Secret Recipe Club

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Crunch Cookies- SRC

November 14, 2016

So… it’s been a rough week.

I haven’t felt like doing much of anything. I have ignored my blog. I have ignored it’s FB page. I have just done the bare minimum to get by… pbj sandwiches and eating my feelings. On Saturday, I went to my mom’s, as planned, for Autumn’s bday, and Autumn spent the whole night throwing up. I couldn’t even catch a break during my break from reality.

And in one last woes me eating my feelings day, I enjoyed quite a few of these Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Crunk Cookies. Worth it.

Making these couldn’t have come at better timing.

Sometimes things happen for a reason.

Case in point, I had retired from Secret Recipe Club last month as it as my 5th anniversary and I felt it was time to move on. But then I found out that this very month would be the last month for Secret Recipe Club as the whole group so I just had to pull a Jordan and step out of retirement

Getting CJ’s blog, Morsels of Life, for my very last SRC post was so great because she has so many wonderful recipes to pick from. I enjoyed browsing through her wide selection of recipes, including her breakfasts, pizzas, and desserts. I ultimately picked her Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Crunch Cookies.

Autumn and I made these cookies together, which was such a fun thing to do with her. She is so eager to help out by adding the ingredients to the mixer and turning it on. So fun.

The end result are great chocolate chip cookies that have great texture from oats and rice krispies. They are not exactly oatmeal cookies, nor are they super crunchy. It’s this loely in between that

Thanks to CJ for such a great recipe this morning. Also, to everyone who has partipated in Secret Recipe Club. It’s been real.

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Crunch Cookies

Makes 30 cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 Cups quick cooking oatmeal
1 Cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 Cup brown sugar
1/3 Cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces chocolate chunks
1 1/2 Cups rice krispie cereal

Process

In a large bowl, combine the oatmeal, flour, baking, and salt. Set aside.
Beat together the butter and sugars for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides occasionally.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract, beat well again.
Incorporate the dry ingredients
Gently mix in the chocolate chunks and cereal.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Form heaping tablespoon rounds and arrange on the cookie sheets with enough room around them for some spreading.
Bake for 12 minutes, rotating half way through.

Adapted from Morsels of Life

errr, ignore the mess in the background. ooph!

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Double Tree Hotel’s Chocolate Chip Cookies- SRC

July 11, 2016

We are in the middle of potty training right now.

It’s been going well, and it’s really hilarious. Can’t beat it when a little naked tush goes running by as you hear ‘I have to go pee pee!!!”. ha!

The big thing is that delicious rewards are working for Autumn. Pee on the potty… get a marshmallow. Pee on the potty… get a gummy worm. Poop on the potty… get a chocolate covered marshmallow. You get the gist. Thankfully, she doesn’t remember the reward system or she would be jacked on on sugar all the time.

But I think that the reward system works for all kids of all ages. And I am speaking for myself at this point as well.

I will have a crazy month ahead of me and the craziness really begins tomorrow so I am giving myself a little pep talk tonight and treating myself to a cookie before it all begins.

I think taking a moment to give yourself a pep talk before doing something big is needed, just as much as rewarding yourself.

So I took a little moment with on of these cookies and now I’m ready.

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club post I was given Sarah’s blog, Well Dined. I dove right in searching her recipe index and came across several recipes that sounded great, like Sarah’s Ricotta and Chard Pizza (love pizza!), Baked Eggs in Avocado (whole30!), and Fish Tacos with Chipotle Mayo and Coleslaw (tacos, duh!)

Ultimately, I came across these Double Tree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies. I knew I had struct gold!

I have only stayed at Double Tree a few times but every time I have enjoyed their cookies and they are addicting. If you haven’t been to a Double Tree I suggest you stay there. Sure, it’s a good hotel, but the cookies… stay for the cookies. ha!

I stuck to Sarah’s recipe except that I realized that I only had 2 cups of chocolate chips and not 3 Cups, as the recipe calls for. I didn’t feeling going to the store again so I just tossed in a cup of Mini chocolate chips. Still chocolate, so it’s still okay in my book. I also used vanilla bean paste instead ox extract since I recently got a jar and I am determined to use it on everything. I just love it so hardcore.

The cookies are so good. They have great flavor and texture from the oats. The tiny bit of cinnamon in them also adds a great scent and flavor. Don’t skip the lemon. I swear it’s like skipping salt in a sweets recipe. You think you can, but you are so wrong.

So glad that I picked these cookies from Sarah’s blog for this month’s SRC post. My family enjoyed them and we shared with our neighbors too. Now, it’s time for you to give them a try!

It would be wrong to not make these cookies. Reward yourself.

Double Tree Hotel’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 20 (big!) cookies

Ingredients

1/2 Cup instant oats
2 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 Cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 eggs
3 cups semi-sweet, chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Processed

Grind the oats in a food processor or blender until they are very fine. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, pulse until mixed. Se aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and lemon juice in a stand mixer. Mix for at least 3 minutes until you have a fluffy texture. Scrape down the sides as needed.
Add the eggs and mix until the mixture is smooth.
Add the dry mixture and mix until combined. Add the chocolate chips and nuts and mix to just incorporate.
Let the dough for at least 1 hour, but for the best results, chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking the cookies.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spoon rounded 1/4 cup portions (will yield 20 cookies) onto an parchment lined cookie sheet. Place the scoops about 2 inches apart. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until cookies are light brown and soft in the middle. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.
Store in an air tight container.

Sourced from Well Dined

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Check out all the other great Secret Recipe Club posts HERE this month!

And be sure to check out my 4+ years of Secret Recipe Club posts!!!!

____________________

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Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake

June 13, 2016

Happy Monday!!!!

It’s our 1 year anniversary! We have been enjoying a long weekend away in Disney celebrating our anniversary. It’s been a blast. So so so much fun.

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Chocolate Walnut Babka – SRC

April 25, 2016

This past weekend has been awesome!!!

On Saturday we went out to lunch with a friend who was on vacation in Florida. It was good to see him, his wife, and adorable 1 year old daughter.

And then the offer we put on the house we have been loving for a year was accepted. Oh my goodness. We are still in shock! It’s so exciting. We stopped by the sales office today but some changes to the plan needed to be coded so we are going back to sign the contract tomorrow night. Holy Smokes!

But more on the house stuff later!

Today is Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day!!!!

When I had previously had Karen’s blog, Karen’s Kitchen Stories, for a Secret Recipe Club blog post swap I was so enticed by her many recipes, especially bread recipes. I was so really excited that her blog came up in rotation again for me so that I could make one of her many awesome recipes.

I realized that I wouldn’t be able to put making my SRC off until the last minute (like usual!) since I would be doing Whole30 again when the SRC post would go live, so I planned on making my recipe in advance so I decided that my recipe had to be pretty epic before diving into Whole30. So what would be epic?

Chocolate Walnut Babka!!!!!!

This was the best way to kick off Whole30! Ha! I made this for us and we enjoyed most of a loaf for dinner. I mean, what’s a better way to welcome a month of no grain, no butter, no chocolate, than a loaf of bread filled with it. But let me tell you, that treat was incredible!

The babka bread is so flavorful with all the spice in the dough and chocolatey, nutty filling. The dough is soft and tender so it’s a nice light bread, but it still has substance from the filling. It’s a bread that you will keep cutting off slices of again and again. It’s so delicious.

I changed some of the proportions of the filling to just make it a bit more chocolately and, generally, pack more of a punch. I just treated it like how I treat making cinnamon rolls. The more butter, cinnamon, and sugar… the better! So I just tweaked the filling a bit.

Karen did mention how different the loaf would look if you scored the top vs pricking it with a tooth pick. I tried different ways with each loaf and I have to agree with Karen that the loaf that is pricked is much prettier. But you can’t go wrong either way.

I broke down the steps into many simple steps. It might seem cray and intimidating to see a lot of steps but I like to think of them as simple steps, not 5 steps that have several parts to it. So, don’t freak out, take a breath, and just start with #1 and the rest will be easy.

Get our your yeast, grab some walnuts, and chop up some chocolate. Get started on this awesome Chocolate Walnut Bread!

Chocolate Walnut Babka

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

For the Bread

2 large room temperature eggs
1 pound, 10 1/5 ounces all purpose flour (unbleached)
1 1/8 ounces nonfat dry milk
3 1/2 ounces sugar
5 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature butter
2 T instant yeast
2 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 to 10 ounces of 95 to 100 degree F water depending on the humidity
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

For the Filling

4 ounces sugar
1 ounce cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon expresso powder
2 ounces butter, melted
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into fine pieces and small chunks
4 ounces chopped walnuts

For the Egg Wash

1 large beaten egg
a pinch of salt

Process

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all of the ingredients together and mix with the hook attachment until everything is just combined. If the dough is too dry, add more water a Tablespoon at a time.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
Mix the dough again for about 7 minutes.
Let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Combine all of the filling in a large bowl.
Grease two 9 by 5 inch loaf pans.
Remove the dough and place onto a well floured surface. Deflate the dough and divide it in half. Roll out the dough halves into 9″ by 18″ rectangles.
Evenly spread 1/2 of the filling on each piece of dough.
Roll each rectangle along the long edge. Seal the seam and the ends of the loaves by pressing the dough ends under the loaf. Place the loaves into the pans with the seam side down.
Spray the top of the loaves with spray oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let the loaves rise for 1 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the top is 1 inch above the pan.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Brush the loaves with the egg wash, poke the top of the loaves with a skewer or a toothpick several times, and place them in the oven.
Immediately lower the temperature to 300 degrees F.
Bake the loaves for 50 to 60 minutes, until they reach about 180 degrees. If the loaves begin to get too brown, tent with foil.
Remove the loaves from the oven and run a knife along the sides. Let the loaves cool in the pan for ten minutes, the remove them from the pans, place them on a cooling rack, and let them cool completely.

Adapted from Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Check out all the other great Secret Recipe Club posts HERE this month!

And be sure to check out my 4+ years of Secret Recipe Club posts!!!!

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Jumbleberry Crumble

March 28, 2016

Do you know what you do when you work 40+ hours of over time in a month?

You neglect your blog and you buy new shoes.

What’s the point in making loads of OT if you aren’t going to enjoy it? Am I right!?!

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Carrot Cake Mug Cake

February 29, 2016

When in doubt, make mug cake.

My original plans to visit my mom and grandma on Saturday were thrown by the way side when I spent 1.30am-4am puking/trying not to puke/trying to puke on Friday. Good times, I tell ya. Good times. Maybe stomach bug, maybe food poisoning. Maybe I don’t care what was trying to kill me from the inside out, but I’d like to not experience that again for a long time.

I didn’t mean to but I kept waking up Autumn in the process. (sorry mommy is too loud throwing up princess… eye roll) So thankfully, she slept in to a whopping 6.45 am. We trudged downstairs, I made her pancakes, and then positioned myself on the sofa for the next 2 1/2 hours dozing while she watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It was perfect for both of us.

I rallied in the afternoon taking her to the dollar store to get cheap Easter decorations like eggs, baskets, and window clings. Window clings are so cheesy but are the best for toddlers. And somehow it wasn’t exactly a dollar store as I spent $4 on a big bouncy ball. Totally worth it, but if Dollar is in your name, everything should be a $1. Shoot, I’ll accept $2 even. But it should be a rule.

Anyway, I am happy Easter is around the corner is around the corner. It gives me a fantastic excuse to dress Autumn in things covered in rabbits. Oh man, I have so much rabbit stuff. I love it.

Plus, all the food for Easter is great too.

While it’s not just for Easter, I find that carrot cake is such a fun Easter-y dessert. It’s the carrot > bunny connection. And since we have a rabbit I am all for carrot cake.

Which is exactly why I gravitated to Cathleen’s Carrot Cake Mug Cake from her blog A Taste of Madness for this special edition of Secret Recipe Club.

Since there is an extra Monday in the month we celebrate the occasion with a special theme post. In this case, we had to search our fellow blogger’s blog for either Easter or St. Patrick’s Day posts.

When I spotted this cake I knew I’d have to give it a try as it’s just the kind of recipe I love, simple, sweet, and perfectly portioned. Love it!!

Remember, when your day or weekend plans go awry, make mug cake. It will solve all your problems.

Carrot Cake Mug Cake

Makes 1 Serving

Ingredients

For the Mug cake

1 egg
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 Cup grated carrot
1/3 Cup flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
dash of salt

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

1 Tablespoon cream cheese, softened
1/4 Cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a microwave safe cup, vigorously mix together the egg, oil, milk, and vanilla extract.
Mix in the grated carrot.
Add the rest of the mug cake ingredients and mix to just incorporate.
Microwave on high for around 90 seconds and see if it’s done. If it’s not, microwave in 10 second intervals.
While the cake is (quickly!) cooking, stir together the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix again until smooth.
Pour the frosting over the warm cake. Enjoy!

Insprired from A Taste of Madness

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Check out all the other fun St Patrick’s Day and Easter themed posts!

Ricotta Cheesecake Parfaits

February 22, 2016

So, it’s been one week since Autumn, Bunny, and I have moved to the Tampa area from Boston.

It’s been a whirlwind of a week but has gone pretty dang well!

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Peppermint Pattie Brownies

November 30, 2015

Bring on the holiday spirit!!!

Our tree is decorated! The stocking are up! The house smells all sorts of festive! And our Elf on the Shelf has made his appearance.

Oh, the Elf on the Shelf! Either you love it or hate it. I’m loving it since it’s new to Autumn, and therefore, us. I am flooding my Pinterest with Elf on the Shelf ideas. It’s silly and fun.

Most of all, I am excited for the upcoming holiday season and all the holiday baking I have planned.

I’m kicking it all off with there awesome Peppermint Pattie Brownies!

These delightful brownies are from Sara’s blog Cook with Sara. I have the honor of sharing them with you for this month’s Secret Recipe Club bonus Theme week. The extra Monday of the month gives the chance to find a fun recipe from another member’s blog to match up with that month’s theme. I thought these brownies were a perfect pick for this month’s Holiday Treats theme.

I have shared so many brownie recipes on my blog over the years, and even ones that have peppermint in them, but let me tell you… these are knock your socks off brownies. I swear! I really do swear!

If you like Peppermint Pattie’s then you will surely love these brownies.

They are a great balance of chocolaty brownie, luscious peppermint filling, and beautiful chocolate top layer. And, best of all, it really does taste like a Peppermint Pattie!!! Plus, a brownie. The best!!

Be sure to make these Peppermint Pattie Brownies for Christmas. Santa will thank you!

Peppermint Pattie Brownies

Makes 16 brownies

Ingredients

For the brownie layer

1/2 Cup butter, melted
1 Cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 Cup flour
1/3 Cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 Cup chocolate chips

For the mint layer

2 Cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter, softened
3 Tablespoons evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

For the ganache layer

5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
3 Tablespoons half and half

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8″ square pan, line with parchment paper so there are ‘wings’ on 2 sides.
In a large bowl, combine the melted butter with sugar and vanilla extract, whisking until combined and almost smooth.
Whisk in each egg one at a time, stirring until a smooth batter forms.
Add in flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, stirring until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Spread batter in the prepared pan and bake at 350 for 22-28 minutes until set. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Continue to let cool.
While the brownies are cooling, combine the powdered sugar, butter, evaporated milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract in a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat until smooth and creamy. Pour over the cooled brownies and spread in an even layer. Chill in the refrigerator until set, about 30 minutes.
Make the ganache layer by melting 3/4 of the chocolate over a double boiler (a glass or a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water). While you are melting the chocolate continuously mix the chocolate. Add the half and half and mix well again. It will be glossy, but lumpy at this point so add the rest of the chocolate and mix until the chocolate is smooth glossy.
Evenly spread the ganache on top of the peppermint layer. Refrigerate again until set.

Adapted from Cook with Sara

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Shrimp & Curried Coconut Risotto

October 26, 2015

Is your refrigerator running? Well, you better go get it! ha!

Okay, I have a point with starting with corny joke. I swear.

Our vacuum was acting up so I kept joking around that “Our vacuum sucks since it doesn’t suck” So Price dove into research mode, making me continually joke “But does that vacuum suck?” every time he would tell me about his findings. In the end we bought the Shark Rotator Pro Complete Lift-Away Vacuum (NV552), because we wanted a vacuum that had a hepafilter, had the ability to turn off the roller when on hardwoods, had a lot of attachments, and was relatively affordable (about 1/2 as much as a Dyson).

Since getting it we have been cleaning every inch of our house. It is amazing and horrifying at the same time as we are living in one of those corny infomercials when the people vacuum with their old one and then go over it with a new one to discover everything that was left behind. It’s amazing and horrifying. At the very least I am enjoying Price cleaning every surface in sight with every attachment the vacuum has. Win!!

Highly recommend this Shark vacuum #notsponsored!

Anyway, it’s Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day!!!!! YAY!!!! It’s my 4th year now!!

This month I had Sue’s blog Couscous and Consciousness. She is from New Zealand! So far away, but that is why I love blogging and Secret Recipe Club since it connects everyone from everywhere.

I had a lot of fun going through Sue’s Recipe Index since she had such a wide variety of recipes. We picked out several for considering, including her Salted Caramel Coconut Macaroons, Homemade Ricotta, and Pearl Barley Salad with Pistachios, Fava & Pomegranate (which I still have on my to-do list!). Ultimately, I selected her Shrimp & Curried Coconut Risotto.

I hadn’t made risotto in sooooo long so I was drawn to it. Plus, the combination of the flavors was so enticing. I couldn’t resist.

I’m glad I made this as it was a very satisfying lunch on a cool fall day. It made it really glad that I made a double batch since it made for great leftovers.

Sue’s tips about preparing this dish were spot on, like how you shouldn’t toast the coconut shavings. Sure, it will look pretty, but the contrasting texture from the crisp coconut to the soft risotto just wouldn’t work. I heeded her advice since it made a lot of sense.

So my 2 cents, if you like the flavor of curry then add a bit more. But, of course, this all depends on your curry blend, so just try it out as you go.

Hope everyone has a fantastic Monday! xox

Shrimp & Curried Coconut Risotto

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon medium curry powder
3/4 Cups arborio rice
4 Cups chicken stock, hot
1/2 pound fresh shrimp, peeled & uncooked
1/3 cup cream de coconut
generous handful chopped cilantro
toasted shaved coconut and wedges of lime to serve

Process

In a large stock pot, heat the oil and 1 Tablespoon butter in a large frying pan, set over medium heat until te butter is melted and the oil is simmering.
Add the shallot and cook until softened, approximately 2-3 minutes.
Add the garlic and grated lemon zest, cook for another minute
Then add the curry powder, again cooking for another minute before adding the rice.
Add approximately 1/2 Cup of the hot stock, continue stirring until all the liquid is absorbed. Then continue in the same way, adding the stock in ladle full batches, and each time stirring until the liquid is absorbed before adding the next ladle. Continue doing this until the rice has begun to release its starches and becomes “creamy”, but still has a little bite left to it.
Add the shrimp when you have 1 last batch of stock to add. By the time the rice has absorbed the stock the shrimp will be almost done, and will finish off cooking in the final resting time.
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the rest of the butter and the coconut cream, cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Stir the cilantro just prior to serving.
Garnish with the coconut shavings and wedges of lime when serving.

Adapted from Couscous & Consciousness

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Check out all the other great Secret Recipe Club posts this month!

And be sure to check out my 4 years of Secret Recipe Club posts!!!!

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Pumpkin Banana Bread

September 28, 2015

Ugh, I’m so wiped out from the weekend, and I feel like I didn’t even do much. I just am so wiped out!! I felt asleep so early every night. It was so nice though.

Maybe it’s the change in season. Maybe it’s the crazy super moon! Maybe it’s just because I normally don’t properly sleep. hmm…

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French Onion Dip

August 31, 2015

I am all for French Onion Dip made from the Lipton’s packet. It is the best. It is classic.

But there are times when you really should treat yourself to something really great, and, in this case, I made the most incredible homemade French Onion Dip ever.

Like I said, the packet is great, but this homemade version just blows it out of the water. The 2 types of onions – vidalia and shallots- give it layers and layers of flavor. And once you caramelize them you really make them extra tasty and happy.

I have been loving my monthly recipes from the past few years that I have been participating in Secret Recipe Club. There are about a hundred of us that are divided into 4 groups so we can recipes from each other’s blogs every Monday. The general gist of it is that the blog you are assigned is a secret, as well as the recipe that you pick from their recipe archives.

Well, there are a few months every year that have 5 weeks so we have an extra Monday just waiting for a great recipe! The organizer came up with a wonderful idea of having people opt into that extra recipe posting and for having a theme for the recipes.

So for this inaugural extra recipe week I was assigned the blog Culinary Adventures with Camilla with the theme of “Tailgate Foods”. So I quickly began scouring her blog for the perfect food that you would love to eat while cheering on your favorite team make the big play, score a touchdown, and win the game.

I was so freaking excited when I saw this French Onion Dip recipe.It is the perfect tailgate food. The perfect foot to nosh on while watching football (or my favorite- NASCAR!). I just had to make it. And I am so glad that I did!!!

The dip was a big bowl of creamy, dreamy delicious goodness that was basically irresistible. I had to put the dang bowl and bag of chips away- far, far away- so that I could stop shoveling in into my mouth. OMG.

Grab a bag of ruffled potato chips and dig in!!!!

French Onion Dip

Makes

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 sweet Vidalia onions, diced
2-3 shallots, minced
freshly ground sea salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 Cup sour cream
1/2 Cup mayonnaise (I insist on Hellman’s)

Process

In a saute pan over medium-low heat add oil, heat and add onions, shallots.
Cook the onions and shallots until they are caramelized, about 20-30 minutes. Stir regularly. Add the salt, pepper, and Worcestershire Sauce.
Pour into a large bowl and set aside to cool.
Once cool, add the sour cream and mayonnaise. Mix well, to fully combine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours prior to serving.

Adapted from Culinary Adventures from Camilla

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Check out all of the other great bloggers participating in this BONUS Secret Recipe Club post this month. Get ready for some delicious Tailgating Food!!

Dan Dan Noodles- SRC

August 24, 2015

Ah vacation!!

It’s here! It’s really, really here!!!

The past week has been killer to be able to properly meet a deadline and prep for my time away from the office but it was worth it in the end as I get to enjoy this whole week off with my family. The best.

My dad came up from FL and was saying with us since Tuesday night. On Saturday morning we headed down to Cape Cod with a very packed car. It was quite a feat to fit it all and quite comical to see too. But we made it down and have been having a fantastic time all together.

From walks to the pool to not napping (kill me) to leprechauns in trees and lots of birthday cake, it’s been a jam packed past 2 days. Tiring but in the best sort of ways. Damn, the dog is even worn out. He cut his foot on something so he has a sad little limp (I’ve bandaged it well!), but even then 5 kids is a lot of him to handle. ha!!

And so here we are, Monday! It’s another Secret Recipe Club Day as well. Holy smokes. It feels like I can tell time from these posts. Every 4th Monday of the month, and before I know it I am prepping for another and then another.

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club post I was given Sally’s blog, called Bewitching Kitchen. Sally is just the best. She is such a fun, active member of SRC. Plus, her blog is just awesome.

Sally has had the most interesting life. She has lived all over doing scientific research based on bacteria. Everywhere from Brazil to France. Such a smarty-pants who has lived in incredible places. She met her husband while working and since then they have been working together. For just about the past 20 years they been working on “trying to figure out the mechanism of a transport reaction in bacteria.” Umm what? I design bathrooms, she wins. ha!!!

Anyway, she has been blogging for years and years so she has a HUGE index of recipes. I had such a hard time picking one to make this month. For real!!! I was scrolling, and scrolling, and scrolling through all the recipes. From appetizers to breads to cakes to drinks to entrees.

I picked the Dan Dan noodles as I figured they would be delicious, something that would be fairly easy to whip up, and a crowd favorite. Crowd = me, Price, & my dad.

It was a dinner that really hit the spot!

The original recipe called for 8 ounces of udon noodles and 12 ounces of ground pork but the packages that I purchased came in 10 ounce and 16 ounce, respectively. Since I didn’t want just a bit left over in each package, I just used it all up and played around with the quantity of the rest of the ingredients. I think it all worked out perfectly.

It is quite spicy so if you are sensitive, then just cut back on the chili oil and try it before you add the full amount. It’s a good heat though. I swear!

I served the Dan Dan Noodles with steamed broccoli. I just feel dinner is not dinner without some veggies. I mean, even my pizza has veggies on it. ha!

This was a fantastic dinner!! I could really see myself making this again, which is saying a lot considering my attention span is almost non-existent so I’m always on to trying something new, and hardly make anything ever again.

I hope that when you have a craving for a spicy Asian dish you will toss the take-out menus aside and make these awesome Dan Dan Noodles.

Dan Dan Noodles

Makes 4- 6 servings

Ingredients

10 ounces udon noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
16 ounces ground pork
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped peeled ginger
1 cup chicken stock
2 – 3 Tablespoons or less chili oil
2 1/2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablepsoons tahini
1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns, optional
Pinch of sugar
3 Tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
2 Tablespoons sliced scallions

Process

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water until just tender (follow instructions on the package). Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again, and place in a large serving bowl.
Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
Add the pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook for a couple of minutes, just to begin browning it. While cooking, break apart into small pieces with a spoon.
Add the ginger; cook until pork gets lightly browned, about 2 minutes more.
Stir in chicken stock, then add the chili oil, red vinegar, soy sauce, tahini, peppercorns, and a pinch of sugar.
Simmer everything together until the sauce thickens, about 7 minutes.
Pour pork mixture over noodles; garnish with peanuts and scallions.

Slightly adapted from Bewitching Kitchen

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