Honey & Orange Glazed Ahi Tuna ~ #WeekDaySupper #SauteExpress

February 7, 2013 By 6 Comments

Life gets busy. Fact!

We don’t always have the time to cook a gourmet meal during the week. Would I love to cook like Julia Child during the week? Yes. But, the fact is, I just don’t have time. Like most of you, I’m a busy gal;  I work, go to school, have a family, and run a website. There just aren’t enough hours in the day, so my inner Julia Child must wait until the weekend.

We’re programmed to work hard, never miss an opportunity, and better ourselves. This usually means busy days and late nights. And, what do we do? We go to sleep, get back up, and do it all over again. We’re troopers, I tell ya!  Trying to fit everything in is hard, so why not make dinner easy so you can spend more time doing the things you love. For me, that’s knitting, reading, mountain biking, and catching up on my DVR.

Land O Lakes® is here to help make weeknight meals easy with their new Sauté Express® Sauté Starter Kits. They come in four different delicious flavors:

I went a little wild and tried all four, and they’re all delicious. They help make weeknight meal making effortless and flavorful.

I have a simple weeknight recipe that’s not only delicious but good for you. I made a honey and orange glazed ahi tuna using Land O Lakes®  Savory Butter & Olive Oil Sauté Express® Sauté Starter Kit.

I used the savory butter and olive oil kit to sear to the ahi tuna to perfection before I coated it in the sweet honey and orange glaze that I reduced down with some orange zest and fresh rosemary. It’s absolutely delicious. Oh, and it only takes 10 minutes to make. You’ll have dinner on the table in no time, which means more time left over to do the things you love.

I spent a total of 12 hours in the kitchen this weekend preparing for Super Bowl. As you can imagine, I was wiped out by the time Monday arrived. Cooking wasn’t on the top of my list when I got home from work Monday evening, but I had to push through and make a meal.

This dish was a nice change of pace. I had it on the table and in my stomach in less than 15-minutes.

Enjoy!

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5.0 from 1 reviews

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Honey & Orange Glazed Ahi Tuna
Author: 
Recipe type: Seafood
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

 

Ingredients
  • 1 pound Ahi tuna
  • 2 squares Savory Butter & Olive Oil Land O Lakes® Sauté Express® Sauté Starter
  • ½ cup honey
  • zest of 1 orange
  • juice of 2 oranges
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • salt & pepper
  • 2 cups cooked rice

Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan, add honey, orange zest, orange juice, and rosemary. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced by half, about 5-7 minutes.
  2. Salt and pepper the tuna fillets.
  3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the Land O Lakes® Sauté Express® Sauté Starter squares. Sear the tuna on each side for 3 minutes. Add the glaze and cook for 1 minute, flipping the tuna to coat on each side.
  4. Serve over rice and drizzle with glaze.


The author received a full-value coupon redeemable for Sauté Express® Sauté Starter for recipe development and review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Seafood Tagged With: , , , , ,

Orange Scented Steel-Cut Oats

January 17, 2013 By 26 Comments

I planned on bestowing you with a lovely new muffin recipe this week; however, the muffins had other plans. They decided to be lazy and refused to rise. I think they had good intentions on rising but got half way there and decided to give up, sinking instead. I wouldn’t have minded so much if they hadn’t tasted so darn good, but that was not the case; they were popping with flavor. Such teases, those muffins.

There’s good news! I stumbled upon a new oatmeal recipe as I was preparing my weekly batch of steel-cut oats on Sunday. I love eating steel-cut oats for breakfast during the winter months; they’re warm and filling. I prepare a big batch and store it in the fridge until I’m ready to reheat it during the work week. I just scoop out what I need into a plastic travel container and warm in the microwave in the morning, then sprinkle with my favorite toppings. It makes for a satisfying breakfast on-the-go.

I prefer using steel-cut oats over old-fashioned oats for the very fact that steel-cut oats reheat well. Unlike old-fashioned oats, steel-cut oats don’t get gelatinous and gooey when reheated. They keep their integrity, and you’ll still get that lovely chewy bite from steel-cut oats even after reheating them.

I cooked the oats in a combination of vanilla soy milk and water. The vanilla soy milk provides a lovely burst of vanilla flavor that pairs perfectly with the orange zest/juice. If you don’t have vanilla soy milk on hand, feel free to use regular milk and stir in a teaspoon of vanilla extract when you take the oats off the heat.

Enjoy!

5.0 from 3 reviews

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Orange Scented Steel-Cut Oats
Author: 
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cook time: 
Total time: 

 

Ingredients
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup vanilla soy milk
  • 1 cup steel-cut oats
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 orange, zested and juiced
  • 2 tbs. brown sugar
Toppings
  • dried cranberries
  • toasted pecans
  • toasted almonds
  • dried cherries

Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring water, soy milk, and salt to a simmer.
  2. Stir the oats into the simmering water/milk mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer until the mixture is thick.
  3. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally so the mixture doesn’t form a film, until almost all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture is thick and creamy, about a total of 30 minutes.
  4. Take the oats off the heat and stir in orange zest, orange juice, and brown sugar (and a teaspoon of vanilla extract if you used regular milk or plain soy milk).
  5. Serve immediately with desired toppings or allow to cool slightly before ladling into an airtight container and storing in the refrigerator.
  6. To reheat: Spoon desired amount of oats into a microwave-safe bowl. Reheat in 30 second increments until hot. If the mixture is too thick, stir in a touch of milk to thin. Add desired toppings and serve.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Breakfast Tagged With: , , , , ,

Pumpkin Orange Chocolate Chip Bread with Orange Glaze~ “Have a Grain Holiday” #Giveaway

December 7, 2012 By 55 Comments

Tis the season to be jolly. That is the saying, right?

Well, if that’s the saying, then why isn’t there more jolly people in the world this time of year? Is it the fact that you have to brave the crowds for a gift that the manufacturer only made 50 of? Or, is it because you were patiently waiting for a parking spot, with your blinker on clearly claiming the spot yours, when someone swoops in and takes it from you? Maybe it’s all the shoppers talking on their cell phones and not paying attention to where they’re walking, running right into you without so much as an apology. Could it be the rude shopper that pushes you out of her way with her cart while you were looking at a shirt, not bothering to say excuse me? Or, is it because your cat won’t stop ringing the bell on your Christmas tree at night while you’re trying to sleep and you wake up groggy and sleep deprived?

I have good news, friends. There’s no need to go out into the wilderness and brave the elements when you can give the gift of food. Instead of buying holiday gifts, bake them. My mom and I decided to make and give homemade treats for the holidays. No braving the crowds, finding parking spots, or being run into by chatty Cathy. We’re going to relax in the comforts of our own homes in our penguin pjs while we sip  hot cocoa and whip up chocolate dipped rice krispie treats and mini bread loaves.

Hodgson Mill contacted me a few months ago and asked if I’d like to participate in their “Have a Grain Holiday” recipe contest. I couldn’t refuse a chance to be creative and bake up something delicious to give as gifts for the holidays, so of course I said yes. I decided to bake mini loaves of pumpkin orange  bread studded with tons of creamy chocolate chips and topped with an orange glaze.

These mini loaves are an adaptation of my pumpkin banana bread recipe, and they are amazing. Not only are they delicious, they’re healthy too. I used Hodgson Mill’s whole wheat flour and some Greek yogurt to give the recipe a healthy boost.

I really enjoyed using Hodgson Mill’s whole grain flour products. Each bag of their whole wheat flour is stone ground to preserve nutrients and taste. When you open up a bag of their whole wheat flour, you can see the bits of natural grain running throughout in various shades of tan. I decided to use their whole wheat flour and loved the toasted nutty flavor it added to these little loaves.

After making these loaves and giving a few of them away,  I toasted the remaining slices for breakfast and added a smear of pumpkin butter for good measure. Talk about delicious!

I’m going to trim these loaves with ribbon and gift them to family and friends for the holidays. What says happy holidays better than a gift made from your own kitchen?

Hodgson Mill’s was nice enough to provide me with a $25 gift pack full of their stone ground, natural grain products to give away to one of my lucky readers!

This giveaway is for one $25 Hodgson Mill product packs, including free shipping directly to your door! The giveaway is open to US residents only and will run from Friday, December 7th  to 6:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, December 12th. The winner will be chosen by random draw. I will notify the winner by email and they will have two days to respond before another winner is chosen.  

To Enter:  Leave a comment telling me what you would make with your Hodgson Mill whole grain products.

For additional entries: 

Like The Messy Baker on Facebook
Follow The Messy Baker on Twitter
Tweet this giveaway using the following: Enter to win an @HodgsonMillInc #giveaway from @MessyBakerBlog
Follow The Messy Baker on Pinterest
Follow The Messy Baker on StumbleUpon and stumble this post
Follow Hodgson Mill on Twitter
Follow Hodgson Mill on Facebook

Leave me a separate comment for each entry. That’s 8 chances to win!

Click here to receive a printable Hodgson Mill coupon for $1 off on any flour or cornmeal product. Hodgson Mill is also doing a holiday gift pack sweepstakes. Click here to sign up for a chance to win, but hurry, the contest ends on December 9th, 2012.

5.0 from 1 reviews

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Pumpkin Orange Chocolate Chip Bread with Orange Glaze
Author: 
Recipe type: Bread
Prep time: 
Total time: 

 

Ingredients
  • 1½ cups whole wheat flour (I used Hodgson Mill)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 tsp. orange zest (approximately the zest of 2 oranges)
  • 1 15oz. can pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 tbs. melted butter
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice (approximately the juice of 1 orange)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Glaze:
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. orange zest
  • 2 tbs. orange juice

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or 4 mini loaf pans.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and Greek yogurt. Add the orange juice, orange zest, and melted butter. Whisk to combine. Whisk in eggs and vanilla extract until incorporated.
  4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Don’t over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  5. Scoop the mixture into the prepared loaf or mini loaf pans. If you’re using a large loaf pan, bake for 50-60 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. If you’re using a mini loaf pan, bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes before. After removing, allow the loaf/loaves to cool completely on a wire rack.
  7. Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, orange zest, and orange juice until smooth. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add a touch more orange juice.
  8. Drizzle the glaze over the warm loaf/loaves. Serve.

 

 

Filed Under: Bread Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Orange Pumpkin Pancakes

October 3, 2012 By 22 Comments

Happy Wednesday, all! Today is a good day. Why? Because I’m posting my very first breakfast food on the blog. I made pancakes, and not just any pancakes, orange pumpkin pancakes. I had some leftover pumpkin puree in the fridge, and you know how much I love pumpkin, so I couldn’t resist making a jumbo stack of fluffy pancakes.

Squirrel (my hubby) isn’t a huge fan of pancakes (weird, I know), so I had to take on the task of eating the entire stack myself. I don’t make pancakes too often (thank you, Squirrel), so I was able to rise to the occasion. A jumbo stack of pancakes is no match for this gal; I took them down like a champ.

Hungry for pancakes? These are a must make pancake for fall. The warm pumpkin spice, zested orange peel, pumpkin puree, and fresh squeezed orange juice create the perfect fall pancake. I enjoyed these on Sunday with a homemade pumpkin spice latte, and they were delicious.

These pancakes only took me 5 minutes to mix up and 3 minutes to cook. You know what else is good? Pancakes for dinner. Talk about a quick meal, and the kiddies will feel like they’re getting a treat.

I like my pancakes crispy around the edges and fluffy on the inside with a hefty drizzle of maple syrup.

Enjoy!

 

Orange Pumpkin Pancakes

Dry

1 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3 tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. orange zest

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and orange zest. Whisk to combine.

Wet

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbs. unsalted butter, melted
4 tbs. pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine milk, orange juice, melted butter, pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, whisk to combine.

Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat and add a drizzle of canola oil. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour batter onto the pan (if you like your pancakes smaller, use less batter). Cook until the top of the pancakes are full of bubbles and the bottom is golden brown. Turn with a spatula and brown the other sides. Serve with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.

 

Filed Under: Breakfast Tagged With: , , , , ,

#MuffinMonday | Brown Butter Orange Pumpkin Muffins

September 24, 2012 By 26 Comments

Happy Monday, all!

It’s time for another #MuffinMonday. I was extremely excited when I received this week’s recipe, an orange pumpkin muffin. You know how I feel about pumpkin, and I’ll take any excuse to bake with it.

At first glance, I wasn’t sure how I was going to change this recipe to make it my own. Quite frankly, the muffin recipe sounded perfect with its combination of orange and pumpkin, so I was a tad stumped. I kept coming back to it, and then it hit me. Why not add some brown butter and maybe a sprinkling of white chocolate chips and toasted pecans? That’s just what I did, and they turned out beautifully.

The muffin by itself is amazing, but top it with an orange glaze, and it’s over-the-top delicious!

The flavor of this muffin is extraordinary. Imagine an extremely moist muffin studded with the perfect amount of white chocolate chips and toasted pecans. When you take the first bite, you get the warm flavor from the pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon, then the subtle sweetness of the orange forms on your palate as you continue to devour the muffin. And, if all of those flavors weren’t enough, you’re hit with the nutty flavor of the brown butter and toasted pecans, then, to top it all off, the sweet orange glaze adds a burst of orange flavor.

Like I said, this is one scrumptious muffin.

Enjoy!

 

Brown Butter Orange Pumpkin Muffins

Dry:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Wet:
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tsp. orange zest
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbs. orange juice
1 tsp. orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin tins with paper baking cups.

In a small saucepan, add the unsalted butter and let simmer until it becomes brown and gives off a nutty scent, about 5-8 minutes. Take off the heat and let cool.

In a medium-sized bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.

In a large bowl, add both sugars and eggs. Whisk to combine. Drizzle in cooled brown butter and whisk to combine. Add the pumpkin, orange juice, and orange zest, whisk to combine. Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans. Spoon batter into prepared tins, filling each cup 2/3 of the way full.

Bake for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Drizzle with glaze.

For the glaze: In a small bowl, add powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. Whisk until smooth.

 

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#MuffinMonday: Nutella Swirl Donut Muffins

August 6, 2012 By 30 Comments

I’ve been MIA for the past week, and I’m so very sorry. My grandfather had surgery last Tuesday, so I travelled on up to Cow Country to take care of him. I waited on him hand and foot, because I’m his favorite granddaughter (I’m his only granddaughter), and that’s what favorite granddaughters’ do to make their grandfathers feel better.

I made a ton of food while I was in Cow Country. I made this tomato and bacon pie by The Country Cook. It was Amazing! My grandmother adored this pie, so much that she couldn’t stop talking about it. She even ate it for breakfast one morning. I also perfected pizza dough over the weekend. Don’t worry, I’ll share the love later on this week. Last, but certainly not least, I made Nutella Donut Muffins for my very first #MuffinMonday.

These donut muffins put a smile on my grandfather’s face. He loved them! He loved them so much that he ate three of them in one sitting. Trooper, right? His exact words as he reached for his third muffin were, “Well, it’s not like I get these often, so I’m eating another one.” Go ahead, Pop-pop! I was secretly cheering him on from the sidelines.

I don’t know about you, but Monday is not my favorite day of the week. Monday means it’s the end of the weekend. No more Sunday fun day. No more sleeping in. No more baking all weekend. No more footloose and fancy free. No more late night cocktail hours. It’s back to all work and no play.

Oh, Monday. How I dread your arrival.

Muffins make Monday’s a bit more tolerable, which is why An from Bakerstreet created #MuffinMonday.

Thanks to An, Monday’s aren’t so bad now.

These Nutella donut muffins will brighten any Monday. Guaranteed!

It’s a donut. It’s a muffin. It’s a donut muffin, and it’s one of the best muffins I have ever eaten. The texture is moist and cake-like, and a dollop of Nutella gets plopped in the middle, creating a fudgy center. You’ll forget all about Monday and the upcoming work week when you sink your teeth into one of these delicious muffins.

Happy #MuffinMonday!

 

Nutella Swirl Donut Muffins

3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups + 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
2 tsp baking power
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. orange zest
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
About 1/3 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray, or line with cupcake papers.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and egg until combined. Add in flour, baking powder, salt, orange zest, and cinnamon. Mix until combined.

Add in the vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir until just combined.

Fill each mini muffin cup about 2/3 full with batter. Add a dollop of nutella to each muffin and swirl with a knife.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool muffins on a wire rack before serving.

Adapted slightly from Bakerstreet

 

Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week.

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Strawberry Orange Mousse

March 22, 2012 By 25 Comments

Wow, spring is in the air in Baltimore, and it feels good. I don’t know about you, but I definitely had a case of the winter blues. It’s so nice to finally see the sun and feel its warmth on my ghostly white skin. Seriously, my skin is so white that it glows- and not in a good way.

In honor of spring, I made a lovely light and airy strawberry orange mousse. It’s sure to pull you out of your winter stupor. This creamy dessert is easy to make- like, super easy! It will appear as if you spent all day in the kitchen making it, when actually, it only takes about 10 minutes to throw together.

This mousse is a nice finish to a heavy meal. Add a little white wine to the mix and you’ve got yourself a party.

Strawberry and orange mingle and fall in love, creating a perfect marriage of flavors. This mousse is creamy and dreamy. It’s not too sweet, but just sweet enough to satisfy your sweet tooth after dinner.

Look at those pillowy waves of strawberry and orange fluffiness. Makes you want to dive right in. Enjoy!

Love and sweet treats,

Jennie

Recipe:

adapted from Ask Aida

1 lb. of fresh strawberries, hulled

1/2 cup sugar

1 orange, zested and juiced

1 tbs. orange-flavored liqueur

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tbs. powdered sugar

In a blender or a food processor, blend strawberries, orange zest, and orange juice until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until bubbling and just thickened, about 7-10 minutes. Refrigerate mixture until completely cool, about 2-3 hours.

In a bowl of a mixture, beat cream with powdered sugar and orange liqueur until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the strawberry mixture. Chill for about 30 minutes until mixture sets. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and sliced strawberries. Enjoy!

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