First Weekend Recipes

It's the first weekend of the new year. Enjoy!

HERBED CHEESE CROISSANTS

This comes from Rebecca Franklin, About.com's French Food expert. She writes, “Warm and buttery, this herbed cheese croissant recipe is a savory version of the famous French pastry. A perfect complement to sweet brunch foods, these croissants can be served with soup and salad for a cafe-style meal later. They are absolutely delicious split open, layered with thin-sliced ham and a liberal layer of butter, and then toasted for a quick dinner.” Prep Time: 180 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 195 minutes; Yield: 20 cheese croissants

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 teaspoons instant dried yeast

1/2 cup lukewarm water

3 1/2 cups bread flour

1 tablespoons fresh assorted herbs

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup butter, softened

8 ounces Camembert cheese, rind removed and thinly sliced

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

Preparation

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water for 5 minutes. Add the bread flour, herbs, milk, sugar, melted butter, and salt to the dissolved yeast and water and mix the dough on medium speed for about 2 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of extra flour at a time, until the dough is just firm enough to fold a shape.

Shape dough into a ball and loosely cover it with plastic wrap. Allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Roll the dough into a 10-inch by 15-inch rectangle, and then cover it loosely and allow it to rise for 40 minutes.

Brush the rectangle with the softened butter and then fold the dough into thirds, like a letter. Roll the long, thin rectangle back into the original 10-inch by 15 shape. Fold the dough into thirds, again, and then cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Repeat this process one more time.

Using a sharp knife, cut the dough diagonally to make 20 triangles. Pull the tip of each triangle taut, place the cheese slices in a single layer over the dough, and then roll the croissants up from the base curving the ends slightly to make a crescent shape. Arrange each finished croissant on a lightly greased baking sheet with at least 1 1/2 inches between each pastry. Cover them loosely with plastic wrap and allow them to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they are nearly doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Whisk the egg and 2 tablespoons milk together to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash across the surface of each pastry. Bake the croissants for 12 to 14 minutes, until they are puffed and golden brown.

This herbed cheese croissants recipe makes 20 servings.

HAZELNUT CINNAMON ROLLS

This comes from Giada De Laurentiis of The Food Network's Everyday Italian. Total Time: 1 hr 40 min; Prep: 20 min; Inactive: 45 min; Cook: 35 min; Yield: 6 servings; Level: Easy

To read more, go to: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/hazelnut-cinnamon-rolls-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 (1-pound) loaf purchased frozen white bread dough, thawed (recommended: Bridgeford)

3/4 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

1 tablespoon buttermilk

Directions

Brush 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. Mix the nuts, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves in a small bowl. Roll out the thawed dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Brush 1 tablespoon of butter over the dough. Sprinkle the nut mixture over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the top and bottom sides. Starting at 1 long side, roll up the dough jelly-roll style, forming a log. Pinch the seam to seal. Cut the log into 9 equal pieces. Arrange the rolls, cut side down, in the prepared baking dish, spacing evenly. Cover the dish with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise in a warm draft-free area until puffed, about 45 minutes.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.

Bake the cinnamon rolls uncovered until the tops are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the powdered sugar, mascarpone cheese, and buttermilk in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy.

Brush the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the baked cinnamon rolls and then drizzle the cheese mixture over top. Serve warm.

GREEK YOGURT MAC AND CHEESE

This is from the Tablespoon newsletter. Easy to sign up, interesting recipes. Prep Time: 30 min; Total Time 30 min; Servings 3

To view online, click here.

1/2 pound pasta (1/2 box) (Cellentani is my favorite for almost any mac and cheese)

3.5 ounces (1 container) Yoplait® Greek honey yogurt

8 ounces Jack cheese, grated

2 tablespoons chives

1/2 cup Progresso™ panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Bring salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until al dente. Strain, reserving about a cup of the pasta cooking water, and return to the pot, but keep it OFF the heat. Stir in the cheese, but be careful to not let it clump up. Doing it in 3 smaller batches helps. Add in about half the pasta water and stir. Finally, add the yogurt and mix well. Stir in the chives.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan, toast the breadcrumbs in the butter. Stir often to evenly toast and avoid burning.

Serve your mac and cheese and top with the crispy breadcrumbs.

TEXAS CAVIAR

This comes from Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, About.com's Home Cooking expert. She writes, “This Tex-Mex style of salsa includes beans and white corn, along with the other traditional salsa ingredients of tomatoes, onions, chiles, and cilantro. Here, the chosen beans are canned black-eyed peas, so you can easily put this together. Make it a couple of days in advance so the flavors can meld. Serve with tortilla chips, and you have a crowd-pleasing party appetizer with little effort.”

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 10 minutes; Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients

1 (15.8-ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained (see Notes)

1-1/2 cups chopped fresh tomato

1 cup canned white "shoe-peg" corn, drained

1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

3 Tablespoons canned chopped mild green chiles

2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar or white vinegar

1 Tablespoon (about 1 medium-sized) minced seeded jalapeno or serrano chile pepper

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Fresh cilantro for garnish

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine black-eyed peas, tomatoes, corn, green oniones, mild green chiles, vinegar, jalapenos, cilantro, olive oil, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Stir gently until mixed.


Cover and refrigerate 2 to 3 days to let flavors meld.

To serve, garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and accompany with colorful, plain, or cheesy tortilla chips.

Notes:
Feel free to substitute black beans or small pinto beans for the black-eyed peas.

MY SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Okay, shameless plug time: I have an e-cookbook on Amazon.com. This recipe is in it. You can find (and buy) Off The Wall Cooking here.28 oz. can tomatoes (note)

2-8 oz. cans tomato sauce

2-6 oz cans tomato paste

3 onions, chopped

3-5 cloves garlic, minced

2 T olive oil

1 T oregano

1/4 - 1/2 lb. grated cheddar cheese

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. dill

1 tsp. anise

2 T honey

Brown onions & garlic in oil. Add tomatoes, sauce & pasted. Stir. Add everything ex-cept cheese & stir. Simmer 1 hour. Add cheese & stir until cheese is melted. Serve over hot spaghetti. Better the next day—if any is left!NOTE: I usually use crushed tomatoes. If you’d rather use fresh tomatoes, 6-8 large ones may be used (diced, of course) in place of the canned tomatoes, & add an extra can of tomato sauce.

SLOW-COOK VEGGIE CHILI

From http://www.mydailymoment.com/

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

4 onions, chopped

2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14 oz.) package firm tofu, drained and cubed

4 (15.5 oz.) cans black beans, drained

2 (15 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. ground cumin

6 tbsp. chili powder

2 tbsp. dried oregano

2 tbsp. distilled white vinegar

1 tbsp. liquid hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until they start to become soft. Add the green peppers, red peppers, garlic and tofu; cook and stir until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, the whole process should take about 10 minutes.

Pour the black beans into the slow cooker and set to Low. Stir in the sauted vegetables and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, vinegar and hot pepper sauce; Stir gently and cover. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

Additional Tips: Ready in 6 hours 10 min