Friday Recipes

Finally, Friday. Here are six recipes to help you through the weekend. Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE CHIP ICEBOX COOKIES

This comes from Diana Rattray, About.com's Southern Food expert. She writes, “These icebox cookies are filled with ground chocolate chips. Use a small food processor or chopper to grind or chop the chocolate chips for these cookies. The dough is chilled slightly and then it's rolled into logs and thoroughly chilled until it's very firm. Plant to let the dough logs chill for at least four hours, or leave them in the refrigerator overnight.” Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 11 minutes; Total Time: 26 minutes; Yield: About 3 dozen

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 cup butter (8 ounces)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups all-purpose flour, 13 1/2 ounces

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, ground or finely chopped

Preparation

In large mixing bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter and sugars together until light; add eggs, vanilla and salt and beat until light and fluffy.

With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour. Stir in the ground chocolate chips.

Chill the dough for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until firm enough to shape.

Divide dough into 2 portions; form each portion into a log and wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper.

Refrigerate the dough logs for at least 4 hours, or until very firm.

Heat the oven to 350° F (180° C/Gas 4). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, or lightly grease the pan.

Cut a log into 1/4-inch slices and place on the prepared baking sheet about an inch apart.

Bake for 9 to 12 minutes.

SEARED BROCCOLI AND POTATO SOUP

This comes from Melissa Clark from The New York Times' Cooking newsletter. If you haven't already signed up for their newsletter, I highly recommend it.

For this recipe, Melissa writes, “This is not your average broccoli soup. Instead of merely boiling the broccoli to cook it, here, the florets are seared until deeply browned on one side while remaining bright green on the other. This gives the soup a layer of caramelized flavor while also preserving the fresh green taste of the broccoli itself. It’s a technique inspired by Andrew Feinberg of Franny’s restaurant in Brooklyn, who also uses it for zucchini soup. In this version, we’ve added potato for body, chile flakes for spice and lemon zest to heighten the citrus tang at the end.” Time: 45 minutes; makes 4 to 6 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil, plus more as needed

2 heads broccoli (about 2 pounds), separated into small florets, stems peeled and diced

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large Spanish onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoons black pepper, more for finishing

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, more to taste

Grated Parmesan, to finish

Flaky sea salt, to finish

Preparation

In a large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat. Add about a third of the broccoli, just enough so that it covers the bottom of the pan in a single layer without overcrowding. Cook broccoli without moving it for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until dark brown on 1 side only (leave the other side bright green). Transfer to a big bowl and repeat with remaining broccoli and more oil. When all the broccoli has been browned, season with 1 teaspoon salt and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add butter and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to pan. Add onions and garlic, black and red peppers, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook onion-garlic mixture until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add potato to the pot with 1 quart water and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, cover pot and cook until potato is just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add broccoli, cover again and cook until tender, another 5 to 10 minutes.

Add lemon zest and roughly purée soup with an immersion or regular blender, leaving some small chunks for texture. Stir in lemon juice. Finish with grated Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, black pepper and flaky sea salt.

SOUR-CREAM COFFEE CAKE

This comes from Robert Farrar Capon in The New York Times' Cooking e-newsletter. Robert writes, “Here is a classic coffee cake with a tender crumb and a crunchy streusel topping that comes together in about an hour. It's quite rich, so your serving sizes don't need to be large.” Time: 1 hour; makes about 12 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Topping:

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1 to 2 tablespoons of melted butter

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Sift flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture alternately with sour cream and vanilla.

Pour into a well-buttered baking pan (8-by-8-inch). Combine sugar, cinnamon, nuts, melted butter and sprinkle evenly over the top of the cake. Bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool, cut into pieces and serve.

NACHO POT PIE BAKE

This comes from the Tablespoon e-newsletter. It begins, “A flavor-packed “all-in-one” meal topped with cheesy nacho chips makes this one you won’t want to miss.” Prep Time: 15 min; Total Time: 60 min; Makes 4 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 bag (11 oz) Green Giant™ Seasoned Steamers™ frozen honey roasted sweet corn

1 can (10 3/4 oz) fiesta nacho cheese condensed soup

1/4 cup water

2 cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed

1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (6 oz)

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

2 cups coarsely broken tortilla chips

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Microwave corn as directed on package for minimum cook time.

In large bowl, mix cooked corn, soup, water, chicken, black beans, 1 cup of the cheese and the chili powder.

Spoon mixture into ungreased 8-inch square (2-quart) baking dish. Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Top with chips and remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 5 to 7 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

PERFECT PANCAKES

This comes from FamilyTime.com. The recipe starts out, “Golden brown, delicious pancakes are always welcome! This foolproof recipe is great for kids learning how to cook. Serve the pancakes with maple or fruit syrup, honey, sliced fruit, or fresh berries. Butter is delicious, too!” Serves 4 to 6; Prep Time: 10 minutes; cook time: about 3 minutes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

about 1 1/4 cups milk

2 tablespoons Crisco® Vegetable Oil, or melted butter

In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, beat the egg and then stir in the milk and oil until mixed. Pour into the flour and stir just until moistened.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat until hot. The pan is hot enough when a drop of water "dances" on its surface. Drop a pat of butter or a little vegetable oil on the pan and let it melt. Tilt the pan to spread the butter or oil over the surface, or spread it with a spatula.

Ladle or pour the batter into the hot surface, allowing a scant 1/4 cup for each pancake. Leave about 1 inch between each and with a spatula or the back of a spoon spread the pancakes into circles about 4 inches in diameter.

Cook each pancake for about 1 minute or until small bubbles appear on the top and the bottom turns golden brown. Using a pancake turner, flip them and cook for another minute or until golden brown on both sides. Adjust the heat to avoid burning.

To prevent toughening, only turn the pancakes once -- and flip them before the surface bubbles break.

Lift the pancakes from the skillet with a pancake turner and serve immediately. Make the rest of the pancakes with the remaining batter. You should have twelve 4-inch pancakes.

Note: You can keep the pancakes warm in a 200 degree F. oven. Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet and serve as soon as you can.

ACADIAN RIGATONI

This is from FamilyTime.com. The recipe starts out, “Three ingredients form the foundation of this Acadian dish - onion, celery, and green bell pepper. It's delectable!” Prep. time: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 28 minutes,
Serves: 4. To view this online, click here..

Ingredients

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 pound hot Italian sausage, or andouille, casings removed, sausage cut into 1-inch pieces

1 onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree, one 16 ounce can

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

3/4 pound rigatoni

Directions

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic. Cover the pan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and black pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes longer.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the rigatoni until just done, about 14 minutes. Drain and toss the pasta with the sauce.