White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

This is a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, but with white chocolate and macadamia nuts.  These white chocolate discs are a nice change because they are larger than regular chocolate chips and are pretty too; you can find them at gourmet food stores. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar 
1 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup white chocolate discs or chips 
1 cup macadamia nuts, halved

Directions:
Heat oven to 375.  Combine brown sugar, sugar, butter and eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and blend well.

Incorporate flour, baking soda and salt, then fold in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Drop dough by large tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (or longer for crisp cookies). Cool  before removing from cookie sheets.  Enjoy!

Boxty (Irish Potato Pancake)

Boxty are traditional Irish pancakes, different than American style pancakes in that they are half hash brown, half mashed potato. I prefer them to traditional potato pancakes; something about the mixture helps make them a bit less greasy.

The Irish saying goes, "Boxty in the griddle, boxty in the pan, if you can't make boxty, you'll never get a man!"  Sexism and cooking; a great combination!  Happy St Paddy's Day!

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
3 cups grated raw potatoes or frozen shredded hash browns
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups mashed potatoes
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
Vegetable or olive oil, for frying

Directions:
Prepare mashed potatoes as you usually would and set aside to cool (can be made the night before, or used from leftovers). Toss the grated potatoes with flour in a bowl.  Stir in the mashed potatoes.  In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and milk, then add to the potato mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil on a griddle or pan, then drop the potato mixture in large tablespoons onto the hot surface, pressing down slightly to form patties.  Fry on both sides until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes per side.  Drain on paper towels and serve while warm.

Note: I turned these into "loaded boxty" pancakes; with sour cream, crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese and green onions. There are a lot of variations on boxty, search online for more ideas.  In Ireland, these are traditionally served with breakfast or dinner, so there are a ton of ways to use this recipe.  Enjoy! 

Irish Recipes for St Patrick's Day

In honor of St Patrick's day coming up, which might as well be Chicago day, I have compiled some of my favorite sort-of-Irish recipes (at the very least, these are recipes that incorporate Irish liquor).  Enjoy and don't overdose on green dye!

Irish Soda Bread

Guinness Battered Onion Rings

Beer and Cheddar Soup 

Guinness Braised Chuck Roast and Onions

Jameson Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting 

Irish Car Bomb Jello Shots

Chocolate Irish Cream Pudding Shots

Guinness Battered Onion Rings

I have a deep fryer, but if you don't have one you can fry these in a large pot.

 

Yield:  What will seem like a lot until you start eating and finish them all yourself.  Or, 2-4 servings

Recipe:
2 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced 1/4" to 1/2" thick

1 package onion ring coating mix

1 14.9 ounce can of Guinness

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 eggs
Vegetable oil for frying

Sea salt, as desired

 

Directions:

Slice and peel onions and separate slices into rings.  Whisk 2 cups of the onion ring coating mix with the beer and egg until smooth.  In a separate bowl, mix the cornmeal with the remaining coating mix.

Preheat oil in a deep fryer or pot.

Dip the onion rings in the beer batter, then in the coating mix, then drop into hot oil.  Cook for 3-4 minutes or until lightly brown, then lay on paper towels to drain.  Repeat in batches until finished.

Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.   Enjoy!

Mini Herbed Goat Cheese and Veggie Frittatas

I love making these baked egg dishes; they are easy, look elegant, and can be customized based on whatever ingredients you have around.  And you can easily make this even more low calorie by omitting the butter.

 

Yield:  4-6 mini frittatas

Ingredients:
8 ounces mushrooms, rinsed and sliced

1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and diced

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1/4 cup melted butter, plus 1 tbsp for cooking

8 eggs, whipped
1/2 cup milk or cream
1/2 cup herbed goat cheese (or goat cheese + chopped fresh herbs)
1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Use one tablespoon of the butter to oil a skillet; cook peppers, garlic and mushrooms until soft.  Reserve, drain if desired (I find the mixture left in the pan enhances the flavor of the frittata, but it does make it a bit more watery, so discard if you want the eggs super firm).

 

Spray 6 ounce ramekins or muffin tins with nonstick spray or pat with butter.  Whisk eggs, milk, remaining melted butter, and seasonings until blended.  Fill baking containers about halfway with the egg mixture, then sprinkle with goat cheese and reserved vegetables.  Repeat, leaving a bit of room at the top of the ramekins for the egg to rise.

 

Bake until the egg mixture puffs and is set in the center, about 10 minutes.  Serve immediately, with additional goat cheese sprinkled over the top if desired.  Enjoy!

 

 

Guinness Braised Chuck Roast and Onions

This is an easy weeknight crockpot recipe!

Yield:  4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 beef chuck roast, 4-5 lbs
1 tbsp olive oil
3 large white or yellow onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cans Guinness beer (14.9 ounces each)
1 cup beef broth
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Bring roast to room temperature.  Pat meat dry and rub with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil in a skillet and brown roast thoroughly on all sides.  Transfer meat to crockpot.

Skin and slice onions.  Add beef broth to pan and deglaze, then add onions, garlic, and herbs.  Saute for about 5 minutes, then add the Guinness and bring to a boil.  Pour liquid and vegetables over beef in crockpot and turn to medium or low, depending on how soon you need to eat!  I cooked mine for about 5 1/2 hours on low, but have used a similar technique with chuck roast on medium for about 3 hours.

If you want to make this while at work, you can easily do all of the active steps in advance, place the crockpot in the fridge overnight, and then turn it on before leaving in the morning.  That's the beauty of a crockpot!

Let rest before carving.  Serve with onions and juices on top.  This would also make a nice change from corned beef for St Paddy's day.  Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Strata

This turned out really good, but how could you go wrong with the classic combo of apples, brown sugar, and caramel?

Yield: 6-12 servings, depending on whether for breakfast or dessert 

Ingredients: 
1 loaf french bread (could sub pretty much any type of bread)
6 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter 
3 large apples, peeled and sliced
2 cups brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy cream

Quick Caramel Sauce (or use store bought):
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and vanilla.  Cook in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and chill for about 15 minutes to thicken.

Roughly slice french bread into 1 inch cubes and set aside.  Peel and core apples and then slice.  Melt the butter in a skillet and add apples.  Cook until soft, about 10 minutes, then add 1/2 the brown sugar (1 cup), the lemon juice, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Cook for about 5 more minutes, or until caramelized, then remove from heat.

Arrange half of the bread slices in a greased baking dish (mine was 12 x 12).  Spread the chilled egg mixture over the bread, being sure that each piece of bread has some egg on it.  Next, layer the apples over the bread and sprinkle with brown sugar, then top with remaining bread.  Repeat with egg and apple mixture.  Drizzle heavy cream over entire strata, then press down with a spatula several times to flatten slightly (this will help the egg and cream soak into the bread).  Top with any remaining brown sugar and allow to sit for about 5-10 minutes before placing in oven.

Bake the strata uncovered for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Remove the strata from oven and let rest while making the caramel sauce.

To make the caramel, mix the brown sugar, cream, butter and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, while whisking, 5 -10 minutes, until it thickens.  Add vanilla and cook for another minute or two.  Whisk in corn syrup and remove from heat.

Drizzle the caramel sauce over the strata, slice and serve while warm.  This can be reheated in the oven or microwave, or served cold.  Enjoy!

Tips:  If you are really into caramel, you can make the sauce in advance (or use store bought sundae style caramel) and drizzle this in the middle of the strata while assembling.

Panko Crusted Orange-Ginger Chicken Tenders

 

This didn't take very long to make and I imagine it's a bit healthier than normal orange chicken.  A tiny bit anyway... or at least that's what I told myself.

Yield:  2-4 servings (depending on whether it's an entree or appetizer)

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into approx 2 inch thick strips
2-3 tbsp butter
1 18 ounce jar of orange marmalade
1 tbsp soy sauce 
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced (or substitute 1/2 tsp powdered ginger)
1/3 cup flour 
1 cup panko crumbs
3 egg whites, beaten
Zest of one orange
Olive oil, for frying

 

Directions:
Prepare chicken and pat dry, then set aside to bring to room temperature.  Heat butter in skillet until just soft, then add minced garlic and ginger.  Cook for about 2 minutes, until beginning to brown, then add soy sauce.  Cook for an additional minute, then pour in orange marmalade and stir until well mixed.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium.  Sprinkle in flour slowly, using a fork or whisk to mix it in, reducing any clumps.  Allow to continue cooking until caramelized, about 5-10 minutes.

While the orange mixture is cooking, heat a skillet and drizzle with olive oil.  Dip chicken tenders in egg whites, then in panko crumbs, and place in skillet.   Cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes, flipping once to ensure brownness on each side.

Reduce heat on orange mixture to low and keep warm until chicken is done cooking.  Once the chicken is done, use a fork or tongs to dip each crisp piece of chicken in orange mixture, then place on serving plate(s).  Sprinkle with orange zest and serve immediately.  Yum!

Note:  My claim about this being healthier than regular orange chicken has no evidence to back it up... I'm just guessing since it isn't deep fried.  Then again, I did add that butter, so who knows!  Either way, it didn't come out greasy, so that's a plus!  Enjoy!