Turnip and Potato Soup with Smoky Cheese Toasts

We are experiencing a crazy March heat wave down here. I am not ready for summer.

I mean, come on.. I'm not done making soup yet!

We got a big bunch of turnips last week from our farmer. At that time, it wasn't 85 degrees, so this was the perfect lunch. I used my typical method for making smooth vegetable soups- saute some onion, add the veggies with broth and any seasonings, simmer until the veggies are tender and then puree with a stick blender. Works every time.

The soup is simple in flavor- make sure you season it well with salt and pepper or it could turn out quite bland. I made the cheese toasts on a whim- the smoky taste goes great with the simple soup.

I hope you get to try this out before it's too hot! Or just bookmark it for next year.. it seems weird to eat turnip soup with a tank top on.

Turnip and Potato Soup
by Oven Love

Ingredients:

•  2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 medium/large turnips, peeled and cubed
• 3 medium/large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
• a few sprigs fresh thyme
• a few sprigs fresh rosemary
• 5 cups chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste

In a stockpot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, 1-2 minutes. Add turnips, potatoes, thyme, rosemary (tie them together with twine if you want the removal to be easier) and stock and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until vegetables are tender, 20-30 minutes. Remove the thyme and rosemary stalks. Turn off the heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Smoky Cheese Toasts
by Oven Love

 Ingredients:

• 2 slices sourdough bread
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Turn the broiler on high. Mix butter, cheese, paprika, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Spread the butter mixture onto the bread. Broil for 2-4 minutes, watching carefully so they don't burn. Serve warm.

Irish Potato Candies

Forget the corned beef and cabbage. This is how to celebrate St. Paddy's Day.

I'm assuming that if you're not from Philly or Central PA, you've probably never heard of Irish Potatoes. Or maybe you have (sorry for assuming, you well-informed-blog-reader, you!) Either way, you're in for a Philadelphia-style treat.

 

 As a Pennsylvania native, I can fondly recall little boxes of Oh Ryan's Irish Potatoes popping up in convenience stores in early March.  For a long time, I just dismissed them because frankly, who wants to eat something that looks like it's covered in dirt? Then I discovered it was cinnamon and never looked back. I have fond memories of my college roommate Fisher rushing to the 7-11 near our workplace to scoop them up for us before they sold out. So good.

This recipe doesn't actually contain potato as an ingredient, although Wikipedia tells us that the original candies did include some cooked potato. The main ingredients here are cream cheese, sugar, coconut and cinnamon and they're a breeze to put together.

If you're making these for the first time, I would suggest halving the recipe like I did. I got about 16 candies and that is plenty for our house. They are pretty sweet little bites- you usually only need one (or half of one) to satisfy your sweet tooth.

This recipe is making me miss Philly and it's St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Shout out to my favorite Irish things in Philadelphia- the Malloys, the Irish Pub and my girl Fisher! I wish I could share these with you over a Guinness.

Happy St. Paddy's everyone- and be safe!

Irish Potato Candies
via Baked Bree

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick of butter softened
• 1/2 brick of cream cheese softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 1/2 cups sweetened coconut
• 2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Beat together butter and cream cheese. Slowly add the confectioners sugar.
2. Add the vanilla.
3. Add the coconut and mix until combined.
4. You may want to chill the coconut mixture a little before you roll them. I like to use a small ice cream scoop. These are really rich, so you want them to be small.
5. Roll the coconut mixture into a ball.
6. Roll the coconut mixture into the cinnamon and put on a parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Keep the Irish Potatoes in the fridge.

Roasted Cabbage with Quick Balsamic Reduction

So St. Patrick's Day fast approaches.. do you celebrate?

I am in the midst of planning a very lucky, very green birthday party for my 2-year-old. His party falls on St. Patrick's this year, so we decided to embrace the theme and get our green on. As you might imagine, we won't be serving corned beef and cabbage to a room full of toddlers, so I decided to roast up some cabbage for us a few days early.

 

I wanted to add little flavor to the roasted cabbage, so I decided on a quick balsamic reduction. For a true reduction, all you need to do is put some balsamic vinegar on the stove and and wait patiently for it to reduce. I wanted something a little faster, so I added some extra sugar to move the process along. If you're looking to try something a little bit different with your corned beef, this side dish fits the bill.

 

I'm not Irish and neither is my husband, but I think St. Patrick was pretty awesome- so cheers to his memory! I'm looking forward to sharing all of our St. Paddy's party details with you next week- and if you play your cards right, I'll have an 'Irish' treat for you tomorrow, too!

Roasted Cabbage with Quick Balsamic Reduction
by Oven Love

Ingredients:

• 1 head cabbage, cut into wedges or thick slices
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Pour olive oil on the cabbage to cover. Place in one layer on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes or until the cabbage is soft, flipping over once during cooking.

For the reduction, combine balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes until it reaches your desired thickness. Watch it closely toward the end so it does not burn.

When the cabbage comes out of the oven, drizzle each slice with the balsamic reduction and serve immediately.

Chocolate Beet Cake

  

Recently, I've been getting into baking full-size cakes. It seems like there are never enough occasions that call for a big, beautiful cake. After having my cupcake business in Ohio, I am much more inclined to bake cakes than cupcakes now (like the rainbow cake and the strawberry cake). 

Since I was experimenting with beets last week (see my sweet beet pancakes), I wanted to try out Joy the Baker's beet cake recipe that I'd been eyeing for a while. The recipe is similar to a basic chocolate cake with the addition of grated beets into the batter and the frosting- not too much extra effort to try something new and different.

As the beets were in the oven, I was getting a little nervous- my house was smelling like roasted dirt. But apparently, that's normal when you're dealing with beets. Smells were deceiving in this case- the cake certainly does not taste like dirt. Each chocolate-filled bite is strangely light and dense at the same time. You'll have to bake it to see what I mean.

I served this cake to guests and didn't reveal the secret ingredient until after. Everyone seemed pleasantly surprised.. or maybe just relieved that it wasn't something worse than beets.

Chocolate Beet Cake with Beet Cream Cheese Frosting
via Joy the Baker

For the Cake:

• 2 medium beets, unpeeled but trimmed of their greens
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pans
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the Frosting:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces (1 brick) cream cheese, softened
• 4 to 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons finely grated beets, mashed with a fork
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or scrapings of one vanilla bean pod
• 1-2 teaspoons milk, depending on desired consistency
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• pinch of salt

Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Thoroughly wash beets under running water, and trim their leaves, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem. Place clean beets in a piece of foil.  Drizzle with just a bit of vegetable oil.  Seal up foil.  Place on a baking sheet in the oven.  Roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.

Remove the beets from the oven.  Open the foil and allow beets to cool completely.  Beets will be easy to peel (just using a paring knife) once completely cooled.

Using a box grater, grate the peeled beets on the finest grating plane.  Measure 3/4 cup of grated beets for the cake and 2 tablespoons for the frosting.  Set aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.  Use butter to grease two 8 or 9-inch round baking pans.  Trace a piece of parchment paper so it is the same size as the bottom of the cake pan.  Cut it out and place inside the cake pan.  Butter the parchment paper.  Add a dusting of flour to coat the pan.  Set pans aside while you prepare the cake.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars.  Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, for one minute after each addition.   Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Once eggs are incorporated, beat in beets and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture.  Beating on low speed , slowly add the buttermilk.  Once just incorporated, add the other half of the dry ingredients.  Beat on medium speed until milk and dry ingredients are just incorporated.  Try not to overmix the batter.  Bowl can be removed from the mixer and mixture folded with a spatula to finish incorporating ingredients.  Cake batter will be on the thick side… not pourable.

Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans.  Bake for 23 to 25 minutes (for a 9-inch pan) or 30-32 minutes (for an 8-inch pan).  Cake is done when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove cakes from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Invert cakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting and assembling the cake.

To make the Frosting:
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese for 30 seconds, until pliable and smooth.  Add the butter and beat for another 30 seconds, until well combined.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl as necessary.  Beat in the beets.  Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, lemon juice, and salt.  Beat on medium speed until smooth and silky.  Refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes before frosting the cooled cakes.

To assemble the cake, place one layer of cake on a cake stand or cake plate.  Top with a generous amount of pink frosting.  Spread evenly.  Place the other cake on top of the frosting.  Top with frosting.  Work frosting onto the sides of the cake.  You will have extra frosting left over.  Refrigerate for an hour before serving (it will make the cake easier to slice).  Cake will last, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.

Fridays with Julie - Dessert Skewers

In a hurry for a dessert? Want something quick, easy, and sort of healthy?  Then this post is for you.  As many of you know, I spend more time than I should each week searching Pinterest.  I have seen all sorts of dessert skewers and decided I had to try them.  There really is no set recipe so I will only show you what I created then give you a few tips.  Here goes:

I used strawberries and pineapple because they are my favorite fruit.  And if you put fruit on your dessert it's practically healthy.  LOL!

I bought a store bought angel food cake - remember I said I was in a hurry.  That said, even though it worked, I would probably buy or make a pound cake if I had time because the angel food was to airy to skewer and still look pretty.

I melted chocolate chips to pour on top because that's what we had on hand.  Next time I'll use white chocolate because it's my favorite :)

Whether you have time to make your cake or buy it at the store, dessert skewers are easy, yummy and a hit with company.  Enjoy!

Chicken, Kale and Broccoli Casserole

Let's start this with a .. YUM.

Reasons to try this recipe:

 It's full of healthy greens. 
Dark, beautiful, curly kale and a little family-friendly broccoli. I like greens on their own, but when you add pasta and cheese? That's a win.

It's freezable.
I made the full recipe; baking up half of it for our meal and freezing half of it for a future dinner. I love that I only had to cook once, but I get to eat it twice (and not as leftovers).
 
It's tasty.

Big bites of pasta, creamy ricotta cheese, perfectly moist chicken and dark, flavorful greens.  Pair it with a salad and you can feel great about what you're feeding your family.

This is a solid weeknight meal- try it soon.
(And do not fear the kale! It's your body's best friend, I swear.)

Chicken, Kale and Broccoli Casserole
by Oven Love, adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. large or jumbo pasta shells
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 bunch kale, stems and ribs removed, coarsely chopped
• 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets 
• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
• 1 large container ricotta cheese
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain; return to pot. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is beginning to soften, 4 minutes. Add kale and broccoli, cover, and cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to pot with pasta.

Stir in chicken, ricotta, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; top with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until top is golden, 30 minutes.

To freeze: Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water; return to the pot. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is beginning to soften, 4 minutes. Add kale and broccoli, cover, and cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to pot with pasta. Stir in chicken, ricotta, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch disposable baking dish (or two 8-by-8-inch baking dishes); top with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Let cool to room temperature, cover with aluminum foil and freeze.

To reheat from frozen: Bake casserole (straight from the freezer) at 350 degrees for 60-90 minutes or until completely warmed through, removing the foil for the last 20 minutes of baking. You can also thaw in the fridge the day before and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.

Sweet Beet Pancakes

Oh, how the times have changed.

If you told me five years ago that I'd be recommending that you eat beets in any form, I would have laughed in your face. But here I am, about to tell you why you need to make beet pancakes- and soon.

This weekend, I had my first experience cooking with beets. Hubs brought home four beets for me from our farmer (Hilton) and I knew it was time to experiment. Is it weird that I am not ready to eat a plain roasted beet, and that I'd rather put it in a pancake first? Weird or not, that's what I did. I roasted those babies up, trimmed and pureed them (all with GLOVED hands, which I highly recommend unless you want stained beet fingers), and mixed them up into my batter. 

The verdict? Sweet and delicious. Hubs thought they could use a little extra syrup, but I didn't think the earthiness of the beets came on too strong. The little guy enjoyed them, too (that means he actually took a few bites and didn't run the other way asking for M-I-L-K).

If you're new to beets, too, I would encourage you to start with this recipe. It's a fairly safe introduction into the world of beets. Some day soon, I hope to face my fears and actually eat a beet on its own.. but until then, I'll be sitting down to a plate of these sweet, pink cakes.

P.S. Like most pancake recipes, these are freezable!

Sweet Beet Pancakes
by Oven Love, adapted from Weelicious

 Ingredients:

• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 3 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 2 Medium Beets, roasted & pureed (about 3/4 Cups)
• 1 1/4 Cup Milk
• 1/3 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 Large Egg
• 3 Tbsp Canola Oil
• 1 Tsp Vanilla extract

1. Sift the first 5 ingredients into a bowl.
2. Place the rest of the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine.
3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined (you don’t want to overstir the batter — some lumps are good).
4. Drop about 2 tbsp of the pancake mixture onto a greased griddle or pan over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
5. Serve with desired accompaniments- butter, syrup, honey or jam.

 To freeze: Place the pancakes in labeled zipper bags and freeze for up to 3 months.