Mint Chocolate Cheesecake Popsicles

Cheese on a stick in all of its forms is simply divine, if you ask me. When I found this recipe on Good Life Eats, I was sitting on the couch in our house during a balls-hot day, sweating like a pig, and practically drooling at the thought of something cold and delicious making its way into my belly.

I called Boyfriend immediately to give him a list of things I needed. (Of course, boyfriend had NO idea what a popsicle mold was, so I had to text him a picture from the internet!) When he got to the house with our bounty, I got straight to work. The result was pure, frozen magic.

Minty, cool, refreshing, and absolutely delightful.


Mint Chocolate Cheesecake Popsicles



Ingredients:

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 1 (8 ounce) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 12 Keebler Grasshopper Cookies, finely chopped
• Magic Shell, optional

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. 
2. Add in the extracts and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 
3. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped topping until until it is fully incorporated into the cream cheese mixture. 
4. Fold in mint chocolate cookies.
5. Spoon the filling into a pastry bag or large zip top bag. Snip enough of the end off the bag to allow you pipe the mixture into your popsicle molds. 
6. Once your molds are full, gently tap the popsicle mold base on the countertop to help release any air pockets.
7. Freeze according the manufacturers directions.
8. If desired, garnish each popsicle with Magic Shell and chopped cookies.

Tip: If you have an issue releasing your popsicles from the molds, run a little warm water along the sides of the molds, this will usually cause them to release with ease.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I'm seriously considering adding a "Buffalo" section to this blog. If there are two things I'll never get sick of, they're buffalo sauce and caesar salad (I have no idea why!). Buffalo sauce, in particular, is like crack to me. I could literally eat a spoonful of it and be satisfied.

That being said, once I found the recipe for the perfect pizza dough, of COURSE I had to make a buffalo chicken pizza.


Buffalo Chicken Pizza


Ingredients:

• Perfect Pizza Dough
• 1 whole chicken breast, cooked and shredded (You can also use shredded store bought rotisserie chicken)
• 2 cups of shredded cheese (I used a mix of mozzarella and cheddar)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. To bake, preheat the oven  to 500˚ F.  Place a foil lined cookie sheet in the oven and allow it to heat up for 15-30 minutes.
2. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal.  Shape the dough with lightly floured hands.  Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil.  Top as desired.  
3. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

Beer Marinated Brats with Beer Carmelized Onions

For me, summer means beer. The amount of nostalgia I feel when taking that first, crisp sip of beer on a hot summer day is unreal. The last two summers have found me lounging in a pool with my best friend, drinking Bud Light Lime and taking in the sun and the smell of barbecue that always seemed to be wafting through the air.

To be honest, we had a barbecue back then, and we could have barbecued, but I'm not to great with grills. I always end up burning the food...and myself. 

This summer, I decided to tackle my fear. Sausage seemed like an easy place to start, so we picked up some bratwurst and a case of lager. And damn, was that a good idea.

Beer Marinated Brats with Beer Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

• 6 beef bratwurst links
• 24 ounces of beer (We used a lager)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 golden onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 hot dog buns
• sour kraut
• mustard (We used whole grain spicy mustard)

Directions: 

1. Pour 12 ounces of beer into a ziplock bag with the brats. Allow them to marinate for 1-8 hours. (I realize this is a huge variance in time, but in a pinch, an hour is enough time.)
2. Saute oil and garlic in a pan over medium heat for one minutes. 
3. Add onions and 6 ounces of beer. Cover and allow beer to simmer.
4. Uncover and stir onions. When the mixture becomes dry, add the remaining beer and sauté until the onions have reached a deep, brown caramel color.
5. Grill brats on medium heat until heated through.
6. Toast buns on grill until heated through.
7. Put your brat together and eat up!

Perfect Pizza Dough

For a long time, I have been on the hunt for the perfect pizza dough recipe. One of my requirements for the perfect dough was that it couldn't take too long to rise. Usually, I make pizza on a whim, and I don't really have time to wait 8 hours for dough to rise. 

So you can imagine my excitement when I found this dough recipe on Annie's Eats, complete with a list of tips and tricks for the perfect dough. (Click the link and check it out! It's really helpful!)

If you don't have a pizza stone, you can also use a foil-lined cookie sheet in its place. We've used this method before, and it worked well enough. However, pizza stones can be quite inexpensive (Got mine at Walmart for 12 bucks!) and TOTALLY worth it. The hot stone allows the bottom of the crust to begin baking first so it becomes crispy without burning the rest of the pizza!

Perfect Pizza Dough 

Yield: enough dough for 2 medium pizzas or 4 calzones

Ingredients:

• ½ cup warm water
• 2¼ tsp. instant yeast
• 4 cups (22 oz.) flour (preferably bread flour), plus more for dusting
• 1½ tsp. salt
• 1¼ cup water, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Measure the warm water into a bowl.  Sprinkle the yeast over the top.  Stir until combined and allow it to sit for about five minutes, or until yeast begins to foam.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend.  
3. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture.  With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil.  
4. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed.  
5. Switch to the dough hook.  Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
6. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.
7. Press down the dough to deflate it.  
8. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.  
9. Divide the dough into two equal pieces.  Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball.  (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point.)  Cover with a damp cloth.  Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.
10. To bake, preheat the oven  to 500˚ F.  Place your pizza stone in the oven and allow it to heat up for 15-30 minutes.
11. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal.  Shape the dough with lightly floured hands.  Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil.  Top as desired.  
12. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

Norcal Anniversary Trip Random Fun Facts!

Here are a list of random Fun Facts from our Anniversary trip up the coast of California!

1. Shot Glass Madness: Early on in our venture, we decided that we were going to start collecting shot glasses from everywhere we had been. Boyfriend suggested that this could easily get out of control. I wasn't completely sure of this at first, but it quickly became apparent that you can buy souvenir shot glasses pretty much anywhere. Yup. He was right. Out. Of. Con-trol.

2. COWS!: As we made our way through central California, I realized just how many cows are roaming around the hills on the sides of Highway 1. Shit, I love cows. They're like big, slow, mooing dogs. I also realized how close they were to the sides of the road, and how easy it must be to pet them. I made it my goal to pet one before got home. We saw cows close to the sides of the road numerous times, but didn't have much time to stop. I pretty much squealed with excitement every time. When we finally found a place where it seemed possible to touch the cows, I got out of the car and found myself strangely terrified. When I finally got the balls to get close enough to touch the two cows close to the fence, they scattered. I tried a couple more times with the same result. So grazing livestock cows are afraid of people. I was more or less devastated....until I saw this ad on craigslist while I was looking for places I could pet a cow:

"My girlfriend's favorite animal is a cow and it would mean the world to her if she could pet a cow, maybe even feed it. I'd be willing to pay for the experience. I would like to do this on the 21 of June, because it would be our 1 year anniversary.

Thank You."

I squealed again with excitement, assuming that Boyfriend had posted this. Sadly, he did not, BUT it's still a pretty weird coincidence.

3. Corner Windows: One thing I noticed about coastal California was all of the weird folded corner windows. I had never seen them before. These windows are literally bent at a 90 degree angle on corners of houses overlooking the ocean. It totally baffled me, so I did a fair amount of research. I found out that they're really trendy in central Cali because they provide panoramic views. Strange that I haven't seen them on houses near SoCal's beaches, though. 

4. Stripper Heels: A few weeks before our trip, boyfriend made an offhand comment about how he wanted me to wear high heels. I ended up buying a pair to go with my fancy outfit for our dinner at Black Cat Bistro. I NEVER wear heels, nor do I have the slightest clue how to walk in them. The night before our trip, my roommates made me practice in them by walking around Home Depot and Target. It was pretty traumatizing. They also made an appearance at a Classy Bitches Night at our house a couple weeks later...

5. Car Meltdown: The drive back home to Southern California was pretty brutal. It was long and once we got to LA, there was some pretty significant traffic. Now, keep in mind, I had been sitting in the car without a break since San Luis Obispo. With traffic, that was almost 4 hours of sitting in a tiny car with a smelly dog and Boyfriend. In addition to this, I was exhausted and dehydrated. By the time we got to LA, we were so close to home, but so far with traffic. I was getting claustrophobic, the car was stuffy, the sun was too bright. I completely lost it. 

I had a full on temper tantrum in the car, complete with irrational, broken sentences and uncomfortable, erratic body flailing. Thank Jeebus I have such a patient Boyfriend who was able to remain calm during this, because I'm pretty sure anyone else would have thrown me out of the car, or at least slapped me in the face. I was so upset I was almost crying. This went on for almost an hour, during which I made a series of high pitched groans and whines while shifting and squirming uncomfortably in my seat. I also argued aimlessly with Boyfriend about which route to take. I had no clue which route would be best-- I just wanted to get home. I basically just yelled at Boyfriend about how he was wrong until I ran out of reasons to yell and I fell asleep.

Hello, internet. My name is Jillian and I behave like a two year old when I've been in the car too long.

Sticky Balsamic Steak

Ingredients:


Marinade Rub

• 5 garlic cloves, minced and smashed
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 lbs petite sirloin (You can really use any kind of steak for this marinade, but for this recipe, petite sirloin takes flavor well, is cheap, and is good for broiling!)

Glaze

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Directions:

1. Combine garlic, rosemary, sugar, pepper, and vinegar in a small bowl. It will be thick. (It's kind of a wet rub.)
2. Rub steaks with mixture. Cover with foil, chill, and let marinate for 1-24 hours. (I know this is a huge variance in time. 24 hours will produce the most robust flavor, but I definitely know what its like to think about dinner last minute and need to marinate something quick. It's still delicious when marinated for only an hour!)
3. Make glaze by combining vinegar and sugar and reducing over medium/high heat until it has reduced to about 1/4 cup.
4. Dry steaks and broil for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until center reached 145 degrees F.
5. Brush steaks with glaze and enjoy! (You can also brush the steaks with the glaze a little before they are done and grill them for a nice smoky flavor!)

Jill's Damn Good Bruschetta

Ingredients:

Bruschetta

• 6 roma tomatoes, diced
• 5-8 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped finely
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 baguette
• olive oil
• goat cheese
• balsamic reduction sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine tomatoes, garlic, 1/4 c olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Cover and chill to marinate, 30-60 mins.
2. Slice baguette into rounds and drizzle or brush olive oil onto both sides.
3. Bake bread slices on baking sheet at 350 F for 3-5 mins per side, or until bread is golden-brown and slightly crispy (You can leave it in longer if you want the bread to be really crunchy and crouton-like).
4. Spread goat cheese on each slice of bread and top with tomato mixture.
5. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and enjoy!

Balsamic Reduction Sauce

All I can say is thank jeebus for Giada. I have no idea where I would be without some of her staple recipes.

This sauce is one I use on a lot of things. It's great on grilled vegetables, grilled fruits, steaks, chicken, bread, and pretty much all things. In fact, you'll probably find links to this recipe on a lot of my other recipes that call for it. So good it should be illegal.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

1. Boil balsamic vinegar and sugar in heavy, non-reactive saucepan over medium heat until it has reduced to about 1/3 cup of liquid. This should take about 18 minutes. (Be VERY careful. Taste it every few minutes. Once it has reached a syrupy consistency, it's done. I have ruined this sauce a few times because I over reduced it and it turned into a burned-tasting, sticky mess that hardened as it hit a cold plate.)
2. Drizzle and enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed With Cream Cheese and Almonds

(Photo Credit: Sam Levin)

I'm a pretty picky eater, especially when it comes to fruit. In fact, I don't generally like fruit at all (...with a mild childhood traumatic event to blame...).

Last April, Boyfriend took me to Laguna Beach for my birthday, and I had some pretty amazing food. Whenever we go somewhere outside of our ordinary lives, I do my very best to try new things, even if they don't initially sound that appetizing. We went to the K'ya Rooftop Lounge, which was literally on the rooftop of a hotel. They had runners that ran up and down the stairs from the kitchen to the lounge to transport food. It was crazy and amazing. (A picture of the view below!)

So, since I was trying to be adventurous, I decided to try their bacon-wrapped dates and I accidentally fell in love (Sorry, Boyfriend!).

Last week, we had our second Classy Bitches and Wine Night at the PuppyHaus (That's what we call our house!), so I decided to try to make these. Most of my friends were wary, but they were quite a success. They were completely gone within minutes.


Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed With Cream Cheese and Almonds

Ingredients

• 18 dried dates, pitted
• 6 pieces of bacon, cut into thirds
• 4 oz cream cheese (room temperature is easiest to work with)
• 18 dry roasted salted almonds
• 18 toothpicks
• Balsamic or red wine reduction sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Using a piping bag (Or a ziplock!), pipe cream cheese into dates.
3. Push one almond into each date (Some of the cheese may come out, but that's okay)
4. wrap each date with a piece of bacon and stick a toothpick in each one.
5. Bake dates in a shallow baking dish for 6 minutes, then flip them and bake them for 5 more minutes.
6. Drizzle with sauce and enjoy!

Red Wine Reduction Sauce

Here's another easy sauce that goes well on all kinds of things! It's very similar to balsamic reduction sauce, but with a sweeter taste. It goes great on anything with bacon.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups red wine 
• 3 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

1. Boil wine and sugar in heavy, non-reactive saucepan over medium heat until it has reduced to about 1/3 cup of liquid. This should take about 18 minutes. (Be VERY careful. Taste it every few minutes. Once it has reached a syrupy consistency, it's done. I have ruined this sauce a few times because I over reduced it and it turned into a burned-tasting, sticky mess that hardened as it hit a cold plate.)
2. Drizzle and enjoy!

Spicy Rubbed Chicken Breast with Beurre Blanc Over Linguine

I have searched the internet over for a good beurre blanc sauce recipe. Last summer, I had chicken with beurre blanc at a restaurant and fell in love. It has a tangy, buttery goodness to it that just personifies good french cooking. 

Until I found the right recipe, every time I'd tried to make beurre blanc, a French wine/butter sauce, I failed miserably and the sauce separated. (I found that the secret is having cold butter and whisking it constantly!)

I found the best and easiest recipe for beurre blanc on a blog called Busy Nothings, and actually ended up using the entire recipe, which included chicken and pasta. I think this may be one of my favorite dinners. The beurre blanc balances out the spiciness of the rub on the chicken and elevates the pasta dish to an entirely new level. It almost has a cajun flavor to it. (And I bet it'd be really great with a good piece of fish, too!)

Beurre Blanc, based on a recipe by Alton Brown

 Ingredients:

1/4 cup yellow onion, finely minced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 cup white wine, like a sauvignon blanc

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 T heavy cream

12 T butter, cold and cut into 12 pieces

Salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:  

Combine the onions, garlic, white wine, and lemon juice in a non-reactive saucepan over high heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Add the cream to the reduction.  Once the liquid bubbles, reduce the heat to low.  Add the butter, one cube at a time, whisking first on the heat and then off the heat.  Continue whisking butter into the reduction until the mixture is fully emulsified and has reached a rich sauce consistency.  Season with salt and white pepper.  Serve.

Spicy Rubbed Chicken with Beurre Blanc over Linguine

(Serves 4)

Ingredients: 

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup spice mixture (don’t measure, just toss together salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and paprika)

1 lb dried linguine

Buerre Blanc, recipe above

Directions:  

Rub chicken breasts generously with spice mixture.  Place in the refrigerator while you preheat the grill (or let them sit for about 45 mintues before cooking them in a pan with a bit of oil).  Meanwhile, heat a large pot of boiling, salted water for the pasta.  Grill chicken until cooked all the way through and then slice into strips.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Divide the pasta amongst 4 plates and place a small amount of beurre blanc on the pasta.  Place the chicken from one breast atop each plate and then top each breast with more beurre blanc.  Garnish with some parsley and serve immediately. 

Beurre Blanc Sauce

Beurre Blanc, based on a recipe by Alton Brown

 Ingredients:

1/4 cup yellow onion, finely minced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 cup white wine, like a sauvignon blanc

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 T heavy cream

12 T butter, cold and cut into 12 pieces

Salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:  

Combine the onions, garlic, white wine, and lemon juice in a non-reactive saucepan over high heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Add the cream to the reduction.  Once the liquid bubbles, reduce the heat to low.  Add the butter, one cube at a time, whisking first on the heat and then off the heat.  Continue whisking butter into the reduction until the mixture is fully emulsified and has reached a rich sauce consistency.  Season with salt and white pepper.  Serve.

Norcal Anniversary Trip Part 5

We left early Saturday morning to head home.


We took Toby to one last beach to get some energy out before our long drive, and then we strapped him back into his little doggie car seat and shipped out.

It was bittersweet, of course. I could have stayed a few more days, but I was also exhausted and the thought of my own bed was making me drool.


On the way down, we stopped in San Luis Obispo for lunch. I decided to take a break from my smartphone, and we just parked and stopped at the first place we found, which was a little sandwich shop called Sal's Sandwiches and Beer. This place was pretty much the sandwich mecca of central California. The sandwich selections were extremely unique, the beer selection was wonderful, and they even give you a blow pop with your sandwich. How cool is that?


The sandwiches were huge, so Boyfriend and I shared one. There were a lot of interesting choices, like "The Ugly Sweater," and "The Uncle Andre." After a long, difficult process of decision making, we got one called "The Taggart Boy," which was  "Sliced steak, jalapeno poppers, provolone, lettuce, tomato, hot sauce, BBQ sauce, garlic aioli on sourdough roll." It was so freakin' good, especially with a good bottled local beer. All I can say is, Mr. Sal, you have something wonderful and magical in this sandwich shop of yours, and you need to keep it up....forever.

On our way out, my cupcake dreams finally came true! Nestled inside a Cold Stone Creamery franchise is a little cupcake shop called On A Lark Cupcakes, which we were told was the ice cream shop's side project. I got a raspberry cheesecake cupcake, a cookies n' cream cupcake, and a salted caramel cupcake. We ate them intermittently on the drive home, finishing the salted caramel one around 5PM, when we finally made it back home. The raspberry cheesecake cupcake was by far the best, but all three were decadent, rich, fluffy, and moist. A perfect ending to a perfect trip.