Parmesean Garlic Knot Recipe & Pass The Plate with KitchenAid

Breast cancer is a very personal topic for us, as we have had many dear friends and family who have been diagnosed with this deadly disease. One of our aunts is a survivor and the journey through her chemo and healing was challenging in every sense of the word. But it was something that bonded our family closer together and reminded us the value of life and the importance to help bring out awareness.

October is breast cancer awareness month and due to the long standing partnership KitchenAid has with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, this community of food bloggers are working together to commemorate the cause. In fact, KitchenAid has helped the foundation raise over 9 million dollars for breast cancer research to date and it doesn’t stop there. We were asked to help spread the awareness through their Cook for the Cure and Pass The Plate Programs, and it’s something we are honored to be a part of.

This Pass the Plate program partnered with Chef Jacques Pepin to create a unique design on a Villeroy and Boch plate. We’ve registered the plate and made a special dish, serving on the unique plate and then passing it on to a friend. Our friend will then register the plate and pass it on again. Each time someone registers the plate, $5 is donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation.

 The chain of love, cooking and sharing continues. Hopefully, forever. This is how amazing this project is.

For our dish, we made a new variation off our favorite garlic knots that’s also in our cookbook Bountiful. As the holidays start to sneak up on us, we’re all preparing to plan our menus for our loved ones. These garlic knots are the perfect addition to the holiday table.

Homemade garlic knots are loved by all and with the addition of parmesean cheese on top, it’ll leave everyone licking their fingers to the very last bite. They’re that good.

Better yet, try dipping these garlic knots in some gravy and it’s a meal in it self. It’s the perfect holiday side dish to celebrate the ones you love and to remember those who have lost their lives to breast cancer.

 And for the rest of you, KitchenAid is giving away one of these plates for you to share and pass the love too!

Just leave a comment below about what special dish you would like to make.For an additional entry, if you have a personal story about breast cancer, share it below. We’d love to hear.Giveaway will end on Wednesday October 30th, chosen by random number generator, and the winner will be announced back on this post.

The Giveaway has ended. Thank you for sharing your stories. The winner is #21 Corrine! For the rest of you, please continue to spread the word about this Pass the Plate program and help with the fight against breast cancer.

 Thank you all for being a part of this and working together to help spread the love.

-Diane and Todd

Yield: about 40 knots

Total Time: 4 hours

There are two ways we usually roll out the knots, pinching off and weighing little balls of to roll into the knots; or rolling the dough out, cutting it into even strips, rolling the strips into logs and twisting the logs into the knots. In a prior garlic knot post we described the latter, however the pinch and ball method is our favorite. Whichever method you choose, the knots' texture will benefit from not over handling. The less you knead, press, and smash the dough, the better. For other variations try our classic Garlic Knots or our Spicy Garlic Knots.

1 3/4 cup (415ml) warm water (@115°F)1/4 cup (55g) extra-virgin olive oil1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt1 Tablespoon sugar1 1/2 Tablespoons (17g) active dry yeastabout 5 1/2 cups (750 g) all-purpose flour1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil4 cloves garlic, crushed1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiana Reggiano (or other parmesean cheese)1/4 cup chopped Italian parsleykosher or sea salt, to tastefresh cracked black pepper, to tasteMake the dough: combine the warm water, olive oil, salt, sugar, and active dry yeast in a large resealable container or bowl. Mix to dissolve yeast.Mix in the flour to incorporate (you may need to knead just a bit to get the last bit of dry flour to incorporate into the dough). Cover and set in a warm spot to proof until doubled in volume (usually 1-3 hours depending on initial water temp and warmth of proofing area).Chill the dough for a couple hours to make it easier to handle (it will keep fine in the refrigerator for several days if you want to make the dough ahead of time but this can be skipped if you don’t have the time). Make the knots: line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.On a lightly floured surface, pinch off and weigh ping-pong sized balls of dough (approx. 1 ounce (28g) each)- weighing helps keep the knots evenly sized, but you can just eyeball it if you prefer cooking that way.Roll a dough ball back and forth between your hands and also by using an un-floured surface to create an even rope about 6-inches long(if the dough is too sticky, lightly dust with a bit of flour).Tie into a knot (over, under, and through) and place on the lined sheet pans, giving an 1 1/2-inch spacing between each knot. At first it may seem awkward making the knots but with a little practice it will become easy. Using just enough flour to balance between the dough being tacky and sticky is the key while forming the knots.Continue making the rest of the knots with the remaining dough balls. As each sheet pan fills up, cover the pan with a dry kitchen towel, and place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise.

Preheat oven to 400° F

After knots have doubled in size, take off the towel and place knots in the oven. Bake for approx. 12-15 minutes or until golden.While knots are baking, make the parmesean garlic coating. Melt the butter, with the olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan (if you like your garlic with less of a bite, cook it for a few minutes in oil/butter mix until soft & slightly golden). Set aside.After removing knots from oven, while still warm, toss the knots with garlic coating, parmesean, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Best served warm, but still good when at room temp.

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Sweet Onion “Crack-Dip” Recipe and Bountiful Dinner with KitchenAid

Stop everything and make this sweet onion dip recipe. Though the recipe is our creation, we can’t take credit for the nickname. It belongs to a little gathering of friends always labels it as “crack dip”. So when it came time to sharing it again in our cookbook, Bountiful, we lovingly added the new name to the final draft. Thankfully, our Abrams editor was open-minded enough to let us coin this term in print because  the nickname really is fitting. And delicious.

Our crack-dip is easy for even the newest cooks to make and for you over-achievers, this dip will still make you look good, like you slaved over the stove for hours. Be prepared for the applause that follows when everyone has a few bites.

Friends Jacques & Hasty Torres came to celebrate & they “thumbs-up” the book. iphone Photo credit: Dervla Kelly

This sweet onion dip is a mish-mash of many things devilish, fattening and wonderful. Once in a while, you have to indulge and spoil yourself rotten with something warm, cheesy and comforting. You deserve it. We all deserve it and without these little moments of cheesy-joy, eating and cooking wouldn’t be half as fun or adventurous. And when all is said and done, you can fun a few miles around the track, sweat off a few pounds and start all over again.

Because this dip is so special to us, we wanted to make it in huge batches for our Bountiful cookbook signing with wonderful KitchenAid last week in the beautiful New York City, The Daily Meal kitchen that’s outfitted with KitchenAid appliances.

We taught how to roll the perfect spring roll. No floppies or burrito-sized here. iphone Photo credit: Dervla Kelly

iphone view of the whole party eating together. It was so great to finally meet so many of our editors & NYC colleagues

The incredible folks on the KitchenAid team was led tirelessly by the amazing Rachel Barbarotta. Partnered with the awesome kitchen at The Daily Meal, we were able to have a beautiful New York City venue to hold a little dinner for our fellow editors, colleagues and handful of bloggers. At the dinner, we shared all made spring rolls together, poured proseco thanks to Mionetto and ate crack-dip till we dropped.

thanks to the amazing beauties who ran the show like pro’s : Rachel, Jill and Katie-Lee (love you!)

iphone Photo credit: Dervla Kelly

We arrived at The Daily Meal kitchen with two suitcases full of groceries. In fact, these New York City locals kinda giggled at us for rolling up two full-sized suit cases to the fourth floor kitchen. How else are two tourists supposed to bring up about 3 shopping carts full of groceries to feed a party of 40? Indeed, it was the most efficient way to arrive, ready to cook, with about 100 pounds of groceries. You New York City locals should try it!

After about three hours of prepping vegetables and fillings in the incredible KitchenAid equipped kitchen (the KitchenAid ice maker is to-die-for), we were ready to feed 40 guests. And no White On Rice Couple party is ever complete without cocktails. So Todd made a few pitchers of our pomegranate grapefruit gin cocktail. Done. This Bountiful dinner was already ready.

apparently we said something funny . They were laughing at us. ooops. bloopers. iphone Photo credit: Dervla Kelly

Rachel and her team made sure everyone had beverages  and crack-dip topped off. We made sure everyone rolled perfectly tight and plump spring rolls. Everyone seemed to behave and best of all, their rolls like amazing. The guests are now ready to pass on these spring rolling skills at their next dinner party. Some even might open up their own spring roll restaurant. Their skills are that crazy good.

Thanks to everyone at KitchenAid and The Daily Meal for hosting our Bountiful dinner! We’re so grateful for your support.

And to the rest of you, enjoy the sweet onion crack-dip! Warning— it’s addicting.

love,

diane and todd

some of the good-eaters before the feast iphone Photo credit: Deb Puchalla

our cookbook editor at Abrams and photographer of the evening… Dervla!

Jacques and Hasty Torres zoom off in their motorcyle and Bountiful.

Where to buy Bountiful online? Here’s also a list of some great independent bookstores in your area. Please support them! For most of the independent bookstores, our book is available to order online was well as at the store and many have signed copies available.

Amazon
Indiebound
Book Larder, Seattle
Book Soup and Vromans, Los Angeles
Kings English, Salt Lake City, Utah
Powells Books, Portland, Oregon
Barnes and Nobles

Yield: Serves 4-6

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

This recipe is from our cookbook, Bountiful. This dip was dubbed "crack dip" by friends who were over for an evening feast due to it's addictive nature. The name stuck and we've been calling that ever since. We've traditionally have served the dip with crackers or charred sliced of bread, however, with several friends needing gluten-free options, we've started serving it with crunchy vegetables such as radishes, jicama, celery, and carrots instead. We actually like the way the veggies help balance the richness of the dip better than that of the crackers or bread. It is also great to serve with heirloom tomatoes in the summertime. Amazingly good pairing. We'll also often make big batches, and then just dish out the un-baked dip into baking containers and then bake it whenever we need to serve it over a week or two span.

1 (8-ounce / 225-g) package cream cheese (at room temperature)1 cup (240ml) mayonnaise (preferably Best Foods brand)1 cup (100g) freshly grated Parmesean1 cup (160g) diced sweet onion1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepperPreheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan, onion, and black pepper and until everything is thoroughly combined.Pour the mixture into a 6-inch (15-cm) baking dish or any oven-safe dish. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, so all the ingredients meld together. When the top crust is brown and almost burnt-looking, the dip is ready. The darker brown the crust becomes, the better the flavors are.Serve with your favorite crusty bread, crackers, slices of tomatoes, or crunchy vegetables such as radishes, jicama, carrots, and celery.

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KitchenAid 7-Quart Mixer Giveaway

I am partnering with my friends at KitchenAid to giveaway a KitchenAid 7-Quart Bowl-Lift Residential Stand Mixer. There will be one (1) winner whom will receive one (1) 7-Quart Bowl-Lift Residential Stand Mixer (Model KSM7581) in a color of their choice. The value of this mixer is $549!

KitchenAid’s 7-Quart Bowl-Lift Residential Stand Mixer comes with dishwasher safe accessories: stainless steel 11-wire Elliptical Whip, coated metal Flat Beater, and Power Knead Dough Hook.

Model KSM7581Available in: Candy Apple Red, Medallion Silver, Black Storm, or WhiteLargest Capacity Residential Bowl-Lift Available 7-Quart (6.6 L)1.3HP high efficiency DC motor is designed to run longer and delivers optimum torque with less heat build-up. Easily handles recipes requiring longer mixing, kneading and whipping times. The all-metal, precise gear design produces a smooth, quiet sound.Designed for long life of high performance; backed by 2 year hassle-free replacement warranty.Advanced feedback control communicates in micro seconds to the motor to ensure optimal power is delivered to the bowl.

Eligibility: United States only. Closing Date: November 4, 2012, 11:59 pm PST. Winner will be randomly selected and contacted via email on November 5, 2012. The prize is proudly sponsored by KitchenAid. To enter, please follow the steps below.

Eligibility: United States only.

Step 1
Like Rasa Malaysia on Facebook. (Click on the Like button below.)

Step 2
Follow Rasa Malaysia on Twitter. (Click on the Follow @rasamalaysia button below. If you don’t have Twitter, skip this step.)

Step 3

Like KitchenAid on Facebook. (Click on the Like button below. )

Step 4

Follow Kitchenaid on Twitter. (Click on the Follow @KitchenAidUSA button below. If you don’t have Twitter, skip this step.)

Step 5
Fill in the form below. You can enter to win using this form every day.

You will be redirected to the “Thank You” page if your entry is successfully submitted.

ONE ENTRY PER DAY STRICTLY ENFORCED.

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In early 2008, I shared my thoughts about Chinese and the foods that we consume in my version of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (for Chinese people), in which I categorized the foods that Chinese eat into 4 categories. I love eating expensive Chinese food, such as abalone, fish maw, geoduck, hairy crab, etc. Most of the time, I indulge in…

Update: The winner is Jose Morales from Brownsville, Texas. Congratulations! After the birth of baby G, I am all about doing more with less. To manage my hectic lifestyle, I need tools and devices that simplify my life, and one of the most important things I use on the daily basis is my cell phone. With the holiday season just…

(This is not the real cover of the cookbook. It’s just one of the pictures I’d shot for the book.) (Updated: Thanks sooooo much for your warm participation. Due to the overwhelming responses, this is now closed. I will be selecting the participants these two days. Those selected will be contacted via email. Thanks again!! ) I am almost done…

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10-Piece KitchenAid Cookware Set Giveaway

I am partnering with my friends at Pots and Pans to giveaway a 10-piece KitchenAid Gourmet Cookware Set. There will be one (1) winner whom will receive one (1) KitchenAid Cookware Set ($179.99 retail value).

Crafted from fast and even-heating hard-anodized aluminum, a material that is twice as strong as stainless steel, the KitchenAid Gourmet Hard-Anodized Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set offers everything needed to make nearly any meal: 1.5 Qt. Covered Saucepan, 3 Quart Covered Saucepan, 8 Quart Covered Stockpot, 8.5-inch Skillet, 10-inch Skillet, and 3 Quart Covered SautZ Pan. Combining function with design, the elegant shape of this collection enhances access to food in the pan, while also providing visual interest. The cookware’s heavy gauge construction makes it rugged for everyday use, while a long lasting 3-layer nonstick cooking surface offers hassle-free cooking without sticking and super-quick cleaning. Glass lids allow for easy monitoring of the cooking process, and dual-riveted stainless steel handles with comfortable silicone padding deliver a comfortable and sturdy grip. This cookware is oven safe to 400° F.

Eligibility: United States only. Closing Date: July 15, 2012, 11:59 pm PST. Winner will be randomly selected and contacted via email on July 16, 2012. The prize is proudly sponsored by Pots and Pans. To enter, please follow the steps below.

Eligibility: United States only.

Step 1
Like Rasa Malaysia on Facebook. (If you don’t have Facebook, skip this step.)

Step 2
Follow Rasa Malaysia on Twitter. (Click on the Follow @rasamalaysia button below. If you don’t have Twitter, skip this step.)

Step 3
Like PotsandPans.com on Facebook. (If you don’t have Facebook, skip this step..)

Step 4
Follow PotsandPans.com on Twitter. (Click on the Follow @potsandpans button below. If you don’t have Twitter, skip this step.)

Step 5
Fill in the form below. You can enter to win using this form every day.

You will be redirected to the “Thank You” page if your entry is successfully submitted.

ONE ENTRY PER DAY STRICTLY ENFORCED.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Ever since I set eyes on Annie’s marble cake post, the image of her rich, buttery, chocolaty marble cake has made quite an impression on me. Annie is a superb baker and she once shared her aunt’s butter cake recipe with me that had me oooh and ahhh for the delicious great taste. I know her marble cake recipe will…

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Swiss Meringue Frosting Recipe and KitchenAid Luncheon Love

For the last 16 years that we’ve been together, there are a few items that still have made it through the entire decade and half relationship. Our photo albums documenting our mischievous younger days still exist in the back corner of our bookshelf. Two fruit trees in pots that started off on our apartment patio balcony have survived 2 major moves are and are currently flourishing in their final garden spot. And then of course, our KitchenAid stand mixer has stood the test of time over all these years through a bazillion dozen batches of cookies, cupcakes, bread and other culinary concoctions.

Our KitchenAid stand mixer is like a part of the family. It’s one of the few kitchen tools that have and will always be, a permanent part of our life. When we were able to save our pennies together, the first thing we did was to outfit our kitchen with the fundamental tools. Yes, we did this before even ever buying a bed. We slept on the floor for the first 3 years together. But that’s another post.

Anyways, back to the kitchen talk…

When we finally grew out of our first black 5 qt. KitchenAid stand mixer because we had more people to feed, we graduated our kitchen to the Professional 6 qt. KitchenAid stand mixer. Back then, it took us 6 months of saving up our tips (from work) to buy the Cadillac of stand mixers. It was like having a trophy sitting on our kitchen counter top and to this day, it still has a permanent spot in the kitchen scene.

Now fast forward many years later, we are now thrilled to be partnering with KitchenAid small appliances in our studio. It’s like a dream to be working with not only with small appliances that we love, but also the people behind KitchenAid are wonderful. 

To be partnering with a brand we love and to know that the people who stand behind the product are amazing is certainly dream come true. Rachel Barbarotta is the KitchenAid Community Manager out of Digitas New York, responsible for managing the brands social media channels as well as working closely with bloggers. Miss Rachel Barbarotta is the rock star behind making all this happen. She’s amazing.

So, we partnered with KitchenAid at our studio to host a lunch to celebrate food and friends. We wanted to not only bring new and familiar bloggers together for an afternoon of community and friendship, but also to share the wonderful new KitchenAid 7-qt. Stand Mixer and 13-Cup Food Processor.

Group shot L-R : Todd, Joy, Cristina, camera shy Diane, Rachel, Alex

To make this afternoon even more fun, we invited dear friends Cristina Ferrare, Alex Thomopoulos and Joy Wilson to share a recipe demo. From Cristina’s book, Big Bowl of Love, Cristina shared her potato plates recipe and her daughter Alex shared a fabulous cucumber and zucchini carpaccio.

Joy Wilson’s  new cookbook was just released the day before (congrats Joy!) and she shared her cupcake recipes, along with her wonderful butter cream frosting and swiss meringue frosting. You must make her frostings and cupcakes. The recipes are wonderful.

We shared a little ourselves with a presentation on our journey through photography, video, storytelling and why there is no such thing as an perfect photograph.

And a celebration of food friends, KitchenAid giveaways, music, and great food wouldn’t be complete without cupcakes which everyone had fun decorating in their own personal style. Lots of sprinkles were included!

Thanks for listening to our KitchenAid stand mixer story. Do you have one to share? would love to hear.

Thank you KitchenAid, Rachel, Cristina, Alex, Joy and the rest of our guests for making this one of the most amazing days of our lives. You all left us energized, inspired and more in love with this wonderful community of online bloggers like never before.

Forever grateful for you all,

diane and todd

It was a crazy fun afternoon that all happened so quickly, we couldn’t absorb it all. Thankfully, some attendees shared their experience on their blogs, so please stop by and give them a visit to find out more about what the day was like! 

Fun album of pictures! ( lots of them, might be very very slow loading.)  *Joy’s Swiss meringue recipe is at bottom  *Photo credit: Anson Cu

day before Cristina and Nancy baked a gazillion cupcakes 

set up, calm before the storm 

Miss Alex kick starts the morning, before she’s had her coffee 

checking in guests & gift bags

morning mingle 

juicing fresh oranges & oro blanco from KitchenAid Citrus Juicer attachment 

pretty people

Todd & Diane present their photo talk on storytelling

 more gorgeous ladies

 glowing beauties 

Cristina gives the first demo to food paparazzi 

Cristina slicing up potatoes for her AMAZING potato plates from her cookbook 

Alex is up next…

…making her stunning cucumber & zucchini carpaccio

Cristina and Alex: mother daughter having fun in the kitchen 

Lunch: exceptionally delicious dishes made by Cristina and Alex 

Joy’s turn! 

Joy shares her stories as she makes swiss meringue frosting 

… and sharing her buttercream frosting recipe too 

… ta da! the money shot… swiss meringue frosting for the camera ready crowd 

naked cupcakes in need of frosting and sprinkle love 

sweet moment: Joy & Cristina signing books for one another. Awww…. 

rock stars 

Let the cupcake party begin

& the crowd goes wild for cupcakes 

nicest people. ever. 

Rachel, Todd & Diane teasing during the KitchenAid giveaways 

The End. Thank you KitchenAid for making this luncheon for making all this fun happen. xoxo 

 Print This Recipe

Joy the Baker‘s Swiss Meringue Frosting
enough frosting for 24 cupcakes

 4 large egg whites1 1/2 cups granulated sugar1/2 cup light corn syruplarge pinch of salt2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract In a large pot, bring about 2 inches of water to a simmer.In a large, heat-proof bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, corn syrup and salt.  The mixture will be grainy, because of the sugar.Place bowl over simmering water and whisk as it heats.  The sugar will dissolve after about 5 minutes.  Keep and eye on the mixture, it shouldn’t get warm enough to cook the eggs.  Yucky.Transfer the egg white and sugar mixture to the bowl of an electric stand mixer.  With a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, on high, until stiff peaks form (about 5 minutes)  The mixture will be fluffy and glossy and look like melted marshmallows.  It’ll be sticky too.  Beat in the vanilla extract last.   Cover, and set aside until ready to frost cupcakes.

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