BB BRC: Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars

I’ve yet to come across a human being who didn’t love a good pb&j sandwich.  Pair it with a tall glass of icy cold milk and you’ve got perfection. I know that this sandwich evokes great memories for some but let me say, these pb&j bars will start making memories for you!  They were downright fantastic! Soft, sweet, and just perfect. With some recipes I’ve made containing peanut butter, I’ve run into the issue where the pb does not come through enough but this is not the case with these bars.  The pb flavor is front and center and the combination with the strawberry jelly is one I will not soon forget.  I considered skipping the chopped peanuts on top (personally not a fan) but I’m so glad I didn’t because they added a wee bit of texture and some extra saltiness that these bars needed.  And after reading the Musings post for this recipe, I also decided to add an extra 1/2 cup of jelly (as some commented the bars were a little dry) and chilled them in the fridge overnight before serving to really allow them to set.

If you’ve been following along with my Week with the Barefoot Contessa, you’ve come to the only dessert recipe I chose for the week so I recommend taking a few minutes tonight to make these.  You’ve probably got all of the ingredients needed for the recipe but I don’t recommend waiting to make them.  You’ll come across an exciting pumpkin recipe or some chocolate cake and these mundane-sounding bars will get passed on.  Don’t let it happen!! You will be sorry!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars

source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa at Home, page 170

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) raspberry jam or other jam
• 2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.
4. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.
5. Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don’t worry if all the jam isn’t covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

BB BRC: Caramelized Butternut Squash

With Fall in full swing now, it’s impossible for me to resist almost any butternut squash recipe so when I came across this one in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, possibly my favorite of all of Ina’s books, I knew it was the perfect addition to the Week with the Barefoot Contessa challenge. And I figured this would go over well with the rest of the BB members since the Butternut Squash Risotto went over so well last October.

In short, the caramelized butternut squash was dreamy. I absolutely loved it and Kyle who isn’t a huge butternut squash fan really enjoyed it as well.  The combo of sweet and salty/peppery flavors here were just outstanding! The recipe itself was a piece of cake and since I decided to pick up some already peeled bnut squash, I know I saved myself some frustration by not having to peel it.  I think the key to this recipe is to turn the squash a number of times while it’s baking. This way, you will ensure that all of the pieces are well-coated with the butter-sugar mixture on the baking sheet and will caramelize evenly.  If I hadn’t already offered to bring all of the desserts to Thanksgiving dinner (thus saving my family the pain of eating my grandmother’s desserts), I would definitely bring this as a side dish!!

Caramelized Butternut Squash

source: Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, page 151

• 2 medium butternut squash (4 to 5 pounds total)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut off and discard the ends of each butternut squash. Peel the squash, cut them in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. With clean hands, toss all the ingredients together and spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 45 to 55 minutes, until the squash is tender and the glaze begins to caramelize. While roasting, turn the squash a few times with a spatula, to be sure it browns evenly. Taste for seasonings and serve hot.

BB BRC: Chicken Chili

It’s been a while since the Barefoot Bloggers have done a Bonus Recipe Challenge (BRC) and during that downtime, I’ve been working up a big new BRC.  Based on my Week with the Barefoot Contessa I did last year, I wanted to expand the challenge to the whole group.  There are no set posting dates for the five recipes I chose, just that they are posted between November 2-6, and this is my first of the week. So over the course of this week, check back daily for a new Ina Garten recipe that I’ll add to the 70+ Ina recipes I’ve already posted about here!

So the first recipe of the week brings us Chicken Chili.  After having made my favorite chili recipe more times than I can count and after having won my department’s chili cookoff with the recipe last year, I’m finally trying a new chili recipe. Although, I guess you could say that I have been making a different recipe during the past year since discovering Penzey’s Chili 3000 but the recipes only differ by the spices. We’re totally in love with Chili 3000 by the way!

That said, I was looking forward to this recipe.  I’d been itching to try a chicken chili recipe and I certainly wasn’t let down by this one.  While the chili was a little on the soupy side (which can be easily fixed next time since we’re thick chili fans) the flavors were spot on. I loved the big chunks of peppers and chicken (which I grilled rather than roasted – you’ll see my changes below) and with the my addition of black beans, this chili was a hearty and satisfying meal on an unseasonably cold October night here in CT. Go ahead and give it a try for yourself!!

Chicken Chili

source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, page 232

WWPoints: 4

• 4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
• 1/8 cup good olive oil, plus extra for chicken
• 1/8 cup minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
• 2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken
• 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes in puree,  drained or undrained – your choice
• 2 15oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook the onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute.  Add to the pot with the black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Preheat grill to high heat.
3. Drizzle the chicken breasts with olive oil then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Grill until completely cooked, about 4 minutes per side. While still warm, cut the chicken into 3/4-inch chunks. Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Serve with toppings of your choice, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

If you’re not already tired of seeing Halloween treats, here’s some more!  Just a couple of days ago, my office decided to do an impromptu Halloween treats morale-boosting-party complete with costumes (it’s this afternoon so I can’t say how this part went yet) and I immediately knew I would make these cookies for the party. Since making the Survivor Cookies for my cousin last summer, I’d gotten the itch to test out the royal icing waters even further and since I’ve had a pumpkin cookie cutter in my appliance closet (no joke – it’s a full closet in one of the bedrooms) for at least two years, I was happy to bust this little guy out.

The choice for cookie dough was simple since purchasing Martha Stewart’s Cookies a few months back.  I had bookmarked a number of recipes and this was one of them. It’s a basic sugar cookie recipe, though varying slightly in basic ingredients from the last recipe I used, but the addition of cinnamon at the suggestion of Martha is a brilliant one especially considering the time of year.  The cookies have just enough cinnamon flavor to perfectly complement the sweet royal icing making them cookies you won’t be able to keep your hands off of…aside from the fact they are so darn cute!

I used the same royal icing recipe as last but swapped out 1/2 tbsp of water for 1/2 tbsp of vanilla extract, further helping to complement the cinnamon in the cookie.  If you’re still not sure about working with royal icing or need a refresher, be sure to check out Annie’s hints!

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

source: adapted from Martha Stewart, Cookies, page 241

• 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into a bowl.
2. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough into quarters; flatten each quarter into a disk. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. Roll out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove top layer of plastic wrap. Cut out cookies with a 4-to-5-inch cookie cutter. Transfer cookie dough on plastic wrap to a baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to freezer, and freeze until very firm, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet from freezer, and transfer shapes to baking sheets lined with nonstick baking mats. Roll out scraps, and repeat. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.
4. Bake, switching positions of sheets and rotating halfway through, until edges are almost golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Royal Icing

source: adapted from Annie’s Eats and Good Things Catered

• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp meringue powder
• 4 1/2 tbsp water
• 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes).  Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container.  This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating.  Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated.  Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping.  (Remember, if you are having any difficulty piping, it is still too thick.  Add a little more liquid and try again.)  Using a pastry bag, pipe around the edges of each cookie.  Let stand so the icing will set.  Make sure to keep the leftover icing covered at all times when not in use so that it does not begin to harden.
2. Once all the cookies have been edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate air-tight container.  Thin out by incorporating a small amount of water at a time, until the icing drips off the spoon easily when lifted and then smooths in with that still in the bowl.  If you go too far and the icing is too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar to thicken it again.  Once the icing has reached the desired consistency, transfer it to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with a hole in one corner), and flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie.  If it does not completely spread to the edges, use a toothpick to help it along.  Allow to set.
3. Use the remaining thicker icing for piping decoration as desired.  Gel icing color is best as it does not add a significant amount of liquid.  Liquid food coloring can be used as well – add powdered sugar as needed to compensate for any thinning that occurs.

Cinnamon Applesauce

I’ve learned recently that when you pick nearly 20lbs of apples, you need to find ways to use up lots of them in a single shot.  And this cinnamon applesauce recipe certainly gave me the opportunity to do so.  The original recipe calls for 12lbs of apples and if you could imagine someone without a food scale that measured over 16oz at a clip trying to weigh 6lbs of apples (I halved the recipe), you’d be imagining me in my kitchen a few weeks back.  Needless to say, it was a long afternoon…long but highly rewarding.

You see, this cinnamon applesauce was my first venture into canning (water) and while it took me a while to weigh out the apples, the end result of a long afternoon was some pretty damn good applesauce.  I made a couple of changes to the original recipe, mainly reducing the sugar. The recipe (halved) I used called for 1 1/2 cups of sugar as an option and since I prefer unsweetened applesauce when I buy it, I wasn’t looking for this one to be sweet although because I wasn’t sure of how tart the apples would be, I halved the sugar and added some cinnamon.  Good call on my part.  The applesauce turned out just as I had hoped it would (excellent!) and still yielded 4 more jars than I expected despite the reduced amount of sugar. My revisions are reflected below.

If you don’t want to can this applesauce, it can be frozen for up to 2 months or refrigerated in tightly sealed container for about 1 week.

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Still looking for more apple recipes? Check these out…

Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins

Fuji Apple Spice Cake

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Cinnamon Applesauce

source: Ball Fresh Preserving

• 6 lbs apples, peeled, cored, quartered, treated to prevent browning and drained (about 18 medium)
• Water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, optional
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp lemon juice
• 12 8 oz (or 6 16oz/pint) glass preserving jars with lids and bands

1. PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
2. COMBINE apples with just enough water to prevent sticking in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 20 minutes, until apples are tender (time will depend upon the variety of apple and their maturity). Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
3. TRANSFER apples, working in batches, to a food mill or a food processor fitted with a metal blade and purée until smooth.
4. RETURN apple purée to saucepan. Add sugar, if using, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Maintain a gentle boil over low heat while filing jars.
5. LADLE hot applesauce into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
6. PROCESS jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.