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Recipes
Mascarpone Chocolate Toffee Bars
By AprilAbrantes
Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven
- Vegetable cooking spray
- 1 pound refrigerated sugar cookie dough (recommended: Pillsbury)
- 2 (1.4-ounces) chocolate-toffee candy bars, coarsely chopped, divided (recommended: Skor)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (recommended: Ghirardelli)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted * see Cook's Note
Chicken with Wild Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce
By AprilAbrantes
Heat a large pot of water to a boil
- Salt
- 1/2 pound orzo pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 ounces
- Pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 12 cremini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 12 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
- 12 white mushrooms, sliced
- 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, a couple of sprigs, chopped
- 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, eyeball it
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half, a couple turns of the pan
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful
Trenette with Eggplant and Basil Pesto
By AprilAbrantes
For the pesto: In a blender or food processor, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teasp...
- Pasta:
- 2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (see Cook's Note)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmesan
- 1 pound trenette or other short-cut pasta
- 1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmesan, plus 1/2 cup
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 (1 1/2 pounds) medium eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Shells with Crispy Pancetta and Spinach
By AprilAbrantes
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
- For the shells:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
- For the sauce:
Grilled Lamb Chops with Charmoula
By AprilAbrantes
Grilled Lamb Chops with Charmoula (llolipop chops)
- For the Charmoula:
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 2 racks lamb, frenched and cut into double rib portion
- Olive oil
- 2 small red onions, chopped
- 1 bunch parsley, stems removed
- 1 bunch cilantro, stems removed
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
root beer float cookies
By AprilAbrantes
COOKIE DOUGH: Preheat oven to 375°F
- COOKIE DOUGH:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons root beer extract
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- teaspoon saltFROSTING:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons half and half
- 2 teaspoons butter or margarine, softened
- 1 teaspoon root beer extract
Tri-Colore Orzo
By AprilAbrantes
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat
- 1 pound orzo pasta
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
- 2 cups fresh arugula (about 3 ounces)
- 3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese (or feta cheese)
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 12 fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Greek Salad
By AprilAbrantes
Remove the outer leaves of the romaine, reserve for the salad mix
- 2 heads romaine lettuce
- 1 (6-ounce) feta cheese block, soaked in warm water
- 1 cup kalamata olives, pitted
- 2 green peppers, seeded and julienne
- 2 red onion, julienne
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
- 6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and small diced
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
English Pea Salad
By AprilAbrantes
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, thawed and drained
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar
- 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups
By AprilAbrantes
Heat oven to 350°. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
- 1 package (16 ounces) Pillsbury® Ready to Bake! refrigerated sugar cookies (24 cookies)
- 4 tsp. sugar
- 1/3 cup finely chopped Fisher® Chef's Naturals® chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup Hershey's® semisweet chocolate baking chips
- 1/4 cup Smucker's® Seedless red raspberry jam
- 1 1/2 cups vanilla bean ice cream , softened
- 24 fresh raspberries