Chicken Parmesan Pie

Why hello kids!

So I was watching Paula Deen (as usual) on Food Network and she threw together this really easy Chicken Pot Pie. I decided that was what I was going to have for dinner. Then I kind of (as usual) starting throwing ideas around in my head. I've posted the Chicken Parmesan Recipe before and talked about Jon and my love for Chicken Parm. So any chance I get to take our favorites and recreate them, I jump on it. Well, I came up with the idea to try a Chicken Parm Pie Casserole type dish. So thats what I've created here. Jon literally ate 3/4ths of it in one sitting so I know I did a good job. Its Chicken Parm meets Casserole meets Garlic Bread meets Pizza. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Chicken Parmesan Pie

Chicken Parm:
1.5 lbs cubed chicken
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 stick butter
2 tbsp olive oil
Sauce:
1 cup marinara
1 cup alfredo
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
Garlic Bread Topping:
1 container of refrigerated pizza dough
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare for chicken parm "assembly" with 3 containers. First container will have flour, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and garlic powder. Second container will have 4 beaten eggs. Last container will have bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Heat skillet to medium high heat with two tablespoons of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil. You will most likely only be able to cook half the chicken, depending on the size of your skillet. If you have a very large skillet, use all butter and olive oil. After running the cubed chicken through the flour mixure, then eggs, then breadcrumb mixture, cook in pan until golden brown on both sides. Set aside on a plate, and do the same with the other half of the cubed chicken if done with smaller skillet.

While the chicken is cooking, pour marinara, alfredo and parmesan in baking dish. Once chicken is done, place cooked chicken over sauce mixture and then top with mozzarella cheese. Knead out dough to desired thickness to cover baking dish. Place dough over baking dish and make three to four slits in top of dough.

Bake in oven 10-15 minutes until light golden brown. While it is baking, combine softened butter, parmesan cheese, oregano and garlic in small mixing bowl. Once it is lightly golden brown, take "pie" out of the oven and brush the butter mixture to cover the dough. Place back in oven for another 5 minutes just for dough to soak up butter mix.

Enjoy!

I hope you guys like this dish. It seems like a lot of work, but I had a lot of fun making it. Please send me your comments, pictures and ideas to cookingwithcait@gmail.com :)

CAR WASH!

Hey Everyone!

So this blog is NOT going to be dedicated to cooking, its going to be dedicated to the very beautiful Janine Wu and her growing family. Janine is going to be blessed soon with THREE boys! So exciting. To try and help out, we are hosting a huge car wash and bake sale in her honor.

Date: Saturday 9/25
Time: 10am-3pm
Place: Sunset Beach Christian Church

We need items for the bake sale and many carwashers! We thought we would have two shifts. 10am-12:30pm & 12:30pm-3pm...Bring buckets and towels and open your hearts & your pocketbooks...

If you are working and can't help we are accepting donations. Please make your checks out to Janine Wu & send donations to:
Bonnie Howland
57-101 Kuilima Dr. 23W
Kahuku, Hi. 96731


As I mentioned, we're also having a bake sale. I would be happy to bring any baked goods to you for donations to the cause, or if you'd like to create some dishes, I'd be happy to come pick them up prior to the 25th. I can bake pretty much anything, so I will accept all reasonable requests. :D

If you need any more information, don't hesitate to email me at cookingwithcait@gmail.com

PLEASE spread the word to your friends and family, even those on the mainland that may want to mail in a donation. Janine is a wonderful person and truly will do anything and everything to make a happy and healthy life for these little boys. Let's all take a little time to help her do so!

Love you all <3xoxo
Cait

Cait's Clam Chowdah

Hey Everyone!

Because of the Labor Day holiday that just passed, I really started missing some of the amazing seafood dishes from New England, where I'm originally from. Since I couldn't get myself Maine "lobstah" or little necks, I decided I would try my best to recreate the famous New England Clam Chowder with the (limited) resources I have here in Hawaii. I know its a cardinal sin to use canned clams when making this chowder which is why its simply "Cait's Clam Chowdah" and NOT "New England Clam Chowdah". I did the best with what I have out here and I hope you all love it :)

Cait's Clam Chowdah

Ingredients
8 slices turkey bacon, diced
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup water
3 large russet potatoes, cubed
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk (I used 2% because thats what I had at the time)
1 cup clam juice
4 tbsp butter
4 6.5 ounce cans of minced clams

Dice bacon and then cook in large pot until golden brown, add in onions. Allow onions to sweat for 3-4 minutes. Add in chicken stock, water and potatoes. Chicken stock will cause lots of steam, be prepared. Use a wooden spoon to scrape bottom of pot to get all the yummy bacon remnants. Add in Old Bay, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.

Add in heavy cream, milk, clam juice and butter. Lastly add in minced clams and cook on low-medium for 5-10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve with some fresh bread or crackers.

Small note, I ALWAYS use ground turkey and turkey bacon when cooking to try and save as many calories as I can. I know in most cases it probably doesn't make that much of a difference but all the ladies reading probably know you'll feel a little less guilty eating it knowing we saved like 30 calories by substituting turkey bacon. Haha If you guys want to go all out, by all means go with the regular bacon!

I hope you guys all enjoy my homage to the wonderful New Bedford food traditions I grew up with. Email in your questions and suggestions- cookingwithcait@gmail.com

Aloha Nui Loa!

Orange Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting

Hey All!

When I was younger, for some reason, my family would always have those dark chocolate oranges. They were my favorite thing in the entire world. So when trying to come up with some good bake sale cupcakes, I figured I'd try to recreate my favorite into a cupcake. I really hope you guys enjoy!

Orange Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting. (Makes 42 cupcakes)

Batter:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp orange extract
2 1/2 tbsp orange zest
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup buttermilk

Frosting:
4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp instant espresso powder
12 oz dark chocolate, melted
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange extract
1/2 tbsp orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper liners. Set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric beater, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add in 1/3 of flour mixture. Next, the orange juice. Mix in another 1/3 of the flour mixture. Then buttermilk. Then, mix in the remaining flour mixture. Lastly, mix in orange and vanilla extracts and orange zest, until all ingredients are combined. Divide evenly among muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

For frosting, beat butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and espresso powder until fluffy. Once melted chocolate has cooled, beat into butter mixture. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Lastly add  in vanilla and orange extracts and orange zest.

Allow cupcakes to cool for 30 minutes before frosting. Enjoy!

Feel free to send your questions, feedback and pictures to cookingwithcait@gmail.com

S'mores Cupcakes

Hey Everyone!

So I was watching an episode of Cupcake Wars last night and one of the contestants made a S'mores Cupcake and I thought that would be such an awesome challenge for me! I decided to make it differently than she had and I hope you guys like the results. I based my chocolate cupcake off of Martha Stewart's Devil's Food Cupcake. I made a couple of changes, so I have rewritten the recipe the way I made it. To see the original, please visit http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/devils-food-cupcakes-book.

When I was little, we used to spend some of our summer down at our family cottage in Wareham, MA. We were lucky enough to be right on the water, so my cousins, sister and I would all set up a campfire and do toasted marshmellows, s'mores and tell ghost stories. Still to this day, those are some of my favorite summer memories of my whole life. I really loved how these cupcakes reminded me of all those beautiful summers at the cottage.

I included some pictures of the cupcakes as well as some of the view at our beautiful cottage. Enjoy! As always, send your pictures, comments or questions to cookingwithcait@gmail.com!

Someone mentioned they weren't able to comment on my post. I believe you need to have a gmail account to comment. Feel free to send me an email or tweet me on twitter @caithowland, and I'll answer any questions you have. Sorry if that's an incovenience! :/ Love you all xoxoxo

S'mores Cupcakes (Makes 48)

Chocolate Batter:
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp instant espresso powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp almond extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Graham Cracker Crumble:
1 package graham crackers
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp almond extract

Marshmallow Frosting:
2 7oz container Marshmallow creme
1 stick butter, room temperature
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp almond extract
1 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners. Using a food processer, grind graham crackers to crumb. In a medium saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter. After butter is melted, take off heat and mix in graham crackers, brown sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract. Set aside.

Combine cocoa powder, espresso and hot water until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Heat butter and sugar over medium heat in saucepan until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter and sugar mixture until cooled. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add vanilla and cocoa/espresso mixture. Add a third of the flour mixture, then half of the sour cream. Continue alternating until all ingredients have been incorporated.

Spoon mixture into cupcake liners, fill 3/4s of the way. Sprinkle graham cracker mixture over top of batter until mostly covered. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool on wire rack for 10-15 minutes.

For the frosting, using electric mixer, beat1 stick of room temperature butter in large mixing bowl until fluffy. Add in marshmallow creme until fully mixed. Next add in powdered sugar in 4 increments. Lastly, add in vanilla and almond extracts. Add 1/2 tbsp of milk and check consistency. Add other 1/2 tbsp if necessary. Place frosting in piping bag with large tip to fill cupcakes.

Insert piping bag in middle of cooled cupcakes, being sure to only go 1/4 of the way down. Squeeze piping bag to fill middle and frost a little on the top as desired. Refrigerate for up to 3 days, or serve warm.

I like to fill the cupcakes while they are still warm, but you can of course wait a few hours if you'd like them fully cooled. Waiting the few hours will help with presentation, as the marshmallow frosting is all gooey if you frost it soon after they have back. I personally like it warm, but try it both ways and let me know what you think!

Baked Brie with Apple Sauce

Aloha Everyone!

Sorry it's been a while, it's been a crazy week for me! Anyways, yesterday was my dad's birthday so I figured I'd celebrate him and share my favorite dish he makes, Baked Brie with Apple Sauce! I'm also going to share some pictures from the beautiful checkerboard cake I made him. Maybe someday soon I'll share that recipe too, I want to experiment a little more with the recipe first though :)

Baked Brie with Apple Sauce

1 wheel of brie cheese
2 sheets puff pastry
3 tbsp butter, with extra to grease pan
2 apples
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8x8 baking dish with butter. Tightly wrap cheese wheel with puff pastry on top and bottom, pinching sides tightly together. Place in baking dish. Chop butter into pieces and place on top of brie. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Peel and core apples and chop into small chunks. Allow to simmer with water, sugar and cinnamon until soft. Pour over brie before serving.

Here are some of the pictures of my dad's epic birthday cake! Hope you like the recipe, email me some feedback cookingwithcait@gmail.com :)

A special message to my dad: Dad, you are amazing. You have been such an inspiration to me my whole life. You are such a hard worker, and an amazing cook. I love you so much and thank you for everything you have done to get me to where I am today. You are the best dad I could ever ask for. Stop being so hard on yourself for your cooking, I hope to be half the cook you are someday! I love you!!!

Almond White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey Everyone!

Two posts today because I didn't post on Friday or Saturday <yikes!> I've had a rough couple days and nothing makes my day better than baking up some goodies. Today I decided to experiment with a cookie recipe. Jon gave his stamp of approval so I decided I would share with you guys.

One thing with all of my baking recipes is I always add almond extract. To me, it just seems to bring out the sweetness in the food, but never makes it too sweet. I really recommend for you guys to try making it with almond extract at least once, and if you don't like the flavor, you can just skip it all together. I also loooove using white chocolate because it just gives a unique twist on our old favorite, chocolate chip cookies.

I made my cookies without any nuts, but you can definitely add a cup or two of nuts if you prefer. Anyways, here is my twist on the always amazing chocolate chip cookie!

Almond White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1. tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
2 large eggs
2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add in both sugars to combine. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. Beat in eggs one at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl if necessary. Add flour mixture in 3 parts. Mix in white chocolate chips and nuts (if used) by hand. Place rounded tablespoon cookies on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until light golden brown. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Thanks everyone for reading and following me. Send in your pictures, comments or questions to cookingwithcait@gmail.com

xoxo Cait :-*