Author Archives: Janis Chanin

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

16 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Bread, Breakfast, Chocolate, Dessert, Vegetarian

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Chocolate Chip Biscotti

This recipe is one of my mom’s favorites.  Every time we get together for breakfast or brunch, she requests that I make my chocolate chip biscotti, claiming it’s the best she’s ever had.  Let’s hope you agree!  (In the photo above, I made half the biscotti using this recipe, and the other half was chocolate cherry biscotti, to create the plate of “zebra biscotti”!)

Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Time:  10 minutes prep; 40 minutes total
Yield:  40 pieces

½ cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ cup mini chocolate chips
1.  Preheat the oven to 375ºF.  Lightly grease a jelly roll pan and set aside.

2.  Whisk together the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.

3.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.  Slowly combine the flour with the oil/sugar mixture, forming a sticky ball of dough.  Mix in the mini chocolate chips, kneading gently with your hands.

4.  Divide the dough into two pieces.  Roll into two separate logs, each roughly the length of the jelly roll pan.  Place on the prepared pan and gently pat down to flatten to about a 1-inch thickness.

5.  Bake at 375ºF for 22-27 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool just enough that it’s comfortable to touch.  Cut into ½-inch wide slices.  Return the slices to the pan, cut-side up.  Bake for an additional 6-10 minutes to lightly toast the surface.  Store in a sealed container for up to one month.

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Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Blackberry BBQ Spice Rubbed Pork Loin

09 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Dinner, Healthy

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Blackberry BBQ Pork Loin

Part of the reason why late spring and summer are so incredible is because the season is chock full of amazing, fresh produce.  We have to take advantage of all the natural goodness these few months bring, and get our fill of many summertime favorites such as watermelon, berries, and summer squash.  The sweetness of the blackberries in this recipe pairs perfectly with the smoky BBQ sauce, making it a tasty summertime dinner.

Blackberry BBQ Spice Rubbed Pork Loin
Yield:  6 servings
Time:  Roughly 40 minutes total

For the Blackberry BBQ Sauce:
1 white onion, diced finely
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
6 oz. tomato paste
2 cups fresh blackberries
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
3 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. coarse ground mustard
1/3 cup BBQ sauce (I like using the smoky kind)

For the Spice Rubbed Pork:
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
¾ tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. chipotle chili pepper
½ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
3 lb. pork loin

1.  Sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 5-7 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring often.  Turn the heat off and set aside.

2.  In a saucepan, combine the blackberries, vinegar, brown sugar, and soy sauce.  Cook over medium heat until the blackberries begin to burst, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the mustard and BBQ sauce.  Cook for another 5 minutes.  Gently mash the mixture using a potato masher.  Stir in the onions and garlic.  Set aside to serve with the grilled pork.

3.  Prepare the spice rub by mixing together the salt, pepper, brown sugar, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, and cayenne.  Massage the spice mixture into the surface of the pork loin.  Place on the grill and cook for five minutes over medium heat.  Rotate the pork loin a quarter turn and cook for another five minutes.  Repeat with remaining two sides, to cook for roughly a total of 20-25 minutes.  The pork is done when a meat thermometer placed into the center of the loin registers 150ºF.

4.  Serve with the prepared Blackberry BBQ sauce.

Note:  The Blackberry BBQ sauce can be made up to three days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.  You may also marinate the pork in the sauce if desired.

Blackberry BBQ Spice Rubbed Pork

Blackberry BBQ Spice Rubbed Pork Loin

Blackberry BBQ Spice Rubbed Pork

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JanisCakes Custom Order!

01 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by in Dessert

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1st Custom Order

This is my very first JanisCakes post to not contain a recipe, but I have exciting news to share instead!  I am thrilled to announce that I recently filled my very first JanisCakes custom order!!  I’ve always dreamed of selling my baked treats and that dream finally came true for me in the most unexpected of ways.  My husband and I bought our first home about a month ago, and it won’t surprise you to hear that the very first thing I unpacked was my kitchen.  Although not everything was in its perfect place, the kitchen cabinets were soon full and I was cooking meals the very next day.  My hubby and I were anxious to meet our neighbors, so we decided to go around knocking on doors, introducing ourselves, and giving out plates of freshly baked homemade goodies.  We met so many genuinely nice people, and we’re fortunate to have such amazing neighbors.  I am especially grateful for one in particular who emailed me later that day asking if I (dun dun dun….) BAKE FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO BUY.  Did that sentence make your heart skip a beat, like it did mine??  She wanted to buy some treats for her party that weekend, so we tossed a few ideas back and forth until we came up with the perfect dessert menu:

1)  Mini Vanilla Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling and Raspberry Frosting (link to similar recipe)

1st Custom Order

2)  Mini Mocha Cupcakes with Kahlua-Espresso Frosting

1st Custom Order

3)  Butterscotch Bars  (link to recipe)

1st Custom Order

Pretty soon, my brand new kitchen was alive with action!  I baked up a storm, so giddy the entire time because I was filling my very first custom order!  It was a very proud and happy moment for me when I delivered the treats the next morning, creating a genuine happiness deep inside of me–a feeling I won’t soon forget!

1st Custom Order

Of course I baked extras of everything, allowing for inevitable mess-ups: overfilled cupcakes with raspberry erupting from the center, cupcakes that were way too big or way to small, overall ugly or misshapen desserts, slanted frosting, too sparse on the edible shimmery star decorations,… and basically every other imperfection you can imagine!  Plus, I needed to make a few extra to taste test to make sure all the flavors came together in just the way I wanted.  As you can imagine, this left me with quite a few rejects, which my nephews happily gobbled up!  Fortunately even the rejects passed their test!

1st Custom Order

1st Custom Order

1st Custom Order

Feel free to message me if you ever want to place a JanisCakes custom order.  I’d be more than happy discuss ideas and options with you, creating a perfect dessert spread to match your needs!  And remember, all JanisCakes treats are entirely nut-free, so they’re safe for people allergic to peanuts and/or tree nuts to eat as well!

-JC

 

Roasted Summer Fruit A La Mode

20 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by in Boozy, Dessert, Fruit, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Ice Cream Over Roasted Summer Fruit

I created this recipe by accident.  I bought tons of fresh blackberries to make blackberry mint mimosas on Mother’s Day, and I ended up with lots left over.  I knew I had a narrow window of time to use them all before they spoiled, so my first thought was to make a blackberry and rhubarb crisp–one of my all time favorites!  In the spirit of cutting out some calories as bathing suit season approaches, I decided to forego the oatmeal crisp topping (which is typically loaded with butter) and instead just toss the fruit with some brown sugar and roast it.  I had a few ripe peaches sitting on my counter, so I diced those up and threw them in too.  Although I had good intentions of keeping the dessert light and low cal, once the fruit was hot and bubbly, I couldn’t resist topping it with a scoop of low-fat vanilla bean ice cream!  The flavors tasted divine together, and they just screamed summer! Next time I make this, I’m going to stir 2 tbsp. of honey whiskey (such as Wild Turkey American Honey or Jack Daniels Honey) into the fruit before roasting it.  It can’t hurt, right??

Roasted Summer Fruit À La Mode
Yield: 2 servings
Time:  25 minutes total

1 cup blackberries
3 peaches, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 cup rhubarb, diced into bite-sized pieces
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
(2 tbsp. honey whiskey*–optional)

2 to 4 scoops of your favorite ice cream**
1.  Toss together all of the fruit, brown sugar, cinnamon, and whiskey (if using).  Transfer to a lightly greased baking dish.

2.  Bake at 375ºF for 20 minutes.

3.  Spoon half of the mixture into a serving bowl.  Top with one or two scoops of your favorite ice cream.

* Try using Wild Turkey American Honey or Jack Daniels Honey.

** I highly recommend Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!  A fruit flavored sorbet would also be delicious.

 

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PS…Did you know that “à la mode” is a French saying meaning “in style”?  Thank goodness for the French making it fashionable to top dessert with ice cream!

Tijuana Caesar Salad

29 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by in Dinner, Healthy, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Salad, Vegetarian

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Tijuana Caesar Salad

Did you know that Caesar salad actually originated in Mexico?  It’s true!  The story goes like this:  apparently an Italian chef named Caesar Cardini created the salad at his restaurant in Tijuana when hungry customers arrived and the restaurant was running very low on food.  He didn’t want to send them away hungry, so he combined whatever ingredients he could find and voila–Caesar salad!

Here’s my South-of-the-Border version of the classic.  It makes for a great side dish to a Mexican-themed dinner, on Cinco de Mayo or any day of the year!  I absolutely love the Cilantro Jalapeno Agave dressing!  I hope you will as well.

Tijuana Caesar Salad
Yield:  4 servings
Time:  30 minutes total

For the salad:
8 cups romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 oz. Parmesan cheese, finely shredded (I use a Microplane zester to get it super light and fluffy)

For the tortilla strip croutons:
2 flour tortillas
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. dried cilantro
¼ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. coarse sea salt

For the Cilantro Jalapeno Agave dressing:
2/3 cup plain yogurt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. agave (or honey)
¼ cup lime juice
2 tbsp. finely diced cilantro
1 tbsp. finely diced fresh jalapeno
½ tsp. salt

1.  Prepare the tortilla strips:  Preheat the oven to 400ºF.  Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.  Cut the tortillas into bite-sized pieces (roughly ¾-inch squares) and place in a medium-sized bowl.  Whisk together the olive oil, chili powder, cilantro, and garlic powder.  Pour over the tortillas and toss to coat evenly. Arrange the tortillas in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake at 400ºF for 12 minutes, then finish by broiling for 2-4 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from oven and set aside to allow the strips to come to room temperature.

2.  Prepare the dressing:  Whisk all ingredients together.

3.  Toss the lettuce, cilantro and Parmesan cheese together in a large mixing bowl.  Drizzle in half of the dressing and two large handfuls of tortilla strips.  Toss to coat.  Serve with the remaining dressing and tortilla strips on the side, adding more as desired.

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