chocolate chip bread pudding

this one's for you Grandma :)


This is a recipe I love to make, and actually have a million different varites for it. Bread pudding is something typically thought to be accompanied with cinnamon and raisins, which of course is fine but I have too many ideas to limit my recipe to just that. Here is my basic chocolate chip bread pudding, but along the way I'll note varaiations that either I've tried or want to try. Choose which you think is best!

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 5 large beaten eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups cubed Italian bread
• Milk Chocolate chips

Topping:

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F. 

Grease the pan. For this reciepe I decided to try out my new bundt pan, but I've also done this many times in a 13 by 9 or even cut the whole recipe in half and done it in an 8 by 8. Either way, grease the pan using your favorite method.

Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla in a bowl. Here's where you can get creative: there have been a few times I haven't had all the milk I needed and I've used vanilla coffee creamer. I imagine any flavor creamer would be really good, but if you're using a super sweet kind, use about 1/4 c less sugar. I've also added cinnamon and cloves to this part of the reciepe, which is especially good if you want to use raisins. 

Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes. The bread is also something you can play with- I used the typical Italian baguette that was slightly stale. But I've also used Italian whole wheat baguettes or any kind of old bread laying around. Cinnamon raisin bagels are something I've always wanted to try for the bread, which I bet would be really good. I've also done this same reciepe with really stale Christmas cookies- snickerdoodles or oatmeal raisins. We always have some sitting around weeks after christmas and as along as you break them up into bite sized pieces, the reciepe works the same!

In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar and butter. Walnuts or peacans would be good too :)

Add chocolate chips to the soaked bread mixture. I really don't measure when I use chocolate chips for this reciepe, because lets face it, you can't have too much chocolate. But I used about 3/4 of a 12oz bag, but use as much or as little as you like. Here's where you can also change some of the recipe: I've thought about adding carmel pieces and allowing them to melt in the oven. I've also thought about chopping up toffey candy or candy bars and adding them. Whatever you want!

Pour bread mixture into prepared pan.

Spread brown sugar mixture over the top. I've doubled this reciepe for when I use a 13 by 9 pan. This is similar to the chocolate chips in the sense that you can't really have too much of it. It really makes the dessert!


Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set.


In the past I've done a glaze to top it with, although it really doesn't need it. But if you wished to do so, especially with a cinnamon raisin kind, just mix 1 cup powdered sugar and a tablespoon or 2 of milk, brandy, or water.

Everybody who I make this for seems to like it, so I hope you do too! It's best served right out of the oven after it's not so hot, but if you store it at room temp with plastic wrap over the pan or in an air tight container it should be fine for a day or two. But good luck making it last til then!

Enjoy :)

Chelsea

on-the-go breakfast

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I'm not sure if I agree with that but it's definitely my favorite. I could eat breakfast for every meal. However, my busy life as a senior in college doesn't leave me much time to enjoy too many sit down meals. Good thing I spend my spare time thinking of food!

Here's one of my favorite things to make for breakfast, which actually ends up getting consumed on my way to school.

Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 piece of toast
• 1 Tbs butter
• Cooking spray
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cooked sausage (about 4 oz)
• Cheese (sliced or shredded)

Directions:

This all happens really fast, which is appropriate given that I typically spend my mornings like a chicken running around with it's head cut off. This may seem like "Breakfast for Dumbies" but follow closely for best results:

Preheat 6 inch skillet on medium high heat.

Place bread in toaster.

Crack egg and whip untill frothy. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Sometimes I'll add old bay :))

Cut sausage into small pieces.

Spray cooking spray into preheated pan, reduce heat to medium. 

Add frothy eggs to hot pan and ensure eggs coat pan.

Stir eggs thoroughly until eggs start to become solid, entire pan should be spread with egg mixture. 

Distribute sausage into the still soft eggs and press down.

Let egg and sausage sit for about 3 mintues.

Butter toast.

Using a spatula, flip egg. Contiune to cook until completely solid, about 2 more mintues.

Transfer egg to toast, top with cheese if desired. 

Serve with juice/coffee, or wrap in a paper towel to eat on the go.

Try it tomorrow for breakfast! Or whatever :)

For more breakfast ideas, checkout this HUGE list of TONS of breakfast ideas at Mr. Breakfast's Website.

hmm smores pie..

Every once in a while my family expects dessert. So a lot of times we have a bunch of ingredients that go together even if I don't know what I'm going to do with them. A few of those things are chocolate chips, marshmallow fluff, and graham cracker crusts.






And honestly, who doesn't think of smores when you have all 3 of those ingredients staring at you in your pantry.




So here's one of my family's favorite:

Smore's Pie
(Note: this is the mini version, you could multiply everything by 8 if you had an 8'' or 9'' graham cracker pie shell, but this night I made just two mini pies, so everything here is per pie)

Ingredients:
- 4oz chocolate chips (or about a handful)
- 1/3c marshmallow cream/fluff
- 1 mini graham cracker pie shell

Directions:

Preheat broiler in oven.





Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second intervals. Spoon chocolate into pie shells.

Fill plastic bag with fluff. I've found it's easiest to place the plastic bag in a cup and spoon in the marshmallow. Cut 1/2 inch piece off the tip of the bag to pipe fluff out.

Fill the chocolate lined pie shells with fluff.

Place under broiler with oven open. The pies will be in the oven for no longer than 3 minutes. DO NOT WALK AWAY. Watch the pies until the tops turn light brown, or until they've achieved desired brownness.

 

So see, even if you don't have a lot of ingredients or time, you can still have a delicious dessert!

Enjoy!

Chels :)

look ma! fried chicken!

DISCLAIMER: this is not my healthiest recipe. If you get fat from making this recipe, it's not my fault. If you do however gain weight, at least you'll be fat and happy.

---

Fried chicken is one of those things a lot of people love to eat but aren't too good at making. It's one of the trickier dishes but once you practice a few times you can get a system developed tht really helps you become more confident with your chicken. My boyfriend (who is almost sickeningly obsessed with KFC and Popeyes) and I tried our hand at making our own fried chicken for the very first time a few months ago. We were actually shocked how good it turned out, but made a list of things we would do differently when we did it again.

Well yesterday I found myself with some spare time on my hands and some drum sticks..because that's just a typical day for me, so I decided I'd put the list of things to do differently when making fried chicken to use!

I researched a good bit of fried chicken recipes and based off the knowledge I learned from making chicken with my boyfriend, I came up with this recipe:

Fried Chicken (Hmm..)

Ingredients:

• 1 quart low-fat buttermilk
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• Whatever chicken pieces you'd like
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons salt (kosher works best)
• 2 tablespoon finely ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 3 cups vegetable oil 
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

Directions:

Combine the buttermilk, garlic, and hot sauce and stir well. Submerge the chicken pieces in the buttermilk. Let soak for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, but I let it sit overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the oil  over medium heat in a large skillet ad add the butter after the oil has heated, about 5 minutes.

Mix together flour, garlic salt, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Mix eggs and 2 tablespoons milk in another shallow dish.

Pull the pieces of chicken out of the buttermilk 1 at a time. Let the excess buttermilk drip off into the bowl and then place the chicken into the seasoned flour. Coat well and shake off any excess flour.

Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and coat well. Return to the flour mixture, ensuring the chicken is coated on all sides. Shake off excess.

Place the chicken skin side down into the hot oil. Cook until nicely browned, 10 to 12 minutes per side. (If you're using small pieces like I did, it'll take about 8-10. If you're using larger pieces like breasts, it may take up to 15.)

Place the chicken on a sheet tray and bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. This will ensure that the chicken is cooked through and that the skin is nice and crispy.

Let sit on paper towel until most of the grease has been absorbed.

Go ahead, make yourself fat & happy :)

For a video tutorial that follows the same basic step-by-step process that I followed (not the exact same recipe, but close), check this out:

everyone's irish on st. patrick's day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! And happy start of Spring Break for my Marylanders ;) here's some fun to start your weekend and your break off right, and to get you feelin the Irish spirit! Enjoy:

Shamrock Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Melon vodka
• 1/2 oz triple sec
• Splash of orange curaçao
• juice of 2 limes

Preparation:

1. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes.
2. Shake until frothy.
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Irish Car Bomb

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pint Guinness
• 1/2 shot Irish cream liqueur
• 1/2 shot Irish whiskey 

Preparation:

1. Pour the Irish cream liqueur into a shot glass.
2. Pour the Irish whiskey on top.
3. Pour the Guinness into a pint glass or beer mug 3/4 of the way full and let settle.
4. Drop the shot glass into the Guinness and chug

Irish Flag Shooter

Ingredients:

• 1 part green creme de menthe
• 1 part Irish cream liqueur
• 1 part Grand Marnier

Preparation:

1. Pour the crème de menthe into a shot glass
2. Float the Irish cream liqueur on top of the crème de menthe.
3. Float the Grand Marnier on top of the Irish cream liqueur.
   
   courtsey about.com

Or you could just get yourself some good ol green beer. hmmm...

throw together dinners

A few nights a week I get a real big urge to make dinner. But typically in my house we don't have too much on hand unless we have our meals planned out before the week starts. So when I get my spontaneous urge to put my culinary skills to good use, I'm pretty much S.O.L. However, there will be a few times where I'll get lucky, and even if we don't have everything I want on hand, I can typically throw something together.

Tonight, I was lucky enough to create an amazing stir fry. Somehow everything came together. And even though I didn't have everything I wanted for the dish, it still worked out. I've found stir fry is something you can put together in an infinite amount of ways. Typically I make it differently everytime. This is how it went tonight:

Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1lb skinless boneless chicken tenderloins, cut into bite sized peices

Vegetable oil

2Tbs chopped garlic

1tps ground ginger

1/2 c chopped carrots

1/2 c chopped brocolli

1/2 c chopped celery

1/2 c chopped red bell pepper

1/4 c onion

1/4 c chopped mushrooms
1/4 c chopped water chesnuts

1c chicken broth
Stir fry sauce
Soy sauce
Duck sauce
3c white rice



I'm being serious when I say I make it different everytime. Varities often include:

Chicken breasts
Beef tenderloin
Shrimp
Fresh ginger
Green onion
Beef broth
Asian noodles
Brown rice
Sesame seeds
Hoison sauce
Oyser Sauce

Really, whatever you want/have.

Directions:

Heat wok/skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil after wok has preheated, turn to coat the pan well. Add chicken. Cook about 8 minutes, but don't stir, let the chicken sit. After is it obvious chicken has cooked thoroughly on first side and most of is has become white, stir. Add ginger and stir more. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and 2Tbs sauce of choice. Cook about 5 more mintues. Transfer chicken to bowl or plate to rest.

Recoat the pan with oil and add vegetables. Add chicken broth and allow to sit and steam, covered, about 15 minutes.

Pour over equal amounts of soy sauce, stir fry sauce and duck sauce.

Return chicken to pan, tossing with the vegetables.

Serve with rice.


You really can't go wrong with this reciepe. Even if you have only a 1/4 of the ingredients listed, you got yourself a pretty tastey stir fry.

ENJOY!

chow down on some chowda

In all honesty, I can't say the word "chowder" without pretending I'm from Boston and saying "chowda". Chow-da. If you're from New England, it's what you know as the heart-warming creamy soup with lots of veggies, potatoes, and clams. If you're from Manhattan however, when you order a bowl of chowder, you're expecting a tomato-y concoction with a much less creamy consistency. But when I think of chowda I think of a rich, creamy, thick, potato-filled soup, and seeing as it was cold yesterday, I decided to make me some chowda! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

nocoupons

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 2 cups medium-diced celery (4 stalks)
• 2 cups medium-diced carrots (6 carrots)
• 4 cups peeled medium-diced boiling potatoes (8 potatoes)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 quart (4 cups) clam juice
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 3 cups chopped fresh chowder clams (1 1/2 pounds shucked clams)

Directions

Melt 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of the butter in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the clam juice, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.




In a small pot, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter and whisk in the flour. Cook over very low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in a cup of the hot broth and then pour this mixture back into the cooked vegetables. Simmer for a few minutes until the broth is thickened.


Add the milk and clams and heat gently for a few minutes to cook the clams. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot.

NOTE: I actually decided as soon as I started this that I didn't want to use clams, I'd rather use chicken. I'm not a big clam person. So instead I baked 2 pounds of chicken tenders in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and added the bite size pieces of chicken right after I added the chicken stock to the veggies, another slight modification. But feel free to use whatever you'd like :)

make sure to season very well with salt and pepper throughout the process. I actually even sprinkled a little old bay over the bowls as I served them. Not bad for my first chowda attempt!