Chocolate Chip Crescent Roll Snackage

Easy peasy and big impact. They LOVE these and it takes about 15 minutes from the time you pop the can to pulling them out of the oven.

Chocolate Chip Crescent Roll Snackage
1 Can cresent rolls
chocolate chips

Unroll the cresent roll dough and place a small (or medium :D) amount of chocolate chips on the wide end.
Roll up the crescents like normal with the pointy end last
Bake according to package directions.

Serve and enjoy lavish praise.

I may stick mini marshmallows in with the chips next time.....

Barefoot Blogger: Herb Roasted Onions

These were so fast and easy to make. They are, in a word, delicious. I'm eating them like candy as we speak, because in fact, this picture was taken mere moments ago when at 10:15 pm I realized that TODAY was the date to submit my first Barefoot Bloggers recipe. Thankfully I had the onions on hand and I thank the stars yet again for my fabulous herb garden, which despite the chill is still lovely and verdant.

Eating onions like candy? She's lost it. Oh, but listen and let me woo you. They are just slightly caramelized so they are subtly sweet while the dijon mustard and lemon gives them a hint of tangy-ness. I love the technique of leaving them joined at the bottom so they fan out really pretty on the plate. They are soft and silky smooth with the occasional crunch of a particularly toasty bit. I literally whipped this up at the very last minute and it came together so fast. I do believe that these will be gracing the table here at Thanksgiving.

Tremendous thanks to Kelly from Baking with the Boys for choosing this recipe. I don't think I would have looked twice at it otherwise and I would have been missing out on something so simple and yet so elegant.

If you yourself would like to see exactly how easy, simple and tasty these Herb Roasted Onions are, you can find the recipe on the Food Network site here, or in Ina Garten's book, Barefoot Contessa at Home, page 156. To join the BB community or to see what all the others did with this, please visit the the Barefoot Bloggers site.

Black Bean Taco Pasta

As usual, I lost track of time and had nothing planned for dinner. I wanted something pasta, something fast (!), something not necessarily low fat/cal but something that had protein but not meat per se as I’m trying to scale back on the amount of that I use on a weekly basis. Back from my Weight Watchers days, I remembered I had a recipe for Taco Soup (supposedly a “One Point” recipe for those of you in the know). I modified my original recipe to be kid friendly – they liked it, but next time I need to only use a tablespoon or so of the taco seasoning instead of the whole pouch. (Mommy, this is a little “spicy”.)

Black Bean Taco Pasta
Serves 4

EVOO for sautéing onions/garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Taco seasoning (pouch)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
½ cup sour cream
Kosher salt
Fresh parsley, chopped
½ - ¾ pound uncooked gemelli pasta

Boil pasta according to package directions. In the meantime, in a large skillet, on medium high heat sauté the onions and garlic in the EVOO until soft. Add the taco seasoning and stir briefly until powder is absorbed. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, corn and beans, deglazing the pan if needed. Bring mixture to a simmer. Add sour cream and stir thoroughly. Cook for about 5 minutes for flavors to meld and sauce to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss cooked gemelli pasta with sauce, sprinkle with parsley, serve and enjoy.

Plum Galette (cheater's version)

I have several yummy plums that I was going to make something with, but for the life of me I can’t remember what it was. So before they disintegrated I decided to make a plum galette that was inspired by the TWD recipe floating around the blogosphere. It was from before I joined the group so I didn’t officially make it. It’s not official now either in the strictest sense as I am (YES!) using up more stuff out of my treasure trove of a freezer. Pre-made pie crust - check - scratch one of those off the list.

This was so simple to put together and it was so delicious. I need to remember this one as a pull-it-out-of-my, um, sleeve for a fast but impressive dessert. I used two plums and apple butter for the jam portion of the program. The plums and the apple butter were fantastic together! I'm glad I only made a small one as I would have felt compelled to eat it all.

Summer Fruit Galette

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours
Makes one small galette

Ingredients:
Good For Almost Everything Pie Dough (or a single crust, chilled or premade crust)
2-3 tablespoons jam or marmalade (I used apple butter)
2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
Fresh summer fruit: about 10 apricots, 8-10 nectarines, 8 ripe but firm peaches, 8-10 firm plums or 2 stalks rhubarb (I used 2 plums and cut them up into thin slices)
Decorating (coarse) or granulated sugar, for dusting

For the Custard
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 scant cup sugar
1 large egg
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preheat to oven to 425 degrees F. Unroll one premade pie crust. With the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula, spread some of the jam in the center- how much will depend of the jam flavor you want. Sprinkle over the crumbs, adding a little more than 2 tablespoons if you think you’ve got particularly juicy fruit.

Arrange the fruit on the dough, cut side down if using stone fruits, then gently lift the unfilled border of dough up and onto the filling.

As you lift the dough and place it on the filling, it will pleat. Brush the dough very lightly with a little water, then sprinkle it with a teaspoon or two of sugar. Bake galette for 25 minutes, or until the crust is brown and the fruit is soft.

Meanwhile, make the custard. Whisk together the melted butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a bowl; set aside until needed. Remove the baking sheet from the oven (leave the oven on), and carefully pour the custard around the fruit. Depending on how much juice has accumulated and how much space you have between the fruit, you may not be able to pour all the custard into the galette, but even 2 tablespoons can give the right effect. Pour in as much custard as you can, then carefully return the pan to the oven. Bake for another 12 to 15 minutes, or until the custard is set- it shouldn’t jiggle when you gently shake the pan.

Cool the galette on the baking sheet on a rack for 10 minutes.Very carefully slide a small baking sheet or cake lifter under the galette and slip the galette onto a rack to cool. The galette can be served when it is just warm or when it has reached room temperature. Dust with confectioners sugar just before serving.

“Quick” Quiche

I can only assume they were referring to the prep time. That was a snap. Cooking/actual time from oven to plate was 45 minutes to an hour later. The name is definitely misleading but very tasty and so well worth making. I made two so the next time I needed a "quick quiche" I could have one almost instantaneously.


Quick Quiche Recipe
courtesy Elizabeth Gilroy, Food Network

4 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup real mayonnaise (aka Hellman's :))
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup minced onions
Salt and garlic powder
8 ounces shredded Swiss or sharp cheddar cheese
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Hand whip eggs, half-and-half, mayonnaise, and flour in a medium mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into an unbaked 9-inch, deep pie crust. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the top is golden brown.

makes 1 quiche