Baked Cheese and Sausage Ziti #BakingBloggers

The perfect weeknight family meal or Sunday supper, this baked cheese and sausage ziti is quick to put together but full of flavor. Comfort food at its best.

For many years, nay, for my whole life, my mom has been singing the praises of cooking in cast iron. She has an enviable collection of cast iron pots of every size and shape, an amazing array.

When I was younger, she’d offer me a pot or two, but I couldn’t be bothered with what I thought were the difficulties of keeping cast iron clean. Plus, before I lived in Dubai, I simply didn’t have enough luggage allowance for all of my shopping, never mind bringing back a very heavy iron pot from Houston.

Finally, just a few years ago, Mom kindly offered again and I accepted the 13 1/4 inch (34cm) beauty you see in these photos. Let me tell you, friends, I use it All The Time. And I regret the years before when I didn’t say yes to the cast iron. It’s actually quite easy to keep clean and is more nonstick than my actual “nonstick” skillets. So just for the record, I want to say, my mother was right and I was wrong.

Baked Cheese and Sausage Ziti

And while I am admitting my errors, let me also say that this pasta is probably actually penne, not ziti. A little research after the fact revealed that while ziti can have ridges, most don’t. But who has ever heard of baked penne? So baked ziti it is. Either way, your family will be fighting over the crispy bits.

Ingredients
3 medium cloves garlic
1 medium onion, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 lbs or 680g fresh hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 (14.5 oz or 411g) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb or 450g  uncooked penne or ziti
3/4 cup or 75g grated Parmesan cheese

For baking:
1/4 cup or 25g grated Parmesan
1 cup or 110g grated mozzarella

For garnish – finely chopped parsley (optional)

Method
Adjust oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, until just al dente. Scoop out a cup of the cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta and return it to the warm pot you used for boiling it.

Mince the garlic and onions.

In a large iron skillet, add the olive oil, garlic and onion. Cook over a medium heat until the onion softens, being careful not to let the garlic burn.

Add the sausage meat and cook until it is browned, breaking the sausage into small pieces as you stir.

Add in the two cans of the seasoned diced tomatoes. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 8-10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the stove and tip in the cooked pasta stirring well.

Stir in the Parmesan cheese and the cup of reserved pasta water. Taste the mixture and add salt if needed and a few generous grinds of black pepper from a pepper mill.

Sprinkle the mozzarella and additional Parmesan over the top and put the skillet in your preheated oven.

Bake for 30 minutes, covering the skillet with foil, if it begins to brown too quickly.

To serve, sprinkle with a little finely chopped parsley, if desired.

Enjoy!

This month my Baking Bloggers group is sharing cast iron pot recipes, both savory and sweet. Many thanks to our organizers, Sue of Palatable Pastime and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm.

• Baked Cheese and Sausage Ziti by Food Lust People Love
• Blackberry Coffeecake Bites by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Cast Iron Jalapeno & Honey Corn Bread by Hardly A Goddess
• Crunchy Dutch Oven Bread by Simply Inspired Meals
• Pull-Apart Garlic Rolls by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Skillet Apple Pie by Palatable Pastime
• Skillet Cornbread with Bacon, Onion and Cheddar Cheese by Our Good Life
• Skillet Dinner Rolls by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Skillet Rosemary & White Wine Chicken Legs by Sneha's Recipe

Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interesting in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

Pin it! 

 .

Hot and Sour Chicken Soup #FoodieExtravaganza

Hot and sour chicken soup is a restaurant favorite that is quick and easy to make at home. With bits of chicken breast and cubes of tofu, it’s high in protein with a comforting spicy and flavorful broth that will cure whatever ails you.

Aside from its healing properties, hot and sour chicken soup also brings back fun and fond memories for me.

Many years ago, my sister lived near a Chinese buffet restaurant we adored. It had The Best pork ribs and Sichuan green beans, my favorite things to eat there, but everything else was pretty tasty as well.

When my eldest nephew was old enough to eat real food, my sister would scoop the little cubes of tofu out of the hot and sour soup for him, blow on them to cool them off, then set them on his plate. It was a lot of fun watching him trying to pincer grasp the tofu with his plump baby hands and get it to his mouth. Considering how soft and slippery tofu can be, he did a great job. Those were good times.

This month, my Foodie Extravaganza group is making chicken soup in honor of National Chicken Soup for the Soul Day on November 12th. Make sure to scroll down past my recipe to see the rest.

Hot and Sour Chicken Soup

This version of hot and sour soup is adapted from two separate recipes from Ken Hom’s Foolproof Chinese Cookery and Joanne Chang’s Flour, Too. Both of these wonderful recipes use pork. I have used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead.

Ingredients
2 small boneless chicken breasts (about 9 oz or 250g by weight)
2 tablespoons canola or other light oil
1 garlic clove, smashed and minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 chilli pepper, minced
2 tablespoons sliced onion tops (white part only – save green for garnish)
5 cups or 1.2L chicken stock
7 oz or 200 grams tofu (bean curd), medium firm
3 1/2 oz or 100g shiitake mushrooms
Salt

For the chicken marinade:
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine or substitute dry sherry
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Pinch each of salt and sugar

For the egg mixture:
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Pinch salt

Just before serving:
1/4 cup or 60ml Chinese black (mature) vinegar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili bean sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

For garnish:
Chopped cilantro
Sliced chilli peppers
Sliced green onion tops
Slivered ginger

Method
Combine your marinade ingredients in a small bowl.

Slice your chicken breasts very thinly and add them to the marinade. Mix well and set aside.

In a measuring cup with a spout, whisk the eggs with the sesame oil and the pinch of salt. You can use a bowl but the spout will making pouring the egg into the soup much easier. In another small bowl, mix together the vinegar, light soy, the dark soy, the chili bean sauce and the sesame oil. Set aside.

Clean and finely slice the shiitake mushrooms. Cut the tofu (aka bean curd) into 1/2 in or 1 cm cubes.

In a deep saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic, ginger and green onions and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Be careful not the let the garlic color.

Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 more minutes.

Add the stock and bring the soup to a simmer.

Add the tofu and mushrooms and bring the soup back to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Now add the egg mixture in a very slow, thin and steady stream. Use a chopstick or a fork to pull the cooked egg slowly into strands.

Turn the fire off under the soup and stir in the vinegar mixture.

Serve each bowl garnished with cilantro, green onion tops, sliced red chili peppers and slivered ginger, as desired.

Enjoy! 

How will you celebrate National Chicken Soup for the Soul Day? Try one of our delicious recipes!

• Asian-Style Chicken Dumpling Soup from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chicken Ramen Soup from Sneha's Recipe
• Cranberry Chicken Noodle Soup from Palatable Pastime
• Creamy Chicken Asparagus Soup from Hardly A Goddess
• Creamy Cranberry Chicken Wild Rice Soup from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Hot and Sour Chicken Soup from Food Lust People Love

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays by posting delicious recipes your family will love. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a home cook looking for tasty recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

 Pin it! 

 .

Quick Blackberry Jam Muffins #MuffinMonday

The best Blackberry Jam Muffins are made with small batch homemade quick jam folded into a fluffy batter. But, fear not, you can make yours with whatever good quality jam you have on hand.

I sometimes think that I was born in the wrong century, or perhaps later than I should have been in this one. I love to make jams, preserves and chutneys. Maybe it's because I don’t live in the early 1900s and have to do it. Like homework, it’s always more fun to do if it’s not your own assignment, amirite? I can hardly imagine either of my grandmothers putting up just one jar of jam or chowchow at a time. They are probably tsk-ing at me right now.

Dubai and the UAE in general have much more locally grown fresh produce available since I arrived six years ago, but except for dates, fruit is still flown in so it’s expensive. So much so that I cannot pass up produce when it is on sale, especially berries and summer fruit like peaches and nectarines.

This week it was blackberries. I cooked them down into a quick jam – no pectin, just lemon juice and sugar – then because it is Muffin Monday, I used one-third cup to make these lovely muffins. So good! And, the best part is that once the muffins are gone, we will still enjoy blackberries for weeks to come. If you'd like to make my quick blackberry jam, find that recipe here.

Quick Blackberry Jam Muffins

Combine my favorite easy quick bread breakfast muffin recipe with your favorite jam (or my quick blackberry jam) to make these delicious muffins for breakfast or snack time. I topped each with an extra blackberry before baking. As you can see from the photos, they sank, making a little tart surprise in the middle of each. Skip that step if you’d like.

Ingredients
2 cups or 250g all purpose flour
¾ cup or 150g sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml minus 2 tablespoons milk (*instructions below)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup or 78ml canola or other light oil
2 large eggs
1/3 cup or 78ml blackberry jam

12 whole blackberries to decorate – optional

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Generously grease cups and top of 12-cup muffin pan or line it with paper muffin cups.

*Put your lemon juice in a measuring vessel and then add milk up to the 1 cup or 240ml mark. Set aside.

Whisk your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together your soured milk, oil and eggs.

All at once, add the wet ingredients to the dry. Gently fold just until dry ingredients are moistened. There may be little bits of flour showing and that's just fine. 

Spoon the blackberry jam on to the batter, then fold it in. You want ribbons of jam, not a homogenous batter.

Divide your batter relatively evenly between the 12 muffin cups.  Top each with a whole blackberry, if desired. As I mentioned above, they sunk. I was hoping for a decoration on top but instead got a little surprise inside. All good either way.

Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes in your preheated oven, or until they are golden.

Remove the pan from the oven and let cool 10-15 minutes before removing muffins from the pan.

Enjoy!

Check out all of the wonderful muffins my Muffin Monday group has for you today!

• Egg-free Mini Chocolate Chips Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Healthy Apple Cider Donut Hole Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Marble Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Pumpkin Raisin Bran Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Quick Blackberry Jam Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

Pin it! 

 .

Quick Blackberry Jam

Quick blackberry jam is so easy that you can have homemade jam in less than 25 minutes. Seriously. That doesn’t count cooling time but those extra minutes will teach you patience, young grasshopper. Good things do come to those wait!

If you’ve ever let jam making scare you, this is the recipe you’ll want to try. First, it only makes one jar, so no huge commitment. Second, it only has three ingredients. And finally, but probably most importantly, it’s quick, easy and delicious. And P.S. It's also great in muffins. Get the muffin recipe here.

Quick Blackberry Jam

As I mention in my blackberry jam muffin post, I cannot resist berries on sale. This quick blackberry jam extends their shelf life in a most wonderful, easy way.

Ingredients - for one jar - 1 3/4 cups or 414ml
3 (6 oz or 170g) punnets large blackberries (mine were Driscoll's from Mexico)
2 cups or 400g granulated sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
zest 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons or 7g unsalted butter - optional

Method
In your kitchen sink, sterilize one 2-cup or 480ml jar by putting a teaspoon in it and then filling it with just boiled water. Fill its lid as well. Leave to cool while you get on with the jam. I pour the boiling water over my ladle and jar funnel too, just to make sure it’s all sterilized. Once it’s cooled enough to handle, pour the water out of the jar and lid and leave to dry.

Put the clean blackberries in a heavy bottomed pot along with the lemon zest. Mash them with a potato masher until completely pulverized, occasionally using a sharp knife to cut them off of the masher grid.

Add the sugar and lemon juice. Stir well.

Put the pot on the stove over a high heat, stirring frequently, until it comes to a rolling boil. Boil for five minutes, skimming off and discarding any scum that appears with a spoon. Do not walk away from the jam at any time.

Reduce the heat to medium high and cook at a slow boil for an additional 12-14 minutes or until the jam reduces by about one-third in volume, continuing to skim scum if it keeps coming out.

You really don’t need a thermometer for this quick jam but I like to watch the temperature rise. Supposedly for jam to set, it has to reach 220°F or 104°C. This quick jam did not but it set just fine.

Remove the pot from the stove and add the butter. Stir well till the butter has melted completely.

Using a clean ladle and funnel, transfer the quick jam to your jar. Screw the lid on tightly and turn the jar upside down. Leave to cool completely. Once cool, turn the jar upright and store in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Pin it! 

 .

Mocha Stout Brownies #CreativeCookieExchange

Mocha Stout brownies are rich and chocolaty with a subtle deep flavor from the stout. I used Bateman’s Mocha Stout which is available in Dubai, but you can substitute your own favorite local brew.

Here in Dubai, as I’ve mentioned before, one must have a liquor license in order to purchase alcohol, including beer and wine. Because my husband travels a lot, always picking up bottles at duty free on the way home, we don’t go to the actual liquor stores that often. When we do go, I love browsing through the selection looking for odd bottles to use in cooking or baking. (Or cocktails!) This bottle of Mocha Stout was one such bottle. When I purchased it, I had no plans so it has been in the beer fridge for a while.

This month our Creative Cookie Exchange leader, Laura from The Spiced Life, put forward Beer Cookies as our theme, saying maybe it’s “too out there.” A little weird, yes, but just search “beer cookies” and you get: About 320,000,000 results. I was game for the challenge. My daughter reminded me of that mocha stout and I got busy!

Curious about the mocha stout? Here are the beer notes from the Bateman website.
Mocha (6% ABV) - Winner of the Sainsbury’s Great British Beer Hunt, our Mocha is a coffee and chocolate stout sensation. It’s brewed with genuine Arabica coffee, fine Belgian chocolate and locally grown, roasted barley malt. Rich, enticing and well rounded, the coffee and cocoa notes are certain to give your nose and taste buds a welcome wake-up call. 

Note: Just to be clear, I bought the mocha stout myself. This is not a sponsored post. Details included just for informational purposes.

Mocha Stout Brownies

When it comes to brownies, there’s chewy vs cakey. I prefer chewy. My first batch of these turned out a bit dry aka cakey so I doubled down and added another egg yolk and less flour. Ahh, much better! If you like yours cakey, omit the egg yolk and add an additional 1/4 cup or 31g more flour.


Ingredientsfor 2 dozen brownies
3/4 cup or 170g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
1/2 cup or 100g brown sugar
2/3 cup or 53g unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup or 120ml coffee stout beer
1 3/4 cups or 220g all-purpose flour

Optional for decoration: Chocolate “coffee beans”
I bought mine at Waitrose here in Dubai. UK readers, here’s the link. In the US, Walmart has something similar. I tried to find them on the actual Bayside Candy website without any luck. You could probably also use actual chocolate covered coffee beans sold all over the place.

Method
Preheat oven to 325°F or 163°C. Line your 9x13 in or 22.5x33cm pan with baking parchment. I put a little butter on the pan under the parchment which keeps it from slipping around.

Measure your sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.

Add in the melted butter and whisk again to combine.

In another smaller bowl, whisk your whole egg and yolk. Add the egg and stout to the large mixing bowl and stir until well combined.

Fold in the flour, stirring until just combined.

Spoon the batter into your prepared baking pan and smooth the top out with a clean knife. Sprinkle on the chocolate coffee beans, if using.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-27 minutes or until the top is slightly firm to the touch. Allow to cool completely. Cut into 24 even squares.

Enjoy!

It's October, a month well-known for a rise in beer consumption! At Creative Cookie Exchange we couldn't resist doing our part to help. Check out the other beery cookies and bars we have for you today!

• Belgian Witbier Cookies from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Crystalized Ginger and Amber Ale Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Mocha Stout Cookies from Food Lust People Love
• Spiced Molasses Amber Ale Cookies from The Spiced Life

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.

Pin it!

 .