Mushroom Burgers and Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

A double post, a double post! I can't think of anything witty to say because I'm really annoyed with the Admissions department of Duquesne right now-- they lost my GRE scores and never told me my application was incomplete, and now it's too late to get financial aid. GAH. I don't even want to talk about it.

Mushroom Burgers
adapted from Nikibone

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ounces butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped onion
1/2 pound button mushrooms, chopped fine in a food processor
1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1/8 cup chopped thyme
1/8 cup chopped oregano
1 bay leaf
salt
pepper
1 pound ground beef

Heat a skillet on medium high and add the olive oil and butter and melt. Add garlic, onion and bay leaf, and sweat for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook until liquid is released and mushrooms are almost dry. Stir in the thyme and oregano. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Remove the bay leaf. Mix the mushrooms in with the beef (I just used my hands). Form the mixture into patties. Pan fry or grill the burgers until cooked through.


Pumpkin Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from BaconConcentrate

1 package dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup margarine, melted
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg

Filling:
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 cup golden brown sugar
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted margarine, room temperature

Glaze:
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsalted margarine, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Dissolve the yeast in warm water in a large bowl, and let stand for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups flour, canned pumpkin, and next 5 ingredients to yeast mixture, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. The dough will be very sticky. Dump 1/4 cup flour onto a working surface, and begin kneading the dough in your hands. Add flour 1 Tbs. at a time to the work surface. Once the dough no longer sticks to your hands, continue to knead on the work surface until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes total). Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until dough is doubled in size (took about an hour and a half, actually). Punch dough down, cover and let rest 5 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread the "filling" margarine onto the dough, and sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Roll up the rectangle tightly, starting with a long edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets. Pinch seam and ends to seal. Cut roll into 1 inch slices. Place the slices in a 11x7 or 9x13-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise for 25 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake for 18 minutes at 375 until golden. Combine glaze ingredients, and stir until smooth. Spread over rolls while still warm.

Om nom nom. These are tasty; make them!

Kate's Chicken Pie

Mike and I have long discussed the concepts of "chicken pie" and "chicken pot pie". Where I come from, chicken pie and chicken pot pie are identical. But where Mike comes from (out East), chicken pie is a pie with chicken and vegetables in it and chicken pot pie is... a stew of some kind? With chicken and maybe dumplings... I'm still not clear on what it is. But this week, when I asked "Anything you'd like for dinner this week?" he said "Chicken pie." So that is what I made, and it turned out AMAZINGLY. It was so delicious. The spices were just right, and the pie crust, though store-bought (I know, I'm terrible), was awesome too.

So here it is... Kate's Chicken Pie.

Kate's Chicken Pie
1 cup cooked chicken, cut into cubes
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3-4 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon flour
3/4 cup milk (I used skim)
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon sage
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

1 box Pillsbury pie crust (there should be 2 in a box)

Melt the butter. Add onions, mushrooms, garlic and carrots. Cook until veggies are tender and the mushrooms have released their liquid. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Cook for one minute, then begin slowly adding the milk. Mix well. Add the parsley, sage and rosemary, and simmer until thickened. Add the chicken, stir, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the bottom pie crust on the bottom of a 9-inch glass pie pan. Spoon the filling in, and put the top crust on top. Trim the edges and flatten them with a fork. Don't forget the vents in the top! Bake in a 350 degree oven for about twenty minutes-- keep an eye on it.

So delicious. I used the leftover trimmings from the pie crusts to make a little apple tart, a picture of which I did not take.

TWO Cookie Recipes!

The first of these cookies got pretty toasted on the bottom (as you can see below), but they were still really delicious. They only lasted a few days, and they have GRAINS and FRUIT in them, so they're good for you, right? I will definitely make them again, but next time I'll pay more attention to the time! Someday I will also learn how to operate a finicky gas oven. The second batch of cookies is not in any way healthy but is absolutely perfect, and it has two different kinds of chocolate chips.

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies
adapted from RecipeZaar
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Quaker quick-cooking oats (not instant)
3/4 cup Craisins

In a large bowl, combine butter and sugars until mixed well. Add egg and vanilla. Add cinnamon, salt, baking soda and flour and mix until well-combines. Fold cranberries and oats in by hand. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place 3 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 8-10 minutes, just until the edges are slightly golden.

Voila! Chewy, "healthy" and delicious.

Two Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Cooking Stuff
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Mix together the dry ingredients and set them aside. Combine butter and sugars until smooth. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Mix in the chips. Scoop out scant 1/2 cups of dough and roll them into balls. Pull the dough into 2 equal halves. Place each half a ball torn side up onto a cookie sheet lined with greased parchment paper. Make sure to leave a lot of room between them because they get big! Put them in the oven and bake them at 300 degrees till the edges just start to get brown. I'm not sure how long it is, just keep an eye on them.

Bob at Cooking Stuff suggests that you leave the cookies to cool on the sheets for a few minutes, then remove them to a wire rack for complete cooling. But I say, "Nay, Bob. Thou canst eat these cookies within two minutes of their removal from yonder oven."

And you can, because we did. They were hot at first but in the best way something can be hot-- sticky and sweet, not burning your mouth, but pretty warm on your fingers. Awesome. Cookie bliss. Mike ate two, and as you can see, they're huge. They're like those cookies you get at Starbucks. Go me.

Spinach and Mushroom Pizza Pockets

I was looking for a recipe for dinner last week that didn't involve meat. Meat is expensive, and with our roommate moving out this month, things are pretty tight! I wish I could tell you how I stumbled upon Madhuram's Eggless Cooking, but I truly don't recall! Anyway, I saw the recipe for these and they sounded really great. I had a little trouble finding pizza dough at the store but once I found it all was well. As you can see, they turned out pretty nicely.

Spinach and Mushroom Pizza Pockets

1 package pizza dough or frozen pizza crust

4 cloves finely chopped garlic

4 cups fresh baby spinach

1/2 of a medium onion, thinly sliced

4oz cremini/baby bella mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt
Pepper

Grease a baking sheet. Splat the dough out onto the baking sheet and adjust it to fit the sheet. Cut it into 4 rectangles. Sprinkle the chopped garlic evenly over the rectangles. Top each rectangle evenly with spinach, onion slices and mushrooms.
Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil over each rectangle, and season with salt and pepper. Roll or fold up each rectangle and pinch the ends to close the pockets. Bake on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes at 425 degrees or until they are golden brown.

Om nom nom!

Wildberry Sorbet

I usually hate things that are "wildberry" flavored. This, however, was pretty awesome-- I think because the berries were fresh frozen. I wanted to make Annie's Eats' Blackberry Lime sorbet, but there were NO blackberries to be found! And raspberries were almost $8 a bag frozen. So I settled on the berry mix-- strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. When I got home, I searched for a recipe that would allow me to use whatever berries I had on hand, and then I saw a gorgeous picture for a raspberry sorbet that didn't look too hard. So I whipped it up, and even with my crappy blender, the result was amazing! It tasted really good, and it's the most gorgeous color. So here it is...

Wildberry Sorbet
adapted from The Kitchen Sink

4 1/2 cups frozen wildberries (or whatever berry you want)
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lime juice
pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups water and 1 cup sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve. Once it boils, reduce the heat and simmer, without stirring, to make a syrup. Pour the syrup into a medium bowl, stir in the vanilla and transfer to the freezer to let chill for 15 minutes. Puree the berries with the syrup, the lime juice and a pinch of salt in a blender or food processor until smooth. You can scrape the puree through a fine sieve if you don't like seeds; if you don't care, don't bother. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker. Freeze until almost set but still a little slushy, about 30 minutes. Put it in the freezer for later, but make sure to eat some then.

I would be curious to know how this was with other fruits, other than berries. Maybe someday I'll try it.

Peanut Butter Nutella Brownies

I just made the best brownies ever. EVER. I organized my recipe bookmarks this weekend (exciting, I know) and I found this recipe on Noble Pig. I would have made it immediately, but I didn't have enough cocoa.

I don't even WANT to know how many calories are in each one of these things, as they're just... wow. I bit into one of these and it was like seeing God. I suggest you eat at least one. They are thick and moist and fudgy-chewy, and everything a brownie should be. Mike ate three the minute they were cool enough to be sliced.

(I need work on my food photography!)

Peanut Butter Nutella Brownies
(adapted from Noble Pig)

1 cup butter, melted
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup peanut butter

In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Over low heat, melt butter and stir in sugar and vanilla extract until well-combined. Add eggs, one at a time, and stir them in with a wooden spoon. Add the butter-sugar mixture and cocoa mixture together. Put Nutella and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave at 20-second intervals until it becomes runny. Stir this into the batter. Pour the batter into a glass 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Let the brownies cool completely before cutting. (For the icing stuff, I melted white chocolate chips and just sort of flung it about, and sprinkled it with semisweet chocolate chips. OM NOM.)

I might have to have a kid just so I can make stuff for its bake sales.

Cranberry Oat Muffins

Healthy. Whole-grain. Low-fat. And great for breakfast. Mike is a muffin fanatic so he was really pleased when I made these, and I brought some home to my family who liked them too. I don't know how to describe them-- Virginie Meyers does a pretty good job, though. Heck, that's why I decided to make the recipe!

I made some big muffins and some mini-muffins. You can do whatever you like. This is half of a mini-muffin. You can really see the cranberry-sauce filling here, too :-D

Cranberry Oat Muffins
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup cranberry sauce

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, combine the applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the applesauce mixture and the dried cranberries. Stir until just combined. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full, add a teaspoon of cranberry sauce, and fill the rest of the way. Bake at 375 for 16-18 minutes.

Cheesy Tuna Melts

So, as everyone probably knows by now, Mike got an iPhone for Christmas. But in his application-downloading frenzy, he thought of me and put on a little thing called the AllRecipe Dinner Spinner, in which you select what sort of dish you want (entree, side dish, salad, dessert, etc.), what you'd like to be in it (fruit, lamb, beef, fish, etc.), and how long you want it to take-- anywhere from 20 minutes or less to slow cooker. It's pretty neat. You can select one, two, or three options, and it'll spin and show you some recipes that fulfill your choices! This recipe is from there, and you can find it online here.

These little buggers are good and easy, and if you don't eat it all in the first batch, it stores well too. Mike said that they were "about the trouble he would go to to make food for himself." You can make it healthier by using fat-free cheese and low-fat mayonaise. Some of the reviews on the website said there was too much mayo, but I thought it was fine-- just depends on your preference, I guess.

Cheesy Tuna Melts
1 loaf French bread
1 small onion, chopped
1 12oz. can of tuna, drained
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup mayonaise

Preheat your oven to 350. Slice the bread and put it on a baking sheet. Spoon the tuna topping on the bread. Bake in the oven for ten minutes.

Tah-dah!

Pumpkin Gobs with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Oh. My. God. I have created a monster. These are amazingly delicious-- like pumpkin roll, but way better.

Also, apparently everywhere else in America these are called "whoopie pies" or "moon pies". Apparently, "gobs" is exclusively Southwestern PA. Go figure. The "gob" recipe is from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, and the filling recipe is from She's Becoming Dough-Mess-Tic.

Anyway these were really easy and fun and delicious, except that when I put them together I had to set them all up against each other on a plate so the tops didn't slide off!

Pumpkin Gobs:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground fresh nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup canola oil (I used olive)
3 cups chilled pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a couple of baking sheets, and set them aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices-- set that over by the baking sheets. In another bowl, whisk the sugars and oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined. Use an ice cream scoop or melon baller with a release mechanism to drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. (You don't have to use that, but I found that it works really well in keeping the cookies uniform.) Bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Let them cool before slapping on the filling. If you know what gobs are like the "cookies" should be more cake-like than anything.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick butter at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Dash of Salt

Break out your hand mixer and beat the butter and cream cheese together. Add the cinnamon and salt, then add the sugar little by little. Add the vanilla, and blend until smooth. Then shovel the whole mess into a piping bag-- Kaitlin let me use hers-- and whomp all the cookies together with it. Delish.