Jalapeno Cheddar Potatoes, Steak and Biscotti

Saturday, I made biscotti and ate half of it. :) The recipe comes from the Fit Foodista. It was delicious and much better than store bought (plus, much cheaper). They were a little too short though, which was probably my fault, so I will have to tinker with it to get the size that I want. At first I wasn't sure about adding cornmeal, but I was really impressed with the texture it created, so this is a definite keeper. I love this recipe so much that I don't even want to try another biscotti recipe, and you know how much I love new recipes. Oh yes, and my daughter and husband also loved the biscotti and finished off the other half. For dinner, we had country-fried steak, jalapeno/cheddar mashed potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts (had to use them before they went bad). I also made brown sugar since I was running low --- MUCH easier to do with a stand mixer than with a hand mixer. 

The Cookbook - The Whole Foods Market Cookbook

I first saw this cookbook on Brenda's blog. I went to amazon and clicked on the preview and then immediately bought it. Everything in this book looks delicious. I've only made one recipe so far though, but I do plan to make more soon. 

The Cookbook.

The potatoes.

Mince the jalapeno.

Mashed Potatoes with Jalapenos and Cheddar

Original Recipe From: Petusevsky, The Whole Foods Market Cookbook, p. 300.

Serving Size = 6-8 (I reduced to 3)

• 3 lbs russet potatoes (I used 4-5 very small potatoes)
• 1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated 
• 2 teaspoons salt 
• 3 tablespoons butter 
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper 
• 1/4 cup to 1 cup of milk or half and half 
• 2 or 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (I used 1)

*Tip: To help remove the jalapeno oil, wash hands with dish soap, rise and then rub your fingers with a lemon cut in half. Do both thoroughly and possibly more than once. Also, don't worry about the heat level of the jalapeno in the food. It barely adds heat once seeded.

• Peel and wash the potatoes. Cut them into uniform pieces. Place them into a pot and cover with cold water, going about an inch above the potatoes. Cook over medium-high heat until fork tender (roughly 15 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes).
• Drain and mash the potatoes. Add all of the ingredients and mix with a hand-mixer until combined and smooth (about 2 minutes).

The Steak

Break an egg into a pan, lightly beat. In another pan add about 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Take the round steak, season lightly with salt, pepper and onion powder then dip in the egg, dredge in the flour and shake off. Drop into a pan with about 1/4 inch of oil across the bottom on medium-high heat (make sure it's hot before you add the steak). Cook about 4 minutes per side. When done, remove to a plate with a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.

Dessert

Mix together the dry ingredients.

Made brown sugar - much easier with a stand mixer.
I made 4 cups and added 1 or 2 extra tablespoons of molasses to darken it.

Make two 12 x 1 1/2 inch logs.

We inhaled them.

Almond Crunch Biscotti

Serving Size = 20+

Original Recipe: Fit Foodista (found in Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From My Home to Yours")

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 3/4 cup finely chopped toasted almonds (I didn't toast, and I used blanched)

1. Move rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I just greased).
3. Whisk together the salt, baking powder, flour and cornmeal.
4. With a stand mixer and paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until very smooth (a hand mixer would work as well). Add the eggs, one at a time and beat for another 2 minutes, making sure to scrape the bowl. Add the almond extract.
5. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients and the almonds, mixing only until incorporated.
6. Divide the mixture in half, creating two 12 x 1 1/2 inch logs. The dough is sticky and the logs will be uneven.
7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden, but still soft and springy when touched.
8. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack for 30 minutes.
9. Using a wide metal spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut across the logs to create short biscotti that are 3/4 inch pieces. Return the pieces to the baking sheet, standing them up on their short side and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden and firm.
10. Transfer to a cooling rack and then serve.

Linking to: Cookbook Sunday