Kitchen Encounters

~ Wake up to Grands Brand Cinnamon-Roll Waffles ~

If you are a fan of cinnamon-rolls with ooey-gooey cream cheese frosting, it's time for you to meet the easiest, best holiday or special occasion breakfast ever.  Easiest.  Best.  Period.  You will not be calling anyone twice to the table that morning.  That said, you will need a Belgian-style waffle iron to make these, meaning a waffle iron with deep grids.  To make the waffles using a regular waffle iron, substitute a tube of Pillsbury's regular, smaller--sized cinnamon rolls.

One pre-made ingredient + one Belgian waffle iron = amazing.

1  tube Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls w/cream cheese glaze

~ Step 1.  Open the tube of waffles.  Remove the waffles but do not separate them. Remove the small plastic container containing the cream cheese glaze. Add 1/2 teaspoon water to the cream cheese glaze, place it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, then stir.  Set aside.  Using a serrated bread knife slice the waffles into four even sized discs (ignore the precut perforations).  Set aside.  Preheat waffle iron to medium -- initially a red light will display, then a green light will display when iron is hot and ready.

~ Step 2.  Place one cinnamon-roll disc on top of and in the center of each grid (two will fit on my Belgian waffle iron, some irons make four).  Slowly lower the lid and hold it closed about 10-15 seconds.  Let go of your grip and allow the waffles to cook another 45-50 seconds.  From beginning to end, the waffles will be cooked in 60-75 seconds.  Use a thin nonstick spatula to remove the waffles from the grids. When the green light indicates the iron is ready again, repeat process with remaining discs.

Serve steaming hot drizzled w/the warm cream cheese glaze:  

Wake up to Grand's Brand Cinnamon-Roll Waffles:  Recipe yields 4 large waffles, 2-4 servings.

Special Equipment List:  serrated bread knife; Belgian-style waffle iron; thin nonstick spatula

Cook's Note: When it comes to breakfast or bunch, I am always looking for the easiest way to serve good food. Mornings in the average family tend to have a lot of things happening at once.  I love my family and I enjoy my guests, but, back in the days when I was trying to get three kids off to meet the school bus and my husband out the door to the office, or, fast forward to when I happen to be organizing breakfast for a few overnight guests, no one appreciates having a few time-saving recipes that taste as good as they look as much as I do.  This recipe is worth its weight in gold.  Try my ~ Grands Apple-Pie-Filling Filled Cinnamon-Roll Cups ~.  

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2023.

~The Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato BLT Everything Bagel~

This Everything Bagel BLT sandwich is everything one could ask for in terms of a BLT sandwich -- lots of crisply fried bacon, crunchy lettuce and fresh tomato slices served on a toasted everything bagel that's been slathered with a tangy whipped chive-and-onion cream cheese spread.  It doesn't have to stop there.  If your a fan of the turkey club sandwich, feel free to add a generous pile of your favorite shaved deli turkey atop the bacon.  If you think you'd enjoy a fried or poached egg on your bagel sandwich (even though I am not of fan), I won't call the food police on you.

Timing is perfect for breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner.

For two everything bagel BLTs:

2  everything bagels, sliced & lightly toasted

8  thick slices bacon, crisply fried,well-drained, & sliced in half, 4 slices per sandwich

1/2-3/4  cup chiffonade of Romaine lettuce, a generous 1/4 cup per sandwich

8 thin Campari tomato slices, from 3 small Campari tomatoes, 4 slices per sandwich

whipped chive-and-onion cream cheese spread

~Step 1.  For each sandwich, lightly-toast both halves of one bagel, then, generously slather each half with the chive-and-onion cream cheese spread.  Arrange the halved bacon slices, atop the cream cheese spread, on the bottom half of the toasted bagel.  Follow with a heap of crunchy Romaine and four thin Campari tomato slices.

Put a lid on it, slice, & dig it while it's still warm!

Guaranteed to be the most flavorful BLT you've ever eaten:

The Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato BLT Everything Bagel:  Recipe yields instructions to make as many everything bagel BLTs as you want to make.

Special Equipment List:  toaster or toaster oven; serrated bread knife

Cook's Note: Very special.  That's how I describe this everything-bagel sandwich.  That said, for me, every component must be "just so".  It's got to be a lightly-toasted New York-style bagel -- preferably an everything bagel, but, an egg bagel is perfectly acceptable too.  As for the requisite cream cheese, it's gotta be Philadelphia brand chive and onion spread.  I prefer smoked salmon to lox and prefer lox to gravlax, so, let's leave it at "smoked salmon, lox or gravlax, in order of preference".  Also, no breakfast sandwich would be complete without an egg or two, and a tender, light chive- and onion-laced creamy-dreamy folded French omelette (which I affectionately refer to as "upscale scrambled eggs") is what initially turned me on to this over-the-top, very-very-special sandwich.  Try my ~  Smoked Salmon & Folded Omelet Everything Bagel Sandwich ~.

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2023)

~Mint-Chocolate-Cookie Mint-Ice-Cream Sandwiches~

A picture is indeed worth a thousand words -- especially if it only requires two ingredients.  And, if you're a fan of mint-chocolate anything (candies, cocktails, brownies, cookies and/or ice-cream), one look at the above photo will most likely inspire you to bake some cookies and pick up a pint of the best mint-chip ice-cream you have access too.  Except for a great recipe for home-baked mint-chocolate-chip cookies, which is kind of the point of this post, it is now in your hands.

My recipe for Andes Creme-de-Menthe Mint-Chocolate Cookies:

Plus, the mint-chip ice-cream brand of your choice:

Mint-Chocolate-Cookie Mint-Ice-Cream Sandwiches:  Recipe yields 1 pint of ice cream makes 6-8, 3"-round ice-cream sandwiches.

Special Equipment List:  ice-cream scoop

Cook's Note: While baking gluten-free cookies requires no special equipment, it is important the equipment you do use be spotless -- literally.  Why?  The answer is cross-contamination -- and it is very, very dangerous.  Celiac disease can be triggered by even the smallest spec of gluten. This means if you recently prepared foods using wheat flour, the first step (and it's a must) is to fully wipe down all baking surfaces, wash all hardware (mixing bowls, beater blades, baking pans, wire cooling racks, miscellaneous utensils, etc.), and, remove any products or gluten-containing ingredients that are nearby.  For an added layer of protection, I recommend placing a sheet of parchment on each baking pan that has been used previously to bake anything containing gluten.  ~ GF Creme-de-Menthe Mint-Chocolate-Bit Cookies ~.

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2023

~ Andes Creme-de-Menthe Mint-Chocolate Cookies ~

The delightful flavor combination of chocolate and mint.  It's a personal favorite of mine.  It's hard to believe, but I actually know a few folks who do not care for it.  For me, I think it kinda all started as a girl scout.  Access to those thin-mint cookies was worth the price of being forced to camp outdoors in the dark one night a year -- no words can express my hatred for camping.  As a teen, if mint-chocolate-chip ice-cream was available at our local dairy bars or ice-cream houses, that was hands-down the flavor I was ordering -- two scoops please.  As an adult, my love affair continues via Andes creme de menthe candies, cocktails, brownies, and, cookies.

Andes Chocolate Mints are little rectangular candies individually-wrapped in green foil printed with the company's logo, Andes..  They consist of a green-colored mint layer sandwiches between two chocolate layers.  Historically, in 1921, Andrew Kanelos opened a candy shop in Chicago, Illinois.  He named it: Andy's Candies.  It was a catchy name indeed, but, he soon realized that his predominately male clientele didn't like giving boxes of candy with another man's name on it to their wives and girlfriends, so he changed the name to Andes Candies.

Welcome to Mel's world of awesome mint-chocolate cookies:

2 1/4  cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2  teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2  teaspoons baking soda

1  teaspoon salt

1  cup butter, at room temperature, very soft (2 sticks)

2  large eggs

3/4  cup granulated sugar

3/4  cup firmly-packed dark brown sugar

1 1/2  teaspoons creme de menthe flavoring

1  teaspoon pure chocolate extract

1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2  10-ounce bags Andes Creme-de-Menthe baking bits

~Step 1. In a small bowl, stir together the dry ingredients:  the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and, salt.  Set aside.  In a large bowl place the butter, eggs, chocolate and vanilla extracts, and, the creme de menthe flavoring. On high-speed of hand-held electric mixer, beat briefly, just to combine, about 1 minute.  Add both sugars and continue to beat on high speed until creamy, about 2 more minutes.  Lower mixer speed, add the flour mixture and incorporate it into the wet mixture until a smooth, sticky dough forms.

~ Step 2.  Using a large rubber spatula, fold in the Andes baking bits. Using a 1 1/2" ice-cream scoop as a measure, drop cookies, well-apart, onto each of 6, parchment-lined, 16" x 12" baking pans (12 cookies per pan).

~ Step 3.  Bake cookies, one-pan-at-a-time on center rack of 325° oven, about 14 minutes, until light-golden.  Do not overbake. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool, in pan, about 1 minute, then, use a small spatula to gently transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack, to cool completely, prior to storing in an air-tight container.

The perfect cookies for any St. Patrick's day celebration:

Try my GF Creme-de-Menthe Mint-Chocolate Bit Cookies too:

Andes Creme-de-Menthe Mint-Chocolate Cookies:  Recipe yields 5 dozen 2 1/2"-round cookies.

Special Equipment List:  cutting board; chef's knife; small baking pan; hand-held electric mixer; large rubber spatula; 6, 16" x 12" baking pans; parchment paper; 1 1/2" ice-cream scoop; wire cooling rack; small spatula

Cook's Note: "I asked the maid in dulcet tone, to order me a buttered scone.  The silly girl has been and gone, and ordered me a buttered scone."  Scone.  What an odd little word.  All I really knew about them as a child was I loved them.  That said, the ones I grew up eating were round, single-serving little cakes resemblant of biscuits, not a raggedy, rough, plate-sized round cut into triangles.  So, before I sat down to share my recipe with you, I did look it up to be sure mine are indeed scones -- they are.  Scones are universal, but, they are most associated with the British and the Irish.  Try my ~ Top-of-the-Morin' to Irish Cream & Raisin Scones ~ too!

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2023)

~ GF Creme-de-Menthe Mint-Chocolate-Bit Cookies ~

While baking gluten-free cookies requires no special equipment, it is important the equipment you do use be spotless -- literally.  Why?  The answer is cross-contamination -- and it is very, very dangerous.  Celiac disease can be triggered by even the smallest spec of gluten. This means if you recently prepared foods using wheat flour, the first step (and it's a must) is to fully wipe down all baking surfaces, wash all hardware (mixing bowls, beater blades, baking pans, wire cooling racks, miscellaneous utensils, etc.), and, remove any products or gluten-containing ingredients that are nearby.  For an added layer of protection, I recommend placing a sheet of parchment on each baking pan that has been used previously to bake cookies/anything containing gluten.

The delightful flavor combination of chocolate and mint.  It's a personal favorite of mine.  It's hard to believe, but I actually know a few folks who do not care for it.  For me, I think it kinda all started as a girl scout.  Access to those thin-mint cookies was worth the price of being forced to camp outdoors in the dark one night a year -- no words can express my hatred for camping.  As a teen, if mint-chocolate-chip ice-cream was available at our local dairy bars or ice-cream houses, that was hands-down the flavor I was ordering -- two scoops please.  As an adult, my love affair continues via Andes creme de menthe candies, cocktails, brownies, and, cookies.

Andes Chocolate Mints are little rectangular candies individually-wrapped in green foil printed with the company's logo, Andes..  They consist of a green-colored mint layer sandwiches between two chocolate layers.  Historically, in 1921, Andrew Kanelos opened a candy shop in Chicago, Illinois.  He named it: Andy's Candies.  It was a catchy name indeed, but, he soon realized that his predominately male clientele didn't like giving boxes of candy with another man's name on it to their wives and girlfriends, so he changed the name to Andes Candies.

Welcome to Mel's world of fab GF mint-chocolate cookies:

2 1/4  cups gluten-free all-purpose flour

2  teaspoons baking powder

2  teaspoons baking soda

2  teaspoons xanthan gum

1  teaspoon salt

1  cup butter, at room temperature, very soft (2 sticks)

2  large eggs

3/4  cup granulated sugar

3/4  cup firmly-packed dark brown sugar

1 1/2  teaspoons creme de menthe flavoring (Note:  Olive Nation brand is gluten-free and what I use and recommend you use too.)

1  teaspoon pure chocolate extract

1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2  10-ounce bags Andes Creme-de-Menthe baking bits

~Step 1. In a small bowl, stir together the dry ingredients:  the GF flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt.  Set aside.  In a large bowl place the butter, eggs, chocolate and vanilla extracts, and, the creme de menthe flavoring. On high-speed of hand-held electric mixer, beat briefly, just to combine, about 1 minute.  Add both sugars and continue to beat on high speed until creamy, about 2 more minutes.  Lower mixer speed, add the GF flour mixture and incorporate it into the wet mixture until a sticky dough forms.

~Step 2.  Using a large rubber spatula, fold in the Andes baking bits. Using a 1 1/2" ice-cream scoop as a measure, drop cookies, well-apart, onto each of 6, parchment-lined, 16" x 12" baking pans (12 cookies per pan).  Using your fingertips, press down gently on the top of each ball of dough to flatted in out slightly -- not a lot, just a gentle press.

~ Step 3.  Bake cookies, one-pan-at-a-time on center rack of 325° oven, about 14 minutes, until light-golden.  Do not overbake. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool, in pan, about 1 minute, then, use a small spatula to gently transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack, to cool completely, prior to storing in an air-tight container.

A Perfect GF Cookie for a St. Patrick's Day celebration:

Not GF?  Try Andes Creme-de-Menthe Mint-Chocolate Cookies:

GF Creme-de-Menthe Mint-Chocolate-Bit Cookies:  Recipe yields 5 dozen 2 1/2"-round cookies.

Special Equipment List:  cutting board; chef's knife; small baking pan; hand-held electric mixer; large rubber spatula; 6, 16" x 12" baking pans; parchment paper; 1 1/2" ice-cream scoop; wire cooling rack; small spatula

Cook's Note: "I asked the maid in dulcet tone, to order me a buttered scone.  The silly girl has been and gone, and ordered me a buttered scone."  Scone.  What an odd little word.  All I really knew about them as a child was I loved them.  That said, the ones I grew up eating were round, single-serving little cakes resemblant of biscuits, not a raggedy, rough, plate-sized round cut into triangles.  So, before I sat down to share my recipe with you, I did look it up to be sure mine are indeed scones -- they are.  Scones are universal, but, they are most associated with the British and the Irish.  Try my ~ Top-of-the-Morin' to Irish Cream & Raisin Scones ~ too!

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2023)

~Manchego, Apple, Prosciutto, Arugula & Fig Crostini~

I have a handful of favorite ways to enjoy Manchgo cheese here in my kitchen, but, truth told, my favorite way is the simplest:  put a thin slice of Manchgo on a French bread slice with a dollop of fig preserves.  That's it.  Just three ingredients (bread, cheese and jam).  It is marvelous -- sometimes, when I'm hungry and in need of quick, snack, I skip the bread and use Club or Ritz crackers as the crunchy base.  Combined with a few other easy-to-find ingredients, these two-three-bite three-ingredient appetizers go from marvelous to over-the-top in a few short moments.

One short list of easy-to-find items & no measuring.  Use some or all, as long as there's bread, cheese & preserves. 

Listed in the order of assembly:

baguette slices, 1, slightly-less-than-1/2"-thick slice per crostini, lightly-toasted or not toasted, your choice

baby arugula leaves, 3-4 per crostini

apple slices, 1 thin apple slice per crostini, any type of apple will be wonderful

Manchego cheese, 1 thin slice per crostini

prosciutto or Serrano ham, 1 thin whisp per crostini

fig preserves, 1 small dollop per crostini

lightly-toasted walnuts, whole halves or chopped pieces, 1 walnut half or 1 sparse sprinkling per crostini

~Step 1.  In the order listed, assemble the crostini:  French bread slice, baby arugula leaves, apple slice, Manchego slice, prosciutto whisp, dollop of fig preserves and toasted walnut half or chopped walnuts.  Serve ASAP but can be covered and refrigerated 1-2 hours prior to serving at room temperature.   

Casual yet elegant & perfect for any occasion:

Manchego, Apple, Prosciutto, Arugula & Fig Crostini:  Recipe yields instructions to make as many appetizer as you want to.

Special Equipment List:  serrated bread knife, cutting board; chef's knife; small spoon

Cook's Note: It's my opinion that it's impossible for any one person to have one favorite cheese.  There are thousands of choices, with unique varieties available in in every region of  the world, with new varieties being created as we speak. To name a few, are hard cheeses, soft cheeses, semi-soft cheeses, crumbly cheeses, spoonable cheeses, melting cheeses, grating cheeses and blue-veined cheeses. There are cow's milk cheeses, sheep's milk cheeses, goat cheeses and vegan cheeses.  Some cheeses are processed, others are not.  Some are aged for a short time, some are aged for a long time.  The best one cheese lover can hope for is to sample as many as one can, compile a list of favorites, and learn to enjoy each one appropriately. 

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2023)