Author: sarafillmer

Dark Chocolate Pecan Bars

On By sarafillmerIn Bars, DessertLeave a comment
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I found this recipe in the Christmas edition of Food Network magazine. I used to not be much of a pecan person, but as I’ve aged I grow to like them more and more and these bars are so so good. The original recipe called for bittersweet chocolate, but since that’s not really my jam, I used dark chocolate chips instead. Feel free to use bittersweet in your bars if you prefer.

For the Crust:

  • 1/3 cup pecans
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into cubes

For the Filling:

  • 3/4 cup dark corn syrup*
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped
  • 3 ounces dark chocolate, chips or roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides; coat the foil with cooking spray. Pulse the pecans in a food processor until finely ground. Add the flour, granulated sugar and salt and pulse to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until the dough starts clumping together (it will still be crumbly). Transfer to the baking dish and press into an even layer with your fingers. Bake until golden brown and set, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the topping: Whisk the corn syrup, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, melted butter, vanilla and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then stir in the pecans. Spread the topping over the warm crust and sprinkle evenly with the chocolate. Return to the oven and bake until the top is set and no longer jiggly, 25 to 30 minutes (took me 40). Transfer to a rack and let cool completely in the pan. Remove and cut into diamonds or squares.

*If you are like me and don’t always have dark corn syrup, I used 1/2 cup light corn syrup and 1/4 molasses.

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, Dessert2 Comments

I made this cake yesterday to take to my firelemon-blueberry-bundt-cake-1 station for training. It was super delicious and I’m glad that I made the cream cheese frosting instead of the glaze I was originally planning on making because it just made it next level. Recipe and photo courtesy of celebratingsweets.com.

Cake:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour*
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda*
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk, (if you don’t have butter milk try ⅔ cup plain or vanilla yogurt mixed with ⅓ cup milk)
  • 2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a bundt pan by greasing and flouring it. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and beat until combined. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, mix well. Beat in flour mixture in three additions, alternating with buttermilk. Beat for 2 minutes. Put ⅓ of the cake batter (batter will be thick, you will most likely need to spoon it in) in the bottom of the bundt pan, sprinkle with ⅓ cup of the blueberries. Put another ⅓ of cake batter on top of that and again, sprinkle with ⅓ cup of blueberries, finish by putting remaining cake batter on top and sprinkle with remaining blueberries. Using a butter knife or spoon, push blueberries down into the cake batter a little bit. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center clean. Let cake cool completely ( I like to do this by putting it (still in the pan) into the freezer for 1 hour, it helps lock in the moisture. You can cool it on a cooling rack if you prefer. When cake is completely cooled run a butter knife around the edges and gently shake cake back and forth to loosen it before inverting it onto a cake stand or plate for frosting.

For the frosting, combine all the ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until fully combined and fluffy. Spread over cooled cake and top with fresh blueberries.

*If you are baking this at altitude, leave out the baking soda and increase the flour to 3 cups.

Loaded Chicken and Potato Casserole

On By sarafillmerIn EntreeLeave a comment

loadedI have made this recipe off and on for the past couple of years and figured it was time to get it on the website. Being a one-dish meal means this is the perfect weeknight recipe. Recipe and photo courtesy of stockpilingmoms.com.

  • 1 pound boneless chicken breasts cubed 
  • 6-8 medium red potatoes leave the skin on and cut in cubes or 4-5 large Idaho potatoes
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoon hot sauce, or to taste
  • 2 cups Mexican blend cheese
  • 1 pound crumbled bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil. In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and hot sauce. Add the cubed potatoes and chicken and stir to coat. Place the potatoes and chicken into the prepared baking dish. Bake the potatoes and chicken for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until cooked through. The potatoes will be crispy and browned on the outside. Do not cover. While the potatoes are cooking, fry your bacon until crispy. Once the potatoes and chicken are fully cooked, remove from the oven. Top the cooked potatoes with the the cheese, bacon, and green onion. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Do not cover. You can serve with sour cream or ranch dressing, if desired. This is a great way to bring the heat down and tastes delicious.

Succotash

On By sarafillmerIn Side ItemLeave a comment

succotashLast Christmas I had this succotash at my mother-in-laws and I knew I would have to make it myself. It is incredibly easy to make and can be kept warm in the crockpot for hours. Recipe courtesy of Dale Fillmer.

  • 1 bag frozen lima beans
  • 1 bag frozen corn
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 1/4 cup milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chicken broth

Pour the vegetables into the crockpot. In a large skillet, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk together until the flour turns a nice golden color, about 3-5 minutes. Add in the milk, salt and pepper and stir constantly until the sauce starts to thicken. Pour over the vegetables and add chicken broth to desired consistency. Warm on high for at least two hours before serving.

 

Instant Pot Beef Stew

On By sarafillmerIn EntreeLeave a comment

beef stewMy Christmas present to myself was an Instant Pot and I could not be happier with it.
I immediately started scouring Pinterest for recipes and this beef stew was one of the first ones I tried. It was so, so good and so easy. Photo and recipe courtesy of thedomesticman.com.

  • 3 pounds stew beef (or chuck roast or short ribs, see note below), cut into chunks
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 tablespoons ghee, or butter
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3/4 cup red wine
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 3 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 3 celery stalks, cut into chunks
  • 1 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes, cut into chunks
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 small handful parsley, chopped

Combine the beef, salt, pepper and flour; toss to dust the beef evenly. Plug in your Instant Pot and press the “Sauté” button. Add the ghee (or butter) and warm until melted and shimmering, about 3 minutes. Add 1/3 of the beef and sauté until browned, about 6 minutes, then remove the beef and add another 1/3 of the beef. Continue until the rest of the beef has cooked, about 20 minutes total; set the beef aside. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes, then add the garlic and tomato paste. Sauté until aromatic, about 30 seconds, then add the wine and broth. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the beef (and any accumulated juices), carrots, parsnips, celery, potatoes, and thyme. Cover and set the Instant Pot to “Meat/Stew” (high pressure) for 20 minutes. Once the Instant Pot finishes, wait until it depressurizes, about 15 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when you can remove the lid easily. Gently remove the solid ingredients from the pot (the carrots and parsnips will be very tender) and set aside. Set the Instant Pot to “Sauté” again and simmer the sauce until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Taste and add salt or pepper if needed. Return the solid ingredients to the pot, stir in the chopped parsley, then serve.

Yet Another Pumpkin Pie

On By sarafillmerIn Dessert, PieLeave a comment

pumpkin pieAnother holiday season, another pumpkin pie recipe. This is an America Test Kitchen recipe and was sold as the best pumpkin pie ever. There are a couple of things that make this recipe different from the other ones on my site. First, it has canned candied yams and the second is that you have to precook the filling and then strain before baking. Because it has a more complex process I don’t know that I’ll make it as often as some of my other pumpkin pie recipes, but I will say that the result was a deliciously smooth, not-too-heavy pie.

  • 1 9″ unbaked pie crust
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 3 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup drained candied yams from 15-ounce can*
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup**
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 400° F. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, and place rimmed baking sheet on the rack. Whisk cream, milk, eggs, yolks, and vanilla together in medium bowl, and set aside. Combine pumpkin puree, yams, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in large heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring to sputtering simmer over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue to simmer pumpkin mixture, stirring constantly and mashing yams against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in cream mixture until fully incorporated. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl, using back of ladle or spatula to press solids through strainer. Re-whisk mixture. Place pie crust in pie plate and carefully place plate on the preheated baking sheet. Pour the filling into the pie crust, and bake for 10 minutes at 400° F. Without taking the pie out of the oven, reduce the heat to 300° F, and continue baking until edges of pie are set (instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 175° F), 20 to 35 minutes longer. The center 2 inches of the pie should look firm but jiggle slightly; the pie finishes cooking with residual heat. Transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature and not in the refrigerator to ensure that the filling sets, 2 to 3 hours. Cut into wedges and serve at room temperature or chilled with whipped cream.

*If you can’t find candied yams, normal canned yams can be substituted

**I used honey instead of maple syrup and it was delicious

 

Crack Green Beans

On By sarafillmerIn Side ItemLeave a comment

green beansI really like to make these green beans for holidays. They come together quickly and are a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Recipe and photo courtesy of The Farm Stand on Facebook.

  • 5 regular cans of green beans, drained (note: you can substitute a similar amount of frozen green beans, about 4 (12-ounce) bags, thawed, or you can use fresh green beans, too)
  • 12 slices of bacon
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 7 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

Put the drained beans in a 9×13 pan. Add the cooked bacon pieces. Mix the remaining ingredients ( the crack sauce). Pour over the beans and bake 40 minutes at 350. Toss and serve.

Thumbprint Cookies

On By sarafillmerIn Cookies, DessertLeave a comment

Chocolate-Thumbprint-CookiesThis recipe is a combination of my mom’s and Martha Stewart. The cookie is my mother’s and the chocolate is Martha Stewart. This cookie is a delicious shortbread with a buttery, chocolatey filling that you can’t eat just one of.

Cookie:

  • 1 cup butter or margarine
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Filling:

  • 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup

For the cookies, cream the butter and sugar together. Add in egg yolks and vanilla. Incorporate dry ingredients and mix well. Chill for at least an hour. Make balls and press a well in the cookies (I like to use a tablespoon measuring cup). Bake at 300 for 20-25 minutes. If necessary, re-press the wells when the cookies come out of the oven. Allow to cool completely.

For the filling, melt the chocolate, butter and corn syrup either in a double boiler or microwave until smooth. If using the microwave, cook in 30 sec increments, stirring frequently until melted. Allow to cool slightly before filling the cookies.

Five Minute Crusty Bread

On By sarafillmerIn BreadLeave a comment

No-Knead-Dutch-Oven-Bread-resizedI recently won a cooking class at our local kitchen store and the class I chose to attend was a five minute bread and butter class. Now, if you are like me you will see this name and think you can whip together the dough and in five minutes put delicious bread in the oven. That unfortunately is not the case, but the dough does come together very quickly. Just be prepared to mix it in the morning, and then you will be ready to bake delicious bread when you get home later that day. The recipe is very simple and forgiving, so even if working with yeast makes you nervous, give this recipe a chance.

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups water, room temp or slightly warm
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast

To Make the Dough:

Put all the ingredients in a big bowl and mix together with a fork until all the flour is incorporated. Cover with a clean cotton towel and let rise for 8-12 hours. When you are ready to bake put your Dutch oven, with the lid ON, in your oven and preheat to 450. Get a bowl big enough to shape a round loaf and line it with parchment paper, then generously dust with flour. Remove your bread from the original bowl with floured hands by making a scooping motion with your hand, moving around the whole bowl. As you are doing this, grab a small section of dough and stretch and fold it over the rest of the dough. Do this about 4 times, then move the prepared round of dough to your parchment lined bowl. Cover with a clean, lightweight, slightly damp towel and let it rise for 30 minutes while your Dutch oven is heating in the oven. After 30 minutes, slash the top of your round of dough with a very sharp knife in any pattern you want. Remove the Dutch oven from the preheated oven and quickly transfer your parchment paper with the loaf on it into the Dutch oven. Replace the lid quickly and return the Dutch oven to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. At the end of the 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake for 7-10 more minutes, until you have a dark golden crust. Carefully remove the bread from the Dutch oven and enjoy.

Iced Zucchini Brownies

On By sarafillmerIn Bars, DessertLeave a comment

Zucchini-Brownies-1-of-6wAs I mentioned in my previous post, I was gifted two huge zucchini’s that were only fit for a delicious baked good. The first item I made was iced zucchini bread and the other recipe I made were these brownies. My youngest son could not get enough. Recipe and photo courtesy of crazyforcrust.com.

Brownies:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini, 1 large or 2 small zucchinis
  • 3-5 tablespoons water

Frosting:

  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1  tablespoon  vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9×13″ baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir. Fold in the zucchini. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes so the batter can absorb the moisture from the zucchini. Then, if your mixture is still very powdery, add up to 5 tablespoons water (start with 1 tablespoon and work up from there, stirring well after each addition). The batter will be very thick but shouldn’t be powdery. (It partially depends on how wet your zucchini is!) Add walnuts, if desired. You may need to use your hands to work the water in instead of a spoon. The dough is super thick, like cookie dough. Do not add too much water! Spread in prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes until the brownies spring back when gently touched.

To make the frosting: Whisk butter, cocoa, salt, and powdered sugar. Whisk in milk and vanilla. Spread over cooled brownies. Cut into squares and chill to semi-set. The frosting hardens slightly on the top but stays wet and gooey underneath.

These brownies are best stored in an airtight container and eaten within 2 days. Chill them to make them last an extra day. They’re what I call “fork” brownies because they are so gooey. It is also key to not add too much extra water to the mixture. I had zucchini’s with enough moisture that I didn’t have to add any additional water so the batter should be very thick.