February 15, 2012 by headchef

  Little Chef D was ready to make another recipe with nutella. This time the nutella was not inside the batter it was melted and poured on top of the cooked brownie. We LOVE brownies, so we have high expectations for each new recipe.

 

  Little Chef D measured out and added flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder in a bowl.

 

 She whisked all these ingredients together. Little Chef D cannot make ANYTHING without getting something ALL over the counter! This time she whisked too hard and it flew out of the bowl.

   In a mixer she added the sugar and butter. She was SO excited to push the on/off button to cream the two together.

  When we got to this point in the mixing she thought it was so funny it looked like it was stuck. “We need to get the butter out of the mixing thing, then we can stop it.” I helped her scrape the butter out then she turned the mixer up higher. “I know to push the arrow to make it go fast” she said.

  When Little Chef D cracked the eggs it was an experience as usual! She poked her thumbs into the eggs and pulled them apart. The first one was fine. When she poked the second hole she only pulled open a small part of the shell. She said, “It’s like a bee cave. When this one didn’t come out then it was kind of like a bee cave.” Then she repeated the same thing to her sisters after she did a little dance and sang, “I cracked my eggs all by myself, I cracked my eggs all by myself.”

  After washing her hands she added the eggs into the mixer one at a time while the mixer was running.

  Next she added the vanilla. As you can see in the picture I was holding my breath hoping all the vanilla would make it into the bowl!

 

  She tried to add in the flour mixture slowly. It was sort of slowly, but in the end it was all combined.

  I put the batter into a 9×9 pan covered in parchment and sprayed. It was not easy to spread half the mixture in the pan. There was barely even enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Next some homemade caramel was spread on top of the batter. Then the rest of the batter was spread on top. This was not an easy task so I’m happy Little Chef D let me do it. She would not have been able to do this task herself.  After the brownies were cooked the had to cool fully. The nutella was then spread on the top.  “I have caramel brownies.” Little Chef D said as she did a dance for her sisters.

  The brownie was very good according to the Little Chefs. Little Chef A said she could not taste the caramel. I agree. If we make this recipe again I would add more caramel and I would leave the nutella off the top.  This recipe is good for little hands to make except for the spreading in the pan part.

Nutella Caramel Hazelnut Brownies {Makes 6 large decadent brownies}
What you’ll need:1/2 cup all purpose flour1/4 teaspoon baking powder1/3 cup cocoa powder1/4 teaspoon salt1 cup sugar1/2 stick unsalted butter – room temperature2 large fresh eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup Caramel sauce – room temperature1/4 cup Nutella – melted {approximately 15 seconds in microwave}

Hazelnuts – roughly chopped to garnish

What to do:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Into a mixing bowl add your flour, baking powder, salt & cocoa powder. Using a whisk, mix together & set aside. 2. Into your stand mixer add the sugar, butter and mix together until creamy. Add in eggs one at a time. Mix well. Add vanilla. GRADUALLY add in your flour mixture until it’s well combined. Batter should be thick & sticky.

3. Spray an ovenproof 10 x 7 dish with cooking spray. Place a piece of parchment paper (slightly larger than your dish to allow for handles) inside. It will adhere to bottom of dish. Spray the top of the parchment paper as well. Take HALF of your brownie batter and smooth it on top of the parchment paper. Take your caramel sauce and pour it on top of brownie mixture covering entire layer of brownie {careful not to place it too close to edges}. Place the remaining brownie batter on top smoothing it out.4. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until sides are firm and center is no longer giggly.

5.  Allow brownies to cool completely before removing. Cut your brownies to your desired size using a serrated knife. Make a small indentation with your finger into each brownie. Take your melted Nutella and drizzle over the tops of the brownies. Garnish with the hazelnuts.

February 14, 2012 by headchef

 

  I am seeing a trend. Chef Robert cooks with shallots and grapeseed oil. This recipe has a shallot which is becoming more familiar to us.

   The butter was put in a saucepan to melt.

  Little Chef C “cut” the shallots into a fine dice with the vidalia chopper very easily.

  They were then added to the saucepan. I asked Little Chef C what we were waiting for. She said, “So we wait until they are brown, no clear, that’s right I remember now. It makes them sweet.

  She then added the water, peas, mint leaves, salt and pepper and let them simmer.

  The peas were then spooned into a food processor. This took a while. It would have been easier to strain them in a colander and then dump it into the food processor.

  She needed help transferring the soup back to the saucepan.  Little Chef C was able to stir in the cream and mix it together.

  Little Chef A and C couldn’t get enough of it. Watching them eat it at the dinner table I thought no way would I have been able to get them to taste it if they hadn’t made it themselves. If it was my idea and execution it would have been a terrible dinner
experience.

  For my review: I thought this was quite interesting. I enjoy peas, in fact peas are one of my preferred vegetable. This soup was too much for me. The texture could have been more smooth, and then I probably would have liked it more.  The recipe says it makes 2 servings. That would be true for a main dish, but it served many as a side dish.

Fresh Pea Soup

Robert Irvine

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 pat butter (1/2 tablespoon or 1 1/2 teaspoons)

2 or 3 shallots, finely chopped

3 cups fresh or frozen peas (from about 3 pounds fresh garden peas in pods or 1 pound thawed frozen peas), rinsed before use

1 tablepoon minced fresh mint leaves

Salt and white pepper to taste

3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream

Croutons or crumbled crisp bacon, for garnish

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 2 cups water, the peas and the mint leaves and season with salt and a little pepper. Cover and simmer for about 12 minutes for young or frozen peas and up to 18 minutes for large or older peas, stirring occasionally.

When the peas are tender, ladle them into a food processor or blender with a little of the cooking liquid and process until smooth.

Strain the soup back into the saucepan, stir in the cream, and heat through without boiling. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed.

February 13, 2012 by headchef

  It is Giada day again. We were talking about taking a vacation somewhere. The conversation turned to talking about going somewhere that has something to do with cooking. Little Chef A said “Giada lives in California, we could go there!” I’m pretty sure her thought was let’s go to Giada’s house, meet her and my dream will be fulfilled. I had to tell her that was not possible.
  Little Chef A is chose to make Fettuccine Alfredo. If we made the recipe as stated we would have had A LOT left over so we decided to half the recipe. (We still had leftovers which they all enjoyed the next day!)  I explained this is a recipe that goes quick, so she had to be prepared. We opted to use what we had on hand, which meant no lemon. Also, we don’t very often use spaghetti or fettuccine noodles because they are too hard for the Little Chefs to eat. We opted for penne instead.

 

   The pasta was poured into a pot of boiling water which she salted.

 

   When time was up she lifted the saucepan herself and dumped it into a colander in the sink. The steam this time did not scare her and she did it with ease. Next she dumped the pasta, now in the colander, back into the pan.

  The sauce was simple. Little Chef A measured out then poured the heavy cream into a skillet.

  Next she added the butter until it melted.

  She very carefully added the cooked pasta to the cream and butter.

   She added in the rest of the cream and the parmesan cheese.

  The nutmeg, salt and white pepper. She wasn’t sure how to measure out the salt and pepper that didn’t have an actual measurement. I advised her to shake some into the palm of her hand. When she decided how much she wanted to put in then she could dump it in. If she poured too much in her hand she could dump it out before ruining the meal.

    Now she needed to wait for another minute for the sauce to thicken.

  Little Chef C asked for the pasta to be passed, very nicely, so she could have more. On the way Little Chef A’s lemonade spilled, mostly on her plate and mixed with her pasta! (Little Chef A does NOT mix foods. In fact she only eats one food at a time then moves to the next one.) She was so distraught, tears were starting to form. I said remember, the recipe actually called for lemon juice and lemon zest so take a bite and tell me how it tastes.  She started to laugh. Crisis averted! She daringly took a bite and really really wanted to spit it out, “YUCK” she said. I replied, “Now you know. It is a good thing we didn’t put lemon in it.” Yes, I do realize it would not taste exactly the same, but it stopped the tears and created some laughs!

Fettuccine Alfredo

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

  • 18 ounces fresh fettuccine
  • 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 cups grated Parmesan
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
  • Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
  • Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Drain.

Stir 2 cups of the cream and the lemon juice in a heavy large skillet to blend. Add the butter and cook over medium heat just until the butter melts, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Add the pasta and toss. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of cream, and Parmesan to the cream sauce in the skillet. Add the lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Toss the pasta mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

February 10, 2012 by headchef

   Last weekend Little Chef A was with a group of girls her age. They decided to make smoothies together. She was super excited because they did not follow a recipe. They made up their own!  This is why smoothies are the easiest thing kids can make. We did follow a recipe, Yummy Wake-Up Smoothie. What an interesting name we thought!

  After the ingredients were measured out it was time to dump it all in.

  I taught my Little Chefs a secret. When measuring honey, spray the spoon or cup with nonstick cooking spray and the honey will slide right out.  They didn’t think it was as mind blowing as I did when I first learned, but they have not had the experience of scraping honey out either!

  The rest of the ingredients were dumped into the blender. Little Chef A made sure to keep her hand on the lid while blending to make sure it doesn’t pop off. I knew there was no way it would happen this time with the amount of liquid in the blender, but it is good for her to put her hand there every time as practice for that one time when she WILL need it there.

  The final result looks smooth and delicious. This is my kind of smoothie, more berries then banana.  The berry taste was the most prevalent! I did have some complaints with the amount of little seeds. Most of us ignored the seeds and liked the flavor. Maybe it had more seeds then it should have because we used up all the raspberries, which was a little more then was outlined in the recipe. I should have mentioned to Little Chef A this would constitute changing the recipe just a little. She would appreciate that!

    If the amount of fruit in the smoothie was not enough my Little Chefs had to eat a banana along side the drink. I love how Little Chef A garnished her cup with a banana!

Yummy Wake-Up Smoothie

Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

  • 1 large ripe banana, peeled and sliced
  • 1 cup hulled strawberries
  • 1/2 cup raspberries, or peeled and sliced kiwi (about 2)
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey

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    Directions

    Place all the ingredients in the blender and process on high speed until smooth, about 30 to 45 seconds.

    Pour into glasses and serve.

February 9, 2012 by headchef

   We LOVE fresh rolls at home. When we all saw Parker House Rolls from Alex Guarnaschelli we had to make them. Alex had a pony tail on the Next Iron Chef.  Each time we watched the show Little Chef D said she wanted the girl with the pony tail to win.     

  We buy yeast in a large container, so Little Chef A measured out 2 1/4 teaspoons and combined it with the warm water using a whisk. After one minute she measured out and added one cup flour and mixed it together again. She was being very soft and dainty only stirring the top part. I told her she can’t hurt it, stir harder, it all needs to combine. 

  

   In the mixer Little Chef A combined the milk and melted butter.

  Next was her favorite part, EGGS! They each have their own method and I love watching each one. Little Chef A hits the eggs very daintily on the counter which doesn’t do much, then she digs her thumbs in the shell until it cracks and pulls it open.

  The yeast mixture was then scraped into the mixer. It was very difficult for her to scrape it out of the bowl and hold the bowl at the same time. She needed a lot of help with this step.

Next the salt was added then the flour. 

   We talked about how it doesn’t matter if she measured out the flour exactly because we have to look and touch the dough to know if we need more flour. As the mixer first began mixing in the flour she said, “I think it was too much.” I said, “Let’s wait and see.” After not even a minute she said, “It’s working.” She was surprised the flour mixed in so well when it didn’t look like it was going to. Little Chef A touched the dough and found it wasn’t sticky and decided we didn’t need anymore flour.

   Now she needed to figure out how to get the dough out of the mixer. I showed her how to pull the parts out, but she needed to pull the dough off the paddle. That did require her to get her hands a little dirty which she immediately washed.     

ft;>  After the dough had time to rise it was turned out onto the counter, then pressed into a rectangle with her hands

 

  Little Chef A was then very excited to use a pizza cutter to section the rolls.  I helped a bit by pointing where a straight line should be, not that she ended there!

     We found a video online with this recipe. Little Chef A knew exactly how to fold the rolls and had them done quickly ready for a second rise.

 

   When the rolls came out they smelled wonderful. The girls loved them. I thought they were a little dense. I don’t think the yeast bloomed perfectly to get a fluffy roll. Little Chef A said the next day as she was having one for a snack, “These aren’t as fresh as yesterday.” She was correct, but then again nothing is as fresh the next day!

Parker House Rolls

Alex Guarnaschelli

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 7 1/2 to 8 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus softened butter for brushing
  • 2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling

Directions

Measure out 1/2 cup warm water and check the temperature: It should be between 110 degrees F and 120 degrees F (comfortable bathwater temperature). Sprinkle the yeast into a large bowl, add the warm water and whisk in the sugar. Let sit 1 minute (it should bubble and froth slightly), then gently stir in 1 cup flour. Set aside near the stove while you prepare the dough.

Make the dough.
Mix the melted butter and milk in a mixer with the hook attachment on low speed. Add the eggs and mix until blended. Scrape in the yeast mixture and mix until incorporated. Add 6 1/2 cups flour and 1 tablespoon salt; mix until the dough forms a ball, 2 to 3 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup more flour if the dough is too wet and sticky.

Let it rise.
Brush a large bowl with softened butter. Transfer the dough to the bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place, 2 hours to 2 hours, 30 minutes. The dough should double in volume.

Shape the dough.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust a clean flat surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Flour your hands; gently press the dough into a 16-by-8-inch rectangle, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (don’t use a rolling pin).

Cut the dough.
With the short side in front of you, cut the dough in half lengthwise with a floured knife. Then slice crosswise into 12 strips.

Shape the dough.
One at a time, fold each strip of dough unevenly in half so the top part slightly overlaps the bottom half, then tuck the overhang underneath. Place the rolls seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet in 3 tightly packed rows. (If making in advance, wrap the baking sheet tightly in plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 weeks.)

Bake the rolls.
Bake until the rolls are bursting at the seams and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. (If frozen, bake 25 minutes at 325 degrees F, then 10 minutes at 375 degrees F.) Remove from the oven and brush with softened butter. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

February 8, 2012 by headchef

   Little Chef D was so excited to make the second Nutella recipe. This one is called Nutella Brownies from Two Peas and their Pod.  The recipe called for bittersweet chocolate, but since we had to make something NOW we used what we had, mini semisweet chips.

  Little Chef D combined the dry ingredients, sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa, and the chips.  She now knows everything need to be leveled out. She asked, “scrape it off with my finger?” I replied, “Or a knife.” She decided a knife was better. She still does not like getting her fingers dirty!

  When Little Chef D saw the new cocoa container she yelled to her sisters, “Guys I want to tell you something. Something is new in here. Its a brand new can. Its from a yellow can. Cocoa is new, not hot cocoa.”  Then she measured, leveled and poured it into the bowl and said, “Some fell on the side of the bowl, I can scrape it in. Oopsy some fell on the counter.” The chocolate chips were next. She was able to pour and dump all by herself very well.

 

  Next was the eggs. She did successfully crack two eggs into a separate bowl. Little Chef D’s method is to lightly tap the egg on the counter, then crush the shell with her fingers until it falls apart and the egg falls out.

  Only two shells made it into the bowl which she fished out.

  This time I found the hazelnut extract. The recipe calls for 1/2 tsp. We already had the 1/4 tsp out from the salt. I quickly thought if I give her the 1/4 tsp she will most likely spill at least another 1/4 tsp. If I give her a 1/2 tsp she will spill and then there will be too much.
  I ended up giving her the 1/4 tsp. I was so happy I did. AT LEAST 1/4 tsp spilled over the top of the measuring spoon into the bowl. Luckily she had already learned the lesson to pour over a bowl!  It is very likely there is a lot more extract then the recipe called for in there.

  The oil was measured and poured into the same bowl, then she stirred it all with a fork to combine.

  The bowl was then poured into the dry ingredients and mixed.

  Little Chef D had a difficult time with the nutella. It is so thick and didn’t want to come out of the measuring cup. But eventually she was able to scrape it out with her knife.

   She tried mixing again, but it was a little too hard for her. She passed it over to me.

   It was equally as hard to pour it into the baking dish. She passed that part over to me as well.

   When it was time to clean up Little Chef D disappeared! Oil and cocoa were all over the counter. She was ready to do something else. She hit her limit.

  We all agree these brownies are good, but there wasn’t anything special about them. The extra hazelnut extract was not noticeable. I was disappointed the nutella flavor wasn’t as strong as the Chocolate Nutella Cookies we previously made.

Nutella Brownies

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate, (2 ounces) coarsely chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp table salt
1/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp hazelnut extract
1/4-1/3 cup of Nutella
Directions:
Position an oven rack on the middle rung. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake or pie pan.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add in the chocolate chunks. Whisk until blended.
In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, eggs, and extract with a fork until just blended.
Pour the liquid over the flour mixture and mix with a rubber spatula until just blended. The batter will be kind of dry, don’t worry. Add in the nutella and stir until combined.
Scrape the mixture in to the pan and spread evenly. You might have to press the mixture in to the sides if you are having trouble spreading with a spatula.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in to the center comes out with only a few gooey pieces clinging to it. Transfer the baking dish to a cooling rack and let cool. Cut into wedges, squares, or just eat from the pan:)

February 7, 2012 by headchef

  Today’s side dish was Parmesan Peas by Robert Irvine.  This was a pretty simple recipe to prepare. Little Chef C wasn’t very excited about this recipe, but we have needed a side dish so she agreed. The ingredients were gathered. Nothing to unfamiliar. We haven’t use shallots before, but they are similar to an onion so I didn’t think it would be a problem.

 

    The shallot was chopped. We opted to only cut one shallot because it seemed like a lot! Little Chef C had a hard time keeping the shallot together to cut crosswise after it was cut lengthwise. I winced each time she cut and really wanted her to stop because I thought she was going to cut herself. I was about to tell her it was my turn when she asked me to finish it for her! Cutting is still a problem for this Little Chef, we haven’t fully figured out. She should have used the vidalia chopper as it would have been easier, but I want them to learn how to handle a knife as well.

  The mint was cut with scissors. This method for cutting herbs is still proving to be the best, eventhough she still wants to cut one leaf at a time. Just imagine how long it takes to cut all the leaves required in tiny pieces one at a time!

  In a saute pan the oil and shallots were cooked until tender.

The peas were then added.

  Next came the addition of the heavy cream and parmesan. Little Chef C did add some salt and pepper as well.  After the peas were cooked they were put in a bowl and the mint was added on top.

  We always allow the Little Chef who made the dish to taste it first. So far, proceeding that first taste is a “Mmmmmm, this is sooooo good.” That again occurred this time and the peas were quickly cleared from their plates.
  For my review: I thought the peas reminded me of being at a restaurant. They were creamy yet, sharp from the shallots. Next time I would make it with even less shallot. Make sure you eat the peas when they are warm. When they cool, the cream and the cheese harden up making it not so appetizing.  This was a very boring recipe for Little Chef C to make. It had a lot of stirring, not enough cutting, flipping or enough ingredients for her to measure.  In the end she was proud of her accomplishment.

Parmesan Peas

Robert Irvine, 2007

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 large shallots, diced
  • 1 pound fresh frozen English green peas, defrosted
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup freshly chopped mint leaves, optional

Directions

In a large saute pan, add the oil and shallots over medium heat and cook shallots until they are transparent and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the peas and warm through. Next add the heavy cream and Parmesan and continue to cook until all of the cheese has been incorporated. Adjust seasoning just before serving and, if you like, sprinkle with chopped fresh mint.

February 6, 2012 by headchef

  Little Chef C wanted to make Rumbi Island Easy Mango Chicken and Rice for dinner. I told her this one was a little different because she would be able to put the chicken and spices in the crockpot then she didn’t need to do anything until dinner time. At lunch time she said, “My chicken takes a long time to cook.”

  The recipe said cumin and lemon pepper to taste. My Little Chefs do not like recipes that say that. “How much?” they always ask. I can’t give them a straight answer. I don’t know. We have never made this before. We talked about it, guessed, and decided on 3/4 tsp each. She liked leveling the cumin with her finger. However, whenever anything gets on her hands it immediately gets on her pants because to  her that is where everything is wiped off! She said, “That was easy, now I wait.”

     

  At dinner time Little Chef C used two forks to shred the chicken. She was having so much fun and success that Little Chef D wanted to participate. She HAD to have her own plate, forks and chicken.

   The chicken was returned to the crockpot, then the corn and beans were added.

   Next the mango peach salsa (premade from Costco) was added. Little Chef C needed some assistance so I held the measuring cup while she poured the salsa.

   Little Chef C had a hard time stirring it all together. So many colors it looks amazing!

   I made some coconut jasmine rice to go under the chicken mixture.

  Little Chef A said, “I think it needs a pinch of pepper.” I agree somewhat with her. It looks amazing, but the flavors are boring. It needs a little more to make it exciting. The rice is the best part unfortunately. It was easy for Little Chef C to make and to shred. All the Little Chefs ate it well.

Rumbi Island Easy Mango Chicken and Rice submitted by Melanie4-5 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)1 can corn, dra ined1 can black beans, drained and rinsed3 cups mango salsaCumin to tasteLemon Pepper to tastePut chicken breasts in crock pot. Add spices. Cover and cook chicken until tender. Shred chicken on a plate and return to crock pot. Save juices in separate bowl.Add corn, beans and salsa. More salsa can be added to taste. If mixture seems dry, add some of reserved juices.Serve over coconut jasmine rice for that Rumbi Island Grill taste. Garnish with cilantro or parsley, if desired.

*You could use regular salsa for a Mexican taste and serve over regular rice or tortilla chips.

February 5, 2012 by headchef

  Little Chef D was reading the Food Network magazine and wanted to make Almost Famous Pecan Waffles.

    The pecans were placed on a cookie sheet and baked until toasted.

  After they were toasted, Little Chef D used the hand chopper and easily chopped them into smaller pieces.

  While the pecans were toasting she measured the ingredients.

  The butter and shortening were added to a bowl then put in the microwave to melt. Afterward, the bowl was set on the counter to cool.

  The dry ingredients were combined and whisked.

    Little Chef D cracked the egg, then yelled to her sisters, “I did an egg all by myself!” She was skipping and dancing and yelling so proud of herself wanting to impress her sisters.

  She measured out the vanilla, with some help. Little Chef A said, “It smells so good. I love that smell.”

  The wet ingredients were added into the dry and combined. When she was mixing she said, “when I don’t hold it [the bowl], it [the bowl] goes around.

  The batter was a little lumpy.

     Little Chef D didn’
t want to pour in the batter, she wanted to sprinkle the toasted pecans. She was so careful it took so long for her to put a single handful on top. After this first one I explained she needed to sprinkle the toasted pecans all over the batter so that each bite could have some. She understood and afterward did a much better job with even distribution.

“You must have put too much batter in there.” said Little Chef A.

  The finished waffles look amazing!  “I want the first one!” Little Chef C said. “I want the one with the most pecans.” Little Chef A said. They tasted amazing. They were so thick and filling. We each only needed one. Little Chef A said, “The pecans taste to me a little like a dessert nut.” My only complaint is they weren’t was crispy as I like. They were a little flimsy.

Almost-Famous Pecan Waffles

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup pecans
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for brushing and topping
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, melted and cooled
  • Maple syrup, for topping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet; bake until toasted, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool, then chop. Reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees F.

Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk the egg, milk, buttermilk and vanilla in a separate bowl until combined. Stir the egg mixture, melted butter and shortening into the dry ingredients until just combined. (The batter will be lumpy.)
Preheat a waffle iron and brush with melted butter. Ladle some batter into the iron (about 1/2 cup, depending on your waffle iron); sprinkle with 2 tablespoons toasted pecans. Cook until golden brown, then transfer the waffle to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining batter. Top the waffles with butter and maple syrup.

February 4, 2012 by headchef

  Once a week we have movie night. Frequently pizza goes along with it. Tonight we decided to make Stuffed Pizza Rolls from Our Best Bites. Everyone wanted to help. I made the pizza dough earlier in the day. Little Chef A used her new rolling pin to roll it out into a rectangle. The rolling pin worked amazingly well.  She completed this task very easily and quickly.

  The pepperoni needed to be cut. The Little Chefs were so excited to use their new knives all together. Unfortunately, they didn’t work very well. I’m actually really disappointed in these knives. They are made for kids, but we haven’t found anything yet they cut through. The Little Chefs were basically tearing the pepperoni apart. I even tried it and found it very difficult.

   Little Chef D wouldn’t let us forget the olives. We thought it would be easier and faster to cut them in the Vidalia chopper. It was very quick and easy!

   The Little Chefs were in no hurry to top each square with cheese, pepperoni and olives.

    Finally they were all topped.

  Each Little Chef had their own technique of folding, pinching or rolling. 

 

  In the end, the filling made it inside each one some how and in some form.

  The tops were brushed with butter. Little Chef A suggested we put all the extra toppings that were a mess all over the counter on top of the butter to make it look pretty. We don’t want to waste anything.

   After 90 minutes (not a typo!) the pizza rolls were filled, made in to ballish shapes, cooked and ready to eat. While we were folding/filling, Little Chef C said, “They are hard to make, but easy to eat.”

 

  I made a quick pizza sa
uce to dip the pizza rolls into. The Little Chefs couldn’t have had a better meal. They love finger foods and they love to dip. Any sauce for some reason helps them eat so much better. They were even excited to finish them off the next day. Now that’s a winner! Something they want to eat two days in a row!