserving about ½ cup of pasta water, and set aside. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a large pan. Mince the shallots and add them to the pan, cooking until they are soft and starting to brown. Add in the peas and cook until the peas are hot. Add the cream and milk, stirring to combine. Heat over low heat and stir in 1 1/2 cups of parmesan. Continue to cook until the sauce begins to thicken slightly. Add the pasta and stir to coat. If the pasta is too thin, add a ...

I made these, having never tasted them before, for the gang at work a while back and I may have created some monsters in the process.  Because of the toasted marshmallow center, I thought they would be best transported if I wrapped them, individually, in plastic wrap.  I made my rounds to the offices, handing them out, and telling people to save them for lunch.  Several people immediately pressed them to their noses and died right there on the spot at the amazing scent combination of peanut butter, toasted marshmallow, and butterscotch.  Funeral services will be announced, later.  One person had the nerve to ask where I bought them.  The rest consumed them, immediately, causing what I'm sure is an incredibly unhealthy and unnatural spike in blood sugar.  One by one they drifted into my office commenting on how good they were and that they wanted to eat more if I had them.  It's like The Walking Dead up here but instead of human flesh, ...

I will make no claims to this being the best salsa you've ever tasted, or that it's better than the jars lining grocery store shelves, or that its flavor rivals the fresh salsa you're served in restaurants. But I will say that the people who've eaten my salsa will make those claims.  This recipe could not be easier but it is made  easier with the help of a food processor. Over the years I've made this exact recipe, this large amount of salsa, by hand. I've cut up every finely diced tomato. Scraped the innards of peppers. Peeled and chopped itty bitty pieces of garlic. All by hand. I've also used a minuscule food processor that can chop up no more than 8 oz. of anything. And I've used my hand dandy Black & Decker food processor. The big one is the best one.  Here's what you'll need: 9 large beefsteak tomatoes, cleaned and quartered 1 bunch cilantro, cleaned and still on the stems 5-6 green onions, cleaned and root base trimmed 4 la...

Once again, Scandinavia hits a home run with baked goods and they anhilate any and all gingerbread recipes you may have liked with these pepperkake. In fact, I've been known to fill my checked luggage with tubs of these, from Iceland. They break. They shatter. They taste just as good. Commonly eaten at Christmas, these spiced and aromatic cookies are just as easy to make as they are delicious to eat. You could easily buy packages of these at IKEA (they're cute little flower shapes) but I find the fresh flavor is just a million times better. Ingredients 400 grams sugar 200 grams butter 1/3 cup light syrup (use Lyle's Golden Syrup or dark corn syrup) 3/5 cup heavy cream 4 teaspoons ginger 4 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons black pepper (freshly ground is best, trust me) 4 teaspoons ground cloves 1 tablespoon baking soda 750 - 850 grams flour In a large saucepan, add the sugar, butter, and syrup. Stir together and heat until melted. Set aside to cool. Once the mixture has cooled...

Everything pumpkin is the rage right now, and if you're not into the PSL craze and you prefer to bake with pumpkin, then I have the perfect recipe for you. My pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting will put a smile on anyone's face and absolutely brighten any dessert table. Canned pumpkin makes this recipe easier than easy, and the delicious blend of spices are perfection. Whip up a batch and let me know what you think! Cake Ingredients & Directions 4 eggs 1 1/2 cup sugar free apple sauce 2 cups granulated sugar 15 oz can of pumpkin puree 2 1/2 cup flour 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon cardamom 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt Combine the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients and mix until well combined.  Bake in an ungreased Texas sheet pan at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Frosting Ingredients & Directions 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla ...

I haven't felt much like blogging, lately, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been baking and cooking up a storm. In fact, since my last post, I've been to Paris and attended some workshops at Le Cordon Bleu. Cooking never ceases. One of my favorite dishes, lately, is this garlic roasted potato, egg, and spinach salad with French mustard vinaigrette. Yes, you must turn on your oven, but I promise, it's worth it. I got the recipe from naturallyella.com but I've tweaked it a bit with the flavors that I prefer. Dressing 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons French mustard 2 teaspoons honey 1/4 teaspoons sea salt Pinch of pepper Pinch of red pepper flakes Potatoes 1/2 pound baby potatoes 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper Salad 4 cups lightly packed baby spinach 3 soft boiled eggs, quartered Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring...

Ingredients:   3 cups all-purpose flour I recommend King Arthur brand 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast not quick-rise 1 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt 3 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary 3 teaspoons of Meyer lemon zest (you will need 2-3 lemons 1 1/3 cups room temperature or lukewarm water Cornmeal Instructions Day 1: o     Combine the flour, yeast, salt, rosemary and lemon zest in a large bowl by stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the water and stir until the dry ingredients are well-moistened and a shaggy, sticky dough has formed (I sometimes have to use my hands to lightly knead and work all the ingredients into a loose mass). Transfer the dough to a clean bowl coated with cooking spray. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit at room temperature (about 70 degrees F) for 12-18 hours. After a minimum of 12 hours the surface will become dotted with bubbles - that’s a si...

In case you haven't already guessed, I adore browned butter. But I didn't always. As a child, I distinctly remember my mother falling in love with browned butter and mizithra cheese on pasta. The cheese was just too funky to me and I refused to eat anything that resembled that dish or had any of its components. A few years ago, while trying to think of a creative way to spice up my annual Thanksgiving pies, I thought of increasing the inherent nuttiness of my pecan pies by using browned butter. It was at that moment that the browned butter love consumed my arteries. This recipe I'm about to share only deepens my love of browned butter. Deepens it to an ultra dark, nutty, fragrant, and rich level. I use bourbon twice in the recipe but you're welcome to omit it if you're not a fan. picture and original recipe :: here :: Ingredients For the buttered pecans: 1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons bourbon For...

If you've never heard of ruby chocolate, don't worry, you're not alone. No, it's not colored white chocolate. No they don't do anything crazy to flavor it or change it. It's REALLY pink chocolate and I REALLY love it. I was first exposed to ruby chocolate in Norway where I bought a stupid amount of ruby chocolate Kit Kats at various train stops and convenience stores. Of course its shiny newness intrigued me, but what really got me was the unique flavor. Slight sweetened and tangy like fresh berries, this is a kind of chocolate I can really get behind. Finding it in stores is difficult and buying it online just seemed a little out of my price range, so you can imagine how excited I was to find that Trader Joe's began selling it! I quickly snatched up three bags and started thinking about how to best use it. It's subtle flavor didn't need to be muted by competing ingredients, and I knew immediately that my browned butter blondie would be the p...