mystery dish – The Pajama Chef

Mystery Dish: Pineapple Scones

April 29, 2015May 7, 2015 Sarah

Sweet, tropical pineapple scones… with smooth coconut and crunchy cashews, these are a treat you won’t be able to resist!

This month for Mystery Dish, Kristi at Inspiration Kitchen was our host and she challenged us to use three ingredients from this fabulous list: apricots, asparagus, vidalia onions, fennel/tarragon, chicken, puff pastry, coconut, cashews, chocolate, and pineapple. I’m a fruit girl at heart, and there’s nothing I love more than a big bowl of fresh pineapple. Feels like summer to me! So when I saw pineapple on that list, I KNEW it would be front and center in my recipe. I had all sorts of ideas, but finally landed on the idea of a quick and tasty scone.

I know you might be thinking… pineapple? In a scone? Is she crazy? I have to admit I was skeptical too. Pineapple seems too… wet or something to be baked like this. But truly, these are some of the best scones I’ve ever made. They are sweet but not cloyingly so, light and airy with just a bit of crunch from the coconut and cashews. Tropical flavors at their best! On a whim, I stirred in some Lightly Dried Ginger that I received from Gourmet Gardens as part of the #HotSummerEats blogging event I’m joining this summer. And as I suspected, ginger + pineapple + coconut + cashews = heaven. Enjoy!

one year ago: Chili Lime Popcorn
two years ago: Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
three years ago: Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup

Pineapple Scones

Servings: 16
Time: 30 minutes
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from Land O Lakes

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained [reserve juice]
2-3 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
2 eggs
1 teaspoon grated ginger – or lightly dried ginger from Gourmet Garden
1/2 cup sweetened coconut + more for sprinkling
1/3 cup chopped cashews

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and brown sugar. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until flour mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk together pineapple, 2 tablespoons juice, and eggs. Fold wet ingredients into dry and stir until just combined.

Knead dough in bowl a few times, incorporating a little more flour or pineapple juice depending on how wet/dry the dough is [I had to add an extra tablespoon of pineapple juice]. Dough will be sticky.

Divide dough in half, then pat each half into a circle. Cut each circle into 8 wedges [or 6 if you want them a bit bigger]. Do not separate as dough puffs during baking. Sprinkle dough with additional coconut. Bake for 13-15 minutes, increase oven temperature to 500 degrees for last 30-45 seconds of baking to toast coconut further if desired.

Allow scones to cool a few minutes, then cut wedges to separate into individual scones. Enjoy warm!

Check out what my other Mystery Dish pals made this month!

Pineapple Cake from I Dig Pinterest

Tropical Chicken Tacos from Inspiration Kitchen

Honey Pineapple Chicken Teriyaki Skillet from Flavor the Moments

Chicken Alfredo Bacon Pastry Pockets from Simply Gloria

Ricotta Asparagus Tart from Yummy Healthy Easy

Pineapple Scones from The Pajama Chef

Disclosure: I received an assortment of herbs from Gourmet Garden to try as part of my participation in the #HotSummerEats blogging event, coming this summer. I was not compensated in any other way, and am not required to publish positive comments. My opinions are my own.

Main Dishes, Recipes, Seafood and Fish, Soups

Mystery Dish: Sesame Ginger Shrimp Ramen Noodles

March 26, 2015May 5, 2015 Sarah

Ramen noodles can be classy too! They aren’t just college student food. These ramen noodles feature shrimp–REAL sesame ginger seasoned shrimp–and lots of yummy vegetables, all cooked in a delightful ginger-chili broth.

This dish is genius, if I do say so myself. I’ve made a fancified ramen dish before [check it out!] and ever since then, I’ve been dreaming about ramen noodles… but not the uber salty college kind. Ramen noodles with real food. Mmm!

But it wasn’t until this month’s Mystery Dish [hosted by Mary Frances of The Sweet {Tooth} Life] when one of our challenge ingredients included RAMEN NOODLES! Woot! Other ingredients we had to choose from included clams, blueberries, heavy whipping cream, chocolate chunks, potato chips, kale, almond butter, chiles, and orange juice. I used chili pepper paste and kale in this recipe too. Originally, I planned to make this a pretty simple kale ramen noodle dish with a chili pepper sauce. But then when cooking, I saw shrimp in the fridge… shrimp that I had been planning to use for the 2015 Healthy Solutions Spice Blends Blogger Recipe Challenge. Then I wondered… what would shrimp ramen taste like? Turns out, it’s pretty fabulous and I’m so proud to enter it in this awesome recipe contest as well as use it for Mystery Dish. 🙂 I didn’t intend to make one recipe for two events but it worked out really well!

Before the recipe, let’s talk about how flavorful these ramen noodles really are. Ramen noodles usually just have some sauce on them. Not mine! These ramen noodles begin with a flavorful ginger-chili broth, made with lots of fresh Asian/Thai ingredients like ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and chili pepper. Add in some fresh veggies [I used kale, mushrooms, and bell peppers] and some flavorful shrimp and you are set for one classy meal! Ben and I both agreed that the shrimp were the best part of the dish… right next to those slurpy ginger noodles, that is. 🙂

To make the shrimp so fabulous, I started with a quick marinade/rub. I used some of the usual suspects–soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, fresh ginger, lemongrass, chili pepper–as well as the star seasoning blend from Healthy Solutions… Sesame Ginger Tuna. This seasoning blend is super flavorful and zesty; it’s hard to believe it doesn’t contain sugar or salt.

I rubbed all this on some large shrimp and let it hang out while I whipped together the broth, then I sauteed up all the veggies and shrimp. There’s a lot going on in this dish, but with the common flavors–ginger, garlic, lemongrass, chili pepper… everything goes together SO well. And bonus! This dish comes together in about 30 minutes so it’s perfect for a weeknight family dinner. If you’re super organized, you could put the rub on the shrimp earlier in the day to infuse more flavor into them but that’s totally not necessary. I’m so excited with how well this dish turned out and I hope you love it too! Thanks to Healthy Solutions and Mystery Dish for the inspiration behind this dish. Enjoy! 🙂

one year ago: Lightened Up Cheesy Sausage Grits Breakfast Casserole
two years ago: Chipotle Black Bean Soup with Avocado Cream
three years ago: Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken
four years ago: Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes

Sesame Ginger Shrimp Ramen Noodles

Servings: 4
Time: 30 minutes
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Ingredients:

for shrimp

1 1/2 tablespoons Healthy Solutions Sesame Ginger Tuna seasoning blend
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons lemongrass paste [I used Garden Gourmet brand]
1 tablespoon chili pepper paste [I used Garden Gourmet brand]
1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and devined [mine still had the tails on though]

for ginger-chili broth

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated [from about 1-2 inches fresh peeled ginger]
2 scallions, chopped – green and white parts separated
1/2 tablespoon chili pepper paste [I used Garden Gourmet brand]
4 cups chicken broth

for ramen

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces white mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 cup bell peppers, thinly sliced [I used the mini red, yellow, and orange peppers]
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated [from about 1/2-1 inch fresh peeled ginger]
1 teaspoon lemongrass paste [I used Garden Gourmet brand]
1 teaspoon chili pepper paste [I used Garden Gourmet brand]
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 – 8 ounce packages ramen noodles, uncooked [any flavor – flavor packets are NOT used]
1 cup kale, thinly sliced into ribbons and firmly packed
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1-2 teaspoons fish sauce, to taste
additional broken ramen noodles, for garnish
chopped cilantro, for serving

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together Healthy Solutions Sesame Ginger Tuna seasoning blend, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, lemongrass, and chili pepper. Add shrimp and toss together to coat. Set aside.

Next, prepare ginger-chili broth. In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, and the white part of the scallions. Cook, stirring constantly, for about one minute. Add chili pepper paste and chicken broth, and stir until it comes together. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil for another minute. Reduce heat to low and simmer while the rest of the dish comes together.

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add mushrooms, peppers, ginger, lemongrass, and chili pepper. Saute for three to four minutes, then add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.

Next, cook the noodles. Break the noodles up and add them to the ginger-chili broth. Turn heat to medium-high, keeping just below a boil. Cook for 3 minutes then remove from heat.

While noodles are cooking, add shrimp to the veggies in the wok. Stir regularly for about three minutes or until shrimp are no longer pink. Next, reduce heat to low and pour ramen and broth in the pan. Add kale, lime juice, fish sauce, and most of the reserved green scallions from the broth. Stir then let rest for about a minute. Serve topped with additional broken ramen noodles, chopped cilantro, and green scallions. Enjoy!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary packet of Sesame Ginger Tuna Spice Blend by Healthy Solutions Spice Blends for participating in this recipe contest. You can use any sesame ginger seasoning blend for this recipe. I received no additional compensation for this post; all comments are 100% accurate and 100% my own. I was not paid or required to publish positive comments but I happen to love Healthy Solutions Spice Blends… check out my review of them here.

Check out other Mystery Dish recipes below:

Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chunk Sandwich Cookies from Flavor the Moments
Blueberry Frozen Custard Pops from Simply Gloria
Sesame Ginger Shrimp Ramen Noodlesfrom The Pajama Chef
Potato Chip Chocolate Chunk Cookies from I Dig Pinterest
Almond Butter Chocolate Chunk Potato Chip Cookies from Chez Catey Lou
Blueberry French Toast Casserole from Yummy Healthy Easy
Spicy Clam & Kale Appetizer by Inspiration Kitchen
Chocolate Covered Potato Chip Rice Krispie Treats from The Sweet {Tooth} Life

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Mystery Dish: Spiced Biscotti with Eggnog Glaze

December 29, 2014May 6, 2015 Sarah

Delicious spiced biscotti with some holiday cheer in the eggnog glaze! Mmmm!

Merry Monday after Christmas! No, really. Merry Christmas! I hope you had a wonderful day with family and friends. We were on the sunny beaches of Florida… an absolutely perfect destination Christmas with my parents and sister and brother-in-law. So much FUN!! Except for when my phone took a tumble in the ocean on Christmas day. So, so sad. I got a new phone [woohoo]; fortunately my old phone was about 1 1/2 years old. Now we’re back in Tennessee, back to reality, kinda sorta. Ben and I both have another week off… and I can’t wait! I forsee lots of reading, kitty snuggles, and relaxing in my immediate future. Aside from popping in today to share this biscotti recipe for Mystery Dish, I don’t know if I’ll be blogging much til after the new year. But we will see! 🙂

Anyways, I made these biscotti last week before heading to Florida for Mystery Dish. The lovely Colleen from The Smart Cookie Cook was our host. She gave us a GREAT list of ingredients to work with, including:

White Chocolate
Peppermint Bark
Muenster cheese
Eggnog
Canned biscuits
Nutmeg
Browned butter
Cherry tomatoes
Spinach
Roasted Garlic
Vanilla ice cream
Cream cheese

These biscotti are made with three of the above ingredients: eggnog, nutmeg, and white chocolate. Let’s start with the biscotti: aside from allll the lovely spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, I also added some sliced almonds and some chopped white chocolate. Tiny sliced almonds + chocolate = lotsa small pieces in each bite. Small pieces also makes slicing the biscotti easier after its initial bake.

After the biscotti baked and cooled, I finished it off with a super simple eggnog glaze. It was just eggnog and powdered sugar. Easy as pie! 🙂 We have been enjoying our biscotti over the past week or so with coffee, tea, and even hot cocoa! They’re a fun treat to an already fun season. Hope you enjoy, and be sure to check out other recipes from this month’s edition of Mystery Dish!

one year ago: Baked Fish Tacos with Cranberry Salsa
two years ago: White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies
three years ago: Classic Sugar Cookies
four years ago: Cranberry Scones

Spiced Biscotti with Eggnog Glaze

Servings: 16
Time: 60 minutes
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biscotti from Bon Appetit; glaze from Cupcake Project

Ingredients:

for biscotti

1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup white chocolate chips, chopped [measure then chop]

for glaze

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup eggnog

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.

With an electric mixer, beat egg and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in brandy and vanilla, beating to combine. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Slowly mix in flour mixture into egg mixture. Fold in almonds and white chocolate.

Spoon batter onto baking sheet. With wet hands, shape into a 2 by 10 inch log.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown, then remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.

Transfer biscotti to a cutting board and slice into 1/3 inch pieces. Return pieces to baking sheet, then bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven. Biscotti will continue to harden as it cools.

When cool, whisk together powdered sugar and eggnog in a small bowl. Brush or drizzle onto biscotti and let glaze set. When set, brush or drizzle on a second layer if desired.

Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Check out what else my Mystery Dish pals made this month!

Brown Butter Eggnog Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze from Flavor the Moments

Brown Butter Nutmeg Melted Ice Cream Cupcakes from The Sweet {Tooth} Life

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies from I Dig Pinterest

Creamy Chicken Pasta Skillet from Simply Gloria

Peppermint Bark Milkshake from The Smart Cookie Cook

Roasted Garlic, Spinach & Tomato Whole Wheat Pizza from Yummy Healthy Easy

Spiced Biscotti with Eggnog Glaze from The Pajama Chef

Spinach and Tomato Quiche with Whole Wheat Crust from The Well Floured Kitchen

Spinach, Tomato & Roasted Garlic Flatbread from Inspiration Kitchen

White Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Blondies from Culinary Couture

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Mystery Dish: Dark Chocolate Greek Yogurt Cookies

November 28, 2014December 4, 2014 Sarah

Fudgy chocolate cookies made with greek yogurt! They’re strangely amazing! 🙂

Happy Mystery Dish Day! I know it’s Black Friday, but I refuse to brave the crowds and face American consumerism head-on. No material item is worth that craziness. Ugh, I’m not a crowds person at all. Just give me a good book, some tea, and a yummy snack like popcorn or cookies and I’m happy. And these cookies are AWESOME. They’re the perfect book-reading, movie-watching, game-playing companion. Super rich and chocolately with lots of tart cranberries and mini chocolate chips mixed in.

These Dark Chocolate Greek Yogurt Cookies were a fun way to use up some ingredients that were selected by our hostess, Rebecca from Living Better Together. She asked us to make something amazing with at least three of the following ingredients: Hazelnuts, Pork Belly, Dark Chocolate, Cranberries, Bourbon, Red Potatoes, Pimento Cheese, Ginger, Yogurt, French Bread, Buckwheat, and Rice Krispies. I honestly don’t remember how I came up with the idea of making greek yogurt cookies, but a little googling later I realized they were actually a thing!

One fun element about them besides how awesome they taste is that they’re also made with no butter or oil… perfect for those times when you don’t have any on hand but want a cookie or when you’re trying to eat a lil healthier. Like after Thanksgiving, haha. I hope you had a great day celebrating with family and friends, btw!

I’m not going to lie–these cookies don’t have that soft and chewy texture of most addictive cookies. These cookies are soft and puffy, not quite muffin tops but close. What they lack in chewiness they make up for in flavor. I used both dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate in them [dark chocolate cocoa powder and mini semi-sweet chocolate chips], but you could certainly mix and match based on your tastes. I hope you enjoy them, and be sure to check out what my friends made for you too!

one year ago: Harvest Pear Crisp with Crystallized Ginger
two years ago: Teriyaki Meatball Bowls
three years ago: Thai Peanut Ginger Wings
four years ago: Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Sauce

Dark Chocolate Greek Yogurt Cookies

Servings: 36
Time: 30 minutes
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from Give Recipe

1 egg
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8-12 ounces plain greek yogurt [I used nonfat but 2% or whole milk yogurt is also great]
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder [like Hershey’s Special Dark]
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 teaspoons sea salt, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.

In a large bowl, whisk egg, powdered sugar, vanilla, and 8 ounces plain greek yogurt together. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture, adding up to another 4 ounces of greek yogurt if necessary if it’s too thick to stir. I used another 2 ounces but 4 seemed like too much. Fold in almost all of the chocolate chips and cranberries, reserving a few tablespoons to press on the top before baking.

Scoop cookie dough out [it will be thick] with a cookie dough scoop or two spoons. Place about 1-2 inches apart on baking sheets. They don’t spread so you can put them fairly close together. Since dough is so thick, it’s easiest to use multiple pans and scoop it all out at once. Afterwards, press down on tops of dough balls gently with a spoon, then dot with a few cranberries or chocolate chips.

Bake for 10 minutes, then cool on baking sheets a few minutes before cooling on a wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt while hot if desired.

See what other Mystery Dish gals made this month:

Gluten Free Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut Cake from Living Better Together

Turtle Krispies Treats from I Dig Pinterest

Dark Chocolate Greek Yogurt Cookies from The Pajama Chef

Chewy Chocolate Hazelnut Granola Bars from I Want Crazy

Dark Chocolate Hazelnut English Toffee from Flavor the Moments

Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cranberry Buttercrunch from Inspiration Kitchen

Skinny Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Hazelnut Fudge from Joyful Healthy Eats

Cranberry Hazelnut Crepe Cake from Blahnik Baker

Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Rice Krispie Treats from The Smart Cookie Cook

Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes with Hazelnut Cookie Crust from The Well Floured Kitchen

Salted Hazelnut Scotcheroos from Yummy Healthy Easy

Main Dishes, Pork, Recipes

Mystery Dish: Honey-Thyme Roasted Pork Tenderloin

October 29, 2014May 6, 2015 Sarah

For this month’s edition of Mystery Dish, Marcie of Flavor the Moments was our host. She gave us a lovely list to work with, including: pork, fennel, kabocha squash, hard apple cider, heavy cream, orange, farro, hazelnuts, quince, thyme, maple syrup, and brussels sprouts. A lot of fun ingredients, for sure! But some were a little too exotic or expensive for me to get without a trip across town to a fancier grocery store, so simple it was!

But simple doesn’t have to mean boring. This honey-thyme roasted pork tenderloin was anything besides boring! It was bursting with lots of fresh flavor–before roasting, the pork is seared in a hot skillet then coated with an amazing mixture of honey, butter, thyme, and orange zest AND juice. Talk about flavor overload! I could totally see making that honey mix into a fun spread on cornbread or a biscuit. It was SO delicious when I test tasted it [before it came into contact with the raw meat] that I was super tempted to put the spoon in my mouth later. But raw meat=gross=unhealthy so I talked myself out of that one. 🙂 It was hard, guys, but I did it.

As the pork roasted, a wonderful hearty sweetness filled the house. I tended up having to cook the meat a little while longer than the original recipe advised, despite the internal temperature reading 145 degrees F as it should, hence the photos above being a little too pink for my liking. But I was chasing daylight and thought the pork was done before I cut into it, so I had to take the photos then or else incur the wrath of the dreaded florescent kitchen lighting. Ugh, no thanks. But once the pork was done, it was amazing–juicy and rich, with the perfect blend of herb-citrus-honey baked right into the crispy coating that appears as the honey bakes on the pork. I served my pork with an awesome butternut squash side dish that I’ll have to share before Thanksgiving because it has “holiday side dish” written all over it. Enjoy!

one year ago: Skinny Southwest Chicken Dip
two years ago: Mexican Rollups
three years ago: Individual Pumpkin Pie Parfaits
four years ago: Asian Chicken Bowls

Honey-Thyme Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Servings: 8
Time: 60 minutes
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adapted slightly from Serious Eats

Ingredients:

2 pound pork tenderloin
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons fresh thyme [or 1 tablespoon ground thyme] + more for serving
zest and juice of one orange
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Let pork sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before using, then pat dry and season with pepper and salt.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, sear pork for about 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove from pan and add chicken broth, scraping up brown bits, then remove from heat and reserve sauce.

Whisk together thyme, orange zest, orange juice, honey, and butter in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

When pork has seared, place pork in a baking dish then rub with thyme mixture. Pour chicken broth into baking dish.

Bake for at least 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F. Let rest for 10 minutes, covered with foil, before slicing and serving with more fresh thyme.

See what other Mystery Dish gals made this month:

Baked Apple Donuts with Maple Glaze by Yummy Healthy Easy

Baked French Toast Casserole by I Want Crazy

Chocolate Orange Hazelnut Truffles by Culinary Couture

Hazelnut Maple-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls by I Dig Pinterest

Hazelnut Macarons with Pumpkin Maple Filling by Baking a Moment

Honey-Thyme Roasted Pork Tenderloin from The Pajama Chef

Italian Sausage and Ravioli Skillet by Simply Gloria

Kabocha Squash Curry with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Farro by Chez CateyLou

Maple Glazed Fennel and Brussels Sprouts by The Well Floured Kitchen

Pear Hazelnut Bread with Orange Maple Glaze by Blahnik Baker

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples, Bacon, and Hazelnuts by Flavor the Moments