Sourdough Cranberry White Chocolate Blondies

It's that time again! Time for another month of Sourdough Surprises! This month we are featuring brownies and blondies made with your sourdough starter! The possibilities are pretty much endless here - you can throw practically any ingredients together and make a yummy, cakey, delicious treat! These turned out so well, I loved how soft and cakey they were. The cranberries and the yummy cream cheese frosting... Seriously, these are almost cake and not blondie!

While I was making these delightful treats I was contemplating the difference between bars and blondies, trying to figure out which category these would fall into. And I decided that blondies typically are a one layer cakey softness (like brownies but without chocolate) and bars typically have a bit more density to them and often have more than one layer.

Sourdough Cranberry White Chocolate Blondies (The Gingered Whisk)

1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup  brown sugar
1 cup sourdough starter
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar.
Whisk in the sourdough starter until you don't see any of the starter.
Whisk in the egg and vanilla.
Fold in the dry ingredients.
Fold in the cranberries.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 package cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 TBSP orange zest
6 ounces white chocolate chips (or almond bark)
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Whip together the cream cheese, zest, powdered sugar and milk until well blended.
Pour over the cool bars and smooth.
Sprinkle the dried cranberries on top.
Melt the white chocolate chips (or almond bark) and drizzle on top.
Cut the bars while the white chocolate is still soft and enjoy!!

The Daring Cooks go En Croute!

Our lovely Monkey Queen of Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys, was our May Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to dive into the world of en Croute! We were encouraged to make Beef Wellington, Stuffed Mushroom en Croute and to bring our kids into the challenge by encouraging them to create their own en Croute recipes!

So this is what happens when I realize it's 3:30pm on the 13th and not only have I not completed this month's Daring Cook's assignment, but I don't even know what it is! Welcome to the world of Jenni's brain - pregnant edition! As luck would have it, I just happened to have a package of puff pastry in my freezer (phew!!), and I decided to totally wing this one. I even borrowed some potatoes and spinach from my neighbor's to add to my meal (they asked me to let their dogs out for them, the items were on the counter, and I asked. Haha Yes, I am not above raiding my neighbor's pantry. Thanks Grace and Allison!)

I don't have a recipe to share because I literally just threw stuff together - but I can explain to you what I did! While my puff pastry (both sheets) was thawing out, I gently poached some chicken breasts in a 50/50 blend of white wine and chicken broth. When they were done I removed them and roughly chopped them. In a large skillet pan I sautéed about 1/2 a yellow onion and maybe a cup or so or chopped button mushrooms in some butter. I also threw in a bit of pepper and thyme and a splash of white wine. I also added some frozen peas and a big handful of fresh spinach. When the spinach was wilted I removed it from the heat. When the puff pastry was thawed I divided it into four equal pieces and split the chicken and spinach mixture evenly. Some swiss cheese slices went on top and then all the corners and edges were tucked in. I turned the puff pastry pockets over to place on the baking sheet (so all the corners were tucked under) and brushed the tops with an egg white wash. Baked at 400 F for about 15 minutes, until the tops were golden brown and then I served them alongside mashed potatoes and a simple salad. Viola!

I actually really liked how this turned out! It was simple yet almost elegant, and Joel and I spent the whole meal talking about what else would go great wrapped in puff pastry (my favorite suggestion was eggs, cheese and bacon!). Also someday, definitely doing brie cheese (which is my ultimate favorite cheese ever!)

Turkey Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

A while ago my husband came home from work talking about stuffed peppers. I didn't know he even liked them, but apparently that day at work the cafeteria was serving them and they smelled fantastic. Joel went to grab one, but up close they were greasy and shriveled and pretty nasty looking. So of course, being the amazingly awesome wife I am (right, honey?) I set about to find a recipe that was not only appetizing but healthy, too. And these did not disappoint us! The filling is utterly delicious, and the peppers were cooked perfectly. Even Ladybug liked these, although she liked hers "deconstructed". 

Turkey Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (A Food Centric Life)

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
4 large bell peppers, red or orange
1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces lean ground turkey
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
a few pinches of kosher salt
1 small pinch of pepper
14 ounces petite diced tomatoes (not drained)
2 TBSP dried currants (or dried cranberries)
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Preheat oven the 350.
In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups of water and the quinoa and bring to boil.
Cover, turn the heat down to low, and cook about 18 minutes.
Remove from heat, keeping lid on, and allow to "steam" for 5-10 minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking, prepare your peppers by cutting off the top to open up the pepper.
With a sharp paring knife, trim out the ribs and seeds until the pepper is clean inside.
In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft.
Turn the heat down to low and add the garlic, stirring for 1 minute.
Add the turkey, cumin, ginger, salt, and pepper.
Cook, stirring to break up the turkey, until cooked through.
Stir in the tomatoes and their juice, the currants (or cranberries), feta, and quinoa.
Fill the peppers firmly with the mixture, mounding it a little on top.
Place the peppers in a shallow casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake 35-40 minutes.
Serve and Enjoy!