What's for Dinner

Wholesome Blueberry Muffins

2012-02-04T13:58:00.000-06:00

There is definitely no confusing these muffins with cupcakes.

I've found sometimes that line is close to indistinguishable. For example, at grocery stores, I can buy chocolate chocolate chip muffins (and I even make a mean version of these), chocolate cherry hazelnut muffins, strawberry and cream muffins. They have close to the same, light crumb as cupcakes, they are just missing the icing. I've also made blueberry muffins which were a nice light yellow in color that my husband harassed me for being cupcakes. The handheld pastry definitions seem to blur easily....cupcakes masquerading as muffins because they lack frosting, muffins masquerading as scones because they are triangular. (I've had these fabulous "scones" at the farmers market that have the texture of muffins, but are triangular. If Brits saw those, I know they would be appalled and believe even more that us Americans are nuts.)

But I have digressed so far. These muffins are not cupcakes. They can not disguise themselves as scone if they shifted shapes. They are muffin. They are a little ragged on top. In my efforts to make my food that I eat matter more, I took a basic Moosewood muffin recipe and changed the grains a bit---substituting part of the white flour for whole wheat flour and hemp seeds. I used less sugar than most people would.

Verdict. Pretty good. Rather addicting in fact. The first bite is a bit of surprise because these aren't overly sweet and have a very nutty flavor because of the hemp seeds. However, once we each finished our first one, all four of us (the boys, a neighbor boy, and myself) had a second and a third one.

Of course, you could just use 2 c of white flour or throw in flax seeds instead of hemp seeds or just increase the amount of whole wheat flour. You could also use 3/4 c of sugar. Additionally, you could substitute other fillings as you desire--they should just equal 2 cups. As you can tell, this recipe is more of a template than formula. Play around until you find your ultimate morning muffin that may even leave you feeling a bit good about yourself.

This makes 12 regular sized muffins.

Wholesome Blueberry Muffins
based off a recipe from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c hemp seeds
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cinnamon
1 c frozen blueberries

6 T butter, at room temperature
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 c plus 2 T milk
1/2 t vanilla
1 c pecans and/or walnuts, chopped

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, hemp seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gently stir in the blueberries (flour on the blueberries before mixing with the wet ingredients prevents them to sinking to the bottom of the muffins). In a separate medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until smooth, using an electric mixer. Beat in the egg, then add the milk and vanilla. The mixture will probably look lumpy and curdled (from the cold milk hitting the warmer butter). Using a rubber spatula, fold in the nuts. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together with a rubber spatula, being careful not overmix and break up those lovely blueberries. Spoon about 1/3 c batter into each greased or paper lined muffin tin. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 30 - 35 minutes.

Enjoy.

Vegetable Soup

2012-02-02T06:45:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, only sometimes though, I am a bit of a slow learner.

M has been in school for 1 1/2 school years now. I've packed countless lunches, the majority of them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a piece fruit, raw vegetables or edamame, a cheese stick, and a snack. I haven't varied much from this, because M is happy with this lunch. After a year and a half packing pb&j sandwiches for lunch, I've discovered an alternative--the thermos.

I can hear everyone sighing and saying, "Well, duh, Melani. Those have been around as long as sliced deli meat" (I am making this up, by the way, don't quote me!). However, like I stated in the beginning, sometimes I am slow.

This vegetable soup has been one of M's favorite things to take her new thermos. She's been asking for me to make it again, both for supper and leftovers for lunches. Everyone else liked it too.

When I made this, I looked at the recipe and thought, another minestrone recipe just not labeled as minestrone. I guess it's not though. There is no pasta or cannellini beans. It could easily be made vegetarian by omitting the pork listed in the beginning and using a well flavored vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock. I actually didn't have potatoes when I made this, so I left them out and upped the amount of carrots I used. I also threw in some celery for good measure. Feel free to use the vegetables you have on hand. I could see this being a good recipe to throw some kohlrabi in.

I found this recipe at The Year in Food. There aren't a ton of posts, but when she does, the pictures are beautiful and the layout is uncluttered. There are usually a lot of vegetables featured, sometimes strange grains (quinoa), and it follows the agrarian calendar.

This recipe will make 8 - 10 servings.

Vegetable Soup
adapted slightly from The Year in Food

4 oz pancetta or bacon (optional--can substitute enough olive oil to saute onion in)
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 c chicken or vegetable stock (or a mixture of either of those and water)
28 oz diced tomatoes (fire-roasted are especially tasty)
4 med potatoes, cubed (optional)
1 -2 sm/med kohlrabi, peeled and diced (optional)
1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
red chile flakes, to garnish
Parmesan or cheddar cheese, to garnish

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the bacon or pancetta and cook until the fat is rendered and it has browned (especially in the event you are using bacon, make sure it is good and cooked). Remove excess fat (more than 1 T). Add the onion and celery and cook until softened and onion is translucent. Add the stock/water and diced tomatoes along with the potatoes (or kohlrabi). Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the potatoes/kohlrabi are beginning to soften. Add the carrots and continue to cook the root veggies are cooked, but still hold together well (don't cook to easily breakable stage). Stir in the kale and cook just until kale has wilted and softened. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve hot. Top with red chile flakes as desired and a grating of cheese.

Asian Beef Stew

2012-01-28T07:12:00.000-06:00

Once we discovered the wonder of the thermos we learned lunch options were endless. This was another one of M's favorites to take for lunch, however, she did have to beware of the aromatics.

The star anise may be a little hard to source. If you can buy it in bulk somewhere, it's very affordable and worth it. The dried shitake mushrooms also look really expensive you buy them bagged. They are also a lot cheaper if you can find them in bulk (possibly at Whole Foods if your Whole Foods is big enough). If you can't find them, just substitute cremini mushrooms. Shitake mushrooms give a nice meaty flavor to the stew. If you aren't a fan of a slight wine taste to your beef stews, just leave out the sake (or sherry). Just add a little of water to the pan to deglaze it.

This will serve 4 - 6 in these proportions.

Asian Beef Stew
adapted from monkeymom on Food52.com

3 lbs stew meat, cut into 1- 2 inch cubes
salt and pepper
1 - 2 T canola oil
3/4 c sake, sweet rice wine, or sherry (red)
1/4 c soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
3/4 t rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 c chicken stock
2 star anise
1" piece of ginger root, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, left whole
3 - 4 red chili peppers, fresh or dried (to taste)
3 whole dried shitake mushrooms, stems removed (can use fresh, just remove stems and quarter)
zest of 1 lime
3 - 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 lg daikon radish, peeled and cut into 1" pieces (optional)

Heat oil in a large dutch oven. Sprinkle beef cubes with salt and pepper. Brown beef in batches and set aside. Return meat and accumulated juices to pot. Add the sake (etc) or water to pot to deglaze. Bring to a boil and scrape up browned bits. Add the soy sauce and sugar. Add the rice wine vinegar, stock, star anise, ginger, garlic, chiles (if using), and mushrooms and bring to a boil. Add the lime zest. If meat is not covered with liquid, add enough water so meat is covered. Once the stew comes to boil, cover tightly (either with a lid or foil), and transfer to preheated 325 degrees oven. Cook for 1 hour. Stir and cook for a second hour or until meat is tender.

Return the stew to the stove. Remove the lid and simmer on medium heat to cook reduce the liquid, about 30 minutes. While the stew cooks down, in a separate saucepan, bring a pot of water to a boil. Place vegetables in boiling water and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. You want the carrots to stay bright orange and not to fall apart easily when stirred. Add the boiled vegetables to the stew.

Serve hot with either brown rice or noodles. Garnish with chopped green onion or a bit of lime juice.

Feel Good About Yourself Breakfast Quinoa

2012-01-26T13:17:00.000-06:00

In this new year, I am trying to better control my caloric and sugar intake. I partook too much over the holidays and I wasn't feeling great physically, so I decided it was time to be more intentional.

However, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy food. For example, last night we went to friends' house for supper and I took dessert. I had been craving Chocolate Bread Pudding so that's what I made. As I poured 2 c of heavy cream and 2 c of whole milk (not lowfat or nonfat the recipe specifically said), I cringed, imagining what this would do to my daily sugar intake, especially when I knew I was going to top this with Bourbon Pecan Caramel Sauce.

Oh, did I enjoy that bread pudding. It was so incredible. I suspect I'll dream about it for awhile. I left a great deal of the leftovers with my pregnant friend, so I wouldn't need to finish all of it myself, because I would. And I would have totally enjoyed it too.

However, this morning I wanted something that would make me feel more nutritionally good about myself. I needed something to help get me back on the straight and narrow, food wise.

This was my answer. I found it on 101cookbooks.com--the food blog for people who love food and want to eat more healthily. I must admit, I didn't love this recipe when I had it. A little salt helped a bit. What won me over though was the fact that 3 hours after breakfast I wasn't hungry. That did wonders for the recipe and convinced me to make it again.

This will serve 2 (which is enough for that because the kids aren't impressed).

Breakfast Quinoa
from 101cookbooks.com

1/2 c milk
1/2 c water
1/2 c quinoa (red, black, white, doesn't matter)
1/4 t cinnamon
1 c fresh or frozen berries (of course fresh is best, but in January, frozen will do)
1/4 c chopped pecans, toasted if desired
dash of salt
2 t honey or agave nectar (optional--I left this off my accident and didn't miss it at all)

In a small saucepan, bring water, milk, and quinoa to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed the liquid. While the quinoa cooks, toast the pecans in a preheated 325 degrees over for 5 or so minutes, until the pecans are fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon and berries (if you are using frozen berries, you may put it over low heat to keep the quinoa from becoming cold from the frozen berries). Sprinkle with toasted pecans. Feel good about yourself for the morning

Salted Choco Peanut Butter Cookies

2012-01-22T13:03:00.001-06:00

Do I really need to comment on this recipe? Doesn't this title say it all?

I think so.

One ingredient note. If you can buy salt in bulk, buy just a tad of fancy salt, like maldon or fleur del sal. It's not expensive and it's divine. You can use the leftovers to make salted chile brownies.

Enough said. Here's the recipe.

This makes 3 - 4 dozen depending on how big you make them.

Salted Choco Peanut Butter Cookies
adapted from FoodBlogga on food52.com

1 1/4 c flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c butter, at room temperature
1 c sugar
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla
3/4 c peanut butter (not natural, friends)
1 c chocolate chip
coarse sea salt

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating well. Add the peanut butter and beat until just combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

At this point, I usually refrigerate the cookies, mostly because I've run out of time. You can cook them right away (one of these times I am going to try that). I can't attest to the consistency differences between refrigerated or not, there are probably minimal.

Drop the cookies by teaspoonful* (like you use to eat, not measure) onto a greased baking sheet. If you refrigerated them, flatten them slightly with your hands. Sprinkle the top of each with a few coarse sea salt crystals. Bake the cookies in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 12 -14 minutes until the edges are firm. They'll firm up even more as they cool. Enjoy.

*If you desire bigger cookies use a heaping tablespoonful instead.

So Much More than Beans and Rice

2012-01-21T21:13:00.000-06:00

So for those of you who don't have kids, I am going to be brutally honest. Kids are fickle, fickle things. You think you know a kid's eating habits and then they go and change. This change doesn't necessarily start over years or months. This is a day to day sort of change.

Those who have been reading this blog since is conception many moons ago, may remember, if you have a memory like an elephant, that M is not a bean fan. It often takes coercion, unless it is lentils which she loves.

Tonight, M ate only beans for supper.

Those who read my post two short posts ago may remember I said that my boys aren't eating my supper or liking my food. Today, J ate a serving of supper and asked for more. (Little I wouldn't touch, so at least someone is true to form).

I was less than excited about tonights' meal, part of our eat more healthy plan. Beans and Rice. Sigh.

This is so much more than beans and rice. It's what my family called Mexican haystacks (tacos on rice), but all together different. It's beans and rice go gourmet. It's absolutely yummy. I will make this again and next time, I'll be much more excited about making it. If you want to simplify this, use 1 - 2 cans of black beans in place of the dried beans. I prefer the dried beans because I better control the sodium content.

I changed up this recipe a bit. The original was in Bon Appetit's January 2012 issue.

This will serve 4 in these proportions.

So Much More than Beans and Rice
adapted from Bon Appetit

1 c dried anasazi or black beans
1 T bacon grease or olive oil (guess which I used)
1/2 onion, diced
1 lg clove garlic, minced
1 c Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1/2 lime juiced
2 T olive oil
1/3 c (about 1/2 of...) red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t chili powder
1 t ground coriander
1/2 - 1 t ground cumin
1 1/2 c chicken broth
3 c cooked brown rice
1 c cooked, shredded chicken (using a rotisserie chicken is easiest. Don't use frozen cooked chicken)

Cook anasazi or black beans. Quick soak method (because I always forget to soak them overnight): put the beans in a pot and cover with 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand for an hour. Drain. In same pot, heat bacon grease or olive oil. Saute the onion until it is soft and slightly browned. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Return the beans to the pan. Cover with water (1 - 2 inches above the top of the beans/onions). Cook for 40 minutes for adzuki beans, or until tender. (Black beans will take a bit longer).

In a small bowl, combine the apple, cilantro, and lime juice. Set aside.

Heat 2 T olive oil in a saute pan or skillet. Add the bell pepper and cook until tender, about 5 - 6 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, coriander, and cumin and saute 1 - 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add beans and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat just until the beans are simmering briskly (not past medium in my case). Stir occasionally, smashing some beans with the back of a wooden spoon to help thicken the sauce. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes.

To serve: put a pile of rice on a plate. Top with beans followed by chicken and then apple/cilantro salsa. Season as desired with salt and pepper.

Sweet and Spicy Party Mix

2012-01-18T13:56:00.000-06:00

I don't like party mix.

This is a bit of heresy in my family. Party mix was a part of winter. My parents would make roasting pans full of party mix, store in the huge (gallon or 2 gallon?) glass jars. Their recipe, which they dubbed Marty Pix had every kind of imagineable Chex (for the 80's--I think 4 different kinds), cheerios, peanuts, pretzels, lots of Worcestershire sauce, and, when my mom would given in, bacon grease, among other things.

I didn't like it. Every winter, my dad and I would have the conversation that went something like this: "You really don't like party mix? Why?" Every winter. It was part of the changing of seasons and shortening of the days. I think in those instances my dad wondered if I was really a Guengerich.

This year, I found a recipe. Against my better judgement I decided to try it. Wouldn't you know it, I liked it! It didn't use any chex or cheerios. It had no bacon grease. I discovered I could buy nuts in bulk and control the amount of different kinds of nuts, going light on the peanuts and heavy on almonds, pecans, and walnuts. I loved this party mix. I ate a whole batch almost single handedly while working on our Christmas cards/letters. I don't dislike party mix. I just dislike chex, cheerios, and peanuts doused in worcestershire sauce and salt.

The flavors are more subtle. I could taste the Crispix and pretzels. I noticed the different kinds of nuts. There was an occasional spicy bite (if I made this and didn't want to share with the kids I would up the cayenne) interspersed with some sweet tastes. I love it.

It's still January. The Super Bowl is coming. I think I may just need to make another batch or two for that occasion!

This makes 8 - 9 cups.

Sweet and Spicy Party Mix
from merrill on food52.com

5 c Crispix
1 1/2 - 2 c mixed nuts (buy in bulk if you want to control the types)
2 c tiny twist pretzels
5 T butter, melted
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T brown sugar
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1 1 /2 t fresh thyme, finely chopped (optional)
large pinch of cayenne

In a large bowl, combine the Crispix, nuts, and pretzels. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Drizzle over the cereal mixture and combine with your hands, being careful not to break about the cereal and distributing the seasoning evenly.

Transfer to a 13 x9" baking pan and bake in a 250 degrees oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until light and toasted. Allow to cool and enjoy.

Thai Curry Chicken Soup

2012-01-13T13:42:00.000-06:00

In my search for "healthier" recipes, I looked for ones that are full of flavor, loaded with veggies, and are unique. As much as I love lentils and beans, I reach a saturation point after a while---two different lentil dishes plus their leftovers are about all I can handle. While this didn't have as much veggies as some, it still fit my healthier label.

We loved this soup. I greatly reduced the amount of spice in it so my kids would eat it and eat it M did! (I've pretty much given up with the boys eating much for supper....I think they eat enough during the day that by supper they're not super hungry...I remember M doing the same thing, then along came kinder and changed it. I've accepted the boys don't like anything I cook and M will eat almost anything because she is starving after school).

As is quickly becoming a trend, I want Asian flavored foods in the winter--something about fish sauce (of the Vietnamese nature), ginger, or star anise is comforting when it is cold. This soup didn't have any of these, but I did get to use a little more of my Thai red curry paste. The optional ingredients I didn't use, for obvious reasons if you know me (kids don't do spicy and I don't do corn). There is no set time for this to simmer. Like many soups, the leftovers are even better because the flavors had time to marry.

This should serve about 4 - 6.

Thai Curry Chicken Soup
adapted a bit from apartmentcooker on Food52.com

2 T olive oil
1/2 c onion, minced
1/2 c cilantro, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14-oz) can coconut milk
6 c chicken stock (or a combo of chicken stock and water)
2 t (you can use up to 2 T) red curry paste
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
1 T ginger, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1-2 c mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 c corn kernels (optional)
1 1/2 c or so chicken, cooked and shredded

thinly sliced jalapenos
thinly sliced scallions
roughly chopped cilantro
lime wedges
avocado, thinly sliced (optional)

Heat 1 T olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the garlic and cilantro and cook until fragrant, about a minute more. Add the coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add the red curry paste and zest and juice of lime. Meanwhile, in a saute pan or skillet, heat the remaining T of olive oil over medium heat. Add the jalapeno, if using, ginger, scallions, mushrooms, red bell pepper, corn, and chicken and cook until heated, 4 - 5 minutes. Add to the broth. Simmer until the mixture has reached desired flavor. Season with salt.

To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with jalapenos, scallions, cilantro, lime, and avocado as desired.

Lentils with 'Shrooms and Caramelized Onions

2012-01-06T12:48:00.001-06:00

Hey. I'm back!! We'll see how good I do, but I hope to add a few new recipes that I've discovered and I plan to make over and over. I'll just tell you straight up that there probably won't be any pics for awhile. But there will be new posts!

We were in Virginia for Christmas. It was a wonderful week of other people cooking and a smorgasbord of desserts. There is no question where I get my dessert love from....6 kinds of cookies (by the end of the week, we all had discovered our absolute favorite kind---and they were different for each of us), incredible cheesecake, cherry pie, chocolate cake balls, ice cream, and frozen strawberries, grown in my parents' garden. When we got home, I decided we needed some healthier eating and this week, I've been looking for recipes to get me back on track. I've called it my own "cleanse" but those who do real cleanses would be affronted by this title. We've been eating not a lot of meat, lots of lentils and vegetables, and limited starches.

This was our second lentil dish in a week. I was worried it would be too similar to the mujadarra I made earlier in the week, but it was different enough that no one really minded lentils twice in one week.

The porcini mushrooms are optional, but well worth it if you can find it and/or afford them.

This was part of a really simple supper. Just this plus some peas. I omitted a carb entirely and no one really missed it.

This will serve 3 - 4 as a main course. If you serve it with rice, it should serve 4 comfortably.

Lentils with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions
adapted just a tad from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman

1 c uncooked French or green lentils (this can be done ahead of time)
1/2 c (about .5 oz) dried porcini mushrooms (optional)
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 T fresh thyme or 1 t dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste.

Make the lentils by putting the lentils in a medium pot. Cover with 3 inches of water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the lentils are tender, but not mushy. Reserve 1/2 c cooking water, then drain, and set lentils aside. (You can make the lentils hours ahead and just refrigerate until you are ready for them).

Put the porcini in a small bowl. Cover with boiling water and let soak for 20 minutes. When the porcini are soft, reserve 1/2 c of the soaking water, and then drain. Meanwhile, start caramelizing the onions. Put 2 T oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions, and cook until the onions are dark brown, but not burnt, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove the onions from the pan and put into a small serving bowl. In the same pan, heat the remaining 2 T oil. Add all the mushrooms (dried and fresh). Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the mushrooms undisturbed for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms have released their juice. Remove the cover, increase the heat to medium, and continue to cook until some of the sauce evaporates and the mushrooms are very soft, 5 - 10 minutes.

Stir in the lentils, 1/4 c of the reserved porcini water (or lentil water if you didn't use porcinis), and thyme. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until everything is heated through. Serve garnished with the caramelized onions.

Arugula, Radish, and Grains Salad

2011-09-30T10:54:00.000-05:00

While normally I think of myself as an adventurous eater, there are some things, I still shy away from. Beef tongue? Pork trotter? No problem. Quinoa? No, thanks. Seriously. I've been a flexitarian for years now (probably between 15 - 20 years of eating meat just a couple times a week, and sometimes less than that. Of course, sometimes more, too). I love tofu and have eaten it many different ways. I love lentils and other beans. However, I haven't branched out to the grains. Too hippy, I've always thought (I know, I can hear you laughing at me now). This recipe inspired me to buy no less than 3 grains I've never, ever bought before. I will be buying those grains again. I may even try some other quinoa recipes.

It was the radishes and arugula that inspired me to take the plunge into not typical US mainstream grains. In our CSA box last week, we got two large bunches of different radishes. My favorite were included---the red ones that when you slice you see pink rings in the middle. I am not a radish fan. I'll eat them in chicken tacos (aahh.....must make those again soon!), but that's about it.

Curtis and I loved this. I didn't even offer it to our kids. I figure once it's on the table a few more times, I'll have them taste it. By then, they'll be used to seeing it and it won't seem so strange. Plus, if I shared, then I wouldn't have any for lunch for myself today. I also shared some with my in-laws and they thought it was pretty good.

I made a half recipe which easily served 4 - 6 people as a side. The amounts included are my half recipe amounts.

Arugula, Radish and Grains Salad
adapted slightly from Amanda Hesser on food52.com

1 c mixed grains, like farro, freekah, wheatberries, wild rice, quinoa, and/or pearl barley (I used wild rice, farro, and quinoa)
3/4 - 1 c arugula, torn if on the larger side, long stems trimmed off
1/2 c parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 c mint leaves, thinly sliced (cut in a chiffonade)
1/4 lb pecans
2 T hazelnut oil (or walnut oil, hazelnut was just what I had on hand)
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 - 3/4 c radishes, cut as thinly as possible (a mandoline makes this easier)
2 T olive oil
1/4 c raisins
1/4 c dried cranberries

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. If using wild rice and wheat berries, add those first and cook for 10 minutes. Add whatever remaining grains you are using and cook an additional 25 minutes or until just tender. Drain the grains in a fine colander (if your holes are too big, the quinoa will all escape with the hot water) and set aside until just warm to the touch. Combine the grains with the rest of the ingredients in a medium-large serving bowl and toss well. Season with salt to taste (if you heavily salted the water, you probably won't need to add any extra salt).

Somewhat Thai Pork Pineapple Skewers

2011-09-26T10:38:00.002-05:00

I am beginning to feel like a broken record. It goes like this: I found this great recipe in Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite. I am not sure exactly how many of her recipes I've posted, but I am starting to feel guilty. Just go buy the cookbook so I don't need to feel guilty. Ok? Ok. Let's say I am posting this recipe for myself, not you, so when I get my box of produce and plan my menu for the week, the recipes are here on the blog, the first place I check when menu planning.

Really, that dog of ours couldn't find a better cookbook for me for Christmas present last year (yep, the cookbook is from our dog). I hope she does as well this year.

It being summer and all, we've been getting our CSA box every other week. It just works out better for us to do it that way in July, August, and September. I can work through all the produce in a 2 week time easily, but in a week is a bit of a stretch. I need to supplement vegetable based meals with a little more meat. I found a pork loin in my freezer (I wonder how that got there.....), and then found the easiest, least apt to heat up the kitchen recipe I could find.

All but M loved this (but to be honest, she didn't like a single thing I cooked all week. Seriously). This was super easy and can be mostly made ahead of time and just cooked at the last minute. I served it with brown rice.

Somewhat Thai Pork Pineapple Skewers
adapted from Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite

1 c roasted, salted cashews
6 T cilantro
1/4 c olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 T soy sauce
2 t brown sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 lbs (approx) pork tenderloin, cut into 1" chunks (or you could use 1 1/2 lbs chicken)
2 c fresh pineapple, cut into 1" or so chunks

In a food processor, combine nuts, 2 T cilantro, oil, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice and 2 T water. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Season the pork chunks with salt and pepper. Smear half of the cashew sauce over the pork to coat thoroughly. Reserve remaining sauce as a serving/dipping sauce. Let the pork marinate at room temperature while heating the grill or broiler or you can let the pork marinate in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. Alternately thread the pork and pineapple chunks onto metal skewers. Grill or broil (I grill to avoid heating up the house) the skewers until the pork is cooked through, about 12 minutes, turning the skewers once halfway through.

Serve with rice, sprinkling pork with remaining cilantro and serving the remaining cashew sauce on the side.

Peach Blackberry Pie

2011-09-07T06:05:00.004-05:00

I used to claim my peach pie was the best I ever had. In fact, I think the recipe may be called Best Peach Pie, I was so confident. This year though, when I started to make The Pie, something seemed lacking. It didn't have that WOW factor I thought it once I had. I felt like it was undercooked. I didn't like how hard the top of the pie was. I searched for a new recipe.

It took me last than 10 minutes to decide to try a this recipe. Since then, we've made it no fewer than 4 times this summer. We loved it that much. I made a few tweaks after the first time to get the crust not to get so dark, but other than that, it's been good to us. Curtis tried his hand with it one day, thinking he could improve on it. The only thing he thought that really improved it, was slicing the peaches more thinly and more carefully arranging them in the pie crust (instead of my dump and clean out with a spatula method).

Now I feel like once again I can claim my peach pie is the best I've ever had. It's perfect this time. Really. At least until one or two or five summers from now when I decide it isn't.

This does take a chunk of time to make, mostly because the crust is so fussy. It's a wonderfully rich butter crust, but it does have to chill twice and blind bake before filling it with fruit and baking it again.

Peach Nectarine Pie
adapted from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark
Crust:
2 1/2 c flour
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 c butter (20 T)
4 - 10 T water (I know that's a big range---I've used between 5 - 6 usually, sometimes more)
Filling:
2 1/2 lbs (6 c) peaches, sliced thinly (we leave the peel on, but we're just like that)
1 T lemon juice
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 1/2 T cornstarch
1 T vanilla
2 c blackberries
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
coarse sugar (Demera or "raw" or decorators's sugar)

For the crust: Pulse together the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and very briefly pulse---just until butter breaks up into chickpea sized chunks. Add the water, 1 T at a time and pulse just until the mixture holds together (you do not want the mixture forming a ball and spinning around the sides of the food processor bowl). Form the dough into a two balls, set each on a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Firmly cover/seal the dough with the plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least an hour before rolling out and baking.

If you've refrigerated the dough for significantly more than an hour let rest on the counter a minute or two before rolling out. You can tell if you need to do this if the dough is too hard to roll and immediately breaks apart when you are rolling it. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one ball of pie crust to fit a 9" pan (the dough should maybe be 13 - 14 inches in diameter). Place in 9" pan and flute the edges. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight. With the second ball, roll out thinly and cut out 10 - 15 shapes using a cookie cutter. I choose flower shapes---both big and small (mostly because I didn't want Christmas or Halloween themed shapes on my summer pie). Transfer to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the filling:
Combine the peaches in a large bowl with lemon juice. Gently stir in the sugar, brown sugar, and salt, and allow to macerate (sit unattended) on the counter for 30 minutes. While the peaches macerate, prebake the crust in a preheated 375 degrees oven. Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges of the crust begin to crisp. Remove the weights and foil and bake an additional 5 minutes to crisp the bottom of the crust.

Once the peaches have finished macerating (I just like using that word!), add the cornstarch and vanilla to the fruit and stir until the cornstarch dissolves. Add the blackberries and very gently toss. Scrape the fruit into the pre-baked pie shell. Arrange the pie crust cutouts on the tope, touching at places but not totally covering it. Brush the cutouts with the egg white glaze and sprinkle lightly with the coarse sugar. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven (yes, this is higher than before) for 40 minutes.

Around 30 minutes into baking time, check the edges of the crust. If it appears to be browning to quickly or getting to dark, very, very lightly tent a piece of foil over top. After the initial 40 minutes of baking at 400 degrees, lower the oven temp to 350 and bake an additional 15 - 40 minutes, until the filling is bubbling. You want to leave the pie in the oven as long as possible so the cornstarch activates and thickens the filling. However, if you are concerned that the crust just won't taste good because it's so dark, take it out of the oven. It will be more edible with a runny filling than with burnt crust.

Eggplant Parmesan--the rich version

2011-08-31T12:56:00.001-05:00

Since June, I've been going on and on about the Texas heat. It's still going and that brings the diversity in the boxes down considerably. This past week we got probably 2 or 3 pounds of eggplant in our box.

It was time to find the eggplant parmesan recipe. My last attempt at eggplant parm (as I like to affectionately call it) was alright, but I thought a better recipe must be lurking somewhere.

Sure enough. What really makes this recipe is the cheese: bufala mozzarella. Bufala (buffalo) mozarella is a fresh mozzarella. It comes in a ball, soaking in a milky brine. It is soft, difficult to slice and impossible to grate. If this isn't easily available you can use fresh mozzarella, or even simpler just plain ole' mozzarella. There will be difference, but I don't doubt this will still be a good recipe.

We enjoyed this. To be honest, I can't remember if M ate this at all--M is my total eggplant boycotter. The boys both did though. This will be the eggplant parm I make again and again. You can just ignore the older recipe. :)

This serves 6. Hands off cooking time and resting time will be at least 1 1/2 - 2 hours, so plan accordingly. (Hands on time is significantly less....there's lots of resting, simmering, and baking time.)

Eggplant Parm

adapted from Nancy Jo on Food52

3 lbs eggplant, peeled and sliced lengthwise into 1/4" thick slices

1 c flour

salt

olive oil

1 c Parmesan, grated

1/2 - 1 lb bufala mozzarella, sliced (or equal amount of other mozzarella, also sliced, not grated)

2 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes (or equal amount of diced tomatoes)

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Place a layer of eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Continue to layer, sprinkling each layer with salt until all the eggplant is in the colander. Weight with a heavy pot or a cookbook or tea kettle filled with water. Let the eggplants sweat for 30 minutes or more.

Meanwhile, cover the bottom of medium saucepan with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (don't brown). Add the canned tomatoes with their juices and a bit of salt. Stir and coarsely chop with a potato masher. Simmer until reduced by almost half.

Remove eggplant from the colander and pat dry. Put the flour in bowl or small baking pan. Dredge the eggplant slices through the floor, shaking off any excess. Place floured eggplant on a baking sheet covered with a coating of olive oil (you may need two pans. I did). Drizzle the eggplant with a little more olive oil. Bake in preheated 450 degrees oven for 15 minutes, or until browned on one side. Turn over and brown the other side, about 10 - 15 minutes.

Spread a thin layer of sauce in a 7 x 11 baking dish (don't use a 9 x 13"---it's too big). Cover the sauce with a layer of browned eggplant. Sprinkle with some parmesan. Add another layer of sauce, then eggplant and parmesan. When you are a two layers from the top (maybe the 3nd or 3rd layer you've made), add a layer of sliced mozzarella (this will be the only layer you use the mozzarella on). Continue to layer the eggplant, sauce, and parmesan (yes, this is in a different order than you started. The last layer should be the parmesan.

Bake in the upper third of a preheated 400 degrees oven for 30 - 35 minutes. Check the eggplant parm after the first 20 minutes. If it looks really juicy, drain some of the excess liquid off carefully with a spoon. Let stand 15 - 20 minutes before serving.

Blackberry Popsicles

2011-08-28T08:58:00.000-05:00

The summer popsicle love continues!!

I took a shortcut on this recipe. I think it made the difference between M eating them and her not. I didn't strain the blackberry puree to get rid of the seeds. I just left the seeds in the attempt to save time and effort. The seeds didn't bother the boys, my cousins, or I, but M found it unpalatable. I guess next time, the decision to strain the seeds will also depend on the time I want to spend making a popsicle recipe.

Other than that, this recipe is great--also using yogurt!!! which increases its benefits as a healthy summer snack. This recipe does have more sugar than the other popsicles, thanks to the simple syrup. The blackberries are also more tart than peaches, so they need more sugar. My cousin found these were a great follow-up to a 30 minute run in the 80+ degrees heat of Austin mornings.

This will make 10 popsicles.

Blackberry Popsicles

from Bon Appetit

2/3 c water

2/3 c sugar

3 (6-oz) containers fresh blackberries (3 1/2 - 3 3/4 c)

1 c plain yogurt (we prefer nonfat to keep the popsicles healthier)

5 t honey

4 t lemon juice

Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Transfer to simple syrup to small bowl and chill for 1 hour.

Puree blackberries in a food processor until smooth. If you have the time and energy (I didn't), pour the puree through a strainer set over a medium bowl. Using a spatula, press the solids through the strainer. The seeds should be left in the strainer and discarded. Measure 2 c puree (the rest can be used for another purpose, like spooning over ice cream or pancakes or waffles or angel food cake) and combine with simple syrup, yogurt, honey, and lime juice. Stir to combine.

Place in popsicle makers. If using a Zoku, these will take 8 - 10 minutes (slightly longer than popsicles without yogurt in them). Otherwise, freeze the popsicles at least 8 hours or overnight.

Mock Manti with Eggplant

2011-08-25T07:24:00.001-05:00

This summer, as I looked for eggplant recipes, I discovered they fell into two camps: a baked moussaka type dish or a tomato sauce/pasta type dish. Those recipes just seemed so last year to me. I wanted something different, something new.

I was excited to find this recipe. Manti is a Turkish/Armenian dish with homemade dumplings. The recipe I used substituted pasta for the homemade dumplings, a substitution I appreciated. Authentic manti also doesn't have eggplant, however the recipe also used that. I've never had real manti so I had no problem using this version of the recipe. It was exactly like I had expected it to taste, so no disappointment about it meeting any expectations. If you are a lover of true, authentic manti, maybe you shouldn't make this, or make it and call it something else.

I risked it and followed the recipe, using ground lamb instead of ground beef (Curtis isn't a lamb fan). It was worth the risk. We both loved it with the ground lamb and the different flavor the lamb gave it. The kids weren't excited about it, but I have yet to get them to eat eggplant in anything but baba ganoush consistently. I think it's the consistency.

I will definitely make this again.

This will serve 4.

Mock Manti with Eggplant

adapted from In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

1 lb eggplant, diced into 1/2 " cubes

5 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t salt

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c onion (or 1 large shallot), minced

1 1/2 T fresh mint, chopped

1/2 lb bowtie or other thick, chunky pasta

6 T unsalted butter

2/3 c plain Greek Yogurt

Toss the eggplant with 1/4 c oil and large pinch of salt. Spread on a baking sheet and roast until crisp and brown, about 15 - 20 minutes. Stir gently once to help even browning.

After the eggplant is browned and crispy, heat remaining 1 T oil. Add 3 cloves minced garlic and onion and saute until garlic is fragrant. Add the lamb, a little salt, and a dash of black pepper, to taste. Saute until the lamb is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mint and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the eggplant. Taste and add more salt or pepper as desired.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Watch closely and cook until the butter is browned and smells nutty (the nutty smell is the easiest way for me to tell). In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and a pinch of salt.

To serve, drain cooked pasta and place on serving platter. Top with lamb-eggplant mixture. If you know your kids won't eat the yogurt sauce (like mine wouldn't), spread the yogurt sauce over half (or however much you want to eat). Pour the melted butter over top of yogurt.

Add roasted pepper flakes if desired.

Peaches and Cream Popsicles

2011-08-23T08:52:00.000-05:00

While the kids loved the peach mango popsicles, my mom and I loved the peaches and cream popsicles. I plan to keep serving these to my kids, in hopes that they'll eventually like them.

The fact that these have Greek yogurt in them thrills me. I like the idea of getting some calcium and protein with the fruit.

Can't say much more about them than that. Great popsicles!

Makes 6 popsicles.

Peaches and Cream Popsicles

from mybakingaddiction.com

2 -3 peaches, pureed (equal to 1 c of pureed peaches)

1 peach, diced (equal to 1/2 c of diced peaches)

6 T milk

1 (5.3-oz) container of Greek vanilla yogurt

2 t agave nectar or sugar (or more depending on sweetness of peaches)

Mix together pureed peaches, milk, yogurt, and agave nectar until smooth. Stir in diced peaches. Fill popsicles molds and freeze, 7 -9 minutes in the magical Zoku popsicle maker or 4 hours in the freezer.

Mexican Cabbage Salad

2011-08-22T07:03:00.000-05:00

One of the beauties of our CSA this summer has been the cold storage vegetables we are getting on these 107 degrees days. (Yes, days is plural). Thus, I get to have some nice cabbage salad to go with my meals, making the summer feel more summery sometimes.

Part of our summer craziness was having about 4 weeks worth of guests staying at our house this summer. All of those were family, but family or not, that's a lot of cooking, entertaining, and runs to the airport. When my cousins came, they got in late afternoon on a weekday, which made it difficult to plan or prepare for supper. I decided to do pulled pork tacos in the slow cooker and decided to have cabbage salad to go with it. Although this summer, I am mixing and matching cuisines on a regular basis, I decided to keep it kinda on a Mexican theme. Thanks to Jamie Oliver for calling this cabbage Mexican and letting me use it. (I see the humor in that sentence).

All the teenagers and adults enjoyed this. I believe my boys tried it. M didn't, but she's not a cabbage fan. It was a nice light salad, good with tacos. It was a nice change from my usual Asian cabbage salads or my other cabbage salads (this will be number 7 and I just discovered another favorite hasn't made it yet).

Serves 4 (maybe 6 if people aren't cabbage fans)

Mexican Cabbage Salad

adapted from Jamie Oliver

1 small cabbage (or 1/2 red and 1/2 white small cabbage), about 4 - 5 cups, thinly sliced

small bunch of radishes (optional--we have no radishes these days), thinly sliced

2 carrots, finely sliced

a large bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

1 -2 jalapeno or other chiles, thinly sliced (optional)

juice of 2 - 3 limes

extra virgin olive oil

salt

Mix together cabbage, radishes, carrots, and most of the cilantro. If you are using red cabbage, you may want to wait until the very end to stir it in so the red color doesn't bleed into the white of the cabbage and radishes. Stir in the jalapenos, if using and a little olive oil. Add most of the lime juice, a fat pinch of salt, and toss. Taste, adjust seasonings, adding more olive oil, lime juice, or salt as necessary.

You could also add a thinly sliced red onion if you are a raw onion fan (I'm not).

Peach Mango Popsicles

2011-08-19T08:37:00.000-05:00

Did you know that the 8th year wedding anniversary is popsicles? OK, maybe officially it is bronze, but bronze schmonze. In our house, it was popsicles! For our anniversary I got Curtis a Zoku popsicle maker.

Maybe this was one of those gifts that was as much for me as it was for Curtis. Maybe I loved the idea of having healthy popsicles for our kids in 7 minutes (how long it takes for popsicles to freeze). Maybe this was the first anniversary gift I had ever gotten Curtis. Maybe I won't get him another one for another 8 years, say for our 16th anniversary which I hear is an expensive saute pan year. :)

We've enjoyed many popsicles many times this summer. The kids' favorite (besides straight up orange juice popsicles) are the Peach Mango Popsicles.

Peach Mango Popsicles

from Whole Foods Market website

1 mango, peeled, seeded, and pureed (it should equal 1 c pureed)

2 -3 peaches, pitted and pureed (it should equal 1 c pureed)

1/4 c water

2 T sugar (or agave nectar would work too, use less agave nectar than you would sugar)

lime or lemon juice, to taste

Combine fruits in a medium bowl. In a small pan, heat water and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add to the fruit. Add lime or lemon juice to taste.

Fill popsicle molds. (Magical Zoku molds take 7 minutes to freeze! Otherwise, freeze until set, 3 - 4 hours).

Cheesy Summer Squash Gratin with Parsley Pesto

2011-08-17T07:01:00.000-05:00

Oh friends. I've missed you.

My blogging has been slim this summer, I know. I've been cooking though and I have a whole slew of recipes to post. Last summer, my unofficial theme was Eastern Mediteranean cuisine---mostly Greek with some Middle Eastern thrown in. This summer, any theme, official or unofficial has been thrown aside. I went through a no tomato sauce phase---tired of pasta with roasted eggplant. Homemade pita has seemed too time consuming this summer, so the mezze meal and souvlaki has been less frequent.

Instead, I have cooked whatever I have felt like---Turkish one day, Hill Country Texan the next day, Italian the next, and Vietnamese the following. I've been all over the place.

This recipe falls in the Hill Country Texan category, coming from Food52 via someone named Paula who is a chef in Austin (that narrows it down, doesn't it). It features summer squash, chiles, parsley, and mint, which all grow copiously in Austin (except for this year---our year of excessive heat and exceptional drought).

Curtis, my mom and I liked it. It was a way we could handle summer squash, one of our least favorite of all summer produce. Unfortunately, I made this in beginning of July and here it is the middle of August, the recipe on my iPad so I didn't scribble notes about the changes/adjustments I'd made. Sorry.

This will serve 4.

Cheesy Summer Squash Gratin with Parsley Pesto

adapted from Amanda Hesser on Food52.com

Pesto:

1 t fresh oregano leaves (1/2 t dried)

1/4 c fresh mint, thick stems discarded

1 c parsley

1/2 - 3/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1 small clove garlic

1 anchovy

1 T capers, drained

1/2 lemon

Gratin:

2 lbs summer squash, slice 1/8" thin

1 1/2 c breadcrumbs

3 T butter

3/4 c sliced shallot, green onion, or regular onion (I used a regular onion)

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 T fresh thyme leaves, minced

1 green chile (Hatch or Jalapeno, depending on how spicy you want it, choose your chile accordingly), seeded and finely chopped (the chile is optional, too)

1 c grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese

To make the pesto: Using a food processor, process the oregano, mint, and parsley to a paste. Add some olive oil and process a little more. Add the anchovy and garlic and pulse a few times to incorporate with the pesto. Add the capers a pulse a few more times---you don't want the capers smashed to smithereens. Transfer to a bowl and stir in more of the oil, adding a couple of tablespoons at a time, until the pesto is somewhat runny and pourable. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

To make the gratin: Toss the sliced summer squash in a bowl with 1 t salt and let set 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan heated over medium heat. Cook the butter until is browned (it will smell nutty). Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl, pour browned butter over top, scraping the pan to get all the browned bits stuck to the bottom, and toss well. Drain the sweated squash (it's called sweating because the salt draws the water out of the squash, making it look like it has, in fact, sweated) and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Add the onion (shallot, green onion, etc), garlic, thyme, chile (if using), 1/2 c of the pesto, and some pepper. Toss to combine. Add the cheese and half of the breadcrumbs. Toss again. Place the squash in a 9" round gratin dish or cast iron skillet (that's what I used). Top with the remaining bread crumbs and bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 35 - 40 minutes, or until the squash is tender and the top is crisp.

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

2011-08-09T06:56:00.000-05:00

Every time I make this, I scour this blog looking for where I posted this recipe. I never find it. I guess I've never posted this before.

This is quickly becoming my go to slow cooker recipe. I make it when I have a late afternoon airport run and am not at home to make supper. I make it when we have a play date/supper date and I don't want to spend time making supper. I make it when I need an after swim practice meal. Yep. It's one of those go to meals.

A 4lb bone-in, boston butt will serve 6 - 8. If possible, make the onions, the day before you want to eat.

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

adapted from Merrill at Food52

3 - 4 t cumin seeds (2 t ground)

1 - 2 t coriander seeds (1 t ground)

3 - 6 t chili powder (I like New Mexican because it has good flavor but isn't spicy)

1 t dried oregano

4 lbs bone-in, bost butt, very large pieces of fat trimmed

salt

olive oil

1 medium onion chopped

1 poblano pepper, chopped (optional)

1 serrano or jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes, with their juices

1 c water or chicken stock (fill the tomato can half up with water and use that)

2 large limes

corn tortillas

2 - 4 avocados, peeled and cut into thin slices

cilantro

sour cream

salsa

Pickled Onions

1 medium red onion, sliced thinly

1 T kosher salt

2 T sugar

1/4 medium beet, peeled

handful cilantro

a lot of cider vinegar

water

For the onions: Put the onion in a microwaveable container. Add the salt, sugar, beet, and cilantro. Cover everything with 1 part water to 2 parts vinegar (in other words, 1 c water to 2 c vinegar). Microwave 1 minute, stir, and microwave another minute. Cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight (or until serving).

For the pork: Put the cumin and coriander in a small pan and set over medium heat. Toast the spices a minute or two, shaking the pan occasionally, until they're fragrant. Grind the spices using a spice grinder and set aside. Meanwhile, heat 1 T oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season all sides of the pork with salt. Put in skillet and brown on all sides. Transfer to slow cooker. Drain a little of the fat off and saute the onions and peppers, if using, until soft. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Stir in the spice mixture and cook another minute. Transfer the onion and spices to the slow cooker. With the skillet still over the heat, pour the water into the skillet, stirring to loosen all the browned bits and spices on the bottom of the pan. Pour into the slow cooker along with the diced tomatoes and the juice of the a lime.

Cook in a slow cooker over low heat for 6 - 8 hours. Before serving, remove meat from pot. Discard bone and large chunks of fat. Shred the pork using two forks and adjust seasonings (salt and chili powder) as needed. Serve on top of a tortilla with an avocado slice, some pickled onions, a sprig of cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream or salsa if desired. Squeeze a lime wedge over top.

Tortilla Espanola

2011-08-05T06:35:00.003-05:00

This is summer is turning out to be the hottest, driest summer I've ever lived through. I've learned that enduring oppressing heat can be just as hard mentally as the long, cold dark winters of the North. Like the harsh winters of the Northern locales, 51 days (and counting, with no end in sight), greatly decreases the diversity of crops in the CSA box.

Thankfully, our farm purchased several milk trucks that they've turned into cold storage. Thus in the midst of the heat that can bring down even the most optimistic person we are still getting BEETS! and POTATOES!! and CABBAGE!!!! All are welcome in tucked in between eggplant, peppers. and okra. (By the way, I have decided I want to buy a wine refrigerator for the sole person as using as a cold store for my root vegetables and winter squash. I wonder if I can convince Curtis?).

I have turned to this Tortilla Espanola (or Spanish tortilla) to help provide some potato variety. Spanish tortillas are nothing like tortilla you find in Mexico and Central America. A Spanish tortilla is more like a frittata----slices of potatoes, strips of onions, a little Spanish chorizo (again, nothing like Mexican chorizo), and lots of eggs. I make mine in a black skillet, both on the stove and finished in the oven.

A note on Spanish chorizo. Spanish chorizo is a cured sausage that will be found with other shelf stable salamis or summer sausage. It will not be refrigerated at the grocery store. If you can't find it, substitute shelf-stable salami.

Tortilla Espanola

adapted from Misskittin and Joy Manning on Food52

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 lb potatoes

4 oz Spanish chorizo, diced small (shelf-stable, dried chorizo)

6 T olive oil

3/4 t salt

6 eggs, beaten

black pepper to taste

Cover potatoes with water in a pot and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes can be pierced easily with a sharp knife. Remove from water and let cool. When they are cool enough to handle, slice into 1/8 - 1/4" slices.

In a black skillet (or your choice), heat 2 T oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft. Add the chorizo and cook until the chorizo renders some of its fat. Add the potatoes and toss gently so the potatoes aren't broken up. Pour beaten eggs over the potato mixture. Season with salt and pepper Allow to cook on the stove, without stirring, until the edges are setting up and the eggs are starting to look cooked on the bottom, between 5 - 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and place skillet 4" under the heating unit. Broil until the tortilla puffs and is browned, about 5 - 10 minutes (depending on your broiler). Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. Add some tabasco, salsa, or a couple of slices of Manchego cheese on the side.

Brownies with Chile and Sea Salt

2011-07-27T08:45:00.003-05:00

I am full of excuses for the month of July---the number one excuse being that I broke my arm and have been in a splint the past two and half weeks, which it makes it rather difficult to type. This morning, I have removed the splint just to add this recipe.

These brownies are addictive. They are the ultimate "adult beverage" (which my cousins and I jokingly call desserts because for the longest time, we only had dessert after the kids went to bed---similarly to how some people consume adult beverages.) It's easy to eat a quarter pan at a time, thanks to the salt sprinkled on top. The chile isn't enough to make the brownies spicy (M would eat them which would mean they are not spicy whatsoever). It's just enough to leave a little hint of tickle in the back of your throat after you ate the brownies (a tickle in a good sense as opposed to a choking tickle or a full out spicy throat burn).

Enough said. There are no pictures. The brownies don't last long enough. Plus, it's hard to get a good picture of a brownie. :)

Brownies with Chile and Sea Salt

adapted ever so slightly, maybe, from In the Kitchen with Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

18 T butter (also equal to 1 c plus 2 T butter or 2 sticks plus 2 T butter)

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 t salt

1/8 - 1/4 t cayenne (I think I used closer to 1/4. Don't substitute chile powder)

1/2 c plus 1 T cocoa powder

2 1/2 c sugar

3 large eggs

1 T vanilla

fancy sea salt flakes like Fleur de Sel or Maldon, for sprinkling

Melt together the butter and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. In a separate small to medium bowl, combine the flour, kosher salt, and cayenne. Transfer the chocolate and butter mixture to a larger bowl. Stir in the cocoa powder and sugar (it will be rather thick). Add the eggs and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Fold in the dry ingredients (flour, etc) and continue to fold until batter is lump-free. Scrape the batter into a 9 x 13" baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper (alternately, you could just butter the bottom really well, but it may stick). Smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle all over with the sea salt flakes. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes in a preheated 350 degrees oven or until the edges just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the top is set and shiny (if you like your brownies undercooked, just bake a minute or two less). Allow to cool until they won't burn your mouth any more and enjoy.

By the way---these, like most good brownies, are fabulous served warm with a scoop of ice cream melting over top. :)

Vietnamese Cabbage and Chicken Salad

2011-07-01T08:26:00.000-05:00

I am discovering my cooking is evolving and changing. That's pretty much a constant with me--my cooking changes, I frequently try new recipes and discard ones I liked really well. Last summer it was all about Greek and Mediterranean food. While those are still regulars on our menu, I am finding a new theme for this incredibly hot summer (are we at 20 days over 100 degrees yet without even hitting July? Probably. I keep thinking there is no way this heat can last all summer, but it seems to be attempting to do that). Quick, easy, and minimal cooking.

We spend many an afternoon at the pool (it's within walking/biking distance of our house), which leaves me not a lot of time to make supper. Years and years ago, back before I even considered cabbage to be an ingredient I'd eat, I made a cabbage/chicken salad that I just barely found palatable. Things have changed, I like cabbage as long as it's not too cabbage-y, and Curtis and I thought this was a great hot summer afternoon meal. The kids didn't think so, as much, but I didn't expect them too, so I planned for a little more to the meal than just that.

This recipe is a great summer meal to use up some of the cabbage that just lingers on, long past the memory of the cold weather when it was planted and grown. I'd make it again, next June, when I have cabbage, it's hot, and I'd rather be swimming than cooking.

Vietnamese Cabbage and Chicken Salad

adapted from Food and Wine

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 t salt

2 T sesame oil

1 1-inch piece fresh ginger

2 1/2 lbs cabbage, shredded

2 T cider vinegar

2 T Asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)

1 1/2 T lime juice

3 medium carrots, grated

3 radishes, grated

2 c mint, basil, or cilantro (or a combination), coarsely chopped

1 tart apple (like Granny Smith), cored and grated

Rub the chicken breasts with 1 t salt and 1 T sesame oil. Put ginger in a medium pot. Add 2 c of water and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and cover the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the chicken continue to cook for 5 minutes. If the chicken is not done, turn the heat back on and simmer for a few more minutes. Remove the chicken from the saucepan and let cool. Pull into shreds when the chicken is cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, combine the cabbage with vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice and 2 t salt in large serving bowl (glass or stainless steel). Let stand for 10 minutes. Add the carrots, radishes, 1 1/2 c of the herbs, and the apples to the cabbage mixture. Stir in remaining 1 T sesame oil. Gently toss in the chicken and garnish with remaining 1/2 c herbs.

Homemade Gnocchi with light Spring Sauce

2011-06-29T11:03:00.005-05:00

We're not great at eating potatoes in our house. I know it's crazy, who has a problem cooking with plain ole' tators? Boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, roasted potato wedges, the options are endless. However, unless the potatoes are going into a roast or a stew, they tend to just hang out in my potato basket until the sprout, shrivel, and then mold. Sad, I know. It's just how things are.

We've had several weeks now of getting potatoes in our CSA box, off and on. I've made smashed potatoes and a yummy Spanish tapas-style tortilla. Yet, still the potatoes sat there. I then remembered my favorite potato dish (almost ever, but maybe not quite). Gnocchi.

Last fall, I attempted sweet potato gnocchi and last winter I made regular gnocchi (I just didn't post about it, ooops). One hot spring day (as all spring days were this year, sigh) I boiled some potatoes and started to make gnocchi. The kids wanted in on the process, which was a lot of fun. They helped roll out the gnocchi snakes. M, now 6, did a great job. I had to laugh at John's snake--it was complete with an enlarged flattened head at the front, just like a snake. At that point, John's helping was over. He lost interest when I had to roll the snake to be uniform and then cut it. He just wanted to use the gnocchi dough like play dough.

Don't let shaping the gnocchi correctly discourage you from trying. I make the saddest looking gnocchi you've ever seen. It doesn't prevent it from tasting good. I think I need to keep trying in hopes of someday getting it right.

For the sauce, I slightly adapted the macaroni, peas, and cheese recipe and topped the gnocchi with that. It was perfect for spring when I wasn't very hungry for a heavy tomato sauce.

We loved it. Curtis didn't partake. I know he's not gnocchi fan, so I made it on a day he wasn't home for supper. The gnocchi fills you up pretty quickly so this recipe goes a long way.

Serves 4 -6.

Potato Gnocchi with Spring Sauce

from MarthaStewart.com + Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite

2 lbs potatoes, scrubbed

salt (about 3 T)

2 c + 2 T flour

2 large eggs

dash of freshly ground pepper

For the sauce

2 oz bacon or pancetta, chopped

1 1/2 c frozen peas

3 T heavy cream

2 T fresh mint or basil, chopped

2 t lemon juice

To make the gnocchi: Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with 2 inches of water. Add 1 T of salt, bring to a boil, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 40 minutes (less depending on the size of your potatoes). Drain the potatoes, and while they are still hot, peel the potatoes, using a clean kitchen towel to help you hold them, if necessary. Using a potato ricer or food mill (I use the food mill attachment for my kitchenaid---the same one I use for making applesauce), process the potatoes, letting them fall onto a lightly floured work surface (ie the counter). Make a well in the center of the potatoes, sprinkle flour evenly over the potatoes, redefining the well if necessary. Break the eggs into the well. Add 1 T salt and a dash of pepper. Lightly beat eggs, then incorporate the flour and potatoes to make a soft dough. Knead the dough when it is too difficult to mix with a fork. You want to use as little extra dough as possible to keep the gnocchi light and fluffy like little pillows.

Divide the dough into 4 balls and on a lightly floured work surface, shape each ball into a 3/4" in diameter snake (no heads, please). Cut the rope into a 1/2 - 3/4" pieces. To shape the gnocchi, hold the gnocchi in one hand. Push the back of fork tines against the gnocchi and roll the gnocchi off the tines, making a indentation on the back as you do so with your index finger. (check out this recipe for a better explanation. Disclaimer: my gnocchi was malformed and ugly, but tasty). Put the gnocchi on a baking sheet, not letting them touch until all the gnocchi is shaped and you are ready to cook the gnocchi.

While you bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, make the sauce. To make the sauce: Cook the bacon or pancetta in a large skillet until crispy. Stir in the peas and cook for a minute to defrost. Add the heavy cream and herbs. Cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly, 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in the cheese. While the sauce cooks, put half the gnocchi in the pot of boiling water. Cook until the gnocchi floats to the surface, 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from boiling water and put directly into hot bacon and pea sauce. Repeat with remaining gnocchi, drizzle lemon juice on top of sauce, and stir gently to combine gnocchi and sauce. Serve immediately.

Roasted Chicken with Peaches

2011-06-20T07:37:00.002-05:00

There are not many things I make that Curtis complains about while he watches me make them. I think those he does complain about, before trying can be grouped together in one of two categories: shellfish, and fruit in anything but a dessert. Needless to say, when Curtis saw this, he winced and told me that was a waste of perfectly good peaches.

I am pleased to report, that although Curtis complained before trying them, after trying them the complaining ceased. He decided he really liked this recipe. It helped that I substituted chicken breasts for the thighs. While I am usually a thigh girl, in this recipe I actually prefer breasts (we had both when I made it). We served this with crusty bread (you could also serve it with rice).

Everyone liked this and it's a nice dish to make when you just can't enough of the peaches that start showing up in the heat of the summer. You can make part of this ahead of time. Mix together everything but the peaches and refrigerate. Slice and add the peaches just before roasting.

This seves 4 - 6

Roasted Chicken with Peaches

adapted from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

1 lb peaches (they can even be hard, any stage of ripeness works), pit removed and sliced 1/2" thick

2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" strips

1/4 T olive oil

1/4 c red wine or chicken broth

1/4 c fresh basil, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1" piece fresh ginger, grated

1 t salt

1 t pepper

crusty bread or rice, for serving

In a 9 x 13" pan, toss together the peaches, chicken, olive oil, red wine, basil, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Roast in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the peaches have softened. Serve with crusty bread for sopping up juices or with rice.

Do ahead: toss together the chicken, olive oil, red wine, basil, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to roast, then toss with the peaches (don't slice the peaches ahead of time, just slice them when ready to roast). Roast as directed.

French Tuna Salad Sandwich

2011-06-16T07:03:00.000-05:00

This is another of our summer staples this year. I've found it's particularly nice on a Sunday afternoon after we've been at the swimming pool. According to the original recipe, this is another recipe to make the day before and let sit overnight (in fact, you assemble the whole sandwich, and refrigerate, pressed, overnight in order for the oils/juices to make the bread soggy). However, while I can get my act together to make Cold Sauce Pasta the night before, I can't seem to do this the night before. It tastes great when you make it about 10 minutes before you eat it, you just miss out on the soggy bread.

My children don't like this. I'm not sure why, but to be honest, it makes me a little happy. Curtis and I get to happily eat our fancy tuna while they eat traditional tuna salad (ie tuna + mayonaisse) sandwiches. They don't know what they are missing out on. I usually cook a whole pound of green beans, put a few in our tuna and the kids eat the rest on the side.

This meal is perfect right now for what we are getting in our CSA box. Last night we used a bell pepper, green beans, and parsley from our box.

This serves between 2 -4, depending on how big your sandwiches are.

French Tuna Salad Sandwich

adapted from Waverly on Food52

1/2 - 1 loaf crusty baguette

1 (6-oz) can tuna

3/4 c black olives (Nicoise preferable), sliced

1/2 c bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin

1/4 c parsley, finely chopped

1 (net weight 14.5-oz) can artichoke hearts (not in oil), reserving about 3 hearts for another use

1/4 c green beans, cut and blanched

3 T lemon juice

6 T extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

In a mixing bowl, combine the tuna, olive, pepper, parsley, artichoke hearts, and green beans. In a small jar, shake together the lemon juice and olive oil until it is emulsified (or well-combined). Pour the lemon/olive oil vinaigrette over the tuna mixture and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut baguette into desired sandwich sizes and then in half, lengthwise (to fill). Remove some of the bread of the bottom half to create a trough to fill (just eat the bread you pulled out, yum.). Fill each bottom piece with tuna salad and enjoy.

Cold Sauce Pasta

2011-06-13T06:45:00.004-05:00

I have entered full-on summer cooking mode. It isn't even half way through June yet and we've hit 100 degrees at least 8 (maybe 10?) times. It is not surprising that I am no longer interested in long meals that I spend hours (or even 1 hour) over the stove stirring or cooking in the oven. I have been on the lookout for recipes that use minimal stovetop/oven time and are slightly lighter fair.

I stumbled up upon this when we were still in the midst of swim practice during prime cooking time. It was a God-send. Almost all the work is done the evening before. It just takes a little foresight (this isn't a last minute type of meal). The only stuff that uses the stove is cooking the pasta the day you serve this.

Again, let me reiterate: You must make this sauce the day before you want to eat the meal. The sauce takes almost no time to make, but it sits in the fridge over night to let the flavors marry and enrich.

We all enjoyed it. I do think my favorite part was the ease of it all. This will definitely be a swim team/summer staple.

This serves 4 - 6. I served it with a loaf of homemade basil pecan bread (once I get a loaf of that I'm proud of, I'll post the recipe. The recipe is over on Food52 if you want to check it out yourself).

Cold Sauce Pasta

adapted from Roxanne DeRosa on Food52.com with the help of DRBAB's testing notes

1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 c basil, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, left whole

2 T extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

long skinny pasta (I probably used capellini, but spaghetti or anything else similar will do)

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, cook the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, stir the olive oil into the sauce and remove the garlic cloves. Drain the hot pasta, place in a serving bowl and top with the sauce. Serve.

That's it. Really. It is that easy.

Sloppy Joes

2011-06-03T12:31:00.001-05:00

If your childhood was at all like mine, you remember Sloppy Joes. We had them as an easy meal at my house, sometimes over potatoes instead of buns (or more likely, bread). We ate them in school cafeterias in both elementary school and high school. They were everywhere. When too much beef became bad for you, we made them out of ground turkey (ewww....).

And then, I went years and years and years without eating sloppy joes because they somehow got a bad wrap. Maybe it was the ground turkey substitution. Maybe it was the commercials for ManWich (or whatever sloppy joe in a can was called). Whatever it was, sloppy joes weren't cool enough for me.

Then I had kids. I also had a split 1/4 of cow in my freezer which meant lots of ground beef. It helped too, that Ree of The Pioneer Woman fame had a sloppy joe recipe last year with fabulous pictures (as usual). The stars aligned correctly and I tried sloppy joes again.

We all loved them. Even Curtis, the one who doesn't love casseroles and jello salads, stated they were good. This past time I made them (yes, I've made them several times before posting), I used large whole wheat dinner rolls for the buns--we didn't need hamburger sized sloppy joes. These are sloppy (I had a very sloppy J picture that didn't make the cut because it was just way too sloppy!)

Sloppy Joes

adapted just slightly from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 lb ground beef

1/4 large onion, diced

1/2 large bell pepper, diced (any color will do)

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 c ketchup

1/2 c water

1 T brown sugar

1 t chili powder

1/2 t dry mustard

1/2 -1 t Worcestershire sauce (I have to be honest, I didn't measure this)

1 T tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

buns, cooked/baked potatoes, or bread

Saute the ground beef in a large skillet until brown. Drain off excess fat. Add the onions, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables soften. Add the ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard and water. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in buns, over boiled or baked potatoes, or in bread.

Orange Peel Chicken

2011-05-31T12:21:00.000-05:00

Ever have one of those days when you go to make a recipe and you discover one of the headliners your kids ate for a snack the day before? This was one of those days. Thus, my orange peel chicken didn't have orange peel, but it still tasted great. Next time, I'll use orange peel.

This was based off a Pei Wei (PF Chang's fast food little sister) dish. I was a little hesitant about the recipe because it was from a source I hadn't used before (I am learning to take caution on the internet in regards to recipes). However, it turned out great, but I already said that, didn't I. I made some serious adjustments to the recipes between not having oranges and not liking to fry foods. It was a hit though and everyone loved it.

Orange Peel Chicken

adapted from PF Chang (supposedly)

1 T olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 green onions, sliced

1 c tomato sauce

1/2 c water

1/4 c sugar

2 T chili garlic sauce (optional)

1 T soy sauce

4 chicken breast fillets (2 whole breasts), cut into bite sized pieces

peel from 1/4 orange, julienned (18" thick strips), optional

Place olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and green onions and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce, water, sugar, chili garlic sauce, and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 - 6 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Set aside.

In a wok or large skillet, heat a couple of T olive oil. Add the chicken and stir fry, until chicken is cooked. Add the orange peel and cook 30 seconds before adding the sauce. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring gently a couple of times, or until the sauce thickens. Serve on brown or white rice.

Vegetable Enchiladas

2011-05-28T10:50:00.001-05:00

It is officially zucchini and summer squash season. It has begun. Unfortunately, I still remember disliking summer squash last summer and just the knowledge that it is in a dish is enough to make me want to go running and screaming away.

I attempted this anyway, knowing there would be large hunks of zucchini in it. It was alright. My kids didn't love it, but Curtis thought it was great and I found it tolerable (which is equal to great when it comes to recipes with chunks of zucchini in it). This recipe is based off of the enchilada's at Mother's Cafe and Garden, supposedly.

I will make this again this summer. For those of you who like zucchini more than me, you will probably love this.

This serves 4 - 6.

Vegetable Enchiladas

adapted from nannydeb on Food52.com

3 red bell peppers, cut into 4 large pieces each, seeds, and stem removed

2 zucchini, cut into 1" chunks

2 summer squash, cut into 1" chunks

1/2 yellow onion, cut into 1" chunks

1 med jalapeno, cut in half, seeds and stem removed (optional)

2 garlic cloves, skin still on

1 (15-oz) can black, kidney, or pinto beans

8 oz sour cream

2 T cilantro, chopped

1 t cumin

salt and pepper

8 - 10 corn tortillas

1 c queso fresco, crumbled (or Monterey Jack cheese will do too).

Spread peppers, zucchini, squash, onion, jalapeno, and onion on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Roast vegetables in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. As soon as vegetables are tender, remove from oven (you're not going for mush here). The bell peppers and garlic will probably be tender first and browned first. Remove those first if they are. Place the bell peppers in a bag or covered bowl and allow to sweat for 10 minutes. Remove the skins from the bell peppers and garlic. Set the remaining vegetables aside to cool.

Place the bell peppers, jalapeno (if using), and garlic in a food processor along with the sour cream, 1 T cilantro, and the cumin. Puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mix together the cooled vegetables and the can of beans (your choice). Put a large spoonful or two of sauce in a 9 x 9" baking pan. Soften the tortillas by your preferred method--mine is microwaving 4 of them at a time for 15 - 20 seconds (or 30 if I accidently don't get them out in time). Place approx. 1/4 cup of vegetable mixture and a sprinkling of cheese into each tortilla. Roll up as tightly as possible and put into baking pan. Repeat until you use all the filling---I think I made 10 enchiladas. Spread the remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. (If you want, you can refrigerate until baking at this point). Bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until hot. Garnish with remaining cilantro, your favorite salsa (especially if you left out the jalapenos because of your children), and enjoy.

Smoky Minestrone with Cheesy Tortellini and Parsley Pesto

2011-05-25T13:40:00.002-05:00

I am coming to learn that Minestrone is the Italian version of stone soup or the Mexican chicken caldo. It works great as a clean out the vegetable crisper soup, which could be why I have so many different versions of minestrone on my blog. This one is great for using zucchini, potatoes, and leafy greens.

There are several things I love about this soup. Thing 1 is the tortellini. In my humble opinion, one can never go wrong with cheese tortellini. Ever. Thing 2 is the parsley pesto. Although we are starting basil season her in CenTex, I used store bought parsley that was languishing in my crisper drawer. I like the slight bite of parsley better and had no desire to use the basil that was also languishing in my crisper drawer.

We all love this soup. The kids even ate the zucchini in this without a complaint. Being swim season and all these days, M ate three servings. I was pleased to be able to pull a leek from my little raised garden to use in this soup. The vegetable amounts are estimates--since I had small carrots and potatoes, I used 6 small carrots and 4 small potatoes.

This serves at least 6 and possibly 8. It is equally good on a warm, muggy early summer (yes, the end of May is early summer here) afternoon as it is on a cold winter's evening.

Smoky Minestrone with Cheesy Tortellini

adapted from WinnieAb on Food52

3 T olive oil

2 oz bacon or pancetta, chopped into small pieces (both chop easier if partially frozen)

1 lg onion, peeled and chopped

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 ribs of celery, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 medium-large potato, peeled and chopped

4 c chicken stock

1 (15-oz) can chickpeas

1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes

salt

1 c kale, chard, or collards, roughly chopped

1 (9-oz) pkg cheese tortellini

Pesto
1 c packed parsley leaves

2 T pine nuts, toasted

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T Parmesan cheese, grated

1 T olive oil

Heat 1 T of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the bacon or pancetta and cook until they have started to brown. Add 2 more T of oil, if the pot looks dry, along with the onion, leek, and garlic. Continue to cook over medium heat until softened. Add the celery, carrot, zucchini, and potato. Stir for a minute or two. Add the stock, chickpeas, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or so, or until the potatoes are tender (that will depend on how small you cut the potatoes).

If you are making this soup ahead of time, stop here. Finish right before you are ready to eat.

While the soup simmers, make the pesto. I find it easiest to do this by hand, based on the small recipe. Chop the parsley until it is very, very fine. Chop the toasted pine nuts and garlic. Add to the parsley, along with the Parmesan. Stir in the olive oil. Set aside.

Add the kale and tortellini to the soup(if you are using chard, add that a minute or two after the tortellini), and cook 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Taste and add more salt. Serve and garnish individual bowls with a nice spoonful of parsley pesto, as desired.

Boston Creme Pie

2011-05-23T10:31:00.001-05:00

It was my birthday the other day. I made my own birthday cake.

That's right. For the past couple of years, I have requested to make my own cake. My daughter tells me that's just wrong, I can't make my own cake. However, I am a cake snob. I don't like grocery store cakes and bakery cakes tend to get right pricey. So, I make my own. That means I get to choose the kind of cake I get and generally, I know I will like how it tastes. Granted, if my husband volunteered to make me a cake (which he has before), I would let him. I also have many friends who I would let make my cake. At this point though, based off of all of our busy lives, it's just easiest to make my own.

The past two years, this is the cake I've requested. Growing up, my mom would always make her chocolate cake. Boston Creme Pie has replaced that cake though, thanks to the layer of pudding in the middle (those who know me well, know I am a total sucker for pudding) and a rich bittersweet chocolate ganache on the top. The only downfall is that it doesn't serve as many people as a traditional three layer cake because of it's size. I tend to cut these pieces much larger than a chocolate cake because overall, it isn't as sweet or as rich.

Boston Creme Pie

from my mom (who got it maybe from Betty Crocker cookbook) plus a few adaptions of my own

Chiffon Cake

2 eggs, separated

1 1/2 c sugar, divided

2 1/4 c sifted cake flour

3 t baking powder

1 t salt

1/3 c vegetable oil

1 c milk, divided

1 1/2 t vanilla

Beat egg whites until frothy to soft peaks stage (easiest to use a rotary beater---my large kitchenaid doesn't beat just two egg whites very well). Gradually beat in 1/2 c sugar. Continue beating until very stiff and glossy. Set aside. In a bowl of a mixer, blend flour, 1 c sugar baking powder and salt. Add oil, 1/2 c milk, and vanilla. Beat one minute at medium speed. Add remaining milk and egg yolks. Beat another minute, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Fold in beaten egg whites. Divide batter evenly between two greased, floured 9" round pans or split between 12 cupcakes and 1 greased, floured 9" pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 - 35 minutes for round pan and 17 - 20 minutes for cupcakes.

Pudding Filling

1/2 c sugar

2 T cornstarch

1/2 t salt

2 c milk

2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 T butter

2 t vanilla

While the cake bakes, make the pudding filling. Mix together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in meat. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil one minute, continuing to stir constantly. Remove from heat and slowly stir in 1/2 of hot mixture into the egg yolk in a heat proof bowl or measuring cup. Blend egg mixture into remaining hot mixture in saucepan. Boil one additional minute. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla, stirring to combine. Push pudding through a sieve to prevent any lumps (like any egg whites that may have ended up with the yolks). Cool, stirring occasionally.

Chocolate Ganache

1/4 c heavy cream

2 T water

2 T sugar

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into large chunks

Once the cake and pudding has cooled, prepared the chocolate ganache. Bring the cream, water, and sugar to a full boil. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling cream mixture over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Stir with a whisk to melt chocolate. Allow to cool slightly so it can pour in a thick ribbon.

To assemble cake: Cut the 9" round cake in half. Top bottom half with about 3/4 of the pudding (you can use it all if you want, but I only use about 3/4 of the pudding. I eat the rest of the pudding plain). Put top half on the pudding layer. Pour the ganache over the top, smoothing with an offset spatula. If you are so inclined, you can attempt to drizzle the ganache down the sides of the cake as well. (I usually only drizzle accidentally).

Pork and Shrimp Dumplings with Bok Choy and Noodles

2011-05-19T10:54:00.003-05:00

My children are getting older. That is a "Well, duh, Melani" comment if there ever was one, but sometimes, these observations are more evident than others.

Take this meal for instance. For a change, cooking supper was made infinitely easier because of my daughter's help. Going on 6, M is becoming quite a commis (don't be impressed, I had to wikipedia it to find the right word). We have found some recipes that she can almost make by herself now that she can read recipes. For this meal, I did the chopping and M did the mixing and shaping of the dumplings.

Making dumplings are perfect for little hands that want to help in the kitchen. Being the non-artistic, non-perfectionist that I am, I wasn't concerned what the dumplings looked like. This could have to do with the fact that the recipe I was using had no instructions on how to shape dumplings except: "seal and shape." Hmm. Thus, I basically went for sealed.

We loved this meal. M particularly loved it because she had such an integral part of making the meal. The recipe makes twice as many dumplings as we used. I froze the leftovers dumplings and will pull them out next time I have some bok choy that I need to use. Easy dinner.

While making dumplings may seem daunting and time consuming, on a whole this recipe wasn't terribly difficult to make or that time consuming. I am sure it helped considerably that I had M doing all the dirty work. :)

Pork and Shrimp Dumplings with Bok Choy and Noodles

adapted from Cindy Lee Roberts on Food52

1 lb ground pork

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and chopped

1/4 c spring onions or scallions, chopped

1/2 inch piece of ginger, finely grated

3/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 t sesame oil

1 t Mirin or white cooking wine

1 packet dumpling or wonton wrappers (you'll need 50)

8 oz somen, soba, or udon noodles

a bunch (approx 8 oz) of bok choy, sliced into 1" ribbons and roughly chopped

Sauce

1 1/2 T fish sauce (Nuac Mam or something similar)

1 T soy sauce

2 t white vinegar

1 t chili garlic paste (optional)

1/2 t sesame oil

1/3 c spring onion or scallions, finely chopped

1/3 c cilantro, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

Mix together the pork, shrimp, spring onions, ginger, salt, pepper, sesame oil, and wine in a medium bowl. Place about 1 T of the mixture into the bottom half of a dumpling or wonton wrapper. Using your index finger, make a border of water around the filling. Fold the top half over and seal (the water is necessary for the dumpling to seal shut).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. The following will depend on what kind of noodles you use. If you use a fast cooking, thin noodle like somen or rice threads (vermicelli), add the dumplings to the boil water first and add the noodles when there are two or three minutes left. If you are using a slower cooking, thicker noodle, like udon, add the noodles first, cook for a couple of minutes, and then add the dumplings. The dumplings need around 8 minutes in the boiling water to cook through. The easiest way to test to see if the dumplings are finished is to just break one open.

Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

Add the bok choy to the noodles and the dumplings and cook a minute or so more, or until the bok choy has wilted. Drain the noodles, et al. Pour the sauce over top and gently combine, being careful not to break the noodles. Garnish with a little cilantro and serve. (If you left out the chili garlic sauce because of children's sensitive tastes, you can put a little bit on top of each serving, as desired).

Macaroni, Peas, and Cheese

2011-04-26T07:56:00.003-05:00

This is not macaroni and cheese. Don't sell it to whoever you are serving it as mac and cheese. They'll form a mutiny. It is not macaroni and cheese.

What it is is a light spring (or anytime) pasta dish full of flavor that makes you feel good about yourself (unlike mac and cheese). Well, it makes you feel good about yourself if you ignore the little bit of bacon and heavy cream you added to the pot.

As you may be able to tell, I learned from my mistakes. M didn't eat it for supper because it wasn't mac and cheese. The boys both loved it. I'll definitely make it again and not sell it as mac and cheese and I suspect she'll eat it just fine.

Macaroni, Peas, and Cheese

from in The Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

8 oz elbows or other cute small pasta

1 T butter*

1 t olive oil*

2 oz bacon (2 strips store bought, 1 strip farmer's market), diced (optional)

1 1/2 c frozen peas

3 T heavy cream

2 T fresh basil or mint, chopped

2 t lemon juice

1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated

*If not using bacon, you need, otherwise the bacon creates enough grease.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well. If you are not using bacon, melt the butter and oil together in a large skillet. If you are using bacon, cook bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Stir in the peas and cook for a minute to defrost. Add the heavy cream and herbs. Cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly, 2 - 3 minutes. Add the pasta and drizzle with lemon juice. Stir in the cheese until the past is completely coated and the mixture is creamy. Serve.

Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli

2011-04-22T07:55:00.000-05:00

Curtis is not a shellfish fan. I can't quite understand that, but regardless of my understanding, he's not a fan. The rest of us are. So when Curtis went out of town for work for a few days, I jumped on the opportunity to try a new shrimp recipe that I thought looked good.

And good it was! The kids and I loved this. For M, it was close to the ultimate meal--she loves shrimp and she loves, loves broccoli. I thought the broccoli outshone the shrimp in this recipe. I had no problem letting the kids eat the bulk of the shrimp and sticking to the broccoli. The boys enjoyed this too.

My only changes were with the spices. I didn't have whole coriander and cumin seeds (nor a good method of grinding them either), so I threw some ground spices in.

This will serve 4, maybe.

Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli

adapted from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

1 - 2 lbs broccoli, cut into bite-size florets

1/4 c olive oil

1/2 t ground coriander (or 1 t whole seeds)

1/2 t ground cumin (or 1 t whole seeds)

1 1/2 t slat

1 t black pepper (optional--I omitted)

1/8 t hot chili powder (optional--I omitted this as well)

1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined if you desire

zest from one large lemon

lemon wedges for serving

In a large bowl, toss the broccoli with 2 T olive, all the coriander and cumin, 1 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, and all the chili powder (if using). Spread the broccoli on a single layer on a jellyroll pan (a cookie sheet--but with sides) with a silpat sheet (for easiest cleanup. A silpat isn't necessary, just helpful). Roast for 10 minutes in a preheated 425 degrees oven. Meanwhile, combine the shrimp, remaining 2 T olive oil, lemon zest and remaining salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the broccoli and toss. Roast, tossing once, until shrimp are just opaque and the broccoli is tender, 5 to 10 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges or squeeze lemon juice over shrimp and broccoli before serving.

Bagna Cauda Salad

2011-04-19T08:00:00.002-05:00

Raw beets? Raw turnips? Raw radishes? In a salad with anchovies? I wasn't sold but the picture looked so pretty I decided to try it anyway, mostly because I had so many turnips in my fridge.

Turns out, Curtis and I both love it. I've made this twice now. I've rotated some different winter veggies in to the dish as they show up in my CSA box (and then crisper). If you have it on hand, you can also use 1/4 small butternut squash (seed and peel it--the send end is preferable) and 8 trimmed brussels sprouts. Thinly slice the squash and pull all the leaves off the brussels sprouts.

This recipe calls for a lot of thin slicing. If you are not adept with a knife to cut the vegetables paper thin, use a mandoline. Just watch your knuckles---slicing your thumb knuckle on a mandoline because your kids have lost the protective guide. I'm not talking from experience or anything. :) Almost all your prep time is spent cutting and slicing the vegetables. The rest goes quite quickly.

Just a note on the beets. If you don't care if your turnips and cabbage turn pinkish, you can stir in the beets as enthusiastically as you desire. However, if you want your whites white, stir a little dressing into the beets before you add them to the salad. Toss the salad very gently just to incorporate the beets.

Bagna Cauda Salad

adapted from Amanda Hesser's recipe on Food52.com

2 small carrots, trimmed (peeled if store bought, not necessary if just picked)

2 radishes, trimmed

2 small turnips (or 4 very small turnips), trimmed and peeled

2 small beets (or 4 very small beets), trimmed and peeled

2 - 3 leaves of cabbage, sliced thinly

1/4 c parsley, chopped

4 anchovy fillets

2 small (1 medium) garlic clove

salt

2 T lemon juice

5 T good extra virgin olive oil

Prep the veggies: The radishes, turnips, and beets should be sliced as thinly as possible using a mandoline or your wicked knife skills. These veggies should be translucent. Put the radishes and turnips in a small to medium sized serving bowl. Set the beets aside in a small mixing bowl. Cut the carrots into 3" long matchsticks (each matchstick about 1/8" thick or so). Add the carrots, cabbage and parsley to the radishes and turnips in the serving bowl. Mix with your hands to combine vegetables.

The dressing: You have several options. If you have a good mortar and pestle, that is sufficient. I don't. You could also use a mini food processor or blender. I don't have those either. Using a knife (or one of the other methods which involves the equipment I don't have), finely mince the anchovies and garlic. Combine to make with the salt to make a paste. Place in a small glass jar, add the lemon juice and olive oil, and shake vigorously. Season with salt and adjust the amount of lemon juice and oil as needed.

To create salad: Pour half of the dressing over the vegetables (not the beets yet) and blend with your hands, separating the vegetables as necessary. Mix very well. Taste and add more dressing if you would like. Once seasonings are how you like, very, very gently mix in the beets. Let rest for 15 minutes or so before serving.

Polenta with Chard and Mushrooms

2011-04-14T11:28:00.000-05:00

On occasion, I have an incredible cooking day. I not only make a supper everyone loves, but I make lunch for myself too. The lunches are generally just for me. My kids are happy with peanut butter and jelly, fresh fruit, and fresh veggies for lunch so I tend to take that route. For me though, sometimes some cooked, veggie-based meal is called for.

Curtis has needed to travel a lot for work in the past 9 months. Granted, I have many friends whose husbands travel a lot more than mine, but for us, it's a lot. (Curtis never used to travel at all, so the approximate once a month trips seem like a lot). Usually, I take it all in stride, but sometimes I find myself exhausted and in need of some grown-up comfort food. When I found this recipe online, I knew I had found my middle of the day comfort (after the kids are in bed comfort food almost always comes in the form of chocolate pudding, mini nutella cupcakes, or cowboy cookie bars).

I loved this recipe. I love polenta. I love, love shitake mushrooms. Yes, this was pure love. I don't have bets on my kids eating this. M loves mushrooms, but she prefers hers uncooks. Plus, the addition of chard makes it a little questionable as well, not to mention the polenta, which doesn't like at all. J and little I would probably be even less impressed than M. But for me, it's the perfect middle of the day, I need some beauty and happiness in my life meal. This is my happy meal. I don't even need a toy.

I was tempted to leave out the lemon juice because I was too impatient to take the time to squeeze/zest one. I am so thankful I didn't. This dish NEEDS the lemon juice, don't make the mistake I almost did. The lemon juice is as crucial as the mushrooms.

This will supposedly serve 2. Hmm....I'm not commenting on how many it actually served. :)

Polenta with Chard and Mushrooms

adapted from Hail's Kitchen

4 - 6 oz chard, stems removed and coarsely chopped

8 oz mushrooms, combination of button, cremini, and/or shitakes

1/4 c onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 oz pancetta or bacon, diced (you could, hypothetically leave this out if you don't do pork)

1/4 c broth, either chicken or veggie

2 T dry white wine (optional)

1/2 T olive oil

1/2 T butter

1 T fresh thyme, chopped

1 lemon, juiced and zested

1/2 t salt or to taste

dash of pepper, or to taste

1/4 c polenta

1 c water

Bring 1 c water to a boil in a small saucepan.

While the water comes to boil, cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium high heat until it is crispy. Remove and set aside. Saute the onions and garlic in the same skillet for 2 minutes. Add the olive oil, butter, and mushrooms. Stir well to combine and then cook for a couple of minutes without stirring. Then stir the mushrooms well again and allow to cook undisturbed a few more minutes, or until the mushrooms have released all their juices. Add the wine to the pan and cook until all the liquid is evaporated. Remove the mushroom mixture from the pan.

Once the water boils, add the polenta and cook, stirring frequently until the polenta is thickened (how thick you want it is up to you). Meanwhile, add the chard to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the chard is wilted. Once the chard has wilted, return the mushroom mixture to the pan, along with the broth. Allow the broth to reduce and the chard to soften. Taste and adjust salt and pepper seasonings as necessary. Remove from heat, stir in the lemon juice and zest and thyme. Serve immediately over hot polenta.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

2011-04-11T07:50:00.002-05:00

When I was young, every once in a while my mom would have her "Ladies" over. While this bothered my brother, sister, and I slightly because we had to stay out of sight and quiet, for the most part it was ok because my mom almost always made this for dessert for them. It was some what of a magical dessert to me---cake on the top with hot fudge pudding on the bottom. A piece was inverted on a plate and topped with vanilla ice cream. The vanilla ice cream always melted a bit in the hot fudge and it was wonderfully gooey mess of ice cream, hot fudge, and cake--perfect for a little girl.

Once I started making this for myself, it was no less magical or special, although for some different reasons. My favorite discovery was my mom used no bowls to make this. Every thing was measured and then mixed in the 9 x 9" pan it was baked in. I still love how during baking the cake floats to top and the vanilla ice cream makes a gooey mess with the hot fudge and cake.

This is always a hit when I make it. I love it because it's easy and good!

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

from my Mom :)

1 c flour

3/4 c sugar

2 T cocoa

2 t baking powder

1/2 c milk

2 T oil

1 t vanilla

1 c brown sugar

1/4 c cocoa

1 3/4 c hot tap water

Mix flour, sugar, 2 T cocoa and baking powder in an ungreased 9 x9" pan. Mix in milk, oil, and vanilla with a fork until smooth. Spread evenly in pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and 1/4 c cocoa. Pour hot water over batter. Bake 40 minutes in a preheated 350 degrees oven. Let stand 20 - 30 minutes. To serve, invert on dessert plates and top with vanilla ice cream.

Red Lentil Soup aka Curtis's Favorite Dal

2011-04-08T07:40:00.000-05:00

It's just within the past year that I've really, really fallen in love with lentils. I try to rotate them into our menu once every two weeks or so--just like tofu stir fry. It's a nice meat alternative, very inexpensive, and very easy to make. Unlike most dried beans, lentils cook very quickly.

In my foray into lentils, I'm discovered the different kinds. French green lentils hold their shape better. Brown lentils are the traditional looking ones that turn kinda to mush when cooked to tenderness. Red lentils looks orange and also turn to mush. For this recipe you want the lentils that turn to mush, not the French lentils that hold their shape.

We loved this recipe (well, not the kids, but I'm don't always worry about them when it comes to lentils. It takes a couple of tries with a lentil recipe before they love one). I trimmed some cilantro from my herb garden to sprinkle on top.

This recipe serves 6.

Red Lentil Soup

from In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

4 T olive oil

1 very large onion or 2 medium onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 T tomato paste

2 t cumin

1/2 t salt, plus more to taste

1/2 t pepper

pinch of chili powder or cayenne

2 qts chicken or vegetable broth

2 c water

2 c red lentils

2 large carrots or 4 small carrots, diced

juice of 1 lemon

1/3 c fresh cilantro, mint, or parsley, chopped

Heat the oil over high heat until hot in large soup pot. Add the onions and garlic. Saute until golden. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Saute an additional 2 minutes. Add the broth, water, lentils, and carrots. Bring to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook for 30 minutes, or until lentils are soft. Taste and add more salt, if necessary (if you are using homemade chicken stock, you will need more salt). Puree half of the soup in a food processor or blender (be sure to leave the center of the lid off to allow the steam to escape). Reheat the soup if necessary, then stir in lemon and desired fresh herb. Serve the soup lightly drizzled with your best olive oil, if desired.

Moorish Paella

2011-04-05T08:06:00.002-05:00

Back when I made my Moroccan Pickled Vegetables, I made a batch of harissa to use in them. I made way more than I needed, especially considering that harissa is spicy stuff. I use only 1 T or so at a time. I've since made a second batch of the pickled vegetables, but the harissa jar still is about half full. While I suspect I'll make a third batch of the vegetables (my neighbors love the pickled vegetables, so I make a batch and pawn at least one jar off on them every time), the harissa still isn't being used fast. So, I looked for some new recipes using harissa.

Really, I love food52.com. I put harissa in their search engine and had several possibilities. I found one that I thought my kids would eat, contained a little vegetables, and had been tested extensively (I find on websites where individual can upload their own recipes, it's best to use recipes that have been tested). I was interested in this Moorish Paella.

It ended up a little spicy. I was nervous. However, the kids ate the chicken without a problem and Isaac ate some of the rice too, which was spicier than the chicken. I will definitely make this dish again. I also was a little apprehensive how much time the recipe would make. Paella conjures up the image of hours spent watching the stove. Not the case. While this isn't a dinner in a hurry recipe, from starting to table it was just over an hour (and it could have been quicker if my chicken had been fully thawed when I started). The last 20 minutes or so are totally unattended, so I got a head start on dishes, making clean up after supper a lot shorter.

I am including a couple of changes I want to make to the recipe next time--like more cauliflower and a little less rice. I also went easy on the spice which is reflected here as well. One important note: start brining the chicken at least an hour (as long as 8 hours) before you plan to start cooking.

This serves 4 - 6 people.

Moorish Paella

adapted from NWB on food52.com

4 -6 chicken pieces---a combination of bone-in thighs and breasts, depending on your family's preference (it should all fit in one pan without touching though)

4 small or 2 large links of cured, (shelf-stable) Spanish chorizo (not Mexican for you Texans with accessibility to such things), sliced

1 small onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 T olive oil

1 small- medium head of cauliflower, cut into small, bite-sized pieces

1 t ground caraway

2 t smoked paprika

1/2 t cumin

1/2 - 1 T harissa (this is what gives the dish most of its heat)

1 1/2 c Arborio rice**

8 oz tomato sauce

2 3/4 c chicken stock (or 2 1/4 c stock plus 1/2 c dry wine)**

Sprinkle chicken generously with coarse kosher/sea salt and place in plastic bag or bowl. Put it in the refrigerator to brine at least 1 hour, or as long as a day.

Brown sausages in a large, deep skillet. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Brown brined chicken over medium high heat in the same skillet, adding a little olive oil to sausage fat if needed, until richly browned. Turn over and brown other side. Remove and set aside. Add onions to pan (and a little olive oil if pan looks dry) and cook for 3 minutes. While onions cook, mix together caraway, paprika, and cumin in a small bowl. Add a dash of salt a spoonful of the paprika mixture to the onion. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes. Add more paprika mixture.

Add 1/2 c chicken stock or wine. Scrape bottom of the pan to get browned bits off and cook a couple of minutes. Add the sausage and harissa and stir well. Add tomato sauce and cook for 5 minutes. If you want, add a little more spice mixture (I think I may have added a little here--not much). Add the rice and stir in. Spread rice and onion mixture evenly over bottom of the pan. Lay the chicken on top of the rice. Carefully pour in the remaining 2 1/4 c of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 -30 minutes, until rice is cooked and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat, let set 2 - 4 minutes (about the time it takes to get everyone to the table), and serve.

**Original recipe called for 3 c chicken stock added to 2 c Arborio Rice.

Tuna, Artichoke and Olive Pasta

2011-03-31T07:50:00.001-05:00

Some evenings, I just don't feel like cooking or eating what is on the menu for the evening. Often, I want something less complicated or less heavy than what I had planned. Those are the evenings I put a few words into epicurious, foodandwine.com, or google (with the new recipe function!) and sees what pops up.

In this instance it was "Artichokes and Pasta." I had a can of artichoke hearts that had been languishing in my pantry forever and I thought it was probably time. Epicurious didn't let me down. I ended up with an easy pasta dish that used all pantry items and was quick. The kids liked bits and pieces of it--I'm fine with them picking out what they don't like. This was honestly a 30 - 45 minute meal from finding the recipe to sitting at the table.

This serves 6 people easily.

Tuna, Artichoke and Olive Pasta

adapted from epicurious

1 lb small pasta (I used little bowties)

1 (13.5 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained

1/4 c drained and rinsed capers (optional--I didn't use because M doesn't like)

1/2 c pitted and chopped black olives

juice and zest of 1 lemon

12 - 13 oz of tuna, preferably in olive oil, drained

1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c parsley, chopped

Bring water to a boil in a large pot and add pasta. Cook until al dente. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine remaining ingredients. When pasta is done cooking, reserve 1/2 c of pasta cooking water and drain remaining water. Put the pasta in a large serving bowl and pour reserved pasta cooking water over top. Add the artichoke mixture, toss and serve.

Malaysian Beef Curry

2011-03-28T12:19:00.002-05:00

The hunt for slow cooker recipes continues! I liked this better than anyone else in our family. I loved it, so, here's the recipe! It's a nice switch from normal slow cooker recipe flavors. Curtis said he would like this better if it had more spice. However, spice is a no go in our family, with M and her sensitive palate. The boys ate this fine.

I used stew meat instead of chuck roast. The stew meat worked fine.

This makes 6 generous servings.

Malaysian Beef Curry

from Bon Appetit

Spice Paste

4 - 8 large dried New Mexico chiles

2 - 4 lemongrass talks

1/2 c onions, chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled

2 t coriander

1 1 /2 t cumin

1/2 t ginger

3 T fish sauce

1 T brown sugar

Stew

3 lb boneless chuck roast or stew meat, trimmed, and cut into 1 1/2" cubes

1 (13.5-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk

zest from 1 lime

2 whole star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1 T tamarind paste

chopped fresh cilantro

cooked rice

To make the spice paste: Cover the chiles with very hot water and soak until soft, about 45 minutes. Drain, stem, seed, and chop chiles. Cut off the bottom 4" from the lemongrass stalks. Chop and transfer to food processor (reserve tops of stalks for the stew). Add onions, garlic, coriander, cumin, ginger, 1 t black pepper and process until finely ground. Add 1/2 c water, chiles, fish sauce, and sugar. Process to paste.

To make the stew: Smash reserved lemongrass stalks with a rolling pan (fun job!). Bend in half and bundle with kitchen twine. Mix beef and spice paste in slow cooker. Stir in lemongrass bundles, coconut milk, lime zest, star anise, cinnamon, and tamarind. Press meat down completely to submerge. Cook stew on low heat until meat is very tender, 4 1/2 - 5 hours. Spoon excess far from surface of stew before serving. Remove lemongrass bundles, stir anise, and cinnamon stick.

Transfer to stew to bowl. Serve over top steamed rice and sprinkled with cilantro.

Marbled Pound Cake

2011-03-25T08:13:00.000-05:00

Everyone needs a few go to cake recipes. This is one of my mine. It's easy to make to give with a dinner for a new baby or for company you invited over at the minute. It stores well and makes a good breakfast the next morning (always a plus!). It doesn't require a lot of sifting or separating or cake flour or other cake techniques. It's easy. It's good. It's a keeper.

Marbled Pound Cake

from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

2 c flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 c unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 c sugar

4 large eggs

1 t vanilla

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, reduce speed to medium, and add eggs, one at a time, beating 1 minutes after each egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently. Mix in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing only until it is incorporated. Don't overmix.

Put half of the batter in a separate bowl. Gently stir in melted chocolate. Alternate large spoonfuls of the light and dark batters in a greased 9 x 5" loaf pan. Very gently, run a knife through the mixture to marble it. Be careful not to stir vigorously, which would just turn the whole thing into a chocolate pound cake (unless that's what you're after!). Bake in a preheated 325 degrees oven for 70 - 75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. After the first 45 minutes, check the cake to be sure it isn't getting too browned. If it is, cover loosely with a foil tent.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Then, transfer to a rack (out of the pan) and allow to finish cooling.

Cherry-Orange Scones

2011-03-22T11:49:00.000-05:00

Over the past couple of years of blogging, I've complained about not being able to make scones or biscuits. They've always tasted fine, but have not risen like I would like them to.

That complaining is over. All over.

I did it. I made perfect scones. I found a method that works and discovered that all I really need is for all of my children to be immersed in a PBSKids TV show. I then can give my undivided attention to the task at hand--making perfect scones.

I am so proud.

Cherry-Orange Scones

adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book

3 c flour

3 T sugar

2 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

zest of 1 orange

10 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 c cold buttermilk or sour milk

1/2 c dried tart cherries (or cranberries)

1/2 c dried apricots, chopped

In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest a few times. Add the butter. Pulse until butter is in coarse, pea-sized chunks. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in buttermilk all at once, until a sticky dough forms. Stir in apricots and cherries. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently knead the dough, just until it holds together nicely. The dough will be very soft. Press the dough into a rectangle about 1 1/2" thick Fold like a business letter (in thirds), overlapping the short sides in the middle. Pat out dough into a thick rectangle and divide in half. Using a rolling pin, roll each half into a round 3/4" thick, 8" diameter circle. Cut each circle into 8 pieces.

Place wedges on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 425 oven until the scones are golden brown, 16 - 18 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, cool, and eat.

Hello, Salad!

2011-03-19T13:27:00.001-05:00

I am learning that some of the best dishes can be the simplest. Warm chocolate pudding, asparagus with a poached egg, tomatoes just picked and warm from the sun still, freshly picked strawberries with a little whipped cream. Something doesn't have to be fancy to be good. There doesn't need to be an ingredient list that has 21 things on it which entails trips to 3 stores to find everything (I know, I do have some recipes like that on this site).

This recipe is one of those simple, but good ones. I foresee this being a repeat performer as the lettuce comes on full force in the next weeks/months (including the one red leaf lettuce in my card that survived our Big Chill in February!). This is one kinda fancy, non-pantry staple in here--hazelnut oil. Buy one bottle and enjoy this salad all spring (and summer if you are fortunate enough to have lettuce all summer).

The amount of dressing is double what the original recipe called for. I thought with the given proportions, the lettuce was a bit dry. Add half of the dressing, taste, and add more as you desire.

This serves 2- 4.

Hello, Salad

from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

2 t white wine vinegar

1/4 t salt

3 T hazelnut oil

6 c salad greens (to be honest, I have no idea how many greens I used, it doesn't really matter, just add and adjust other ingredients to your own preferences based on the amount of greens you have)

handful of basil, mint, parsley, or cilantro, coarsely chopped

1/4 c hazelnuts

Toast the hazelnuts in a 325 degrees oven for 10 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The hazelnuts are toasted with they smell very fragrant (but not burnt). To loosen husks, roll between a folded kitchen towel. Some husks will remain, which is just fine, just get the loose ones off. Cool and chop.

Combine the vinegar, salt, and oil in a little glass jar. Shake well to emulsify the oil (or you can use whatever method you prefer for making dressing). Place greens, herbs, and hazelnuts in a salad bowl and toss. Drizzle half of vinaigrette over top, toss. Taste and add more vinaigrette and salt as you desire.

Pasta with Chard and Dried Fruit

2011-03-16T08:02:00.003-05:00

I had planned on making a heavier dish with my chard this week. However, when Sunday evening rolled around, I was wanting something lighter after a weekend of eating cheese and dairy filled meals. I still wanted to use the chard and I thought pasta would be good, too. So, I searched. I thankfully didn't have to search long before I found this recipe.

The kids didn't love this. I think if M would have been hungrier, she would have eaten more. J ate it pretty well, but little I didn't eat much. We are still working on eating green leafy things consistently. Curtis and I really enjoyed it.

I didn't end up having enough chard, so I used a combination of spinach and chard. That worked just fine--I couldn't really tell the difference between the two in the dish.

This serves 4 - 6.

Pasta with Chard and Dried Fruit

adapted from Food and Wine

3 T pine nuts, toasted

5 T olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 bunches chard, large stems removed and leaves chopped into 2" pieces (or spinach or a combo)

1 1/2 t salt

3/4 t black pepper

1/4 c sliced dried apricots

1/4 c raisins

1/4 c red wine (optional, you can also use water)

small pinch of cinnamon

3/4 lb long pasta, such as fettuccine or linguine

1/4 c grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until done. While the water heats for the pasta, put the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant and golden. Add the chard and a 1/2 t of salt and pepper. Cook until the chard is wilted. Add the dried fruit, wine, and cinnamon. Simmer until the mixture is almost dry. Remove from heat.

Drain the pasta when it is al dente. Toss it with the chard. If the pasta looks a little dry, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over top. Sprinkle with pine nuts and parmesan and season with remaining salt and pepper.

Asparagus with Poached Eggs

2011-03-14T07:19:00.002-05:00

Supper tonight was enough to motivate me to post again. It tasted like spring in our house this evening---asparagus with poached eggs, chard and dried fruit linguini, and oatmeal raisins cookies. It really doesn't get much better than this.

This dish was the show stopper. Yes, it was just a side, but that didn't matter. I found this recipe in Food and Wine Magazine on Wednesday and envisioned it again on Saturday as I walked through the Farmers Market on Saturday. I went straight to the guy with the asparagus and knew that this week, asparagus was getting a makeover.

I used about 4 oz of asparagus. I had bought 8 oz, but my kids love asparagus. Seriously, J and M fight over it. It worked out perfectly because it meant Curtis and I both had our own asparagus, which the kids wouldn't touch and they had theirs.

Asparagus. Sigh. It will be a glorious spring with asparagus to eat every week.

To make this use 2 oz(4 oz if main dish) of asparagus per person/serving and 1 egg. Multiply as needed. This can also be a brunch/breakfast dish. Serve with toast in that case.

The recipe in these proportions will serve 2.

Asparagus with Poached Eggs

from a Gwyneth Paltrow recipe in Food and Wine

4 oz thick asparagus trimmed

1/2 T butter

salt and pepper

2 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 T white wine vinegar

2 eggs

Preheat the broiler. (My broiler has a hi and lo setting--it confuses me. For the record, I preheated my broiler to hi and set the rack in the top 1/3 of the oven--about 6 inches from the heat source.) Blanch the asparagus in a large pot---a large deep skillet will also work--of boiling, salted water until crisp-tender. Watch carefully, especially if using Farmers Market/homegrown asparagus, which will cook more quickly than grocery store asparagus. Meanwhile, cut the butter into pieces and put in a long, shallow, broiler-safe dish. Transfer hot asparagus with a slotted spoon to dish with butter. Roll the asparagus in the butter until butter has melted and coats the asparagus. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with cheese. Broil until golden.

Meanwhile, add the vinegar to the asparagus blanching liquid and return to a simmer. Crack the eggs into a small cup and then gently pour into simmering water, one at a time. If the whites kinda run away, use a spoon to gently bring them back to the yolk. Poach until the whites are set, but the yolks are runny, about 3 minutes or so. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove each egg from the water. Set on the asparagus. (If your egg looks less than beautiful, try gently flipping it over. The bottom often looks better.) Sprinkle eggs with a little salt and pepper and serve.

Cowboy Cookie Bars

2011-03-08T08:27:00.000-06:00

When my new Food and Wine magazine came, I was immediately drawn to the Chocolate Chip-Pecan Cookie Bars. It took exactly when day between when the magazine darkened my door to when the bars came out of the oven. I transformed them though, into my favorite kind of chocolate chip cookies--Cowboy Cookies.

These have the taste of cookies, but the ease of bar cookies---just one pan to bake and then cut. Simple. Do I need to tell you that everyone loved these and M was thrilled to get these in her lunch?

Cowboy Cookie Bars

adapted from Food and Wine

1 c pecans

4 T butter, at room temperautre

2 T oil

1/4 c plus 2 T sugar

1/4 c plus 2 T brown sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla

3/4 c whole wheat flour

3/4 c oatmeal

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 c chocolate chips (I like bittersweet, but you can use whatever is your favorite)

Spread the pecans on a sheet pan and toast in a 350 degrees oven for 8 minutes, or until fragrant and golden. Cool and then chop.

Beat the sugar and oil until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. In a separate, small bowl, whisk together the flour, oatmeal, baking soda and salt. Add to the sugar mixture and combine at low speed, just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and pecans and mix by hand until the mixture is blended.

Press dough into an even layer in a 9 x 13" pan that has been lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil (I used foil). Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and nearly set in the center. Let cool, then remove from pan and cut into squares.

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

2011-03-03T14:00:00.001-06:00

As my children get older, our schedule gets fuller. We are still trying to keep the extras minimal--soccer in the fall, swimming in the spring/early summer. With spring here (yep, we live in Texas, spring comes early!), swim lessons have started in preparation for swim team in May. We generally get home from swim lessons around 5:20 and we eat at 6:00--no small task for me. Even if I had a 30 minute meal to make, having 30 minutes in that time frame which didn't involve care for the boys (they're the younger two), is a stretch.

Thus, I am becoming re-acquainted with my slow cooker again. We also have taken a CSA break this month to get the cabbage and turnips that have multiplied in my fridge cleaned out.

I am also in the process of cleaning last years quarter cow out of the freezer--mostly stew meat and round cutlets left. I am dreaming of a new quarter in April/May, so I need to get rid of the old one first. Stew meat lends itself perfectly to slow-cooker. Round cutlets lends itself perfectly to absolutely nothing, I've found. That doesn't prevent me from trying to use my cutlets.

The goal: To consume round cutlets in the most pleasing, make ahead way possible.

The plan: Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

Analysis: Awesome slow cooker meal which doesn't taste like a bland slow-cooker meal. Round cutlets don't lend themselves well to ropa vieja either, but with the overall taste of the dish, the round cutlets can be ignored, if not entirely forgiven.

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

adapted slightly from Food and Wine

1 2-lb flank steak, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 4 pieces

28 oz diced tomatoes, with juice

2 medium (1 large) bell pepper, thinly sliced--a variety of colors is nice if possible

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t cumin

1 bay leaf

1/2 c green olives

2 T capers, drained

3 T cilantro, coarsely chopped

Season the flank steak with salt and pepper. Set aside. In the slow cooker, combine tomatoes and juice, pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and bay leaf. Add the steak and cover. Cook on high for 5 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Transfer meat to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes (to seal the juices). While the meat rests, stir in the olives, capers, and cilantro. Use shred meat, using 2 forks is the easiest way. Return the meat to the sauce. Season as needed with salt and pepper. Serve over rice and sprinkle with additional cilantro, if desired.

Another Cabbage Salad aka Cabbage Slaw with Hot Bacon Dressing

2011-02-26T08:06:00.001-06:00

In addition to turnips, cabbage is also ever present in my crisper drawer. Between cabbage and turnips, we are taking a break from renewing our CSA subscription--I need to get the cabbage and turnip take over under control before re-upping. I am getting there. I am down to less than 10 turnips (seriously, there were that many!) and half a head of cabbage. This recipe helped the cabbage problem.

I don't like cole slaw. Can't stand it. It's a funny thing. I love mayonnaise, so much, I like off the spoon or knife after getting some out of the container. But cole slaw--it too often ends up a gooey, runny mess. I get shivers (not the good kind--the fingernails on a blackboard kind) just thinking about.

I know I also have several cabbage salad recipes posted already. There's cabbage chicken salad, Asian cabbage salad, and cabbage salad for tacos and bahn mi. This one is different than the rest in that uses BACON! It made me think briefly about my Grandma Hess's Hot Bacon Dandelion Salad.

I loved it. Curtis wasn't home to try it (I sent it in his lunch today, we'll see what he thinks). The kids didn't try it, but I don't expect them to try cabbage salads. J and little I prefer their cabbage raw and unadorned. M doesn't eat it unless it's cooked.

This recipe will serve 6 as a salad.

Cabbage Slaw with Hot Bacon Dressing

adapted from Bon Appetit

3 oz bacon (2 thick farmers' market slices)

1/4 c onion, finely chopped (or shallots)

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1/4 c raisins

3 T balsamic vinegar

6 c (about 1/2 a head) of cabbage, red is preferable, green will do fine, thinly sliced

1/2 c sliced almonds, toasted

1/4 c parsley, chopped (optional)

Fry bacon in a skillet until browned and crispy. Remove from pan. Crumble into small pieces when cool enough to handle. Add onions to bacon drippings in the pan and saute until softened, about 3- 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbled bacon, raisins, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper (it won't need much salt thanks to the bacon). Place cabbage in a medium bowl. Pour bacon dressing over top of the cabbage and toss to coat. Let stand 5 - 10 minutes. Add almonds and parsley, if using. Toss to blend and adjust seasonings (salt and pepper) if necessary.

Moroccan Pickled Vegetables

2011-02-22T08:13:00.001-06:00

As I said in the last post, I've been on a hunt for turnip recipes. I loved food52 a little more when I found many turnip recipes on there. One of those recipes was for pickled mixed vegetables. I made them, with many reservations. Two cups of olive oil? Only two pints of vegetables? Would we like them? Was my chili garlic sauce the right kind? Would it be too spicy with the chili garlic sauce?

Wouldn't you know it, it turned out ok! I was pleasantly surprised! I ended up using only 1 1/2 cups of olive oil and I still think it is a little too oily. The recipe made two quarts easily, and I even cut down on the amount of veggies I used. We've been eating with meals and have enjoyed it. In fact, I think I will probably even make it again.

A few additional notes on the recipe. If you use the amounts called for, which I am including, it will make probably four quarts. Just divide each layer on vegetables between four jars. This recipe also needs to sit for three days before serving. This sitting should take place at room temperature. After the initial three days, keep in the refrigerator for up to a month. The harissa also makes way more than you need. Refrigerate the extra for up to 3 months and use as you make new batches of pickled vegetables (or search for harissa recipes). Just keep it covered with a light film of olive oil.

Moroccan Pickled Vegetables

adapted from epicureanodyssey on food52.com

For the Harissa:

1 1/2 c Asian chile-garlic sauce

1 lg garlic clove, roughly chopped

1 T coriander

1 T caraway seeds

1 T dried mint (optional)

1 t kosher salt

1 T extra virgin olive oil

For the vegetables:

2 small cucumbers, unpeeled, sliced 1/4" thick

3 medium carrots, peeled, sliced 1/4" thick

2 medium turnips, peeled, halved, and cut into thin wedges

6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed

1 medium sweet onion, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into thin strips

1/2 large red or yellow pepper, seeded and sliced

1/2 head green cabbage, cut in half, cored, and cut into 1/2" slices

6 oz mixed olives

2 lemons, halved, seeded and thinly sliced

4 thyme sprigs

1 t dried oregano

2 - 4 bay leaves

1 T caraway seeds, lightly crushed

1 T coriander seeds, lightly crushed

small pinch of saffron

2 T harissa

For the pickles:

1 1/4 c white vinegar

1 1/4 c apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

2 T sugar

1 T kosher salt

For the harissa: Put all ingredients in a food processor and process to a paste. Set aside until you assemble the jars.

Divide the vegetables and herbs evenly between 4, 1-quart jars. Layer in the order listed in each jar. Top each with a little harissa. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, gently heat the olive oil, vinegars, sugar, and salt over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour over the vegetable mixture. (Don't make it too hot or it will break the glass jars. If you think it is too hot or are worried about it, just let it cool a little before adding it). Cover and shake the jars to distribute the spices evenly.

Let set at room temperature for 3 days. Store in the refrigerator after that.

To serve, empty jar into a bowl. Top with some fresh feta if desired. (You can return uneaten portion to jar and eat another time).

Beauty Paste Chicken with Roasted Root Vegetables

2011-02-17T20:53:00.003-06:00

I've been on a Turnip binge lately. It hasn't been out of choice. They've been collecting in my crisper drawer in the fridge for a few months now. Occasionally, I'll make my yummy braised root vegetables as a side, but I am not a side lover. I would rather find a main course that can incorporate as many vegetables and parts of the meal as possible. Since Friday, I've made Homespun Potpie (with kohlrabi, turnips, and sweet potatoes--hold the chicken), Moroccan Vegetable Stew, and Beauty Paste Chicken with roasted vegetables (which included turnips). All of these meals, I've really enjoyed. I don't mind turnips, I just have a hard time remembering to use them. Needless to say, after all of this turnip binging, I've put a significant dent in my turnip collection, however, it is far from gone.

The Beauty Paste chicken was easy and the roasted vegetables were great. I tried the roasted vegetables two ways--one on a separate sheet pan below the roasting chicken and the other was in the roasting pan with the chicken. I liked them both ways, but I think I may have slightly preferred the roasting pan over the sheet pan. The potatoes developed their rich, buttery taste more in the roasting pan (maybe because the chicken was coated in butter?). The vegetables didn't quite all fit in the roasting pan, so more than likely, I'll do it both ways again next time.

I can't go wrong with making chicken for my kids. I can't go wrong with making roasted vegetables for me. We loved it (Curtis wasn't home this evening). I am looking forward to make chicken stock today with the bones and am scheming about what I may make with the leftover chicken (enchiladas, anyone?).

I was hesitant about using 5 T mustard powder. I only used 3 T, because that was all I had. The chicken could definitely handle 5 - 6 T, and if you are feeling really bold, find hot mustard powder (I wasn't because of M's sensitive tastes). I also inadvertently forgot the celery, I think because I was so excited about using more turnips.

This serves 4 - 6.

Beauty Paste Chicken with Roasted Vegetables
adapted from SaySchwartzandBeSure on Food52.com

5 T soft (mostly but not quite melted) butter
5 - 6 T dry mustard powder
1 T fresh thyme leaves
fresh ground black pepper
1 roaster chicken (3 - 5 lbs)

3 carrots, sliced 1/4" thick
2 leeks, white parts only, sliced 1/2" thick
2 celery stalks, cut into 2" chunks
2 medium white turnips (about the size of apples), cut into wedges
12 new red or white potatoes
1 red or sweet onion, cut into wedges
1 t sea salt
1/2 - 1 t lemon zest
fresh ground pepper
1 - 2 T olive oil

yellow onion, cut into quarters

Wash inside and out of chicken. Trim access fat. Pat dry and set aside.

Combine softened butter and mustard powder in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir in pepper and fresh thyme. (If you've accidently melted the butter, let the butter/mustard combo stand at room temperature for a while). Set aside.

Combine the carrots, leeks, celery, turnips, potatoes, and red onion in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Toss to equally coat all the vegetables.

Sprinkle the inside of the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Stuff with yellow onion quarters. Using your hand, scoop the beauty paste all over the chicken in a thick layer. (The paste is what crisps the skin and keeps the chicken moist, don't skimp on this. If you run out of paste, make more). Place the chicken in a roasting pan. Surround the chicken with as many vegetables as well fit (you want the vegetables in a single to double layer at most. Don't fill the pan to the top with vegetables). Put remaining vegetables on a sheet pan.

Roast the chicken in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the the heat to 350 and roast an additional 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours, depending on size and kind of chicken (organic vs free range vs conventional), until internal temp in the thickest part (between the thigh and leg) is 180 degrees. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

For the vegetables on the sheet pan, stir occasionally and remove from oven once they are tender. Warm right before serving the chicken and combine with the vegetables cooked in the roasting pan.

Roasted Cauliflower with Golden Raisins

2011-02-10T09:15:00.000-06:00

Mmmm....roasted cauliflower. Cauliflower is another one of those things I discovered I like if it is made just right. Roasting is just right. M disagrees--she likes the cauliflower steamed or lightly boiled. The browned sections of roasted cauliflower equals burnt, so she won't touch it.

We (Curtis and I) enjoyed this. This is a nice switch from the roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower I usually make.

This serves 2 - 4 adults depending on the size of your head of cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower with Golden Raisins
from Food and Wine magazine

1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar (white is preferable, but I used regular and it was just fine)
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 T golden raisins
1/4 c Pecorino Romano, Manchego, or Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 T parsley, chopped

Spread the cauliflower on a jelly roll (half sheet pan with sides) pan. Drizzle with 2 T olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season lightly with salt and black pepper. Toss well. Roast in a preheated 375 degrees oven for 40 minutes, or until tender. Transfer to serving bowl. Meanwhile (during the last five minutes or so of the cauliflower's roasting time), heat remaining 1/2 T olive oil in a small skillet. Add the raisins and cook over medium heat about 1 minute, or until hot. Add the raisins to the cauliflower. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Serve hot.

Minestrone Soup!!! With Cabbage!!!!

2011-02-07T10:22:00.002-06:00

I have several minestrone soups in my collection already. What propelled me to try a new one though, was the presence of cabbage.

CSA's are unpredictable, or at least our CSA is. Last year, we got just a little cabbage, at the end of the season. This year, we get a head of cabbage a week, which for us, is a lot of cabbage. I've had a hard time staying ahead it. Last year, we got tons and tons of carrots. Yesterday we got 4 small ones (and in general the bunches have been smaller). I've been buying carrots at the store to handle our winter carrot eating habit. That's just how a CSA goes, I guess. I think I'd take the carrots over the all the cabbage though.

Anyway, I was excited about this recipe, even though I was unsure of it. The recipe called for uncooked, un-soaked dried beans to be used, which just seemed like blasphemy to me. Could the beans possibly be cooked without pre-soaking them? I tried, and for the most part, they were fine. The garbanzos were a little hard still, but very edible, and I found that the next day, the consistency was just right for them. If you can, buy the beans in bulk so you can just buy as much as you need. I liked using the Parmesan cheese rind which had been hanging out in my fridge for quite a while, waiting for a recipe like this.

The kids tried this and I think they would have liked it, except for the fact that it was too spicy. Yes, I managed to make minestrone soup too spicy. I agreed with them too and found an alternative for them without any qualms (normally, they eat what we are eating, unless I know ahead of time they probably won't like it or it ends up being too spicy). I have adapted the recipe some to take this into account.

Additonally, I think this recipe easily could be adapted to a slow-cooker if you would want to experiment. This recipe is time intensive, but not much work. It just requires at least 2 1/2 hours of cooking time, so save for a cold day.

This recipes feeds 4 - 6.

Minestrone Soup--With Cabbage!!!!
adapted from Foodwriter97426 on food52.com

1 med onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
3/4 c dry cannellini beans
1/4 c dry garbanzo beans
6 c water
1 bay leaf
2 t fresh thyme, chopped
2 t fresh rosemary, chopped
2 t fresh oregano, chopped
1 1/2 t salt
a dash of black pepper
1 c green beans, cut into 1 - 2 inch pieces (I use frozen)
1 c carrots, coarsely diced
1 can diced tomatoes (with juice)
2" piece Parmesan cheese rind
10 oz of cabbage, thinly sliced
1/3 c small pasta
1/2 c red wine

Saute onions in a little oil in a large soup pot over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Add the beans, water and by leaf. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 hrs or until beans are just barely tender. Add thyme, rosemary, oregano, salt, dash of pepper, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, and cheese rind. Return to a boil, then cover and continue to simmer another 30 minutes over low heat. Add cabbage and pasta to the pot. If the soup looks dry at any time, add up to an additional 1 1/2 c of water. Simmer, uncovered, another 30 minutes. Add wine, and taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, if desired. Serve topped with some extra grated Parmesan.

Polenta with Fried Eggs and Garlicky Swiss Chard

2011-02-03T08:06:00.005-06:00

Having been a CSA member for almost 4 years now has definitely expanded my eating, and not only with vegetables. In the past, I wouldn't touch grits--a good Southern food my family didn't eat much of, being more of German/Pennsylvania Dutch persuasion than Southern. I tried them, I just wasn't sold. Then I started with the CSA and found recipes for my veggies over polenta, tried them, and liked them. Maybe it was the fancy Italian name of Polenta, maybe it was just that I was more adventurous eater than during my Virginia days. Whatever, the reason, I am a polenta convert.

Although Curtis and I liked this recipe, it was a fail in the eyes of my kids (who ended up eating a fried egg and leftovers from other meals). M especially isn't a polenta fan. I'll probably make it again, because thinking of this recipe makes me happy and hungry.

This serves 4. This is supposedly a breakfast for supper recipe. I am sure it would be delightful any time of the day, but it's perfect for a Sunday evening supper on a cold day.

Polenta with Fried Eggs and Garlicky Swiss Chard
adapted from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

4 1/2 c water or chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 c polenta (or grits), the slow-cooking, not quick cooking kind
3/4 t salt
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated
2 bunches chard, stems removed, sliced into 1/4" strips
2 - 3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
red pepper flakes, to taste
4 eggs

The easiest way to cut chard or other leafy greens (including herbs) is to make a stack of all the leaves.

Then, slice it into thin ribbons.

Bring the water or broth to a simmer in a large pot. Stir in the polenta and 3/4 t salt. Simmer the polenta, stirring frequently until it is thick (your discretion on how thick you would like it), somewhere between 5 - 20 minutes, depending on your polenta. Once the polenta is thickened to your taste, stir in butter, cheese, and a dash of black pepper, remove from heat, and cover to keep warm.

While the polenta is bubbly and thickening, heat 1 T oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and saute until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chard and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt. Set aside until ready to eat.

Meanwhile (since we have three hands, right?), heat 1 T of olive oil in a large skillet or comal over medium heat. Fry the eggs until the edges are crispy and the yolks are still runny (you can break the yokes if you prefer them that way, like my family does).

To serve. Scoop some polenta onto plates. Top with chard, and then the fried egg.

Brussel Sprouts Salad

2011-01-31T07:18:00.002-06:00

Raw Brussels sprouts? Really? Seeing as 3 years ago I'd never tasted brussels sprouts and only remembered them being in a Sesame Street song, I've come pretty far. Turns out, I even like Brussels sprouts raw!

Curtis and I enjoyed this salad. Curtis told me that this was his favorite "strange" salad that I make (he believes the perfect salad is some very fresh lettuce with some good olive oil and balsamic vinegar). This is definitely worth the trip to the Farmer's Market for Brussels sprouts. The kids didn't eat it, but that was fine with Curtis and I.

This serves 4 -6, unless you love it as much as we do! This tastes best if you let it stand for an hour before serving.

Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad
adapted slightly from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

10 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed
juice of 1/2 lemon
coarse salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1 c toasted pecans, chopped
3/4 c Gruyere, Pecorino Romano, or Manchego cheese, grated

Chuck (that's a real good cooking term, isn't it?) the Brussels sprouts into a food processor fitted with the slicing disc. (This is a fun part for kids to help with because there's lots of instant excitement). Put the sprouts in a bowl and toss with lemon juice and a little salt and pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the olive oil and toss well. Gently stir in the pecans and cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately or let stand for one hour before serving.

Chinese Chicken Casserole

2011-01-28T07:35:00.002-06:00

I may have mentioned before, Curtis hates casseroles. It's such a shame, because I LOVE them. However, it's a bit of a conundrum for Curtis. On the evenings I am not at home to clean up or help with bedtime, Curtis wants minimal dishes to clean up after supper. That leaves two choices: Chick-Fil-A or pizza or a casserole. I wasn't quite desperate enough last night to go with eating out, so I decided to try a new casserole I saw over on thekitchen (it's casserole week over there---perfect!)

Success! Everyone loved it. The kids gobbled it up and Curtis thought it was fabulous, in fact on of the "best meals I've had in a while," to quote him. I liked it because one pot to clean, it was healthy, and it didn't use tons of meat. It is slightly more expensive dish to make because of the shitake mushrooms. The dish is restaurant good though, so if you think about ordering food at a even a cheap Chinese restaurant for 6 people, this recipes gives you pretty good bang for your buck.

BTW--My computer is having issues with blogger these days (this is the second time I am typing this post, the first time I published I got %20 between every word). Additionally, any time I try to upload a picture my computer either gives me a "Bad Request" message or crashes, depending on my browser. Please forgive the lack of pictures until I get this whole mess straightened out (grrr...computers).

This recipe serves 6.

Chinese Chicken Casserole
adapted slightly from thekitchn.com

1/4 c soy sauce
1 1/2 t sugar
2 t sesame oil
2 t cornstarch
1 lb boneless, skinless chickens, cut into 1/2" cubes (the recipe suggested breasts, but I had thighs so that's what I used)
3 scallions, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch piece ginger, grated
2 oz smoked, cured (room temp safe) Italian salami, cut into 1/4" cubes
10 oz fresh shitake mushrooms, caps thinly sliced and stems discarded
1 T olive oil
2 c Jasmine rice (or regular rice will work too)
1 t salt
4 c chicken stock

Whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Put the chicken, scallions, garlic, and ginger in a medium bowl. Pour the sauce over top, and toss to coat. Place the chicken mixture in the fridge to marinate until you are ready for it.

Heat an oven safe pot (like a Dutch oven, 3 qt size or bigger) on medium high heat until hot. Add the sausage, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the sausage has released its fat and the bottom of the pot is slick with sausage fat. Add the mushrooms and turn the heat back up to medium-high. Let the mushrooms cook, without stirring for 5 minutes. Stir them over and cook another 3 minutes, watching to be sure mushrooms don't burn (if mushrooms look like they are browning too quickly, reduce heat to medium). Add 1 T oil to the pot and add the rice. Saute briefly, then add the salt, chicken mixture, and stock. Bring to a boil.

Cover tightly with an oven-safe lid (no plastic) or foil, and bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 45 minutes, or until rice is done. Test the rice for doneness before removing from oven. After the casserole is removed from the oven, keep covered and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Stir thoroughly so mushrooms and rice are mixed together. Serve with chopped scallions for garnish, extra soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce if desired (which I didn't desire doing for any of those three).

Pistachio and Apricot Granola

2011-01-24T11:55:00.002-06:00

I got a new cookbook for Christmas. (Really, folks, I think I may have a problem here. It may be time for an intervention. I LOVE COOKBOOKS). This really isn't a surprise, the cookbook as a present for me. The surprise was that our dog bought it for me. She was so fortunate that I could do her Christmas shopping for her.

I had been eyeing this cookbook for awhile--reading reviews of it, skimming it in my trips to the bookstore. It was so kind for our dog to help me out here. Let me tell you, I have not been disappointed in it at all. Some of the recipes are "fancier" than what I usually make---but I also have also found some homey, CSA friendly recipes as well. Plus, before each recipe, there is a short story to go with it---always autobiographical and connected in some way to the recipe and at least one page long. I love it. Two of my loves present at one place, reading and cooking. In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite, by Melissa Clark has not disappointed me. I've made four recipes from it so far, all of which I would make again without a moment's hesitation. It definitely has a spot reserved for it on my main cookbook shelf (and not relegated to the occasional-use cookbook shelf).

My second recipe to make from this book was granola. I love granola, but haven't been feeling the love from any of my granola recipes lately. This recipe was exactly what I needed. I am back on my weekly granola making kicks and am looking forward to playing around with substituting the nuts/fruits/spics (I think next up is a tart dried cherry and pecan granola....).

A warning--don't try to substitute roasted, salted pistachios for the raw, unsalted ones. It makes a huge difference and the flavor is much better with raw, unsalted pistachios. Hulling 1 c pistachios takes a bit of time--about 15 minutes--so if you can afford it, I would suggest paying extra for hulled pistachios. Otherwise, plan on spending some time hulling. The green of the pistachios and pumpkin seeds plus the orange of the apricots makes for a very visually pleasing granola

This recipe makes about 9 cups. I love it with some milk on it for breakfast, or all by itself as a snack. I've also read that's good with yogurt or fresh, milky ricotta and berries.

Dried Apricot and Pistachio Granola
adapted from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

3 c rolled oats (not quick)
1 c raw pistachios, hulled

1 c raw pumpkin seeds, hulled
1 c unsweetened shredded coconut (or coconut chips which aren't as fine)
1/2 - 3/4 c pure maple syrup
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground cardamom
3/4 - 1 c dried apricots, chopped (optional)

In a large bowl combine everything but the apricots. Spread mixture onto a large rimmed baking sheet (a half sheet pan aka cookie sheet with sides) in an even layer. Bake in preheated 300 degrees oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to allow for even browning. Granola is done when it is golden brown and well toasted. Stir chopped apricots into toasted granola. Eat however you desire.

Carrot White Bean Dill Salad

2011-01-20T21:19:00.001-06:00

When I ditched my Swedish Lamb Stew the other night, I needed an outlet for my dill--the CSA produce on the menu for that evening. I Goggled it and found a recipe from a blog I'd heard of, but never really checked out before, 101 cookbooks. For those not familiar with food blog history, 101 Cookbooks is one of the food blog pioneers, starting way back in 2003. (I am not a food blog historian, by any stretch of the imagination, this is my own distinction that I came up with almost no research). 101 Cookbooks focus is on natural foods--a lot of unrefined grains and sugars and all vegetarian recipes. It hasn't made my bookmark bar yet, but it still may. The pictures are beautiful and the layout is great (versus, say, this blog). :)

Curtis and I loved this salad (again, this was the evening our kids ate just beets for supper). It does a great job of using ingredients that are in season together.

These proportions will serve about 3 - 4 people as a side. (The original recipe would serve 6 - 8).

Carrot White Bean Dill Salad
from 101 Cookbooks

2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
dash of salt
2 T - 1/4 c thinly sliced shallots, to taste (I am not a huge raw onion--even shallot--fan).

1 c carrots, sliced 1/4" thick on deep bias (which means diagonally)
1 (15-oz) can white beans
2 T fresh dill, chopped
1 T brown sugar
3 T sliced almonds, toasted

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and shallots in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, toss the carrots with a little olive oil. Spread them out in a single layer in the skillet. Cook them 12 minutes, tossing every three to four minutes, or until carrots are very browned.Cache-Control: max-age=0

uto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OpJIS215acU/TS9N9-Cfx3I/AAAAAAAACXA/dxHZtS4uxuU/s400/IMG_5740.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561749791846680434" border="0" />Add the beans and dill to the skillet, and cook another 5 minutes, or until beans are heated through. Add more olive oil to the pan if the pan looks dry and the beans are sticking.

Transfer beans/carrots mixture to a medium bowl. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pour 3/4 of the shallot/olive oil dressing over top. Toss gently. Let sit for 10 minutes, then toss gently again. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Sprinkle with almonds just before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mujaddara

2011-01-18T21:00:00.001-06:00

Tonight, Swedish Lamb Stew with loads of dill was on my menu. The cold front hadn't arrived yet and I wasn't really feeling very stew-like. Instead, lentils was on my brain. My neighbor talked about making lentils yesterday and I kept thinking, it's been awhile since we've had lentils. I remembered the finalists in a lentil contest I'd seen on food52. I checked them out and we had lentils for supper.

The lentils were fabulous. I know it's been a good meal, when two hours later, I am still thinking about how good the meal was. There is nothing to this meal--the preparation couldn't be easier and the ingredients are ordinary. Curtis and I loved it though. I am looking forward to the leftovers. It wasn't a hit with M or J. Little I liked it ok, but the big two decided to stick with beets for supper (yep, that's all they ate) until the challah bread came out of the oven. (I just couldn't deny them warm challah with nutella for dessert. They did eat their veggies after all, just nothing else).

This recipe will serve 4

Mujadarra
adapted slightly from Rivka on food52.com

3/4 c French lentils (or any lentils you can find will do)
salt
1 c jasmine rice (again, you can substitute other rice if necessary)
2 T butter
3 T olive oil
2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t coriander
1/2 t paprika
3 T fresh mint, chopped
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
salt

Cook lentils with 1/2 t salt and 4 c water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, or until lentils are soft, but not mushy. Drain and set aside.

Bring rice, 1/2 t salt, and 2 c water to a boil in a medium pot. Once water boils, reduce heat as low as possible and simmer 20 minutes, or until rice is done.

While rice cooks, heat butter and 2 T olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Once butter is almost melted, add onions and toss to coat onions. Once onions have softened slightly and released their liquid (about 5 minutes), increase heat to medium and cook another 10 - 12 minutes, or until onions are very soft and browned. (Add water by T if onions are too soft). When onions are very browned, add 1 more T oil and increase heat to high. Cook another 3-4 minutes, without much stirring, until the bottom layer of onions is charred and crisp.

Combine rice, lentils, and most of the onions in a large serving bowl. Let stand for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. Taste and season with more onions if desired. While the rice/lentils/onions sit, make the yogurt sauce. To make the sauce mix together yogurt, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, paprika, mint, lemon juice/zest, and 1/4 t salt in a small bowl.

Reheat the mujaddara if it has cooled significantly in a low oven or microwave for a couple of minutes. To serve, plate a scoop of mujaddara and top with spiced yogurt.

Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Herbs

2011-01-15T08:02:00.001-06:00

My kids love roasted and boiled beets. Seriously. (By the way, if you have toddlers eating lots of beets, don't be alarmed when you change their diapers---sorry, if it's too much information, but a beet-eating kid's diaper can be a little worrisome the first time you see it). As a result of my kids love of beets, I usually do nothing to them but roast them and lightly salt them. On occasion though, I want a grown up beet recipe that involves herbs and goat cheese.

Years ago, my husband used to get a beet salad he loved at a now-closed restaurant in town. I tried to replicate it, but at the time, I didn't like beets, so I never actually tried it. (That is not a good idea by the way. You can't create a recipe for something that you've never tried if it is trying to imitate another recipe.) I digress. I overseasoned the beet salad I attempted. This one is much better--the herbs don't overpower the beets and the wonderful roasted beet flavor shines through.

My kids didn't like this, wouldn't even try it, in fact. They like their beets unadulterated by things like thyme and goat cheese. Curtis and I liked it.

This will serve 4 - 6 as a side salad.

Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Herbs
adapted from Williams-Sonoma Cooking from the Farmers' Market

1 1/2 lbs beets, greens removed. Use a variety of colors of possible.
1 t fresh thyme, chopped
1 t fresh chives, chopped (optional)
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled (keep refrigerated until using, don't bring to room temp)

Wrap the beets in an aluminum foil packet and place on a cookie sheet. Roast in preheated 400 degree oven for about an hour, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, slip the skins off the beets. If the beets have been cooked long enough, the skins should slip right off without needing a vegetable peeler or a knife. Cut beets into 1 - 2" size pieces (I only halved and quartered my small beets). Put beets in a medium-sized shallow bowl.

In a separate small bowl, mix together the thyme, chives, and olive oil. Drizzle over beets, season with salt and pepper, and toss beets gently. Top with crumbled goat cheese. Serve immediately. (Don't over mix beets after adding goat cheese, otherwise, beets will get a creamy goat cheese coating instead of being brilliantly colored).

Maple Glazed Root Vegetables

2011-01-12T07:31:00.000-06:00

I like cold-weather produce. Most of it stores well and is packed with a whopper of a nutritional punch. I don't stress about how many weeks my root vegetables have languished in my fridge---carrots, turnips, beets, rutubagas, radishes, kohlrabi will hang out for quite a while before they go bad. That's a good thing.

Occasionally, I come across a recipe like this which lets me use a bunch of root veggies at once. I raid the root vegetable drawer and drastically increase the amount of real estate in the crisper drawers. The amounts of vegetables in this recipe is kinda loosey-goosey. You don't have to use all these vegetables. Say if you have lots of turnips and sweet potatoes, don't go and buy a rutubaga for this (I wonder why anyone would ever pay for a rutubaga. It's definitely not one of my favorite roots). I know my vegetables weren't the size they were imagining--I had baby farm carrots, not big grocery store ones and small Hakerui Salad Turnips. I guessed amounts. You could also throw a parsnip in there if you had one. I didn't so I left it out. Just cut it into 2" pieces (about 1 c worth).

This recipe works perfectly on a rack in the oven sitting beneath a roasting chicken. Mmmm...I didn't actually eat these with supper, at which point I was a little unhappy because I doubted the restaurant I was going to could beat these (they couldn't). The tastes I had were great though and I can't wait to eat the leftovers.

This serves 4 - 6 as a side dish.

Maple-Glazed Roasted Root Vegetables
adapted Williams-Sonoma Cooking from the Farmers' Market

2 carrots, cut into 2" pieces (if using smaller carrots use 3 or 4)
5 - 6 small Hakerui Salad Turnips, cut into halves and quarters or 1 larger traditional turnip, cut into 2" pieces (I'd say about 2 c worth)
1/2 rutubaga, peeled and cut into 2" pieces (about 2 c worth)
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2" pieces (about 2 c worth)
1 red onion, cut into wedges (about 1 1/2 c worth)
2 - 3 T olive oil
salt
1/4 c maple syrup (not Aunt Jemima type pancake syrup folks. Use the real thing!)
2 T butter, melted

In a large bowl, toss together all the vegetables with olive oil to coat. Season with 2 t salt and toss again. Spread the vegetables on a single layer on cookie sheet (with a silcone mat makes for much easier clean up). If they won't all fit on one, use two sheets (I had no problem with them all comfortably fitting on one without crowding). Roast vegetables in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 40 - 50 minutes until they develop a light crust and are tender. If you are using the oven for say a roasted chicken as well and the roast chicken is in a 425 degrees oven, just leave the oven set at 425 and start checking your vegetables earlier for tenderness. Occasionally stir and shake the pans to crisp sides of vegetables and prevent sticking.

While the vegetables roast, stir together maple syrup and butter in a small bowl. Brush over tender vegetables, return vegetables to oven and roast another 5 minutes, or until vegetables look glazed. Serve immediately.

Alternative to Turkey and Stuffing

2011-01-10T08:24:00.000-06:00

First off, let me apologize. Lately, this blog has been bread/pastry and meat-centered meals heavy. I know. This wasn't my intent when starting this blog. However, lately, I've been using lots of recipes from my blog to use my veggies. I've been entertaining a little more than usual (yippee!!) and have made meat-centered dishes. Bear with me as I present a few more meat-centered dishes. Really, I'll find some veggie dishes soon.

We stayed at our house this year for Christmas. It was fabulous. For dinner, we had Curtis's parents over. There was only 7 of us (including the 3 kids). In my family, turkey or ham is the customary Christmas dinner. I didn't want something as much work as turkey, especially since Curtis is not a fan, and a ham seemed too expensive. I was excited to find this recipe in my Perfect One-Dish Dinners Cookbook. It provided us with our poultry with white and dark meat for all of us and our dressing. My only complaint was that it made way too much for the 7 of us. We managed to finish all the chicken (thanks to cooking it off the bone and making broth with some of it), but the dressing we weren't able to finish before its time had expired. However, it was the perfect meal for a small, festive gathering without too much work involved.

A note on the recipe: Start drying out your breadcrumbs a day before you want to make this. You can also saute the sausage and vegetables the day before assembling everything as well to free up time to spend with your guests (if you are having guests). Allow yourself an hour of baking/resting time in addition to time to mix things together.

By my estimates, this will easily serve 8 - 10, especially if there are additional side dishes.

Festive Roast Chicken and Stuffing
adapted slightly from Perfect One-Dish Dinners

For the dressing:
10 - 12 c 1/2" bread cubes from dense crusty French or Italian bread (one large loaf, a couple of smaller ones)
2 c bread crumbs, homemade preferable (to make homemade bread crumbs, process dry bread in food processor until there are fine crumbs)
1 1/2 t dried basil
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t ground fennel
3/4 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 lb bulk mild Italian sausage
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 c)
3 celery stalks, chopped (about 1 c)
1 1/2 c golden raisins
1/2 c parsley, minced
2 large eggs
1 quart chicken broth

For the chicken:
1 T basil
1 T oregano
1 T salt
2 t pepper
2 t fennel seeds
1 1/2 t orange zest, finely grated
2 T olive oil
8 lbs of bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces: I think I used 3 lbs of split chicken breasts (protruding rib bones and fat trimmed), 3 lbs of chicken legs, and 3 lbs of chicken thighs

Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet and let dry several hours or overnight.

Bake bread cubes on the center rack of a preheated 400 degrees oven until golden brown, 12 -1 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage, stirring frequently to break up, until sausage loses its pink color. Add onions and celery to pan and continue to cook until vegetables are soft and sausage is fully cooked, 7 - 8 minutes. (If making ahead of time, stop here). Transfer to large bowl and mix with bread cubes, bread crumbs, raisins, parsley, 1 1/2 t basil, 1 1/2 t oregano, 1/4 t fennel, 3/4 t salt, and 1/2 t peppers. In a separate medium bowl, whisk eggs and chicken broth together and pour over stuffing ingredients. Toss to coat and let stand while you prepare the chicken.

Mix together remaining basil, oregano, salt, pepper, fennel, orange zest and oil in a small bowl. Smear mixture over both sides of all the chicken pieces. Heat large skillet (can use the same one you used for the sausage) with a some olive oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add chicken in batches, being careful not to overcrowd pan. Cook until chicken is nicely browned, then turn and cook the other side. Remove and set aside until all chicken is browned.

In a large roasting pan, place the sausage/bread mixture. Top with the chicken, skin side up. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven on a rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Bake uncover, until skin is attractively browned and fully cooked, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Pannetone

2011-01-05T07:39:00.005-06:00

Last spring, after I made Columba di Pasqua for Easter, I decided I was going to make pannetone for Christmas. The breads are pretty similar---a rich bread dough stuffed with candied citrus zest. (That reminds me, I need to order the Columba di Pasqua molds now).

All fall, I kept my eyes open for pannetone recipes. I had one in my Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, but wanted to make sure that was THE ONE. I stumbled upon Chocolate Cherry Almond Pannetone on the King Arthur Flour website and decided that one was it. I tried it twice. Both times, the results were rather dry (I decided I used the wrong size pannetone mold and overbaked it) The first attempt I also had a difficult time figuring out how to double the recipe, making some major mistakes. Neither time the dough rose very fast, which is unusual for my house.

Now if there is one personality trait that has been a constant in my entire life, it's persistence (that's the positive spin for the word stubborn). I was determined that I could conquer pannetone, so I ditched my sweet, chocolatey recipe and turned to Williams-Sonoma.

Perfection. It was light and rich with the texture of brioche. The candied citrus zest was the perfect match for the sweet bread. We gave some to our neighbors for Christmas. She is still raving to me about it.

So, at my cousin's urging (who has also fought with pannetone this winter and who is just as stubborn--wait, I mean persistent--as me), I am sharing the recipe. I have no pictures, because I had decided against posting this at one point.

A couple of notes. Make the candied citrus zest (if you are making from scratch and not buying somewhere) a day or two before you want to make the pannetone. If you want to buy paper pannetone molds, try Sur la Table (Williams-Sonoma doesn't carry them). I've found a couple of different size molds. For this recipe, use a mold between 5 - 6" in diameter. The 7" one is too big and will result in the bread being dry if you don't shorten the baking time considerably. If you don't want to buy them, or can't find them (you can also find them online at Amazon), try this (which is straight from Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, I didn't try this myself so I didn't feel good giving my own directions).

--Line two 6" cake pans (springform or regular) that are 3" deep with parchment paper. Brush the parchment with butter. Cut a strip of aluminum foil about 8 inches wide and 2 inches longer than the circumference of the pan. Fold the foil in half lengthwise, and butter one side of the strip. Using kitchen string, tie the strip of buttered aluminum foil, buttered side faicing in, around the outside of each pan, making a collar that extends 2 - 3 inches above the rim of the pan.

Pannetone
slightly adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book

Candied Citrus Zest
4 oranges (organic preferable since you're using the peel)
4 lemons (organic preferable since you're using the peel)
3 c plus 2/3 c sugar
2 T fresh lemon juice

Scrub the oranges and lemons well. Cut a slice from the blossom end of each piece of fruit. Using a vegetable peeler or a sharp paring knife, cut strips of zest, leaving as much white pith behind as possible. Cut the strips into 1/4" wide strips. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the zest and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the zest, refill the pan, and repeat the process. In a second saucepan, combine 3 c sugar with 1 1/2 c water and the lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add the zest, reduce heat to as low as possible, and simmer until zest strips are translucent and tender, about 30 minutes. Carefully remove zest from sugar water and place on a wire rack (waxed paper underneath makes clean-up easier). The strips should not be touching each other. Let dry overnight at room temperature. Put remaining 2/3 c sugar in a bowl. Toss the zest, about 10 strips at a time, in the sugar. If using for pannetone immediately, cut into small pieces. Otherwise, put in an airtight container for up to a month and chop before using.

The sponge
1/4 c warm water
2/3 c warm whole milk
4 t active dry yeast
pinch of granulated sugar
1/2 c bread flour

The dough
3/4 c butter, melted
1/2 c sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
1 1/2 t salt
2 large eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks
3 1/2 - 4 c bread flour
1 c golden raisins
candied citrus zest (recipe above--use it all), diced
2 T raw or coarse sugar

To make the sponge: Combine milk and water in a stand mixer bowl. Sprinkle in yeast and a pinch of sugar and stir to dissolve. Let stand for 10 minutes or until foamy. Add 1/2 c bread flour and beat on medium speed until smooth, using the whisk attachment. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add the melted butter, 1/2 c sugar, zest, salt, eggs, egg yolks, and 1 c of flour to the sponge. With the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add remaining flour, 1/2 c at a time, stirring to incorporate after each addition, until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed, adding flour a little at a time (1 T - 1/4 c. I add 1/4 c at a time in the beginning, and as the dough gets thicker, I add just 1 t at a time), if the dough is too soft and sticky. Knead in stand mixer until dough is soft, smooth, and springy, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to a large buttered bowl, turning the dough once to coat dough with butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface (depending on your surface--on my quartz counters, I don't need flour) and knead gently for a minute. Return to the bowl, re-cover, and let the dough rise again at room temperature for another hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Have prepared bread pans ready (see above recipe if you are shaping your own bread molds). In a small bowl, stir together the candied zest and golden raisins. Set aside. Turn the dough out onto the work surface. Pat the dough into a large oval and sprinkle evenly with half of the fruit mixture. Press the dough to adhere the dried fruit to it and roll the dough up. Repeat, adding remaining dried fruit. Knead the dough a few times to smooth out the dough. Make sure dried fruit is evenly mixed in (if dried fruit ends up all in the middle of the loaf, the loaf will be unbaked in the center). Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape into 2 tight round loaves, gently pulling surface taut from the bottom. Place one ball in each prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough domes up to the rim of the collar, about 1 1/2 hours (the added dried fruit slows down the rising process).

Place a baking stone in the center of an oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle each loaf with 1 T raw sugar. Place the bread on the stones and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake an additional 25 - 30 minutes, or until the leaves are a golden brown and have reached an internal temperature of 190 degrees (use a meat thermometer. You could use a cake tester. Insert cake tester into center of loaf. Tester should come out clean). Let the bread cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove foil collars, if using. Gently turn the bread out on wire racks, stand right side up, and let cool completely. If using paper molds, just leave in molds until you are ready to eat it.

Rioja Beef

2010-12-22T13:12:00.000-06:00

After taking many, many months off of entertaining friends at our house, I think I am ready to start again. A cookbook I got for Christmas from brother is going to help that a lot! Perfect One-Dish Dinners is full of manageable dinners to make with optional menu pairings and wine suggestions. My favorite thing about it so far though, is that it takes one dish to prepare the food in and the two recipes I've tried were almost completely hands-off the last 45 minutes of cooking, allowing me to visit with my friends. Fabulous.

The first recipe I tried, just for our family, because I am never quite sure whether or not to trust new cookbooks/cookbook authors, was Rioja Beef. One things I will say about this cookbook, it is very meat heavy. It doesn't have a lot of recipes laden with the produce I find in my CSA book. This recipe was feasible for a weeknight meal because of the 1/4 cow that is languishing in my freezer.

This will serve 6 - 8 people.

Rioja Beef
from Perfect One-Dish Dinners by Pam Anderson

3 lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2 - 2" cubes and patted dry
3 T olive oil
1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into 6 pieces
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 6 pieces
1 large onion, chopped
3 lg garlic cloves, minced
2 T sweet paprika
1 T ground cumin
1/4 t saffron threads
3 T flour
1 c chicken broth
1/2 - 1 c dry red wine (rioja, if possible)
1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained
1 1/2 t grade orange zest and juice from 1 large onion

Heat a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 T oil to the pot and heat. Add the meat and sear, turning once, until 2 sides are darkly browned. Repeat until all the meat is browned. Transfer to bowl and set aside. Add 1 T oil to the hot pot. Add the onion, and cook, stirring, until softened 4 - 5 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, cumin, and saffron. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about a minute. Whisk in the flour, then broth, wine, and tomatoes, seasoning with salt and pepper. Return beef and any accumulated juices to the pot. Carefully place a sheet of heavy duty foil over the pot, pressing the foil down so that it touches the stew. Seal foil completely around the edges. Set pot in oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

While beef is in oven, add 1 T oil to a frying pan and heat over medium-high heat until oil starts to smoke (just wisps). Add the peppers and cook, stirring until peppers are lightly browned and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Set aside. (You can also do this in before browning the meat in the same pot you brown the meat in).

Remove pot from oven and set over low heat. Carefully remove foil. Stir in peppers, chickpeas, orange zest and juice, and a little water, if necessary, to make a gravy. Carefully re-cover the pot and simmer to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Serve.

We loved this recipe. I really can't say much more about it than that. I made a couple of changes to the recipe, utilizing a second pan, but it made the flow seem better.

This recipe will serve 6- 8 people.

Rugelach

2010-12-21T08:15:00.000-06:00

New flash: There is still time to make these!! Do it now, find some very dear friends to share them with, and enjoy with a hot cup of coffee/tea/cocoa sitting around the fireplace Christmas eve (or in my case, frantically finishing wrapping my presents Christmas Eve after the church service). Either way, make these. Soon.

Granted, these won't be the most beautiful, elegant cookie you serve. In fact, they look rather sloppy and at times, ugly. That doesn't matter. Sometimes, beauty is more than skin deep and appearances don't matter.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that the name sounds like arugula, with the "ah" sound at the beginning. Thus, if tell someone that you are going to eat only rugelach for supper tonight, they'll be impressed with your desire to eat a salad for supper. You will want to eat just these for supper. Curtis has named these his favorite dessert that I make (his apple pie is his favorite dessert ever). For the record though, he has deemed several desserts as his favorite dessert.

This will make 32 cookies. If I know I am sharing these with anyone outside my family, I make a double batch, otherwise, Curtis starts to whine. When you make these, allow yourself time to let the dough refrigerate for 2 hours (or freeze it until you are ready to make it if it is going to be days or weeks).

Rugelach
adapted slightly from Baking: From my Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

4 oz cold cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 c cold butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 c flour
1/4 t salt

2/3 c raspberry jam (you want this to be a rather thick kind)
2 T sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 c pecans, chopped
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (2/3 c mini-chocolate chips)

1 large egg
1 t cold water
2 T sugar (preferably turninado or coarse decorating sugar

To make the dough: Let the cream cheese and butter rest on the counter for 10 minutes so they are still cool, but a little softened. Put flour and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly to blend. Scatter the cream cheese and butter over top. Pulse the machine 6 - 10 times. Then process, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the dough forms large curds (you don't want it to become a ball on the blade). Put the dough on a lightly floured work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (you can also put the disks in the freezer and save it to finish much later).

To finish rugelach: Mix together 2 T sugar and 1/2 t cinnamon. Set aside. Remove one disk of dough from the fridge/freezer (if it's been the freezer, let it warm up on the counter for a little while). Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and place between two sheets of parchment paper (this makes for much easier rolling--you can also just lightly flour a work surface, but I've had better results with parchment---unlike what is pictured). Do the following as quickly as possible so the dough doesn't get to warm. Roll the dough into a 11 - 12" circle. Put dough circle back in the refrigerator for a few minutes to make it easier to handle. Remove dough from fridge and brush or spoon a thin gloss of jam over the dough. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar over top. Scatter half of the pecans and half of the chocolate over jam/cinnamon sugar.

Using a pizza cutter (that's right, friends! Multi-tasking kitchen tools!!), divide the circle into 16 wedges (in half and in half again and so on). Starting at at the fat end of each wedge, carefully roll up the dough (like a cinnamon roll, kind of). Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silcone mats. Once the baking sheet is full, refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking.

To bake: Remove rugelach from the fridge. Combine egg and water in a small bowl. Brush each rugelach with egg and water. Sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven from 20 - 25 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom at the midway point, until they are puffed and golden. Transfer to rack and let cool to just warm or room temperature (so jam/chocolate doesn't burn your mouth).

Chocolate Babka

2010-12-16T09:37:00.003-06:00

Drat. I gifted the outcome of this recipe before I had a chance to photograph it. Curtis was slightly dismayed by the destination of this bread. He had to help finish them (as in, brush with egg glaze, slash the top, and bake) and thought one surely should have been left at home for him. Sadly enough for him, they went as Christmas gifts--one to M's teacher and one to the family we carpool with. As I was wrapping them this morning, I got a little forlorn myself and have now added them to my Christmas morning breakfast menu.

Despite the name and the delicious outcome, if you are comfortable baking bread, you will not find this recipe very difficult. It takes a chunk of time to make, but the hands on time is very short---lots and lots of rising with a little bit of work thrown in here and there.

If you would like to see the recipe step by step with fabulous pictures click here to be taken to the King Arthur Flour Baking Blog (and in case you haven't found it yet, King Arthur Flour website is wonderful!! resource). The recipe has been adapted just slightly to include generic ingredients instead of those products that King Arthur hawks. You don't need to use the espresso powder if you don't have it. However, it makes the chocolate flavor slightly stronger. I have a jar I keep in my freezer and pull out periodically for recipes. Click here for suggestions for substitutions, if you want them.

There's is still time---make this recipe, gift one loaf and enjoy the other.

Chocolate Babka
adapted slightly from King Arthur Flour baking blog: Baking Banter

Dough
2 lg eggs
6 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/3 c dry milk powder
2 T instant yeast
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 c sugar
2 1/2 t salt
10 T butter, at room temperature
1 T vanilla
1 - 1 1/4 c water (depending on humidity and season of where you live. I use 1 1/4 c in the winter)

Filling
1/2 c sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/3 c cocoa
1/2 t espresso powder (also called instant espresso)
1/4 c melted butter
1 c chocolate chips
1 c chopped pecans (walnuts are fine too--I'm just a pecan type of girl)

Combine eggs, flour, dry milk, yeast, cinnamon, sugar, salt, butter, vanilla and water in a large bowl using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle (basic attachment) until just moistened. Cover with a towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes, this will make the dough easier to knead. Put the dough hook on the mixer and knead for about 7 minutes (if you prefer, you can do all this by hand), until dough is smooth and soft. The dough will still be very sticky. Transfer to large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Turn the dough onto a lightly greased work surface (some surfaces are fine without grease--I didn't need to anything to my counters and it was fine). Divide the dough into two equal pieces, cover with a towel and let rest. While dough rests, combine the sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, and espresso powder in small bowl. Stir in the melted butter. The mixture will look very oily and rather stiff. Shape each half of the dough into 9 x 18" rectangle (the 18" is approximate, it doesn't need to be exact). Smear each piece of dough with half of the cocoa/butter mixture, coming within an inch of the edge. Sprinkle each half with 1/2 c pecans and 1/2 c chocolate chips. Starting at the short end, roll up the dough gently into a log. Seal the bottom seams and tuck the ends under. Place each log in a greased 9 x 5" loaf pan. Tent with plastic wrap and let rise until they've crowned an inch over the rim of the pan, 2 - 2 1/2 hours.

Just before baking, brush each loaf with an egg glaze (1 egg, beaten). If there are large air bubbles, pop them gently a toothpick. Taking a sharp knife, cut one long vertical slash through the middle of each loaf, cutting through at least 3 layers. This will let the loaf expand straight up instead of blowing out at the sides. Bake in an oven preheated to 300 for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, tent the loaves lightly with foil and bake and additional 15 - 25 minutes (mine only took an extra 15 minutes). To check for doneness, use a meat thermometer to take the internal temp--it should be around 190 degrees. Remove the loaves from the oven, and let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely.

Nutella Mini-Cupcakes

2010-12-15T13:56:00.000-06:00

After my disastrous kohlrabi meal, I needed fast redemption. After the kids were in bed, we queued up How to Train a Dragon and I made Nutella Mini-Cupcakes for Curtis and I.

All was better in the world. These couldn't be easier and are great for an after-the-kids-are-in-bed-and-I-desperately-need-chocolate snack. If you are short on time, skip the hazelnuts on top.

This makes 12 itsy bitsy cupcakes which will serve 2 - 4, depending on how much self-restraint you have.

Nutella Mini-Cupcakes
from Fine Cooking Cookies Special Holiday Edition

1/2 c Nutella spread
1 large egg
5 T flour
1/4 c hazelnuts, roasted and chopped (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk the Nutella and egg until smooth. Add the flour and stir until blended. Spoon batter into a 12-cup mini muffin pan lined with paper liners. Sprinkle with roasted, chopped hazelnuts if desired. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 11 - 12 minutes or until a pick comes out with wet, gooey crumbs (be careful not to overbake). Wait until they are cool enough to handle and enjoy!

German Style Stuffed Kohlrabi--Don't make this!!

2010-12-13T13:49:00.003-06:00

Only on rare, rare occasions do I post about a meal I don't want to repeat. That is what today's post is about. The only reason I am posting is because it turns out that I have made this dish twice and it's been disastrous both times. Curtis made everyone peanut butter and jelly (or honey) sandwiches when I made this last week.

If some serious tweaking took, place I may attempt to make this again. I would make this more like stuffed peppers. After scooping out the insides of the kohlrabi (and possibly even before, to make scooping much easier), I would boil the kohlrabi in a pot of water until they were mostly tender. I would saute the (hamburger) meat with the onion, kohlrabi leaves, and other seasonings. After stuffing the kohlrabi, I would bake it at 350 until everything was hot.

I don't know exactly why we disliked this so much. I think it was a combination of the texture and the seasonings. Sauteing the meat is a good way to start fixing the texture thing.

Sorry. This is post is most obviously for me, to keep me from making the same recipe, exactly the same the third time around (next year when I have 8 kohlrabi in my fridge again).

German-Style Stuffed Kohlrabi, from Epicurious (click on title to see the disastrous recipe). The saddest part is, I even managed to take a bunch of pictures that I am not posting because I don't plan on making this meal ever again.

Char Siu Pulled Pork Bahn Mi

2010-12-10T12:15:00.001-06:00

As you know by now (if you've been reading for a couple months), I am fascinated by Asian food this winter. Bahn Mi is my new favorite sandwich (so inexpensive at one of our favorite Vietnamese restaurant---seriously, McDonald's priced but so much tastier!!). I stumbled across this recipe on the blogosphere and decided it would make the perfect for serving my family the evening they got to Texas for Thanksgiving (which is my excuse for no pictures--being busy with my family and the craziness of having to feed and house 11 people for 3 days).

This wasn't quite the bahn mi (which is just a Vietnamese sandwich---meat with a cabbage slaw served on french bread/baguette) I had in mind, but it was pretty good. The original recipe had links to make your own char siu sauce (Chinese BBQ sauce) and nuoc mam cham (fish sauce), but I opted to buy both of those ingredients. Char siu sauce can be found at Asian markets. The nuoc mam, I picked up at a Vietnamese restaurant a couple of hours before super. Nuoc Mam is perishable, the char siu sauce, not so much if it isn't opened. The owners of the Vietnamese restaurant looked at me as if I were crazy, but obliged me anyway.

The hardest part about the recipe is procuring the ingredients. Once that is done, the slow cooker does most of the work for you.

This recipe will serve 4 - 6 people.
Char Siu Pulled Pork Bahn Mi
from the Ravenous Couple

Pulled Pork
3 lb pork shoulder (bone in)
kosher salt
black pepper
1 lg yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/4" rings
1 (8.5-oz) jar char siu sauce

Slaw
1/2 head green cabbage, thinly shredded
1/2 c red cabbage, thinly shredded
1/2 c cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 c mint, coarsely chopped
1/2 c fresh basil (thai basil is preferable), coarsely chopped
1/4 c nuoc mam cham

For the sandwiches:
baguettes
cilantro
additional nuoc mam cham

For the pulled pork: Put the sliced onions in slow cooler. Lightly rub pork with small amount of salt and pepper and put in slow cooker on top of onion bed. Brush on a generous layer of char siu sauce, turning pork to coat all sides evenly. Turn the slow cooker on low and leave on overnight (8 - 12 hours) or on high for 4 - 5 hours.

For the slaw: An hour before serving, combine cabbages, cilantro, mint, and basil and toss well. Season with nuoc mam cham to taste (we love nuoc mam cham so we used 1/4 cup). Stir and allow slow to marinate at least 30 minutes before serving (and up to a day before serving).

To assemble the sandwiches: Remove cooked pork from the crockpot. The pork should easily fall apart with gentle pressure. Put pork in a large bowl and pull apart with fork or tongs, discarding fat and bones. Add additional char siu sauce--1 T at a time until pulled pork is well coated (don't overdo it, you can always add more char siu sauce to the sandwiches).

Place pork in a baguette and top with slaw. Garnish with cilantro and drizzle extra nuoc mam cham over top if desired.

Pollo Enchiladas Rojos

2010-12-06T11:47:00.004-06:00

For some reason, I think the name of this recipe sounds better in Spanish, so I've renamed it. :) Over the years, I've done lots of experimenting with chicken enchiladas. I started out with my mom's rich, wonderful enchiladas which were drenched in a sour cream sauce. I've tried plain chicken enchiladas, chicken enchiladas with green sauce, and chicken enchiladas with some chard mixed in. My experimenting with new recipes for chicken enchiladas is officially over. I love this recipe. It's not terribly difficult to make and it tastes fabulous!

I needed to make some significant modifications to this recipe, because according to M, this recipe would be TOO SPICY. (You would not believe what foods she complains about being too spicy--things that have no spice at all!) Thankfully, even with most of the spice taken out, it didn't taste bland and was full of flavor. Everyone really enjoyed this, even M. Curtis, bless his heart, told me this was his favorite chicken enchilada recipe I've made.

This recipe makes a lot of enchiladas--two shallow baking dishes worth. I split the chicken mixture and the sauce mixture in half. Half I used to I make one pan of enchiladas. The other half went in the freezer and made for a fabulously easy new baby meal for a friend.

Pollo Enchiladas Rojos
adapted from Food and Wine

Optional spicy addition to sauce
3 each of guajillo chiles and ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
3 c hot water

Sauce
1 medium onion, quartered
3 lg garlic cloves
1 T ground cumin
1 1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground oregano
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 c tomato sauce (20 oz)
1 c water

Enchiladas
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 lg onion, thinly sliced (3 c)
1/2 c chicken broth or water
4 c shredded cooked chicken (or turkey if you are looking to get rid of T'giving leftovers)
1 t cumin
1/4 c cilantro
3 c Monterey Jack cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
16 flour, whole wheat, or corn tortillas (not burrito-sized)

For the chiles: Cover the chiles in hot water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, until softened. Transfer chiles to a food processor or blender. Add 1 c of soaking liquid. Proceed with rest of recipe.

For the sauce: Place onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, and oregano in a food processor. Add 1 c of water (if you didn't use the chiles above). Puree until smooth. Heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan. Add the tomato sauce and water. Add the pureed onion mixture (if using the chiles as well, press the onion mixture through a sieve before adding to the tomato sauce to remove any stray chile seeds and skins). Cook the sauce, stirring occasionally until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 2 T olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the broth and cook, until the onions are very soft and the broth has evaporated, about 10 more minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Stir in cumin, cilantro, and 1 1/2 c of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble the tortillas, Spoon 3/4 c of sauce into the bottom of two shallow baking dishes (I used 2 9x13" pans. Neither pan was full, but held 8 tortillas comfortably). Soften the tortillas (I heat 4 flour tortillas at a time in the microwave for 15 seconds). Spoon 1/4 c filling into each tortilla, roll up, and place in pan. Repeat. Spoon remaining sauce over top (dividing between 2 pans) and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover pan with foil (or oven safe lid).

Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil/lid and bake an additional 20 minutes. Serve hot, topped with sour cream or salsa, if desired.

Salted Roast Turkey with Orange and Asian Spices

2010-12-03T12:39:00.003-06:00

Over the years, I've posted several good Thanksgiving Day type meals (which in my family also translated to good Christmas day meals because the food served at the two meals seem to be amazingly similar. Maybe that has to do with free turkey my parents manage to procure every year for Christmas). However, I don't think I have many turkey recipes floating around out there.

My husband doesn't like turkey. There, I've said it. In fact, the year we hosted Thanksgiving and I was pregnant with my middle child, we ate beef tenderloin with chimichurri sauce because I couldn't stand poultry. My husband was thrilled and thought that was probably our best Thanksgiving meal ever.

However, I insist on turkey. I don't love eating turkey--I love the leftover products that come from turkey. I am always left with several cups of leftover turkey, which is perfect for pot pies on a cold winters' evening (ok, cold in Texas terms) or enchiladas. The real bonus for me though is the turkey stock. Because it is from the turkey I roasted (instead of just boiling some chicken expressly for that purpose), the flavor is INCREDIBLE. I got over 5 quarts of stock off of this turkey which will make wonderful soups all winter long. Turkey truly is the gift that keeps on giving, to sound cliche.

Given the above two opinions, I try to find flavorful recipes that will keep a turkey moist. The past two years, I have made this recipe. Curtis hasn't complained too loudly, which I take as an compliment given the meal. The flavors make a superb stock. I allowed myself 4 hours for the turkey to roast and sit before serving, which was plenty of time, making a noon Thanksgiving lunch very feasible.

Salted Roast Turkey with Orange and Asian Spices
adapted just slightly from Bon Appetit

Spiced Salt
2 whole star anise
2 t Szechuan peppercorns
1 t whole cloves
1 t whole coriander seeds
1 t fennel seeds
1 cinnamon stick, broken into 3 pieces
1/3 c plus 1 T coarse kosher salt
1 large orange, peel removed in long strips and finely chopped (about 2 T) (reserve orange for another use, like eating plain!)

Turkey
1 14 - 16 lb turkey, reserve neck, heart, and gizzard for roasting
5 large green onions, chopped
1 whole large orange, coarsely chopped with peel
1/4 c fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick, broken into 3 pieces
2 T soy sauce
2 T light molasses
1/2 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 c or more of water

Coarsely grind first five ingredients of spiced salt in a spice mill (or pulverize in a food processor---it won't be very fine in the food processor, but I had more success with that than a hand-held mortar and pestle). Transfer to a small bowl. Coarsely grind cinnamon stick and add to spices. Mix in coarse salt. Stir in orange peel.

Rinse turkey, inside and out, but do not pat dry. Pull any fat pads away from main cavity and neck cavity of turkey, wrap, chill, and reserve for roasting. Place turkey in a roasting bag. Sprinkle inside and out with spiced salt. Close bag. Place on baking sheet and refrigerate 18 - 24 hours.

On day of roasting, mix green onions, orange, ginger, star anise, and cinnamon stick in a medium bowl. Mix soy sauce and molasses in a small bowl, reserve for glaze at end of roasting. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat very dry this time. Divide chopped onion mixture between main and neck cavities. Fold neck skin under and secure with skewer(s). Tuck wing tips under. Tie legs together loosely if that has not already been done (my turkey's legs came already tied together). Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Spread butter all over turkey. Place reserved fat pads, heart, neck, and gizzard in roasting pan. Pour in 2 c water.

Roast turkey minutes on a rack set at the lowest position of preheated 325 degrees oven. After 45 minutes, baste with pan juices. Continue to roast until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of the thigh registers 156 - 170 degrees. Every 45 minutes of roasting, baste turkey. If turkey starts too brown, tent with foil. Add water to the pan by cupfuls if the pan starts looking dry. Brush turkey with soy sauce glaze twice during the last 30 minutes of baking. The turkey should bake 3 3/4 hours to 4 1/4 hours total. Transfer roasted turkey to platter and tent loosely with foil until you are ready to carve and serve, at least 30 - 45 minutes. Reserve roasting pan juices for gravy.

Timeline for turkey roasting (I wish the recipe I had followed had laid it out this way, so I am)

0 minutes: Turkey enters preheated 325 degrees oven.
45 minutes: Baste turkey.
1 1/2 hours: Baste turkey
2 1/4 hours: Baste turkey
3 hours: Baste turkey
3 1/4 hours - 3 3/4 hours (take temp of turkey at 3 hours, if you are getting close to 165, start glazing): Brush glaze over top of turkey
3 1/2 hours- 4 hours: Brush glaze over top turkey again
3 3/4 hours- 4 1/4 hours: Remove turkey from oven and tent with foil to keep heat in
as early as 4 1/4 hours or as late as 5 hours: Serve and eat the turkey.

Spinach and Cheddar Strata

2010-11-22T13:16:00.000-06:00

I must admit, this recipe is very similar to another recipe I have for a baked chard dish. However, I liked this because it popped up in my inbox and dealt perfectly with the 5 oz of fresh spinach that was long overdue being eaten. It also made good use of a chunk of several day old white artisan bread that traveled from Houston to here upon my husband's return from a business training.

All but M enjoyed this. I think part of my favorite part of this dish was being able to make it in my small, red gratin dish that normally stays tucked away under my other casserole dishes. The fact that I used a shallow dish also meant that it baked faster.

As a side dish, this will serve 3 - 4. For a main dish, double the recipe to serve 4. If you use a deeper pan, you will need to increase the baking time.

Spinach and Chard Strata
from Martha Stewart Everyday Food

1 t olive oil
5 oz spinach
1 1/2 c day old bread, cut into 1" cubes
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c whole milk
3/4 c grated cheddar

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Use a spoon or rubber spatula to press as much liquid out as possible (either in a colander or in the pan--I found tilting the pan worked just fine). Place the bread in a small (1 qt) gratin dish or a small casserole dish. Spread the spinach evenly over top. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and 1/2 c cheddar cheese. Pour evenly over top the bread and spinach. Sprinkle remaining cheddar over top. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until set and golden brown on top.

Chicken and Mushroom Fricasee

2010-11-17T11:35:00.000-06:00

The recipe as it was published turned out way too runny for me. I am making adaptations and posting my version here. To see the recipe in it's original form, click here.

I made this for company. I have decided that I absolutely love shitake mushrooms. They are meaty and have wonderful flavor (especially in comparison to white button mushrooms). Everyone enjoyed this and it is definitely a make again, company dish.

I ended up making way too much. I created a second dish (all by myself--without a recipe!!) to use up the leftovers.

This serves 4 - 5.

Chicken and Mushroom Fricasee
adapted from Food and Wine

One 1/3 lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 T olive oil
1 lg onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb shitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1 T fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 c dry white wine
1 c chicken stock or broth
1/3 c sour cream
1/3 c plain nonfat Greek yogurt (this is thicker than regular yogurt, if you can't find it, regular will do)
1/2 c celery leaves, optional

Arrange the chicken pieces, skin side up on a cookie sheet and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated 425 degrees oven for 45 minutes until chicken is cooked and skin is crisp.

While the chicken roasts, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until just softened, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, increase the heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are softened and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until wine evaporates, scraping up any browned bits. Add the stock and simmer until reduced, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat (if the sauce seems to dry, add a little extra chicken stock). Stir in the sour cream and yogurt. Discard the bay leaves. Add the chicken to the sauce, leaving the skin out of the sauce (to keep it crispy). Simmer until heated through. Stir in celery leaves if using. Serve.

Chard with Olives and Pine Nuts

2010-11-12T11:18:00.002-06:00

I got a new cookbook the other week. It's been quite a while since I've done that and when I saw table of cookbooks at Costco, I couldn't resist. I passed by Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table (new French cookbook) and another one (I can't remember) that was also on my possible cookbook list for Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cookbook.

I have a love/hate relationship with Mark Bittman. I love everything he's passionate about--good foods that are good for you. He's big into vegetables (he's the "vegan-before-6" guy). He uses meat as seasonings often. I like that. I like his writing for the New York Time's and his food blog. However, I am convinced by his cookbooks, and in retrospect, I am a little surprised I bought this one. I have his How to Cook Everything and have had mixed results with his recipes. I often feel crucial information is missing from his recipes (like the size of pan to use, when size does matter).

This is the second recipe from his Food Matters Cookbook that I made. The first recipe was a bit of a major fail. I contemplated returning the cookbook after that (I don't often have major fails that are due to a faulty recipe. Usually I take full responsibility because generally, I have lost the ability to read and comprehend. In this case, it was the recipe at fault and not me). However, I decided to give another recipe a try because I like Bittman and his food philosophy.

Success!! Both Curtis and I enjoyed this dish. I am pleased to have found a way to cook chard in a side dish that is easy and quick. The kids didn't like it, but I didn't expect them too, so nothing was lost.

This serves 2 - 4 as a side dish.

Chard with Olives and Pine Nuts
adapted slightly from the Food Matters Cookbook

3/4 lb chard
2 T pine nuts
1 T olive oil
6 garlic cloves, sliced
3 T black olives (preferably, oil cured and wrinkly--like bulk olives at Whole Foods or Central Market, etc)
1/4 c water
salt and black pepper, to taste
feta cheese, crumbled, to taste

Cut leaves from stems of chard. Cut the leaves into wide ribbons and slice the stems about 1/4 - 1/2" thick. Keep the leaves and stems separate.

Put the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until soft, golden, and fragrant, 5 - 10 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium and add the chard stems and black olives. Cook until the stems begin to soften, just a minute or 2. Add the chard leaves, water, and a little salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring until chard leaves are wilted and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. While the chard cooks, toast the pine nuts in small pan over medium-low heat, until they are fragrant and golden. Stir the pine nuts into the cooked chard. Adjust seasonings as necessary. Sprinkle with a little feta and serve, hot or at room temperature

Gomoku Soba

2010-11-09T13:42:00.002-06:00

When it is hot, I crave Mediterranean dishes---ones heavy on fresh tomatoes and eggplant. Dishes that started with olive oil and garlic. As the weather cools, I find myself moving halfway across the world. Noodles still come into play, but noodles known by udon, soba, and rice sticks. Asian foods emerge as the temperatures drop. Stir fries loaded with broccoli and carrots and hot, rich soups with noodles, cabbage, and scallions floating in them.

Part of my journey to Asian food this fall was the arrival of this in our CSA box. This is a Napa or Chinese Cabbage. As usual, I consulted my go to international cookbook, Sundays at Moosewood. This very rarely lets me down when it comes to the non-typical vegetables that show up in our box.
This recipe takes a couple of non-typical ingredients. The first is kombu. Kombu is a flat, green, dried seaweed. I find it in a blue bag at Central Market (I am sure Whole Foods and an Asian market would have it, too). It looks a little expensive, but you only use a little of it at a time. The other non-typical ingredient is dried shitake mushrooms. I buy these in bulk at Central Market as well (again, I suspect Whole Foods or an Asian market would have these too). The price on the container kinda freaked me out (it's like over $60 per pound). However, the mushrooms for this recipe cost $1.60, not too bad.

Unfortunately, my children love this. That makes me sad, less for me. I made the broths ahead of time and then would cut the vegetables and cook the noodles for individual servings.

This recipe serves 4.

Gomoku Soba
or Noodles and Vegetables in a Flavorful Broth
from Sundays at Moosewood

1/2 oz dried konbu (I just estimated)
8 c water
8 dried shitake mushrooms
2 c hot water
5 T soy sauce
1/2 c sake or mirin
1/2 c lg carrot, sliced into thin rounds
8 scallions, cut into 2 1/2" lengths
2 c sliced Chinese cabbage, 1/2" thick
1/2 lb soba noodles

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved (optional, I skipped this)
chopped scallions (optional)

Bring the kombu and 8 c of water to a boil. Turn the heat down, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the kombu (pour through a strainer if you need to). This broth is called kombu dashi. While the kombu simmers, soak the shitake in 2 c of boiling water for 20 - 30 minutes. Remove the shitake mushrooms, reserving the liquid. This broth is called shitake dashi. Trim off and discard the stems of the shitake. Thinly slice the caps into strips. Combine 1 1/2 c of the shitake dashi (this should be all or nearly all of it) and 3 1/2 c of the kombu dashi (save the leftover kombu dashi for another batch of soup. It will last 4 - 5 days). Add soy sauce, sake, and sliced shitake. Simmer.

One at a time, cook each vegetable in the broth (I typically put the vegetables on a slotted spoon and dip into the broth. This makes it easier to fish out the blanched vegetables). Cook until each is just barely cooked. I cook carrots first, then scallions, than the cabbage. Remove the cook vegetables from the stock and set aside. As the take turns cooking, cook the soba in a separate pot of bowling water, according to pkg directions (about 3 minutes). Drain. Divide the soba between the individual bowls (one for each person eating). Arrange on top of the soba the vegetables and two halves of the hard boiled eggs. Pour the very hot broth over top. Garnish with chopped scallions, if desired.

Thai Red Curry Squash Soup

2010-11-05T11:27:00.001-05:00

I love pureed soups. They are one of my favorite things about cold weather. I make a batch of a pureed soup, have it for supper and then enjoy it for lunches for several days afterwards. My husband, unfortunately, doesn't see it that way. Pureed soups are appetizers for him.

We don't do appetizers in our house. If I make something, it's supper, not an appetizer. However, with this soup, Curtis got lucky. I knew this soup would be spicy, so I knew I couldn't give it to the kids for supper. Sigh. So, I made this and I made a main dish as well. All were happy. I enjoyed my pureed soup, Curtis enjoyed his appetizer and main course, and the kids enjoyed the main course.

An ingredient note: Red curry paste comes in a large quantity. I have a container of it stashed in the back of my fridge. The stuff is SPICY!! Most recipes call for 1 T of it at a time. If you buy it, find a container that you can reseal and store in the back of your fridge until you make this or another red curry recipe again.

This serves 6 people easily.

Thai Red Curry Squash Soup
adapted slightly from Food and Wine

2 T butter
1/2 lg onion, thinly sliced
2 T thinly sliced fresh ginger (or 2 t ginger spice)
1 T Thai red curry paste (see ingredient note above)
1 1/2 lbs orange winter squash, kabocha, kuri or buttercup is preferred, but butternut will do, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2" chunks
2 1/2 c water
1 (13.5-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 t lime zest (or 1 keifer lime leaf)
1/2 stalk of lemongrass (to get half, cut in half vertically), smashed and cut into 2" lengths (don't use long green ends, use the lighter colored bottom 1/4 - 1/3")
1 T sugar
1 T fresh lime juice
salt, to taste

In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter. Add the onion and sliced ginger, if using, and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 7 minutes. Add the curry paste and ginger powder (if using) and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the squash and water and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer until squash is soft, about 25 minutes. Add the coconut milk, lime zest, and lemongrass, cover partially, and simmer an additional 30 minutes. Discard the lemongrass (and lime leaf, if using). Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender (or just use an immersion blender in the pot). Return to the pot and stir in the lime juice and sugar. Season as desired with salt.

Serve hot.

Twice-Fried Green Beans and Cashews

2010-11-02T11:12:00.002-05:00

Just for the record, vegetarian food isn't always healthier. Granted this meal would have been even unhealthier if I had used meat, but even without the meat, it had a bit of fat in it. I guess that's what happens when you deep fry green beans.

I know, deep-fried green beans? I was a little hesitant, but I was wanting a green bean stir fry for supper and this recipe looked the best of what I found in my little search. Turns out, it is really, really good. The green beans were incredible (but according to Curtis, most foods are incredible when fried--I would disagree with him there). The seasonings were minimal, but did the trick. My only problem was frying the cashews--I briefly forgot about them and they ended up a little too fried. We ate most of them anyway.

This will serve 4 - 6 people.

Twice Fried Green Beans with Cashews
adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

neutral oil like grapeseed, corn or canola for frying
1 1/2 lbs green beans (or however much you have--I didn't measure mine, I just used what I had), trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 - 2 inch lengths
salt
1/2 c cashews
1 lb tofu, drained and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c mild onion or scallions, chopped
1 t fresh chile (Jalapeno or Thai), optional (we didn't use it, but I suspect many would like this)
1 T sugar
2 T soy sauce
cooked rice or thin noodles (Udon, rice noodles, etc--I like the rice though since the green beans are kinda long)

Heat a enough of a neutral oil (I used canola) to be about 1 - 2 inches deep in a heavy black skillet or deep fryer (I probably used only about 1 - 1 1/2 inches of oil). Bring to 350 degrees (you can measure this with a candy thermometer--a meat thermometer won't get hot enough). Add the beans all at once and cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to brown, 5 - 10 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with salt. Add the cashews to the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Watch carefully to prevent the cashews from burning. Drain and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.

Let the oil cool a few minutes then pour off oil to containers to either reuse or dispose of in the trashcan (my husband's a plumber, he'd like for you to put in down the drain so you can give your friendly plumber some work). Keep 2 T of oil in the pan (or a separate pan, which I used because I didn't have enough patience to let the oil cool). Turn the heat up to high, and stir fry the tofu until it is golden brown. Add the garlic and onion and stir fry for a few minutes, until the onion softens (you can also use scallions, in which case only stir fry for about 30 seconds). Add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sugar and soy sauce, stir, and remove from heat.

Serve over rice or noodles. Top with fried cashews.

Zucchini Muffins

2010-10-25T11:10:00.001-05:00

Fall is here in Central Texas which means a variety of things. The temperatures are falling---highs now are only usually in the 80's and on the glorious mornings they're in the 50's (on the not so glorious mornings, it only gets down to the mid/upper 60's). We get occasional cool fronts. The produce we receive in our CSA box increases. We are still getting lots of warm weather vegetables: cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, and zucchini. These vegetables are actually bigger and tastier than they were during the hot summer months of July/August/September. The cool weather crops are also starting to show up---a variety of greens.

After cooking with zucchini for 5 months now, I get a little weary. By September and October I am frequenting my zucchini in baked goods recipes. My typical zucchini bread recipe has seemed a little too rich than what suits my mood. In my search for a replacement recipe, I discovered these zucchini muffins.

I think these are about the perfect zucchini muffins. They're not overly rich, they're full of flavor, and they have nice add-ins (pecans and dried fruit). I can easily eat 3 of these when they are warm (did I really just admit that?).

This recipe makes 12 if you don't make large muffins (10 if they're larger).

Zucchini Muffins
adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book

1 c flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour (or omit and use 1 1/2 c white flour)
3/4 c sugar
2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
2 eggs
1/3 c canola oil
1/4 c orange marmalade (optional--I've never used this, but I'm sure it would be good!)
1 t vanilla
1 4-oz zucchini or summer squash, shredded (drain on paper towels if you use the marmalade)
3/4 c dried tart cherries (or raisins or other dried fruit)
1/4 c pecans, chopped

In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, oil, marmalade, vanilla, and zucchini. Add the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture and stir until the batter is smooth and evenly moistened. Stir in the dried fruit and pecans until just mixed. The batter will be stiff.

Spoon the batter into 12 greased standard muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until muffins are golden, dry, and springy to touch, 17 - 20 minutes (a tester inserted in the center of a muffin should come out clean). Cool for 5 minutes, unmold and eat.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

2010-09-27T08:24:00.001-05:00

As my devoted followers know, I love gnocchi. Usually I satisfy that love by buying dried, vacuum packed gnocchi (because fresh is too $$$) or by ordering at restaurants. However, for a long time I've been wanting to make gnocchi.

Bucket lists are popular these days. I don't have a bucket list, but in the back of mind I have a long list of things I would like to do someday. A lot of those things are food related---make my own pasta, take a real cooking class, make to-die-for-Almond Rolls, and eat at Uchi (or Uchiko). Some things, I've already done like making rustic Italian bread (didn't love those results and haven't had the desire to try again...), making buckeyes, making my own mayonnaise, and making a whole bunch of cookies for Christmastime. Making gnocchi was also on the list.

We loved this gnocchi (which J called Humpty Dumpty). Curtis and M normally don't like gnocchi, but they thought it was fabulous. In fact, M told me "Mommy, I can't believe you made this because it looks so good, but I saw you. I thought it came from the best bakery in the whole world." (Five year olds occasionally get food sources confused). We easily polished off a whole batch.

A couple of recipe notes: 1) This recipe takes a lot longer to make than it looks like due to dropping the gnocchi in the water. The recipe suggests doing this via a pastry bag. That works great, it doesn't give you the characteristic gnocchi ridges and looks more like a very rustic gnocchi. Your hands will also get sore from squeezing the gnocchi through the bag. Give yourself a good half hour to squeeze and cook all the gnocchi. 2) The cream sauce was an epic fail, but didn't drive me to laying on the floor and crying (like in Julie/Julia which Curtis and I watched over the weekend). I used sour heavy cream and mascarpone that had grown mold, which I scraped off. Since I knew I was throwing out the ingredients anyway, I thought I'd give it whir, just in case. Didn't work and we ended up using store bought pasta sauce we had left in my fridge from when my mother-in-law came to our house and made supper. 3) I didn't have a potato ricer and wasn't ready to go buy one. After much searching through the kitchen, I decided to try the food mill attachment for my Kitchenaid that I use for making applesauce. It worked perfectly!

This serves 4 - 6, depending on how much people eat.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
from the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission
Gnocchi
4 medium-size sweet potatoes
1 medium-size russet potato
2 c flour
1 egg, beaten
pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Mascarpone Cream Sauce
4 shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 T sugar
1 c heavy cream
1/2 c stock or water
4 oz mascarpone cheese
1 bunch sage, finely chopped

Roast sweet potatoes in preheated 300 degrees oven for 1 hour or until tender (could also grill, I suppose). Peel and keep warm. Meanwhile, peel and cut the russet potato into chunks. Cook in boiling water until potato is tender. Cut sweet potatoes into chunks. Put all potatoes (sweet and russet) through a potato ricer or food mill. Stir in flour, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Turn mixture out onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to help mixture hold together. Divide into two balls. Bring water to boil in a large pot. Put one ball of sweet potato mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2" diameter tip (I used the base piece for the other tips and nothing else). Squeeze pastry tube over boiling water, cutting mixture with kitchen sheers at 1/2 - 1" intervals (I did closer to 1"). Cook in boiling water until dough floats to the surface. Remove with slotted spoon, put gnocchi in a colander to drain and keep warm until all gnocchi is cooked. Repeat until all dough is used.
For the sauce: In a saucepan, heat the shallots (onions), garlic, sugar, cream and stock. Add the cheese and sage and heat until cheese melts and is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine gnocchi with sauce and serve.

Almond Rolls

2010-09-24T10:28:00.000-05:00

My former favorite bakery in town (former for a variety of reasons, including change of staff and consistent removal of my favorite pastries from their pastry case, never to be seen again) used to make bear claws. These were divine things, filled with just the right amount of almond paste, and if I got to the restaurant at just the right time in the morning, they would be still warm. Sigh. I miss those bear claws. I dream about those bear claws. However, they are no more.

I immediately bookmarked the page then when I found on SeriousEats.com a recipe for Almond Rolls. Could they be similar? Warm almond paste inside a pastry? I took the plunge and attempted the slightly complex (mostly because of the series of steps that involved lots of waiting) recipe. There were good pictures to accompany it and I was happy with recipe until I got to the last step. Baking. The oven temp was listed (which was pretty easy to figure out anyway), but bake time wasn't. All it said was bake until golden. How long is that? 15 minutes? 20 minutes? Exactly how golden are we talking?

I searched the net and discovered something interesting about food blogs. Did you know people have their own food blogs that just copies and pastes the entire recipes without adding their two cents or hints? It is so blatant copying that they don't even bother to change the blurb preceding the recipe, that is copied as well. Now why would you do that? Most of them don't even source the original. From I what I figured, they never made it either because they don't explain why it looks like (from the pictures) that the cook added something to her almond paste to make it more spreadable and not so pasty or how long to bake the darn things for! My eyes were opened and I remained frustrated about the baking time.

I just experimented, I had two pans of almond rolls and the second pan was baked perfectly at 20 minutes. Fifteen minutes was definitely too short. I am including the recipe (and not just ranting), but will continue to tweak and edit this post as I get them to perfection (which they weren't, in my opinion, but everyone who tried them said they were wonderful. I think they were just being kind). When you make this recipe, keep in mind these puppies need to rest for at least 9 1/2 - 10 hours (including one overnight resting). I suggest making this as a weekend activity for Sunday breakfast. Start the dough Friday night, roll and fold Saturday, and shape and bake Sunday morning.

This yields 16 rolls. Be prepared to share!

Almond Rolls
adapted from SeriousEats.com

1 c cool water
2 1/2 t instant yeast (this is not active dry yeast--if you can't find any label instant, use rapid rise yeast)
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c sour cream
3 c bread flour
1 t kosher salt
1/2 c cold butter, cut into 12 pieces
1 (12.5) oz can almond filling (not marzipan, but almond filling, Solo brand is easy to find)
1 egg, beaten with a little water for an egg wash

In a medium bowl, mix water, yeast, sugar, and sour cream. Whisk to dissolve sugar and set aside. Put flour and salt into food processor. Drop butter into processor and pulse a few times (think pie dough or biscuits---you don't want to overmix the butter). Butter should be chick pea size, with variation to the large or small side ok. Transfer the flour mixture to the bowl with the yeast mixture. Gently fold the mixture with a rubber spatula to moisten all the flour, leaving chunks of butter intact. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, generously flour the work surface. Pat the dough into a rectangle and roll out to about 12 x 16": it doesn't have to be exact. The butter should still be chunky and clumpy. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Repeat the roll fold three times. Be sure to work quickly because the butter shouldn't melt or soften too much. End with the folded letter, fold it in half and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least an hour (or as long as the next day).

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and cut into two pieces. Return half of the dough to the fridge. Flatten a piece of dough and cut into into 8 pieces. Roll a piece into a 3 x 6" rectangle. Put a T of almond paste in the bottom half (I had to shape the almond paste in my hands with my fingers and then lay it on the dough--it didn't spread with an other utensil. I want to tweak this step of the recipe. I'll let you know as I do...). Roll the dough up and place seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon mat. Repeat with remaining 7 pieces and then with the other piece of dough in the refrigerator. Once a pan is full, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes. Brush the rolls with the eggwash after the 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven from 20 minutes or until they are nicely browned. Let them cool and then eat (inside filling is much hotter than outside dough).

Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine

2010-09-22T11:16:00.003-05:00

Mmm...butternut squash in a slow cooker with chicken and chick peas. Moroccan food made easy.

We enjoyed this and I was pleased to find a way to use butternut squash in a slow cooker. It was a nice stew and was great over couscous. The olives over top are optional--we put them on top the first time around, but not for the leftovers. M was a little hesitant about the squash, which was just fine with Little I who had all of his plus all of M's squash. M stuck to the chicken.

This is a great dump and cook slow cooker meal--which are my favorite kind. No sauting anything before hand--the only work is peeling and cutting the butternut squash into chunks.

This serves 6.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine
adapted from Delish.com

1 (1 1/2 lb) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" - 1 1/2" chunks
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped or 1 c canned diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 c chicken broth
1/3 c raisins
2 t coriander
2 t cumin
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
3 lbs (bone-in) chicken thighs, skins removed
10 oz couscous
1/2 c green olives, pitted (optional)

In a 6-qt slow cooker, combine squash, tomatoes, onion, garlic, beans, broth, and raisins. In a separate, small bowl, combine coriander, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Rub spice mixture all over chicken thighs. Place thighs on top of vegetable mixture. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

About 10 minutes before serving, prepare couscous according to pkg directions. To serve, fluff couscous with fork. Stir olives into chicken mixture. Serve chicken mixture over couscous.

Pasta alla Norma

2010-09-20T12:11:00.003-05:00

Let me just start by saying I haven't touched my camera in two weeks except to take a picture of this dish. Enjoy this picture, it's the only I have of our food lately. :)

That said, I love eggplant. I never thought I would say that. However, eggplant in pasta sauce is just divine. It adds a nice texture and just a slight flavor. Sigh. I loved this dish and am wishing it was still around.

We all liked this pretty well. Curtis and I really enjoyed. Little I loved the eggplant in it. J and M were suspect about its presence. I gleamed some inspiration from Pasta with Robust Summer Sauce I made a couple of weekends ago (or has it been a month already?). The largest inspiration--anchovies. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I love anchovies. Anchovies got a bad rap sometime in the 70's/early 80's. Anchovies rock. They provide that last taste needed in dishes--umami. Give anchovies a chance sometime, like in the recipe for instance. They're not terribly expensive and they pack a lot of umpf! for just a small amount used.

Here it is: Pasta alla Norma alla Melani!

Pasta alla Norma
adapted from Gourmet

2 lg eggplants
olive oil
1 T dried oregano
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
large bunch of basil, leaves thinly sliced (roll up like a cigar and thinly slice into ribbons)
1 t white wine vinegar
2 anchovies, minced
28 oz (1 -28 oz can) diced tomatoes,
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb spaghetti or other long, skinny pasta (I used cappellini)
grated Parmesan cheese

Cut the eggplants into 1/2" cubes (leaving the skin on). Add a little oil to a large skillet and heat. Fry the eggplant in batches, adding just enough oil to prevent the eggplant from sticking. You don't want the eggplant to bathe in oil to prevent them from getting oily tasting later. Fry into the eggplant are tender and starting to brown. Remove from pan and sprinkle with some oregano.

Return all eggplant to the pan, reduce the heat to medium and add a little more oil (as needed, to prevent sticking). Add the garlic and stir. Cook until garlic is fragrant, then add white wine vinegar, anchovies, and tomatoes (you can puree the tomatoes before adding if you wish, but I preferred chunky tomatoes). Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, taste, and adjust seasonings. Add half the basil leaves (about 2 - 4 T).

Meanwhile, cook pasta. Reserve 1/2 c of cooking liquid, drain pasta, and return to cooking pot. Add the tomato sauce to the pasta pot and a little (2 - 4 T) of cooking water and toss together over low heat. Taste and adjust seasonings. To serve, sprinkle with remaining basil and Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Gumbo

2010-09-15T07:41:00.001-05:00

I want to like okra, I really do. I love how sliced okra looks--so pretty if you can ignore the slime dripping from each slice. All summer we've left our okra in the trade box or snuck it into friends' refrigerators. I decided a week or two again that it was time to use okra at least once this summer. Instead of going for the classic tomato/okra/hamburger skillet meal, I went for the other okra classic, gumbo.

See it turns out, that gumbo actually means okra. Countless gumbo recipes abound---some New Orleans' style others more African in style. I went for the New Orleans Style and found a recipe that could be made in a crockpot as well. Despite my original intentions, I didn't end up making this in a crockpot, but am including those directions because I just might make this recipe again sometime.

We all ate it. I wouldn't say anyone of us loved the entire dish. Curtis and I tolerated the okra. We tried to deny its existence in the meal. (Curtis informed me it would be much better without the okra. I told him in which case, it wouldn't be gumbo). M ate the chicken and shrimp out of it. J ate some of it. Little I picked at his, eating some of it, but it was hard to discern exactly what. I had it three days afterwards as leftovers and the okra started to grow on me. I'll make this again and we'll probably tolerate the okra again. Maybe, eventually, we just might like this dish--all parts of it.

This serves 6 - 8 if served over rice.

Chicken Gumbo
adapted from WholeFoodsMarket.com

4 T canola oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs), cut into 1" pieces
salt
pepper
4 T unbleached flour
1 c onion, diced
1 c green pepper, diced
1/2 c celery, diced
2 c fresh okra, sliced
2 c chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
1 lb cooked chicken sausage, sliced into 1/2" rounds
1 lb large shrimp, peeled (you could use significantly less--I used more for M's sake)

Brown the chicken seasoned with salt and pepper in 1 T oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Add remaining 3 T oil to skillet and heat until hot. Add floor and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown 3 - 4 minutes. It should be about the color of peanut butter. Add the onion, green pepper, celery, and okra.

For a slow cooker: Cook onion, etc for 2 minutes or until the vegetables start to wilt. Add the chicken broth and stir until smooth and incorporated. Transfer mixture very carefully (to not burn yourself) into slow cooker. Add the okra, bay leaves, tomatoes, and browned chicken along with any juices left in bowl. Cover and cook on low for 7 - 8 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, add the sausage and turn cooker to high. Add the shrimp 5 minutes before serving. Serve over cooked rice with plenty of Tabasco.

For stove top: Carefully stir in chicken broth to onion mixture. Return chicken and any juices to the pan. Add chicken sausage, bay leaves, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook another 5 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked. Serve over rice with plenty of Tabasco.

Pasta Aglio e Olio

2010-09-13T14:04:00.002-05:00

I've been having a hard time coming up with a week's menu lately. I'm not quite sure why. Periodically this happens though. I feel like cooking nothing and am very uninspired. Last week, this was the case. To illustrate the severity of this, let me tell you about our Labor Day weekend meals. Of the 6 meals we ate (3 lunches and 3 suppers--breakfasts aren't included), 4 of those meals consisted of sandwiches of some sort---salami and cheddar, almond butter and jelly, or roasted eggplant and arugula. Another meal, Curtis cooked steaks and sweet potatoes on The Egg. Yet another, we went to someone else's house for a cookout. That sums it up. I made....an arugula and stone fruit salad and sweet potato biscuits and that was it for 6 meals. Sad, I know.

Now that that confession is out of the way, you understand when I said I've been uninspired. I was pleased to find this recipe that used locally sourced ingredients---Texas extra virgin olive oil and basil and garlic from our CSA (I could have splurged on locally made pasta, but didn't, story of my week). This was the best version of this recipe I've found. Simple, yet very delicious. So much so, that the usual 1/2 lb of pasta I made for our family didn't go nearly far enough.

A full recipe will probably serve 4 - 5 people.

Pasta Aglio e Olio
adapted from Whole Foods Market.com

1 lb spaghetti or other long thin pasta (we used linguini)
5 T extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 c fresh parsley or basil, chopped
1/2 c grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/3 c of pasta cooking water, then drain well.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic begins to lightly brown. Watch carefully so garlic does not burn. Add the cooked pasta and reserved pasta water to the garlic and oil. Add all but 1 T of the basil, half of the cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and toss well. Transfer to serving bowl and top with remaining basil and cheese. Serve immediately.

Persimmon Bread

2010-09-10T11:30:00.001-05:00

For the past couple of years, I've been seeing persimmons at the Farmer's Market. There was an article about persimmons in the current issue of Edible Austin as well. I took the plunge this year and bought a small box of persimmons last weekend.

I learned several things.
1. There are two common types of persimmons: Fuyu and Hachiya.
2. You use these two persimmons very differently.
3. Fuyus are commonly eaten while they are still hard (crisp) and often in salads or wrapped in meat.
4. Hachiyas are not eaten until they are very soft and mushy. They are usually baked. The most common recipe is some form of bread pudding.
5. If you add bourbon to a recipe, it pretty much hides the fact that you used the wrong kind of persimmons (especially if you were sure to use very soft and mushy fuyu persimmons that were beginning to smell a tad bit fermented).

I used a James Beard recipe for persimmon bread to use my very overly ripe Fuyu persimmons. It contained bourbon, which I just happen to have on hand because I am getting ready to make my own vanilla extract (thanks to my cousin who gave us homemade extract last year for Christmas). If you don't have bourbon or would rather not use alcohol in your baking, you can substitute orange juice (which I probably will do next time).

The verdict? Curtis and I thought it was pretty good. M was adamant that she didn't like it. J ate an entire piece and then decided he didn't like it. Fine with us. It makes a great breakfast bread.

This makes 1 9" loaf

Persimmon Bread
adapted from David Lebowitz who adapted it from James Beard

1 3/4 c flour
3/4 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg (or 1/2 t regular ground nutmeg)
1 to 1 1/4 c sugar
1/2 c melted butter, cooled to room temperature
2 lg eggs
1/3 c bourbon, cognac, whiskey, or orange juice
1 c persimmon puree (I peeled the persimmons and pushed them through a mesh sieve, discarding seeds in the center)
1 c pecans (or walnuts), chopped
1 c raisins or other diced dried fruits

Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and sugar. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, then stir in butter, eggs, liquor or orange juice, and persimmon puree. Add the nuts and raisins and stir until just combined. Pour into a greased and floured 9" bread pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

New Eggplant Recipes

2010-09-10T10:24:00.002-05:00

Are you needing new eggplant recipes? I haven't made many new recipes this summer, instead going back to a lot I discovered last summer and have already posted here.

However, NPR had a piece on eggplant this week with several new eggplant recipes. I may even be encouraged to try one or two these, they looked so good like Imam Bayildi and the Caponata recipe (it looks considerably less oily than mine which is my main complaint about my caponata recipe).

Rosemary Chicken

2010-09-08T11:12:00.003-05:00

I have a confession. I made this recipe about a month ago. I don't remember much about it other than it made my list of recipes to add. Sigh. Without any further ado, here is Rosemary Chicken from Saveur's Greek Issue (August/September 2010). I am sure we all liked it, because we can't go wrong with chicken in our house.

Rosemary Chicken
from Saveur Magazine

4 whole chicken leg quarters (or a combination of leg quarters and breasts)
1/2 c flour
1/4 c olive oil
1 c white wine
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 c water
juice of 1 lemon

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Put flour on plate and dredge each piece of chicken through the flour to coat, shaking off excess. Heat oil in 12" oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning once, until browned. Add wine, rosemary, and bay leaves. Return pan to heat and cook until wine reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Add water and brin gto a boil. Cover skillet and transfer carefully to a preheated 425 degree oven. Cook until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes. Uncover and let chicken skin crisp, 5 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in lemon juice. Serve with pan sauce.

Turkish Lamb and Vegetable Stew

2010-08-30T12:09:00.004-05:00

I stay pretty busy. Six days of the week, I do countless loads of laundry, feed our family, pick kids up at schools, keep our house semi-clean, do errands, and the list goes on and on. I am sure your list seems endless sometimes too. Whose doesn't? Needless to say, I am trying to carve out one day a week where I stop a little and take a nap/read/write (just for me--not for any blog), putting aside my mile long to do list for the day. One way I accomplish this without racking up huge eating out bills is to get out the slow cooker. I turn it on the morning, wash all the dishes and then am done for the day in the kitchen. The challenge is finding slow cooker recipes I like that don't turn into a "open up a can" fest. I want recipes that match our summer season and use some of the produce have around.

I found this recipe and was excited. It used eggplant and zucchini (not your normal slow cooker ingredients) in addition to potatoes. All three things I got in my CSA box and had languishing in my crisper (well, not the potatoes).

We all enjoyed it. My only complaint was the amount of work that went into it. I prefer my slow cooker recipes to need not a lot of prep work, but this one took a little longer with browning the lamb and sauteing onions. It also was a shorter cook time than some. However, we had no problem polishing off the leftovers throughout the week, not that we had a large amount of leftovers. It was a hit with all of us. This would be good served with rice or another grain like couscous. If you don't like the gamey lamb flavor, either substitute another stew meat or roast or trim the fat off of the lamb very well.

This makes 6 - 8 servings.

Turkish Lamb and Vegetable Stew
from Eating Well Magazine

1 1/2 lbs boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1 1/4" pieces (or other stew meat/roast)
1 1/4 t salt
black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 lg onions, thinly slices
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t dried oregano
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1 lg potato (or 3 -4 small ones, in my case), sliced 3/8" thick
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and snapped into 1 - 2" pieces (frozen green beans work fine)
1 sm eggplant, sliced 3/8" thick
1 med zucchini or summer squash, sliced 3/8" thick
6 bay leaves
3 T fresh parsley, chopped

Season lamb with 1/4 t salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1/2 T olive oil in lg skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half the lamb and brown, 2 - 4 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Set aside and repeat with remaining lamb, adding another 1/2 T olive oil to skillet. Add to slow cooker (and all accumulated juices). Add remaining 1/2 T oil to skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add onions and cook until softened, 3 - 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and oregano and cook for an additional minute. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer, mashing with a potato masher or fork. Remove from heat.

Spoon half of tomato mixture over lamb. Arrange potatoes over top, followed by green beans, eggplant, and zucchini, seasoning each layer with a little salt and pepper. Spread remaining tomato mixture over top of vegetables. Top with bay leaves. Cover and cook on high about 4 hours or until lamb and vegetables are very tender. Discard bay leaves and serve hot, garnished with parsley.

Spanish Stuffed Bell Peppers

2010-08-27T13:14:00.001-05:00

I grew up eating stuffed peppers of the rice and hamburger variety. As I watched my bell peppers accumulate, I wanted a stuffed pepper recipe that didn't resemble the stuffed peppers of my youth.

I love the internet. Instantly, 1000's of bell pepper recipes popped up and I got to choose between the traditional stuffed peppers and ethnic stuffed peppers (sometime, I really want to try Indian stuffed peppers. Mmm). I settled on a Rachael Ray recipe for Spanish stuffed peppers.

Those peppers were fabulous! I made 3 stuffed peppers and then cooked the rest of the stuffing in the oven (I knew M wouldn't eat it if it was inside a pepper). Everyone loved it! J even ate some of a pepper and little I had several servings. This is my new favorite stuffed bell pepper recipe.

My only complaint was with the leftovers. They quickly developed a very wine-y taste that I didn't notice the first time around. I think next time I may decrease the wine and increase the water/chicken broth instead. I also thought the ground chicken had no flavor and wasn't worht the extra cost. I'll substitute a mild sausage or lean ground beef next time as well. Brown rice gives the filling a wonderful texture (and more nutritional value too). The recipe calls for 6 bell peppers but you can cook however many you need (I only did 3).

Spanish Stuffed Bell Peppers
adapted from Rachael Ray

6 medium bell peppers (red preferable, but green will do), tops cut off
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 - 1 1/2 lbs ground meat (chicken, beef, or a mild sausage)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c golden raisins
2 t sweet paprika
3/4 c dry sherry (or a combination of 3/4 liquid between chicken broth, water, or wine)
2 15-oz cans tomato sauce
1/2 c parsley, chopped
1/2 c slivered almonds, toasted
2 - 3 c cooked brown rice
2 c Manchego cheese, grated

Bring a pot of water to boil and blanch peppers in boiling water for 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add the ground meat and season with salt and pepper. Cook until brown, breaking it up into small pieces. Add the onion, garlic, raisins, and paprika. Continue to cook until the onion s are tender, about 3- 4 minutes. Add the sherry (or other liquid) and stir to get the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add 1 1/2 c of tomato sauce and cook 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, almonds, and cooked rice.

Pour remaining 1/2 c of tomato sauce and a touch of water into a baking dish. Fill each pepper halfway up with rice mixture. Top with a little cheese and then fill to the top with more of the rice mixture. Top with some more cheese (so four layers--rice mixture-cheese-rice mixture-cheese). Set pepper in baking dish. Repeat with all the peppers. Put the leftover filling, if there is some, into a casserole dish and sprinkle generously with cheese. Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 375 degrees oven for 20 - 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Savory Summer Muffins

2010-08-25T13:07:00.004-05:00

I don't have much to say about this one. Amazing, right? The kids didn't like them much, but Curtis and I did. This a great recipe for those times that summer squash/zucchini may seem overwhelming.

This will make about 18 or so muffins.

Savory Summer Muffins
adapted from Sundays at Moosewood

3 c flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
1 c cheddar cheese, grated
1 c zucchini or summer squash, grated
3 T parsley
2 eggs
1 c buttermilk
1/4 c melted butter

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl with a whisk. Add cheese, squash, and parsley. Toss lightly to mix. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and then whisk in the buttermilk and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just blended (not smooth or anything like that). Spoon batter into greased muffin tins, filling them 3/4 full. Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Rolled Eggplant

2010-08-23T07:58:00.001-05:00

I've been finding rolled eggplant recipes since I started looking for eggplant recipes. I always thought it looked like too much work. However, after trying it, I've decided it's less work than a moussaka and even eggplant parmesan.
This is a great recipe. I used my homemade tomato sauce for the sauce which I think is partly what made it so good. In the pan, it reminded me of seafood (I am blanking on which one right now) with it's creamy centers and edge of purple. We enjoyed this and I will definitely make it again.

This serves 4.
Rolled Eggplant
adapted from Williams-Sonoma Cooking from the Farmer's Market

1 1/2 lb Italian or Asian eggplant (choose the skinny kind instead of the large, fat kind), trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/4" slices
1/4 c plus 2 T olive oil
5 oz bulk Italian sausage (or links with casings removed)2 c your favorite tomato (pasta) sauce
1 c ricotta
4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small pieces (or 4 oz grated mozzarella)
4 T parmesan cheese, grated
1 T parsley, chopped

Brush the eggplant with 1/4 c olive oil on both sides. Season with coarse salt. Place in a single layer on one or two baking sheets. Bake in preheated 450 degrees oven until lightly browned on bottom, about 10 minutes. Turn slices and bake another 5 - 7 minutes, until eggplant is tender but still holds together. Remove from oven and reduce oven temp to 350. (You can just turn the oven off as well).
While eggplant roasts, cook the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through. Stir in tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, 2 T Parmesan, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread 1/2 of sauce on bottom of 9" baking dish (either round or square is fine). Place a spoonful of cheese mixture at the top of each eggplant and gently roll up. Place upright or laying down in the dish with sauce. Repeat until all eggplants are used. Spoon the remaining sauce between and on top of rolls. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Bake in 350 degrees oven for 20 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly. Serve immediately.

Greens Adobo

2010-08-21T07:26:00.005-05:00

Our CSA boxes are getting rather thin at this time of the summer. That's understandable. It's hot here. Since the beginning of August, we've had temperatures near or over 100 degrees every day. That's enough to stress out any plant. We hang on for the next month or so, dreaming of the greens that are going to be appearing in October/November.

This summer, dreaming of the greens hasn't been quite as far-fetched. Through non-traditional greens, we are getting small amounts of greens in our CSA boxes. It's wonderful in a summer of eggplant and a variety of peppers. Thanks to purslane (also known as a weed) and sweet potato greens, my diet isn't totally devoid of greens this summer.

Evidently, sweet potatoes greens are commonly eaten else where. Sweet potato greens are high in vitamins A, C, and Riboflavin (B2). They also contain calcium, dietary fiber, potassium, phosphorus and are high in protein. The greens are commonly eaten in West Afriaca, China, Taiwan, and the Phillipines to name a few places.

To prepare the sweet potato greens, remove them from the thick stem (the tender stem can be eaten) and string them--like string beans. I've never actually stringed them, but I may try that next time (the string is supposed to be tougher).

I adapted a Filipino recipe to use these greens. Curtis and I both like it, the kids not so much, but we'll keep working on them.

Greens Adobo
adapted from Sundays at Moosewood

3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 T olive oil
5 c sweet potato greens (or beet greens, chard, or mustard greens), washed, well drained, and chopped
2 T soy sauce
1 T white vinegar
black pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Stir-fry the garlic until golden. Remove and set aside. Add the greens to the hot skillet and toss over high heat until wilted and at desired tenderness. Turn off the heat. Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper, and golden garlic. Serve at once.