Food goodness

I've made these quite a few times lately and they come together quickly with the use of one bowl, one spoon and a whisk (optional).  And, most importantly, they are delicious. Adapted from Cook's Illus. The New Best Recipe. 7.5 oz AP flour 1 t baking powder 1 t kosher salt 1.5 sticks of unsalted butter 10.5 oz brown sugar (I used dark) 2 large eggs 1.5 t vanilla extract 1 C dark chocolate chips* 1 C pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped 1.5 C unsweetened flaked coconut (better than shredded, I think), lightly toasted Preheat oven to 350 and line a 13x9 pan with a foil sling and spray with cooking spray; set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, place butter and brown sugar and cook on high for about 2 minutes or until butter is melted and sugar mixture is shiny when stirred.  Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients including chips, nuts and coconut taking care to be gentle and do not overmix.  Turn batter into prepared pan and bake on oven rack set t

Is doing a book tour and is coming to SF the first week of March.  I'm planning to go to her book signing on March 4th--anyone want a signed copy?  If so, let me know.  She's so cute that I have to go meet her in person.

Adapted from The Clothes Make the Girl . Delish.  Makes a lot. 2 T olive oil 2 onions, chopped 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2 bell peppers, chopped 2 Japanese sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes 2 lbs. ground meat (lean beef, pork, turkey, bison--I used 1 lb ground beef and 1 lb cubed stew meat) 2 T chili powder (I used chipotle chili powder) 2-3 T ground cumin 1 T unsweetened cocoa 1 t dried oregano 1 t allspice 1 t salt 2 14.5 oz. can chopped tomatoes (I used fire roasted) 6 oz. tomato paste 14.5 oz. can beef broth 12 oz. beer--something in an ale or lager In a large dutch oven, combine oil, onions and peppers and saute until soft.  Add garlic immediately followed by the meat.  Saute meat until browned and the ground beef is well crumbled.  Toss in spices and stir to coat contents of pan.  Add tomato paste and tomatoes, broth and beer and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer for 2 hrs.  Seriously, you want to build the flavor here and it's worth t

This tastes so good. Kids and grown-ups alike love it. It's my wonderful mom's recipe so it's got the wholesome stamp on it, but knowing my mom and how careful she usually is with salt, fat and sugar it surprised me that this recipe is a little heavy on all three. I've cut back on each and there testing if it's still delicious when it's a little more nutritious. So far, so good. 3 eggs 1 C oil (3/4 C) 2 C milk 1 C brown sugar (3/4 C) 1 1/2 T cinnamon 2 T vanilla 1 1/2 t salt (scant 1 t) 4 t baking powder 5 C uncooked oatmeal (rolled or quick oats both work fine) (fruit of any kind chopped is an awesome addition, I've tried pears in one batch and bananas in another) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix/Beat together all but oatmeal until completely combined. Add oatmeal and mix well. Bake in a greased two quart casserole dish. 40-45 min until golden brown.

from AllRecipes , 4.5 stars. 2 tablespoons butter (less) 1 onion, minced 1 teaspoon minced garlic 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I just sprinkled a handful, maybe 3/4 cup) 4 eggs, well beaten 1 1/2 cups milk 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon butter, melted Directions 1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 2.Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with cheese. 3.Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese. 4.Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set. (I don't know what's with my oven, but this took 60 minutes to bake two quiches. Somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes, you will have quiche.)

Adapted from Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Eastern Food p. 254. So, in case it's not obvious, I've switched from an almost entirely vegetarian (except for bacon) diet to one that is high protein.  And I don't mean just eating lots of eggs and Greek Yogurt--I mean meat and lots of it.  Even red meat.  And lamb, which I don't eat a lot of but this recipe sounded so good that I had to try it out.  You can use beef just as easily if that's your preference.  Don't use bone-in meat for this, just cube it and trim it of any excess fat.  Also, I think it's good to have lots of veg with your meat so I added lots more than the recipe called for.  In fact, everything but the onion is an add-on.  And I think it turned out perfectly because the lamb is really rich and the veg just soaks up all that delicious juice. 2 lbs shoulder of lamb (or beef), cubed with excess fat removed 3 T vegetable oil 1 t ground ginger 1 t ground cumin 1/2 t allspice 2 t

Easy. Delicious. That is all. Ingredients Chicken •3 Tbsp olive oil •1 broiler-fryer chicken, about 2 1/2-3 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of chicken thighs or breasts, bone-in, with skin on, rinsed and patted dry •1/2 cup of flour for dredging •Salt •Freshly ground black pepper •Paprika Rice •2 tablespoons olive oil (can use up to 1/4 cup) •1 medium yellow onion, chopped •1 garlic clove, minced •2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice •3 cups* chicken stock •1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste or 1 cup of diced fresh or cooked tomatoes, strained •Pinch of oregano •1 teaspoon salt *Check the instructions on the rice package for the proportions of liquid to rice. They can range from 1:1 to 2:1. If your rice calls for 2 cups of water for every cup of rice, then for this recipe, use 4 cups of stock for 2 cups of rice. Method 1 Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet (a skillet that has a cover) on medium high heat. Put the flour in a wi

Idea from Martha Stewart and lemon curd from my very favorite KAF . So, every year our friends host a Super Bowl party (yes, I watch the game but once again neither of the teams playing were the one I cared about) and usually it is a Top Chef-style party.  Not this year.  This year it was all about smoked meat and delicious sides and desserts and no Top Chef-fing.  I brought 2 desserts: lemon cheesecake (recipe to be posted later) and lemon cherry trifle.  The trifle could not be easier. 1 box lemon cake mix, baked according to pkg directions (yes, I cheated and used a box mix) 2 C whipped cream, beaten to soft peaks and stabilized with a bit of sifted powdered sugar 1 jar Morello cherries from TJ's, drained 1 recipe lemon curd from King Arthur Flour (recipe to follow) or 2 C of your favorite recipe For the cake, you can either cut it into 1" cubes or do like me and squish it up with your fingers.  This is why I used a box mix--why should I bake from scratch

Smitten Kitchen gets it right again. This is yum, particularly with that baked spinach that I've made three times in like two weeks. 2 cups buttermilk 5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 1 tablespoon table salt [there is much more explanation on her website about what kind of salt, etc.] 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 T paprika, plus extra for sprinkling Lots of freshly ground black pepper 2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken parts [I used three boneless skinless breasts] Drizzle of olive oil Flaked or coarse sea salt, to finish To make the brine, whisk buttermilk with all ingredients up to the chicken in a bowl. Place chicken parts in a gallon-sized freezer bag [I used a lidded glass bowl] and pour buttermilk brine over them, then swish it around so that all parts are covered. Refrigerate for at least 2 but preferably 24 and up to 48 hours. When ready to roast, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking dish with foil. Remove chicken from buttermilk brine and arrange i

Yesterday was Candlemas, called Chandeleur in French-speaking places. In those French-speaking places, they traditionally eat crepes to celebrate. So we did too. There's more to the holiday, but we just did the crepes and candles this year. Some year we'll make candles. S really wants to. Can you tell we're reading Little House Books? T ate his filled with turkey and cheese. S had hers drizzled with honey (in honor of the recent feast day of St. Brigid who, according to legend kept bees...and cows). The grown-ups had caramelized onions, chicken, black olives, goat cheese and a sweet onion mustard (I was quite tickled with myself about my use-up-random-leftovers filling invention! score!).  I wanted a Brittany-style savory crepe but subbed spelt and wheat flours for buckwheat cuz I have those on hand instead. The website it came from is called easyfrenchfood . 1 cup buckwheat flour 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup milk 3/4 cup water 2 eggs 1 tablespoon oil 1/4

Can't believe this recipe isn't already on here -- I'm going to a not-watching-the-Superbowl party on Sunday, and it will prominently feature DIP, and taco dip is my own heart's one and only true dip. A and A collaborated on the directions: In a bowl, combine 5 to 8 oz. sour cream and an 8 oz brick of cream cheese, slightly softened. Spread in a glass pie plate. Drain off the extra liquid from some mild salsa (don't forget this step: draining is important). Spread a 1/4-inch-thick layer on top of the sour cream/cream cheese mixture. Finely chop a white onion and a green pepper and spread on top of the salsa. (You can also add olives or jalapenos in this step.) Cover the whole thing with shredded cheddar cheese. Get tortilla chips and eat it all in your friend's basement. (Younger A adds: "In theory, you can make all this less bad for you by using low or reduced fat products and using celery instead of tortilla chips to get it to your mouth, b

I am sure Joy the Baker would never lead us astray, but I tried her roasted winter citrus last night, and I must have done something wrong, because... no. Just no. Not sure if it was too much of the herbs de provence (that Alissa brought me from France!) or too little salt or oil or sugar or what, but it was really vile and wrong. "It tastes like hot fruit" is a direct quote from J, and it was not a compliment. (He ate it, of course, because he eats everything, but I don't think he wants to repeat the experience.)

I thought I had posted this already but it looks like I did not.  This is adapted from a Jacques Pepin recipe via Chowhound (I think). Serves 4-6 depending on how big your pears are and how much room you have left for dessert. 4 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and sliced into eighths 1 bottle fruity red wine (it really needs to be fruity.  I used Apothic Red which runs about $12) ~1/4 to 1/2 C honey depending on how sweet your wine is 1 cinnamon stick pinch of ground cloves, if desired 1.5 C plain Greek yogurt (I prefer Fage but Chobani is fine) splash of vanilla or even better, vanilla bean paste 1/2 t cinnamon 2-3 T grade B maple syrup but grade A is fine too In a deep saucepan, pour wine, honey and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for about 8 minutes.  Add pears and stir occasionally to make sure all the pear slices are poaching properly.  Pears are done when a knife slides easily into the flesh.  Strain out pears and return liquid to the stove t

This recipe surprised me. It is supremely quick and easy and the pears were perfectly spiced, sweet and delicious. They were so delicious by themselves I didn't even have the urge to use the pears as a topping for ice cream or anything typical of me and the hub loved it too. Score. It's from an ayurvedic email newsletter called Joyful Belly. (They probably would not have approved of using it as an ice cream topping, so we're in the clear there too.) 1/2 tsp Star Anise 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 1/4 c Raisins 2 tbsp Oatmeal 1/2 tsp Cloves 4 pear Pears Preheat oven to 350. Powder the spices in a coffee grinder or pulverize with a mortar and pestle. Peel and halve the pears, slicing out the core. Place pears in a baking pan. Add 1/4c of water. Sprinkle with spices and raisins. Bake, covered, for one hour or until pears are tender. Uncover, sprinkle rolled oats and, optionally, pecans. Broil for five minutes for a grilled effect.