A Sweet & Savory treat!

Upon reading the title of this recipe you are probably asking, "Bacon, two posts in a row?! What got into this dietitian?!" Well, I guess I would have to answer your question with-- I became a chef. 

Enjoy...in moderation of course : ) 

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies

Yields 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch chile powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

5 strips bacon (1/3 pound)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup roughly chopped dry roasted peanuts

1/2 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, chili powder and salt in a large bowl.

Dice bacon and cook in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings and set aside to cool. If needed, crumble the bacon with your hands to ensure small pieces.

Beat the butter and reserved bacon drippings in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.

Beat in the peanut butter until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the granulated and light brown sugar until creamy, about 4 minutes, then add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.

Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture in 2 additions, scraping down the bowl as needed, until just combined.

Stir in the peanuts and all but 2 tablespoons each of the chocolate chips and bacon.

Using a 1.5 tablespoon ice cream scoop- form dough into balls and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten with your fingers (the cookies will spread only slightly in the oven). 

Press the reserved bacon and chocolate chips on top.

 Bake until golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Mmmmm...

Goodbye Thanksgiving. Hello Christmas!

I hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving and ate their fair share of stuffing and pumpkin pie! Thanksgiving will always hold special memories of cooking all day with my mom, as we listened to Christmas carols and watched the Macy's Day parade on TV.
This year was a bit different...as I was able to see the parade in person! We braved the cold and massive crowds to make our way towards 34th street. It was worth every moment to see the Pillsbury Dough Boy floating down the streets of Manhattan!
   

                      

   

       
Now that Thanksgiving is over, Christmas is rapidly floating towards us (pun intended). This means holiday parties around every corner...which also means you need a yummy h'orderve ready to make at a moments notice. I wanted to share one of my favorites that has proven to be a crowd pleaser every time-  it's spicy and cheesy, with hints of bacon! 

Spicy Bacon Deviled Eggs

(yields 12 eggs)

Ingredients:

6 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and halved

1/4 cup finely grated sharp cheese (I used parmigiano reggiano mixed with sharp cheddar)

1/3 cup loosely packed mayonnaise (Regina measurements- 3 large blobs)

2 slices of bacon, cooked and diced. Reserve bacon drippings

2 teaspoons of reserved bacon fat

1 teaspoon of hot sauce or Sriracha chili sauce (more or less according to desired spiciness)

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional- garnish with extra diced bacon

Directions: 

1. Hard boil eggs:

Every chef I know has a different way of hard boiling eggs. I learned this method in culinary school and find it works best for me...Lower room temperature eggs into boiling water (use a spider). Slightly decrease temperature and allow the eggs to simmer for 15 minutes. Immediately cool in cold water and peel under running cold water.

2. After peeling eggs, cut in half and scoop out yokes into a medium bowl. Gently mash yokes with a fork. 

3. Add remaining ingredients and mix with a hand blender. This creates a smooth creamy texture.  

4. Fill egg whites with egg yolk mixture using a either a spoon or pastry bag with decorative tip. 

I hope you and your fellow party guests enjoy!

Thanksgiving memories from the test kitchen

After completing culinary school, I was privileged enough to land an awesome internship inside of Family Circle Magazine’s test kitchens. I met many amazing chefs who inspired me to follow my dreams, as well as assisted me in learning new skills specific to magazine food editing and recipe development. I have special memories of spending hours in the kitchen testing and re-testing recipes until they were just perfect!

In the magazine world, deadlines for the holidays begin in the summer…hence in the test kitchen it really seems like Christmas in July! I was fortunate enough to be able to test the below Thanksgiving dessert last summer and it is now in print for everyone to try (see Family Circle's November issue, pg 176). It’s super easy for such a cute masterpiece.

Directions:

1. Generously grease 12 cup mini bunt pan (about 2” width). Don’t go too crazy searching for this exact pan…I used 4” mini bunt pan and the grooves were not as defined, but they still look like a cute little pumpkins.

     

2. Prepare Devil’s Food Cake box mix per box directions, but substitute milk or buttermilk for water.

3. Fill mini bunt pan half way with batter. Learn from my mistakes and don’t overfill the muffin tins....results include feeling really sick from overeating mass quantities of extra large muffin tops!

4. Cook in mini bunt pans for 15-20 minutes. Tooth pick inserted in center should come out clean. 

(Mine were larger tins and came out perfectly at 20 minutes)

5. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes and then overturn onto cooling wrack. Once completely cool, use a serrated knife to cut off muffin tops to create a level surface.

(save muffin tops for later snacking)

6. Frost one flat side of cake to act as glue and place the other cake on top. Press down gently.

7. Decorate as desired! Scope out the magazine for lots of great decorating ideas. 

I chose to warm up the icing (5 seconds) and then drizzled it on top,

then garnished with orange sprinkles,

Kit Kat candy bar for stem.

(Other stem ideas- pretzel sticks, Twix bars, or brown licorice)

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Homemade Pasta...any way you want it!

When I think of my favorite foods, my mind automatically goes to bread and pasta. Not only do I love to eat them, I love to make them! Hence I would like to share with you my favorite pasta recipe (bread recipe at a later date). My first time making pasta from scratch, I was a bit nervous, but I quickly realized just how easy and creative it can be. You don't need a pasta machine or fancy gadgets, just an adventurous spirit and willingness to become one with your food : ) Have fun!

Fresh Pasta

Yield: 2 servings

Fresh Pasta Recipe- 

100 grams of flour (One scant cup), plus more for dusting

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tsp olive oil

Whisk together flour and salt. Mound onto counter or into a large mixing bowl. Make a “well” in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg and oil.

Using a fork, gently beat the egg/oil, but be careful not to disturb the well. Slowly incorporate the flour into the egg mixture, stirring the flour in from the sides of the well and working outwards.

I like to use a bench scraper to continue to incorporate the flour mixture into the egg mixture. 

Once a dough begins to form, lightly dust work surface and begin to knead dough about 5-10 minutes. 

End result should be smooth and flexible, but not sticky.

Gather dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. 

Allow dough to rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temp.

If you don’t have a pasta machine, just use a rolling pin. Cut the dough in half with a bench scraper. 

Keep extra dough covered with plastic while working with the other piece. 

On a lightly floured surface, flatten the piece of dough into a rough square. 

With a rolling pin, begin to roll dough to desired thickness (about 1/16^th of an inch). 

Now the really fun part! Cut into desired shapes...

1. Ravioli:

*Sweet Potato Filling- 2 sweet potatoes (roast, remove skins, and mash), 

1 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp butter (room temp.), 1 tsp salt

                    Square shape                                                                                  

or

Circle shape

2. Papparadelle (translated "to gobble up" in Italian). It is a great way to use up scraps: 

 

3. Farfalle (bow ties):

                  

Place finished product onto a floured baking sheet pan and toss with flour to prevent sticking.

Cook immediately (boil in salted water 5-7 minutes) or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 hour before cooking.

Toss pasta with a sauce of your choice and serve immediately!

I chose to simply toss in olive oil and garnish with Parmigiano Reggiano, as I wanted the flavor of my fresh pasta to shine through.  

Enjoy!

Sandy Survivors!

We survived Sandy!! Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers! Power and water were restored to our apartment in the lower east side of Manhattan last night!  We were so excited to come home to a well lit apartment and flush-able toilet. 

Despite the destruction that has taken place around us, I would like to take a sec to note the positive side of Sandy. During the last few days, Nathan and I have had an adventurous time scouring the city for electricity to recharge our phones and take showers. We were forced to find things to do that did not involve computers or tv. The only way to keep updated on current events was to hunt down the news vans and get as close as possible to hear the reporters. We often found ourselves at the local diner for a hot meal. It forced us to try new things and see new places that otherwise would have been missed.

I am so thankful for God’s protection from the mass destruction that has occurred in the city of New York. I am also thankful that I can now use my oven again! Most of the grocery store shelves are still bare, but I scavenged my favorite spots to find ingredients for a “Post Hurricane Sandy” party!! What better meal to choose than PIZZA!

Please continue to keep NYC in your prayers, as many people are morning losses. 

Chicken Marsala

     You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you meet someone famous? Or when you have a one-on-one conversation with someone you admire or look up to? Well, I recently experienced those butterflies as I tried to stay calm, cool, and collected while meeting one of my own chef inspirations- Ellie Krieger. (Flip on the Food Network and you will probably catch her). She is a dietitian turned chef (just like me!). I not only admire her lovely demeanor, but also her culinary talent, as she is able to keep her recipes tasty and healthy.

     So needless to say, I felt inspired to go home and experiment with one of Ellie’s favorite Italian dishes….Chicken Marsala (with a Regina flare). I hope this encourages you to get in the kitchen and do the same!

PS- This dish is classically laden with butter, but I only used ONE tablespoon!

Chicken Marsala

4 servings

 Ingredients:

4, five ounce chicken breasts (boneless/skinless), pounded to ½ inch thick.

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ tsp paprika (I use smoked)

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large shallot, minced (about ¼ cup)

1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, thinly sliced

½ cup Marsala wine

1 cup chicken broth (low sodium is preferred)

1 tablespoon butter

Garnish- 4 teaspoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

Combine flour, paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper in a shallow dish. Add chicken one piece at a time and toss to coat. 

Reserve 1 tablespoon of remaining flour mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned (about 2-3 minutes per side). Transfer chicken to plate.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil the pan and heat over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until softened. 

Add half the mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften, then add remaining mushrooms and cook until they release their water (about 5 minutes). 

Add the reserved 1 tablespoon of flour mixture and stir to coat mushroom/shallot mixture for about 1 minute.

Add Marsala wine and bring to boil; continue to cook until liquid is reduced by half (about 1 minute). Add chicken broth and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil and continue cooking until liquid is reduced slightly (about 2 minutes) and add chicken back to pan. Spoon sauce over chicken and continue cooking over medium heat until sauce begins to thicken (about 5-7 minutes).

Transfer chicken to serving plate.

Cook the sauce to the desired thickness, 2-3 minutes more. Stir in the butter until melted.

                        

                        Pour sauce neatly over chicken and garnish with parsley.

I served my Chicken Marsala with a side salad and creamy Parmesan Risotto...mmmm.

Enjoy!