Rosemary-Dijon Stacked Potatoes

Sometimes the best things are the least complicated. Take, for example, these stunning potato stacks...a few minutes of prep, a few ingredients, and you've got an awesome side for an elegant holiday meal....or a simple burger. 

I haven't been posting much lately, or entering very many contests. I've been very occupied with my impending status change to grandmother...er...GlaMa.  A week overdue! Luckily, these are so easy to make (and so good!) that we've had them several times already. So, with no further ado, I present:

Rosemary-Dijon Stacked Potatoes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard (I used Maille Dijon Mustard with Horseradish)
1 Tablespoon chopped, fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced (1/8 - 1/16 inch)*

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.; brush the wells of a 12-cup muffin tin with the melted butter.
Whisk together the cream, mustard, rosemary, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Press the potato slices into the buttered wells of the muffin tin. Pour 2 tablespoons of the cream mixture over the tops of each potato stack.

Wrap foil over the top of the muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Allow the potatoes to cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing from the muffin tin.
Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper to taste and garnish with additional rosemary, if desired.

*Scrub the potatoes clean--no need to peel. Use a mandoline or a food processor to thinly slice the potatoes quickly.

What is your favorite holiday side?

Creamy Tomato Bisque

Did you know that January is soup month? It makes sense. Here in Minnesota we've had the coldest weather in four years. A nice hot bowl of soup makes the best meal when your tootsies are cold, no? Now it's February and it's still cold..brrrr...I think it's time for another bowl.

One of my favorite soups is tomato, but it wasn't always that way. My mother made tomato soup quite often when I was growing up. It was the real deal, too...no cans involved. Plus, she made sure there were little meatballs floating on top. I preferred a hamburger. Silly, silly me...how I wish I could have a bowl of that perfect soup now. 

While I can't have a bowl of my mother's soup, I can and do make my own...even in mid-Winter when the temps are below zero and the tomatoes in the grocery store hard and sour. The secret is in the canned tomato....

Recently, I received a package of Tuttorosso Tomatoes to try. This was a real treat for me, since we can't get Tuttorosso Tomatoes in Minnesota. Luckily, we do have Red Gold Tomatoes and they make the Tuttorosso brand, so I knew they would be good....and they were! They also made an excellent addition to my recipe for Creamy Tomato Bisque. A little later, I will tell you how you might be able to get your own pack of Tuttorosso Tomatoes to try. First, Let me share my recipe....

Creamy Tomato Bisque

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup butter
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes, chopped with juice*
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon tarragon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cups light cream
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Salt to taste

*I subbed the Tuttorosso Peeled Plum Shaped Tomatoes and the Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatoes with Basil


Melt butter in large pot over medium/high heat. Add onions, carrots and green pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Add the flour and continue to sauté for another minute, stirring constantly. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, sugar, basil, tarragon, cayenne pepper, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Remove the bay leaves and, working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until almost smooth. Return the pureed soup to the pot, add the cream, paprika, curry powder and white pepper; heat the soup until it is hot, but not boiling. Salt to taste.

I topped this bowl with crispy bacon.....

.....but you could put some Grilled Cheese Sliders on top.

This weekend will mark a whole year since I was able to visit Red Gold Tomatoes, so it's fitting that I re-share this recipe with you now. I continue to be impressed with the quality of this product....really--put these tomatoes next to one of the other well-known brands and you will actually see the difference!

Tuttorosso has a recipe contest going on right now (through February 8th). Enter an original Italian recipe that uses Tuttorosso tomatoes to win some cool prizes. The first 4000 to enter will receive a free apron! For more information, read the rules on their Facebook page.

Would you like to give these awesome tomatoes a try? Simply leave a comment telling me all about your favorite tomato recipe. You can "like" The Dutch Baker's Daughter on Facebook and "like" Tuttorosso Tomatoes on Facebook for additional entries. Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget...it's easy...really!!

We will make this giveaway short and sweet....let's start on Friday, February 1, 2013 and end at 12:00 AM on Monday, February 4. I will use Rafflecopter to randomly choose the winner on Monday.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Red Gold Tomatoes provided me with a sample and the giveaway. All opinions remain my own. You must be 18 years of age and reside in the USA to enter.

Zucchini Bread Pancakes with Pan Fried Apples

I'm lucky to have a supportive husband, but sometimes he just doesn't understand. Take last Sunday, for instance. I so wanted to participate in this month's Improv Challenge, hosted by Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker (go visit her...she's awesome). I missed last month for some reason or another--the time sometimes just gets away from me. At any rate, the ingredients for this month's Improv are Zucchini and Brown Sugar and I thought some nice Zucchini Bread Pancakes would fit the bill. The hubby thought so, too. He certainly had his plate at the ready when the first pancakes came out of the pan. But, by the time the pancakes were done, and I finally got a few on a plate so that I could take a picture, half of the morning was gone and he was chomping at the bit to be on the road to go apple picking. "You take pictures of pancakes every time you make them. Don't they all look the same? Can't you just recycle a few?" Seriously. Didn't he see the little green specks in these?

If I were to be completely honest with myself, I do get a little obsessive with the picture taking. Someday, I'd love to take a photography class and actually get a real camera, but for now I have a great deal of fun playing with my smart phone. After all, I don't gamble or smoke. Taking pictures with my phone is a much better vice, no?

With four different picture apps on my phone, I can get creative with the look of my zucchini.

As for the pancakes, I loved how these turned out--but since I was in a bit of a rush, I neglected to add a fun topping. 

Just a little butter and syrup...not too exciting, but tasty nonetheless.

Zucchini Bread Pancakes

Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups buttermilk, room temperature

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the griddle

2 cups shredded zucchini

Heat a griddle on medium-high. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Mix in zucchini. Add to flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Batter should have small to medium lumps.

Brush a little melted butter on the griddle. Pour the pancake batter by ¼ cups onto the griddle, keeping the pools of batter 2 inches apart. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

We had our fill of the pancakes and I packed the leftovers into a container so that we could feast on them throughout the week. Then, it was off to the apple orchard.....

We went to the same orchard as last year and, once again, we were blessed with beautiful weather and gorgeous apples. We came home with a boatload of Honey Crisps and Honey Golds...yum!

Wednesday, after work, it occurred to me that we still had some pancakes to eat. It also occurred to me that we had loads of apples. Pancakes. Apples. Apples. Pancakes. Now, there's an idea!

Apples fried in butter and brown sugar. Does it get any better?

It does if you put those apples on top of Zucchini Bread Pancakes.....

Pan Fried Apples with Brown Sugar and Cream

2 tablespoons butter

3-4 medium sized tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and saute until the apples are slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the apples, add the cream, and cook until the liquid is reduced and slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. 

Now, go check out what everyone else is making with Zucchini and Brown Sugar......

Peaches and Cream Muffins

A few weeks ago, I went in on a crate of peaches with a couple of co-workers. I had high hopes for those peaches. Yes, I was going to make peach pie, peach bread, peach salsa...everything peach. So, what happened? Well, I attempted a peach pie. I'm not much of a recipe follower, so I tossed some things together and baked the pie at too high of a temperature. The result wasn't awful, but it wasn't blog worthy, either. I had lost my peach Mojo. Luckily, the peaches were very tasty on their own, for I resigned myself to save any peach recipes until next summer.

Fast forward to last Friday. I was in a local grocery store when the smell of fresh peaches lured me over to a huge pile of the Colorado variety. What beauties! I simply couldn't resist buying a few....

Incredibly, a bag of flour, some butter, and an egg, magically appeared next to a couple of my fresh peaches.  I felt my Mojo coming back. Forget pie...I was making muffins.

Peaches and Cream Muffins

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups flour, divided

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup brown sugar, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 ripe, but firm peaches, peeled and diced, about 2 cups

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.; line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups of the flour, the baking powder, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, the salt, cardamom and cinnamon; set aside.

Toss the diced peaches with the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Mix the cream, egg, butter and vanilla together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add the peaches and the cream mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed...batter will be lumpy...don't over mix.

With a cookie scoop, divide the batter among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the batter. Bake the muffins for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. 

I didn't dice the peaches too small--I was afraid of a gloppy mess.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for me to find some apple Mojo.

Strawberries and Cream Muffins...Improv Challenge

Wow...where does the time go? It's already time for the May Improv and I'm late to the party. The Improv Challenge is a fun project hosted by Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker, where we create recipes based on two flavors each month. This month we have Strawberries and Cream, and while I could have gotten really creative with that combination, I decided to go easy and make a muffin (although I spiced it up, just a little, with some cardamom and a bit of orange).

It's been a little hectic at our house for the past few weeks as my mother-in-law, Alice, has been battling a recurrence of cancer and it is in its final stages. She's been my biggest supporter and taste tester...she will be so sorely missed. I thought of her love of sweets as I baked these today.

I almost passed on the challenge this month, but look what I had in the fridge...strawberries and cream! It was meant to be.

Strawberries and Cream Muffins
Printable Recipes

2 cups flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 1/2 cup sliced, fresh strawberries
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.; line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups of the flour, the baking powder, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the salt, cardamom and orange peel; set aside.

oops...almost forgot the sugar...almost.

Toss the sliced strawberries with the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Mix the cream, egg, butter and vanilla together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add the strawberries and the cream mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed...batter will be lumpy...don't over mix.

With a cookie scoop, divide the batter among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the batter. Bake the muffins for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

For you, Alice. May you have nothing but sweet, sweet dreams.

Green Apple Pie with Whiskey Maple Cream

At 3:20 p.m. on Christmas Eve, my husband and I pulled in to the local grocery store to shop for our holiday dinner. Of course, I was totally oblivious to the fact that all of the the grocery stores were closing up at 4:00 p.m. Luckily, I had a partial list of what I needed with me, so I quickly went through the store, tossing things into the basket. I was pretty confident that I had it all under control. Then, as we neared the checkout, the hubby looks at me and asks "What kind of pie are you making?". EEK. Can you believe that I had totally forgotten about dessert? How unlike me. We quickly decided on an apple pie, but since I swore that I wasn't going to take on too much, I threw a package of Pillsbury pie crust in the cart along with some apples.

Generally, I use several different varieties of apple when I make a pie. This time, mainly because I wrongly assumed I still had some Honeycrisps at home, I only used two: Golden Delicious and Granny Smith. So, now I was making a Green Apple Pie. This is important, since I have to differentiate between this pie and the one I posted last month.....

.....ok, so last month I actually made a Apple-Praline Pie, but it seems that the husband doesn't like the fancy stuff on top of his pie. Silly man. I did have to spruce up my store-bought crust just a bit, though....

.....so I spread a little melted butter and some ground walnuts mixed with cinnamon sugar over the top of the pie before it went into the oven.

Now, while the pie was baking, I was perusing the Internet and ran across a recipe on The Pioneer Woman's site for Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce. Say what? "Drop what you are doing and make this right now!" she says. Or at least that's what I heard when I saw the picture. I had to make it. But I didn't have enough cream. The PDQ had cream, though. So the husband pulled a jacket over his sweats and bought some cream for me. Yay!

Can you tell I'm experimenting with my picture editing feature on Picasa? Which style do you prefer? I suppose I shouldn't mix the different styles on the same post......

Now, to be completely honest, the homemade crust is better. You know what, though? It didn't matter one bit, because thanks to The Pioneer Woman, the Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce made it all taste wonderful. Oh, and just in case you need another apple pie recipe, you can find it here:

Apple-Praline Pie 

(if you really want the Green Apple Pie, just swap out the apples, use a Pillsbury crust, and sprinkle some ground walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon on top--just be sure to top it with Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce)

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Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Last weekend was the official start of my Fall baking season. It was cold and a little rainy...perfect weather to stay in and bake. Really, I should have been at the apple orchard on Saturday, but that will keep for this weekend when the weather will be back in the 70's......

One thing I made that I haven't made for a while was a batch of cinnamon rolls. In fact, I fully intended to post a how-to on the making of basic cinnamon rolls, but I got a late start. It was a pretty good batch, too. I added some apple pieces instead of pecans, and put some cinnamon in the icing....not fancy, but pretty darn good. My cinnamon roll recipe turns out 12 relatively large rolls....too many for us, now that my daughter and her boyfriend are at school. And those homemade rolls get stale pretty quickly, no?

Day-old cinnamon rolls make might fine bread pudding.....

What to do? Well, I was born and raised in the Midwest, where no self-respecting home cook wastes anything. Stale bread makes great French toast. Stale cinnamon rolls make great bread pudding.

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Printable Recipe

6 stale cinnamon rolls

6 eggs, beaten

3 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Spray a 2 1/2 QT casserole dish with cooking spray.

Crumble cinnamon rolls into the casserole dish.

In large bowl, whisk together the beaten eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over the cinnamon rolls. Let mixture sit for about 20 minutes to allow the eggs/milk to soak in.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until set.

Easy, right? I didn't actually have 6 cinnamon rolls left...I only had 5. So, I just adjusted. Think one egg and 1/2 cup milk for each cinnamon roll. 

Just crumble it all up and pour the egg/milk mixture over it.

Pull it out of the oven when it's all set...then eat it warm or cold.

To make it even better, pour a boozy sauce over it....

Butterscotch Hard Sauce

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup cream

3-4 tablespoon Butterscotch Schnapps

In a medium-size saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add sugar, beaten eggs, and cream whisking to blend well. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in Butterscotch Schnapps to taste; let cool. Whisk and reheat before serving. The sauce should be soft, creamy, and smooth. 

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