DoughSeeDough

a balanced plate with room for dessert

Monthly Archives: June 2009


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LA Burger

I came across this burger in Food Network’s magazine and just had to make it. For those of you that don’t subscribe to Food Network’s magazine, I suggest you do – everything I’ve made from there has been absolutely fabulous.

LA Burger

LA Burger
serves 4

4 hamburger buns
4 hamburger patties, store-bought or homemade
1 bunch watercress, roughly chopped
4 slices extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 Haas avocadoes, chopped
1 jalepeno, minced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 small onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Ketchup or tomato slices

  1. Grill the burgers to your liking and melt the cheddar on top.
  2. To prepare the guacamole topping: combine the avocados, jalapeno, lime juice, onion, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mash until well mixed.
  3. To assemble the burger: place 1 hamburger patty with cheese onto the bottom bun. Top with ketchup (or a tomato slice), guacamole, and watercress. Place on top bun and enjoy!


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Rich Chocolate Brownies

Today was probably one of the hottest days so far this summer. After almost fainting from my run, I decided to do something stupid – make brownies. Why is this stupid? Well, I live in an attic apartment with horrible air circulation and no air conditioning. Turning on the oven was probably not the best thing to do. However, I think these were well worth it.

Rich Chocolate Brownies

Rich Chocolate Brownies
makes 16 2-inch brownies

2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons of butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 baking dish with aluminum foil.
  2. Place both types of chocolate and the butter into a microwaveable bowl. Heat in 15 second intervals, stirring after each one until smooth.
  3. In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla until the eggs are a light yellow, about 2 minutes.
  4. Mix in the chocolate mixture until well combined.
  5. Fold in the flour and cocoa powder.
  6. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with gooey crumbs.
  7. Let the brownies cool in the pan before cutting. Sprinkle the brownies with powdered sugar, if desired.


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Rhubarb Bread

I can only make so much rhubarb crisp and rhubarb pie before I get sick of looking at it. So, I thought I would attempt to make rhubarb bread! The bread turned out to be perfectly sweet and moist. I found the recipe at allrecipes.com and I’ve copied it below.

Rhubarb bread

Rhubarb Bread
from allrecipes.com

1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, melted

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together milk, lemon juice and vanilla; let stand for 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, oil and egg. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda, stir into sugar mixture alternately with the milk mixture just until combined. Fold in rhubarb and nuts. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
  3. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. Sprinkle this mixture over the unbaked loaves.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.

I made mini loaves and baked them for about 25 minutes!


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Greek Chicken Pasta

This is Mike’s favorite dish ever. He is always asking me to make it. I’ve made this so many times I don’t even need the recipe any more. Lucky for him, the recipe makes a huge amount of food. Unlucky for his stomach, he eats all of it in 48 hours.

Greek chicken pasta

Greek Chicken Pasta
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 pound uncooked penne, fusilli or any other short pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red onion, chopped
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat, cut into bite-size pieces
1 (14 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried oregano

  1. Cook pasta according to directions.
  2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion, and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 5 to 6 minutes.
  3. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the artichoke hearts, tomato, feta cheese, parsley, lemon juice, oregano and cooked pasta. Stir until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes.


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Cilantro Dip

I had a bunch of cilantro left over after making the quinoa last night, so I made this dip. It’s really refreshing and super tasty. That’s saying a lot since I’m not the biggest fan of cilantro!I served this with tortilla chips, but you can try it with whatever you see fit.

Cilantro dip

Cilantro Dip

1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 package neufchatel cheese (1/3 fat cream cheese) or regular cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 7 oz can of salsa verde

  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.


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Quinoa with Black Beans and Corn

This was my first time cooking with quinoa. It was surprisingly good and this meal was so easy to make! The quinoa was served with some chicken on the side.

Quinoa with black beans and corn

Quinoa with Black Beans and Corn

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (you can add more or less depending on your spice tolerance)
1 cup frozen corn
2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

  1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned. Season the onions with the cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
  2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
  3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes or until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

If you’re wondering what to do with all that extra cilantro, try this cilantro dip!


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Banana Crumb Muffins

Mike had 3 bananas that were too brown and soft to eat, so I turned them into banana crumb muffins.

banana crumb muffin

Banana Crumb Muffins
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture and walnuts into the flour mixture until just moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
  4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.


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Chocolate Mint Cookies

I have yet to find a person that dislikes these cookies. I’m not a huge fan of chocolate, but I love these!! I have the ingredients to make these cookies on hand at all times, because you never know when you’re going to need it!

mint chocolate dough

Chocolate Mint Cookies
adapted from allrecipes.com
yields 3.5 dozen cookies

6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 egg
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 (4.5 ounce) packages Andes mints

chocolate mint cookies

  1. Heat the butter, sugar and water in a small pot over medium heat; stir occasionally until melted. Remove from heat and pour in the chocolate chips. Stir until melted. Set the mixture aside to cool for 10 minutes.
  2. Pour the chocolate into a mixing bowl and beat in the egg. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and then stir into the chocolate mixture. Put the dough into the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
  3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the cookie sheets.
  4. Roll the dough into 1-inch sized balls and place on the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, being careful not to overbake!
  5. When cookies come out, place 1 (or half) of an Andes mint on the top of each cookie. Let it melt slightly and then use the back of a teaspoon to swirl the Andes mint around to cover the top of the cookie. Let cool completely on wire racks.


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Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies

I find myself making a lot of cookies filled with preserves – usually raspberry. I have jars and jars of preserves at home and my fridge looks strange without a jar in it. Here’s yet another recipe that is filled with raspberry preserves. Trust me, they’re just as good as the other preserve-filled cookies.

raspberry almond shortbread cookies

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies
makes 3 dozen cookies

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves (or blackberry or whatever preserves you love!)
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon milk

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in the 1/2 tsp. almond extract. Mix in the flour until the dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on ungreased cokie sheets. Using your thumb, make a small indent in the center of each ball and fill with preserves.
  3. Bake for 14 – 18 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cook for 1 minute on the cookie sheet.
  4. In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners’ sugar, 3/4 tsp. almond extract and milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over the warm cookies. I placed this into a pastry bag with my smallest tip and used that to drizzle the icing onto the cookies; a plastic sandwich bag or Ziploc bag with a tiny hole cut in the corner works as well.

recipe from allrecipes.com


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Apple Strudel Muffins

I bought 10 pounds of granny smith apples to bake a caramel apple pie and only used up a quarter of them. With the rest, I made applesauce and these muffins! I don’t know why I didn’t take pictures of the pie or applesauce, but I did manage to remember to snap a photo of the muffins.

apple strudel muffins

Apple Strudel Muffins
yields 12 muffins

–For the muffin
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped apples

–For the strudel topping
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Thoroughly grease a 12 cup muffin pan or use liners.
  2. In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in the vanilla. Stir in the apples and then gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
  4. For the strudel topping: mix the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse crumb. Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the muffin pans.
  5. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to rest for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove muffins from the pan to cooling racks and allow to cool completely.