TABLE TALK: WEEK 1

CHICKEN PARMESAN

This was a great recipe to start the year off with!  Rarely do all my children (I feel like I should do AMC for that) like the same dish, but this one they did.  Even my four-year-old said he like it without any prodding and for that reason I'm giving this five stars.  The chicken stayed moist and I really liked the homemade sauce on top.  I used the rest of the sauce on some penne pasta and served together.  My only complaint on this recipe is that it used a ton of dishes.  Something new that I learned and loved was baking the chicken on a cooling rack (on a baking sheet) so that the bottom didn't get soggy.  I love the tips in these cookbooks!  To get the recipe, head over to Jen's blog, HERE.

BAKE 52: WEEK 52

THICK AND CHEWY TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

I''m pretty sure if I wouldn't have been completely hypoglycemic from eating all my stocking candy in two days that I would have loved these cookies.  They were rich and chewy and everything you would expect in a thick and chewy triple chocolate cookie!  I'm sure I will be craving these in a couple of weeks when I'm back on WW's!  Thanks, Janet, for a great recipe to end with!  You can get the recipe at Janet's blog HERE.

BAKE 52

ALMOND BISCOTTI

I actually made a round version of these last week when I forgot to time my cookies.  The difference between those and the biscotti I made today is biscotti is supposed to be crisp.  Plus, the burnt cookies tasted, well, burnt, and they didn't soften up in milk.
The biscotti, however, had a great mild flavor and a crisp texture expected with biscotti.  I went for the chocolate chip version and it was wonderful dunked in hazel nut hot chocolate.  It softened up just right when soaked in the hot chocolate without getting soggy, doughy, or falling apart.

Thanks, Emiy, for picking a recipe I could use my cute tea cups with!  You can get the recipe at Emily's blog, HERE.

BAKE 52

GLAZED CHOCOLATE CREAM ROLL

This week's pick was a great one for the holidays and since I have a party this weekend I had every intention of freezing this roll and taking it to the party.  The only problem was every kid wanted a taste and decided they loved it (not the problem), but now I need to bake another one, which, as I think about it, really isn't a problem either.  However, I wanted to love this roll too, but I only liked it.  Maybe that's the problem?  Hmm, anyway, here's my break down on the glazed chocolate cream roll:

What I didn't love:  Cake rolls in general are spongy due to all the eggs in the batter that help it not brake when being rolled.  This one was no different and I'm not fond of the spongy texture.  

What I loved:  The marshmallow filling!  Hello, did anyone else eat spoonfuls of it first?!  It was so good! Spoonfuls good! I also love the look of cake rolls--very festive and yet easy.

What I changed:  Every time a recipe has called for bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate, I have always thought it a bit too bitter.  So this time I used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of the bittersweet chocolate.  It was a subtle change but just enough for me. 

What I will change next time:  Double that filling!  It was too thinly spread for my liking (even if it would have had those extra spoonfuls that I ate:)), I wanted more cream in my bite.  Also, was greasing the sheet pointless to anyone else?

Thanks, Michelle, for picking a great recipe that I can take to my family party this weekend!  You can get the recipe (and a gluten-free version) at Michelle's blog,  HERE. 

BAKE 52

LARGE DANISH BRAID

Yummy, right?!  Flaky, sweet, buttery deliciousness--that pretty much sums up this pastry.  I went with a cream cheese and raspberry filling that i loved as well.

Now, I'm going to be totally honest, I cheated!  I just didn't have the patience today to wait the hours in between rolling and folding, rolling and folding, rolling and folding (even just typing that out was laborious)--so I didn't!  I just rolled and folded one right after the other and skipped chilling.  And guess what?  It worked!  I even forgot to let it rise, but I still had plenty of flakiness plus the rest of my day.  Wahoo!  There was only one down fall; by the last roll out before I put the filling on, the dough was getting sticky which made braiding kinda tricky.  Some of the braids broke and I had to piece them back together.

So, it wasn't the prettiest braid, but it was the price I was willing to pay today.
Jennifer was our host this week and you can get the recipe from her blog, HERE.  

BAKE 52

BEST BUTTERMILK BISCUITS 

I'm still not sure if these were the best, but they were pretty dang close.  I loved the flavor and how much they puffed up.  They went great with our Tuna Helper (what can I say, my kids like the stuff) dinner and  even better then next morning turned into a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit.  Get the recipe over at Betsy's blog HERE.

BAKE 52

SWEET POTATO PIE

Has anyone else had Alabama's Song of the South playing in their head all week?!  Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth. Then opened it and put more pie in...again and again. 

I can't even express how surprised I am that I liked this pie!  I picked this recipe purely for my husband who loves sweet potatoes.  They make me shiver.  But I wanted to try something new and I figured it couldn't be all bad if there was a song about it.  And I was right!
Aside from my Texture-Sensitivity Disorder, I really, really liked this pie!  It had a distinct, fresh taste with just the right amount of spices.  And I loved the brown sugar on the crust!  Not overwhelming, but an extra bit of sweetness at the bottom of the pie. Mmm!  I'm suppose to bring orange rolls to Thanksgiving dinner, but I think I'm going to bake another sweet potato pie to take along as well--it deserves appreciation from the masses. 

I hope everyone else had a good experience with this pie, and if not, well, hopefully you can find something on your Thanksgiving table to make up for it!  Happy Thanksgiving!

SWEET POTATO PIE

1 recipe single-crust pie dough, fitted into a 9-inch plate and chilled (I always use my mom's homemade pie dough recipe, but you can use Easiest Ever Press-In Single-Crust Pie Dough on p. 363 or Traditional Single-Crust Pie Dough on p. 362).

FILLING

2 pounds (about 3) sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs

2 large egg yolks 

1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons bourbon*

1 tablespoon light molasses** (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup whole milk

1/4 cup packed (1 3/4 ounces) dark brown sugar

*  I substituted 2 teaspoons of vanilla for the bourbon

**Since this was optional I played it safe and only used 1/2 tablespoon.

1.  Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 37 degrees.  Following the photos on page 363, line the chilled crust with a double layer of foil and fill with pie weights.  Bake until the pie dough looks dry and is light in color, 25 to 30 minutes.   Transfer the pie plate to a wire rack and remove the weights and foil.  Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. (The crust must still be warm when the filling is added.)

2.  FOR THE FILLING:  While the crust bakes, prick the sweet potatoes several times with a fork and arrange over several layers of paper towels in the microwave.  Microwave at full power for 5 minutes.  Turn each potato over and continue to microwave until tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes longer.  Let the potatoes cool slightly.

3.  Working with one potato at a time, slice it in half and scrape the cooked flesh into a large bowl using a soup spoon (you should have about 2 cups).  Discard the skins.  Mash the butter into the potatoes until just a few small potato lumps remain.

4.  In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, nutmeg, and salt together.  Stir in the bourbon, molasses (if using), and vanilla, then whisk in the milk.  Gradually stir the egg mixture into the mashed sweet potatoes until smooth and combined.

5. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bottom of the warm pie crust, then spread the sweet potato mixture evenly over the top.  Bake the pie until the filling is set around the edges but the center jiggles slightly when shaken, about 45 minutes  Let the pie cool on a wire rack until the filling has set, about 2 hours; serve slightly warm or at room temperature

  

TO MAKE AHEAD

  The pie dough can be made ahead.  Once baked and cooled, the pie can be covered loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 day.  Let the pie come to room temperature before serving or, to serve warm, reheat the pie in a 300-degree oven for about 15 minutes.