Kitchenbelle

Fancy Rice Krispie Treats

Posted on May 15, 2011 by kitchenbelle

I wanted to make a Mother’s Day dessert that would really satisfy that unrefined sweet tooth that I sometimes find yelling for attention. (I know you all have one too…Yodels, anyone? How about a stack of IHOP pancakes with a whipped cream smiley face and blueberry syrup? No? Would you prefer a bag of gummy peach rings? Swedish fish? How about some blue cotton candy? I digress…) I briefly considered ignoring that tooth and making a truly fancy dessert that does not require the word fancy in front of it (creme brule, flan, chocolate tart) however, the tooth won. I decided to go for a basic and dress it up a bit!

There is something so primitively satisfying about thick, chewy Rice Krispie Treats. And they are simple to make. It turns out dressing them up is easy too!

Tips to delicious Rice Krispie Treats (fancy or not):

lots of butter (not enough butter = dry treats)
lots of marshmallows (not enough marshmallow = dry treats)
parchment paper (without parchment paper you might go crazy trying to press treats into pan. More treats will be stuck to your hands, spoon, and face than make it into the dish!)

Fancy Rice Krispie Treats:

2 – 10.5 ounce bags mini marshmallows
5.5 cups Rice Krispies cereal
8 tablespoons butter
1 – 4 ounce semi-sweet Ghirardelli chocolate bar
1/2 cup peanut butter baking chips
10 Oreo cookies crumbled into a bowl
rainbow sprinkles in a bowl

Make the Treats

Place a large piece of parchment paper on top of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Set aside.

Melt butter and marshmallows in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir until evenly combined. Remove from heat.

Spray a wooden spoon with cooking spray. Use the wooden spoon to stir Rice Krispies into marshmallow/butter mixture. Be certain all of the cereal is coated by the marshmallow mixture.

Use wooden spoon to turn cereal/marshmallow onto parchment paper in dish.

Cut another piece of parchment paper and place on top of the cereal/marshmallow mixture. Use the top piece of parchment to press the mixture evenly into the dish. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Once cool, measure 3.25 inch increments across the top of the pan and score treats with a pastry knife. Across the side of the pan, measure 3 inch increments and score with a pastry knife. Press pastry knife into treats to cut along the lines you scored. Use pastry knife to trim off uneven edges.

Dip the Treats

Fill a saucepan with two inches of water and bring to a low boil. Create a double boiler by placing a heat safe glass bowl on top of the saucepan. Snap pieces of chocolate bar into the glass bowl. As it melts, use a wooden spoon to swirl chocolate together.

Dip one treat at a time into the melted chocolate and then into either the sprinkles or the Oreo cookie crumbs.

Once you have used half of the chocolate, return the double boiler to the heat and add the peanut butter chips. Swirl with a spoon until melted with the chocolate.

Dip the remaining treats into the peanut butter/chocolate mixture and then into either the sprinkles or the Oreo cookie crumbs.

Place each treat on a cooling rack and let sit until chocolate and peanut butter are completely dry. Enjoy!

Filed under: candy, chocolate, Dessert, Peanut Butter | 3 Comments »

It’s Been a While & Turkey Cutlets Stuffed with Sundried Tomato and Goat Cheese

Posted on April 28, 2011 by kitchenbelle

I’ve thought about many ways to write this post. Apologies for taking so much time off. Explanations for what I’ve been doing. Reasons for not writing. Details of meals I have prepared and cakes I have baked and not photographed.

Coming back is tough. After you’ve been away a while, what’s one more day? And another? Another and another? That’s what brings us to April. I am rusty. I have a seven month old beauty! I am extraordinarily happy. And sleepy. I’ll leave it at that for now.

Here is a delicious and simple week night dinner. Lately, our dinners are the following formula: protein + vegetable + starch (or second vegetable). This recipe is my way of spicing up the protein.

Turkey Cutlets Stuffed with Sundried Tomato and Goat Cheese:

4 turkey cutlets
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons sundried tomato spread*
4 ounces of goat cheese
4 toothpicks

*You could use chopped sundried tomatoes as a substitute

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Pat dry turkey cutlets and season with salt and pepper.

Pour mustard onto a small plate or into a shallow bowl. One at a time, dip cutlets in mustard smearing on both sides. Scoop one tablespoon of sundried tomato spread into the center of the cutlet. Place a one ounce slice of goat cheese on top of the spread. Carefully roll the cutlet and secure with a toothpick. Place in a baking dish.

Bake at 375 F for 20-30 minutes or until turkey juice runs clear.

Here the cutlet has been dipped in mustard and topped with sundried tomato spread and goat cheese

I found some fabulous goat cheese at a shop called American Provisions in South Boston

A kitchenbelle.com original.

Filed under: Main Dish, tomato, turkey | 7 Comments »

Watermelon Sangria

Posted on August 10, 2010 by kitchenbelle

I have been really loving watermelon this season. I have been loving it so much that more than once I have eaten an entire watermelon in one week. Something about the sweetness, freshness, coolness, crispness, and color are so appealing. It is such a pleasant fruit!

A few weeks ago I came across a recipe for Watermelon Sangria in one of Tosca Reno’s clean eating cookbooks and it could not have been better timing. I have been really digging the mocktail lately and pair that with being super hot and thirsty all of the time and it was as if this drink was created just for me!

Note #1: If you prefer a cocktail to a mocktail add one bottle of dry sparkling white wine in place of the seltzer.

Note#2: If watermelon isn’t your thing, give POM-gria a try! (That’s pomegranate sangria!)

Watermelon Sangria:

Half of one large fresh watermelon, rind removed and cut into chunks
3 limes, thinly sliced
2 oranges, thinly sliced
1 bottle of peach flavored seltzer

In a food processor, puree watermelon chunks in batches. Over a bowl strain each batch of watermelon liquid through a mesh strainer. Dispose of pulp. Pour the watermelon juice into a large pitcher. Add lime and orange slices and stir. Refrigerate until completely chilled. Add seltzer just prior to serving.

Adapted from recipe found in Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Cookbook.

Filed under: beverage, orange | 12 Comments »

Pasta Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Green Olivada

Posted on August 2, 2010 by kitchenbelle

I love the versatility of pasta salads made with olive oil instead of mayonnaise.

They:

are delicious both at room temperature or cold
are great sides for BBQ fare
can be eaten as a main dish
make for excellent leftovers

While I was on the prowl for a new olive oil-based pasta salad, I came across this recipe in July’s issue of Bon Appetit magazine. It spoke to me for two reasons:

I was intrigued by the Olivada. (I had never heard of that before.)
I love Gemelli.

It turns out olivada is a Mediterranean version of tapenade–minced olives blended with oil and spices. (Think olive pesto.)

Gemelli are chewy little braid-shaped macaroni. They are easily found in most grocery stores. That said, however, I don’t find them to be commonly used. Using them adds some visual and textural interest to what might have been a typical pasta dish.

As I read down the ingredient list for this recipe, I noticed a component I don’t frequently use in my kitchen: Anchovy paste. Interesting. While it’s not often that I cook with anchovies, I did happen to have a tin of anchovies in my pantry. I decided I could benefit from the fatty acids and calcium that anchovies pack so I added them in place of the recipe’s anchovy paste.

The outcome? Truthfully, it was basically like adding salt. They blended into the olivada so smoothly that I would never have known they were there if I hadn’t added them myself! (In fact, I served this to my sister-in-law, who does not eat fish, and she loved it! That is, until I let out my little secret! 🙂 )

If you are wary of small salty fish but interested in the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet, I definitely recommend this dish as a way to ease in.

It is a delicious and versatile salad for summer and yet I can see bringing it to an apple picking picnic this fall.

Pasta Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Green Olivada:

3 garlic cloves peeled
1 jar pitted green olives
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 small tin of anchovies
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound of gemelli macaroni
2 pints of fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons fresh chives. roughly chopped

Add garlic to food processor and process until finely chopped. Add 1 cup of the chopped olives, capers, red wine vinegar, anchovies, mustard, and crushed red pepper. Turn processor on and off six times or until mixture is coarsely chopped. With machine running, gently and gradually add 1/2 cup of olive oil. Use a rubber spatula to transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in remaining chopped olives. Season to taste using salt and pepper. This is your olivada. Cover and refrigerate.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well. Transfer pasta to a bowl and drizzle with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add olivada and halved tomatoes. Toss well to coat. Garnish with chopped chives and serve.

Adapted from recipe found in July 2010 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.

Filed under: olives, tomato | 7 Comments »

White Bean and Asparagus Salad

Posted on July 30, 2010 by kitchenbelle

I don’t think I am alone when I say that as much as I adore cooking, the heat of the summer can really test that love. I don’t find myself extremely hungry when it is hot and humid and since it is my hunger and cravings that usually prompt a wild rendezvous in the kitchen I am less and less likely to be inspired to get in there and get busy. That said, however, there are nights when I am really hungry and the physical heat of the kitchen becomes my deterrent. That is when the grill out back becomes my hero. And what goes better with a grilled protein than a cool fresh summer side? Enter this White Bean and Asparagus Salad.

Not only is this superfood-packed salad a perfect accompaniment to grilled steak tips, lamb kebabs, or burgers, but also it stands up on its own just perfectly. I really enjoyed eating the leftovers for lunch. This is one of those salads where the flavors actually improve after a few days. And because asparagus is nice and fibrous it doesn’t get mushy.

*A Note about Raw Garlic: I am a garlic fiend. I love eating chunks of fresh raw garlic in foods, therefore, in salads like this one, if I am preparing it for myself and my family, I only roughly chop the garlic. However, chunks of raw garlic aren’t pleasant for most people. If you are preparing a dish containing raw garlic for a crowd, I recommend always finely mincing it or passing it through a garlic press.

White Bean and Asparagus Salad:

2 bunches fresh asparagus, trimmed and rough ends snapped off
7 sundried tomatoes (not in oil)
3 cloves of garlic*, roughly chopped or minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
a pinch or two of crushed red pepper
1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons capers, drained
1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a steamer basket over boiling water, place asparagus and dried tomatoes. Cover and steam until asparagus is crisp and tender–approximately 4 minutes. Remove tomatoes and set aside. Using tongs, remove asparagus from basket and place into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the water. Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces and set aside. Roughly chop the tomatoes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Add asparagus, tomatoes, beans, and capers. Toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.