coconut-caramel pecan shortbread bars

For those of you that watch football you know that one saying the announcer says before Monday Night Football. The one where he says "Are you ready for some foooooootbaaaalll!" I love that part. And then I can change the channel. Maybe if I understood the game of football I might appreciate it. It just seems all the football players do is get in a nice straight line, shout something out, then all run into a pile. When I bite into one of these caramel coconut goodies all I can hear is: "are you ready for some shhhhhhortbreaddddd!" These bars were amazing. They remind me of a samoa cookie in bar form with extra shortbread; if a samoa cookie were to mix with a twix bar.  Yes, that's it! The caramel and coconut melded so nicely together on top of the slightly salty shortbread. caramel-coconut pecan shortbread bars
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2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp.
1 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
¼ cup of toasted pecans
20 ounces soft caramel candies (or make your own caramel sauce)
5 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups shredded coconut, toasted
1 cup milk chocolate chips, melted

Preheat the oven to 350°. Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then add to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed just until the dough comes together.
Press evenly into a 8 x 8 non-stick baking dish. Then sprinkle the chopped pecans over the dough (do not press into dough). Bake until lightly golden, 30 – 40 minutes, depending on oven (mine took 35). The shortbread might be a still a little soft, that’s ok. Recipe by Dawn Finicane of vanillakitchen.blogspot.com It hardens when it cools down.
You are looking for a very light golden brown. (this is not a cookie so you don’t want brown edges).
In a medium saucepan, melt the caramels with the cream and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt over medium heat.
Stir in the coconut, then spread over the shortbread. Let this cool before adding the chocolate. (I put it in the fridge to cool). I put the melted chocolate into a plastic bag, closed it up then snipped off a small tip at corner and drizzled the chocolate on that way.
Let cool completely before slicing.
This is really hard to slice when cooled, so use a sharp knife that is warmed up before slicing (run under hot water).
cook notes: If you don’t have a non-stick pan, then line your pan with foil (plus the edges) as you will need help removing this from the pan; caramel makes it stick. I found that removing this from the pan then slicing it on a cutting board was much easier than cutting it in the pan.
The next time I make this I might want to incorporate a layer of chunky peanut butter somewhere.
You can also make your own caramel sauce for these, I just didn't have time to.

cheesy reuben calzones

Who doesn't love a good Reuben sandwich? I know I love it when they are made right. You know what I'm talking about, one that is on perfect thick rye bread, piled high with corned beef, a good amount of tangy sauerkraut, and dripping with warm melted cheese. And with all that said, I like to have a giant side of thousand island dressing to dip each and every bite into. YUM. The last time I had a Reuben that good was in NYC last October at Juniors Restaurant.

We sat right outside, right in the heart of Times Square. And let me tell you, their sandwiches were HUGE. They did not disappoint at all. It was one of those mile-high sandwiches that you see on those TV Travel shows that leave you drooling, keeping a mental note to visit that place for sure. Obviously their sandwiches were way to big to finish, even my husband (who can eat) did not finish. But being as full as we were we knew we had to have Juniors famous cheesecake for dessert. After all that is what they are famous for is the cheesecake with fresh strawberry sauce. Just writing all this is making me so hungry. I have no clue what they do to their cheesecake, it's a decades old recipe: so creamy, light and tangy . And the strawberry sauce on top just complimented the tanginess of the cheesecake so perfectly. The pics on their website doesn't do this cake and sandwich justice. If you know about Juniors (I know Adam knows about them, he better!) then you know exactly what I talking about in terms of quality and exceptional taste. With all this said, I had a craving for a Reuben, but didn't have any rye bread, just pizza dough and melded the two together. That crust, dipped in a bit of Thousand Island dressing was delish.

cheesy reuben calzones
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1/2 pound sliced corned beef
1/4 pound Swiss or provolone cheese
½ cup sauerkraut, drained very well
Thousand Island dressing
Pizza dough
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line baking sheets with Silpat or greased parchment paper.
Cut dough into 2 even pieces, 4 if you want smaller calzones. Roll out into a circle to about 1/4 inch thickness.
Spread some thousand island dressing in the center of the dough, use as little or as much as desired. Place a piece of cheese on top of the mixture and top with 3 to 4 slices of corned beef, then a bit of sauerkraut, make sure to squeeze out excess liquid in sauerkraut before using.
Finish off the pile with another slice of cheese.
Fold dough over the filling and pinch the edges shut, making sure nothing can leak out.
Repeat instructions for remaining dough.
Gently spread a bit of olive oil on tops of calzones (plus the crust) before baking, and if desired sprinkle with salt & pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika (I did all these). I always think its better to season the crust and tops.
Place on baking sheet and slice 2 to 3 holes in the top of the dough so that steam may release.
Place the calzones in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes (depending on oven), then remove from oven and top with any remaining cheese. (I used cheddar cheese for variety).
Return to the oven for 5 to 10 more minutes; keep an eye out for the dough to turn a nice golden brown color. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes then slice in half.

Note: I used Whole Foods pizza dough. For me it just always tastes fresh, and it truly makes a perfect crust. The next time I make this I will try and use a whole wheat pizza dough for the texture, and a bit more thousand island dressing inside. I do think the swiss cheese tasted best. I might even add dill pickles to the inside this next time for that extra bite of twang.

chocolate & peanut butter cake w/ ganache & reese's pb cups

Calling all peanut butter & chocolate fans! This, my friends, is the ultimate cake for you. If you are a huge PB & C fan then you must make this extremely decadent cake. This cake has PB & C in every pore of its being: in the cake, in the frosting and as a edible garnish.
I have been craving this cake for a while now, and I finally made it a reality. To be honest I ate so much of the ganache that I barely had room for a slice a cake, but don't worry I made room, I'm not dumb. You really need to have a tall glass of ice cold milk at the ready when you have a slice of this PB & C masterpiece, as it really is that rich, and makes you really thirsty. All good cake creations, if they are made right, they leave you thirsty.

peanut butter & chocolate cake w/ chocolate ganache & reese's pb cups
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for the cake: 1 box (18.25 ounces) devil's food cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Good pinch of salt
2 cups mini Reese peanut butter cups, chopped, plus 1 1/2 cups more for garnish (about 2 - 12oz. bags) 

ganache:
12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
4 TB of confectioners sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray.
Line with waxed paper; coat paper. In a large bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil and salt on low for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high; beat for 2 minutes, scraping down side of the bowl after 1 minute. Fold in 2 cups of the chopped peanut butter cups.
Divide batter between prepared pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 34 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let layers cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
Turn out cakes onto wire racks and cool completely. To make the PB ganache place chopped dark chocolate in a medium-size bowl. Bring cream just to a boil and pour over chocolate. Whisk until chocolate melts. Add peanut butter and confectioners sugar, whisking all till nice and smooth.

To frost the cake, you can first trim the tops of you cakes (with a serrated knife) first to make them flat, I didn't do this. Put one cake layer on cooling rack and place on a baking sheet. Pour some ganache on top; spread evenly with a spatula.
Then place remaining cake layer, and pour remaining frosting over the top, allowing it to spill over the sides. Smooth top and sides with spatula (see Note below). Refrigerate 1 hour to set. Transfer cake to serving plate and garnish with the chopped Reese's PB Cups.

cook notes: I saved a bit of the ganache to put on the cake just before adding the chopped Reese's PB Cups to act as a glue, making sure everything adhered correctly, then chilled it again to let it set. So basically, frost the cake, then chill, then add a thin layer of ganache again, add the garnish, then chill again.

strawberry-pecan crumble bars

I love any kind of dessert or sweet treat with strawberries in it. When strawberries are in season I make special trips to Whole Foods just to buy their organic strawberries. The Whole Foods I go to (in Hingham, MA) has from the end of May, to end of June these giant, organic sweet strawberries from Driscoll. In my opinion they are the sweetest strawberries ever; known for having the very best color, taste, and texture. Driscoll farmers have one of the best reputations for producing the very best crop of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc.. Look for the Driscoll name next time you grocery shop, I bet you'll notice a difference in taste; sweeter, juicier and by far way more appealing.
So, when I'm at Whole Foods I always buy three container of strawberries, two to take home, and one to eat on the way home. With one of the batches of strawberries I made this delicious little dessert treat. These bars taste really, really good with vanilla ice cream on top.




strawberry-pecan crumble bars
recipe from vanillasugarblog.com
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2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 + cup pecans, toasted & finely chopped (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup butter, room temp
1 large egg
3/4 cup strawberry puree (see below)

strawberry puree:
1 large container (bigger than a pint) of fresh strawberries, chopped into ½ inch pieces
2 TB lemon juice
1 TB cornstarch
1/8 ts cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

For the puree, in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat cook strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Stir frequently until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Let it cool for an hour or longer; it will thicken over time.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and pecans, then stir in the butter and egg until mixture is crumbly, like coarse and wet sand.
Put a half the layer of the crumb mixture on the bottom of pan, make sure to press it in good and get all the corners. Recipe by dawn finicane of vanillakitchen.blogspot.com Then add the strawberry filling, and then put remaining mixture on top; placing it as chunks or lumps.
Put the mixture on loosely, and evenly, No need to press down on this, we want it thick and airy like a crumb cake topping.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until lightly browned.
Cool bars in the pan before slicing. The jam filling is hot, please let it cool.
Makes 12 bars.

Chicken Kabobs

I have been craving these bad boys for a while, ever since Spring started actually. I've finally come around to making them. And I have to be honest, they were fab! They satiated my craving completely.

I did not grill them, although from the pics it looks like they were grilled, but in fact they were broiled in my oven. Yes, you can get these fab char marks from your oven if you experiment a bit. I have mixed thoughts on grilling poultry on the grill--some experts even say you should never really grill poultry on the grill because it does not cook evenly. The middle of the chicken might not get cooked through. I kind of agree with that statement. This broiling method I did in the oven came out great. It was my first time in the oven, normally I do the grill. I served these with baked sweet potatoes (I was going to do rice, but I'm not allowed rice on my diet unless it's brown rice and brown rice does not go with this dish.

Grilled Chicken Kabobs
Serves 4–6

Marinade
½ cup orange juice
½ cup pineapple juice
¼ - ½ cup olive oil
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, (about 3 - 4 limes)
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 ts honey or sugar
2 ts ground cumin
2 ts ground black pepper, or to taste

Note: you might have to adjust the above measurements according how much you are making.

Kabobs
4 - 6 skewers, 10- to 12-inch
Assorted vegetables cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (zucchini, yellow squash, red and green bell peppers, red onion, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms
1 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh meat, cut into 1-inch pieces

To prepare the marinade: In a large bowl whisk together the orange juice, olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, cumin and pepper until well blended. Set aside.

To marinate:
Use heavy duty plastic bags for marinating. Place all vegetables into one or two bags. Marinate all protein selections in separate bags. Divide the marinade equally among the bags, seal, and marinate in the refrigerator, turning the bag occasionally, for about 3 hours, or overnight.

Soak wooden skewers in water to cover for at least one hour before grilling.

Assemble the skewers as you like. I do piece of chicken, 2 or 3 pieces of veggie, then chicken, then 3 veggies, etc.. Throw away the marinade. Also, it’s good to wrap the ends of you skewers with foil before placing them on the grill. (I did not do this when I broiled in the oven).

Just before grilling I put salt & pepper (lightly) everything.

Grilling method:
Preheat the grill to 375°F (a medium-hot fire). Grill the chicken until just cooked through and slightly charred, turning often, about 8- 10 minutes.

Oven method:
Preheat the oven to 425 F. (mine was at 500 F). Arrange the skewers on a large rimmed nonstick baking sheet in a single layer. (I used the actual oven rack with a pan underneath to collect drippings; the poultry cooks better with nothing underneath. Cleanup was not that bad if you used a pan to collect drippings.)

Bake the chicken until just cooked through, about 10 - 15 minutes.
Transfer the skewers to a platter and serve.