Food goodness

Baked Spinach

2012-01-22T19:49:00.000-05:00

Adapted From: Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from Julia Child

Yuuuu-uuuummmm! This was really good. I've been eating a lot of spinach lately (spinach salads, creamed spinach, etc) because it is a good source of iron. I had a giant box of fresh spinach in the fridge, but that was only one pound. 3 pounds of fresh spinach is a LOT of fresh spinach. So, I will admit that I cheated a little. I used the 1 pound of fresh spinach that I had, and then I supplemented with a bag of frozen cut spinach. I used beef stock and I really think that it added significantly to the deliciousness of this dish. You can use other types of stock or cream instead, but if you have beef stock, I would recommend trying it.

Serves 6

3 pounds fresh spinach (or, a combo of fresh and frozen worked just fine for me)
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 cup stock (your choice; Julia recommends beef) or cream
3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese (I used a mix of random hard cheeses we had in the fridge)
2 tablespoons fine, dry breadcrumbs

Stem and wash your spinach (see Tips below) well but no need to spin or pat it dry. Place spinach in a large pot over high heat. Cook, covered, with just the water clinging to leaves, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 2 to 4 minutes for baby spinach and 4 to 6 minutes for regular spinach. Transfer to a colander, immediately fill pot with cold water, transfer it back to the pot of cold water to shock it (stop the cooking) and drain again. Squeeze a small amount of the spinach at a time in your hands to extract as much water as possible. Chop the spinach coarsely (I skipped this step - I left my fresh spinach whole, and then added a bag of frozen cut spinach). You should have about 3 cups of chopped spinach, or about 1 cup per pound.

In the same pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat and stir in the spinach. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until all of the moisture from the spinach has boiled off — you’ll know you’re done when the spinach begins to stick to the pan.

Lower the heat and sprinkle with flour and stir for 2 minutes to cook the flour. Add 2/3 of your stock or cream, a tiny bit at a time, scraping up any stuck spinach as you do. Once the liquid is added, simmer for another minute or two, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. If you’re feeling especially indulgent, stir in one more tablespoon of butter. If needed, add all or part of remaining liquid. Season with salt (Smitten used 1/2 teaspoon table salt) and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter (or spray) a shallow 1-quart baking dish. Stir 1/2 cup cheese into the spinach and pour it into the baking dish. Mix the remaining cheese with breadcrumbs and sprinkle on spinach. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons remaining butter and pour it over the top. Bake until heated through and slightly brown on the top, about 30 minutes.

Serve with steaks, chops, veal, chicken, broiled fish or, if you’re us, eggs, glorious eggs (you could even use this as a base for baked eggs - make a well in the spinach and break an egg into the well - bake until cooked to your desired doneness).

Do ahead: Spinach can be blanched and chopped several hours or a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Gratin can be fully assembled and 30 minutes before needed, placed in a preheated 375 degree oven to bake, then served.

To stem spinach, as per Julia: If spinach is young and tender, remove the stems at the base of the leaf. If more mature, fold the leaf vertically with its underside up, grasp the leaf in one hand and the stem in the other and and rip it off toward the tip of the leaf, removing the stem and the tough tendrils. Discard any wilted or yellow leaves.

Split Pea Soup

2012-01-15T18:37:00.001-05:00

From: Gina's Skinny Recipes

I actually made this in a crock pot. The soup was really good, but I think if I made it again I would do it on the stove-top, or at least add a little less liquid. I'm not great at translating stove-top to crockpot. Anyway, it's still really good and I'll definitely eat it all week. Todd said that it was better than the Au B0n Pain split pea soup he often gets at the cafe at his job, so I know he liked it, too. This was just a little liquidy, whereas I think of split pea soup being a thicker soup. the recipe below is for the stove-top version. If you want to try it in the crockpot, I would suggest decreasing the liquid by a cup or two. I did 6 hours on high and everything was pretty mushy. I would probably do 8 hours on low next time? I don't know. I would have to play around with it a little. Again, though, it's still really good and we'll gobble it all up this week. Apparently you could also use a smoked turkey wing in place of the ham hock if you don't eat ham, but I have never tried that.

Ingredients:
16 oz bag of dried split peas
1 medium chopped onion
1 garlic clove or more if you like more garlic, use 2-3 cloves of garlic
8 cups fat-free chicken broth (use less if using crockpot)
2 tsp of olive oil
2 large carrots - chopped
salt and pepper, to taste (I did not add any salt - it was salty enough from the broth and ham hock)
1 ham hock

Directions:
Wash peas and drain them. In a pot, saute onions and garlic in about 2 tsp of oil.

Add peas, carrots, ham hock and your chicken stock, then cover the pot and let it come to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once it boils you can reduce heat and cook for about two hours (beans should be very soft by then). Make sure to check the water and consistency. You may need to add hot water if it becomes too thick.
Remove ham hock and serve. You can pull any remaining meat off the bone and add it to the soup if you want.

chocolate-chip bundt cake

2012-01-15T13:55:00.001-05:00

From Everybody Likes Sandwiches, with a lovely family story to go with it. This is a quick basic cake, with something special from the taste of the vanilla sugar. I doubled the number of chocolate chips, but otherwise left it alone.

1 c butter
1 c sugar
1 6-gram pack Oetker vanilla sugar (or 1 t of vanilla extract) [I found this vanilla sugar in the baking aisle, with the frosting and sprinkles]
3 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c corn starch
1 T baking powder
scant 1/2 c milk
1 package of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a bundt pan.

Cream butter, gradually add sugar, the vanilla sugar and eggs.

Add mixture of sieved flour [I never sieve], corn starch and baking powder alternately with the milk. Mixture should be firm; don’t add too much milk. [I probably only used about 1/4 c.]

Stir in half the chocolate chips and pour/scoop batter into the pan. Sprinkle the other half of the chocolate chips on the top and press in lightly.

Bake for 50 minutes. When cool, dust with icing sugar.

peanut-butter banana muffins

2012-01-08T14:55:00.000-05:00

Modified from Gina's Skinnytaste -- I originally followed the recipe exactly, using this disgusting unsweetened unsalted almond-flaxseed butter that is awful by itself, and the batter tasted just like it, so I had to start modifying. If you were using good nut butter, her suggestion to have a blob of it in the middle is probably a nice one; if you're using a butter you're just trying to get rid of, I'd skip it.

Her recipe originally came out to 4 WW points per muffin... I used less PB and exchanged some AP for whole-wheat flour, but then added chocolate chips and a little more sugar, so I'm not sure where that ends up exactly.

Ingredients:

3 ripe medium bananas
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp Earth Balance, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large egg whites (I used a big splash of EggBeaters)
1 tsp vanilla extract
7 tbsp nut butter
as many chocolate chips as you feel appropriate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°. Line a muffin tin with 12 liners.

Mash bananas in a bowl, set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg whites, bananas, apple sauce, vanilla, and nut butter, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

Add flour mixture, then blend at low speed until combined. Do not over mix. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into muffin tins and bake on the center rack for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

chicken stock with freezer veggies

2012-01-04T13:56:00.003-05:00

I usually make chicken stock in a slow cooker (a la Shannon) but a few months ago, I'd seen something online about saving vegetable scraps to make broth and wanted to try it.

Whenever you trim the tips off of carrots or the leaves off of celery or the outer layers off of an onion, you throw them in the freezer -- just make sure they're clean. When you make chicken stock, you just add everything; since it's being strained out anyway, it's not like you'll be eating the veggie parts you didn't want in the first place.

And hey, it works!

This isn't rocket science and you could probably use the scraps in the slow cooker too. But this made the kind of perfectly clear broth that I don't usually get from my crockpot, so I'm writing it down so I don't forget it for next time:

1. Put a lot of water in a pot and set it to boil.

2. Get rid of all the skin from your chicken carcass. This is worth a few extra minutes, because it means there is hardly any gross fat to skim off the top of your broth after it cools.(Leaving a little bit of meat is good, though.)

3. Put the bones and the veggies in the pot, along with some peppercorns and bay leaves and oregano.

4. Bring to a boil and then turn it down to a low simmer for about three hours, with the lid halfway on.

5. Throw it in the fridge overnight, if possible, and skim if necessary.

Make some soup or freeze it, hooray.

Carrot (or Broccoli) and Raisin Salad

2011-12-28T11:04:00.002-05:00

From: Serious Eats

This is an old-fashioned kind of veggie side dish, but healthy and delicious. As much as I love carrots (yum!), I had a bag of TJ's organic broccoli slaw that I wanted to use up, so I just used that instead. I also used some frozen TJ's pineapple tidbits, which I thawed before adding. It created enough pineapple juice during thawing to add to the sauce.

4 cups shredded carrot
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained and liquid reserved
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted and cooled completely
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of salt

1 In a medium bowl, combine shredded carrot, pineapple solids, pecans, and raisins.

2 In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice with all the yogurt, sugar, and salt. Stir until no lumps are left.

3 Add yogurt mixture into carrot mixture. Stir thoroughly to combine. Let sit a few hours in refrigerator so flavors can meld, though you can serve immediately if desired. Serve.

Super Crunchy Chocolate Peppermint Bark

2011-12-20T01:16:00.000-05:00

Adapted from Piece of Cake.

Makes about 2 lbs of candy and is rather addictive. Chocolate-y and peppermint-y deliciousness!

24 oz dark chocolate, either good quality chips (Ghiradelli 60%) or bar (I used TJ's Belgian dark chocolate), chopped
15 Peppermint Jo-Jo's from TJs or Oreos, crushed
3 oz. white chocolate
3/4 C crushed candy canes or Starlight mints (use 1 C if using plain oreos)

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside. In a large glass bowl, place chopped dark chocolate and microwave at 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in cookie crumbs and pour onto baking sheet. Use an off-set spatula to spread chocolate mixture into an even layer. Sprinkle crushed candy cane bits all over chocolate in an even layer. In a small bowl, melt white chocolate in microwave in the same manner as dark chocolate. When melted, drizzle over chocolate and candy. Place baking sheet in fridge to firm up for at least 30 minutes. When firm, break into pieces and serve. Makes a lot which is good because people will think you're a genius when they've tasted it and keep coming back for more.

Christmas Party Menu

2011-12-19T10:59:00.006-05:00

We had our annual Christmas party this past weekend. I had lots of help in the kitchen this year (special thank-you shout-out to Kelly and Grg!) and we churned out some tasty treats! I had lots of people asking for recipes, and I directed them here, so I wanted to include a list of all the recipes they may be looking for.

Here is what we served:

Savory:
Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts
Pizza Bites
Caramelized Onion and Apple Tarts
Onion Dip from Scratch w/ crudites and honey-wheat pretzels
Skinny Artichoke Dip with bruschetta pita chips
Spanish Fig and Almond Balls, served with cheese board
Cheese: brie, sharp cheddar, manchego, toscano, stilton w/cranberries
variety of crackers, grapes, fig-orange marmalade, honey

Sweet:
Kahlua-Spiked Pecans
Chocolate-covered Matzah
Soft Molasses Cookies
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Apple pie (not homemade, ahem, sorry)
Peppermint Crunch Bark

Soft Molasses Cookies

2011-12-19T10:46:00.004-05:00

Adapted from: King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion

I LOVE molasses cookies. I had them at my wedding. The recipe we used at my wedding is already posted here on the food blog as Karen's Molasses Cookies. That recipe is almost identical to this one, except that this one calls for less sugar and Kelly added more ginger and freshly-ground black pepper when she made this for our party. The end result was basically the same.

8 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 tsp ground ginger (Kelly said she used a little more)
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
freshly-ground black pepper, optional (a few twists of the grinder?)
granulated sugar to coat cookies

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, shortening, and sugar. Beat in the molasses and eggs.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and spices. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and blend until smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until the dough has stiffened sufficiently to handle easily.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll the dough into balls about the size of a golf ball - about 2 Tbsp of dough. Roll each ball in a sugar-filled shallow bowl to coat it. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on lightly greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets.

Bake for 13 min. They will have flattened but won't have browned sufficiently. If you let them get brown around the edges, they'll be less chewy and moist. When you take them out of the oven they should still feel soft on top and be just barely colored.

Cool the cookies completely on a wire rack and store them in a plastic bag with a slice of apple to keep them soft.

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2011-12-19T10:27:00.002-05:00

Adapted From: King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion

Kelly used spiced rum-soaked raisins in this recipe - just pour some spiced rum over the raisins and heat briefly in the microwave so the raisins soak up the rum. Drain any excess liquid before you throw the raisins into the dough. You can skip that step - it wasn't part of the original recipe, but we thought it would be good.

2 1/4 cups (9 1/2 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup yogurt, plain or vanilla, reg, low-fat or nonfat
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups rolld oats
1 1/2 cups raisins
spiced rum, optional, for plumping the raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

If you want to plump the raisins, put them in a large mug and cover with hot water, or pour a bit of spiced rum over the raisins and microwave briefly (maybe 30 seconds?) Let sit for a few minutes to plump. Drain excess liquid from the raisins before you add them to the dough.

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, butter, oil and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the yogurt and vanilla.

Stir in the oats and raisins, then add the flour mixture, in three additions, beating well after each addition.

Drop the batter from a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop (or from a tablespoon) onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 14 min. They'll still be light tan; don't let them brown or they'll end up crisp instead of chewy. Let them cool on the parchment until lukewarm, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack; they'll be delicate when warm, then chewy as they cool. Store cookies in a tightly closed container or plastic bag.

Caramelized Onion and Apple Tarts

2011-12-19T10:04:00.002-05:00

From: LOL Foodie

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
2 tbs butter
half of a large onion
2 apples (Granny Smith or another tart variety)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3c fontina cheese, shredded
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Begin with prep work. Slice/chop the onion very thinly. Peel and core the apple, and chop it into pieces approximately the same size as the onion.
Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium. Once it’s melted, add the onions and 1/4 tsp of salt. Saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the apples, and reduce the heat to low. Cook over low for about 30 minutes. The onions should be nice and caramelized, and lightly browned. Stir in the pepper and remaining salt. Remove from heat and let cool.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Unwrap and unfold the puff pastry dough. Slice along the folds already present in the dough, creating 3 even “strips” of dough. Cut each strip into 3 squares, then slice diagonally through each square to create 2 triangles. This should result in 18 triangles from the entire sheet of dough.
Place each dough triangle on your prepared baking sheet, without touching.
Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the onion-apple mixture onto each dough triangle. Sprinkle some of the grated fontina cheese on top. Sprinkle thyme on top of the cheese.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, and serve warm!

Make-ahead note: You can caramelize the onions-apple mixture and store it in the fridge up to two days beforehand. You can assemble the tarts one day before you serve them, and just store in the fridge, wrapped in cling wrap or foil on a baking sheet. Just pop them into the oven when you are ready!

Spanish Fig and Almond Balls

2011-12-19T09:51:00.003-05:00

From: BBC Good Food

I really liked this. Makes a delicious addition to your usual cheese board. I think many of our guests didn't know what to do with it (despite my helpful signage suggesting people try it with cheese and honey). My suggestion is to start with a cracker, top with a slice of cheese (manchego, perhaps), a slice of the fig cake, and then a drizzle of honey. Yum! These also make a nice gift - just tie up a couple in a cellophane bag. Please note that you need to make these in advance because you have to let them dry for about a week before you serve - otherwise they will be a sticky mess.

Ingredients

100g whole almonds , toasted
500g pack dried whole figs , hard stalk and centre of base removed
85g dried apricots , chopped into small pieces
50g dried cranberries
1 tbsp brandy
1 tbsp clear honey
1 tsp ground cloves
100g sesame seeds , toasted

Directions:
Whizz the almonds in a food processor until most are finely chopped, then tip into a large bowl. Roughly chop the figs, then whizz to a smooth sticky paste. Scrape onto the almonds then, using your hands, mix together well with the dried fruit, brandy, honey and cloves.
Divide the mixture into 6 and roll into balls (I made about 15 golf ball-sized balls). Tip the sesame seeds onto a tray, then roll the balls in them until covered. Cover the tray loosely with a clean tea towel, then leave the fig balls to dry for a week before packaging. Will keep in a cool place for 2 months.

Onion Dip from Scratch

2011-12-19T09:45:00.002-05:00

From: Alton Brown

Definitely make this one the night before you plan to serve it. It needs time for the flavors to meld. The onion flavor intensifies overnight, too.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onions
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

In a saute pan over medium heat add oil, heat and add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the cooled onions. Refrigerate and stir again before serving.

Pizza Bites

2011-12-18T15:42:00.004-05:00

From: Annie's Eats

These were good, and could be adapted to a variety of fillings. I used pre-sliced pepperoni, which I halved. When I filled them, I put in 2 pepperoni halves, then a bit of mozzarella, and then 2 more pepperoni halves. These would also be good with pre-cooked, crumbled sausage, veggies, etc. Serve with a pizza sauce for dipping. I used on batch of pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joe's.

pizza dough (enough for one pizza)
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 20-24 pieces)
Sliced pepperoni

For topping:
Olive oil
Italian seasoning
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or cake pan. Divide the pizza dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces. Take one of the dough pieces, top with a cube of cheese and a slice or two of pepperoni. Pull the edges of the dough around the fillings and pinch closed. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm, with dipping sauce as desired.

Skinny Artichoke Dip

2011-12-18T15:38:00.003-05:00

From: Gina's Skinny Recipes

You can make this in advance and just throw in the oven when your guests are about to arrive. I doubled it and it made a ton, which was unnecessary. I also forgot to put the bread crumbs on top, which I think would have been good. I served this with bruscetta-flavored pita chips and a variety of veggies.

13.75 oz artichoke hearts packed in water, drained
2 tbsp chopped shallots
1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
salt and fresh pepper to taste
2 tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs
olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a small food processor, coarsely chop the artichoke hearts with the shallots.

Combine artichokes, yogurt, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Place in an oven-proof dish and top with breadcrumbs. Lightly spray the crumbs with olive oil then bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted. Serve right away.

Can be made one day in advance without the breadcrumbs and stored in the refrigerator before baking. Add breadcrumbs before baking. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

instant chocolate cake in a mug

2011-12-14T23:21:00.000-05:00

I hate to play into stereotypes, but there are some times in a woman's month -- er, life -- when she just needs chocolate cake. This isn't the finest gourmet cake you'll ever eat, but it exactly does the trick.

From the Food Network, with a few modifications...

Whisk 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder, 1 egg, 4 tablespoons milk, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and a dash of vanilla extract and salt in a large mug until smooth. Throw in a handful of chocolate chips and mix again. Microwave until puffed and the top is done, about 4 minutes.

Mushroom and Brown Rice Casserole

2011-11-29T21:26:00.001-05:00

Pair Annie's recipe with a salad and it's dinner.

Yield: about 6-8 servings
Ingredients:

2 tsp. olive oil

1 lb. brown mushrooms, cleaned and coarsely chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups cooked brown rice, at room temperature

2 large eggs

1 cup cottage cheese (reduced fat is fine)

½ cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)

½ tsp. coarse salt

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Minced fresh herbs, for garnish (optional), such as chives, parsley, etc.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish. In a large skillet over medium heat sauté the mushrooms in the olive oil, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid, about 5-7 minutes. Add the onions to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the rice to the skillet and stir to combine.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, and salt until smooth. Add in the rice mixture and stir gently until well blended. Sprinkle most of the Parmesan over the top, reserving a bit for finishing. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20-30 minutes more, until the top is lightly browned. Top with remaining Parmesan and fresh herbs, if desired.

Annie's Eat's original source: slightly adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Caldo de Pollo

2011-11-21T14:37:00.002-05:00

You will love this soup.

Gwen gave me an adorable cookbook as a present one year, The Soup Peddler's Slow and Difficult Soups: Recipes & Reveries by David Ansel. We agreed that a book with a title like that has a specific audience and we both believe we're it. We like our soups cooked long and slow with a story about a Jewish great aunt or annual neighborhood potluck to back up their authenticity.

After using this book for a half dozen years, I now have a crush on the Soup Peddler, David Ansel. If/when I make it back to Austin, Texas, I will go to his shop and eat his soup (AND I will go again see the bajillion Mexican freetail bats depart from Congress Ave bridge for their night forage. Once is not enough.) The cookbook is a quirky, fictionalized account of his first year as the Soup Peddler. This recipe is from one of Austin's legendary restaurants, Guero.

The soup:
1 chicken
12 C chicken stock
2 onions, cut into thin strips
3 carrots, peeled and very coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery (w leaves), very coarsely chopped
1/4 head cabbage, very coarsely chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into thick rounds
1 (6oz) can of tomato paste
1 T ground cumin
3/4 C uncooked white rice
S&P to taste

Cilantro "Pesto":
1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 jalapenos, stems removed
juice of 1 lime

Halve the poor chicken and put it in your soup pot. Cover with the stock, bring to a simmer over high heat, hten lower the heat to medium. You may, at any time, pull the chicken out and pull the skin off to keep the fat content to manageable level. Regardless, cook the chicken until the leg bone feels as though it will easily pull out of its socket. The longer you let it go, the more flavor you'll extract from the bones. Remove the chicken to a tray to cool.

Add the onions, carrots, celery, cabbage, potatoes, tomato paste and cumin to the pot and return to a gentle simmer. Meanwhile, pull the meat from the bird, shred it and add it to the soup.

Once the carrots and potatoes are soft, add the rice, season with S&P and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes longer.

Meanshile, make the pesto. Use a food processor or, if you're in absolute pursuit of slowness, a molcajete y tejolete (a Mexican mortar & pestle) to grind the cilantro, jalapenos and lime juice together. Stems and seeds are encouraged.

When the rice has cooked well, to the point where its split ends make the soup appeart to be swimming with X chromasomes, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the green paste concocted above. Serve steaming hot. [Instead into the pot, I drizzled a little on the soup's surface once it was ladeled into a bowl.]

Raisin Bran Muffins

2011-11-20T18:11:00.002-05:00

From: Eating Well When You're Expecting

This recipe uses fruit juice concentrate instead of sugar. I don't like things that are super sweet, and I thought these were just right. I don't know if kids would like these, but I thought they were good for my breakfasts this week. I'll freeze the rest. You can also add diced apples or pears when you add the raisins. I filled the muffin cups just about to the top. They don't expand too much. They did stick to the papers, though, so next time I might just spray the pan with Pam and skip the paper liners.

1 1/2 cups unprocessed bran
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts (walnuts, pecans or almonds)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups white grape juice concentrate (I used apple juice concentrate)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
3 Tbsp canola oil
2 tsps vanilla extract
3/4 cups raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 400 deg. Line a standard-size 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners (I might try just spraying the muffin tin with Pam next time).

2. Place the bran, whole wheat flour, rolled oats, flaxseed, cinnamon, nuts, baking soda, and baking powder in a mixing bowl and stir to mix.

3. Place the grape juice concentrate, buttermilk, eggs, oil and vanilla in another mixing bowl and stir to mix well. Add the grape juice concentrate mixture to the bran mixture and stir gently just until thoroughly blended; be careful not to over-mix.

4. Gently fold in the raisins.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, dividing evenly. If you have extra batter, just bake some more muffins (mine made 19 total).

6. Bake the muffins until a toothpick comes out clean, about 19 min.

7. Transfer muffins to a wire rack and let cool completely. The muffins can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days or individually wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for 3 months.

Makes at least 12 muffins (mine made 19).

pasta with sauteed brussels sprouts

2011-11-19T20:16:00.001-05:00

I am officially obsessed with brussels sprouts. Yum.

I've made this three or four times and finally have it the way I like it, I think. It's loosely based on this recipe from Gina's Skinny Taste, but there are a lot of modifications at this point... I'll still put her nutritional info at the end, but I'm not sure how valid it is any more.

Ingredients:

1 package of low-fat chicken sausage, squeezed out of the casings
a few splashes of olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
12 oz brussels sprouts, shredded [Wegmans sells these prepackaged, which is amazing; if you are starting with whole sprouts, just dice them them as finely as you can]
1 small onion, diced small
1 carrot, peeled and diced small
1 celery stalk, diced small
other optional diced veggies: zucchini, yellow squash, spinach, red or green pepper
28 oz crushed tomatoes
a few T oregano and/or herbs de provance
pinch sugar
pinch crushed red pepper
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
14 oz pasta of any kind you like

Directions:

In a big skillet, heat some olive oil and saute brussels sprouts until they turn golden but are still crunchy, about 6 minutes. Put into a big bowl and set aside.

Heat a bit more olive oil and saute the chicken sausage, breaking it up as it cooks.

When it's cooked through, shove to the side of the pan and make a hole in the center. Add a little more olive oil and saute the garlic and onion. After a minute or two, add the rest of the veggies and mix everything together until it's beginning to get soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes, spices, sugar, and more pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer.

Meanwhile, put a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta.

When it's done, drain and add to the brussels sprouts in the big bowl. Pour sauce all over it and serve with grated Parm.

Servings: 8 • Serving Size: about 1 3/4 cup • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 326.1 • Fat: 6.9 g • Protein: 15.7 g • Carb: 54.8 g • Fiber: 8.8 g • Sugar: 5.4 g
Sodium: 343.6 mg (without salt)

Turkey Corn Chowder

2011-11-06T16:10:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I went to a craft show at a fire hall in Lancaster Co. As I was leaving the house I said to Todd, "I bet they're going to have chicken corn soup for sale" and they did. It was really good, and I decided to try to make something similar at home today. I wanted something a little heartier, though, so I added some extra ingredients. I also wanted to use up some turkey I had in the fridge, and some turkey stock taking up room in the freezer. You could just as easily use chicken. I just made this up as I went along, so I'll do the best I can with the recipe.

2 Tbsp butter
2 med onions, diced
1 cup diced celery
diced peppers, your fave kind (if desired. I used some banana peppers)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart turkey stock
3 cups diced potatoes (I left skins on), divided
2 bay leaves
dried thyme
dried rosemary
4 turkey cutlets
1.5 cups diced carrots
1 can corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
pot pie noodles, or noodles of your choice (optional)
milk or cream, if desired

In a large Dutch oven, melt butter. Saute onion, celery, peppers and garlic until they begin to soften. Add turkey stock, about half of the potatoes, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Place turkey cutlets into the pot. Make sure the liquid covers the turkey. Reduce to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook until turkey cutlets are cooked through (this didn't take long - maybe 6-8 min?) Remove turkey cutlets to a cutting board and dice. Set turkey aside.

If the potatoes are not cooked through yet, continue cooking until potatoes are soft. Remove bay leaves. Using an immersion blender, blend everything in the pot. Add carrots and cook about 5 min. Add remaining potatoes. Add corn and creamed corn. I added a couple handfuls of pot pie noodles here and continued to cook about 12 minutes until noodles were cooked through. Add turkey back into the pot. Add some milk or cream if desired. Stir everything together.

Biscuit potpies

2011-11-01T09:33:00.003-04:00

adapted from "time for dinner"

My favorite part of this cookbook is the back where it says "if you have this, make this."
So, taking either a rotisserie chicken or one of those roasted chickens I made, meat pulled off the carcass...

Bake a package of biscuits according to the directions.
While they are baking, heat 4 Tbsp. of butter in a medium soup pot. Add a chopped onion, 3 chopped carrots and 2 chopped stalks of celery. Saute for 10 minutes, then whisk in 6 Tbsp. flour. Add 1/2 c. of white wine and stir until paste forms. Add 4 c. chicken stock, stirring until smooth. Simmer over low heat until thickened.
Add the shredded chicken and some frozen peas, cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
Split the biscuits in half. Place bottom halves in bowls, ladle chicken mixture over top, cover with biscuit tops.
Yum.

Barley salad with beets and oranges

2011-11-01T09:29:00.002-04:00

One of the other things I cooked during the marathon cooking day was a pot of barley. I had never really thought of using barley as a side dish grain, like rice, but again, that cookbook suggested it, so I gave it a shot. It was surprisingly good, actually. The kids ate rice. I haven’t convinced them yet.
They did, however, try this salad. They love beets, but mostly because they make you pee pink.
The other prep work I did was to roast some beets in the oven, when I was roasting acorn squash for dinner. I slipped the skins off before I put them in the fridge, which cut down on my work. We had this with the sausages and apples. It was a lovely fall-ish meal.

adapted from "time for dinner"

Two cups of cooked barley, in a large bowl. Toss with cooked, peeled beets, 1 can of (drained) mandarin oranges. Toss with a dressing made of 1 part orange juice, 2 parts olive oil.

Sausages with apples

2011-11-01T09:23:00.004-04:00

So...I had some bratwurst in the freezer, and these cooked apples in my fridge. This was super quick.

from "time for dinner"

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown brats (or whatever sausages you're using) on all sides. Remove, reduce heat, and add a little olive oil and a sliced red onion, 1/4 head of red cabbage (shredded), and the cooked apples (sliced). Saute until the cabbage wilts. Add some of the leftover cooking liquid from the apples, along with a few Tbsp. of cider vinegar. Turn the heat up, add the sausages, and cook through.

Cooked apples

2011-11-01T09:19:00.002-04:00

A bushel and a half is a lot of apples. Luckily they don’t go bad very quickly, and I have an extra fridge to store them all. I made a huge batch of applesauce in the crock pot with some, and then made these cooked apples. These are also from the same cookbook, so they will be serving dual purposes.
We ate 2 ½ of them with the pork, and probably could have eaten the whole pan if I hadn’t wanted to use them for another recipe.

adapted from "time for dinner"

5 apples, cored
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 c. apple cider
1 cinnamon stick
1 strip lemon peel
2 whole cloves

Peel the apples (or not, if you liked cooked apple peel. I do not.) Combine the remaining ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan. Boil for 1 minute, then add the apples, coating them in the liquid. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, flipping the apples halfway through.

Braised pork

2011-11-01T09:15:00.002-04:00

Braised pork

So, back to the cookbook from G. I made this braised pork, which was a huge hunk of meat. It was enough for dinner for the four of us, and then 3 more meals. I portioned it up and put two in the freezer and one in the fridge for a recipe later in the week.

adapted from "time for dinner"

one 5 to 6-pound pork shoulder
1 garlic clove
2 Tbsp. paprika
6 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 c. orange juice
1/3 c. lemon juice

Stab deep slits with a knife into the pork shoulder. In a small food processor or on a cutting board, make a paste from the garlic, paprika, and 2 to 3 Tbsp. of the olive oil and smear over the pork. In a Dutch oven set over medium high heat, brown the pork in the remaining olive oil. Add the orange and lemon juice and cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer until internal temperature of the pork is 140 degrees, about 1.5 hours.

Slow cooker chicken stock

2011-11-01T09:08:00.003-04:00

Okay, so let’s talk about those chickens I roasted.
I stripped the meat off the bones (and ate a lot of the skin), and put in a ziploc bag for recipes later in the week.
And was left with two lovely chicken carcasses. Mmmm…carcass. My chickens still had a little meat on the bones, because I’m too lazy to pick them completely clean. And I didn’t bother picking the wings, again, because I’m lazy.
I saved all the drippings from those chickens, too, because that right there is liquid gold. Gold I didn’t turn into gravy, since we weren’t actually eating the chickens when I cooked them.

Into the crock pot went:
1 chicken carcass, plus any of the skin from the chicken I didn’t eat.
Half the chicken drippings (since I roasted 2)
1 carrot, snapped in half (I didn’t bother peeling)
1 stalk of celery, snapped in half

Now, you could add all kinds of things at this point, if you like. Peppercorns or a bay leaf or an onion. I saw something that suggested parsnip, and I just happen to have one lonely parsnip in the fridge. It’ll go into the next batch. Because I used this specific chicken recipe, with the spice rub that was mostly bay leaves, I left it as is.

Cover with water (I think I used about 10 cups). Set the crock pot on low, for 10 hours.

In the morning the whole house smelled like chicken broth. (which is sort of weird when you first wake up, but smelled really, really good) I let the crock pot cool, then stuck in the fridge. After dinner, I skimmed all the fat off the top (don’t need that), discarded the solids, and drained the broth. I froze it in Ziploc bags (easier storage, and they tell me it’s easier for defrosting), in two cup measurements.
Since I had two chickens, I did this twice. That's enough stock for a good long time.

Creamy Pumpkin (or Squash) Soup

2011-10-31T12:30:00.002-04:00

Source: Real Simple, October 2011

Why, yes, it is butternut squash week at our house!

Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 20m
Total Time: 50m

Ingredients

1 3-pound sugar pumpkin or 3 pounds kabocha or butternut squash—peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
5 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
4 leeks (white and light green parts only), chopped
4 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
sour cream, croutons, and paprika (preferably smoked), for serving

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the pumpkin with 3 tablespoons of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once, until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the roasted pumpkin, 4 cups of the broth, and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. In a blender, working in batches, puree the soup until smooth, adjusting the consistency with the remaining broth as necessary. (Alternatively, use a handheld immersion blender in the saucepan.) Top the soup with the sour cream and croutons and sprinkle with the paprika, if desired.

Butternut Squash Salad With Hazelnuts and Blue Cheese

2011-10-31T12:22:00.002-04:00

Source: Real Simple, October 2011

Geoff and I have made this a few times. We've substituted shallots for the red onion. Geoff prefers the red onion, but I'm not really a fan of either one, so we'll be leaving them off my salad the next time we make it.

Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 10m
Total Time: 50m

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, delicata squash, or sugar pumpkin—peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (we used a 20-oz package of pre-cut butternut squash)
5 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
6 cups mixed greens (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (1 cup)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash with 2 tablespoons of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once, until golden brown and tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, spread the hazelnuts on a second rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly, then rub in a clean dish towel to remove the skins (discard skins). Roughly chop.

(NOTE: Geoff and I bought a bag of chopped hazelnuts, toasted them, and left the skins on. Just learn from my mistake: chopped nuts only take a few minutes to toast, not 10-12!)

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add the squash, hazelnuts, greens, and onion and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the blue cheese.

sour cream noodle bake

2011-10-31T00:39:00.001-04:00

Kind of the ultimate comfort food. As usual with the Pioneer Woman, this doesn't exactly qualify as health food, but I used all low-fat dairy products and soy crumble, and it still tasted great. We ate it with roasted brussels sprouts, which were an excellent complement.

Ingredients:

1-1/4 pound ground chuck [I specifically chose this recipe because I had a package of soy crumble and couldn't tell if it was going to be disgusting, so I wanted to disguise it in a dish with a lot of strong flavors...]
1 can 15-ounces tomato sauce [I used half a jar of leftover tomato sauce]
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces of egg noodles
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cup small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

Serve with crusty French bread.

Roasted chicken, Ferran Adria style

2011-10-23T12:54:00.002-04:00

G bought me a cookbook for my birthday, filled with lots of recipes for busy parents -- although I like to think it'd work for any busy person.
I'll be making lots of recipes from the book this week, and already I can tell you that doing a lot of the prep work the weekend before makes for an easier time during the week.
So, I've got a couple chicken recipes I'll be trying. The cookbook says start with rotisserie chicken, in an effort to make it even easier. But I find roasting chicken is so easy, and worth the effort.
This recipe caught my eye a few weeks ago, because Ferran Adria is a culinary genius. Make a recipe that is one of his, without all the "tricks"? Sounds like a good idea to me.
This one is a lot of work, but it's so, so good.

Adapted from Serious Eats (because I didn't bother with the pan sauce)

2 whole chickens, 4 1/2 pounds each
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons
20 dried bay leaves
3 3/4 teaspoons dried rosemary
1/3 cup dried thyme
2/3 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Use a pair of strong kitchen scissors to snip off the tips of the wings. Cut off the parson's nose (tail) of the chicken.
Put the chicken in a roasting pan, season inside and out with salt, then rub with oil. Finely grate the lemon zest over the breast and legs.
Cut the lemon into pieces and place inside of the chicken.
Put the bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, and peppercorns into a small food processor or blender and process to a fine powder.
Rub the herb mixture over the chicken and push the unpeeled garlic cloves inside the chicken.
Roast the chicken, breast facing down, for 25 minutes.
Turn the chicken over and roast it for another 35 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
Let chicken rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.

Baked Pumpkin (or Apple) Oatmeal

2011-10-16T16:01:00.003-04:00

Adapted from: Annie's Eats

Ok, so, I would definitely make this again, but with some changes. I am going to put the original recipe here since this is what I followed, and I will explain the adaptations I would make next time. Basically, this was too sweet for me, but still worth eating, and I am about to polish off the whole thing, which I have been eating every morning for breakfast for the past week (it makes a lot). If you prefer your oatmeal on the less-sweet side like I do, cut back significantly on the sugar Also, I didn't think there were enough bananas for the amount of oatmeal that this made. Third, I think next time I will try this with apples on the bottom instead of bananas, because I think the tartness from the apples would work nicely with this recipe, and would offset the sweetness a bit. But, with those things in mind, I will make this again, but I will play around with it a little bit.

Ingredients:
1 cup steel cut oats
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
4 cups very hot water
2 medium bananas, sliced (I would use at least 3, or try apples instead)
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. brown sugar, lightly packed, divided (I would use less)
2¼ tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
3 cups old-fashioned oats
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash ground cloves
½ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Place the steel cut oats in a large bowl with 4 tablespoons of the butter. Pour the hot water over the oats and cover the bowl. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the caramelized bananas. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bananas, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of the cinnamon to the pan. Toss gently and cook briefly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

After the steel cut oats have finished soaking, stir in the old fashioned oats, remaining ½ cup of brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, remaining 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the pumpkin, milk and vanilla. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the oat mixture.

Spread the bananas over the bottom of a lightly greased 2 quart-ish baking dish. Pour the oatmeal mixture on top of the bananas. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Nana's Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-10-12T13:16:00.002-04:00

How is this recipe not here? I was too lazy to go searching through my recipe box, so I typed some searchy things into our search box and it's not here.

It should be here. And now I'm off to make peanut butter cookies.

1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. brown sugar (either kind)
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. butter
Mix together. Add:
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. soda
Beat with hand mixer. Add:
1 1/2 c. flour with 1 tsp vanilla. Mix well. Chill dough for 30 minutes. Roll into balls, press with fork to flatten. Bake 10 minutes at 375.
They're foolproof, these cookies.

Pumpkin cupcakes

2011-10-12T08:14:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I didn't post this recipe. Because it is so, so good and you all need to run out and make it, quick like.
I'm really just going to post the link, because I didn't do anything different than the recipe. I took these to work, and my guys (I have all guys that work for me) raved about them. Several weeks later, they're all still talking about the cupcakes and asking when I'll make more.
That might partially be because they're all bachelors and don't do any baking themselves.
Anyway, make these cupcakes.

Easy corn chowder

2011-10-12T08:09:00.002-04:00

Also adapted from the new cookbook. It's in the slow cooker today on this gray, rainy day, when I've got a sick almost 3-year-old (!) laying on the couch, being very demanding.
You don't have to have the sick pre-schooler in order to be able to make this recipe, though.

1 qt. chicken broth (do yourself a favor and get the low sodium, low fat kind)
1 bag frozen corn
1 small onion, diced
3 red skinned potatoes (I think any potato would work), diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1/2 c. heavy cream (half and half would also work)
salt and pepper to taste
bacon, fried and crumbled

Combine broth, corn, onion, potatoes, and green pepper in crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Mash half (or use an immersion blender) to thicken, and add cream. Cook on high until heated through.
Use the bacon as a topping. (You could also use some cheese as a topping, too)

Pork and apples

2011-10-12T08:07:00.003-04:00

Truth is, we haven't been make a lot of earth-shattering recipes lately. Sometimes we fall back on old favorites -- like braised short ribs -- and other times we just fall back on quick and easy. This seems to be the season of quick and easy.
Lucky for me, I got a couple new cookbooks for my birthday, and so I'm back in the kitchen. With quick and easy.

This is adapted from the "Crockpot Slow Cooker Best-Loved Recipes," which Gaby and Katie picked out for my birthday.

4-6 boneless pork chops
4-5 medium apples, sliced (the recipe calls for Golden Delicious, but I used gala)
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Place pork in crockpot. Cover with apples. Combine brown sugar and salt in a small bowl; sprinkle over apples. Cover; cook on low for 6-8 hours. (definitely 8 if you start with frozen pork, like me)

Tuna Patties

2011-10-08T21:13:00.003-04:00

These were fast to prep and fast to cook. Just reminiscent enough of crab cakes that we took out the Old Bay and gave a shake over the finished patties. They are moist and lemony enough that they don't even need a condiment.

From Elise

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ingredients
•2 6-ounce cans tuna
•2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
•1/2 cup white bread torn into small pieces (bread crumbs)
•1 teaspoon lemon zest (I zested the whole thing)
•1 Tbsp lemon juice (I juiced the whole thing)
•1 Tbsp water (or liquid from the cans of tuna)
•2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
•2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives, green onions, or shallots
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•A couple squirts of Crystal hot sauce or tabasco
•1 raw egg
•2 Tbsp olive oil
•1/2 teaspoon butter (I didn't use this)

Method
1 Drain the liquid from the tuna cans. If you are using tuna packed in water, reserve a tablespoon of the tuna water, and add a teaspoon of olive oil to the tuna mixture in the next step. (I didn't add oil to the tuna because they were being cooked in OO and I figured the egg, lemon and parsley, etc. were texture and flavor enough.)

2 In a medium bowl, mix together the tuna, mustard, torn white bread, lemon zest, lemon juice, water, parsley, chives, and hot sauce. Sprinkle on salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste the mixture before adding the egg to see if it needs more seasoning to your taste. Mix in the egg.

3 Divide the mixture into 4 parts. With each part, form into a ball and then flatten into a patty. Place onto a wax paper lined tray and chill for an hour. (You can skip the chilling if you want, chilling just helps the patties stay together when you cook them.)

4 Heat the olive oil and a little butter (for taste) in a cast iron or stick-free skillet on medium high. Gently place the patties in the pan, and cook until nicely browned, 3-4 minutes on each side.

Serve with wedges of lemon. You can also serve with tartar sauce on slider buns for a tuna burger.

Makes 4 patties.

Mushroom Sugo

2011-10-08T01:14:00.004-04:00

From Elise.
This was sooooo delicious. We served it over polenta.

It did take a while (30 min) to pull all this together but then it cooks itself for 90 minutes. Mincing is close work; I got my mindfulness dose today.

I loved the texture of the sauce because the veggies don't cook to complete uniform sauciness. Reviewers compared it to a bolognese (meat) sauce and while I love that it can be made entirely, beautifully vegetarian, the hearty texture and earthy flavors make me agree with this assessment.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

The onions cook for a long time, during which you can prep the rest of the vegetables if you want to save some time. If you are using dry herbs, use half as much. The mincing is important, as the sauce is not strained or puréed.

Ingredients
•1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
•4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
•2 medium yellow onions, peeled and minced (yielding about 2 cups minced onion)
•2 carrots, peeled and minced (yielding about 1 1/2 cups minced carrots)
•3 celery ribs, minced (yielding about 1 1/2 cups minced celery)
•6-8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
•1 bunch parsely, minced (yielding 1/3 cup loosely packed)
•1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
•1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
•1/4 teaspoon fresh marjoram (we didn't have marjoram growing so we used fresh oregano instead, which has a similar flavor)
•1/2 cup dry red wine
•1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce
•1 beef bouillon cube (use vegetable bouillon cube for vegetarian option)
•1 bay leaf
•Freshly ground black pepper
Method

1 Place dry mushrooms to soak in a bowl with 2 cups of warm water. Set aside. (I had never used porcini before - what a treat! You know you're a grown-up when...)

2 Heat olive oil in a medium, thick-bottomed pot (4 or 5 quart) over medium heat. (I used a deep/wide skillet so I could spread the veggies out and use the shorter cook times for each step) Add the minced onions and stir to coat with the olive oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn a deep golden color, about 30 to 40 minutes. Adjust the heat lower if necessary to keep the onions from drying out.

3 Add the minced carrots and cook for 5-6 more minutes. Add the celery and cook until soft, about 10 more minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, rosemary, thyme and marjoram. Cook for 4-5 minutes more. (and then it starts to smell AMAZING!)

4 Remove the porcini from the soaking liquid, reserving the liquid. (The easiest way to do this we found is to pour the porcini and soaking liquid through a coffee filter, into a bowl or measuring cup. This helps remove any grit that may be lingering in the soaking liquid.) Finely chop the mushrooms and add to the vegetables in the pot.

5 Push the vegetables to one side of the pot and increase the heat to high. Add the 1/2 cup of red wine to the side of the pot without the vegetables and cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes. (subbed stock)

6 Add the tomato sauce, 1 1/2 cups of the mushroom soaking liquid, the bouillon cube (break it up with your fingers as you add it), and the bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Add ground black pepper to taste. Cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours. Discard the bay leaf.

Serve over polenta or toss with ravioli or other pasta.

Serves 8.

Pecan Praline Topping

2011-10-06T21:08:00.003-04:00

I wanted to make something as an extra special thank you to some of our friends who gifted us with spectacularly awesome gifts at our housewarming party and I thought the Maple Syrup Spice Cake would be just the thing. Topped with this recipe for Walnut Praline Topping from Joy the Baker.

I could have made the pear spice cake since I have pears in the fridge but honestly it was more work and dirty dishes than I had time for today. Also, the maple syrup cake is actually not very sweet so this topping is perfect for it. And it is heaven. I used toasted pecans because I think they go really well with this particular recipe. And it's so good I have to stop myself from cutting one more tiny piece. Also, this is not vegan in any way so if you are serving the cake which is vegan, well, keep that in mind.

1 stick butter
3/4 C packed brown sugar (I used dark)
1/4 C cream
1 C toasted pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped

Combine butter, brown sugar and cream in a medium saucepan on medium-hi heat and bring to a boil. Allow to boil 3 minutes then stir in nuts. Pour over cake and serve warm or at room temp. A perfect fall dessert to take to the office or eat for breakfast or to say thank you.

sweet honey-raisin challah

2011-09-30T11:12:00.000-04:00

Happy new year, friends! My old friend M first found this recipe and I've made it a few times over the last few years, and decided it's basically foolproof. J and I made it last night, and it was massive -- far bigger than a dinner plate -- and wildly delicious.

Thanks, Diana! She recommends plumping the raisins beforehand by covering with hot water or brandy or fruit juice and letting sit for 3 to 5 minutes. (She also has bread machine variations and a few others on her website.)

Ingredients:

1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 packages (1/2 oz./4 1/2 tsp./14g) instant yeast or bread yeast
7 to 8 cups bread flour (approximately)
1/8 tsp. powdered saffron or a pinch of saffron threads (optional)
2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (4 oz./8 tbsp./113g) butter or margarine, melted (or 1/2 cup vegetable oil may be used)
3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups golden raisins, plumped *(See below on How to Plump Raisins)

Egg Wash:
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten and mixed with 1 tsp. sugar and 1 tbsp. water

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir the 1 tsp. sugar into the 1 1/2 cups warm water. Sprinkle in yeast and stir well; let stand until frothy or foamy, about 10 minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in 7 cups of the flour, saffron (if using) and salt. Add honey, the 1/3 cup sugar, melted butter (or vegetable oil or melted margarine, if using), whole eggs and egg yolks; stir until dough forms.

2. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding enough of the remaining 1 cup flour as necessary to prevent sticking (you may need to add more flour if your dough is still too sticky. Add in one tablspoon at a time until the dough is cohesive). Place dough in a greased glass or ceramic bowl, turning to grease dough all over. Cover bowl with greased plastic wrap or a warm damp kitchen towel; let dough rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in size and indentation remains when dough is poked with 2 fingers, about one hour or so. Punch down dough, transfer dough to work surface, let rest for 10 minutes, then knead in raisins (if using).

3. To Make Round Crown Loaf:
Roll out dough into a 30-inch (76 cm) long rope. Holding one end in place, wind remaining rope around end to form a fairly tight spiral that is slightly higher in the center of dough. Transfer dough to a greased rimmed baking sheet.

4. To Make a 4 rope Braided Loaf:
Divide dough into quarters; roll each quarter into 18-inch (45 cm) long ropes. Place side by side on a greased rimmed baking sheet; pinch ropes together at one end. Starting at pinched end, move second rope from left over rope on its right. Move far right rope over 2 ropes on left. Move far left rope over 2 ropes on right. Repeat until braid is complete; tuck ends under braid.

5. Cover crown loaf or braid loaf with plastic wrap or damp kitchen towel; let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about one hour.

6. Egg Wash:
Stir egg yolk with 1 tsp. sugar and 1 tbsp. water; brush over loaf (s).

Bake in center of 350°F/180°C oven until deep golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on rack for 15 minutes before slicing.

Makes 1 "generously" large loaf or 2 large loaves

Knock-Off Killer Brownies

2011-09-20T18:27:00.002-04:00

For those of you who read PW, she posted this recipe for Knock You Naked brownies which are a knock-off of DLM's Killer Brownies. Normally I do not use a box mix for anything outside of making Paula Deen's butter cake but 1.) I wanted to take something to work for our training session yesterday and 2.) I haven't had a Killer Brownie since before we moved from Dayton and 3.) they come together quickly. In fact, these brownies were served at my bridal shower in Ohio.

Anyway, I made this even easier on myself and not only used cake mix but also used Fleur de Sel caramel from Trader Joe's. Here's the recipe:

1 box german chocolate cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
1.5 C toasted pecans, finely chopped
1/3 C evaporated milk
1 jar caramel sauce
1/3 C chocolate chips
powdered sugar for dusting prior to serving

Preheat oven to 350 and butter an 8x8 pan. Grease well or you'll have a devil of a time cleaning it later. Also, you can double this recipe and bake in an 9x13 pan but be sure to put a foil-lined baking sheet underneath in case of overflow (I had a bit). Mix together cake mix, butter, pecans and evap. milk. Press half into the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and pour over caramel, sprinkle with chocolate chips and if you are me, add a few handfuls of shredded coconut. Roll or pat out remaining dough to fit the baking dish (it's easier than trying to drop evenly placed and sized blobs) and press on top of caramel and chocolate. Be careful because your baking dish is going to be hot. Return to oven and bake another 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool and then refrigerate. Try to show restraint because PW is right, you need to cool and chill these before trying to cut them or the caramel will just leak out everywhere. Before serving, sprinkle generously with powdered sugar and cut into squares. These are quite decadent and small pieces will feed many.

swiss chard hash & eggs

2011-09-18T12:04:00.004-04:00

I have a ridiculous swiss chard surplus from the garden. This year is the first time I've grown chard, and I didn't realize that after you cut it, it grows back, like spinach! Ah, the magic of leafy greens.

So I've been trying to think of creative ways to use it, and one of the best I've found, inspired by this blog post, is to make a sort of hash.

Chop tons of chard -- like, seriously, way more than you think is reasonable -- and dice the stems pretty finely, separating them out from the leaves. Heat some olive oil on low in a skillet and throw the stems in first, with chopped garlic and onion. (I like red onions the best for this because they make it sweet.)

After a minute or two, throw in the leaves.

When everything is soft, make little holes/nests in the chard mixture, so the bottom of the skillet shows through. Turn the heat up to medium. Spray a little more oil into each nest, so nothing sticks.

Crack one egg into each nest and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and cook for about five minutes, depending on how firm you like your yolks.

Unveil and eat with toast!

Israeli couscous tabouli

2011-09-18T11:45:00.004-04:00

I'm usually not crazy about tabouli because I don't like the taste of bulgur, for some reason, so using Israeli couscous was a nice substitute. We had friends over for dinner last night and served this with stuffed green peppers, and we made the filling out of couscous, chicken sausage, onions, peppers, Parm and oregano.

(Loosely based on this Food Network recipe.)

1 package Israeli couscous, about 1 1/2 c dry
salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice of 2 lemons
a big glug of olive oil
generous servings of chopped herbs to taste; we used a blend of cilantro, oregano and mint
a few shakes of zatar (optional but good)
6 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
bunch of scallions, chopped

Bring a medium-size saucepan of water to a boil over medium heat. Add the couscous and cook until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the couscous, run cold water over it for a few seconds to prevent clumping, and set aside to cool.

Combine lemon juice, olive oil, zatar, and salt and pepper. Shake or whisk to combine.

In a large serving bowl, mix together the couscous, herbs, tomatoes and scallions. Toss with the vinaigrette and season to taste. Allow it to sit for at least a half hour so the flavors can marry. [I like that phrase. "I now pronounce you tabouli! you may kiss the herbs!"]

Chicken chili

2011-09-11T18:15:00.001-04:00

This is adapted from Skinny Taste

1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
10 oz package frozen corn kernels
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
2 1/2 tbsp cumin
3 tbsp chili powder
2 1/2 tbsp paprika
2 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
24 oz (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts

Place chicken in crockpot, then add beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, and spices on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.

Fry bread

2011-09-11T18:10:00.002-04:00

I made this tonight to have with chili, as an alternative to our usual cornbread.
So, so tasty. And super simple.
We all broke ours into pieces, and then stuffed the air pockets with the chili and ate sort of like a pita.
Certainly not something you can eat all the time -- because it is fried dough -- but a totally good treat.
I'm not even going to bother to transcribe the recipe, because I want you to go read all about fry bread at the Smithsonian. And then I want you to make some. We had a nice discussion at dinner tonight about how the Native Americans eat this, and then we got sort of serious about why they first made this -- reservations and how the government used to give them crappy food and how this is really food borne out of necessity. Gaby probably internally rolls her eyes and thinks "can't I just eat the tasty bread in peace?"
Too bad she's stuck with us.

whole wheat chocolate chip skillet cookies

2011-09-11T17:41:00.001-04:00

You guys, this is chocolate chip cookie (really chocolate chip pie) nirvana. It's what those huge cookie cakes from the mall should taste like.

And I went a little overboard with the undercooking -- I love cookie dough and underdone baked goods in general, so I took this out after about 30 minutes instead of the 35-45 that Heidi suggests. It wasn't enough and the cookie was really kind of soupy (although delicious!)... until I put it in the fridge, still in the skillet overnight. Then the nirvana hit and it was sort of like just-barely-cooked solid dough. You. guys. So. good.

Next time, though, I'll leave it in the oven for another 5 minutes -- I would have been nervous to serve it to anyone when it was that uncooked. (Note that it didn't stop me and Jared from eating the entire thing ourselves over the course of not very many days.)

3 cups whole-wheat flour [I used 2 c whole wheat pastry flour and 1 c AP)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
8 ounces / 225 g (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces [I used Earth Balance sticks]
1 cup / 5 oz / 140 g dark brown sugar
1 cup / 7 oz / 200 g sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces / 225 g bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped into 1/4- and 1/2-inch pieces [I used Ghiardelli 60% semisweet chips]

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C degree oven, with a rack in the middle. Butter a 10 (25cm) or 11-inch (28cm) ovenproof skillet, one that is at least 2-inches (5 cm) deep. [I sprayed with that Pam flour baking spray.] If you're unsure, measure, because if you use a too small skillet, you'll have a messy overflow.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

In another large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and the sugars. Mix just until the butter and sugars are blended, about 2 minutes using the mixer on low speed. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl along the way. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is combined. Mix in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and blend on low speed until the flour is barely combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Add most of the chocolate to the batter. Mix just until the chocolate is evenly incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then scrape the batter out into the skillet, pressing it out into an even layer. Sprinkle any remaining chocolate across the top, and casually press it into the dough a bit, just enough that it isn't riding directly on top of the dough.

Bake the cookies for 35-45 minutes, or until until the dough is a deep golden brown along the edge, and the center has set. Remove from oven and let cool a bit before slicing into. Cute into wedges or small squares.

Makes one large skillet cookie, which you can cut into as many cookies as you like.

old bay cod cakes

2011-09-05T11:05:00.003-04:00

Made this for Old-Bay-loving J's birthday this year, along with the Old Bay version of the magic corn and bean salad and some fresh green beans from the garden. Mm.

Be forewarned: It makes about six small cakes, and we finished the whole thing just the two of us. If you're feeding more than two, I'd double.

1/3 cup white wine
2 large sprigs parsley
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 pound cod [I used the flash-frozen stuff from Wegmans, which I think is excellent, thawed in the refrigerator for a day]
4-5 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon old bay [I used more like a tablespoon]
1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 cup panko
1/4 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup flour

Combine 1 c water with the wine, the sprigs of parsley, and the peppercorns. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. [the original recipe has you do this with a steamer attachment, which I don't have. also, my cod was still slightly frozen, so I wanted it to go directly into the boiling water-wine mixture.]

Put in the fish and turn the heat down slightly, cover and poach for 8-12 minutes, until the cod flakes easily.

Transfer the cod to a large mixing bowl and set aside until it’s cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, in a small frying pan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the red onion and cook until beginning to become translucent. Add the garlic and half of the parsley, and cook another 4-5 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, some freshly ground pepper, the Old Bay seasoning, and the smoked paprika. Cook another minute, then remove from the heat.

Shred the cod into small pieces and remove any bones. Add the onion mixture, the panko, the mayonaise, and the remaining chopped parsley. Stir to combine, then taste for salt, adding more as needed.

Form the mixture into 6 even patties. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8.

On a shallow plate, combine the flour with a good pinch of salt and a couple grinds of hot pepper.

Film a large frying pan with about 2 tablespoons of oil and place it over medium heat. Sprinkle a tiny bit of flour in; when it sizzles, you’re ready to go.

Gently place each cod cake in the flour, flipping to coat, then put it in the pan, taking care not to crowd. (if your pan is small, do two batches). Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes, then carefully flip each cake with a thin metal spatula and cook another 3-4 minutes until the second side is golden brown.

a foodie's delight

2011-09-05T11:03:00.002-04:00

J and I went to Blue Hill Farm for our anniversary, the foodie-est thing we've ever done and the best meal I've ever had. And now I want to figure out how to make wheatberry pudding and half-dehydrated peaches and egg yolk carbonara and lots of other things.

We posted about it on our wedding website; go forth and read if you so desire!

Stuffed peppers

2011-09-04T13:16:00.001-04:00

6 bell peppers
1 lb turkey
1 1/2 cup cooked rice
1 can flavored tomatoes (I used fire roasted with garlic)
1 t worcestershire sauce
2 T ketchup
1 t black pepper
1/3 cup water

Use as many peppers as you can get in your crockpot, but this is how many I can get in my 6 qt. oval crockpot.
Cut the tops off the peppers, clean them out.
Mix turkey, rice, tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, pepper together. Fill peppers and put the tops back on.
Put peppers in crockpot. Carefully add water to the bottom (do not pour on top of peppers).
Cook on high for 4-6 or low for 8 -- you want the peppers to be nice and soft, but not falling apart, and the turkey to be cooked through.

The Commissary's Carrot Cake

2011-08-16T20:02:00.003-04:00

From: The Commissary Cookbook

So, once upon a time in Philadelphia, there was a restaurant called The Commissary. Their carrot cake was famous. People still talk about it, even though the restaurant is long gone. If you search the interwebs for the best carrot cake recipe out there, you will probably find at least a few people talking about the Commissary carrot cake.

Two years ago a friend mentioned to me that he really likes carrot cake, and asked if I had carrot cake on my agenda any time soon. I didn't, but I remembered the request, and when that person's 40th birthday came around a few weeks ago I made this cake for him. It's not SO different from any other carrot cake recipe, but it is very tasty and delicious. The cake itself is very moist and flavorful, and the pecan filling and cream cheese frosting are the perfect complements. Of course, my supervisor Karen (who gives me all the best baking recipes) directed me to this recipe, and she makes it without the pecans and just uses more cream cheese frosting as the filling instead of the pecan cream, so you could do that too and Karen assures me it is still delicious without the nuts.

The only change I made was to slightly alter the cream cheese-butter ratio, based on the suggestions in the comments. (This recipe was published by the author of the Commissary cookbook, who was the owner of the restaurant, so this is the original recipe, not someone else's attempt to recreate it).

Do Ahead: This cake is most easily made if you start it at least a day ahead, since the filling, for one thing, is best left to chill overnight. In fact, the different components can all be made even several days in advance and stored separately until you are ready to assemble the cake.

Pecan Cream Filling

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Carrot Cake

1 1/4 cups corn oil (I used canola)
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
4 cups grated carrots (about a 1-pound bag)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup raisins

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces soft unsalted butter
12 ounces soft cream cheese
1-pound box of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Assembly

4 ounces shredded, sweetened coconut (1 1/2 cups)

Directions:
1 Make the filling: In a heavy saucepan, blend well the sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually stir in the cream. Add the butter. Cook and stir the mixture over low heat until the butter has melted, then let simmer 20-30 minutes until golden brown in color, stirring occasionally. Cool to lukewarm. Stir in the nuts and vanilla. Let cool completely and then refrigerate, preferably overnight. If too thick to spread, bring to room temperature before using.

2 Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Have ready a greased and floured 10″ tube cake pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the corn oil and sugar. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift half the dry ingredients into the sugar-oil mixture and blend. Alternately sift in the rest of the dry ingredients while adding the eggs, one by one. Combine well. Add the carrots, raisins, and pecans. Pour into the prepared tube pan and bake for 70 minutes. Cool upright in the pan on a cooling rack. If you are not using the cake that day, it can be removed from the pan, wrapped well in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature.

3 Make the frosting: Cream the butter well. Add the cream cheese and beat until blended. Sift in the sugar and add the vanilla. If too soft to spread, chill a bit. Refrigerate if not using immediately, but bring to a spreadable temperature before using.

4 Assemble the cake. Preheat the oven to 300°. Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until it colors lightly. Toss the coconut occasionally while it is baking so that it browns evenly. Cool completely. Have the filling and frosting at a spreadable consistency. Loosen the cake in its pan and invert onto a serving plate. With a long serrated knife, carefully split the cake into 3 horizontal layers. Spread the filling between the layers. Spread the frosting over the top and sides. Pat the toasted coconut onto the sides of the cake. If desired, reserve 1/2 cup of the frosting and color half with green food coloring and half with orange. Then decorate the top of the cake with green and orange icing piped through a 1/16” wide, plain pastry tube to resemble little carrots. Serve the cake at room temperature.

fresh corn & bean salad

2011-08-09T19:22:00.003-04:00

I'm a sucker for anything called "the magic _______." From Everybody Likes Sandwiches, with fairly substantial modifications.

3 cobs of corn, uncooked, kernels sliced off with a sharp knife
1/2 red onion, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1 large cucumber, seeded and diced
handful each of fresh cilantro and basil [she suggested parsley, thyme and basil]
1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed
1/4 c olive oil
juice of 2 juicy limes (should equal approx. 1/3 c)
2 heaping tsp gochu jang [her version had paprika, old bay and s&p]

Toss everything together except the olive oil, lime juice and gochu jang or other spicy/sweet sauce. In a small jar, combine those three ingredients, shake, pour over the salad. Continue to ignore your stove or any other heat source for the rest of the night.

Pasta with roasted tomato sauce

2011-08-08T12:35:00.003-04:00

So, in the last three weeks, our CSA has netted us 6 pint containers of cherry/grape tomatoes. Plus the regular "slicing" tomatoes -- big heirloom ones. That's a lot of tomatoes.
What to do with all the little tomatoes? Some are for salads, of course.
Most, though, went into this last week. Oh, and one note. I don't often have 45 minutes before I even start preparing dinner -- the short people demand dinner that can be cooked quicker than that. So I roasted the tomatoes the night before, and stuck in the fridge so Ernie wouldn't have to rush around the kitchen on a Monday night.
I think you could probably leave out the olives complete, and double the capers, and it'd be just as good. Maybe I'll do that next time.

from Epicurious

2 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper (omitted for little people)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1 pound farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1/2 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives
1/4 cup drained capers
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
print a shopping list for this recipe

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Combine tomatoes, oil, garlic, vinegar, and crushed red pepper (if using) in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatoes are tender and juicy, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Stir in oregano.
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Return to pot. Add tomato mixture, olives, and capers. Stir over medium heat until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add feta and stir until melted and creamy, about 2 minutes. Divide pasta among 6 plates; sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.

Tangy BBQ sauce

2011-08-07T21:42:00.004-04:00

Adapted from the Neelys

I made a batch of this to use next weekend when I will be making pulled pork for 24 people at a family reunion. I wanted to make a double batch but didn't have enough ingredients on hand at home tonight. If I make another batch later in the week, I might try reducing the apple cider vinegar just a bit to see if I like it better that way. It's definitely good this way, but it is vinegar-y. I cut back on the sugar from the original recipe, as recommended in many of the comments, so that may have contributed to the strong vinegar tang, too. I may continue to play around with this recipe, but it's a good starting place. You could also throw this in the crockpot for a few hours instead of simmering on your stovetop.

Ingredients

2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dehydrated onion
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
pinch of aleppo pepper
pinch of sweet paprika
pinch of smoked paprika

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 30 minutes.

blueberry compote

2011-08-06T22:53:00.007-04:00

What do you do when you pick 11 pounds of blueberries in half an hour? Cook something that will make them take up less space. I'm planning to eat this on yogurt for the rest of my life.

Adapted from a Seattle Times recipe, mostly to increase the quantity and try to make it reduce faster.

6 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Combine the ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and cook over medium heat until the blueberry skins have popped and the mixture is thickened, about 20 minutes. Let cool and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes two large jelly jars (about 3 cups?) of sauce.

vote early & often

2011-08-02T14:13:00.002-04:00

Shannon and I are mulling a change in FG's background, possibly to one of the templates shown here.

In the comments, vote for your two or three favorites. Viva democracy!

Chicken Ropa Vieja

2011-07-31T21:10:00.004-04:00

From: Gina's Skinny Recipes

This can be made in the crockpot (partially) or completely on the stovetop. I would like to figure out if you could do it all in one step in the crockpot, but in the comments Gina recommends not doing it that way. If I make it again maybe I'll experiment and try it, but this time I did the two-step process of making the chicken in the crockpot and then finishing it on the stovetop. Serve as is in a soup bowl, or over rice, or wrapped up in a tortilla, or over tortilla chips, etc.

3 chicken breast halves
1 small onion, quartered
1 tomato, quartered
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup tomato sauce
reserved broth
1 tsp cumin, or more to taste (I like a lot)
garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken, onion, tomato, carrot, and 2 peeled cloves of garlic into crock pot. Add water to cover, and set to high for 4 hours until the chicken is tender. If cooking on the stove, cook on medium-low, and simmer until the chicken is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Place the chicken into a bowl and shred it into strips using a fork; set aside. Reserve the liquid. Discard solids.

In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, green peppers, and red peppers. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in chicken, tomato sauce, white wine, and about 3/4 cup of the reserved broth to create a nice sauce. Season with cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer on low for about 10 minutes more adding more broth and seasoning if needed. Makes 4 cups.

PW's perfect iced coffee

2011-07-30T16:03:00.002-04:00

She's right, it's perfect. This sort of makes an iced-coffee concentrate, which keeps in the fridge for a long time.

I won't lie, it's messy and inconvenient (particularly if your dumb glass bowl decides to leak for no reason and you wind up with an inch of coffee all over your refrigerator shelf), but the results are worth it. I am an iced coffee fanatic in the summer, and cold-brew methods really do give you better, stronger coffee -- which has to be stronger since you need ice cubes, and unless you're super smart and make coffee ice cubes, the coffee gets diluted, and then even if you do have coffee ice cubes, it throws off your milk/coffee balance, which is problematic, and clearly I have thought about this an awful lot.

PW recommends steeping this for at least 8 hours; I accidentally steeped mine for almost 24. It is strong, my friends. My current ratio is half coffee and half milk, plus a splash of delicious chemical-laden caramel macchiato fake cream. MMMM.

Last thing: I went to three stores and couldn't find cheesecloth, so I used regular coffee filters clipped to a glass pitcher instead. Annoying, since I had to keep changing out the filters... but effective and (again) worth it.

I tweaked and halved her recipe, since I couldn't find a bowl or pitcher big enough to hold two gallons of liquid. This makes just under a gallon of coffee.

1 pound ground coffee (I love Cafe Bustelo)
1 gallon (4 quarts) cold water

In a large container, mix ground coffee with water. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature eight hours or overnight.

Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set over a pitcher or other container. [Or use coffee filters, switching out frequently.] Pour coffee/water mixture through the strainer, allowing all liquid to run through. Discard grounds.

Place coffee liquid in the fridge and allow to cool. Use as needed.

---

Here are her notes for drinking. Hefk and I both want to try it with condensed milk...

To make iced coffee, pack a glass full of ice cubes. Fill glass 2/3 full with coffee liquid. Add healthy splash of half-and-half. Add 2-3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (can use plain sugar instead) and stir to combine. Taste and adjust half-and-half and/or sweetened condensed milk as needed.

Marinated Tomatoes

2011-07-29T20:41:00.002-04:00

From: Pioneer Woman

This is a good recipe for all the summer tomatoes that are starting to come in, from the garden and the farm share. You can use any kind of tomatoes - large, small, red, yellow, etc. We ate these piled high on fresh mozzarella with a bit of fresh-cracked black pepper and kosher salt. Todd also made a toasted/melted version for dinner, too - he toasted up some nice bread, piled on the tomatoes, placed some sliced mozzarella on top and then stuck it back in the toaster oven to melt the cheese. Sprinkle with sliced basil and, viola (as they say in France)! You could also serve it cold on toasted bread like bruschetta, or spoon it over some quinoa or cous cous for a side dish, etc.

Ingredients

1 cup Canola Oil (I used less, and substituted olive oil)
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
4 Tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 whole Green Onions, Sliced
1/4 cup Chopped Parsley
18 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
1/4 teaspoon Ground Thyme
2 cloves Garlic, Minced Finely
2 pounds Tomatoes, Cut Into Quarters (if Big) Or Halves (if Small)
1 whole Baguette, Sliced, optional
1 clove Garlic, Peeled, optional

Combine all ingredients except tomatoes in a large glass bowl. Whisk to combine, then add tomatoes. (You can increase the quantity of tomatoes if need be.) Use regular red tomatoes, or a mixture of red, yellow, heirloom, etc. Use different sizes of tomatoes, too--pretty!

Allow to marinate for at least 3 to 4 hours, several hours if possible. Tomatoes will give off liquid as they marinate.

Use leftover tomatoes to make bruschetta: slice baguette and brush slices with olive oil. Grill on a skillet or grill pan until golden. Rub slices with garlic cloves. Top with tomatoes, allowing juice to drip on the bread.

Teriyaki Burgers with Mango Pineapple Salsa

2011-07-27T21:03:00.003-04:00

Until last week, I'd never looked at Annie's Eats. I saw the url on several posts from foodgoodness posters and finally took a peek.
This one is summery and nice. I messed with it, of course, but I'll just post as is and spare you my usual "but then I did THIS instead" litany.

Just one thing, if you have a bread machine to make the dough and the extra hour for rising, homemade buns are easy, you guys.

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For the salsa:
1 mango, diced
1-1½ cups diced fresh pineapple
½ of one red bell pepper, diced small
¼ cup red onion, finely diced
1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
Juice of one lime
Pinch of coarse salt

For the sauce: (I halved it and had plenty for 4 burgers)
1 cup fresh chopped pineapple
½ cup low sodium soy sauce
1 inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced fine
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. vinegar (apple cider or rice vinegar)
½ tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. cold water

For the burgers:
1 lb. ground sirloin
2 tbsp. finely chopped yellow onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 or 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss to mix well. Cover and refrigerate, allowing flavors to blend while you prepare the sauce and burgers.

To make the sauce, combine the pineapple, soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, garlic, vinegar and sesame oil in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth and well blended. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan. Warm over medium-high heat until bubbly, about 1-2 minutes. In a small prep bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan and stir until well incorporated. Continue heating the sauce, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the burgers, prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, mix together the beef, yellow onion, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Form the mixture into 4 patties, each about ¾-inch thick.

When the grill is heated, cook the hamburgers directly over medium-high heat, turning once, 3 -5 minutes per side. Check for doneness by cutting into a hamburger near the center or testing with an instant-read thermometer. No pink should show on the inside, and the internal temperature should register at least 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. A few minutes before the burgers are done cooking, grill the buns just until lightly brown and toasted.

To serve, place a hamburger patty on each of the buns. Top with teriyaki sauce and garnish with mango-pineapple salsa. Replace the top bun to form a sandwich and serve immediately.

Oatmeal Cookies with Blueberries and Walnuts

2011-07-27T11:43:00.003-04:00

Adapted from the Wood Prairie Farm website (and just about the most poorly written cookie recipe ever).

2 C whole wheat flour
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t soda
1/2 t salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 C white sugar
1 C dark brown sugar
1 T light corn syrup, optional*
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla extract
3 C old fashioned (rolled) oats--do NOT use instant
1 C dried blueberries
1 C chopped lightly toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, leaveners, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl, whisk together and set aside. In your stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until lighter in color and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, corn syrup (if using) and then vanilla. Slowly add in flour mixture and be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl and beater to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed before adding the remaining ingredients. Add oats, berries and walnuts and stir on slow just until combined--the blueberries can be a bit fragile so be careful. If using a small cookie scoop, you'll want to bake them for 10-12 minutes and be sure to leave 1" of space between each cookie b/c they will spread a little. If making larger cookies, adjust time accordingly. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container.

*The addition of corn syrup will lend the cookies a chewier texture and helps if you want to store them for a while and/or ship them by mail.

Avocado-Corn Chowder with Grilled Chicken

2011-07-26T20:43:00.002-04:00

Adapted slightly from Mark Bittman in the latest issue of Cooking Light.

This is a no-cook (if you leave out the chx), easy and delicious soup that I plan to make again. Also, it keeps well due to the citrus content.

2 ripe avocados, divided
1.5 C water
1/2 C fresh lemon juice
1 t honey
S&P
1/4 t red pepper flakes
12 oz skinless, boneless chx breasts
olive oil or cooking spray
1.5 C fresh corn kernels (or some fresh and some frozen or all frozen--it's up to you)
1 C chopped red bell pepper
1/3 C chopped green onions (I used red onion b/c that's what I had)
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro, optional
lime wedges

Using your blender or immersion blender, plunk one avocado, peeled and diced into your work bowl and add water, lemon juice, honey, 3/4 t salt, 1/4 t pepper and the red pepper flakes; blend until smooth or it's reached the desired consistency. I also added the kernels from 2 ears of corn I had on hand and pureed them with the avocado. Then I used frozen roasted corn that I defrosted to stir in at the end. Set soup aside in fridge to chill while you cook the chx.

Grill/bake the chx as you see fit. If you have a grill, have at it. I think the smoky chariness of grilled chicken goes really well with this soup. Let chx stand for 10 minutes before cutting or shredding into bite-sized pieces. Peel and dice remaining avocado and stir in with bell pepper, onions, and extra corn if using. Top with chicken and cilantro, if using, and serve with lime wedges. Serves 4.

Slow cooked mojo de ajo

2011-07-21T20:05:00.002-04:00

This? This right here? This is the new cornerstone for all of my cooking.
Until, of course, I need a break from garlic.
Which means it's a very long time from now.
This very lovely garlic and olive oil is easy to make, fills the whole house with good smells, and is tasty, too. (what? i snuck a taste once the oil had cooled) Make some. You know you want to.

from The Man, Rick Bayless
Please note: the recipe does not call for the chipotle, but when I watched him in his PBS series, he threw a chipotle in. So I did, too.

4 large heads garlic OR 10 ounces (about 1 3/4 cups) peeled garlic cloves
2 cups olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 (or more) chipotle pepper

Directions

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Break the heads of garlic apart, then mash each clove (a fist against the side of a knife is what I do) to release the clove from its papery skin; if using already-peeled garlic, scoop the cloves into a heavy plastic bag and use a rolling pin to mash them slightly.

Stir together the garlic, oil, chipotle and salt in an 8x8-inch baking pan (make sure all the garlic is submerged), slide it into the oven and bake until the garlic is soft and lightly brown, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Add the lime juice and return to the oven for 20 minutes for the garlic to absorb the lime and turn golden brown.

Using an old-fashioned potato masher or large fork, mash the garlic into a coarse puree. Pour the mixture into a wide-mouth storage container and refrigerate. The mojo will last for up to three months as long as the garlic stays submerged under the oil.

Creamy turkey dinner

2011-07-21T19:19:00.002-04:00

This was really good. Next time, I think I'll add some corn starch right after we add the heavy cream, so the gravy thickens. Still, really tasty. Oh, and a note...I doubled the recipe. It fit better in the slow cooker that way.

Adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking

4 pounds turkey breast, cut in chunks
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 onion, thinly sliced
16 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 cup half and half
1 bag frozen green beans

Put the turkey into the bottom of your cooker, and pour on the chicken broth and balsamic vinegar. Add onion and mushrooms. Stir a bit to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for about 4.
Stir in the heavy cream and green beans. Cover and cook on high for another 30 minutes, or until beans are thawed and heated through.

bruschetta

2011-07-17T22:53:00.007-04:00

Too hot to cook. Too hot to think. Not too hot to eat bruschetta, vaguely based on this but with more laziness and less doing anything to the bread.

4 medium-sized and a handful of cherry tomatoes, seeded and chopped into small bits
2 cloves minced garlic (this is quite a lot of garlic; cut down if you don't want it sharp and garlicky)
a handful of basil leaves, sliced thin
a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar
a slightly bigger drizzle of olive oil
coarse-grained sea salt (or, whatever, just salt)
black pepper

1 loaf of decent Italian-ish bread, sliced

Combine everything and taste to make sure you have the vinegar/oil/salt/pepper ratio right. Let it sit, covered but unrefrigerated, for about half an hour -- if you can wait that long.

Serve with a slotted spoon so you can drain off some of the juice before putting the tomato mixture on the bread. I like it best with a layer of goat cheese on a whole wheat baguette, topped with lots of bruschetta.

Korean spicy cold noodles

2011-07-15T23:17:00.004-04:00

Elise has outdone herself with this one. The sauce prominently features this Korean red sauce I am obsessed with -- called gochu jang; I loved it on my bibim bop so much that I asked a waiter to write it down for me and then plunked the card down in front of some poor guy at the Asian grocery so I could buy it -- and then makes it even better, thinner and slightly diluted so it doesn't hit you in the face quite so hard.

Perfect summer meal (although parents and delicate palates, be warned -- this is really very spicy and you can't control the spice level, because the gochu jang is what it is).

Ingredients

1 lb soba (buckwheat) noodles (can sub practically any favorite noodle)

Choose from assorted toppings: [I used lettuce, cilantro, cabbage/carrot slaw from the bag, cucumber, and scallions]

Lettuce, thinly sliced
Green and/or red cabbage, thinly sliced
Cucumber, julienned
Carrot, julienned
Asian pear, julienned
Green onions, thinly sliced
Sesame (perilla) leaves, thinly sliced (while traditional for this dish, you can skip)
Radish sprouts
Cabbage and/or radish kimchi
2 hard boiled eggs (this would also be great with a fried egg on top)

Sauce:

4 Tbsp Korean red chili paste (gochu jang)*
4 Tbsp rice vinegar (un-seasoned or seasoned will both work)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp brown sugar (light or dark)
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

* Korean red chile paste is a thick, sweet, and slightly garlicky paste made of fermented red chiles. It is available at some asian food stores and at Korean markets. If it is unavailable in your area feel free to use this substitute with similar results:

1 tablespoon hot paprika (or can use 1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika plus 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper)
5 teaspoons corn syrup (light or dark)
1 teaspoon miso paste (miso is fermented and will help approximate the flavor of the gochu jang, if you don't have it, you can omit)
1 mashed garlic clove
1 tablespoon water
Salt, to taste

*Gwen's note: I am not sure I agree with this. The taste of this stuff is really hard to define; I don't taste garlic at all and it's not listed on the ingredients. But MSG is! Yum!

Method

1 On the stovetop, fill a medium large pot with water and bring to a boil. While the water is heating, prepare toppings and the sauce. Prepare the lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, carrots, asian pear, sesame leaves and radish sprouts. Set aside. Cut each hard boiled egg in half. Set aside.

2 In a small bowl, combine red pepper paste, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Stir to combine and set aside.

3 Once the water is boiling, add buckwheat, or other type, of noodle and cook according to package instructions, or about six minutes, until al dente. When noodles are finished cooking, pour into a collander and rinse with cold water and drain. To quickly cool your noodles you may also place a few ice cubes in the collander or place the drained noodles into the freezer for a short time, just don't forget them!

4 To serve, place cooled noodles in a medium sized bowl. Top with dressing and vegetables/fruit of your choice. Place one of the hard-boiled egg halves on top and a few radish sprouts.

Rich Homemade Ricotta

2011-07-13T21:37:00.005-04:00

This was SO EASY.
Results were AMAZING.
We ate it on Pasta alla Norma. Also we ate it on spoons. And fingers.
Oh boy.

I made it with the cream as Smitten suggests, but I'll leave it out next time and get back to you about how it's different.

>>

I made this ricotta three different ways: with all milk, as the Salvatore recipe suggested (we found it a bit dry), with 3 cups milk and 1 cup heavy cream and with 3 1/2 cups milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Guess what? The last two ricottas were virtually indistinguishable.The extra cream did indeed add an even richer edge, but the one with less cream was also very indulgent. I imagine I’d use the richer version for toasts, for putting out at a party and the almost-as-rich one for pastas and things where I might need a larger, sturdier quantity. I’ll leave it up to you which way you go.

Makes about 1 generous cup of ricotta

3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream (see Note above about using less)
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pour the milk, cream and salt into a 3-quart nonreactive saucepan. Attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Heat the milk to 190°F, stirring it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. Turn off the heat [Updated] Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, then stir it once or twice, gently and slowly. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey). Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least an hour. At an hour, you’ll have a tender, spreadable ricotta. At two hours, it will be spreadable but a bit firmer, almost like cream cheese. (It will firm as it cools, so do not judge its final texture by what you have in your cheesecloth.) Discard the whey, or, if you’re one of those crafty people who use it for other things, of course, save it. Eat the ricotta right away or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Serve: On 1/2-inch slices of baguette that have been run under the broiler until lightly bronzed. Serve it simply [as shown in the top photo, left to right] with honey and a pinch of flaky sea salt, a couple grinds of black pepper, pinch of salt and drizzle of olive oil, and/or a few droplets of an aged balsamic. Or with zucchini ribbons [as shown in the last photo], I started with about half a pound of miniature zucchini my mother-in-law had found at Trader Joes. Larger ones will work just fine, but you might want to first cut a big one in half lengthwise. Peel them into ribbons and toss them with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and let them drain in a colander for a while (this wilts them), about 20 minutes. Rinse and pat them dry. Toss with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste. Arrange in piles on ricotta crostini.

Do ahead: I keep mine only 3 to 4 days; the really fresh milk I used doesn’t last long. However, Salvatore also uses really fresh milk, and theirs appears to keep closer to two weeks. In conclusion? Shelf lives will vary. Use your nose to judge freshness. Or your partner’s nose, because who doesn’t like hearing “Hey honey, sniff this for me?”

Butterbeer

2011-07-13T01:13:00.003-04:00

I love Rebecca Lando of Working Class Foodies. She's looking for recipe testers for the cookbook she's working on. Sign up for her email newsletter and help a girl out!

A special occasion recipe in honor of HP IV.2 to toast the HP phenomenon that has been part of our lives since 1997. Really!

Watch her do it; the video is short and helpful for the visual learners among us.

Recipe, narrative-style

In a saucepan:
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 T water

Cook on med-high heat, stirring frequently to keep from burning.
Dip spatula in cool water to keep sugar from sticking to it.
When it comes to boil, stop stirring. Use a candy thermometer and watch it closely until it reaches 240 degrees. She says this happens quickly.

In a bowl:
5 T slightly softened butter
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t salt
1 T vanilla extract

Remove pot from heat & stir in contents of bowl.

Slowly add:
1/4 C heavy cream

Stir and let cool.

In a your favorite large mug:
2 T of cc syrup
selzter water to fill the glass

(RL adds a shot of bourbon at this point and demonstrates how to get a Hermione-esque butterbeer mustache. So many reasons to love her.)

Enjoy! Cheers, J.K., Emma, Daniel and Rupert and all HP fans out there!

Margaritas

2011-07-10T23:02:00.005-04:00

My dad does it this way and always comes out a winner.

Below is my dad's text messaged reply to me when I requested his in-it-to-win-it margarita recipe. I used it to complement Taco Night last Thursday night at the beach when it was our turn to cook for the whole assembled gang of more than 20 relatives. By the way...Taco Night also always comes out a winner.

"Fill blender 3/4 full of ice cubes.

Add:
1/2 container of frozen limeade (6 oz.)
6-12 oz of water
6 jiggers* of tequila
3 jiggers* of triple sec

Blend on high speed.
Salt rims of glass.
Add fresh lime slice.
Pour and enjoy.
No driving if drinking."

Gotta love dads.

*a jigger is the precise 1.5 oz measure of a shot

Two Pretty Family-Style Pasta Dinners

2011-07-10T22:12:00.008-04:00

For me, pretty dinner is usually reserved for a dinner out when I will ooh and ahh at a restaurant plating. My Italian Husband (MIH) is very patient with grains & beans, with one-pot meals, and with stir fries but Heidi and Michelle Obama have me thinking about how to balance the ingredients and how to present it appetizingly. Rather than cooking all the ingredients in one pot together as per my mom's and my usual method, I've found lately that if I decoratively layer a number of ingredients in a huge family-style serving bowl and serve it over pasta, then he is more enthusiastic about dinner. Everyone just wants to be happy.

Basic idea of the dish (you'll note the Heidi-ness right away):
Favorite pasta shape (sub grain here if you want)
bean
toasted nut pieces
veggie(s)
light sauce

Here are two variations.

Early summer variation - asparagus/tomato/canellini:
- Rotini (because you can hide veggies inside for the youngest food skeptic!)
- One small bunch of very thin and tender asparagus sliced on the diagonal (about 1 cup), roasted for 15 min at 400.
- 1/4 C walnut pieces, toasted in the toaster oven until golden and fragrant

sauce:
- 1 Can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes add minced garlic, onion (I also threw in a 1/2 C leftover pasta sauce)
- 1 can of white canellini beans
- Add fresh basil (torn/julienne) to sauce at the very end and also a few pretty leaves/sprigs to garnish.
- Grated Parmagiano Reggiano to taste

Layer in bowl from bottom to top:
Pasta tossed with tomato & bean sauce
sliced asparagus
toasted walnuts
grated Parm

Anytime variation (inspired by Elise's Spinach & Orzo Salad recipe that we already like to change up and enjoy around these parts) - Spinach/black olive/chicken
- Rotini
- 1/4 cup walnut pieces toasted in the toaster oven
- 1/4 cup Kalamata Greek olives pitted, roughly chopped
- 5-8 handfuls of baby spinach (wilt in colander when you drain the pasta - my fave way)
- 1 can chickpeas/garbanzos (in bottom of colander too)
- 2 chicken breasts but into small slices, add S&P and brown in olive oil
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red/Vidalia onion (about half an onion) add to the pan with the chicken when it's done just to soften, not too long)
- 1 T chopped basil (2 frozen Trader Joe's cubes), add to warm skillet to defrost and flavor the chicken & onions

whisk together for sauce:
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (can substitute white vinegar or lemon juice)
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Layer in bowl from bottom to top:
Pasta, spinach, garbanzos all combined
sauce drizzled over pasta layer
chicken & onions in basil and olive oil
chopped black olives
toasted walnuts

Pioneer Woman's blackberry cobbler

2011-07-10T00:02:00.003-04:00

There's a long and complicated story about how I wound up baking something that involves Crisco, but I did, and it was this, and it was amazing. Best cobbler I ever made. Do I have to support Crisco now?

6 cups Fresh Or Frozen Blackberries [I used about 3.5 cups blueberries and 2.5 cups frozen peaches; I think this would be good with just about any fruit, and you can get away with a little less]
1/2 cup Plus 4 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/2 whole Zest Of Lemon
2 cups Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/4 cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Egg
1/2 cup Milk

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine blackberries, ½ cup sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Stir and spread out in a buttered pyrex dish.

In a separate bowl pour flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Add shortening and butter and work mixture together with a pastry blender (or your fingers) until the mixture is coarse. Measure ½ cup milk, add an egg, and mix together. Pour into flour mixture, stirring as you go. Mixture should be smooth and not dry, but not over stickly.

Take clumps of dough and place them on top of the blackberries. Lightly flatten dough with your fingertips. Sprinkle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar and bake until golden for 30 minutes. [This took me more like 45, for some reason.] Berry juice will be slightly thin, but don’t be afraid. It will gradually soak into the biscuity topping and make your life complete.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

no-cook meals

2011-07-05T22:27:00.002-04:00

Ah, July, the month when I endeavor not to turn on the oven or the stove, ever, at all, for any reason, amen. The reason I find excuses to turn the oven ON in the winter is the same reason I use keep it OFF in the summer in our un-air-conditioned second-floor apartment.

But the Big Girls, Small Kitchen people have come up with a very nice post about no-cook dinners, so I may have run out of excuses to order take-out sushi every night. Roasting lots of tomatoes at once right before you go out is a good idea, and I also like the idea of antipasti plates for dinner. Yum.

Mediterranean-ish Couscous Salad

2011-07-05T16:51:00.003-04:00

a.k.a. It's Time to Clean Out the Fridge, Freezer and Pantry.

I know I haven't been posting in a while mostly due to some craziness in the work schedule and other things but I have been cooking....just not post-worthy dishes. Or dishes that involve a recipe. Like 2 days ago when we had corn on the cob and yummy slabs of toast smeared with good quality chevre and topped with slices of heirloom tomatoes sprinkled with olive oil, S&P. See, no recipe but the ultimate summer meal in my mind.

Anyway, the big news around here is that the Tall Man and I just bought a house and we close in early August. Now is the time to start cleaning out the food stores so I don't have to move it all (all of 1.5 miles away, but still). This fit the bill nicely.

1 medium japanese eggplant
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium red onion
1 large bell pepper (I used red)
2 handfuls of raisins, optional
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 C or so of israeli couscous, cooked according to pkg directions
1 medium cucumber, seeded if needed, diced
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, leave whole if small enough
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
olive oil
red wine vinegar
S&P
1/2 pkg of feta (I like TJ's lite feta)

Preheat your broiler to high. Dice up your veg (eggplant thru pepper) and toss with a bit of olive oil, S&P and pour into an even layer on a baking sheet and broil until cooked thru and crusty brown spots appear. Set aside and toss with raisins if using. When cool, combine with couscous, chick peas and other veg. Add olive oil and vinegar to taste and then add pepper and feta. Toss to combine. Taste for salt and if it needs a smidge, add now. Be sure to add feta before adding salt so you don't overdue the salt. Eat and enjoy. Would also be good for potlucks. Or housewarming parties which I am definitely having once we're moved in.

Alsatian Cabbage

2011-07-04T15:14:00.004-04:00

In the last few weeks, I've gotten 5 heads of green cabbage from our little faux-CSA we are participating in. (It's through Whole Foods, and features all Maryland produce from various farms)
Yeah. That's a lot of cabbage.
Today I made this, which I will heat up and eat during the week. It's pretty tasty, and much, much more interesting than my standby -- boiled cabbage and butter.

Adapted from A Veggie Venture

1/8 pound of meaty bacon, chopped (I used pancetta, because I had some in the house)
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 cabbage (about 2 1/2 pounds), trimmed, outer leaves and core removed, sliced thin
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds (I eyeballed this)
Salt & pepper

In a large skillet or Dutch oven (you'll need a cover), start cooking the bacon on MEDIUM. Add the onion as it's prepped, let cook 2 - 3 minutes. Add the caraway and let cook, 1 - 2 minutes. Add the cabbage as it's prepped, stirring well to coat with fat and caraway. Cover and let cook for about 30 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper.

Spaghetti with Mushrooms, Garlic & Parsley

2011-06-20T15:03:00.004-04:00

Father's Day 2011 recipe #2.

Lidia once convinced me to make guazzetto, so she has some pretty significant persuasive powers. This is a much simpler recipe.

I made fresh pasta yesterday. It was not a rip roaring success, but nonetheless it still had the texture and flavor of fresh pasta and the sauce was so delicious that I'm still pleased with the results.

Here's an extra treat - Lidia helping Mo Rocca make his Italian grandmother's raviolis. They are both completely adorable. Let me tell you how my dough passing through my roller did not look remotely as pretty as hers but I'll keep trying.

salt
1 lb spaghetti
1/4 C olive oil
8 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 1/2 lb assorted mushrooms, cleaned and sliced/gently chopped/hand torn [I used portobello and oyster]
freshly ground black pepper
8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 C veg/chicken stock
1/4 C Italian parsley, chopped

1 C freshly grated Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese

Makes 6 servings.

Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8 quart pot over high heat.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Scatter the garlic over the oil and cool, shaking the pan, until golden, about 2 min. Add as many of the mushrooms as will fit comfortably in the skillet. Season lightly with salt and pepper and toss in the sage. Add the remaining mushrooms as the mushrooms in the skillet wilt and make room. Cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until the mushrooms are sizzling and brown, about 10 minutes. (If the mushrooms have given off a lot of water during cooking, you'll have to wait for that liquid to boil off before the mushrooms begin to brown.)

Stir the spaghetti into the boiling water. Return to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until done, until about 8 minutes.

Add the stock to the browned mushrooms, bring to a boil, and lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer. Cook until the liquid is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes.

Af the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, fish the pasta out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and drop it directly into the sauce in the skillet, If not, drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and pour in the sauce. Toss in the parsley and bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring gently to coat the pasta with sauce. Check the seasoning, add salt and pepper if necessary. Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the cheese, and serve immediately in warm bowls.

Eggplant Parmigiana (Melanzana Alla Parmigiana)

2011-06-20T14:53:00.005-04:00

We made Lidia Bastianich's Eggplant Parmigiana for the Italian papa for Father's Day. It's taken me a long time to get used to this book. Her recipes are written in very differently from other cookbooks I've used. One result of this is that you really can't skim; you have to read thoroughly. I've gotten myself in trouble a few times because I thought I had read and understood it. I bought the ingredients, chosen the day to try it, started cooking for a hungry husband or family and THEN came to the line about "let it rest/chill/roast for 3 days," and/or "make the other super-complicated sauce on pg 97 and use that for this recipe." The thoughtfulness and care is reflective of the kind of food she makes and it's a nice challenge. I also like that she always generously includes some tips for assembly or finishing touches that we would have to spend decades being Italian grandmothers to figure out for ourselves.

>>>>>

Background

When I bake and fry things like these slices of eggplants, I make a little assembly line that leads from the flour to the eggs, on to the breadcrumbs and right into the pan of hot oil. Placing three rectangular cake pans side by side next to the stove works nicely—there is very little cleanup afterwards—but any container wide enough to hold several slices of eggplant at a time will work just as well.

This dish can be made with roasted eggplant slices instead of breaded and fried eggplant. Although it will be good, it will not be as tasty nor will it have the texture of the fried eggplant. The roasted version is very simple: drain and rinse the eggplant as described above, but instead of coating the eggplant slices, toss them with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil, and set the eggplant slices side by side on the baking sheet. Bake them in a 450° F preheated oven for 20 minutes till they are golden brown. Let them cool and proceed to layer and bake the ingredients as above.

Ingredients

3 medium eggplants or 5 to 6 smaller eggplants about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds total
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon Salt
2 cups all purpose flour for dredging
2+ cups fine, dry breadcrumbs
½+ cup olive oil or as needed
½+ cup vegetable oil
your favorite tomato sauce
[I totally used a jar this time, but this is a classic, "see page 97" moment]
2 cups grated reggiano parmigiano cheese
12 basil leaves
1 lb fresh mozzarella or imported fontina cheese, cut into slices 1/3" thick
[you have to cut them thinner, I think, or you will not have enough for
the entire pan]

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Method

Trim the stems and ends from the eggplants. Remove strips of peel about 1-inch wide from the eggplants, leaving about half the peel intact. Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices and place them in a colander. Sprinkle with the coarse salt and let drain for 1 hour. Rinse the eggplant under cool running water, drain throroughly and pat dry.

Whisk the eggs and 1 teaspoon salt together in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan or wide, shallow bowl. Spread the flour and breadcrumbs in an even layer in two separate wide, shallow bowls or over sheets of wax paper. Dredge the eggplant slices in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the floured eggplant into the egg mixture, turning well to coat both sides evenly. Let excess egg drip back into the pan, then lay the eggplant in the pan of breadcrumbs. Turn to coat both sides well with breadcrumbs, pressing with your hands until the breadcrumbs adhere well to the eggplant.

Pour 1/2 cup each of the olive oil and vegetable oils into a medium skillet. Heat over medium-high heat until a corner of the eggplant slices gives off a lively sizzle when dipped into the oil. Add as many of the eggplants slices as fit without touching and cook, turning once, until well browned on both sides, about 6 minutes. Remove the eggplant to a baking pan lined with paper towels and repeat with the remaining eggplant slices.

Adjust the heat as the eggplant cooks to prevent the bits of coating that fall off the eggplant slices from burning. Add the oil to the pan as necessary during cooking to keep level more or less the same.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Heat the tomato sauce too simmering, if necessary, in a small saucepan over medium heat. Ladle enough sauce into a 9x13inch baking dish to cover the bottom. Sprinkle with an even layer of grated cheese and top with a layer of fried eggplant, pressing it down gently.

Tear a few leaves of basil over the eggplant and ladle about 3/4 cups of the sauce to coat the top evenly. Sprinkle an even layer of grated cheese over the sauce and top with a layer of Mozzarella or Fontina, using about one-third of the cheese.

Repeat the layering as described above two more times, ending with a top layer of sliced cheese that leaves a border of about 1 inch around the edges of the baking dish. Drizzle sauce around the border of the baking dish and sprinkle the top layer with the remaining grated cheese. Finish with a few decorative streaks or rounds of tomato sauce. Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil and poke several holes in the foil with the tip of a knife. Bake 30 minutes.

Uncover, and continue baking until the top layer of cheese is golden in spots about 15 minutes. Let rest 10 to 20 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

mango soba update

2011-06-12T21:53:00.002-04:00

A small note to those of us trying to eat more veg, as Kelly would say... this soba noodle salad is delicious with slaw replacing some or all of the noodles. I made it with just one little bundle of noodles, a whole bag of broccoli slaw, and half a bag of cabbage/carrot mixture, and it's great -- actually provides a delicious crunch and you don't miss the rest of the noodles.

I cooked the chicken in a bit of the marinade, too, and diced it into the salad/noodle/mango mixture for some protein. Yum.

Cranberry-Orange Scones

2011-06-12T16:05:00.002-04:00

Adapted From: Annie's Eats and Chukar Cherry Recipes

I wanted to make cranberry-orange scones to serve at the coffee hour at church this morning, but I didn't have the heavy cream called for in Annie's recipe, but I did have plenty of Greek yogurt, so I improvised, recalling the cherry scones recipe that Todd likes to make. I also added a glaze to these scones, because I thought the orange zest was a tad bitter. Perhaps I went too far into the pith with the zester. Anyway, these were very pretty, and everyone loved them.

1½ tbsp. freshly grated orange zest
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup plus 3 tbsp. sugar, divided
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1¼ cups fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
2 large eggs
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup milk (or, sub a total of 1 cup heavy cream for the yogurt and milk)
Additional sugar for sprinkling, or make a glaze (see below)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a food processor*, combine the orange zest, flour, ½ cup of sugar, baking powder and salt. Pulse briefly to blend. Add in the cold butter pieces and pulse again briefly until the mixture resembles coarse meal and the butter pieces are no larger than peas. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, toss together the chopped cranberries and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir this into the flour-butter mixture.

In another small bowl or a liquid measuring cup, combine the eggs, yogurt and milk (or cream); whisk to blend. Add the liquid ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon just until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Knead gently to be sure the dough is evenly mixed, being careful not to overwork the dough.

Use whatever method you prefer for shaping your scones (ie, pat out into a large rectangle and then cut into squares or triangles, shape into a circle and then slice into triangles, put a biscuit cutter onto the baking sheet and pat the dough into the cutter to make uniform circles, etc). I made drop scones, so I just dropped the dough onto the baking sheet in the size I wanted (I would guess it was around 1/3 cup?) Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar (you can omit the sugar topping if you're going to make a glaze).

Bake in the preheated oven until light golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

*Note: A food processor is not required for this recipe. You can achieve the same result using a stand mixer, a pastry blender, or even just two knives.

Orange glaze:
I just juiced half of the orange that I zested. Strain out the seeds and pulp. In a small bowl, put a few tablespoons of powdered sugar. Add a few spoonfuls of the orange juice and whisk together. Adjust the amount of sugar or juice to get the glaze consistency that you want. It should be thin enough to drizzle over the scones, but not so thin that it's watery and runs all over the place. Drizzle over scones.

Palak Daal

2011-06-10T21:03:00.002-04:00

Like rhubarb crumble-type desserts and enchilada variations, I'm of the mind that we can't get enough daal recipes on this site of ours. I hope I'm not alone. This one is nicely flavorful and LOOK!, Heidi uses the zest AND the juice of the lemon. I like when she keeps it real like that. Lemon in everything, a signature Heidi suggestion, sounds really good to me in the summer.

>>

Spinach can be particularly muddy this time of year it seems. I fill the large bowl from my salad spinner with cold water, place the spinach in the basket the place it into the bowl of water. Swish the leaves around a bit to loosen any dirt. Drain and repeat. This usually does the trick. I use the same approach with kale and leeks as well. As far as peppers go, I used serrano chile peppers here, and used a pure red chile powder made from a mildly spicy red pepper, not cayenne in this case, I suspect that would be a bit on the too spicy side...but if that is all you have, adjust to what tastes good to you. I skipped the asafetida, but if you have it on hand, start with a pinch. Leftevers were delicious reheated with a generous splash of coconut milk. And lastly, if you are having trouble tracking down white urid daal / ivory lentils, feel free to experiment with other types of lentils.

1 cup / 6.5 oz / 185 g white urid or urad daal, picked over and rinsed

6 cups / 1.5 liters water, plus more if necessary
1/2 pound spinach, washed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 medium green chile peppers, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon pure red chile powder
a pinch of asafetida, optional
more salt to taste
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

In a large pot over medium-high heat combine the daal and water. Bring to a boil, then add the spinach, ginger, turmeric, 3/4 of the green chiles, and all of the tomatoes. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the lentils are extremely soft. You may need to add a bit more water during the cooking process to keep the lentils soupy. After an hour and a half, stir in the salt.

In a separate pan, heat the butter and cumin and fry until the cumin seeds start to pop. Now add the red chile powder (and asafetida if you're using it) and fry for another 30 seconds. Taste and add more asafetida if you like. Add this butter mixture to the lentils and allow to cook for another five minutes. Taste, and season with more salt if needed. I also enjoyed a touch of lemon juice added at this point. Serve topped with the cilantro and the remaining green chiles.

Serves 4-6 with rice or roti.

Prep time: 20 min - Cook time: 120 min

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pizza)

2011-06-10T20:58:00.003-04:00

Heidi makes this street food recipe. I ate it as-is, no toppings, but that sounds good too. I bet this only cost a couple dollars. I had TJ's bag of sliced leeks in the freezer and I bought a teeny cabbage at the farmer's market on Saturday and only used half of that. I did add a third egg and I'm glad I did. It held together well. File this in the Tortilla Espanola-craving crevice of my brain. I found this recipe much easier and faster than the T.E. I can't seem to get right but once every two years or so.

>>
Leeks are notoriously gritty. To clean them well I typically slice them lengthwise and then submerge them in a big bowl of water - where I rinse and swish them to loosen up any dirt. Drain and repeat if needed. Then chop/slice.

2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup leeks, well washed and chopped (see head notes)
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or apf flour)
a couple pinches of fine grain sea salt
2 eggs, beaten
1+ tablespoon olive oil

Garnish: toasted slivered almonds, chives/ herbs

Combine the cabbage, leeks, flour, and salt in a bowl. Toss until everything is coated with a dusting of flour. Stir in the eggs and mix until everything is evenly coated.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a generous splash of olive oil. Scoop the cabbage mixture into the pan, and using a metal spatula press it into a round pancake shape, flat as you can get it. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the bottom is golden. To flip the okonomiyaki, slide it out of the skillet onto a plate. Place another plate on top and flip both (together) over. If you need a bit more oil in your skillet, add it now, before sliding the okonomiyaki back into the skillet. Again press down a bit with a spatula and cook until golden on this side - another 3 -5 minutes.

When you are finished cooking, sprinkle with toasted almonds and chives, and slide it onto a cutting board to cut into wedges. Enjoy immediately.

Serves 1 - 2.

Quinoa with Currants, Dill, and Zucchini

2011-06-10T20:55:00.003-04:00

Summer is a good time to eat Heidi-style. I loved this. Not many others in my house did, so if you're the husband, preschooler daughter or toddler son of a mid-thirties gal, you won't love this as much as your wife/mom did. More leftovers for her!

>>

This is great with crumbled feta. But it's also perfect with thinned-out, salted, plain yogurt. Also, for those of you who are fans of quinoa patties - I made patties out of the leftovers by combining a scant 3 cups of leftovers with 4 beaten eggs, and enough breadcrumbs to thicken things up a bit - 1/2 cup or so. Press with hands firmly into patties, then pan-fry, covered.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3/4 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt
1 cup / 6.5 oz / 185 g quinoa, well rinsed and drained
2 cups water
1/4 cup / 1 oz / 30g dried currants
1 lemon
2 sm-med zucchini, grated on box grater
4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

feta cheese, crumbled - as much or as little as you like

To make the quinoa, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add most of the green onions, a pinch of the salt, and cook until the onions soften, just a couple minutes. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring occasionally, until the grains dry out and toast a bit, roughly another 3 minutes. Add the water, the currants, the remaining salt; bring to a boil. Dial back the heat and simmer, covered, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is just cooked through- 15 minutes or so. Be mindful here, you don't want to overcook the quinoa, and have it go to mush.

While the quinoa is cooking zest the lemon, and squeeze 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into a small bowl.

When the quinoa is cooked, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the zucchini, lemon juice and zest, most of the sesame seeds, and most of the dill. Taste and adjust for salt.

Serve, turned out onto a platter, topped with crumbled feta, and the remaining green onions, sesame seeds, and dill.

Serves 6.

Adapted from the Lemon Quinoa with Currants, Dill, and Zucchini in Maria Speck's Ancient Grains for Modern Meals, published by Ten Speed Press, 2011.

Prep time: 10 min - Cook time: 20 min

summer tortellini pesto salad

2011-06-05T19:44:00.004-04:00

From the Wegmans magazine. I love Wegmans tomato pesto sauce -- which is one of the suggested variations, and which is sort of creamier but has less fat than regular pesto -- but it's kind of hard to go wrong with something like this. And this is one of those recipes where you basically roast/grill any veggies you happen to have on hand; the more variety, the better.

Hard to say exactly how many WW points per serving since I have no idea how big a serving is with all the extra veggies, but I'm going to use 6 points for a cup that has about eight raviolis in it.

1 pkg (20 oz) Italian Classics Six Cheese Tortellini [I used the dried spinach and cheese tortellini the first time; refrigerated whole wheat ricotta and spinach ravioli the second time]
1 red sweet pepper, cored, thinly sliced (about 1 cup) [and green! and yellow.]
1 red onion, peeled, thinly cut (about 3/4 cup) [or Vidalia]
1 small bunch (about 1/2 lb) asparagus, trimmed, cut in 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 pkg (1 pint) grape tomatoes, halved [more is more, as they say. use more.]
[I added some leftover mushrooms and sauteed some spinach, too]
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Wegmans Basting Oil, divided [I used regular olive oil]
1 zucchini, trimmed, 1/4-inch dice (about 2 cups)
3 Tbsp pine nuts [I skipped, but I'm sure they're good]
1 pkg (7 oz) Italian Classics Basil Pesto Sauce (Dairy Dept) [or the homemade stuff, or the tomato pesto] [also, you only need about half the jar of pesto... probably about 1/4 c?]
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce [I just used red pepper flakes]
15 leaves basil, finely sliced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cook pasta per pkg directions; drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Season pepper, onions, and asparagus with salt and pepper; toss with 1 Tbsp basting oil. Transfer to baking sheet; arrange in single layer. Roast 10-12 min; turn halfway thru cooking time. Remove mixture from baking sheet; set aside.
Season zucchini with salt and pepper; toss with remaining 1 Tbsp basting oil. Transfer to baking sheet; arrange in single layer. Roast 5-7 min, until tender but not browned. Remove from oven. Add to pepper mix; chill 1 hour.
Toast pine nuts in small pan on MEDIUM, 3 min, stirring, until they are slightly toasted (watch carefully). Remove from pan; set aside.
Add tomatoes, pesto, Tabasco sauce, basil, pine nuts, and veggie mix to tortellini in a large bowl; gently mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve chilled.

Garlic mashed root vegetables

2011-06-04T10:20:00.002-04:00

I got the tiniest little turnips last week from the CSA, and didn't really know what to do with them, so I went looking on WW to see what they had.
This recipe makes 6 servings, and each serving is 2 points each. And it's good.

2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 medium carrots, peeled and quartered
8 oz butternut squash, peeled and chunked
1 medium turnips (or 4 tiny ones), peeled and chunked
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 c. fat free sour cream
1/2 c. vegetable or chicken broth, warmed

Put all the veg (including garlic) into pan and cover with water, bring to boil. Simmer until veg are tender.
Drain and mash using potato masher. Stir in sour cream and broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roasted tomato-green chile salsa

2011-06-04T09:56:00.004-04:00

This is my new favorite salsa. Ernie makes it and it's super easy, and it is so, so good.

Best news: fat free salsa (and this qualifies), is 0 WW points. The chips you want to eat it with? Not so much. But the salsa is is a 0 point food.

From The Man, Rick Bayless

1 pound ripe tomatoes
Fresh hot green chiles to taste (we've been using 2 jalapenos, and 2 poblanos)
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/4 c. finely chopped white onion
1/3 c. loosely packed cilantro
salt
squeeze of lime

Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until they're darkly roasted, about 6 minutes. Flip them and roast the other side, 5-6 minutes more will give you splotchy-black and blistered tomatoes that are cooked through -- this is what you want. Cool.
Pull off and discard the blackened skins, cut out hard core where stems were attached.
Roast the chiles and garlic in a dry skillet or on a griddle over medium heat, turning occasionally, until they are soft and darkened in places. Cool, then slip the skins off the garlic.
Either crush teh roasted garlic and chiles to a smooth paste in a mortar or chop them to a near paste in a food processor. For the food processor, add the tomatoes and pulse to achieve a coarse puree.
Scoop the onions into a strainer and rinse under cold water. Shake to remove excess moisture.
Transfer salsa to a bowl, stir in onion and cilantro and season with salt. Add lime if desired.

Blueberry sour cream pie

2011-06-04T09:52:00.002-04:00

I found this recipe in the Whole Foods -- our new store has all kinds of recipes hanging from the shelves and near the register.
By my calculations, this was was WW 7 points for one slice. Pie yields 8 slices.

1 c. sour cream (I used reduced fat)
1/2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pint blueberries
1 frozen 9-inch pie crust, thawed (I used a white crust, but you could use wheat, too)
powdered sugar for garnish (I omitted)

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk sour cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Gently stir in blueberries.
Pour mixture into pie crust and bake 55 to 65 minutes or until custard is slightly puffed and just set in the middle. Allow pie to cool to room temperature. If desired, chill before sprinkling with powdered sugar and serving.

Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad

2011-05-27T00:56:00.004-04:00

Heidi101 recipe #2 of the week. She is 2 for 2. We loved the panzanella and now we're loving this carrot and bean salad atop steamed tilapia. I'm developing a regular habit of omitting the last ingredient in most recipes due to any number of quaint factors that diminish my mental capacity. That is, I just this minute was reminded that there should have been an almondy crunch to complete the dish. Didn't miss it but I'm sure it'd be lovely.

>>>>>

I like to buy young carrots at the farmers' market - slice them slightly thicker than a banana chip for this salad.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots

more olive oil (or ghee) for cooking
2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick on deep bias
3 cups cooked white beans
scant 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey)
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

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

In your largest skillet over medium high heat, toss the carrots with a splash of olive oil or a spoonful of ghee (I love ghee with carrots). Let them cook in a single layer - they'll give off a bit of water at first. Keep cooking, tossing gently every three or four minutes until the carrots are deeply browned. All told, about twelve minutes.

Add the beans and dill to the skillet and cook for another five minutes, or until the beans as well heated through. If you are using beans that weren't canned you can allow them to brown a bit as well (just cook a bit longer, and stir less frequently) - they can handle this in a way that most canned beans can't. If you need to add a bit more olive oil to the pan - do so.

Place the contents of the skillet in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with the brown sugar and pour the 3/4 of the lemon-olive oil mixture over the top. Toss gently. Let sit for ten minutes. Toss gently once again, taste and adjust with more salt or sugar or lemon juice if needed to balance the flavors. Serve warm or at room temperature and finish by sprinkling with the almonds just before serving.

Serves 6 - 8 as a side.

Prep time: 10 min - Cook time: 20 min

Spring Panzanella

2011-05-24T21:31:00.007-04:00

So I have been feeling more than mildly interested in Heidi101's new book (fickle, I know), but worried that after reading it I'd just want to magically transport my family to her SF neighborhood where we would grow millet pods and farro trees and demararra sugarbushes and I can be the whole new me who is always patient with my children...

Anyway, Grg made a good series of suggestions
1) Don't buy the book when you know where to get the recipes for free.
2) If I really want to make her food, then make her food, then decide whether I'm going to...
3) check it out of the library or not.

Great advice, Grg. So here we go! Three 101 recipes on the menu for the week. The first one is this panzanella and it was wonderful. I forgot to add the basil at the end and it was still wonderful. I made a giant heap of it and was literally passing bowls of it to neighbors who were enjoying their porches last evening on my block.

I made one addition because we were going to eat it for dinner and we were going to need more protein. I added cubes of baked tofu. I drained two blocks of extra firm, cut into 1/2" cubes, arranged in one layer in a pyrex casserole, splashed everything with just a little tamari (go with me on this - it did not add an incongruous asian flavor; it just tasted like cheese. Ask my adorable 5 year old neighbor who liked it! Hooray!), baked for 30 min at 350 after the bread cubes came out. Easy.

The flavors of the naked peas and asparagus with the thyme, shallot and garlic on the bread cubes was awesome. I cooked while listening to this and the harmonies took the top of my head off. Who knew there was a current day college-age girl group sensation reminiscent of this amazingness, which I love beyond all else? Sign me up. I will wear that hat if I get to sing with these ladies. Make the bread salad and sing like a Bulgarian lady. You will be happy.

>>>>

The bread I used also had walnuts and dried cranberries in it, but I think I'd prefer a seeded whole wheat version. Use whatever you like.

1 lb loaf of hearty, day-old, whole wheat bread into 1-inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme - just pluck leaves from the sprig
a couple pinches of salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch asparagus, cut into segments
2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
4 handfuls spinach
1/4 cup small basil leaves

In a large bowl toss the bread with the garlic, shallot, thyme, salt and olive oil. Turn the bread out onto a baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes - or until they are nice and golden and crunchy.

In a cold skillet pour in a splash of olive oil, a splash of water, and a couple pinches of salt. Dial up the heat and when the water starts to bubble stir in the asparagus. Cover, wait about twenty seconds, now add the peas. Cover, wait a few seconds, now add the spinach. Cover and cook just a few more seconds until the spinach starts to collapse just a bit.

Put the bread crumbs in a large bowl. Now pour the asparagus and peas and all the pan juices over the top of the bread.

Give it a good toss, add the basil leaves and toss again. Serve the salad family-style on a big platter.

Makes about 6 - 8 servings.

Bow Ties with Tomatos, Feta, and Balsamic Dressing

2011-05-19T08:30:00.003-04:00

Geoff and I made this for dinner last night. I was a little skeptical of putting tomatoes and grapes together, but it was a really simple and delicious dish that came together easily. Cooking Light recommends serving this with pan-grilled asparagus. We intended to do that, but ended up skipping it, since we weren't that hungry. Recipe for asparagus is at the bottom.

Bow Ties with Tomatoes, Feta, and Balsamic Dressing
Source: Cooking Light, July 2009

Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

6 ounces uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta) (we bumped this up to 8 oz, since it was easier to estimate it from a 16 oz box)
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (we used regular balsamic vinegar....the result wasn't as pretty as the picture, but we figured the flavor was the same)
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 teaspoons capers
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic (we finely chopped one small- to medium-sized clove)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1(4-ounce) package crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Combine cooked pasta, tomatoes, grapes, and basil in a large bowl.

2. While pasta cooks, combine vinegar and next 6 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil to vinegar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle vinaigrette over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Add cheese; toss to combine.

(Note: We're keeping the dressing and cheese separate from the salad, since we're not eating this all at once.)

Pan-grilled asparagus: Combine 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 1 pound trimmed asparagus. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add asparagus to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, turning once.

frittata of goodness and diversity

2011-05-18T23:42:00.005-04:00

I made this with asparagus, caramelized onions and chicken-apple sausage, but you could really use any combination of stuff that sounds good -- I think you just need enough veg and sausage to fill the skillet about halfway. It's tempting to fill it even more, but don't go so high that it will hit the top of your broiler, or else your frittata will be burned and sad.

4 chicken-apple sausages, chopped into small pieces
one huge bunch of asparagus, sliced diagonally into small pieces
4 onions, caramelized using Alissa's quiche technique
6 eggs
splash of skim milk
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
parsley for sprinkling (optional)
green onions, diced for the top (optional)
hot sauce of some type (optional) (this one's not really that optional)

Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet or other oven-safe pan, which is about to get a workout.

Caramelize the onions and remove them all from the pan, but leave the nice brown stuff sticking to the bottom.

Cook the asparagus in that, about 3-4 minutes or until crunchy but tender. Set aside.

Cook the chicken sausage about 8 minutes, until browned. Add back in as much of the other stuff as you want; I used all the asparagus and about half the onions.

Turn on the broiler.

Scramble up the eggs and the splash of milk and the salt and pepper. Pour it over the sizzling veggie/sausage/whatever mixture and let cook on medium -- make sure it's not too high or the bottom will burn before the top is cooked -- until the sides are well set and beginning to brown, but the middle will still be runny.

Remove the pan from the stovetop and throw it under the broiler until the top is golden brown, about 4 or 5 minutes.

Let sit for a few minutes (we didn't do this and should have; the first pieces fell apart). Cut, sprinkle with green onions and parsley and hot sauce, and eat.

Fudge Brownies

2011-05-17T22:54:00.002-04:00

From: King Arthur

Uh... nom, nom, nom. These are really rich and delicious. I usually feel like I could eat a second brownie (I love brownies), but these were so rich that one was plenty. They are rich, dark, and fudgy but without the "underbaked" consistency that you often find in brownies. Taking a page from Heidi's book (well, the way Heidi baked brownies in the late 90's) - I sprinkled Heath Bar bits over the top of half of these. I love anything with Heath Bar in it. Anyway.... these were great. I made them to take in to work tomorrow for someone's birthday, which is good because I couldn't eat a ton of these even if I wanted to, so I'm glad they won't be sticking around my house long.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 cups chocolate chips
(heath bar bits for top, optional)

1)Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan

2)In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it's hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

3) While the sugar heats a second time, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth.

4) Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.

5) Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips.

6) Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan.

7) Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

lemon orzo with spring veggies

2011-05-09T17:13:00.003-04:00

One pot and one cutting board only! I'm going to be eating this for lunch all week. Based heavily on another lemon orzo recipe from Everybody Loves Sandwiches.

half a box of orzo
one bag baby spinach
one bunch asparagus, sliced in 1/4-inch pieces on the diagonal
handful of frozen peas
2 T olive oil
juice and zest from one or two lemons
2 fat clove garlic, minced
half an onion, minced (red would have been better)
about 2 T grated parmesan
1/3 c feta cheese, crumbled
good grind of black pepper
almonds or chickpeas (optional)

Cook orzo in salted water until it's about half done, stirring frequently. Throw in the asparagus and peas and cook until everything is tender.
Turn off the heat and add the spinach, stirring until wilted.
Drain it all.
Throw everything else in but the feta. If you use feta, you probably won’t need salt, but adjust seasonings to your taste. Wait until it's fairly cool to put in the feta so it doesn't melt in.
ELS also puts freshly roasted almonds on top, which sounds delicious and would add some protein.

WW points: 5(-ish) per cup

Spring minestrone

2011-05-08T17:05:00.004-04:00

I'm making this soup right now, and just commented to Ernie "this is everything good about spring, all in one pot."
I also lightened up the original recipe just a bit, by adding more green and less potato. I'm sure it's lovely with all that potato, but then I can't justify eating it as often as I'd like to.

1 Tbsp olive oil
6 green onions
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 pound fingerlings, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 quart vegetable stock
Salt
1/2 pound artichoke hearts (I used those lovely frozen ones from Trader Joes)
1 15-ounce can of chickpeas
1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 cups greens (dandelion, chard, spinach, kale, arugula, etc), sliced into thin ribbons (I used rainbow chard)
Up to 1/4 cup pesto
Grated parmesan or pecorino cheese for garnish (I will omit, sadly)

Chop the green onions and green garlic and separate the white and light green parts from the green tops. If you are using regular garlic cloves, put them with the white parts of the green onions. Slice the potatoes and artichoke hearts into chunks you would want to eat with a spoon.
In a large pot set over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil for 1 minute. Add the white parts of the green onions as well as the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the potatoes, stir to combine and cook 1 minute.
Add the diced tomatoes with their liquid and the quart of vegetable or chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, add salt to taste, then cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the artichoke hearts and cook another 5 minutes, then add the chickpeas and green peas and cook another 5 minutes. Remove the cover from the soup and add the asparagus. Cook 2 minutes. Add the greens and the green parts from the green onions and green garlic, if using. Stir well to combine and cook 1 minute.
Turn off the heat and stir in the pesto. Serve topped with grated cheese.

(6 WW points)

Salmon with mustard-herb crust

2011-05-08T16:58:00.003-04:00

And yet another Weight Watchers recipe. This one was also surprising, because it didn't taste like diet food at all.

3 Tbsp rosemary, leaves, fresh, chopped
3 Tbsp thyme, fresh, leaves, fresh, stemmed
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 spray(s) cooking spray
1 1/4 pound(s) salmon fillet(s), with or without skin, Atlantic, skinless (four 5-ounce pieces)
4 Tbsp Dijon Mustard, regular or grainy-variety
Instructions

Turn on the broiler and get it nice and hot.
Mix the rosemary, thyme and pepper in a small bowl.
Spray the bottom of the fish fillets with nonstick spray.
Spread 1 tablespoon mustard on the top of each fillet. Sprinkle about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the herb mixture on top of each.
Place herb side up on the grate directly over the heat. Cover the grill and cook until the fish flakes when gently scraped with a fork, about 12 minutes. Transfer to plates with a wide spatula. Yields 1 fillet per serving.

(4 Servings, 7 WW Points per serving)

Chicken and peppers with chimichurri sauce

2011-05-08T16:56:00.003-04:00

Another Weight Watchers recipe. I think we were all surprised how good it really was.

1 cup(s) parsley, fresh, leaves
1/2 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, leaves
1 clove(s) (large) garlic clove(s), smashed with the side of a knife and peeled
1/4 cup(s) water
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 spray(s) cooking spray
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz pieces
1 medium sweet red pepper(s), sliced into 1-inch strips
1 medium orange pepper, sliced into 1-inch strips
1 medium yellow pepper(s), sliced into 1-inch strips
Instructions

In a blender, place parsley, cilantro, garlic, water, vinegar, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend on high, pulsing, until a smooth sauce is formed; set aside.
Coat a stovetop grill pan with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Place chicken in pan and grill until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side; remove chicken from pan, cover to keep warm and set aside.
Off heat, recoat grill pan with cooking spray and set pan back over medium-high heat. Place peppers in pan and cook until grill marks show on peppers, about 3 minutes per side. Serve chicken and peppers drizzled with chimichurri sauce.

(4 Servings. 4 WW points per serving)

Mashed cauliflower and potato

2011-05-08T16:50:00.004-04:00

Weight Watchers calls these "mock mashed potatoes" but honestly? Just call them what they are -- mashed cauliflower with a few potatoes thrown in.
In any case, it's really good. And doesn't completely alleviate my craving for mashed potatoes, but are a good substitute.
And Katie liked them, too.

8 oz cauliflower, florets
3 small uncooked Yukon Gold potato(es), peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 10 oz) (I used red potatoes)
2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), peeled
1 tsp table salt, divided
1/4 cup(s) low-fat milk
2 tsp butter
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp chives, fresh, snipped

Place cauliflower, potatoes, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil until vegetables are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain and return to saucepan.
Stir in milk, butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper; mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in chives and serve. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

(2 WW Points per serving)

Turkey Swedish meatballs

2011-05-08T16:42:00.003-04:00

Meatballs are a favorite with the little smaller members of our household, so I'm always looking for a new way to make them.
I lightened these up from the original recipe, so that it didn't cost me as many Weight Watchers points. Yes, I'm becoming that person.
Still, they were good.

½ cups Minced Fresh Onion
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
20 ounces, weight Lean Ground Turkey
1 whole Egg
½ cups Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
1 teaspoon Ground Allspice
¼ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
1 whole 14.5 Oz. Can Low Sodium chicken broth
3 Tablespoons All-purpose flour
¼ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
½ teaspoons Salt, Or To Taste
¼ cups Light Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In small skillet, heat olive oil over med. heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute 2-3 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
In medium mixing bowl, combine turkey, onions and garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, 1 T. Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 T. parsley, allspice, and nutmeg.
Shape meat mixture into 1″ balls and place in baking dish. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through.
Pour broth and flour into a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake vigorously minutes, or until flour is dissolved.
Pour mixture into large skillet with lid and add remaining Worcestershire, black pepper, and salt to taste.
Heat to a boil over med.-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to med-low and stir in sour cream. Add meatballs and cover. Simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over egg noodles, if desired.

(6 servings, 4 WW Points per serving)

Pavlova with Berries and Dark Chocolate Sauce

2011-05-05T22:10:00.004-04:00

From my favorite domestic goddess, Nigella Lawson.

If you are a fan of Nigella then you know that she includes at least one recipe for a pavlova in pretty much every cookbook. This one is from Feast and I adapted it a smidge and added chocolate sauce on top. Note, this is NOT a dessert that you make at the last minute. The pav needs to bake for 1.5 hrs and then be allowed to cool completely in the oven. The rest comes together in a snap, tho. Also, it looks magnificent and the guests at the dinner party where I served this dessert were thrilled. Also? Gluten-free.

Really important note: DO NOT USE egg whites from a carton. It will result in a fail. Use whites from eggs you cracked yourself being very careful not to get a single speck of yolk in them. Save the yolks for use in making ice cream or custard.

Makes 10-12 servings.

For the pav:

8 egg whites
pinch salt
2.5 C sugar (super-fine if you have it)
4 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp champagne or white wine vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2.5 C heavy whipping cream
3 C assorted berries (I used macerated strawberries and added blackberries before serving)
dark chocolate sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment and trace a 10" circle in the middle; set aside. In the bowl of your mixer, add egg whites and salt. Whip at high speed until satiny peaks form. Beat in sugar 1/4 C at a time until meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over cornstarch, vinegar and extract and whisk to combine. Mound onto baking sheet within the circle and smooth sides and top with an offset spatula. Put in the oven and IMMEDIATELY reduce temp to 300. Bake for 1.25 to 1.5 hrs. It will have risen and cracked on the top and a little around the sides. If it is not dry and crispy looking on the outside give it a little more time in the oven. When done, turn off oven and open door, leaving the pav inside to cool completely.

When ready to serve, whip the cream until soft and fluffy but not stiff. Invert the pav onto a serving platter and mound whipped cream on top. Spoon over berries and drizzle chocolate sauce (warm slightly if need be for ease of pouring) over top. Serve immediately and be sure to eat it all up. This is not a dessert that can be easily stashed in the fridge to be eaten later. The cream will separate a bit and the pav will get soft and mushy. And, OMG, this is one heavenly dessert. It is light and airy yet satisfying.

spicy peanut orange sauce

2011-04-30T14:09:00.005-04:00

I made this to go to on a stirfry that also included Alissa's delightful baked tofu, which made me realize that with tofu, you can throw the leftover marinade directly into a sauce without worrying about cooking it first the way you do with chicken marinade. Then you feel pleasantly non-wasteful like Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The amounts aren't really important -- I really just threw stuff in -- so I wouldn't necessarily call this a recipe, but I liked the combination and wanted to remember it.

For the tofu marinade:

few glugs of soy sauce
few glugs of rice vinegar
one or two glugs of this Wegman's stirfry sauce I like, although teriaki or something just a little bit thick and sweet is probably good

Once the tofu is off baking or frying or whatever, combine leftover marinade with:

about 1/2 c orange juice
a few big spoonfuls of peanut butter
little more soy sauce & rice vinegar
squirt or two of sriracha or other spicy thing
large-ish dash of red pepper
dash of ground ginger
dash of garlic powder
fistful of cilantro

Whizz it all up with the immersion blender and then pour over your stirfry. The sauce is pretty thin and I had a whole lot of it, which was kind of nice because it really soaked into the rice and coated all the veggies.

Turkish Haroset

2011-04-23T22:56:00.002-04:00

From: New Jewish Holiday Cookbook

I made two versions of haroset for a seder on Thursday night. The first was a combination of apples, cinnamon, walnuts, honey and wine. It was good, but this version was better. Everyone loved this stuff and several people asked to take some of the extra home. I have a container of leftovers in my fridge (I made a double batch of both versions and it was way too much), and I had some for breakfast this morning, scooped up with pieces of matzoh. I also had some as a snack yesterday, spread on a rice cake. It makes a great snack. This version is easy to whip up in the food processor.

15 pitted dates, cut in half
1 large apple, peeled, cored, cut into eighths
1 medium navel orange, peeled, cut into chunks
1 cup any kind of raisins
1/2 cup walnut or pecan pieces
1/2 cup slivered almonds
about 2 Tbsp sweet red Pesach wine (any type)
additional navel orange slices for garnish, optional

Put the dates, apple, orange, raisins, walnuts and almonds into a food processor. Pulse several times. Add the wine and process to form a soft, slightly coarse mixture. Transfer to a shallow bowl and garnish with slices of orange around the edge of the bowl. Refrigerate until needed. It will keep for several days in the fridge, covered.

Makes about 3 cups.

Asian turkey meatballs with lime sesame dipping sauce

2011-04-17T17:38:00.003-04:00

Add "meatballs" to "tuna noodle casserole" and "mushrooms of all kinds" on the list of foods I never thought I'd like but now I love.

Original here. I stir-fried a bunch of vegetables separately and tossed them with the leftover dipping sauce.

1/4 cup panko crumbs
1-1/4 lbs 93% lean ground turkey [I used ground chicken]
1 egg
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions, chopped
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil

Dipping Sauce

4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce [I think I doubled this because it didn't seem like enough sauce]
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp fresh lime juice [I just squeezed a whole lime]
2 tbsp water
1 chopped fresh scallion

Preheat oven to 500°F.

Mix ground turkey, panko, egg, salt, scallions, ginger, cilantro, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp oil and mix with your hands until combined well. Shape 1/4 cup meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

For the dipping sauce mix together lime juice, water, soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a bowl. Add scallions.

Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with 1 tablespoon sauce.

Serve meatballs with remaining sauce, about 1 tbsp per person. Chances are you won't use all the dipping sauce.

Servings: 4 • Size: 3 meatballs • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 229.1 • Fat: 11.1 g • Carbs: 8.5 g • Protein: 24.3 g

Moosewood beet salad

2011-04-17T17:30:00.002-04:00

I was flipping through the Moosewood low-fat cookbook last night looking for some inspiration.
Here's a surprise, I found inspiration in beets.
This is adapted from the recipe in the book.

4 large shallots, peeled
6 golden beets, ends and leaves trimmed

Wrap the beets and shallots up in foil, and bake in the oven for a little over an hour at 400 degrees.
Take out, let cool.
When cool, rub the skin of the beets so that it falls off. Quarter (or smaller, if needed) the beets and the shallots and put in a large bowl.

Combine:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar (or regular balsamic)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Pour the vinaigrette on top of the beet mixture and combine. Refrigerate for a while to let the flavors meld, serve cold or at room temperature.