I Sing In The Kitchen

Apple Hand Pies. New Music From Angela Burns.

Posted on January 5, 2016 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Apple Hand Pies
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Oh little Apple Hand Pies…how I love you so.

Ridiculously easy (especially if you use purchased pie dough and packaged apple slices), these glazed half moons of flaky pastry packed with sweet, cinnamon scented apples are insanely delicious. Warm from the oven, they are heaven. The glaze crisps up as it cools so the hand pies are equally yummy long after baking.

Apple Hand Pies

Ingredients:

1 (14.1 oz) box refrigerated pie crusts (such as Pillsbury)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups diced apples (about 2 large apples or 25 apple slices)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs flour
1 egg white, beaten
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbs milk

Directions:

1. Remove pie crusts from package and bring to room temperature.

2. Preheat oven to 425℉.

3. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Add apples, salt, nutmeg, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes until apples are soft.

4. While apples are cooking, unroll pie crusts and cut 6-7 circles from each crust using a 4 inch biscuit cutter. Reroll scraps as necessary. Set aside.
Apple Hand Pies
5. Sprinkle flour over apple mixture in skillet. Heat for an additional minute, stirring thoroughly.

6. Spoon 1 tablespoon of apple mixture into center of each pie crust circle. Fold in half and pinch edges with a fork to seal. Also make a few holes in hand pie with tines of a fork to prevent it bursting while it bakes.
Apple Hand Pies

7. Beat egg white in a small bowl. Brush over the tops of each pie.

8. Bake pies on parchment paper-lined baking sheets for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

9. While pies are baking, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and milk to make glaze.

10. Remove cooked pies from baking sheet and drop in glaze, coating completely. Return to parchment paper and allow to set, about 10 minutes. Delicious warm or cold.

Makes 12-14 hand pies

Recipe from Shugary Sweets
Apple Hand Pies

LA-based Angela Burns swaggers into your ears with her new song ‘Napoleon’. The menacing bass and insistent drums play off her cool vocals perfectly.

Check out Angela Burns on her Website. Info on where to buy the music is on Facebook.

Cheers!

Posted in Dessert, Pie | Tagged Angela Burns | Leave a comment

Quick Shepherd’s Pie. New Music From Rat’s Mouth.

Posted on January 3, 2016 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Quick Shepherd's Pie

Did you see this?

Me neither, but now I have contributed to the 9 million views it got.

There is no easy way to segue from a NYC pizza dragging rat to a recipe.

funny-carry-dog-ill-try-escalator-pics

Dig into the ultimate comfort food with this easy version of Shepherd’s Pie. Just layer some ground beef and corn between mashed potatoes, top with cheese and bake. Thirty minutes from start to finish if you use purchased or instant mashed potatoes.

Quick Shepherd's Pie
Quick Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients:

2 cups prepared mashed potatoes
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
8 oz sliced cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Grease an 8 inch square baking dish.

2. In a skillet brown ground beef and onions. Drain.

3. Spoon half of the mashed potatoes into prepared baking dish. Top with beef mixture then corn.

4. Spoon the rest of the potatoes over then top with cheese slices.

5. Bake in a preheated 350℉ oven for about 10 minutes until heated through and cheese melts.

Serves 4 to 6

Quick Shepherd's Pie

I bet you will give a rat’s mouth for today’s music. Specifically this new song from self-described ‘awkward rock’ duo Rat’s Mouth. It’s different and fun.

Check out Rat’s Mouth on Bandcamp where you can buy their music and learn of upcoming shows in NY and Chicago.

Cheers!

Posted in Beef, Main Courses | Tagged Rat's Mouth | Leave a comment

Olive-Almond Puff Pastry Pinwheels. New Music From Violet Days.

Posted on January 2, 2016 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Olive-Almond Puff Pastry Pinwheels
Olive oil

I’m on a roll with 5 ingredient recipes. (Check out yesterday’s super easy Crunchy Chocolate Coconut Bark). Today we’re going savory with these delicious Olive-Almond Puff Pastry Pinwheels.

Salty olives and crunchy almonds are brightened up with parsley in a rich paste. Rolled up in puff pastry then baked, these golden little pinwheels are perfect with cocktails.

Olive-Almond Puff Pastry Pinwheels

Ingredients:

1 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup roasted almonds
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 sheet (about 8 oz) frozen puff pastry, thawed and rolled into 12-inch square

Directions:

1. In food processor, finely chop first 4 ingredients.

2. Spread mixture onto pastry. Roll into cylinder and slice into 40 rounds (I only got about half that amount and my slices weren’t that thick).

3. Bake at 400℉ until golden, tenting with foil if browning too quickly, about 20 minutes.

Recipe from Every Day With Rachael Ray Magazine
Olive-Almond Puff Pastry Pinwheels

‘Screaming Colors’ is new from Swedish band Violet Days. In the words of singer Lina Hansson the song is about “the feeling when you realize that you gotta break out of that darkness inside of your head and actually open up your eyes and look around you.”

That is pretty solid advice especially at this time of year when the possibilities for change seem endless.

Check out Violet Days on Facebook and the band’s Website where you can link to buy the music.

Cheers!

Posted in Starters | Tagged Violet Days | Leave a comment

Short And Sweet. Crunchy Chocolate Coconut Bark.

Posted on January 1, 2016 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Crunchy Chocolate Coconut Bark

Happy new year 2016

Start the new year off in the sweetest way possible with some Crunchy Chocolate Coconut Bark. With only 5 ingredients and just 30 minutes (to wait for it to chill), feeding your chocolate craving couldn’t be easier.

Crunchy Chocolate Coconut Bark

Ingredients:

8 ounces melted best-quality chocolate
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 1/2 cups puffed-rice cereal
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2/3 cup toasted sweetened coconut

Directions:

1. In a bowl, stir together chocolate, coconut oil, puffed-rice cereal, and salt.

2. Spread mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to about 1/4 inch thick.

3. Sprinkle evenly with coconut.

4. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Break into pieces. Bark can be stored in refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 3 days. (I had mine in a tin at room temperature for 2 weeks and it was delicious to the end. Of course, anyone who has been to my kitchen in December knows that it is almost as cold as a fridge. )

Recipe from Martha Stewart Living
Crunchy Chocolate Coconut Bark

First short song of the new year. It’s really pretty.

And an awesomely sweet song. Let’s all hope we can apply this song’s title to our coming year.

Check out MPSO aka Daniel Gray on Bandcamp, where you can learn of an upcoming show in Montreal and buy his music.

Learn more about Memory Flowers on Facebook. You can buy the music here. The new album is due out later this month.

Cheers!

Posted in Dessert, Short And Sweet | Tagged Daniel Gray, Memory Flowers, MPSO | 1 Comment

Meatball Sub Casserole. New Music From Zeke Hunter.

Posted on December 31, 2015 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Meatball Sub Casserole
explodingmeatballsub

If you like meatball subs, chances are you will really enjoy this Meatball Sub Casserole.

I loved the meatballs most of all. So easy to make and bake. They are then combined with an enhanced spaghetti sauce before being ladled over cheesy slices of Italian bread.

Bake and yum! A meatball sub in a rib-sticking casserole.

Meatball Sub Casserole

Ingredients:

1/3 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound lean ground beef
1 loaf French bread baguette (1/2 inch thick sliced)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Dash pepper
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
28 ounces spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
2 garlic cloves, minced

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the onion, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Add beef and mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place balls on a rack in a shallow baking pan.

2. Bake meatballs at 400°F for 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink then drain.

3. Meanwhile, arrange bread in a single layer in an ungreased shallow 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

4. Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Italian seasoning and pepper. Spread cheese mixture over bread. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese.

5. In a bowl, combine the spaghetti sauce, water and garlic. Add meatballs then pour over bread. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

6. Bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 6

Recipe from Taste Of Home Fun Food
Meatball Sub Casserole

A soft melancholy song fits my New Years Eve mood. I know it is just another day, but the blinding hope of a brand new year is always overwhelming to me.

‘Staring At The Sky’, from NY-based Zeke Hunter, soothes with its he/she vocals and pretty piano.

Check out Zeke Hunter on his Website. You can buy the music here.

Cheers!

Posted in Beef, Main Courses | Tagged Zeke Hunter | Leave a comment

Scallops With Rocket And Saffron Mayonnaise. New Music From Joni Fuller.

Posted on December 29, 2015 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Scallops With Rocket And Saffron Mayonnaise
when it snows

This is the easiest recipe and a great way to change up the usual salad. Lightly sautéed scallops are set atop a bed of peppery rocket (I love how that sounds so sharp as opposed to the dreary American “a-rooooo-gull-a”) and served with a dollop of rich saffron mayo.

Scallops With Rocket And Saffron Mayonnaise makes for a lovely first course or add a side of rice to make it a light supper.

Scallops With Rocket And Saffron Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

2 large pinches of saffron threads
3 Tbs mayonnaise
2 Tbs olive oil
18 sea scallops
Baby rocket (arugula) leaves

Directions:

1. Mix together the saffron with 2 tablespoons of very hot water and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Stir into the mayonnaise, season and chill until needed.

2. Mix together the olive oil and scallops.

3. Heat a large skillet until very hot and cook the scallops for about 1 minute on each side until golden.

4. Remove scallops from the pan and arrange on a bed of rocket leaves along with some saffron mayonnaise.

Serves 6 as a salad

Recipe from Feel Good Food

Scallops With Rocket And Saffron Mayonnaise
Clap your hands.

The spirited new song from UK-based singer Joni Fuller is “Oh Oh Oh Oh” so good. Everybody says so. :)

Check out Joni Fuller on her Website. You can buy the music here.

Cheers!

Posted in Salad, Seafood | Tagged Joni Fuller | Leave a comment

Deep Filled Mince Pies. Rocking Out To The Monikers.

Posted on December 27, 2015 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Deep Filled Mince Pies

Tis the season…

Which means mince pies are a welcome treat.

This easy version pairs store-bought mincemeat with a from scratch flaky pastry. The individual muffin sized portions are as cute as they are delicious.

Deep Filled Mince Pies

Ingredients:

225g cold butter, chopped
350g (2 3/4 cups) plain flour
100g (3/4 cup) confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for dusting
410g jar mincemeat
Brandy Butter, to serve. (recipe here)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200℃/400℉.

2. Rub the butter into the flour and sugar with your fingertips, or blend in a food processor, until the mixture comes together in a ball. Knead briefly, then cut into 12 equal pieces.

3. Working with one piece of dough at a time, cut off two-thirds and press into the base and up the sides of a muffin tin hole. Repeat to make 12.

4. Spoon the mincemeat into the pastry cases (they won’t be completely full).

5. Roll each of the 12 remaining pieces of pastry into a ball then flatten to make a disk for the mince pie lid.

6. Add one disk to top each pie and tuck the pastry that comes up the sides of the tin down to seal it. Prick the tops with a fork a few times.

Note: You can freeze the unbaked mince pies for up to 6 weeks. Defrost before baking.

7. Bake mince pies for 12-15 minutes or until pale golden.

8. Cool pies in the tins for about 10 minutes, then loosen the pies a little with a spoon to stop them from sticking.

9. When cooled, carefully remove pies from the tins.

10. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve with some brandy butter, if you like.

Recipe from BBC Good Food Magazine
Deep Filled Mince Pies

This time of year pairs very well with some foot-stomping, dance around the kitchen tunes.

The Monikers deliver perfectly with “Friends Like These”. Its uptempo beat and sick little guitar riff belie the darker words sung.

Check out The Monikers on Facebook. You can buy their music on Bandcamp.

Cheers!

Posted in Dessert | Tagged The Monikers | 2 Comments

Happy Christmas! Getting Merry With Some Sufjan Stevens.

Posted on December 25, 2015 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Saul Christmas

I second Jimmy. I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas. If you don’t celebrate, then I hope your last Friday of the year is awesome.

Here is a little Sufjan to celebrate the day.

Check out Sufjan Stevens on his Website. You can learn of upcoming shows in New Zealand and buy the music on Bandcamp.

Cheers!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Sufjan Stevens | Leave a comment

Red Toad In The Hole. New Music From Ryan Burnett & The Vanguards.

Posted on December 23, 2015 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Red Toad In The Hole
kermit
I’m not sure why this recipe is called Toad In The Hole. I get the red part, but I always have thought of Toad In The Hole as the traditional British dish of sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter (Try this really good version that uses Guinness).

To me, today’s dish is a riff on Egg In A Hole with tomato replacing the egg. No matter what you call it, Toast and tomato with some cheese is a simple and yummy way to start the day.

Red Toad In The Hole

Ingredients:

2 slices bread, toasted
2 tomato slices, 1/2 inch thick
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Using a cookie cutter about the same size as the tomato slices, cut a hole in the center of each piece of toast.

2. Place toast and the toast circles on a baking sheet then fit the tomato slices inside.

3. Brush toast and tomato with oil and sprinkle with cheese.

4. Broil until cheese is golden, 1 minute. Sprinkle with pepper.

Serves 2

Recipe from Every Day With Rachael Ray Magazine
Red Toad In The Hole

First listen.

Boom!

The song starts and I’m in.

‘Killers’ is the debut tune from Ryan Burnett & The Vanguards. It’s stadium pop rock at its best. Bring on those Oh, Oh, Ohs.

Check out Ryan Burnett & The Vanguards on the band’s Website. You can buy the music here.

Cheers!

Posted in Breakfast | Tagged Ryan Burnett & The Vanguards | Leave a comment

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup Bake. Listening To Jayy Jay.

Posted on December 22, 2015 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup Bake
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The classic combination of tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich comes together in this comfy casserole. It reminds me of the sauce and cheese heroes that you could order at my local childhood pizzeria. Lots of cheese melting into a thick tomato sauce sandwiched between soft bread.

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup Bake

Ingredients:

3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil, divided
12 slices Italian, sourdough or rye bread (1/2 inch thick)
6 slices part-skim mozzarella cheese
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-3/4 cups 2% milk
2 large eggs
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend or part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and 1 teaspoon basil until blended; spread onto six bread slices. Top with mozzarella cheese and remaining bread.

3. Spread outsides of sandwiches with butter and arrange in a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

4. In a small saucepan, combine tomato paste, garlic, salt, pepper and remaining basil. Cook, stirring, over medium heat 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 4-5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

5. Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in a third of the milk mixture. Stir in remaining milk mixture then pour over sandwiches. Sprinkle with Italian cheese blend.

6. Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6

Recipe from Taste of Home Magazine
Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup Bake