Cooking in Pajamas

Adapted from Kitchen of Friends . 3-4 riped Bosc pears, peeled but do not remove the stems 2 c. Red wine (your choice) 1/4 c. Grand Marnier 2 Cinnamon Sticks 3 Tbsp Sugar 2-3 slices Mandarin orange (or 1-2 slices Navel orange) [ Note: I used Bartlet pears because it's what I have at home.  But when they are perfectly ripe (like mine was), they are very soft to handle once they are poached.  Therefore, I highly recommend using the Bosc pears (as most recipes do) for a firmer flesh that will make it easier to work with and gives a better texture when they are consumed.] Arrange the pears in a sauce pan. Combine the red wine, Grand Marnier, cinnamon sticks, sugar and orange slices.  Pour over the pears.  Bring to a simmer. Allow the pears to simmer in the wine sauce for approximately 30 min.  Rotate or bast the pears occasionally with the sauce. Carefully transfer the poached pears to another dish and allow the pears to cool to room temperature....

Adapted from An Edible Mosaic . Roasted Vegetables Olive oil Salt & pepper Your favourite vegetables (this is what I used) 4 medium size onions, halved 1 large green pepper, quartered 2 tomatoes, halved 1/2 cucumber, quartered 10-12 white mushrooms Quinoa Mixture 1 c. Red quinoa 1-2 c. Water 1 clove Garlic, minced 1 can (680 mL) Thick tomato-based pasta sauce Sprinkle of oregano Sprinkle of allspice Cream Sauce 2 tbsp Butter 2 tbsp Flour 1.5 c. 1% or 2% Milk 2 Egg yolks, lightly beaten Pinch of nutmeg Salt & pepper 2-3 sprigs Fresh basil, chopped (optional) 1 pkg Shredded cheese (I used PC Tre Formaggi Shredded Italian Cheese ) Preheat broiler. Brush both sides of the vegetables with olive oil.  Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12- 15 min, flip the vegetables 1/2 way through. Note: You can also preheat the oven to 400°F and bake the vegetables for 40 min, flipping ...

Adapted from Sweet Life . 3 Avocados, medium size, seeded and peeled 1 cup half-and-half or light cream 1/2 c.  Honey or 2/3 c. Powdered sugar 2/3 c. Fresh squeezed lemon juice Zest from 1 lemon 15-20 Fresh basil leaves Blend the avocado, lemon juice, lemon zest and basil leaves in a blender until smooth. Add the cream and honey.  Blend again until well combined. Note: Adjust the amount of honey to your taste.  Start with 1/3 cup and slowly add more to sweeten the avocado mixture. Divide the avocado mixture into containers.  Cover and freeze for a few hours or overnight. Before serving, let stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. My comments: I don't own an ice-cream machine and I have no interest in buying one. Knowing me, an ice-cream machine will likely have the same fate as a pasta maker in this house: used a few times and then live out the rest of its life in some dark corner at the top shelf, never to be seen again. However, I've a...

Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything Brownie layer 1/4 c. Unsalted butter, melted 1/3 c. Unsweetened applesauce 2/3 c. Sugar 2 Eggs 1 tsp Vanilla extract 1/2 c. All purpose flour 1/3 c. Unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 tsp Salt Raspberry truffle layer 1 c. Semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 pkg (250g) Cream cheese, room temperature 1/3 c. Seedless raspberry jam (or strawberry jam) White chocolate topping 3 oz White chocolate 2 tsp Butter Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk together the melted butter, applesauce and sugar.  Beat in one egg at a time and mix well.  Add vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa and salt in a separate bowl.  Add to butter mixture and whisk until just combined. Divide the brownie batter into 12 muffin cups lined with paper cups (fill ~ 1/3 of the cups).  Bake for 10-12 min.  Insert a toothpick to check for doneness; there should be little clumps on the toothpick.  Do not overbake.  Set brownies aside to cool. While...

Adapted from First Look, Then Cook . Crust and topping 1 c. Rolled oats 1/4 c. Flax seeds 2/3 c. Brown sugar, unpacked 3/4 c. Whole wheat flour (or all-purpose) 1/4 tsp Baking powder 1/4 tsp Baking soda 1/8 tsp Salt 1/4 c. Unsalted butter, melted Filling 1/4 c. All-purpose flour 1/4 tsp Salt 1.5 c. Semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 tbsp Unsalted butter 1 Large egg, beaten 1 tsp Vanilla 2 tsp Instant coffee (optional) Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease an 8" square pan or use a silicone square pan. Combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir in melted butter.  Set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture for the topping. Press the remaining oat mixture onto the bottom of the square baking pan.  Bake for 8 min, until the crust is golden brown. Set the crust aside to cool while you prepare the fudge filling. Melt chocolate chips with the butter in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.  Allow the chocolate mixt...

Brownies 1/2 c. Unsalted butter, melted 3/4 c. Sugar 2 Eggs 1/2 c. Whole wheat flour 1/3 c. Unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 tsp Salt 1 tsp Vanilla extract Surprise 1/3 c. All natural peanut butter, no sugar/salt added 1/4 c. Confectioners' sugar 1/4 c. Crushed graham cracker 1/2 tsp Salt 12 Rolo candies (not the minis) Preheat the oven to 350°F.  (Grease a mini-muffin pan if you are not using silicone bakeware.) Mix together the peanut butter, sugar, graham cracker crumbs and salt to form a ball.  Refrigerate while you prepare the brownie batter. Beat together the butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, whisk well after each addition.  Add vanilla. Mix the flour, cocoa powder and salt together.  Stir into the wet ingredients.  Whisk until the batter is smooth with no lumps. Fill 1/2 of the muffin cup with brownie batter and bring the batter up the sides. Take a little bit of the chilled peanut butter dough and roll into 3/4" ball...

Shortbread Crust 1/3 c.  Icing sugar 1 c.  All-purpose flour (I used whole wheat) 1/2 c.  Unsalted butter, room temperature Lemon Filling 1/3 c. Unbleached flour 1 c.  Sugar 2/3 c.  Lemon juice (fresh squeezed from 2 - 3 small lemons) Lemon zest from 1 small lemon 4  Large eggs 1 Egg yolk salt pinch Preheat the oven to 350°F. For the crust, mix the flour and icing sugar together. Cut in the butter and mix to form a smooth soft dough. Press the dough evenly onto the bottom of a 9x9" silicone baking pan (or a greased metal baking pan). Spread the dough up about 1/2" on the sides of the pan. (For a uniform flat crust, line the crust with parchment paper and fill the bottom with pie weights.) Bake the crust for about 20-25 min, until it is golden brown. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. Mix together the flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. In a s...