301. Beehive Sugar Cookies #spon

I have been a busy little bee preparing for Eat Write Retreat this year.  I have been given the opportunity to try a new product by In the Raw.  It is a natural sweetener made from Monk Fruit.  We were asked to use their product in a sugar cookie recipe and then post a picture of our design and work. A winner will be selected--how fun is that? I have never entered a contest before.

All I can say is that icing a sugar cookie is a lot of work especially when it has not been done before.   I was really nervous to use icing as a decorating medium.  My attempts in the past have primarily used royal icing and a small tip to decorate cookies in a swirly pattern, nothing that required outlining, flooding and then enhancing.

I  chose a beehive/bee cookie because I love bees.  I find that they represent hard work and beauty.  While serving in Utah as a quilt guild president for the Heber Valley Quilters I did a whole theme around bees.  Bee-cause it was so fun to create fun "bee words" for each months goals and as women we could relate to a busy hive at home with family.

I have included the cookie recipe from In the Raw but I also have a delicious gluten free sugar cookie that I use when baking for myself (I am the only one that requires no wheat in my family).  You can find that recipe HERE.

Recipe: Sugar Cookie 
Adapted from In the Raw

Makes 24--4inch cookies (amount will vary depending on cookie cutters used)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
2/3 cups sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup Monk Fruit In the Raw Bakers Bag

Icing--recipe below
Cookie Cutters--beehive and bee
Food coloring--favorite yellow and black
decorating tips--#1, #2. #3. #4 and #5 (these sizes helped with the outlining, flooding and dotting)

In a medium bowl, combined the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter together until light yellow.

Add vanilla and egg plus one egg yolk.  Combine until well blended.

Stir in Monk Fruit sweetener.  Slowly add dry ingredients from medium bowl.

Dough should rest for 3 hours to overnight.  Place cookie dough on a piece of plastic wrap and tightly seal.  I kept mine in the fridge overnight and made the cookies the next morning.

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Remove cookie dough from refrigerator and cut in half.  Using a bit of flour and your rolling pin, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness.  Dip cookie cutter into flour and cut shapes place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes for a large cookie.  My bees did not take as long because of their size.

Remove and let completely cool on wire rack before icing and decorating.

These can be stored up to three days before decorating in a sealed container or bag.

Recipe: Icing

1 cup of powdered sugar, sifted
1 T. milk
1 T. light corn syrup
quick squeeze of lemon juice

Combine ingredients together in small bowl and whisk well.  This will be used for the outlining of the cookie. Add coloring if desired.

Put a small amount into a icing bag with #4 tip and outline your cookie.

To flood cookie, thin icing with a few more drops of milk.  Add icing to a new bag with #4 tip and fill the inside of your outlined cookie or design.

Let cookie sit for 1 hour for icing to set.

Finish decorating cookie with your favorite design.

Store cookies in sealed container or baggie.

300. Bacon Potato Pancake with Toasted Corn Salsa

Imagine my excitement when I received a huge box delivered to my doorstep.  It was like Christmas all over again.  I opened it up to discover that I had been sent some pretty amazing things: an assortment of potatoes from Potatoes Goodness Unearthed and supplies from OXO to help me with my amazing potato appetizer.

At the end of this month I will be attending my first conference in Philadelphia, Eat Write Retreat. As part of the participants we have a variety of opportunities before the conference to get involved.  This was one such event: a mystery ingredient used to create an amazing appetizer recipe.

It took me about two weeks to finalize what I would be making.  I had a few ideas but kept coming back to a potato pancake.  I wanted to make something that I would want for an appetizer and this is something that I love.  I have topped my bacon potato pancake with a creamy avocado sauce and toasted corn salsa.

All I can say is that my family thought it was pretty amazing!

The bacon and potato paired together is always a home run in my book.  I love avocados and thought the green highlighted the corn relish and was an excellent sauce for the pancake.  The corn salsa offers a bit of crunch and texture to the appetizer.

When I make mashed potatoes at home, my kids always want corn to go along with them.  They enjoy the combination of corn and potatoes together and in some way, this was how the dish came together.

My kids are a huge influence in how I cook.  They have strong opinions about flavors and textures.  They have never been afraid to share their thoughts on any dish I have created.

My favorite part about the box I received in the mail was a nifty sheet of facts about the varieties of potatoes on the market.  I always knew that certain potatoes tasted better with certain dishes but I never went in search of this information.  I was pleasantly surprised to see a laminated sheet that gave me hints and ideas, along with a recipe, that would better assist me in finding the perfect potato to use in any recipe.

For this recipe, based on what I read, I used the YELLOWS.   They are buttery and creamy.  Two words that I definitely wanted to use in describing my Bacon Potato Pancake.

I hope that you will enjoy this appetizer as much as we did--the kids are already asking me for it again!

**Disclosure: I was provided with an assortment of potatoes to try along with a variety of OXO products.  My opinions are my own and I have willing given honest feed back to both products.

Bacon Potato Pancake with Toasted Corn Salsa

Makes 12-2inch pancakes

5 slices of bacon, cooked
1.5 lbs. of yellow potatoes, diced
1/4 cup green onions, diced
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
1 egg
1/4 cup all purpose flour (white rice flour for gluten free)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
salt to taste (1-2 teaspoons)
Avocado Cream--recipe below
Grilled Corn Salsa--recipe below

In a large pot add diced potatoes and fill with water until just above potatoes.  You do not need to peel them unless you don't want the peel on your potatoes. When potatoes are done (they can be split with a fork) DRAIN the water.  Let potatoes dry out for a minute or two.

Fry up your bacon and cut into small pieces.  Save the grease and use this for frying up the potato pancakes.  I always keep my bacon grease so I do have extra if I need more while frying up the pancakes.

In a medium size bowl, combine bacon pieces, green onion, cheese, egg, flour, salt and pepper.

Using a potato ricer, rice the potatoes into the bowl with the other ingredients.  Stir to combine. The consistency will be very thick. I used an ice cream scoop to portion my pancakes.

Using the bacon grease, add this to a new frying pan and fry your potato pancakes until they are golden brown.  Remove to a wire rack.

Top with avocado cream and grilled corn salsa.

Avocado Cream

Makes 2 cups

2 ripe avocados
1/2 lime
1/2 cup sour cream
salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Combine avocado, sour cream, juice of half a lime, salt, garlic powder and onion powder into a small bowl.  Mash with fork, and then whip until smooth with wire whisk.  You can use a food processor if your kitchen has one, mine does not.

Toasted Corn Salsa

**Fresh grilled corn can be used if you prefer

1(14.5) can yellow corn, drained well
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons orange bell pepper, diced small
1/4 cup red onion, diced small
1 teaspoon light olive oil
1 lime
salt to taste

To grill canned corn I used my small cast iron pan.  Heat pan until very hot.  Add corn and toast on all sides, stirring frequently so it does not burn.

Remove once it has a nice brown color.

In a medium bowl, add corn and the remaining ingredients.

Serve hot or cold.

Written by Sherron Watson

299. Sweet and Savory Grilled Cheese @LandOLakesKtchn #spon #kitchenplay

I love how a sandwich can resonate with so many generations and bring back such fond memories.  A grilled cheese is one such sandwich.  I remember as a kid visiting my grandparents and being served a grilled cheese with a bowl of soup for lunch.  As a young adult recently married, many years ago, I often wanted the comfort of this sandwich when I was ill and far away from family.  It just reminded me of home.

I was excited when Kitchen PLAY invited me to participate in 30 Days of Grilled Cheese and that Land O'Lakes^® Deli Cheese would be our cheese of choice.  Why my excitement?  Two reasons:  creamy and delicious.  This cheese melts to a creamy texture in your favorite grilled cheese sandwich and the flavor is, well, delicious.  I also like that you can buy it freshly sliced from your deli.  This gives you the choice of buying just the right amount and you can even mix the flavors.  Land O’Lakes has yellow and white Deli American Cheese and a wonderful 4 Cheese Italian Blend. They are both creamy and delicious for grilled cheese sandwiches! 

So what makes the perfect grilled cheese sandwich?  I bet we would each have our own list of the combination of flavors we would enjoy the most.  I am going to share mine with you today.  I love the combination of flavors that you get when a cheese tray is ordered: fruit, cheese and meat.  I wanted to combine these flavors into a sandwich.

I enjoy a sandwich that has a bit of sweet combined with a hint of tart; crunch with a smooth texture; warm and cold tones.  I look forward to every bite being filled with flavor, textures and maybe even a bit of a surprise.  I like to use bread that has a rustic look to it, like French or sourdough.  The holes in the bread allow steam to rise through it and melt your cheese.  I also like to use smaller loaves so that as your grilled cheese sandwich builds to a certain height it is easier to hold in your hands.  If it gets too big then things start falling out and slipping all over the place—that just will not do, in my opinion.

I would also like you to know that through May 1, Land O’Lakes will donate $1 to Feeding America every time someone pins or repins a Land O’Lakes recipe on Pinterest. That’s eight meals for a hungry family when you pin a recipe—and eight more every time anyone else repins it. Giving goes viral. Find your favorite Grilled Cheese recipe to pin on landolakes.com  before May 1!

Disclosure:  This post was sponsored by Land O’Lakes as part of the Kitchen Play sidecar series.  All opinions given are my own.

  

Recipe:  Sweet and Savory Grilled Cheese

¼ cup of sliced red onions

1 teaspoon of butter

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, any flavor

2 slices of your favorite rustic bread

4 slices of Black Forest ham

2-3 slices of Land O Lakes^® Deli American Cheese

4 strawberries, sliced

Honey or Dijon mustard

¼ cup Arugula greens

Butter, to grill bread

·      In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add onions.  Let brown for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add balsamic vinegar and let cook an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

· Lightly butter each slice of bread on one side and add to hot skillet. Top each slice of bread with a piece of cheese and let melt. In a separate part of the pan, add the ham with another slice of cheese. This allows the ham to be warm and more cheese to be added to your sandwich.

·      When the cheese has melted, on one side, add the Dijon mustard and ham.  Then add the slice strawberries, Arugula,  and grilled red onions. Top with the last piece of toasted bread.

·      Gently press down on the top piece of bread to allow the ingredients to hold together.  Remove from heat and serve immediately.

If you need a gluten free bread recipe, I have one that would work great for this sandwich.  The recipe can be found HERE.