Melissa's Peanut Sauce

My cousin, Melissa, made this homemade peanut sauce for a large family gathering in Vermont. It was used as a dipping sauce for a chicken and beef satay dish and was so delicious that I also put it on my salad and corn! I managed to recreate it back in Buffalo with a food processor and a few local ingredients.

 1 Tbsp. freshly ground ginger
1 Tbsp. minced garlic 1 cup all natural creamy peanut butter
1/8 cup fresh lime juice
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1/2 - 1 cup hot water

 In food processor finely chop ginger & garlic. Add peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, honey or maple syrup, and sugar. Blend until smooth. Mixture will be thick and pasty.

Transfer mixture to bowl and stir in sesame oil until combined. Stir in hot water until desired consistency. Transfer to bottle or jar for storage. Serve with soba noodles, bean sprouts, scallions, and peanuts OR allow chicken strips to marinade in sauce for a few hours before grilling OR use as a dipping sauce for veggies and meat.

Baklava

Fadel Family Baklava Recipe

Syrup:
Add two cups of sugar to one cup of water and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Once sugar has dissolved bring to a full boil for 8-10 minutes (no need to stir after mixture has been brought to a boil) until slightly thickened. After syrup has boiled remove from heat. When steam subsides, add 2 Tbsp. or rose water and juice of 1/2 small lemon.

Filling:
Spread 1/2 lb. whole walnuts and 1/2 lb. whole pecans on a baking sheet and toast at 250 degrees F for 10 minutes, turning frequently. Once cooled, finely chop nuts and combine with 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Set aside.

Render 1 lb. butter on stove top over medium heat, skim salt from top and use within minutes to prevent butter from solidifying as it cools.

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and use butter to thickly grease a walled baking sheet. Set aside. Unroll thawed phyllo dough and carefully remove top sheet. Cover remaining sheets with damp paper towel to prevent drying.

Spread bottom sheet out on countertop and use a pastry brush to completely coat with melted butter. Layer with a second sheet of phyllo dough and apply a second coat of butter.

Lay a row of nut mixture across one end. Roll dough tightly around nuts. Pinch ends and cut with sharp knife to seal (1-2cm). Place rows in well buttered pan and brush with final layer of butter.

When filled, cut rolls into diamond bite-sized portions before placing in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F, then decrease heat to 250 degrees F and continue baking for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

When golden brown remove from oven. Top hot cookies with 1 1/2 c. cooled syrup mixture. Let cool and keep uncovered (cookies become soggy when covered).

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Original recipe from Lots of Sprinkles

Image courtesy of Beantown Bake

My boyfriend requested tiramisu as his birthday dessert (again) this year. Fellow recipe blogger Beantown Baker suggested a tiramisu cupcake recipe that tastes as good as the traditional dessert and is much easier to make. I'll let you know what the consensus was after I make them on Thursday!





Your favorite vanilla cupcake recipe or a box or vanilla cake mix
2 eggs
250g mascarpone cheese
1 heaped tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 heaped tablespoon espresso coffee (more if you’d like a stronger coffee taste)
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons Kaluha (or any other coffee/ chocolate liquor)
1 tablespoon caster sugar
Cocoa powder

Mix the vanilla cupcake batter following the instructions on the pack. Fill the cupcake cup with about 3/4 batter. Bake for about 15 to 20 mins until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
When the cupcakes have cooled, carve a large hole in the middle. Crumble the carved bits and keep in a separate bowl.

Tiramisu Filling

Separate the eggs. Mix the yolks, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract and icing sugar together.
Mix the espresso coffee with the boiling water. Allow to cool before adding the liquor.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the caster sugar and continue beating until it is mixed in.
Fold the mascarpone mixture into the egg whites.

Assembling the Cupcake

Drizzle the coffee and liquor mixture along the sides and bottom of the cupcake.
Scoop a small amount of the tiramisu filling into the bottom of the cupcake and sprinkle some cocoa powder.
Add a layer of the crumbed bits and drizzle with coffee mixture. Cover with tiramisu filling and coca power.
Repeat this process until the cupcake hole is filled. Spread the remaining tiramisu filling on top of the cupcake and sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Sweet Potato Cornbread

3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mashed sweet potato
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 cup yellow stone ground cornmeal
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs till frothy. Add the oil slowly and whisk to combine. Add the sweet potato puree and stir until completely incorporated.
Combine with the brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and pie spice.

Mix the dry ingredients - cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt - in a separate bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring just enough to make a smooth batter. If mixture is too clumpy, add a small amount of milk and/or honey to thin it out.

Pour the batter into greased pan (dusted with cornmeal).

Bake for about 35-40 minutes until the bread is firm to the touch.  If a toothpick emerges clean the cornbread is done. Cool in the pan for ten minutes, then cut and serve. The bread will be dense and golden in color. 

Wrap and freeze leftover slices.

April Fools' Lasagna: Banana-Pudding Cake

My sweet tooth has been nagging me lately, which should explain the many dessert postings. Not quite sure how this will taste (although the ingredients sound delicious). I plan on making it for a friend coming in from NYC for New Year's celebrations.

Photograph by Levi Brown

Make a box of instant vanilla pudding. Cut a loaf of pound cake into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange half of the slices in a 7-by-11-inch baking dish, then press 20 vanilla wafers into the cake. 

Make fake tomato sauce: Mix 3/4 cup strawberry jam with 5 crushed Oreo cookies and dollop half of the mixture over the wafers. Sweeten 3/4 cup ricotta cheese with 2 teaspoons sugar; dollop half over the jam. Top with 1 sliced banana and half of the pudding. Repeat with the remaining cake, 20 more wafers, the remaining jam and ricotta mixtures, another sliced banana and the remaining pudding.

Top with shaved white chocolate, crushed vanilla 

wafers and mint; chill.

Apple Cinnamon Rice Pudding

What to do with leftover apples... ?

Image courtesy of vectordiary.com

4 egg yolks
1 egg white
2-3 cups chopped apple (size of your thumb nail)
1 1/2 cups cooked white rice (or try arborio rice for a creamier flavor)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
some vanilla soy or almond milk

Combine egg yolks, apples, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, cooked rice, and sugar in large mixing bowl. Stir gently. Whip egg white with electric mixer until it forms stiff peaks. Fold egg white into rice mixture and transfer to a large greased baking dish. Sprinkle extra cinnamon on top. Bake in a water bath at 350 degrees for up to an hour. Garnish with apple wedges and serve hot or let cool and store in the fridge.

Giada's Ricotta Orange Pound Cake

From Food Network Magazine

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups (plus 1 Tbsp) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 orange, zested
2 Tbsp. amaretto
Confectioners' sugar (for dusting)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with butter. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to blend.

2. Using a mixer, cream the butter, ricotta, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and amaretto until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared, greased, pan, and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. To wrap, return to the pan and dust with confectioners' sugar.

White Chocolate, Cranberry, and Macadamia Nut Cookies

My dad proclaimed these the "second best cookies he's ever had" next to my mom's oatmeal date spice cookies. For those of you who have had the honor of tasting my mom's baked goods, you know how high a compliment my dad paid me by saying that something I baked is in the same league as something my mom has baked. Needless to say, these cookies disappeared very quietly and quickly from our kitchen with only crumbs left in their wake.

 3 cups all purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 

1 cup (packed) light brown sugar 

3/4 cup sugar 

2 large eggs 

1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries 

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips 

1 1/2 -2 cups coarsely chopped plain macadamia nuts 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift dry ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla and almond extracts. Add dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon just until blended. If the consistency is too crumbly, add some milk. Stir in cranberries, white chocolate chips, and nuts. 

Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 21/2 inches apart.

Bake cookies until just golden, about 7 - 9 minutes depending on the strength of your oven. Cool on sheets.

Dunk cooled cookies into a large glass of milk and devour! 

These cookies store very well in the freezer and make a delicious frozen late night snack. 

Recipe modified from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/White-Chocolate-Cranberry-and-Macadamia-Nut-Cookies-236823#ixzz15pab3IYV

Pumpkin Pistachio Cannoli

Coming soon to a Thanksgiving table near you! 

Image courtesy of Better Homes Gardens

8-oz. carton mascarpone cheese

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup chopped roasted pistachio nuts or toasted pecans
1 cup whipping cream
24 whole purchased cannoli shells (either frozen or fresh)

In a large bowl stir together mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, pumpkin, ricotta, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth. Stir in 1/2 cup of the nuts. Set aside.

In a chilled mixing bowl beat cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold into pumpkin mixture. If desired, cover and chill up to 4 hours To serve, spoon pumpkin mixture into a self-sealing plastic bag. Snip a 3/4-inch hole in one corner. Pipe filling into cannoli shells so pumpkin filling extends from ends. Sprinkle cannoli ends with remaining nuts. Arrange on a serving platter; sprinkle with sugar.

Spicy Sausage & Kale Soup

First attempted in a joint effort by Meg and I this summer with wonderful results!

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. andouille sausage, sliced in 1/2-inch slices
1 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 large white potatoes, peeled and diced
3 quarts of chicken stock
4 cups kale, stemmed, and cut into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Pinch of crushed red pepper


In a large stock pot, heat olive oil, then add the sausage and onions. Saute the mixture for 4-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and diced potatoes and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and burning. Slowly add the stock and stir, bringing the liquid to a rolling simmer for 25-35 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender. Add kale and cook until tender. Season with crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper.  Stir in the parsley.

Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and serve with warm, crusty bread.
Makes about 8 servings.


Picture courtesy of thegourmetproject.blogspot.com 

LBC Blackberry Cherry Pie

Alex & I picked up some fresh sausages, corn, strawberries and blackberries from the public market in Rochester and had some friends over to his place for dinner. Here's the pie recipe I tried. Our eaters loved it!

Crust:
(repeat this recipe 2x to make two 9-inch balls of dough)

1 1/4 cup flour
dash of salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup ice water

Combine flour and salt in bowl. Add butter cubes and with two knives or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Slowly add water in by tablespoons and combine mixture with hands until it forms a uniform ball of dough. Wrap in saran wrap and put in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours (or overnight).
 
When dough is properly chilled, roll them out on a floured surface. Place one in a greased pie pan and crimp edges. Brush all surfaces with milk and poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees F for 5-8 minutes or until halfway baked. Remove from oven and let cool.

Filling:
In the meantime, wash and pit 2 cups of cherries. Combine in a saucepan with 2 cups washed blackberries, 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, 4-5 tablespoons of water, some cloves, and some cinnamon. Mash mixture slightly with a fork then simmer over medium-low heat until mixture thickens ad resembles jelly. Let cool slightly and then pour into partially-cooked pie crust. Use other ball of dough to create a lattice on the top of your pie. Brush with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar and slivered almonds. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 mins or until crust is golden.

Let cool for one hour. Serve with homemade whipped cream or vanilla frozen yogurt. Enjoy!

Puppy Chow

From Chex - makes 18 servings

We used to eat this by the handful on bus trips to away soccer games.

Photo courtesy of Blissfully Domestic

9 cups Chex cereal

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.

In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla.

Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.
Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.

Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool.
Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Cilantro Chicken Burgers

Courtesy of Cara. 
I recommend serving with your choice of dressing as well. I used a sesame ginger vinagrette.

 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
4 large clove of garlic, minced
2/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro
zest from 1 lime (or lime juice)
dash of soy sauce
freshly ground salt & pepper
1/2 cup plain oatmeal

Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the burger ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times, until chicken is uniformly ground. Remove and divide into 6 or 8 portions. Shape each into a ball, place on the baking sheet, and flatten with your palm.

Broil the burgers for about 10-12 minutes total, flipping halfway through. Serve on sandwich thins with sauteed peppers and onions.

Bucket O' Spuds

Courtesy of Penny Cluse Cafe in Burlington, Vermont

Easily one of the best breakfasts I have ever eaten at a restaurant. We began with this dish. It lasted about a minute and a half between the five of us.

Chop potatoes into bite-size chunks. Boil & Saute, then season liberally with salt, pepper, and paprika and toss in a frying pan over medium-high heat with a little olive oil.

In separate pan, saute onions until translucent. Add in chopped scallions, parsley, salsa, and potatoes.

Plate and top with melted cheese, sour cream, and 2 fried eggs. Upon eating, break yolks open.

Not even mildly healthy, but certainly delicious.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Remove stems from large portabella mushrooms and gently wash the caps.

In a small pan, with a little olive oil, lightly saute:
chopped red bell pepper, onion, carrots, scallions,
mushroom stems from first step, red pepper flakes,
salt & pepper

Once heated through and beginning to soften (not entirely sauteed) transfer veggie mixture to a small bowl. Toss with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, then spoon into mushroom caps. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until tender.

Gen's Lentil Soup

Sorry, friends. No measurements on this one. I sort of made it up as I went along. Really simple, hearty recipe. If possible use all organic veggies, it makes the soup sweeter.

(some) carrots
(some) celery
(some) potatoes
(some) onion

Chop the veggies into bite-size pieces and saute in olive oil, with some pepper and sea salt, until slightly tender. Next add:

1 bag green lentils (I used a bag of Goya lentils from Wegmans International section)
2 small cans of chicken broth (once again, from Wegmans; i'm not sure how many ounces)

Stir mixture well, adding water, if needed, until the liquid level rises just above the solids. Simmer (medium) for about 1.5-2 hours, stirring every 15 mins or so and adding more water as the lentils absorb it. add fresh chopped parsley and more salt/pepper to taste. Cook until lentils are soft.

Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan and enjoy!
The batch I made was approximately 8 servings.

Asian Slaw Salad

This recipe goes well with Veggie Dumplings. 

2 c.   thinly sliced napa cabbage
2 c.    thinly sliced green cabbage
1/2 c. red cabbage
1/2 c. julienned carrots
1/3 c. thinly sliced red onion
1/2 c. thinly sliced red bell pepper
1/2 c. bean Sprouts
1/2 c. julienned snap peas

Sesame Ginger Dressing (courtesy Guy Fieri, 2007): 

In a small saucepan add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons minced ginger, and 1 table spoon minced garlic. Sautee until lightly brown. Add 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 6 tablespoons soy sauce, continue to saute, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, then remove from heat. When cool whisk in olive oil, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar.

Mix all vegetables in a bowl and toss with dressing. Recipe does not keep well in fridge with dressing, so only toss whole salad if you plan on eating the entire thing!

Garnish with crushed wontons.

Veggie Potstickers (Dumplings)

This was my first dumpling attempt, made for a special friend who came to visit me at school. 

I used the following all-vegetable ingredients, but pretty much any veggie goes. Feel free to use zucchini, onions, bean sprouts, or any other kind of bean. Ground pork or shrimp can also be used (blend shrimp with other ingredients to make a paste or use ground beef).

In medium-sized bowl, combine:

1 can red kidney beans

1 c. finely chopped napa cabbage

3/4 c. finely chopped shiitake mushrooms

 1/2 c. shredded carrots

1/2 c. finely sliced red peppers

1-2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh ginger, peeled and minced

green scallion (optional)

4 tsp.  soy sauce

red pepper flakes

salt

pepper

Let filling marinate in bowl for at least an hour and up to 1 day. 

Convince a friend to help you fill and seal dumplings in exchange for dinner. This part is time consuming (the sealing, not finding a friend to help.)

Remove won ton wrappers from plastic, cover with moist paper towel when not in use. Have a small bowl of water handy to seal the edges of dumplings. Place 1/2-1 tsp. of filling in the center of each wrapper. Brush all four edges with water, then close up dumplings however you see fit. Alex and I used the following method:

1) Fold opposing edges to meet so that each side is triangular.

2) Fold open edges up and in to meet top point, sealing edges with water

Make throughally sure that your dumplings are not wet, breaking open (too much filling), or open in any spots or they will not hold together when you cook them! Place all dumplings on a plate until you're ready to cook them. 

To cook: You may steam the dumplings for 5-6 minutes, but I prefer them sauteed in a wok with sesame oil until crispy on each side (about 4-6 mins. total, medium heat). These should not be made too far ahead of time and do not keep well in the fridge, so be ready to serve when they come right out of the skillet or steamer. Serve with soy sauce or Sesame Ginger Dressing (see recipe for Asian Slaw Salad).

Note: If you have any left over wrappers, try filling them with a slice of Cabbot Jalepeno Cheese and sauteeing. Yum!

Neapolitan Ice Cream Cupcakes

I made these for my INTD 301/302 class this morning. Couldn't tell if they were a hit or not because no one really gave me any feedback. My housemates ate all the ones I left in the freezer though, so...

To make life easy, pick your favorite box of cake mix (chocolate or yellow) and make according to directions. Fill paper-lined cupcake tins HALF-WAY. If you fill more than half of the cup it will make it difficult to spread significant amounts of the next two layers. Bake in the oven according to box. Remove and let cool completely.

Once cooled, use the cone method to remove the center from each cupcake. Use tops of cupcake to make sundaes or throw to hungry housemates to distract them from eating your real cupcakes. (Try, "How'd you like to taste these mini cupcakes?!")


Drop whole, washed strawberries (can also use less costly frozen strawberries) into the open centers of cupcakes. Next, plop a tablespoon of slightly softened ice cream (chocolate or vanilla if you want to stick with the Neapolitan theme) on top of the cupcake/strawberry combination and use a small frosting spreader smooth ice cream out and down so that it fills any spaces left in the center of the cupcake that the strawberry does not fill.

Put trays in freezer for 45 mins - 1 hour until ice cream is re-frozen enough to spread on frosting. While cupcakes are setting, combine:

1 stick butter, softened
4 cups confectioners sugar
Some vanilla extract
Some (~1/2 cup) milk
1-2 cups Hershey's special dark cocoa powder

Beat with electric mixer, apply a liberal amount to spoon and take to room to snack on while waiting for cupcakes to finish setting. This recipe makes more frosting than you will need, so go back for seconds if you so desire. Spread on top of cupcakes and refreeze.

Pull out of the freezer 20 minutes before serving to let strawberries soften a little.
Yields 26-32 cupcakes.

Delectable Beginnings

"Let them eat cake."
- Marie Antoinette

Life Beyond Takeout was born out of a desire to chronicle and share my cooking experiences with family and friends, but also as a testament to indulgence. "Crave It! Make It! Enjoy It!" eaves out one critical command: "Imagine It!" Whether it be in produce, sugary treats, exotic, expensive, or simple ingredients, I encourage you to take the time to indulge (without worry for calories or cost) in the deliciousness of consuming something of your own creation.

If you should become frustrated with my lack of concrete measurements or ambiguity in listing specific ingredients, please remember that cooking, for me, is a chaotic, creative, fun experience. No recipe turns out the same twice and I am often prone to tossing a recipe aside and adding in whatever I want, or have at my disposal. I will not promise consistency. I do, however, promise to only post those recipes that I have found to be exceptionally delicious!

Please feel free to suggest recipes, substitutions, or tricks of the trade, and leave feedback if you try one of my recipes!

Buon mangia!