CV of Justin Lang

Dec
14
2011
By: Justin

Sections:

Breakfast
Recipes

Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 8 slices white or whole-wheat sandwich bread
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 6 large eggs
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter 6 standard muffin cups. With a rolling pin, flatten bread slices slightly and, with a 4 1/4-inch cookie cutter, cut into 8 rounds. Cut each round in half, then press 2 halves into each muffin cup, overlapping slightly and making sure bread comes up to edge of cup. Use extra bread to patch any gaps. Brush bread with remaining butter.
  2. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium, until almost crisp, 4 minutes, flipping once. (It will continue to cook in the oven.) Lay 1 bacon slice in each bread cup and crack an egg over each. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until egg whites are just set, 20 to 25 minutes. Run a small knife around cups to loosen toasts. Serve immediately.

Cook’s Note

Standard muffin pans come in 6- or 12-cup size; if baking 6 items in a 12-cup pan, leave empty space in between. Nonstick pans are nice but not essential. Beware of very thin pans, which often lead to burning. Place pans on a baking sheet to make them easier to get in and out of the oven.

Dec
14
2011
By: Justin

Sections:

Dessert
Recipes

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

Ingredients

  • 42 Oreos (~1 package), 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
  • 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners or grease well with non-stick baking spray. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

Dec
14
2011
By: Justin

Sections:

Dessert
Recipes

Toasted Marshmallow S’mores Bars

Ingredients

  • 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 cup butter or margarine, melted
  • 3 cups milk chocolate chips (18 oz)
  • 4 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix and crumbs. Stir in melted butter until soft dough forms. Press into ungreased 13×9-inch pan.
  2. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until set. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Spread chocolate evenly over crust.
  3. Set oven control to broil. Sprinkle marshmallows over melted chocolate. Broil with top 5 to 6 inches from heat 20 to 30 seconds or until marshmallows are toasted. (Watch closely; marshmallows will brown quickly.) Cool 10 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Serve warm. Store any remaining bars tightly covered.
Makes 24 bars
Dec
09
2011
By: Justin

Sections:

Dessert
Recipes

Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookie Caramel Brownies

Ingredients

 

Cookie Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 sticks butter (melted)
  • 2 1/4 c. flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 c. chocolate chips

Topping and center mix Ingredients

  • 15 oreos
  • 1/4 c. white chocolate chips

Bar Ingredients

  • 1 box brownie caramel brownies
  • 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

 

Instructions

 

Cookie Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl.
  3. Melt butter and mix with sugars until smooth.
  4. Add in eggs and vanilla.
  5. Combine with dry ingredients until smooth.
  6. Add chocolate chips.
  7. Spread a 9 x 13 pan with cookie dough until completely covered.

Brownie Instructions

  1. Prepare as directed; add mini chocolate chips

Bar Assembly Instructions

  1. Crush 8 oreos and sprinkle over top of cookie dough spread.
  2. Cover with brownie batter.
  3. Squeeze packet of caramel over batter and swirl all over with a knife.
  4. Sprinkle with remaining crushed oreos and white chocolate chips.
  5. Bake for about 25 minutes, don’t overcook as it will set and get firmer. Let cool and set before digging in (I know it’s hard).

 

 

Dec
08
2011
By: Justin

Sections:

Dessert
Recipes
Snacks

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

Ingredients

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp softened butter
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar (maybe more)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar (maybe more)
  • Pretzels
  • 1 bag  semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Combine peanut butter and softened butter in a large bowl with a fork or whisk, or in a stand mixer.  Add the sugars and mix to combine.  At this point if the filling will roll easily into balls without sticking to your hands you’re ready to go.  If not, add a little more of each sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll (I used about 3/4 cup of each sugar).

Use a teaspoon measure to scoop the filling.  Roll each portion into a small ball, then sandwich them between two whole pretzels.  When all the balls are rolled and successfully sandwiched, stick the whole tray in the freezer for about half an hour.

Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until completely melted.  Remove the pretzel sandwiches from the freezer and quickly dip each half-way into the melted chocolate.  Return to the tray and repeat with remaining sandwiches.  When all are dipped, return the tray to the freezer to set up completely.  Store the sandwiches in the refrigerator until serving time.

Dec
08
2011
By: Justin

Sections:

Dessert
Recipes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Yield: 3 to 4 dozen truffles

Prep Time: 45 min + chilling time

Best served cold, these treats are for cookie-dough lovers.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • chocolate bark, to melt for dipping
  • additional chocolate chips, sprinkles, etc., optional for topping the truffles

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, use electric mixer to cream together butter and brown sugar. Add vanilla. Beat in flour, 1 cup at a time, until it is incorporated and you no longer see chunks of brown sugar (if you spot any, just squish them). Beat in sweetened condensed milk and mix until well-combined. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.

2. Cover bowl and refrigerate until dough is firm (at least 1 hour- maybe more… you want the dough to be quite firm). Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out heaping Tablespoonfuls, roll into balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Place all of the rolled balls back into the refrigerator until you are ready to dip them in chocolate.

3. Melt chocolate bark in a glass bowl- easiest to do in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring after each heating time, until smooth. Use a spoon to help you dip the chilled dough ball into the chocolate and roll it around to cover all sides. Place it on a waxed paper-lined platter. Sprinkle with any desired toppings. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls. They’ll begin to set pretty quickly. Keep them refrigerated until ready to serve.

Tips:

*I used the Ghirardelli Candy Making Dipping Bar- both Double Chocolate and White flavors. It’s available at Sam’s Club- they may have it at Costco too.
*You may wish to speed up the chilling process and place the balls into the freezer, but it’s not such a good idea. The dough freezes up and then when it begins to warm up again- it expands and may cause the chocolate coating to crack.

*Have your own favorite cookie dough recipe? Leave out the eggs, add a little milk to compensate for any dryness in the dough, and try making truffles with your own recipe!

Dec
08
2011
By: Justin

Sections:

Recipes
Sandwiches

Southwestern Chicken Wraps

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 4 sandwich wraps (10 inches each)
  • 3 cups baby spinach
  • 3 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
  • 1 can (15 ounces) drained and rinsed black beans
  • 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 avocado, thinly sliced

Directions

  1. In a bowl, whisk together sour cream, jalapenos, and lime juice; season with salt and pepper.
  2. Spread sandwich wraps with sour-cream sauce, leaving a 2-inch border. In center of wraps, layer equal amounts of baby spinach, shredded chicken, black beans, tomato, onion, and avocado. For each wrap, fold two sides of wrap over filling, then roll tightly, ending seam side down.
Dec
07
2011
By: Justin

Sections:

Recipes
Sides

Spicy Oven Fries

Ingredients
  • 4 russet potatoes, cut lengthwise into 12 wedges
  • 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Time estimates
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  2. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  3. Dip the cut potatoes in egg to coat and place in a bowl.
  4. Mix the remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the potatoes, toss well to coat.
  5. Place the wedges on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
  6. Turn the potatoes over and bake for 15 minutes or until crisp.
Yields 4 servings.
Dec
06
2011
By: Justin

Sections:

Recipes
Snacks

Mini Tuna Melts

Ingredients

  • 5 ounces, weight Tuna
  • ¼ cups Finely Chopped Red Onion
  • ¼ cups Finely Chopped Red Bell Pepper
  • 1 whole Fresh Jalapeno, Finely Chopped
  • 2 whole Hard Boiled Eggs, Chopped
  • 6 whole Sweet Gerkins, Sliced
  • ⅓ cups Mayonnaise
  • 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
  • Splash Of Pickle Juice
  • Salt And Pepper, to taste
  • 6 whole English Muffins Split
  • 12 slices Cheese (Swiss, Provolone, Muenster)

Preparation Instructions

Combine tuna with onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, eggs, and gerkins. Stir in mayonnaise, Dijon, and pickle juice. Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed; be sure not to undersalt.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place English muffin halves on a large cookie sheet. Place a large spoonful of tuna salad on each of the twelve English muffin halves. Use the spoon to spread/flatten. Put pan into the oven for five minutes, then briefly remove and lay a slice of cheese on each muffin. Return to oven and turn on broiler. Watch carefully to avoid burning; bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Dec
05
2011
By: Justin

Sections:

Dessert
Recipes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 to 1 cup powdered sugar (*to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips, plus extra for sprinkling

Directions:

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar until it dissolves and the mixture starts to bubble. Stir in vanilla and set aside to cool.
In a separate bowl, cream the cream cheese and powdered sugar together for 60 seconds. With the mixer on low speed, add in brown sugar and butter mixture. Mix until combined. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.

Garnish with additional mini chocolate chips. Serve with animal cracker, nilla wafers or graham crackers.

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