Creole Seasoning

One of my weird little interests when I'm in the kitchen is not cooking food.

Instead, I love, more than anything, coming up with recipes for things that simply make food better when you taste them.  If that sentence makes absolutely no sense to you, allow me to elaborate.

If I'm hanging out in the kitchen on a lazy day, you will likely find me making a multitude of seasonings, sauces and marinades. 

Why?

I don't know why, really.  It's just my favorite.  Even if I don't have anything to put it on, I love coming up with flavor profiles to ramp up my meals.  Because I like to make food from all different regions of the world, I've got quite a long list of mixes and sauces that I've made, but many more I have yet to tackle.

This Creole seasoning is one of those.  I've never been to the South and eaten authentic creole food, but what I have nibbled on, I have really enjoyed.  Enough so that I'm making my own seasoning for the purpose of expanding my Southern cooking palate and trying some creole recipes.

This seasoning is super easy and way more flavorful than anything you could try buying.

I could see this being good on chicken, fish or grilled vegetables.

I can't wait to get started cooking!







Creole Seasoning

1/3 cup smoked paprika
1/3 cup garlic salt                           

2 tbsp onion powder

2 tbsp cayenne pepper                           

2 tbsp dried oregano                             

2 tbsp dried thyme                            

2 tbsp cracked black pepper

 

 

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

 

Transfer to a storage container at room temperature.

Lasagna Dip

I'm a big fan.

Recently, I took a little hiatus from recipes to focus on my schoolwork.  Maybe I should rephrase that.  See, I've been making recipes - a girl's gotta eat, ya know - but I haven't been posting them.  I figured that I had spent so much time on the computer handing in assignments that I couldn't handle the idea of writing anything else.

I'm only human, after all.

Now that I'm back, hopefully for good, I'm posting a few of these recipes I've been essentially living on while I've been cramming.  A couple days ago, for instance, I made this dip.

I almost want to call this low-carb.  It's not, but compared with its namesake, it kind of is.  No pasta.  And, I'm not counting the half loaf of crusty bread I ate this with.  It's not in the pot, so it doesn't count.  Dipping utensils just don't count.

Write that down.

Anyway, I love the creamy cheesiness of this dip and it really does make me think of lasagna or manicotti or any cheesy, saucy pasta dish.  Needless to say, I'm a big fan.  This was the perfect comfort food to help me get through midterms and the cabin fever this never-ending winter has produced.

And, since winter isn't going anywhere anytime soon... this might be a staple of my diet for the next undetermined amount of weeks!






Lasagna Dip

1 loaf crusty bread, cut into cubes

1 8oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups pizza sauce or marinara sauce
2 tsp Italian seasoning


Mix all of the cheeses, seasoning and sauce in a slow cooker.  Cook on high for 1 hour, then switch to warm setting to serve.

Serve with cubed bread.

Irish Cream Cheesecake

Once again, my favorite holiday is coming up.

My favorite REAL holiday, that is.  Everyone knows, the Super Bowl is a holiday to me, and constitutes as my favorite holiday of all time.  But, St. Patrick's Day, being a faithful Irish girl, is a close second.

There's a few recipes I've been wanting to get to that make me think of Irish food, and this is one of them.

I'm a big fan of putting Irish Cream in my coffee, but I'm not wholly well-versed in its use in desserts.  I will say, after making this, that I'm a full-fledged believer in the power of Irish Cream, whether it's in your morning coffee or in your after-dinner indulgences. 

The base cheesecake recipe is my favorite type of cheesecake to use because it has always worked so well for me.  I try to come up with ways of adapting the flavors to keep it interesting, and this Irish Cream version was definitely a slam-dunk.  I'm so excited to add this to my St. Patrick's Day holiday dessert file.

Speaking of which...

Happy St. Patty's Day everyone!






Irish Cream Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/2 cups crushed Chocolate graham crackers
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:
3 8oz. packages cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup Irish Cream liquer2 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tbsp. cocoa powder


Preheat oven 350F.

For the crust, combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Press down into the bottom of a greased springform pan wrapped in a double layer of aluminum foil.  Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then let cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 325F.

For the filling, beat the cream cheese, sugar, liquer, espresso powder and cocoa together on medium until the cream cheese is smooth.  Add eggs and beat for an additional minute on low.  Pour into the crust.  Bake in a water bath for 45-50 minutes.

Refrigerate overnight.

Top with chocolate ganache or chocolate syrup prior to serving, if desired.

Nutella Cupcakes with Frangelico Buttercream

Nutella.

I think you have probably noticed by now that I love Nutella.

I'm pretty much a fan of anything with a hazelnut flavor.  My coffee creamer is always hazelnut.  My candy of choice is Ferrero Rocher.  My house is even scented with toasted hazelnut candles and reed diffusers.  Yeah, I'm a bit obsessed.

So, I got super excited when I found a recipe using my beloved Nutella in cake form.  As much as I'm a fan of chocolate hazelnut flavored frosting, I decided to go ahead and try some Frangelico.  The flavor is more mellow and the contrast of the white frosting and chocolate brown cake looks visually appealing.  I also went all out with a Nutella center and toasted hazelnuts as a garnish because... well, I'm still obsessed with hazelnut.

If you're on board with the Nutella craze like me, you'll fall head over heels for this cupcake.

Trust me.  It's my kind of true love.







Nutella Cupcakes with Frangelico Buttercream:
(adapted from Good Life Eats)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Nutella
1/3 cup butter

Frangelico Buttercream:
1 stick butter
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp Amaretto liquer

1 cup hazelnuts
1 cup Nutella



Preheat oven 350F.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients together with a mixer on medium until homogenous. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in small increments, about 1/3 of the mixture each time, mixing in between until smooth,

Use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter into the cups of a cupcake pan with liners.

Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely. 

While the cupcakes are baking, place hazelnuts in a dry sauté pan over medium heat.  Remove from heat when the hazelnuts become aromatic.  Chop into small pieces.

For the buttercream, combine butter, salt and Amaretto in a stand mixer on medium.  Slowly incorporate the sugar into the mixture.

Cut a divot out of the top of each cupcake and place a dollop of Nutella into each cupcake.

Ice the top of the cupcakes with buttercream.

Vodka Sauce

With the Winter Olympics underway, I've been thinking a lot about how to incorporate this historical event into my recipes.  Obviously, the top answer is by exploring all of the culinary creations other countries have to offer. 

I've been doing quite a bit of research in the last few weeks to prepare, looking into mostly Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican recipes as these are typically the flavors I like most.  However, I didn't want to miss out on anything, so I also looked into recipes that used ingredients I'd either never used or never heard of.

What better way to enhance my palate than during the Olympics, right?

I love me some Italian food and my number one all-time favorite sauce has got to be vodka sauce.  I don't know how vodka sauce came to be since I don't think vodka is a highly prevalent spirit over in Italy.  I'm sure if I had to guess, it's probably something that was conjured up stateside to give our standard blush sauces an extra kick, if you know what I mean.

I don't like my vodka sauces to be overly strong, so this recipe gives you just enough that you know something different is in your food without needing a chaser after every bite.  Also, I know a lot of vodka sauces incorporate wine into the sauce as well, but I keep it out for the sake of making this dish as savory as possible without going overboard on sweetness.  I find that the inclusion of bell peppers actually gives it a faint sweetness anyway.

I use this recipe on pizza, sandwiches and pasta.  It's a great way to experiment with sauce if you're stuck in a pasta rut, and incorporating a little Russian-made vodka into your dinner might help you get into the Olympic "spirit"...

See what I did there?








Vodka Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 white onion, diced
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup top shelf vodka
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup cream
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tbsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste


Saute garlic, onion and peppers in olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until peppers are soft and onions become translucent.  Stir in tomatoes, parsley, basil, red pepper flakes, and seasonings.  Cover and simmer on medium-low for 15-20 minutes.

Stir in vodka and cream.  Let simmer for 3-5 more minutes. 

Pour over pasta or into sterilized jars.

Oktoberfest Pizza

With the Winter Olympics underway, I've been thinking a lot about how to incorporate this historical event into my recipes.  Obviously, the top answer is by exploring all of the culinary creations other countries have to offer. 

I've been doing quite a bit of research in the last few weeks to prepare, looking into mostly Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican recipes as these are typically the flavors I like most.  However, I didn't want to miss out on anything, so I also looked into recipes that used ingredients I'd either never used or never heard of.

What better way to enhance my palate than during the Olympics, right?

This is another one of those fusion-style recipes where I take traditional flavors from one region and combine it with another country's culinary staple.  In this case, Germany is topping my Italian pizza crust to bring you a totally original way of eating up Oktoberfest.

I'm not super familiar with most types of German-style sausages because, as you're painfully aware, I shy away from pork-filled anything.  But, in trying to liven up my palate a bit, I purchased some beef bratwursts at the grocery store specifically for this recipe.  To my surprise, I actually found that I really liked the flavor of brats.  I just never gave them a chance before now.

Regardless, this pizza has a distinct flavor that will make you think you stepped straight into an Oktoberfest celebration.  The combination of bratwursts and sauerkraut is traditional German-style chow and anyone who's ever been to Germany can tell you that the smell coming out of your oven is pure, authentic and delicious wonderfulness.

New word.  I just made it up. 

If you like German food, you will love throwing it on a pizza crust and smothering it with cheese!







Oktoberfest Pizza

1 Pizza dough
1/4 cup German mustard
1/4 cup melted butter
1 lb. bratwursts
1/2 cup white onion, sliced
1/2 cup German beer
1 cup sauerkraut (rinsed and well drained)
1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese


Prepare pizza dough as directed.

Preheat oven 425F.

Combine mustard and butter.  Set aside.

In a skillet, cook bratwursts and onions in beer over medium heat for 10-12 minutes.  Keep a lid on the skillet to hold in the beer flavor while cooking.  Cut the bratwursts into 1/4" slices.

Spread out pizza dough on a cooking stone or cookie sheet.  Spread mustard butter over the crust.  Top with sauerkraut.  Mix cheeses together and sprinkles over the top.  Finish with slices of bratwurst and onions.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Beef & Black Bean Stew

With the Winter Olympics underway, I've been thinking a lot about how to incorporate this historical event into my recipes.  Obviously, the top answer is by exploring all of the culinary creations other countries have to offer. 

I've been doing quite a bit of research in the last few weeks to prepare, looking into mostly Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican recipes as these are typically the flavors I like most.  However, I didn't want to miss out on anything, so I also looked into recipes that used ingredients I'd either never used or never heard of.

What better way to enhance my palate than during the Olympics, right?

This dish is my take on something called Feijoada, a Brazilian dish.  Traditionally, this stew is made with beef and pork, but since we all know how much I despise any and all things porcine, I went with an all-beef version.  I'm going to go ahead and say this is the best version ever made.  By my standards, anyway.

There's usually a lot of meat in this dish, so I had to scour for all-beef products that would still give me the right taste.  Depending on where you live, you might have to special order a couple of these ingredients if you want it just like mine.  Since you probably don't have the same aversion to all things pig, you could easily substitute regular sausage into this recipe.  I used a venison-beef blend sausage because it's available in my area and I love it.  And, since St. Patrick's Day is coming up soon, I've got some corned beef on hand so I used that, too.

Whether you go all beef or no beef, this dish will have you spouting out Portuguese and cheering on the Brazilians every time you see them compete...

Wait, does Brazil do the Winter Olympics?  It seems pretty warm and tropical-ish there... maybe something I should look into...








Beef & Black Bean Stew

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 lb. corned beef
1 lb. venison-beef sausage, sliced
1 lb. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes3 bay leaves2 tsp dried parsley1/4 tsp dried coriander

Salt & Pepper to taste

White rice
Fresh parsley
Fresh cilantro

Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on high for 1 hour, stirring frequently.

Reduce temperature to medium and cook an additional 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove bay leaves before serving.  Pull the corned beef apart with forks in the stew.

Serve over cooked white rice.  Garnish with fresh parsley and cilantro.