A girl can dream of a big ktichen

It's always a treat when I get to cook for others. Of course, we all seek the praise and affirmation of our friends and family, but they are also the most likely to be honest and blunt about whether or not you are the BEST or could be BETTER at something. 

I was going back and forth thinking I wanted to be really daring and ambitious, with such a large kitchen at my disposal, I wanted to whip up something complicated. But I was conservative and went with a favorite. A simple oven baked rosemary chicken dish that packs a lot of flavor without the calories; this recipe is originally from Cooking Light, with only one modification, believe it or not! 

A great insider's tip for any cook or baker: 1 cup of buttermilk = 1 cup of yogurt

BAM! The secret is out! Cut the fat, and maybe more than half, by substituting recipes with regular or greek yogurt instead. 

Side Note: I am a huge fan of Cooking Light, for two reasons: they provide great, everyday recipes that are slimmed down and their recipes cater to beginner cooks who want to learn basics that they can eventually build off of. 

Oven Baked Rosemary and Walnut Chicken

Crispy Panko breadcrumbs and the crunch of those walnuts give this chicken a bite like none other.

adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk ( I used yogurt here instead)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 thinly sliced, chicken cutlets
• 1/3 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts 
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• cooking spray
• rosemary leaves (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine yogurt and mustard in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Add chicken to yogurt mixture, turning to coat.
3. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Combine panko, nuts, rosemary, pepper and salt in a shallow dish. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture; discard buttermilk mixture. Dredge or coat chicken in panko mixture until evenly and completely covered.
4. Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Arrange chicken on rack; coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Garnish with rosemary leaves. This dish is great with a side of salad, vegetables or sliced into a salad, for a healthy leftover lunch. 

Smells like fall, feels like summer

Well this is a rarity in San Francisco. It's true, this year, San Francisco is actually getting a summer?! I wouldn't believe it unless I felt it myself..and it was awesome! Well, summer, I welcome you with open arms. I know that baking and cooking with fruit is all the rage right now (don't get me wrong, I can't wait to try a peach tart...coming soon), but I love fall so much! It reminds me of my favorite holidays, to start reflecting on what I've done during the past year and all the warm, tingly...desserts! Nothing like baking on a cold, frigid San Francisco day, let me tell you! I've been eyeing this recipe for a few weeks now, looking for healthier alternatives to buttermilk. Alas, Google came to the rescue and I learned that plain yogurt is a fine substitute for the fattier, buttermilk version of this recipe. Don't get me wrong, fatty = delicious, but with summer rolling in on time, here in San Francisco, cutting calories here and there makes them.. dare I say...semi guilt-free! Let's not forget the stick of butter I used, but hey! let's be real, biscuits need to be a little buttery. I'm sure margarine would have been a healthier substitute to try though. 


Also, would like to note, that I loved the idea of using honey, instead of sugar. I think adding allspice might work well if you don't have ground cinnamon or ginger on hand. 


I'd imagine this would be great with some butter and honey, a side of ice cream maybe :) Try it with a savory dish, perhaps. Definitely delicious both warm and room temperature.


Pumpkin Biscuits

The smell of these are overwhelmingly, fragrant and sweet, but biting into it, you'll get a slight pumpkin flavor and insanely fluffy texture inside. 

Substitutions Used: 

• 1/2 cup buttermilk -- 1 cup yogurt ** Doubled up here so the biscuits would be extra moist...no matter how long you over cooked them! Like me :( **
• 1 tablespoon honey -- 1 tablespoon agave

adapted from The Girl with the Wooden Spoon


Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 1/2 cup pumpkin purée

1 tablespoon honey (or 1/2 tablespoon agave)

1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup yogurt)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with vegetable oil, set aside.

In a small bowl combine the honey and pumpkin, set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and butter. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut the butter throughout the dry ingredients until butter is the size of small pebbles and dough is coarse. Stir in the honey pumpkin mixture until just combined. Stir in the buttermilk until dough just comes together. Because I used yogurt here, the dough was extra sticky, which is normal. No need to flour your surface too much here, just be ready to get your hands dirty!


Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Using your hands knead dough about ten times. Roll the dough out to about 3/4 inch thickness. Using a round biscuit cutter of your choice cut out the biscuits. I didn't have the time or patience to do this, so I just formed small round balls, about the amount of a tablespoon. I flattened the biscuits a little with my hands, but I really loved that they were full of craters and how they turned slightly crunchy on top, after baking. Space them about one inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from sheet and cool on a wire rack. Storing in an airtight container or some plastic wrap is best.