Double the Sugar

Secret Recipe Club: Roasted Potatoes with Bacon and Cheese

Shannon — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:00:18 +0000

First, I have to give my apologies: I was having a lot of trouble with my camera, it must have really liked the potatoes because it just won’t give up the pictures. I can’t say I blame it. But the good news is that the recipe was tasty, so I’ll make it again this week and get pictures with another camera, or my phone if I have to.

Sadly, this will be our last SRC post, and possibly our last post in general. Lucy and I have had a blast, but lately life is taking us in too many different directions, and logging has become more of a chore than we want. We might come back to it later, and we’ll leave the site up, but there won’t be any posts.

Anyway, onto this month’s Secret Recipe Club post! Our assignment was Ambition’s Kitchen, a cute little blog full of great recipes. Some are even healthy, which is pretty foreign to us! I went with a simple roasted potato dish: simple, but tasty. I skipped the ranch dressing in my version, because I’m less-than-keen on ranch, but stuck with the core of the recipe.

Roasted Potatoes with Bacon and Cheese
Olive oil
Italian seasoning mix, Greek seasoning mix, or just whatever herbs and spices you want to toss in
1/2 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or other shredded cheese
1/4 C. Real Bacon Bits
2 lb. small red potatoes, quartered or cut into coins
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 350 F. Sprinkle potatoes with olive oil, toss to coat, the toss in herbs, cheese, & bacon. Spoon into lightly greased 9×13-inch baking dish; cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes (slightly less time if you cut into coins, keep an eye on it). Remove foil, bake an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and browned. Sprinkle with parsley and chives.

Secret Recipe Club: Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake

Shannon — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:00:47 +0000

Thanksgiving is over. Christmas madness is ready to begin. This week has been a little extra crazy in my household, because unfortunately, we had some flooding in our house last Monday. We aren’t in Hurricane zone or anything, Seattle just got more rain than we’re used to, and we discovered that the neighborhood we moved into this summer apparently has a drainage problem. Anyway, the flooring is ruined, some of the walls had to be torn out, and our insurance will cover none of it, so obviously this week calls for chocolate.

Good ol’ at-least-we-have-good-credit, I-didn’t-like-that-wallpaper-anyway chocolate.

So, this month, our Secret Recipe Club assignment was Cyndi’s Recipes. The recipe I went with is one that goes by many names, chocolate cobbler, chocolate pudding cake, or “that one recipe with the cakey part on top any gooey goodness on the bottom”. Cyndi’s version has Splenda and lower fat options, but considering my week, I’m going with the real-deal, carbs-be-damned version. Also, please excuse the photography, our camera is somewhere in the middle of Noah’s ark, to be taken out of the way of the flood waters.

Continue reading: Secret Recipe Club: Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake

Secret Recipe Club: Beef Barley Soup

Shannon — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:00:33 +0000

Sometimes, you’ve got to be flexible.

Things have been really crazy around my house lately: first, we moved into our new house, then there was travelling, activities, and, of course, all the fixing and other chores that come with home ownership. Now we’re pretty settled, but to add a little extra chaos to life, I had a birthday/Halloween party over the weekend. That was all fine & good, but there was one problem: for the Secret Recipe Club post, I had originally planned on making Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwiches, but proceeded to get such a sugar high at the party, I couldn’t bring myself to make/eat more sweets. I know: life is hard. However, the blog we were assigned, Fran’s Favs, has so many wonderful savory-type dishes, it was just what the doctor ordered. So, instead of pushing myself that much closer to diabetes, I decided to make Beef Barley Soup, and it was perfect for the cold, rainy weather we’ve been having!

Continue reading: Secret Recipe Club: Beef Barley Soup

Secret Recipe Club: Banana Nut Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Lucy — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:00:23 +0000

This month, as part of the Secret Recipe Club, we were assigned La Belle Aurore which is a blog written by a French-Canadian now living in Shenyang, China! The blog covers recipes, travelling, photography and tons more which makes it a really fascinating read as you don’t know what to expect with the next post! Being me I did zone in on the recipes and I was excited by a whole host of them (keep an eye out for home-made cannelloni, lasagna cupcakes and walnut, chocolate and tequila pie!) However what really drew my eye was the Banana Nut Cinnamon Swirl Bread - how could it not with that name!

For the bread:

2 tablespoons milk
2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast or one packet of instant yeast
2 eggs
1 large banana (cut into small pieces)
1 1/2 tbsps butter (softened so it combines easily)
1 1/2 tbsps granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsps salt
3 cups bread flour

For the filling:

1 1/2 tbsps butter
3 tbsps brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsps chopped pecans

To start off with take the milk and add the yeast. Leave for 5 minutes while combining the other ingredients in a bowl. I combined the ingredients with my hands. Add the milk and yeast and combine into a dough. You may need to add a little water to the mix as well. Leave to rise for an hour.

Punch down the dough on a lightly flowered board and leave it to rest for a few minutes. Roll the dough into a rectangle – checking that it will still fit into your loaf tin! I used one that was 9 inches wide. Once you have the right shape it’s time for the filling. Combine the sugar, cinnamon and chopped pecans together. First spread the butter on the rectangle of dough and then sprinkle the sugar mix over the top.

Then roll up the dough and pinch the edge to seal. Place in the tin (with the edge facing down) and then cover to allow it to rise again. It should take about an hour for the dough to rise until it is about doubled in size.

Then bake for around 30 to 45 minutes in an oven at 175 degrees C or 350 degrees. Eat by itself or toasted with butter for an indulgent breakfast!

UK Kitchen Cheat Sheet

Shannon — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:22:52 +0000

I came across this little gem in my internet wanderings, and thought it might be useful to our readers! It’s a kitchen cheat sheet, mostly for people in the UK (the UK has a complicated relationship with systems of measurement). But there’s plenty of other useful tips, tricks etc, and of course, if you’re not in the UK, it’s helpful to convert British recipes into a more comprehensible version. For more information on the differences between cooking in the UK vs The States, check out our our ost on the subject here.

If you’d like to find a printable version of this cheat sheet, visit the Everest kitchens page.

Embed Kitchen Cheat Sheet on Your Site: Copy and Paste the Code Below

<p></a> <p>If you’d like to find a printable version of this cheat sheet, <a href="http://www.everest.co.uk/kitchens/" _mce_href="http://www.everest.co.uk/kitchens/">visit the Everest site</a>. </p> </article> <article> <h1>Secret Recipe Club: Best Bread Machine Bread</h1> <p>Shannon — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:00:54 +0000</p> <p>I’ve been a bad blogger. But a bad blogger with a good excuse! My husband and I bought a house! It was a long time coming, it was a short sale so it’s been a big hassle, but worth it! As a result, we’ve spent a long time with our kitchen in boxes, and then even when that was unpacked, we still had so much else to do, cooking wasn’t my #1 priority, and we went out of town for a bit. But as of Saturday, our house is unpacked, and we can get back to living our lives!</p> <p>Well, as soon as we get some groceries.</p> <p>And now, for <a href="http://secretrecipeclub.com/">Secret Recipe Club</a> time!</p> <p>Anyway, because of the madness going on and the lack of food, one recipe stood out from our assigned blog, <a href="http://sotastysoyummy.blogspot.com/">So Tasty, So Yummy</a>. “<a href="http://sotastysoyummy.blogspot.com/2011/09/best-bread-machine-bread.html">Best Bread Machine Bread</a>” met 2 needs: it was easy with little hands-on time, and it meant I could put off going to the store a bit longer. I love our bread machine, but it has a tendency to make loaves that are a little lumpy on the outside. But they taste just fine! I made two changes from the original recipe: I used the “Quick White” setting on my machine, so it would take an hour instead of 3, and I substituted 1 of the cups of flour with 1c white whole wheat, because <em>fiber</em>. Either of these might add to the lumpy exterior, but it tastes fine so it’s ok by me!</p> <p><a href="http://www.doublethesugarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/20120826-211330.jpg"></a></p> <p><strong>Best Bread Machine Bread</strong></p> <p>1c warm water<br /> 2 tbs white sugar<br /> 2¼ tsp yeast<br /> ¼c vegetable oil<br /> 2c bread flour<br /> 1c white whole wheat flour<br /> 2 teaspoons salt</p> <p>Place the water, sugar and yeast in the pan of the bread machine. Let the yeast dissolve and foam for 10 minutes. Add the oil, flours and salt to the yeast. Select the white bread setting and press start. If you have to set the loaf size, this is a 1.5lb loaf.</p> <p><br /> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src=http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=172148&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>'); // ]]></script><br /> </p> </article> <article> <h1>Secret Recipe Club: Romesca Sauce</h1> <p>Lucy — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:00:28 +0000</p> <p>This month in the <a href="http://secretrecipeclub.com/" target="_blank">Secret Recipe Club</a> we were assigned <a href="http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/">Jeannette’s Healthy Living</a> which is a great blog run by Jeannette that focuses on healthy cooking and eating. I love that each blog entry has a description of a different food or ingredient and why it’s good for you. There were so many of her recipes that I wanted to make (like an <a href="http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2012/06/baked-avocado-and-egg-with-miso-butter-recipe-power-food.html" target="_blank">egg baked in an avocado</a> or a <a href="http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2011/09/hot-black-bean-salsa-dip-dr-kracker-giveaway.html" target="_blank">healthy hot black bean salsa dip</a>) and I have pinned some of them for later! I finally decided to make <a href="http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2011/12/the-whole-food-revelation-for-a-healthy-whole-foods-new-year-chicken-with-romesca-sauce-recipe.html" target="_blank">Chicken with Romesca Sauce</a>….</p> <p>Ingredients:</p> <ul> <li>2 tomatoes</li> <li>2 red peppers</li> <li>2 garlic cloves</li> <li>2 tbsps oil <em>(I used olive oil but chili oil is recommended)</em></li> <li>1/3 cup almonds</li> <li>1/8 cup walnuts <em>(Jeannette used hazelnuts but I had walnuts in the cupboard)</em></li> <li>1 -2 tbsps red wine vinegar <em>(to taste)</em></li> <li>salt to taste</li> </ul> <p>Slice the tomatoes in half and, along with the whole red peppers, put on an oiled baking sheet. Bake for half an hour at around 190 C or 375 F. Cover the roasted peppers with a cloth or place in a sealed plastic bag to make the peeling process easier.</p> <p></p> <p>Place the garlic, oil, nuts and half of the red wine vinegar into a mini food processor. Peel the tomatoes and peppers and remove the pith and seeds from the peppers. Then add all the innards into the processor. Blend together and then taste, season with salt, pepper and the extra red wine vinegar if you feel this is needed.</p> <p>This makes a sizable amount of sauce so we actually had it for two dinners! The first night we ate with chicken as in Jeanette’s recipe and the second night night we chopped up some leftover chicken and served it with the romesca sauce over pasta. Delicious!</p> <p></p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src=http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=160055&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>'); // ]]></script><br /> </p> </article> <article> <h1>Secret Recipe Club: Judy’s Chocolate Earthquake Cookies</h1> <p>Lucy — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:00:52 +0000</p> <p>This month in the <a href="http://secretrecipeclub.com/" target="_blank">Secret Recipe Club</a>, we were assigned <a href="http://www.myjudythefoodie.com/" target="_blank">My Judy the Foodie</a>. This is a really fun blog run by Shari and named after her Mom Judy who was an excellent cook and hostess. There a huge amount of recipes, some are Judy’s originals and others are ones that Shari has come up with by herself. Each recipe has a little insight into Shari’s life or a memory of Judy which I really enjoyed. Shari <a href="http://www.myjudythefoodie.com/about-judy/" target="_blank">speaks really touchingly of her mother</a> and I defy anyone to read about her without tearing up a little.</p> <p>I wanted to make one of Judy’s recipes and I wanted to make something really sweet and indulgent. Luckily there were lots to choose from! I chose earthquake cookies, partly because I loved the name (who doesn’t!) and also because the ingredients list reads like a dream… I also love the make-ahead approach, to have cookie dough sitting in my fridge or freezer and then just decide I want a batch of cookies? Yes please!</p> <p>This makes plenty of cookies! So far I have made 20 large cookies and still have about half the cookie dough left. I tend to make cookies one small batch at a time because otherwise I would eat them all at once!</p> <p>Ingredients for <a href="http://www.myjudythefoodie.com/2011/06/judys-earthquake-cookies-theyll-make-you-tremble/" target="_blank">Judy’s Earthquake Cookies</a>:</p> <ul> <li>8 tablespoons or 115g butter</li> <li>4 squares chocolate <em>(I wasn’t sure how big the squares Judy used were so I used 8 small squares I had)</em></li> <li>2 teaspoons vanilla essence</li> <li>2 teaspoons baking powder</li> <li>2 cups sugar</li> <li>4 eggs</li> <li>2 cups flour</li> <li>1/2 teaspoon salt</li> <li>a lot of icing/confectioners sugar</li> </ul> <div>Melt the chocolate and the butter together in a saucepan. Make sure you stir this often so it doesn’t stick or start bubbling away! In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs and then add the sugar, vanilla essence and the chocolate and butter mix. Stir together and then add flour, baking powder and salt and beat together until this is all smooth. Cover the mix with cling film and put into the fridge. Leave it there and don’t touch it for 24 hours. Shari has tried cutting down on this step and it didn’t work so do as she says!</div> <div></div> <div></div> <p>When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 180 degrees C or 350 degrees F. Butter or line a baking tray and put the icing sugar into a large bowl. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge. Mine looked like a thick fudge after it’s time in the fridge! Take a teaspoon and spoon out this amount, roll into a little ball and then roll around in the icing sugar until it is completely covered. Place these onto the sheet and then cook for around 10 minutes. Leave for a few minutes and then remove from the tray. Leave to cool on a wire rack and try to resist eating a cookie warm from the tray….</p> <p></p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src=http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=152943&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>'); // ]]></script><br /> </p> </article> <article> <h1>Secret Recipe Club: Peanut Butter Blondies</h1> <p>Shannon — Mon, 28 May 2012 17:00:27 +0000</p> <p>Earlier this year, the hubby and I decided to buy a house. After a lot of trial & tribulation, we put an offer on a short sale in March. If you aren’t big into real estate, let me tell you: short sales are kind of a pain. Mostly in that it takes roughly foreeeeeeever to seal the deal. Anyway, since we put an offer on the house, we’ve been under threat of moving. Not terribly imminently, just enough to make us realize just how much crap there is in the house right now. So we’ve slowly been going through our stuff to try to lighten the load, rediscovering all the crap we have & don’t need, things like that. But my hoarder tendencies aren’t just for camping gear and supplies for craft projects I never even start, it extends to the kitchen as well. I don’t need an intervention, you’re not going to see me on TV any time soon, but we’ll just say my cupboards are never bare. Nor is my freezer. And condiments? I got plenty. So I’ve been trying to cook/bake my way through the backlog of good we have, to make things a liiiiittle bit easier when we finally close on the house and get to move. And then I can fill it with a bunch of FRESH stuff-I-don’t-need.</p> <p>So, along comes the <a href="http://secretrecipeclub.com/">Secret Recipe Club</a>. This month, I was assigned the lovely <a href="http://cookingwhims.wordpress.com/">Cooking Whims</a>, and while at first I was very tempted to do one of her many lovely, healthy-or-healthyish foods she has (the <a href="http://cookingwhims.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/sweet-potato-mac-and-cheese/">sweet potato mac & cheese</a> looks wonderful), I took another look at the pantry, and saw how very, very many different baking chips I have in a corner, and decided to do a take on her <a href="http://cookingwhims.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/peanut-butter-blondies/">Peanut Butter Blondies</a>: Pantry-Clearing Peanut Butter Blondies.</p> <p></p> <p> </p><p><a href="http://www.doublethesugarblog.com/2012/05/28/peanut_butter_blondies/?utm_source=feed&utm_campaign=rss-mo-more&utm_medium=rss">Continue reading: Secret Recipe Club: Peanut Butter Blondies</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>Cumin lamb and lentil chili</h1> <p>Lucy — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:54:45 +0000</p> <div>I hope you boys and girls like lamb. Yesterday we went to a cash and carry and bought a huge amount of minced lamb which is now sitting in my freezer waiting to be used in future meals. My mind started to run through all the lamb dishes I knew but I was looking for something fairly quick but filling and chili sprung to mind. Using cumin was pretty much a given for me. I love cumin and suggest using it in pretty much every dish we cook. The cumin gives this dish a sort of Indian flavouring but feels more like a chili to me with it’s thick spicy tomato sauce.</div> <div></div> <div></div> <div<p><a href="http://www.doublethesugarblog.com/2012/04/04/cumin-lamb-and-lentil-chili/?utm_source=feed&utm_campaign=rss-mo-more&utm_medium=rss">Continue reading: Cumin lamb and lentil chili</a></p> </article> </main></body></html>