The Meat and Potatoes Foodie

All I Want for Valentines is Buffalo-Blue-Cheese-Crusted-Filet Mignon.

2012-01-30T10:25:00.000-08:00

Clearly I was influenced by all the buffalo chicken wing Super Bowl recipes on TV recently. Because I had filets, blue cheese (is it okay that I spell it 'blue' because Wikipedia told me it was) and Panko bread crumbs. And this is what came out. Coincidentally I just secured my husband for another couple years. Until he meets the master-of-chocolate-super-hussie. Then I'm toast.

Buffalo Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon
Serves 2. Unless you don't mind yourself makin' weird, 'private moment' faces in front of company. Then by all means double or triple it!

Ingredients:
2 best quality beef fillets, set out of the fridge for 30 minutes to knock the chill off
salt and pepper
olive oil/butter is optional for the steak fanatics

'Crust':
1/4 cup blue cheese
1 oz cream cheese
2 teaspoons white wine or vermouth
small pinch fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon (or more) Franks Red Hot Sauce
2 teaspoons chopped chives or green onions, plus extra for garnish
1 cup panko in a wide bowl for coating

How To:
Preheat the oven to 400.

Combine the blue cheese, cream cheese, wine or vermouth, pepper, hot sauce, and green onions together in a small bowl with a fork until well blended. Use your hands to pat them into 2 patties. Carefully press them - one side, then the other - firmly but gently into the panko crumbs. Do what it takes to make them adhere. Fight stubborn with stubborn - but not to the point that you obliterate your patties. Keep a cool head.

Place the patties on a small baking sheet lined with aluminum foil sprayed with nonstick spray. Set aside while you sear the filets.

Meanwhile, pat any extra moisture off the fillets with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a small pan over medium heat (enough to get a good sear.) Add enough olive oil JUST to lightly coat the bottom. You can add a small bit of butter if you're a steak purist. Let the oil heat through 1 minute. Add the steaks (if the oil doesn't hiss a little, remove them immediately and wait until the oil heats up more.) Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the first side has a nice dark crust on it and the steaks easily move when you try and pick them up. Flip to the other side and cook the same way - just until you get that crust. Remove and transfer to a small baking sheet and put in the preheated oven for 6 minutes (8 minutes for well done.) Remove, tint lightly with more foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, drizzle a small bit of olive oil over the top of the blue cheese patties. Put in the oven for 6-8 minutes (also at 400) until the tops are light golden and the patty has 'melted' a bit but not oozed completely lifelessly all over the damn place. See photo above for reference.

Use a spatula to carefully place on top of each fillet and serve. Garnish with additional green onions.

*Notice how many times I spelled 'fillet' differently? Wikipedia was no help on this one therefore I felt it my duty to cover it both ways. Or so I tell myself...

Pimiento Cheeseburger Bread for the Super Bowl (& how I learned to love football.)

2012-01-25T15:50:00.000-08:00

I officially lack the football gene. It certainly wasn't a 'nurture' problem. My entire family loves football. Case in point - my twin nephews helped Lake Travis earn their record breaking 'Five for Five' State Championship this year. Football's always been a part of my life. I grew up in Texas for Gods sake. Houston Oiler games were a part of my childhood.

And while the men from the serious relationships in my life (husband included) were all completely different animals, the one thing they had in common was an almost unhealthy obsession with...football.

Lord knows I've tried to make it work. And tried. But it always ends up the same. I zone out. I start thinking about the pedicure I need or wondering how long that hole's been in the couch or more commonly - slipping into the kitchen to make snacks for those screaming at the TV for yet another play I don't understand.

Come to think of it, maybe football and I have the perfect relationship. Because football = food. And there's nothing I love more in the whole world than an excuse to be in the kitchen coming up with things to feed people. Well look at that... Closure after 34 years. Hooray football!

Pimiento Cheeseburger Bread
* This is a 'bread' in the sense that olive or cheese bread is bread. I.E. it's more like a French Bread Pizza. If serving for a party, cut into 2 inch thick slices. Or if serving as a meal, serve just as you would French Bread Pizza, preferably with a refreshing salad alongside.
* Makes 8 'pizzas' or 32 appetizer slices for a party.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup light mayo
1/4 nonfat Greek yogurt
7 oz shredded lowfat (2%) shredded cheddar
1 (8 oz) block sharp white cheddar, freshly grated
4 oz diced pimiento, drained
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
several dashes worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
1 lb lean ground beef
2 large French Bread baguettes

How To:
Preheat oven to 375.

Brown the ground beef in a nonstick skillet just as you would for tacos, seasoning with salt and pepper as you cook. You want the beef cooked through but not over cooked (crispy) as it's going to be put in the oven later. Remove from the heat and transfer to a tray lined with paper towels to drain. Set aside and let cool.

Meanwhile start with the pimiento cheese. In a large bowl, combine the mayo, yogurt, cheeses, pimiento, mustard, cayenne, garlic powder, worcestershire, and a pinch salt and pepper. Once well blended, add in the cooled ground beef mixing well.

Slice the baguettes in half then open them up lengthwise. Spread each quarter with the pimiento cheese mixture (lay it on thick!)
Transfer to 2 baking sheets lined with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup) and sprayed with nonstick spray.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until the filling is bubbling and molten and the tops have just begin to brown a little. Let cool slightly before serving or slicing into smaller pieces to serve as party food.

Cheesy Baked Ravioli, Lightened Up

2012-01-18T13:10:00.000-08:00

In light of Paula Deen's big news this week, posting a healthier take on comfort food felt appropriate. What does everyone think of her Diabetes announcement? I have to say my first reaction was sadness and worry for her and my second was disappointment. I love Paula and have watched her for years and never once heard her preach 'moderation.'

Just the gospel of butter. And sugar. And more butter.

Anyway I'd love to know what everyone thinks. I'm not one to throw stones - believe me - I haven't raised the speed on my treadmill over 3.5 since December...or was it October? But it really bothers me that she knew she had diabetes for 3 years and still went on deep frying chicken pot pies and making doughnut cheeseburgers for 'entertainment' sake. At least Giada doesn't pretend she's really scarfing down all the dishes she makes. Since day 1, she has always said she takes 2-3 bites of something and is done with it. I myself fall somewhere in the middle. I could never take just 2 bites of pasta or anything worth eating and be done with it. What would be the point of making it in the first place? I'd rather pile on the fresh veggies, go light on the cheese, then dig in like it's running away from me.

And on that note here's a lightened up (but still cheesy) baked ravioli. It starts with good 'ole store bought ravioli (light) which you don't even have to boil beforehand. Bonus. Double bonus is the fact that it's also a two pot dish, the second of which is the dish you serve it out of.

And for triple bonus points, you can even assemble this the night before you make it if you like and refrigerate it. And I like.

Cheesy Baked Ravioli, Lightened Up
* You can assemble this the night before or the morning of the day you're going to serve it, cover in plastic wrap, and keep in the fridge. To bake off, place in a cold oven turning the oven to 375 and add an additional 10 minutes to the baking time.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large shallots, finely chopped
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
4 cups fresh spinach (not baby), roughly chopped
plenty of freshly grated nutmeg
1 (9 oz) package light, four cheese ravioli (I use Buitoni)
1 1/2 cups jarred tomato sauce
3/4 cup cubed fresh mozzarella (or to make it even lighter, sub low fat grated mozzarella)
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup grated parmesan, divided
kosher salt and pepper, for seasoning
red pepper flakes, optional

How To:
Preheat oven to 375.

Add the olive oil to a large, rimmed nonstick skillet. Put over medium heat and let heat through for 1 minute. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and sauté for 4-5 minutes just until soft. Add the mushrooms, another small pinch of salt, and sauté, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes or until the mushrooms have released their liquid and wilted down a bit. Add in the spinach (and a pinch more salt) and sauté stirring often just until they've lost their shape. You want them to look just how they would if you were serving sautéed spinach, but not so wilted down that they're dark green mush. A little body left in them is okay because you're going to cook them more in the oven. Stir in the freshly grated nutmeg and remove from the heat.

Let cool down for five minutes, then stir in the tomato sauce, ravioli, mozzarella, parsley, 2 tablespoons parmesan, and a pinch of black pepper (and red pepper flakes if desired.) Spoon into a greased baking dish (9x9), smooth the top over with the back of your spoon, then sprinkle the last 2 tablespoons parmesan evenly over the top.

Bake covered in foil at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes just to let the parmesan brown a little. (If you want a cheesier crust - then put more parmesan on top.)

Remove and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Triple Chocolate Nut Clusters (Courtesy of your Crock Pot)

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

My mom makes a similar version to these with Spanish peanuts and milk chocolate. Thanks to my husband I am now partial to dark chocolate (obsessed actually - my preference for super dark i.e. the kind that can strip paint actually scares him.) Anyway his mom brought these with her from Georgia when she visited this past Christmas. They are SO good.

This makes an obscene amount, so hopefully you have plenty of friends to give them to. And if not - you're about to!

Triple Chocolate Nut Clusters
* from Christmas With Southern Living 2006, Oxmoor House
2006

Ingredients:
1 (16-ounce) jar dry-roasted peanuts
1 (9.75-ounce) can salted whole cashews
2 cups pecan pieces
18 (2-ounce) chocolate bark coating squares, cut in half
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
4 (1-ounce) bittersweet chocolate baking squares, broken into pieces
1 tablespoon shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:
Combine first 7 ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker; cover and cook on LOW 2 hours or until chocolate is melted. Stir chocolate and nuts; add vanilla, stirring well to coat.
Drop candy by heaping teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let stand at least 2 hours or until firm. Store in an airtight container.

Croque Madame Pizza with Spinach and Prosciutto

2012-01-04T11:27:00.001-08:00

All the loveliness of a croque madam sandwich only better. Because it's pizza y'all.

If you've never had a croque madam, let me tell you what you're missing. Take the best ham and cheese sandwich ever assembled, smother it in a gooey, cheesy beschemal sauce, then broil it until the top is perfectly golden, yet molten and bubbling underneath THEN top the whole thing off with a perfectly fried egg so that when you cut into it, the golden yolk dribbles down over the whole thing, uniting the creamy cheese, salty ham, and slightly sweet bread as one celestial being.

Croque Madames are the single reason you can drink until 7 in the morning in Cannes, then get up at noon and do it all over again. The key is to get one from the Gutter Bar (actually a Croque Monsieur, sans egg) right before you pass out.

Anyway, this pizza captures all of the love and lust of a great croque in pizza form. Instead of slaving over a beschemal sauce on the stove, a similar flavor and texture is achieved through combining goat cheese, parmesan and sour cream (or creme fraiche) together as a spread in addition to fresh chopped spinach which turns it a whimsical, Emerald Isle color.

Of course this pizza would be delicious even without the egg and prosciutto, but if you're going to go to France for the evening, why not live a little?

Ingredients:
1 round homemade or store bought fresh pizza dough
1 cup (packed) finely chopped fresh spinach
4 oz goat cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
zest of 1/2 lemon
lots of fresh grated nutmeg (scant 1/4 teaspoon)
1/3 cup parmesan, plus extra for garnish
3 tablespoons sour cream (or ricotta or creme fraiche)
pinch red pepper flakes
black pepper

olive oil, for drizzling over cheese spread
2 eggs, set out for 10 minutes
4-6 slices of prosciutto, or as much as you like

How To:
Divide the dough in half (you don't have to - but it looks cuter when each pizza gets its own egg in the center versus 2 eggs on 1 larger pizza.)

Roll each pizza out to your desired thickness and transfer to an aluminum lined, non stick sprayed baking sheet (2 if necessary.)

Preheat oven to 425.

In a medium bowl, combine the chopped spinach, goat cheese, salt, lemon zest, nutmeg, parmesan, sour cream, and peppers until well blended. You can do this earlier in the day if you like and keep the mixture covered in the fridge until you're ready to assemble.

Spread the mixture out onto your prepared dough, either with a butter knife or using your fingers - whatever works for you. Try to get it as evenly across the dough as possible but don't worry if it clumps up in places as long as some of it is anointing the entire dough.

Bake at 425 for 5-6 minutes, JUST until the edge of the crust begins to set (whiten) but not yet becoming golden or crispy. Remove the pizzas and whop up the heat to broil (500). meanwhile, working quickly but carefully, crack an egg right over the center of each, then carefully (slowly so you don't sling the egg off) but immediately return to the oven now set on broil on a high shelf. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the edges are golden and the egg has 'set' (is no longer a wobbly mess when you lightly shake the pan. It's okay for the yoke still to be a little runny - in fact that's the goal - but you want the whites cooked and the crust and cheese to be nice and golden.

Remove and immediately cover with a bit more parmesan cheese and little strips of prosciutto torn up with your fingers - as much as you like.

Let sit another minute to finish setting the yolk, then slice and serve. Voila!

Happy New Year Black Eyed Peas

2012-01-01T19:24:00.000-08:00

Either I'm officially getting old or cream cheese can make me like just about anything. Happy New Year to you and yours!

Happy New Year Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients:
11 oz fresh black eyed peas
1-2 tablespoons olive oil, just enough to sauté onion in
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, preferably not baby
2 tablespoons diced green chiles, from a can
3 oz cream cheese
2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

How To:
Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add in black eyed peas. Return to a boil and boil until tender but not mushy, about 7 minutes. When ready, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, add oil to a large rimmed sauté pan and put over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and sauté until tender and translucent. Add the spinach, cooking for another minute or two until the spinach begins to wilt a bit. Next stir in the cream cheese and chiles, lowering the heat slightly and stirring until the cream cheese has melted into the onions. Add in the parmesan and black eyed peas, stirring well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve right away or at room temp.

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls. The end all. Be all. Amen.

2011-12-26T11:18:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas darlings! Was Santa good to you? Did you get the brand new Red Ryder Carbine-action BB Gun you were dreaming of, or your own personal equivalent?

I had a wonderful Christmas. Great food. Great gifts. Great family time. And as usual, I'm a little flattened that it's already gone. So today I'm trying to stay upbeat and reflect on what I loved about this year and how to make it last longer next year. These cinnamon rolls are a new tradition. I used to be a 'bread' person - making quick breads to give to friends and neighbors. But thanks to the Pioneer Woman - I'm now a cinnamon roll person.

I gave these away to my family when they came over Christmas Eve for them to eat on Christmas morning. There is nothing like them on this earth. As you eat them, you will wonder how the hell you made something as ridiculously delicious and amazing as these. And here's the kicker - it was easy. Time consuming, sure, but easy. And this is coming from someone who still hasn't mastered the art of pie crusts so trust me when I say I'm not a naturally gifted baker.

Just like her pizza dough, this is a semi fool proof dough. Very forgiving. Very laid back. All you need is a ton of clean counter space and a pair of blinders to distract you from how much butter goes into the recipe. But then again, I only make these at Christmas, so I say bring it on!

One of the thousands of reasons I love these is you can make them in stages, starting with the simple process of whipping the base together in a large lidded pot on the stove top. Once risen later on, you can just stick the top on and keep the dough in the fridge for up to 3 days until you have another chunk of free time to roll them out. The only trick is you CAN'T forget to check on the dough every couple of hours that first day in case it's risen up enough to lift off the lid. All you have to do is punch it down again and put the top back on - but if left it to its own devices for too long it just might take over your refrigerator. Dough is a little science fiction-y that way.

And even later, when you roll it out and assembled the rolls, you can refrigerate them again for a couple of days before you bake them off and ice them (just cover them well and be sure to set them out 15 minutes before baking so they can rise slightly in that final stage.)

Anyway - the fact that you can split up the process this way makes these much more manageable than the forthcoming recipe makes them appear. Here are couple more tips for this too good to be true recipe - and in the meantime - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Y'all!

* Don't be tempted to substitute a simpler icing for her recipe here. As great as the dough part is, the icing is the gilding of the lily. I could eat it out of an old shoe and be happy for it.
* I serve these with spicy sausage kolaches, you know, for a well rounded meal on Christmas morning. That recipe coming in the next post.
* You can add any variations you like to the filling - dried cranberries or cherries, pecans, etc. I think I prefer them plain as listed below with just cinnamon, sugar and butter.
* She has different amounts of butter in her online recipe for the icing than her book. I go by the book, as reflected here (mo butter mo better.)
* She says to not crowd the pan when putting these in the tins. This year I ignored her and found they came out doughier/softer when all pushed together versus having their own space. We like them this way (my husband always wants 'the middle' one) but if you like more a crust around the rolls then by all means space them out a little more, only giving 4 to 5 to each pan.

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls
Prep Time: 2 Hours | Cook Time: 30 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 5-7 round pans full (a lot of people!)

Dough Ingredients:
1 quart Whole Milk
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets (4 1/2 teaspoons)
8 cups (Plus 1 Extra Cup, Separate) All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
Plenty Of Melted Butter - I use 1 1/2 cups, PW uses 2 cups
2 cups Sugar
Cinnamon, about 1/4 cup or enough to coat entire surface of rolled out dough
Several disposable round tins and plastic wrap to cover them with
_____
MAPLE FROSTING:
1 (2 pound) bag Powdered Sugar
1 tablespoon Maple Flavoring or Extract
1/2 cup Whole Milk
3/4 cup Melted Butter (6 tablespoons)
1/4 cup Brewed Coffee
1/8 teaspoon Salt

Instructions:
For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a large lidded pan/dutch oven over medium heat to just below a simmer (DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.) Set aside and cool to lukewarm. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.
Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, then cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine.

Use the dough right away, or place the lid on it and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (Note: dough is easier to work with if it’s been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)

When ready to make the rolls, preheat the oven to 375°F.

To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan/bowl. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches (I live on the edge and do it all at once, rolling it into a 60 x 10 inch rectangle, but recommend splitting in half the first time you make these.) The dough should be rolled fairly thin.

To make the filling, pour 3/4 cup to 1 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly, or a pastry brush. Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of the sugar over the butter. Don’t be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar! Gooey is the goal.

Now, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don’t worry if the filling oozes as you work; that just means the rolls are going to be divine. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. When you’re finished, you’ll wind up with one long buttery, cinnamony, sugary, gooey log.

Slip a cutting board underneath the roll and with a sharp knife, make 1-inch slices. Pour a couple of teaspoons of melted butter into disposable foil cake pans and swirl to coat. Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd (I overcrowd but I like them 'doughier.')

Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans. Cover all the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking. Remove the towel and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until just light golden brown. Don’t allow the rolls to become overly brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the maple icing: In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, coffee, and salt. Splash in the maple flavoring. Whisk until very smooth. Taste and add in more maple, sugar, butter, or other ingredients as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency. The icing should be somewhat thick but still very pourable.

Remove pans from the oven. Immediately drizzle icing generously over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor. They only get better with time… not that they last for more than a few seconds. Make them for a friend today! It’ll seal the relationship for life. I promise. - PW

15 Reasons Why You Need This Pie. (Dulce De Leche, Chocolate, and Sea Salt)

2011-12-14T07:09:00.000-08:00

1. You need this pie because your tree is already turning brown.

2. You need this pie because you've spent more time stressing about shopping than actually shopping.

3. You need this pie because it won't give you a hangover like the eggnog did. Or the Christmas-tinis you made to get yourself in the mood to wrap presents but just put you in bed by 9.

4. You need this pie because you haven't sent out Christmas cards yet.

5. You need this pie because you haven't bought Christmas cards yet.

6. You need this pie because your cat crapped on a present that took you 45 minutes to wrap because you have the dexterity of an embryo and can't afford gift wrapping.

7. You need this pie because of what happened in the Target parking lot yesterday.

8. You need this pie because you just ran out of wine.

10. You need this pie because not only do you need to get all of your nieces and nephews Christmas presents but also birthday presents for the past 5 years.

11. You need this pie because you just placed your order without realizing you had a coupon.

12. You need this pie because your dog just ate the cat poop off the present under the tree.

13. You need this pie because you just ran out of vodka.

14. You need this pie because by God you're going to find the holiday spirit somehow, someway, even if it means shoving it into your mouth.

15. You need this pie because it's Christmas.

Merry Christmas, Y'all!

The 'Merry Christmas' Pie (Dulce de Leche, Chocolate and Sea Salt)

Ingredients:
1 store bought, refrigerated pie crust, blind baked and cooled
1 (13.4 oz) can dulce de leche (to make it more pourable, you can scoop it into a microwave proof bowl and heat up for 10 seconds or so)

Chocolate Pudding Layer:
3 Tbs cornstarch
1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup half-and-half
1 1/4 cups milk [I used skim milk, because that's what I had on hand. It came out delicious. Use what you like.]
1 cup sugar
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Top Layer:
2 cups sweetened whipped cream (add 1/4 cup confectioners sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla), or Cool Whip
Chocolate shavings, for garnish
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, optional

Directions:
Pour the dulce de leche into the baked and cooled pie crust, spreading or swirling around to create an even layer. Set aside while you make the pudding.

For pudding:
In bowl, whisk cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt; whisk in half-and-half. In saucepan, heat milk, sugar and chocolate over medium heat, stirring, to melt chocolate. Whisk in half-and-half mixture. Cook, whisking, until filling begins to bubble; cook, whisking, until very thick, 1 minute. Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla. Spread over the dulce de leche layer in the prepared crust; cover with plastic wrap (laying it over the pudding so no ugly 'skin' forms. Chill thoroughly, at least 4 hours.

Remove the pie from the fridge. Spread the whipped cream (or Cool Whip) over. Garnish with shaved chocolate, and sea salt and serve right away. If not eating/serving the whole pie right away, do not add the salt over the pie but sprinkle over individual slices so you don't make the topping watery when store in the fridge.

Pioneer Woman's Simple Perfect Enchiladas

2011-12-12T09:10:00.001-08:00

These enchiladas, while delicious, redefine the term stick to your ribs.

Proceed with caution.

Pioneer Woman's Simple Perfect Enchiladas
Prep Time: 1 Hour30 Minutes | Cook Time: 20 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 6

FOR THE SAUCE:
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce
2 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
_____
FOR THE MEAT:
1-1/2 pound Ground Beef
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
1/2 teaspoon Salt
_____
FOR THE TORTILLAS:
10 whole (to 14) Corn Tortillas
1/2 cup Canola Oil
_____
TO ASSEMBLE:
3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Chopped Black Olives
1 cup Chopped Green Onions
1/2 cup Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Step #1 – The Sauce
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes.

Step #2 – The Meat
Brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside.

Step #3 – Tortillas
Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.

Step #4 – Assembly
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle cilantro over enchiladas before serving.

Quick and Easy Overnight Stir Fry

2011-12-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

Y'all when I threw this together the other night I'd had a couple glasses of wine and had no idea if it would even be edible the next day. It seems I've replaced my sipping and clicking habit with sipping and marinading as this was the exact same way I came up with my Broken Spoke Pork Chops.

Anyway, all you do is throw all of the marinade ingredients and beef together in a ziploc, chill overnight, then fry up in a wok the next day. It's kind of like frozen food you assemble yourself and is super flexible to your own tastes. If I'd have had red bell pepper, I'd have added it. And on the contrary, if I hadn't of had any of the post marinade additions (onion, peas, baby corn), I think it would've been lovely just the way it was. Though I'd have missed those damn baby corns...

Baby corns! How do they make them? Where do they come from? When I was little I stayed up at nights worrying that the miniature farmers who harvested them would get washed away in a flood or something. But then again, I spent a lot of time alone as a child...

Quick and Easy Overnight Beef Stir Fry

Marinade Ingredients:
1 lb beef sirloin, sliced thin on the diagonal
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 fat green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 fat/2 small garlic cloves, rough chopped or smashed
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1 large carrot, sliced into thin rounds
Throw all of the above into a large ziploc, smush around to incorporate, and refrigerate overnight.

Ingredients for Stir Fry:
couple dashes vegetable oil, enough to lightly coat bottom/sides of wok pan
Half of small onion, cut into 1/4 inch thick slivers
1/3 cup frozen peas
large handful of baby corn, plucked and drained from a jar
Cooked white rice, for serving.

Directions:
Assemble marinade ingredients and chill overnight in the fridge or at least 8 hours.

When ready to cook, heat a wok or large rimmed skillet over medium/high heat and add enough olive oil (not extra virgin) or vegetable oil just to coat the bottom generously. Let heat through for 1 minute, then add the sliced onion and saute, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes, just to take the 'bitter' off. Add the contents of the beef marinade (all of it) and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the beef is mostly cooked through. Stir in the peas and let heat through, another 2 minutes or so. Finally add in the baby corn and cook another minute.

Serve over white rice.

Seared Pork Chops with Prosciutto, Mushrooms, and Wine

2011-12-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1-2 tablespoons olive oil (just enough to lightly coat a nonstick pan)
2 boneless pork chops, about 3/4 to 1 inch thick (neither the super thin scallopini ones nor the crazy double cut ones)
salt and pepper for seasoning
1 cup Cremini mushrooms, large ones quartered and small ones halved
1/2 cup white wine (or just enough to create a super shallow pool for the chops to sit in)
5-6 fresh sage leaves
3 slices prosciutto, folded in half length-wise and snipped into lardon (little strips) with kitchen shears
splash chicken stock
small pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
handful chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions:
Season both sides of the chops with salt and pepper and set aside. Add the oil to a large nonstick skillet and bring over medium heat. Let heat through for a couple minutes or until the oil moves freely in the pan when tilted then carefully add the chops, leaving them alone for a couple of minutes to brown. Once you have a golden sear, flip to the other side and add in the mushrooms distributing evenly around the pan (they all need contact with the heat and oil - don't let any sit on the chops at this point.)

Stir the mushrooms occasionally around the pan while the pork browns on the second side. After 2 minutes, pour in the white wine and bring to a simmer over medium/high heat. Once simmering, add in the sage leaves, prosciutto, a splash of stock and nutmeg. Let simmer another minute, then remove the chops and set aside while you finish the sauce. Basically you want the amount of moisture to reduce a little and the prosciutto to continue to infuse its flavor for a bit longer without over cooking your chops.

Once the liquid has reduced a little (careful though to not let the pan dry out or you won't have a sauce!) - lower the heat to its lowest setting and remove from the heat a second while you stir in the butter and a teensy bit more of salt and pepper (if you're salt sensitive check it before adding.) Add the chops back into the pan, scoop some of the sauce/mushrooms/prosciutto over the chops, garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley and serve.

Spicy Grilled Buttermilk Chicken

2011-12-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

Spicy Grilled Buttermilk Chicken

Ingredients:
1 quart buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
big handful chopped cilantro
1/3 cup chopped green onion
2 jalapenoes, seeded, deveined and chopped
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or Franks Red Hot Sauce, optional
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried mustard powder
pinch fresh cracked pepper
3-4 pounds chicken pieces. A mix of boneless, skinless breast cutlets and skin-on drums and thighs or whatever you like.
Additional chopped green onions and cilantro, for garnish

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix buttermilk, shallots, garlic, cilantro, green onion, jalapeno, hot sauce, salt, sugar, cumin, mustard, and pepper. If you have an extra large ziploc, you can brine the chicken in a bag to save fridge space. Otherwise you a bowl and be sure to cover it with plastic wrap when chilling.
2. Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry. Trim off excess fat on skin pieces. Submerge chicken pieces in buttermilk brine. Cover and chill overnight or at least for 8 hours. Remove from fridge one hour before grilling to take the chill off.
3. Lift chicken from brine; and gently shake off excess herbs and garlic. Blot gently with paper towels (they don't have to be really dry but just not dripping), season lightly with more salt and pepper, and set aside while you prepare the grill do medium heat.
4. Grill for 5-6 minutes per side or until cooked through (dark meat may take longer.) Serve hot with extra tabasco on the side and/or a dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce, Optional (Pesto also works well!):
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
handful minced cilantro
handful chopped green onions
1/2-1 teaspoon Frank's Red Hot Sauce, or Tabasco to taste
pinch salt and pepper

Mix together, cover, and keep chilled until ready to serve.

Aunt Glynn's Chewy Cake

2011-11-26T12:11:00.000-08:00

This is so easy to put together it's dangerous. You literally dump everything into a bowl, stir it up and pour it into a baking pan. I added this at the last minute to our Thanksgiving line up and I'm SO glad I did. It's what I ended up picking on the most while watching the Texas/A&M game (what? did someone just say poor Aggies?) ;)

It should be noted that this really isn't cake-like at all but more like a blondie (brownie) with extra chew from the shredded coconut. The misnomer didn't bother me though. I mean would you really care if Brad Pitt was named Clarence or even Dweebie? And besides whatever the hell it's called - it's delicious. Plain by itself... Dunked into brandy-spiked egg nog... Over vanilla ice cream... Eaten at 1 in the morning after too many Gueros margaritas... Or after church service. Yes church service is what I meant to say.

Anyway - Happy Holidays Y'all! And God Love Ya Aunt Glynn - whoever you are.

Aunt Glynn's Chewy Cake
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, mildly adapted by yours truly;)
* Easy peasy to throw together at the last minute!
Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients:
1 (1-pound) package light brown sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
1 stick butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for greasing (or nonstick spray)
3 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 (7 oz) package chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or a lil more)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 7-1/2 by 10-1/2 inch baking pan or glass dish with either butter or cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, and butter. Add eggs and vanilla and stir well. Fold in coconut, pecans, chocolate chips and salt until well combined. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted through the middle comes out clean. Cool the cake completely in the pan before cutting it into squares.

Pumpkin Pie with Vanilla and Orange Zest. Happy Thanksgiving Y'all.

2011-11-23T14:36:00.000-08:00

It took me a few years to appreciate the tradition of the Thanksgiving feast. I tried to make it fancy one year, then tried to skip the turkey tradition altogether, and once even to streamline it, doing away with the all-you-can-eat-buffet that we always seem to end up with. But finally I realized that's exactly the point.

So yet again I'm gearing up with the traditional line up. Sausage cornbread stuffing, sweet potato souffle, turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, and the obligatory pumpkin pie (though I did shake it up a little this year adding in some orange zest and vanilla bean - deeelish!)

Happy Thanksgiving y'all and enjoy it no matter what you eat or how you celebrate!

Pumpkin Pie with Vanilla and Orange Zest

Ingredients:
1 unbaked store bought refrigerated pie crust (deep dish)
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
seeds from 1 vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
grating of fresh nutmeg
zest of 1/2 large orange or a whole smaller one
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Whipped cream, for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.

In a large bowl, mix together the puree, eggs, sugar, vanilla, spices, and zest until well blended. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk and salt then pour into your prepared unbaked crust.

Bake for 20 minutes at 425, then lower the heat to 375 and bake another 40 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean. You might also need to 'tent' the edges of the crust with aluminum foil if they get to dark while baking.

Let cool and serve with whipped cream if desired. Keep chilled.

Merry...Thanksgiving?

2011-11-18T06:50:00.000-08:00

Making dinner the other night I was flipping through the channels when I saw Wheel of Fortune hosting from...the North Pole. I had to check my wine for poison and then my calendar. It was a full week and a half before Thanksgiving let alone Christmas. What happened to decorating with pumpkins and fall leaves or even a ceramic turkey?

But Vanna and Pat weren't the only ones. It seemed the Christmas (PC term - Festivas?) fever had already spread beyond the point of me worrying about it. The grocery store was all decked in holly with Karen Carpenter blasting from the speakers, the ghost decorators had already begun bedazzling the Cedar trees on 360 in red and gold, and truth be told - I was glad for it. It just goes by too fast y'all. (Though I do feel bad for Thanksgiving - will it soon be renamed Christmas, Part 1?)

Anyways sorry to jump on the 'skipping ahead to Christmas' bandwagon but my Thanksgiving recipes are all going to be pretty standard this year aside from doing the turkey on the Big Green Egg which I'll share with you later so I thought I'd post The Homesick Texan's Strawberry Guajillo Jam. This jam would make a fantastic gift or stocking stuffer. And if you're leery of making homemade jam like I was - don't be. Easy as pie y'all. Just make sure you put hot jam in a hot, just sterilized jar (you can do it in the dishwasher) and that's all there is to it.

This jam is lovely - the only kind Kris will eat now - not spicy but with just enough kick to be interesting. Come to think of it - it'd be fantastic on a leftover turkey sandwich instead of the usual cranberry sauce!

Strawberry Guajillo Jam, from The Homesick Texan
Yields 2 pints.
* Very easy but allow for 4 hours of letting the strawberries to sit before making.

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 cups granulated sugar
1 dried guajillo chile, stem and seeds removed OR 1/4 teaspoon dried guajillo powder
1/2 cup lime juice
pinch kosher salt

Equipment:
2 pint-size jars or 4 half-pint size jars with lids and bands

Directions:
Toss the strawberries in a pot with the sugar and let stand for 4 hours until soft and juicy.

Place a plate in the freezer. Dice the dried guajillo and add it to the strawberry pot (or powder) along with the lime juice, salt and 1/4 cup of water. Bring the pot to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, sterilize the jars and lids in either a pot of boiling water or dishwasher (just don't do this too early or the jars will become too cool - you want them still hot when you put the jam into them.)

After 30 minutes, take the plate out of the freezer and place a spoonful of the jam on the plate. After a minute, tilt the plate, and if the jam doesn't run then it's ready. If it does run, cook it for 5 more minutes and test again. Continue to test until it doesn't run.

Pour jam into hot jars, leaving a bit of headspace. Cover with lids and fasten with rings. Allow to cool and then refrigerate. I find that it can last for a few months in the refrigerator.

PS - I already might have already started decorating...

Creamy Parmesan and Lemon Chicken

2011-11-15T10:46:00.000-08:00

This is one of those recipes you can make as is or bedazzle the hell out of. Mushrooms, olives, or artichoke hearts would be welcome additions though it's pretty damn good as is. I labelled it 'fast' because you don't have to saute the shallots or green onions first but can just chop and mix them with the rest of the ingredients. Even better you can whip up the 'sauce' the night before and keep in the fridge until you're ready to assemble. Or even assemble the whole dish, cover it, and refrigerate overnight before baking off uncovered in a cold oven at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Though it's not a pretty dish I'd serve this to friends who wouldn't judge me for it. Come to think of it I wouldn't serve food to any other kind. And since I'm laying it all out on the line here, I have to admit if I had my druthers, I'd flatten the chicken a little to keep the sauce-to-chicken-ratio equal from start to finish. Because at the end of the day, ain't it all about the sauce?

Creamy Parmesan and Lemon Chicken
* recipe easily doubled. As is, sauce will accommodate up to 3 medium chicken breast cutlets

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets
1/2 cup sour cream (light is fine)
3 oz cream cheese (sold in little 3 oz packages in some stores)
2 teaspoons whole grain dijon mustard
1/4 cup white wine or chicken stock (use less salt if using stock)
1 fat green onion, chopped plus another for garnish
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
zest of a small lemon or 1/2 of a large
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan, plus additional for topping (if desired)
pinch black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a tiny pinch to season breasts
pinch red pepper flakes, optional
handful chopped fresh basil, optional

Directions:
Spray a small/medium casserole dish with nonstick spray and set aside. Meanwhile, mix together the sour cream, cream cheese, dijon, wine or stock, green onion, shallot, garlic powder, lemon zest, Parmesan, peppers, salt and basil if using in a medium bowl.

Place your chicken breasts in your greased dish, lightly season with salt and pepper, then pour the sauce evenly over and around the chicken covering them completely.

Either cover and refrigerate overnight until baking or bake right away at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until the edges of the dish are bubbling and the chicken is cooked through. If topping with extra Parmesan, be sure to sprinkle it over in the last 10 minutes of baking so it gets brown but doesn't burn. Garnish with additional green onions or fresh herbs and serve with rice or noodles.

*As stated above, if you are assembling this ahead and refrigerating it, place the dish uncovered in a cold oven, heat to 350 and bake for 35 minutes just until the sauce around the edges is bubbling and the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Hummus Pizza with Kalamata, Feta and Basil

2011-11-09T20:11:00.000-08:00

I made this a few weeks ago when Kris was out of town. That's about the only time I can get away with making a pizza covered in hummus. But that doesn't stop me from fantasizing about it. Night after night.

After night.

Hummus Pizza with Kalamata, Feta and Basil

Ingredients:
1 fresh pizza dough crust, rolled thin to about a 12x14 inch diameter
Small handful cornmeal or grits, optional
10 oz store bought hummus (I prefer Sonny & Joe's, found at Whole Foods) mixed with zest of 1 lemon
3 zuchinni cut into 1/4 inch dice (don't leave this out! The sweetness against the salty feta and kalamata MAKES it!)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup feta cheese
3 tablespoons roughly chopped kalamata olives (seeds removed)
Couple handfuls fresh basil

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 then grease a large rimmed cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Add the diced zuchinni, drizzle with just enough oil to coat, season with salt and pepper and and roast at 375 for 35 min. Set aside while you prepare the rest.

Kick up the heat to 450 or 500, depending on what your instructions are for your particular pizza dough. Transfer the dough to a greased cookie sheet (I like to sprinkle some grits or cornmeal on the sheet before adding the dough onto it for texture and easier removal) and bake until the crust is just golden and beginning to brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and spread with the hummus/lemon zest mixture. Sprinkle the roasted zuchinni evenly over the top, then the oregano, feta and kalamata. Finish with fresh basil, cut and serve (add salt/pepper if desired.) Slice and serve.

Cheeseburger Pie and Going Back to your Roots.

2011-11-07T14:15:00.000-08:00

Like that classy paper plate, huh? i thought so. Well I don't have a lot of time lately between work and my new (old) hobby horseback riding. I grew up riding horses. It was the reason I got up in the morning until I discovered boys... and fashion. Long story short, I got a horse in college from country star Clay Walker. It's not as fancy as it sounds. She wasn't pricey and was what they call a 'short sale' because Clay's (ex) wife despised the woman she bought her from and wanted to get rid of her quickly out of spite. Anyhow the horse - Barbie - had to stay behind in TX when I got my first advertising job in San Francisco.

We wouldn't reunite for almost 4 years when Kris and I moved to Minnesota for another advertising job where I could finally afford to board her. There was only one problem. In those 4 years Barbie had gone completely lame (if your daughter or son ever wants a horse - God help you.) I tried corrective shoes, chiropractics, what have you which got us by for a year or so before it was clear she would never really be ridable again. So finally I did what any self respecting animal lover would do and shot her.

Just kidding. I bred her so she could at least do something she'd always wanted to do (seriously - she's the only mare I've ever known to actually cry every time she sees a colt.) So Barbie had a little girl - Dolly (named after Dolly Parton as she too is a palomino. All my creativity goes out the window when it comes to naming horses.)

So no sooner is Dolly born than we get another job in NYC. Us ad folk aren't known for our loyalty... Anyhow the girls had to stay behind until I could ferret out an affordable place to board them in New Jersey. Dolly grew up there, finally started training, and then Kris and I decided to risk our entire future and move back home to Texas.

Once again the girls went for a long car ride. So now that we were back where we started I had a lame mama horse (pasture ornament) and her half broke yet well travelled daughter. It took another year - just this past vacation break - for me to have the time to really work with my wonderful trainer and Dolly to figure out what the hell I was doing (still working on it, with the black and blue thighs to prove it.)

And it sounds so completely stupid, but now that I'm back in the saddle again - finally - I've never been happier. If you're not doing what you loved doing when you were 8 years old then you should stop reading right this second and go take it up again. And (clunky segue) here - the same logic applies when it comes to recipes. As fancy or exotic as my tastes may get in my old age, it's always the old school, basic recipes that really curl my toes.

Take Cheeseburger Pie which is just as it sounds. A layer of ground beef topped with tomatoes topped with a cheddar and bisquick mixture that some how forms a crust that brings it all together. The shallots, green onions, and spices are all optional. Just don't forget the salt and pepper or it'll be the great disappointment pie.

Cheeseburger Pie
Feeds 6-8, depending on side dishes.

Ingredients:
teaspoon oil
½ cup chopped shallots
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch kosher salt
1 pound ground beef
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 teaspoon dried mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon chili powder
pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
½ teaspoon worchestershire sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, or as much as you like
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk (low fat is fine just don't use skim)
3/4 cup biscuit baking mix (Bisquick, y'all)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Spray a large deep dish pie plate with nonstick spray and set aside.

Add the oil to a nonstick skillet and put over medium heat. Let heat through for 1 minute then add the shallots and garlic, seasoning with a pinch of salt and some fresh cracked pepper. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until beginning to turn translucent then add the beef, breaking up with your wooden spoon. Continue cooking until the meat has browned. Drain the beef mixture in a colander, return the beef/shallot/garlic mixture to the pan and stir in the green onions, dried mustard, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, red pepper flakes, and chili powder (and more pepper if desired.)

Once combined, transfer the beef mixture to the sprayed pie plate, pressing down to spread evenly. Press into an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Meanwhile combine the drained tomatoes with the worchestershire, ketcup and salt (I do it right in the tomato can.) Pour the mixture over the beef, distributing evenly.

Spread the shredded cheese evenly over the tomatoes. Then in a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, biscuit mix and a pinch of salt just until combined. Pour over cheese. Bake at 400 degrees F in the center of the oven for 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Let rest/set up for 10 minutes, uncovered, before serving. Serve with a salad for a whole meal.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T11:16:00.001-07:00

Hope y'all stay and warm tonight and that no vampires get ya. Here's a commercial we worked on over the summer for Jameson that I think is fitting for today. If you watch American Horror Story on FX you might have already seen it.

Anyway, Happy Halloween! And Boo!

The Legend of the Hawk of Achill

Witches' Puss (Pea, Kale, and Mozzarella Soup)

2011-10-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

Finally a little fall in Texas! Just in time to make it really feel like Halloween weather.

This is just my favorite pea soup recipe with a bit of thawed frozen kale added in. It's the only way I can sneak kale into my husband so I'm betting it would work on kids too. If you have any youngin's going trick or treating on Monday, this would be a great way to get some food into them before the sugar orgy.

Pea Soup with Fresh Mozzarella and Kale
*You can adjust the thickness of the soup by leaving some of the stock out of the blender (use a strainer or spider to pull out all the veg), blending all the veg and cheese together first before adding all the rest of the stock to suit your preferences.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced
2 green onions (can sub fresh basil, parsley, mint or whatever herb you have on hand)
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 (10 oz) packages frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped frozen kale, thawed, optional
1 large ball fresh mozzarella, broken into small pieces

Instructions:
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, allowing to warm though, then the shallots. Season with salt and pepper and saute for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add green onions and chicken stock, cover and bring to boil. When boiling, add the peas and kale and lower the heat, allowing to cook just until the peas achieve that bright green color - about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool for twenty minutes before blending. Discard the green onions and transfer the peas, shallots and kale using a slotted spoon to a blender. Add half of the chicken stock, and carefully blend (CAREFUL WHEN BLENDING HOT LIQUID - PULL OUT THE PLASTIC CENTER FROM THE TOP TO ALLOW STEAM TO ESCAPE AND COVER LOOSELY WITH A KITCHEN TOWEL OR ELSE YOU'LL WIND UP WITH PEAS SOUP ON YOUR CEILING. TRUST ME - I'VE DONE IT.) Add as much of the leftover stock as you'd like to reach the constistancy you're happy with, then add in half of the mozzarella pieces blending in to incorporate. When happy, put back in the large pot and cook over low heat, until warmed through. Serve with extra mozzarella pieces sprinkled on top.

Boo! Tres Leches Loco Cake.

2011-10-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

I'm back! It's the tale end of my vacay and I took a break from it ALL - even my computer. I rode my horse every day and got outside and ate a lot of good food and road tripped a little. And now it's almost over. Scary, indeed.

Anyhow I have a lot to share with you - including some eleventh hour Halloween recipes. So buckle up and hang on!

First off I bring you Tres Leches Loco Cake. From the beloved Pioneer Woman who does wicked, magical things with a can of condensed milk.

What? This cake is ugly, you say? Well I never claimed to be a professional baker. But hell if I don't enjoy doing it!

Tres Leches Loco Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 cup Sugar, Divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/3 cup Milk

For pouring over after baking, whisk together the following:
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (5 fluid oz) evaporated milk
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
2 teaspoons rum, or to taste
dash of maple flavoring (maple extract) or vanilla extract

For the Icing:
1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping and 3 Tablespoons Sugar OR Cool Whip

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool (I just cooled in the pan and served it from there - up to you.)

Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, rum and extract in a small/medium bowl. When cake is cool, gently pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can. (USE THE LEFTOVER MIXTURE FOR SERVING OVER ICE CREAM - DELICIOUS! WILL KEEP UP TO 4 DAYS COVERED IN FRIDGE.)

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable. Or use Cool Whip (works better for transporting.)

Decorate, or not.

Ginger Soy Pork Chops A La Crock Pot

2011-10-11T09:02:00.001-07:00

Don't let the ugly picture scare you away. This recipe is delish. And if the word crock pot scares you or seems a bit WT for your taste, you must have a lot more free time than I do. Please share your secret to mastering the universe in the comments section below.

Ginger Soy Pork Chops A La Crock Pot
* Serves 2, can double recipe for 4 servings.

Ingredients:
2 thick bone-in pork chops
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 smashed garlic cloves
1 inch chopped fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon orange zest, optional
chopped green onions, for garnish

Directions:
First you need to whisk all the soaking ingredients together either in a large bowl or even in a ziploc until all blended together. Gently pour into your crock pot then add the chops turning them over in the liquid to be sure every bit has been blessed. Turn the crock on low heat and cook for 6-7 hours, turning the chops occasionally to be sure every side is getting equal liquid love (I had to stack the chops on top of one another because my pot is from the 70's - you won't have this problem if yours is newer/wider.)

Check for doneness with a knife before serving and DON'T let them cook for too long past this stage or they'll get tough (if mine are cooked I'll turn the pot off for an hour or so if we're not ready to eat then turn it back on 20 minutes before serving so they warm through again.)

Serve over rice with extra juice from the pot and green onions for garnish.

Filet Mignon with Red Wine and Porcini Mushroom Sauce. Hell to the Yeah-Uh.

2011-10-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

I am in love with Porcini mushrooms despite the fact they smell like feet when you rehydrate them. Luckily they don't taste like feet. They taste like the most intense, flavorful mushroom you ever had, just without the use of psychotropics. If you don't like mushrooms well, we just don't have much in common, do we? Just kidding. But not really...

Perhaps the real reason I love Porcini mushrooms so much is that they just sit there in my spice drawer month after month waiting to become something tasty. They don't have to be cooked within a few days of buying them like fresh mushrooms do and they add SO much flavor to everything from risotto to side dishes to sauces. Basically they're like a super stealth secret weapon just laying low until called upon to make it rain in the kitchen. Which is just what they did last night.

I now have the answer to what my final meal would be if I ever end up on death row. These steaks, a baked potato, and roasted asparagus.

Filet Mignon with Red Wine and Porcini Mushroom Sauce
Serves 2. Recipe easily doubled.

Ingredients:
2 filet mignon, let sit out of the fridge for 45 min, then liberally seasoned with salt and pepper
Olive oil, enough to just coat bottom of a small/medium rimmed skillet
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
.75 oz dried Porcini mushrooms, reconstituted in 1 cup hot water for 30 minutes (reserve broth)
3/4 cup red wine
1 teaspoon Worchestershire
scant 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of the porcini broth
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.

As stated in ingredient list, reconstitute your dried Porcinis in hot water for half an hour. Onwards and upwards now.

Heat your small/medium skillet over medium high heat. Add just enough olive oil to create a thin layer on the bottom of the pan and let heat through for 1 minute (you want that sear when you add your cow to the pan, sorry Moo Moo.) Add the steaks and let brown on one side - not touching them - for about 3-4 minutes depending on thickness. Use tongs to see if they'll lift easily. If not, let them be another minute before trying again. If so, go ahead and carefully flip to the other side and cook another 3-4 minutes until you have a nice crust. Remove and transfer to a medium baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Place in the oven for 6 minutes for medium rare (about 8 for medium and 4 for bloody.) Remove and tent with foil for 10 minutes before eating - which gives you just enough time to make the sauce!

For the sauce, add the shallots to the residual oil/fat in the skillet from frying the steaks and reduce heat slightly if they sizzle up too quickly/furiously. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then cook stirring often until translucent. About 3-4 minutes. Once translucent, add in the strained Porcinis (reserving broth), red wine, Worchestershire and rosemary. Bring to a boil then scrape up any browned bits from the bottom and stir occasionally, letting the mixture reduce by half - a few minutes or so. Once reduced, and while still boiling, stir in the cornstarch/Porcini broth mixture. It should only take 30 seconds or so at a boil for the mixture to thicken, then kill the heat and stir in the tablespoon butter.

Taste for salt/pepper - if it tastes 'okay' but not 'holy sh*t' then add a good pinch of salt, stir and taste again. A little salt is all that's keeping you from heaven at this point.

Serve the sauce spooned heavily over the rested steaks (again I love these steaks with good ole baked taters and roasted asparagus.)

Honey Pecan 'Fried' Chicken with Hot Sauce Butter

2011-10-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

This is slap-yourself-in-the-face good. Hot, crunchy, spicy, sweet. Serve with extra hot sauce butter and honey on the side to dip the chicken in as well as any sides that are dip-able I.E. biscuits, sweet potato fries, phalanges, what have you. Or if you'd like to eat it as portrayed in my spectacular photo (kidding!) make the herbed goat cheese grits at the bottom of this post. And remember it's 'oven-fried' so pat on the back, buddy. Way to go.

Pecan Crusted Chicken with Hot Sauce Butter and Honey
Chicken and Marinade:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon coriander
3 fat sprigs fresh thyme
4 garlic cloves, smashed
2 dried bay leaves
fresh cracked pepper

Chicken Coating:
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped pecans
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Hot Sauce Butter:
4 tablespoons melted butter (I use salted) combined with 1 tablespoon Frank's Hot Sauce, or more to taste

Honey:
1/4 cup or so, for drizzling over hot baked chicken

ASSEMBLY:
Add the buttermilk to a large ziploc along with the sea salt, smoked paprika, coriander, thyme, garlic and pepper. Mix well then dunk the chicken breasts in, seal, and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Remove from the fridge 45 minutes before cooking.

Preheat your oven to 375. Drain the chicken, pat dry and place in a rimmed glass or ceramic baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray. Lightly season with salt and pepper, then gently spoon the chicken coating (above) over the chicken trying to cover every exposed surface and applying in as even a layer as possible. Now you drizzle the hot sauce butter over the top using a spoon - use a zig zag motion and pour in a thin layer - you don't need to douse the chicken (though you could) - just give the coating enough moisture to achieve that 'bake-fried' texture.

Cover the dish with foil and cook on the center rack for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook another 15-18 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the chicken juices run clear when pierced with a knife (unless breasts are very thick - they should be cooked through by 25-28 minutes.) If at any point the topping begins to blacken, recover with foil. Let rest 5 minutes before serving, drizzling liberally with honey.

Herbed Goat Cheese Grits:
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 fat peeled garlic clove
3/4 cups quick grits
2 oz goat cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
pinch fresh cracked black pepper
handful fresh minced basil
handful fresh minced flat leaf parsley
pinch fresh chopped rosemary

Add the chicken stock and garlic to a medium lidded pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the grits and slowly stir in. Lower the heat to medium/low - just until the liquid is gently simmering and no longer boiling. Cook, stirring continuously until the grits have thickened to your liking - usually abotut 7-8 minutes for me. Kill the heat and stir in the goat cheese, parmesan, pepper and herbs. Serve right away, removing garlic clove if desired.

Grilled Fish Tacos with Ginger Basil Crema

2011-10-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

These tacos were pretty good but to be honest I could eat this sour cream sauce on just about anything. Maybe even tofu. It's a shame I'm not a real country girl or I'd shoot the raccoons destroying my yard at night and try it on them. But for now, fish tacos will do.

Grilled Fish Tacos with Ginger Crema Sauce
Serves 5.

Ingredients:
1 lime, zest and juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon coriander
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
handful chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
2 smashed garlic cloves
1 jalapeño (deveined and seeded for less heat) roughly chopped
1 1/2 pounds mahi mahi
Extra limes for squeezing over after grilling

Plenty of tortillas, wrapped in foil and warmed in a low oven
Ginger Basil Crema, recipe follows
1 1/2 cups fresh Pico De Gallo (Chop a fresh tomato, jalapeno, small white onion, and giant handful fresh cilantro. Squeeze over the juice of 1 lime, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a minced garlic clove if desired.)

Directions:
Add the marinade ingredients - the lime juice, zest and lime carcass through the jalapeno to a large ziploc and squish around to make sure everything's well blended. Add in the mahi mahi, seal and refrigerate for 4 hours. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before grilling.

Set the heat to medium/high heat (around 400) and oil the grates. Remove the fish from the marinade shaking off any excess herbs or marinade bits and gently pat dry. Season with a little more salt and pepper and add to the grill - skin side down. Cook for about 10-12 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when probed with a fork. Let rest for 5 minutes, then slide a spatula between the skin and flesh to get the flesh away from it (no skin in my tacos, please.) Squeeze a lime wedge or 2 over the cooked fish, taste for salt/pepper adding more if necessary.

Serve in warm tortillas with pico de gallo and ginger basil crema, recipe follows.

Crema Sauce:
1/3 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons light mayo
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, or more to taste
handful chopped, fresh basil
zest of half a lime
tiny pinch salt and pepper

Cinnamon Butter Cookies

2011-10-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

Another one from Martha's "Cookies" Book, actually called Buttered Rum Meltaways. Someone quite close to me went on a psychotic baking spree during the holidays last year, froze these (unbaked) in logs wrapped in parchment wrapped in ziplocs, recently found them again in her freezer, baked them off and found them good as new... nine months later.

I won't mention her by name. She'd be embarrassed. It would be awkward. And so on. That said if you were to do such a thing as her it helps to add some edible glitter to the powdered sugar you roll them in to make them feel more 'now.'

Buttered Rum Meltaways (Cinnamon Butter Cookies, because that's what they taste like to me)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
good pinch edible glitter, available at baking supply stores or online, to toss with remaining powdered sugar

Directions:
Whisk flour, cornstarch, spices, and salt in a bowl. Put butter and 1/3 cup powdered sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in rum and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and gradually mix in flour mixture.
Divide dough in half. Place each on a piece of parchment paper; shape dough into logs. Fold parchment over dough; using a ruler, roll and press into a 1 1/4-inch log. Wrap in parchment. Chill in freezer 30 minutes (up to 1 month).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap logs. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; space 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until just golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool 10 minutes. Gently toss warm cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar and edible glitter (optional) in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 2 weeks (or frozen, unbaked and in logs, if you're Alisa Sengel Wixom for up to 9 months if triple wrapped in parchment and two ziplocs, prior to slicing, baking, and tossing in remaining sugar.) ;)

It's beginning to look like...Halloween! (and Carrot Ginger Soup)

2011-09-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's not even October yet. You're probably thinking I'm some Halloween freak who already has my house, yard, and bathrooms decorated. And you'd be right.

Now that that's out of the way...let's talk carrot ginger soup. Why do I think of soup when it comes to Halloween, you ask? Well here's where I pour you some sparkling apple cider (alcoholic at my house) and pull you up a chair. Several years ago, Kris and I got a bug up our bottoms to leave San Francisco and head for the midwest. The promise of having a 'normal life' or at least something more like what we had growing up in Texas - i.e. a house and a yard and a mortgage - made us glaze over with excitement, shunning the naysayers who said "Fargo?"

So off we went, buying a 1905 Victorian house near Lake Calhoun. Our first fall there was the first 'real' fall Kris and I had ever had. Leaves turned into orange confetti and fluttered through the air like a scene from Charlie Brown. Mittens were broken out by October 1st along with hats and snow boots and I thought I was living in the middle of an after school special.

About that time, a friend told me how it was a tradition in the Minnesota neighborhood where she grew up to give kids soup after trick or treating. At first it sounded weird to me (who wants soup when you have a bag of candy?) but when Halloween came around, I got it. It was damn freezing out and most kids actually had to flash their Halloween costumes at us like miniature perverts because it was already so cold out they were hidden under huge down coats! Of COURSE they'd want a bowl of hot soup once they were finished pounding the freezing pavement all night for a sugar high - probably along with a blanket and a nip of brandy...or hot chocolate.

Hearing this tradition made me want to raise 10 kids in the freezing midwest just so I could partake in it. But then second winter came hitting negative 5 degrees before Thanksgiving and I changed my mind (though I could brine a whole turkey in a bucket on the back mud porch - loved that!)

Anyhow, that's why I think of soup at Halloween. And what soup could be more perfect than one that's this color?

Carrot Ginger Soup
Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) salted butter
1/2 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (use a 1 inch knob for more ginger flavor)
3 shallots, chopped medium dice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 pounds carrots, cleaned, ends removed and sliced into thin coins
1/4 teaspoon coriander
pinch kosher salt
pinch fresh cracked pepper
4 cups (32 oz box) low sodium chicken stock

Directions:
Add the butter to a large dutch oven and put over medium heat. Once melted, add the ginger, shallots, and garlic. Saute, stirring often, until the shallots are translucent, lowering the heat a little if at any point the garlic begins to brown or crisp. Add the carrots and coriander, salt, and pepper, and saute for 20 minutes - until the carrots have softened and the begun to brown along the bottom of the pan. Raise the heat to high and pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, give a good stir to ensure nothing's stuck to the bottom of the pan, then lower the heat so that the soup is just simmering with the lid closed - not hot popping mad boiling. Let simmer for 30 minutes, then kill the heat and move the pot to a cool burner and let cool for another 30 minutes.

Use a ladle to add, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Once all blended, return to the pot over low heat, if eating right away to heat through, taste for salt and pepper and make any last minute adjustments before serving.

Broken Spoke Pork Chops

2011-09-27T15:38:00.001-07:00

These have no official affiliation with The Broken Spoke other than I had just come back from a late night there seeing Mr. Dale Watson with friends when I remembered we had gone to Central Market that day and bought some delicious fat and juicy pork chops. Sensing I might be hungover the next morning (who, me?), I decided there was no time like the present (3 am) to go about marinating them.

I went with my gut throwing things in the marinade that sounded good to me at that hour. Luckily those things actually tasted good the next night when we came back from the lake - starving - and threw them on the grill.

And that's the story of how these became the Broken Spoke Pork Chops. Good night. (PS - rude super huss waitress who yelled at us to leave while Dale was graciously chatting with us - you have a fat granny ass. Night y'all;)

Broken Spoke Pork Chops

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (no need to peel)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, rubbed between your fingers
4 small dried (Turkish) bay leaves, crumbled up with your fingers
Juice of 2 limes, reserving the bodies to cut up roughly and add to marinade
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
Good pinch red pepper flakes
Couple grinds of fresh black pepper
Fat sprig of fresh basil
2-4 bone in, healthy pork chops

Directions:
Add the olive oil, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, lime juice and chopped spent limes, salt, red pepper and black pepper, and basil to a large ziploc or sealing marinade bag. Close and smush everything around until well combined then immerse the chops in the marinade, turning over several times to be sure they're well coated. Refrigerate overnight - remove one hour before grilling to let the chill come off. Grill at medium/high heat for 4-5 minutes per side - depending on thickness. Remove and cover with foil to let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Italian Pepperoncini Beef for Lots and Lots of Sandwiches.

2011-09-27T14:28:00.001-07:00

This is one of those recipes that is so simple your first instinct is to just skip it altogether or try and give it some jazz hands. But you'd be crazy to do either. It's perfect just the way it is.

It makes a TON so it's ideal for laid back parties (my favorite kind) or for when you want something you can make a lot of meals out of during the week when you're really busy.

A few years ago we had house guests staying with us and they went through the whole batch in one day while Kris and I were at work. Needless to say I don't recommend eating it all in one sitting unless you want to volunteer for a meat sweats study, but this will keep in the fridge for up to five days to make sandwiches out of. Go for the best quality sourdough rolls you can get your hands on and don't forget to toast them. Sourdough + Italian Beef + Melted Provolone = Mama Mia!

Italian Beef, For Sandwiches
* From Charlotte Wixom.
* You can adjust the heat if serving to kids. I.E. only use half the jar of pepperoncini and juice and add 1/2 cup of water or beer to the crock pot make up for the moisture.

Ingredients/Tools:
1 (3-4 lb) beef roast (sirloin, shoulder or rump)
2 (1 oz each) packages dry Italian dressing mix (Good Seasons brand)
1 (16 oz) jar pepperoncini peppers, whole or sliced
Slow Cooker
Provolone slices, for sandwiches
Sourdough rolls or buns, toasted, for sandwiches

Directions:
Rinse the beef off with cold water and pat dry. Add the beef to your crock pot then sprinkle the packets of seasoning over and pour the jar of peppers - with the juice - all over and around the meat.

Put the top on and cook on low for about 10 hours or until the meat shreds easily with a fork. (You could also start this in the morning for the first two hours on high, then put on low for the remainder of the day if making for a party that night.) Once the meat pulls apart easily, let it cool for 20 minutes before shredding with two forks. If using whole pepperoncini, remove the stems and slice them up a little if desired.

Serve the meat on toasted sourdough rolls with slices of provolone cheese.

Let cool before storing leftovers. Leftovers should keep for up to 5 days in the fridge well sealed.

Pioneer Woman's Mac and Cheese

2011-09-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I was so excited about The Pioneer Woman's show premiering on Food Network that the first episode was a massive letdown. It wasn't the show's fault. It's just because I had built my expectations up to epic proportions...like Ed McMahon knocking on my door or waking up to double D's.

Now that the initial disappointment has passed I am utterly hooked. How could you not be? I mean it's too good to be true (full disclosure - part of me still believes PW is a fictional creation of the media. Home schooling 4 kids while maintaining the most popular food blog of all time AND writing cookbooks AND making your family dinner every night while professionally photographing it AND looking cute as all get out... Self doubt, anyone?)

Anyway it prompted me to make her mac and cheese for my most recent family gathering. I get a little giddy when I get to make an old fashioned recipe that can feed an army. My nephews and niece are all over 5'7" and they're all under 17 (I'm 5'4" on a tall day) so they can MOW THROUGH SOME FOOD. And I love it.

Cheers to family. And to old fashioned recipes. And to the pioneer woman.

Pioneer Woman's Macaroni and Cheese
* mildly adapted
Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cook Time: 15 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 8 as a meal, 12-14 as a side dish

Ingredients:
4 cups Dried Macaroni (1 lb box)
1 whole Egg, beaten
1/4 cup (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
2-1/2 cups Whole Milk
3 teaspoons Dry Mustard
1 pound sharp cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated if possible
3/4 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt (OLD BAY is what I use)
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
pinch fresh grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. DO NOT LET IT BURN.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in all the cheese besides a half cup and stir to melt. Add salt, seasoned salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and/or seasoned salt as needed. DO NOT UNDER SALT. Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Smoked Tomato, Goat Cheese, and Sausage Pasta

2011-09-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

The other day I was going through my cabinets when I came across a stove top smoker, still in the box. Oops. I'd bought it over two years ago never used it. I happened to have Roma tomatoes on hand and the next thing I knew I was drizzling them with red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and smoking them.

I let them go for a few hours until they were halfway to the 'sun dried' phase - wilted but not completely shrunken - then tossed them with olive oil, fennel seeds, garlic powder, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes.

At this point I knew I had something special on my hands. Part of me wanted to hoard them in a jar in the fridge but hunger got the best of me and soon I was mixing them into pasta. If I die right now I'll feel like I accomplished something. These tomatoes are that good - rich, smokey and sweet. A haunting combo. They would also make a fantastic appetizer stuffed with a little goat cheese and fresh thyme...but I digress.

If you don't happen to suffer from my gadget affliction and own a stove top smoker, no matter. That can be solved in a matter of seconds. Do it.... DO it....

I can't wait to experiment with what to smoke next!

Smoked Roma Tomatoes, for Pasta, Appetizers, or Anytime
Ingredients:
6 Roma tomatoes, cut in half, length-wise
Red wine vinegar, for drizzling
salt and pepper

Place your stovetop smoker on a gas burner. Add a pinch of cherry wood chips to the center then place the rack inside. Scatter the tomatoes over the rack, cut side up, then lightly drizzle them with red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Shut the top leaving a half inch crack and set the heat to medium. As soon as you see smoke coming from the crack, shut the top all the way and smoke the tomatoes for four hours, checking on them every half an hour or so after the first hour to make sure you don't need to adjust the heat. (If it's blackening too quickly, lower the heat, if not much is happening after the first hour, raise it a little.)

After four hours, the tomatoes should be thoroughly shrunken and be about half the size they were, but not withered to the sun dried phase. Remove them from the smoker with tongs and toss with the following in a glass or plastic lidded container:

1/4 teaspoon thyme, rubbed between your fingers
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Couple dashes garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 large bay leaf or two small
2 tablespoons olive oil

Set aside until ready to use or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. To make the pasta, continue to the following recipe:

Pasta with Smoky Tomato Sauce, Turkey Sausage, and Goat Cheese
Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1.1 pounds turkey sausage, removed from casing and broken up with your fingers or wooden spoon in the pan
3/4 pound whole wheat pasta (rotini, penne, or whatever you like)
1 cup pasta water (use 1/2 cup to deglaze the sausage/onions in pan, plus as much as needed afterwards to help the goat cheese meld into the sauce)
3 oz goat cheese
3 tablespoons Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves plus additional sprigs for garnish

Directions:
Add the butter to a medium/large dutch oven and put over medium heat. Add the onion, season with a good pinch salt and pepper and saute, stirring occasionally until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the sausage and break up with your spoon as you cook it through - about 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add in a handful of kosher salt, return to a boil then add your pasta and cook until JUST al dente, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water to your onions and sausage to 'deglaze' the pan and help you scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, then use a spider to add the cooked pasta to the pan. Mix well then toss in the goat cheese, parmesan, and thyme leaves. Give a good stir to melt and break up the goat cheese, adding a splash or so of the reserved pasta liquid to help things get along, then add in your smoked tomatoes (and all the oil and seasonings.) Stir again (tomatoes will break up which is fine) and check the consistency to see if you want to add more pasta water to make it more moist and taste for seasoning. Add any salt and pepper if necessary and serve in heaping bowls garnished with sprigs of fresh thyme.

Lauren's Pan Roasted Shishito Peppers. Let the party begin.

2011-09-08T19:48:00.001-07:00

The only thing more fun than cooking is cooking with a friend that loves to cook as much as you do while another friend whips up margaritas. I was lucky enough to experience all of the above this past Labor Day weekend with our dear friends from New York. We had come back from a day on the lake (witnessing the horrific fires at Steiner Ranch), we were starving and attempting cooking on the Big Green Egg for the first time ever.

Things could have (and almost did) go horribly wrong. But then Lauren whipped up these amazing pan roasted peppers, sprinkled sea salt on them, and all was well. Three ingredients and ten minutes is all you need to create the most addictive, delicious appetizer I've ever eaten. And while generally mild, like any pepper you never really know what you're going to get which only adds to the fun of eating them. Every couple of minutes somebody yells "I got a hot one!"

Lauren's Pan Roasted Shishito Peppers

Ingredients:
15-20 shishito or padron peppers, rinsed and pat dry
1 tablespoon good quality olive oil
flaky sea salt - a good pinch or so to taste
1 large rimmed nonstick or cast iron skillet

Directions:
Put the skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and let heat through for one minute. Add the peppers and saute, flipping every couple of minutes until the sides become just blistered and deeply bronzed. You still want some green on them so don't let them completely blacken - just get some good color on them.

Remove to a serving platter and sprinkle immediately with flaky sea salt. Serve hot (though they're still good at room temp or even cold.)

Jen's Lethal Watermelon Margaritas. Because it's Monday. And Irene's gone.

2011-08-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

My sister is known for her cocktails. She recently made these margs for my niece's birthday party (for the adults.) I have to admit I'm not the biggest watermelon fan in the world but these were so fresh and clean I fell head over heels in love with them.

Mix up a batch and keep chilled in a carafe buried in a tub of ice for people to serve themselves.

Jen's Lethal Watermelon Margaritas
*It should be mentioned that my sister gave this recipe to me from memory while on her second margarita... Luckily with any cocktail recipe you can always shift things around to taste - or at the very least 'fix' it with sparkling water if it's too sweet or add Sprite or simple syrup if it's too tart/strong.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh lime juice
2 cups pureed fresh (seedless) watermelon
1 cup orange liquor (Grand Marnier or Patron Orange Liqueur)
2 cups silver tequila
lime wedges for garnish

Directions:
Mix and keep chilled up to 4 hours ahead of serving. Serve over ice with lime wedges.

Salmon over Shallot and Blue Cheese Grits with Balsamic Glaze

2011-08-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

I didn't expect to love this combination so much. It may be my new favorite. Reducing balsamic vinegar is like trying to raise a child from start to finish in 15 minutes. If you leave it alone for half a second, it will scorch and become unusable so keep a watchful eye. The upside is when reduced correctly and poured over the blue cheese grits and salmon, it is pure magic.

Salmon with Balsamic Glaze over Shallot and Blue Cheese Grits
Serves 4.

Glaze, via Giada Delaurentiis:
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed or chopped

In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, maple syrup, mustard and garlic to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until thick, about 12 minutes. DO NOT LEAVE IT ALONE AS IT CAN BURN AND BECOME A STICKY, RUINED MESS IN SECOND. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Shallot and Blue Cheese Grits:
2 TB butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
3/4 cup quick grits
1/2 cup packed blue cheese
2 TB Parmesan
2 oz cream cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Fresh thyme, from 3 stalks
Salt and pepper

In a medium lidded pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots, sauteing for 5 minutes or just until softened and becoming pink. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, stir in the grits. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook, stirring every so often for 7-8 minutes until the grits have cooked and absorbed the liquid. Reduce the heat to low if not already on low, and stir in the blue cheese, parmesan, cream cheese, oregano and thyme. Once melted in and blended, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Salmon:
Four 6-ounce center-cut salmon fillets, skinned
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the salmon on the baking sheet. Drizzle both sides of the salmon with the olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

To serve, add grits to a plate to make a 'bed' for the salmon. Add the salmon over the top and drizzle with the glaze letting the grits absorb the excess. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs.

Gale Robb's Caramelita Bars...

2011-08-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

Via my new dear friend Claire via her dear friend Hilary Sanborn. Hooray friends!

Gale Robb’s Caramelita Bars

Ingredients:
2 (14 oz) bags Kraft caramels (or new melt pellets)
1 cup heavy cream
1 ½ c butter, at room temp
2 cups flour
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ tspn salt
2 cups regular oatmeal
1 (12 oz) pkg. semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 9x14” brownie pan with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick spray.

In a double broiler melt caramels with heavy cream on low – stir until incorporated and smooth. Set aside. In a separate mixer or large sturdy bowl with a hand held mixer, combine butter with flour - adding the flour gradually, then the brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and oatmeal.

Take ½ of the butter/oatmeal mixture and gently pat into lined pan with your hands or a nonstick spatula. Bake @ 350 degrees 8-10 min. Remove from oven. While still hot, evenly sprinkle with the chocolate chips on top. Bake 2 minutes then spread the chips with a knife or offset spatula. Once spread, pour the caramel mixture evenly over. Crumble rest of the oatmeal mix evenly over on top. Bake another 15 min. Let cool completely before slicing.

Spicy Yogurt Marinated Lamb Kabobs in Warm Pita

2011-08-17T18:01:00.000-07:00

Heinous picture time! My apologies for being too impatient and lazy to learn the art of the lens. This looks like a gaping demon mouth for Christ's sake. But onwards and upwards. Lamb haters - don't click away. This marinade would be equally good with chicken or beef. Unless you love lamb (like me) in which case you know that could never be true...

But whatever meat you fancy, this marinade will make it juicier, more flavorful and more awesome. I've always wanted to be in a band called "More Awesome" but that's besides the point. Anyway, with meat this flavorful you don't even need to make a sauce or accompaniment. Just let it rest after grilling, accumulating all those magical juices, then de-skewer and cradle it up in warm pita and sprinkle with crumbled feta. If you have any patience left, chop up some green onions and flat leaf parsley to gild the lily.

Spicy Yogurt Marinated Lamb Kabobs in Warm Pita
* Austin residents - the best naan bread can be found at the Farmers Market at Barton Creek Mall at the Indian food vendor stand. SOOO good!

Ingredients:
7 oz Greek yogurt, full or low fat okay
2 green onions, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 1/2 inch knob fresh ginger, minced or grated
2 garlic cloves, rough chopped
Large handful flat leaf parsley, minced
1 medium lime, zested and juiced
1 jalapeño, chopped (seeds and veins optional)
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper
1 lb cubed lamb

Naan or pita bread, wrapped in foil and warmed in a low oven.
Feta cheese, for serving.
Chopped green onions and flat leaf parsley, for serving.
Wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least two hours.

Instructions:
In a large ziploc bag, mix together the yogurt, shallot, ginger, garlic, parsley, lime juice and zest, jalapeno, spices, salt and pepper. Add the lamb and turn around to make sure every piece is well coated.

Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight, removing from the fridge a half hour before grilling. Remove the lamb from the marinade and skewer. Preheat an outdoor or stovetop grill pan to medium. Spray with nonstick spray. Once the grill or grill pan has heated up (you shouldn't be able to hold your hand within a couple inches of it for more than a few seconds), add the skewers and grill for about 4-5 minutes per side for medium.

Remove and let rest for 10 minutes lightly tented with foil before deskewering and serving in warm pita or naan with feta, chopped green onions, and flat leaf parsley.

Mustard and Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Black Pepper, Coriander, and Thyme

2011-08-11T16:25:00.001-07:00

Please tell me you own a mortar and pestle. Not only are they perfect for cracking spices and making marinades but they're also invaluable "I've had a bad day" therapy devices. You just mentally insert someone's face inside and go to town. It's genius. The crunch, crunch, crunch of whole spices getting obliterated underneath your hands...divine.

But enough about me and my psychosis. You don't own one, you say? Let's fix that:

Buy me!

Anyway this marinade makes me so, so happy. It's like Jesus slather for meat. I even over cooked the hell out of my pork last night and it still came out tender. And the leftovers - cold on a sandwich the next day? I'm slapping myself right now.

You probably could make this without a mortar and pestle (grind the spices in a spice grinder, mush the garlic with the back of a spoon and whip it all together) but it won't be near as gratifying as crunching and mushing and mashing together your own little witches potion. But then again you might not be as easily entertained as I am.

Mustard and Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Crushed Black Pepper, Coriander and Thyme
* This would also be fantastic with beef tenderloin or as a chicken marinade.

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed with the back of a knife
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablepsoon olive oil
1/4 cup dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 nice sized pork tenderloin

Instruction:
Mash the garlic in a mortar and pestle. Add the peppercorns, coriander, dried thyme and oil, then mix and crush the seeds and pepper as much as possible creating a nice paste (you don't need to mash every single seed - just crush as many as you can.) Add the dijon and salt mixing in until well blended.

Transfer the marinade to a large ziploc. Add the tenderloin, flipping it around in the bag to make sure it's well coated. Seal and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

Remove 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 375. Line a medium rimmed baking sheet with parchment or aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray. Remove the pork from the bag and scrape off any excess lumps or big chunks and excess liquid.

Roast at 375 for 25 minutes, then raise the heat to 425 and cook another 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes, lightly tented with foil before slicing and serving.

Kris' Chocolate Salted Caramel Sauce

2011-07-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Me: I'm going to make you salted caramel sauce for your ice cream tonight.
Kris: Can you put some chocolate in it?
Me: No... It's a scientific process or something. I'm not sure if it would work.
Kris: Just try it.
Me: (mentally cursing him for being a chocoholic and a man. Salted Caramel Sauce? Really? You want to add chocolate to that? Should I throw in a cheeseburger and chili fries while I'm at it? Jesus...) I retain my composure, smile, and say-
Me: Okay, I'll try adding some semi sweet chips to half of it.
Kris: Awesome.

Cut to an hour later. I'm adding the chocolate chips into the half of the salted caramel which honestly already smelled like heaven on earth, sqaured. I grimaced, then watched the chocolate melt into the luscious caramel goo. Suddenly I knew my husband's chocolate obsession might have led to the next great creation after the internet and Spanx. CHOCOLATE salted caramel sauce. Dear God help us all.

Kris' Chocolate Salted Caramel Sauce
* This is actually excellent without the chocolate, for those chocolate haters out there.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water, plus and additional small bowl of water set aside
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 tablespoons salted butter, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon flaked sea salt
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, for melting into caramel sauce (the amount of chocolate presence is up to you)
a pastry brush, for making the caramel

Directions:
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. You can use a whisk to help dissolve the sugar - just don't let it come to a bubble. This step might take a while - up to 20 minutes. After the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. If necessary, use a wet pastry brush to wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Boil until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 8-10 minute but ovens vary so keep an eye on it and DON'T leave it alone.
Remove the sugar from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble. Stir in the unsalted butter, and salt. Finally stir in the chocolate chips until melted and incorporated into the sauce. Let cool a little before transferring to an airtight container and depositing in the fridge. To reheat, microwave at 30 second intervals and stir. Serve over ice cream or by the spoonful.

Porcini and Onion Gravy, for Roast Chicken

2011-07-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. The time when I start to dream of fall... Fall weather. Fall fashion (layers! boots! oh my!) And most importantly, fall food. I wish I could say that's the reason I made roast chicken with mushroom gravy while it was 105 degrees outside but there's actually a deeper, darker explanation.

After shooting a commercial last week in Prague, I was sent to the ER. I was having a bad stomach ache which led to chest pain which led me to not be able to breathe. In hindsight I feel like a total jack ass. They couldn't find a thing wrong with me and eventually chalked it up to exhaustion and stress (we had just completed two night shoots in a row, wrapping at 6:30 am.) All I can say is, never get sick in Prague. We had been joking the whole trip that we were going to end up in a scene from the movie Hostel and the irony is that's pretty much what happened.

Everyone in the hospital smoked (doctor, nurses, interns), the ceiling was leaking, and I counted 3 spiders on the wall of the dimly lit, sallow hallway they stuck me in for an hour before finally giving me an IV. Oh and the paramedics were laughing as they loaded me up into the ambulance. Good times.

Anyway - I'm fine thanks to the best husband in the world and the best producer in the world (thank you Josh Morse!) But as soon as I got home, I just wanted to be in my kitchen cooking homey, comforting things to make me feel rooted to the ground again. This gravy was one of them - home on a plate with roasted chicken, roasted beet salad with goat cheese, and sweet potato fries. Hurray home!

Porcini and Onion Gravy
* Makes enough for 3-4 servings of roast chicken. Easily doubled.
* This gravy isn't very liquidy - it's more like an onion and mushroom confit. If you like a runnier gravy, don't let the porcini liquid evaporate as much before adding the cornstarch mixture to thicken.
* You can make this up to two days ahead and keep in the fridge. Just reheat in the microwave and stir before serving.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
2 fat garlic cloves, peeled and gently smashed
pinch dried sage
pinch kosher salt and pepper
dried bay leaf
large handful of dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce until dissolved
1 tablespoon butter
additional salt and pepper, if necessary for seasoning

Directions:
Add the butter and oil to a medium dutch oven and put over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add in the chopped onion and garlic cloves. Add in a pinch of kosher salt, pepper, bay leaf and dried sage. Saute, stirring occasionally and lowering the heat a little if the bottom begins to scorch, for 20-22 minutes or until the onions are nice and soft and JUST beginning to caramelize,

Meanwhile, place a handful of dried porcini mushrooms in a cup of boiling water (I just bring the water to a boil in a pyrex measuring cup in the microwave.) Use a spoon to press the mushrooms down into the water, then set them aside and let them soak for 20 minutes while the onions cook.

Once the onions are softened and have begun to brown a little, pour in the white wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Let bubble away, stirring occasionally until all the liquid has evaporated. Pour in the mushrooms and water they soaked in and boil away until most of the liquid has evaporated (leave more liquid if you prefer a more liquidy gravy.) Stir in the cornstarch/Worcestershire mixture and kill the heat. Once thickened, stir in the butter and transfer to a cool burner. Taste for salt and pepper and make any adjustments if necessary. Remove bay leaf and garlic cloves (if desired) before serving.

Serve with roast chicken or pork or beef.

Salmon Burger Fail

2011-07-25T06:23:00.001-07:00

Have you ever made salmon burgers before? I made them for the first time a few weeks ago after seeing Paula make them on her show. I felt so chef-y as I ground the salmon up in the food processor from Whole Paycheck (Whole Foods) then added in the garlic, ginger, and other ingredients.

But then I grilled them and took a bite. To be fair there was nothing wrong with them. The seasoning was good and it tasted okay but for some reason I couldn't get over the fact I was eating ground up salmon. Do I need therapy? I can eat grilled salmon until the cows come home but for some reason this geeked me out.

Oh well. Onward and upward...

Chocolate Dream Pie with a Shortbread Crust...For a Crowd

2011-07-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

I made this for my dad on Father's Day. It was the first time I've actually been able to spend Father's Day with him in over ten years so I wanted to make a dessert he would really love. He did, as did my husband and myself.

You really can't put this one into words. It's rich yet light (not in the caloric sense, of course) and despite being mostly 'from the box' tastes completely homemade and special. In fact there's only one problem with it - if left alone with the pan you might start eating it and never stop. I had a vision of myself sneaking out of bed in the middle of the night, pulling the pan from the fridge and lifting it up over my head like Sloth from The Goonies.

Chocolate rain, y'all. Chocolate rain...

Chocolate Dream Pie with a Shortbread Crust
Serves 16.
*Downside - easy to do but involves a few steps, mixing bowls and remembering to leave out butter and cream cheese long enough to soften.
*Upside - can make 1 day ahead and keep in the refrigerator. Makes a boatload.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened (at room temp)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and finally chopped
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 large container (12 oz) Cool whip, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 medium bananas, sliced or 3 cups sliced strawberries, OPTIONAL
2 (3.9 oz) pkgs chocolate pudding mix
1 quart cold whole milk
whole pecans, for garnish OR berries or banana slices
Good quality dark chocolate bar, for shaving or grating over finished pie

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Cream softened butter in a standing mixer or by hand, slowly stir in flour until incorporated then nuts. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch glass or ceramic baking pan. Just take your time and press gently until an even, cohesive layer forms. It looks like it won't be enough dough but it is. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is just lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Beat softened cream cheese in a large mixing bowl or mixer until smooth. Slowly add in powdered sugar, beating after each addition until smooth. Fold in 1 cup of cool whip and the vanilla extract. Spread this mixture evenly over the cooled shortbread crust.

OPTIONAL - spread slices of banana or strawberry over the cream cheese layer.

In a separate bowl, beat or whisk the pudding mix with the cold milk according to the directions on package. Let set for a couple minutes, then spread over the bananas or strawberries (if using, otherwise spread over the cream cheese/Cool Whip layer.) Let set up another 5 minutes.

Finally, spread over the remaining Cool Whip until even and pretty.

Garnish with shaved chocolate, additional whole pecans and/or fruit. Chill at least 2 hours in the refrigerator or overnight before serving, covered in plastic wrap.

Paula Disbrowe's Smoky Red Hens

2011-07-05T16:27:00.001-07:00

I've roasted a hundred chickens in my life yet never attempted Cornish Hens until a week ago. I think it was the name. So proper. So gamey. And more important would a hen really taste like a mini chicken? I wasn't convinced.

But then I was flipping through Paula's Book - Cowgirl Cuisine - and the photo convinced me to try them. I love that about food pictures. I guess that puts me in the "Picture Cookbook" camp versus the "Cooks Illustrated" set. That's okay. Something tells me they don't drink enough wine for me anyway.

I now credit Paula for getting me over my fear of hens. What was I so afraid of? They're so freaking cute and tiny! I kind of wanted to dress them up like little dolls instead of cooking them. But then I got hungry.

Smoky Red Hens
* Slightly adapted from Paula Disbrowe.
* Refrigerate hens overnight in spice rub for better flavor.
Serves 4.

Ingredients:
2 Cornish Hens
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder (I only had regular chili powder)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
zest of 1 small orange (use rest of orange for cavity)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 fresh bay leaves, or 1 teaspoon pink pepper corns
5 -6 fresh thyme sprigs
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 small onion quartered
1 small orange, quartered
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled

Directions:
Remove neck or giblets from hens and rinse hens under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside. Meanwhile combine the spices - cumin through the sugar - in a small bowl. Stir in the oil, zest and red wine vinegar. Add the hens to an oversized ziploc and rub all over with the spice rub, being sure to rub inside the cavity as well. Add in the bay leaves (or pink peppercorns), thyme sprigs, smashed garlic cloves, seal, and roll the chickens around a little more in the bag so that everyone gets along. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove hens from fridge and let sit out for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425. Remove the hens from the bag and carefully stuff each of the cavities with a quarter of the onion, orange, and a garlic clove. Tie the legs if desired.

Roast the hens on a rack in a roasting pan for 30 minutes. Add some water or chicken stock to the bottom of the pan if/when the juices begin to scorch. After 30 minutes, reduce heat to 375 and roast another 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when the hen's inner thigh is pierced with a knife.

Remove from the oven, tent loosely with foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving (remove and discard cavity filling first.)

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. Period. End of report.

2011-06-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

...are McCormicks.

I posted these a long time ago but the post was sad, the picture was anemic, and the writing was piss poor. I think I said something like "These are great," which is a slap in the face to these cookies.

If these cookies were a woman, they'd be Angelina Jolie, only they'd have waited for Brad to divorce Jen before pouncing. Actually if these cookies were Angelina, they wouldn't have stolen Brad at all but would have single-handedly repaired their marriage out of the kindness of their butter filled-heart. (They might've even thrown in a baby giving Brad the family he so desired without Jen having to mess up her figure.)

But then again, if these cookies really were Angelina Jolie, then Brad wouldn't have been able to resist them and definitely would've tossed Jen aside. So I guess that makes it a fact then. These cookies are Angelina Jolie in cookie form.

By the way - for some reason McCormick changed the recipe a little on their site. Don't fall for it. Use the old one here.

McCormick's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 20-22 super big cookies (use a big ice cream scoop)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8-10 minutes per batch

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/3 cups salted butter, softened and at room temp
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
4 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
1 package (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use more)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (actually, my oven bakes them better at 360, go figure.) Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2. Beat butter, sugars, eggs and extract in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Use a large ice cream scoop to distribute them about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until bottoms are browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Home Wrecker's Ribs. Saucy, Spicy, and just Sweet Enough to be Dangerous.

2011-06-12T19:30:00.001-07:00

Don't you just love when you become completely obsessed with something you thought you'd have absolutely no interest in whatsoever? This just happened to me with the HBO show Game of Thrones. I remember watching the pilot with my husband in the spirit of matrimonial harmony, feigning interest while secretly betting I'd wind up surfing Bluefly. But as soon as the first scene began, I was a gonner.

What is it with HBO? It's like they've shot a probe straight into my brain and created entertainment just for little old me and my perversities. I mean how else can you explain me liking a show that looks like a testosterone-injected version of Lord of the Rings? Jason Mamoa, perhaps...

Anyway, this same phenomenon happened to me with ribs (like that segue? I'll be here all week.) It still amazes me that I went almost three decades turning my nose up at them, thinking them fatty and greasy and messy to finally realize that's exactly what makes them the best things on earth (sorry, thighs.)

And while it's damn hard to beat Martha Foose Hall's Vinegar-Mopped Ribs, I'm afraid sister's got competition with this recipe. And they're even easier to make! Just throw the marinade ingredients into an oversized ziploc, drop the ribs in, marinate overnight and then dump the whole thing - ribs and all - into a roasting pan over a sliced onion for 2 hours. No dry rub, no basting, no grilling.

Just be sure to kick the heat up for the last stretch of cooking so the meat bronzes up around the edges and those bones become nice and pliable, pulling apart without any fight. As Dolly Parton says about ribs in the movie 9 to 5, "That just wrecked my diet but it was SO worth it!"

Home Wrecker's Ribs

Ingredients:
2 lbs babyback ribs
2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar
Pinch red pepper flakes, or more for more heat
Good amount fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

1 large vidalia or Spanish onion, sliced thick
additional salt and fresh cracked pepper for seasoning, just before roasting

Directions:
Add the marinade ingredients - garlic through the olive oil - to a large marinading bag, squishing around with your fingers and giving a shake to help mix together. Once all incorporated, add the ribs and turn over a couple of times to be sure all sides of all racks have been anointed. Squish out the air, seal and refrigerate overnight turning over midway.

Remove one hour before cooking off.

Preheat oven to 325. Spray a large, rimmed roasting pan with nonstick spray and line with the onions (they don't have to completely cover the bottom - just provide enough lift so the ribs can sit on them and not on the bottom of the pan. Remove the ribs from the marinade bag and place over the onions, fat/meat side up (curved side down.) Pour the marinade all over and around the ribs getting every last drop out of the bag. Season the ribs over the top with a little more salt and pepper.

Transfer the ribs to the middle rack and roast at 325 for 2 hours, keeping an eye on the bottom of the pan so that it doesn't begin to burn/blacken. If it dries out, add a little water or chicken stock as needed but be careful not to flood the ribs.

After 2 hours, kick the heat up to 375, move the tray up to the top rack of your oven, and roast another 20-25 minutes until the top develops a deep, dark bronze color and the ribs separate easily when probed.

Perla's Lobster Roll...

2011-06-10T10:06:00.001-07:00

When you eat at Perla's, you forget for a minute that you're in Austin, that you are indeed landlocked, and that it's so hot outside your bra has slid down to your navel while walking down South Congress. The eatery exudes breezy nautical charm with such sincerity, you actually feel like you're in Nantucket...until an aging gent in a tutu and platform wedges walks by and you're reminded exactly where you are.

To be fair Kris said the lobster roll was no Luke's Lobster in NYC, but then again Kris holds Luke's Lobster on the same plane as Jesus and vintage sports cars so take his opinion with a grain of salt.

I, for one, plan on drinking a lot of rose here this summer, eating fresh fish and pretending the deck is overlooking the ocean instead of a steaming stretch of asphalt.

Perla's
1400 South Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78704-2487
(512) 291-7300

Homemade Margarita Pizza, So Easy An Adwoman Can Do It.

2011-06-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

So I work a lot. Have I told you that? Probably (complaining comes naturally to creative types kinda like breathing or going pee.)

Anyway sometimes the thought of cooking stresses me out almost as much as the idea of blogging about cooking (btw this isn't a guilt trip lovelies - just a confession. Fellow bloggers feel me on this, right?)

And sometimes because of aforementioned work schedule I have to resort to making something so simple it seems dumb to even blog about it. Like this pizza. I mean at this point the margarita pizza is practically a cliche of itself. I wouldn't be surprised if you could order one at McDonald's. They're the culinary version of flip flops or hair scrunchies. But I'll be honest. Even a subpar margarita (pizza) ain't bad.

But every now and then you have a really good one and it kind of changes your whole view on life. Reminds you that simple is brilliant. That something as basic as dough, cheese and tomatoes can be so much more than dough, cheese and tomatoes. Especially when the dough is homemade, the cheese is of stellar quality, and the tomatoes are still warm from the summer sun. Oh and boxwood basil doesn't hurt either - little green leaves scattered like confetti over a sea of milky white mozzarella.

Honest to God this pizza makes me want to move to a farm and grow my own wheat, tomatoes and basil. Hell - even milk my own cows. But then again, I do enjoy a good mani/pedi now and then... And bathing. And shaving my armpits. Okay day job - I'll keep you. Along with this recipe.

Margarita Pizza:
*The key to this pizza is making the dough a day or a few days ahead when you have the time, then letting it sit in your fridge to be at the ready when you need it. Or skip making your own dough and use store bought. No one's going to call the cops.
*This dough often turns out a little 'wet' from all the olive oil. If so it's totally fixable, just use plenty of flour on your board and rolling pin when rolling out. This way it will bake up crispy and not soggy.

Pizza Dough:
1/2 of a recipe of Pioneer Woman's pizza dough (follows):

3 large clean mixing bowls (one of which can be your stand mixer bowl if you have one)
1 1/3 cups warm water
1 teaspoon or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra flour for rolling out
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water.
2. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, gently stir in the yeast/water mixture.
5. And drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture. Mix until the dough forms a ball. (You can also mix by hand until it comes together.)
6. Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl and turn the dough over in it to coat it in the oil.
7. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel (I used paper towels) and set in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours. After the dough has risen, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days (it freezes well too) or proceed to the next step if making right away.
8. To prepare the pizza, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
9. Divide the dough in half. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray then sprinkle with cornmeal or quick cooking grits.
10. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough (coating the pin and counter with flour to keep from sticking) - the thinner the better and place on the prepared sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, then brush evenly over with a pastry brush (or spread with the back of a spoon being careful not to put too much on to make soggy)
11. Put the desired toppings (listed below) over the dough scattering them evenly - the tomatoes first, then the cheese, and a bit of sea salt and pepper and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown - holding the basil leaves until AFTER the pizza is baked, scattering over the top along with more olive oil if desired.

Pizza Toppings:
1-2 balls fresh, best quality mozzarella sliced thinly (pressed dry with a paper towel if overly wet)
2 medium heirloom or vine ripened tomatoes, the freshest you can find, sliced into thin/medium slices and gently squeezed to get rid of excess moisture to keep your dough from getting soggy
Olive oil for brushing over dough and drizzling over baked pizza, optional
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Red pepper flakes, optional
2 big handfuls fresh boxwood or regular basil, for topping after baking

So yesterday, this happened...

2011-05-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

A fried-to-order-doughnut.

Stuffed with coconut cream custard.

Doused in chocolate ganache frosting.

And coconut flakes. And more...coconut custard.

This, my friends, is the kind of debauchery that takes place at Gourdoughs food trailer on South Lamar in Austin.

I can't tell you why but the whole thing reminds me of a scene from True Blood. It's just so...naughty. Only there's no sex. Or is there? Because there sure as hell are plenty of happy endings flying around. But I digress. Let's look at Exhibit B...

Do you know what this is? I'm not sure I should even tell you. It's really, really bad. In fact, I'm not going to tell you because I can feel Satan's presence just talking about it.

Okay, okay I will tell you because I love you and know you need that hit of sugar just as bad as I did yesterday. Deep breath...

This is a doughnut filled with chocolate brownie batter with a truck's worth of homemade chocolate covered brownie chunks (still warm from the oven) on top then doused in...hot fudge icing and chocolate chips. It's named - appropriately - Black Out.

Here are the two of them together. Conspiring. Evil little vixens... But more importantly, how are you? Are you okay? Have you been struck by lightning yet? Quick - confess and all will be forgiven. Or then again, just go to Gourdoughs. They're open until 1 am tonight.

Juicy Lucies (cheese-stuffed burgers) with Texas Tapenade

2011-05-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a Juicy Lucy? I hadn't even heard of them until I moved to Minneapolis several years ago. I have to say, they may be the sole reason worth suffering through a midwest winter. A Juicy Lucy is just a burger with a pocket of gooey molten cheese hidden inside. Our favorites were the lucies at Adrian's Bar and Grill - a wonderful old dive bar in south Minneapolis. Dang they were GOOOOD...

Adrian's I believe were made with cheddar but cheddar didn't seem quite right with turkey burgers for some reason so I decided to try a trio of white cheeses here and wasn't disappointed. The accompaniment - Texas Tapenade - is more a sun dried tomato pesto than a true tapenade, the Texan element being jalapeno stuffed olives. If you don't have those on hand, feel free to substitute regular jumbo green olives or even kalamata or black olives along with a good pinch of red pepper flakes for that southern heat wave element. Yeee haw!

PS - don't be upset if your burgers separate into two patties by the end of cooking exposing the cheesy goodness inside. That's just Lucy flirting with you....

Juicy Lucies with Texas Tapenade
Serves 4.
* The tapenade is great on crostini or with crackers as an appetizer or snack or on any number of sandwiches.

Burgers:
1 package (1.3 pounds) ground lean turkey
1/4 cup minced shallots (2 regular)
1 garlic clove, minced
zest of 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons shredded parmesan
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
4 English muffins, toasted or griddled

In a large bowl, combine the minced shallots, garlic, lemon zest, parmesan, salt, and pepper with a fork until evenly mixed. Add the turkey meat and gently combine with your hands trying to incorporate everything evenly but not overwork the meat. Set aside while you make the juicy filling.

Juicy Filling:
3 oz goat cheese
2 tablespoons parmesan
2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella
good grating fresh nutmeg
fresh cracked pepper
dash salt
splash half and half or heavy cream, just enough to bind all the cheeses together without making it too wet/mushy

Mix the cheese, nutmeg pepper and salt together with fork. Add JUST enough half and half or heavy cream to help them make friends and bind being careful not to make it to 'wet' as you'll need to form the mixture into little patties. Once combined, use your hands to make little flattened discs. I confess to getting 5 out of them and only 4 burgers of the meat mixture, so you might want to reserve the 5th patty for another use (cracker spread/etc.)

To form the juicy lucies, gather enough ground meat in your palm (about the amount it would take to make a jumbo sized meatball or a thin hamburger patty.) Gently press and turn with your hands to make a patty, ensuring you'll have enough of an 'edge' around your cheese disc so that you can seal it. Set the patty on a greased surface then set the cheese disc in the center. Create another thin patty out of the meat mixture and place it over the cheese disc. You'll need to carefully pick it up and turn the juicy lucy in your hands as you gently press and crimp the edges together, ensuring you've got a good seal. Set aside and complete the rest of the patties. (After forming, you can either refrigerate for up to 8 hours, covered, or cook right away.)

To cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season the burgers on the top sides with salt and pepper. Grill or pan fry until golden on both sides - about 4 minutes per side, ensuring you don't have too high a flame so that the cheese melts through but doesn't liquify too early in the cooking process and leak out (also be careful when flipping - remembering your delicate little package inside.) Transfer to the 400 degree oven for 5 minutes to cook all the way through. Remove and let 'rest' for five minutes, lightly tented with foil, before serving.

Serve with Texas Tapenade (below) on toasted English muffins.

Texas Tapenade Ingredients:
3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained (reserve oil)
1 clove garlic
2 jumbo jalapeno-stuffed green olives (or regular jumbo olives plus a pinch of red pepper flakes)
zest of a small lemon (or half a large one)
2 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted)
2-3 sprigs boxwood (pistou) basil or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1-2 teaspoons oil from the sun dried tomatoes
fresh cracked black pepper

Texas Tapenade Directions:
If you have the time or energy, give the sun dried tomatoes and garlic clove a rough chop. If not, just chuck them all into the blender and pulse a few times. Add the green olives and pulse again until there are no large chunks of olive left (unless you like your tapenade on the chunky side.) Add the lemon zest, pine nuts, basil, oil from the sun dried tomatoes and some fresh cracked pepper and pulse again until well blended. Decide wether you want to add more oil or not (there is a never ending battle at our house between my husband and me - I like my pesto on the drier side - he the liquidy side...) make any adjustments necessary and either refrigerate for up to 3 days before using or serve right away.

Individual Spinach and Basil Gratins

2011-05-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

The one thing I will never understand about entertaining is having to cook while talking to people. I can't do it. I have terribly vivid nightmares (real, honest to God memories, actually) asking people to please leave me be in the kitchen for 5 minutes so I can 'get it together.' Martha Stewart I am not.

But recipes like this make me look like I have it together...simply because I make them ahead of time, refrigerate them (even a day before!) then just pop them in the oven when company arrives. This I can emanage while talking and enjoying a cocktail...

Spinach and Basil Gratin
* Serves 2 (recipe is easily doubled, if need be.)
* Corn makes an amazing addition to this if desired. Just stir in 1/2 a cup of thawed frozen corn or fresh corn cut off the cob before you stir in the cheese.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 4 golf ball sized shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise then cut along the diagonal into 1/8 inch thick slices)
pinch salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, finely minced (or can sub a few shakes dried garlic powder)
hefty grating of fresh nutmeg
1/4 cup brandy
4 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, leaves removed
1/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup shredded parmesan, plus extra for topping
1/2 cup corn, optional
pinch red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon, if you like things on the salty side)
2 tablespoons seasoned Italian bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350, if making right away.

Heat the butter in a medium nonstick lidded skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots along with a pinch of salt and pepper and saute until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes more. Add the nutmeg and stir in, then add the brandy. Bring the mixture up to a boil over high heat and boil until the brandy has evaporated. Lower the heat to medium low and stir in the spinach leaves. Put the top on and cover for 1 minute so that the spinach wilts. Once wilted, stir in the basil and thyme, half and half, parmesan, corn if adding, red pepper flakes, and additional salt. Reduce heat to low and stir until cheese has melted and all is well blended. Set aside.

Meanwhile, grease 2 4"x4" ramekins with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute the spinach/basil gratin between them, then put the bread crumbs over the top along with the desired amount of additional parmesan. At this point you can either let them cool for 30 minutes before covering and refrigerating overnight or bake off right away.

To bake, put in a 350 oven for 20/25 minutes until bubbling. Kick heat up to broil and cook for 2-3 minutes, just until cheese/breadcrumb topping begins to turn golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Balsamic Marinated Strawberry Salad with Red Onions and Goat Cheese

2011-05-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

My new favorite summer salad. Don't skimp on the fresh black pepper - it takes it to another level. With all the bright, sharp flavors going on here, I can't help but think of this as an adult version of a strawberry milkshake. With every bite, my taste buds want to scream 'Summer!'

And to make it even more summery, it requires minimal energy on your part. No whisking up a complicated dressing or cutting up lots of different ingredients.

Viva La Summer!

Balsamic Marinated Strawberry Salad with Red Onions and Goat Cheese
Serves 2.
* Strawberries and balsamic vinegar should be combined and refrigerated at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours ahead of time.
* If you don't have lemon flavored olive oil, use regular and give the berries a spritz of lemon when you add the oil.

Ingredients:
4 large strawberries, stems removed and quartered
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Pinch salt
Good grating fresh black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon flavored olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (about 1/4 of a medium red onion)
4 kalamata olives, pits remove and broken into small chunks with your fingers
Additional pinch salt and more pepper if desired
1/2 cup croutons
Couple hefty handfuls fresh basil leaves
1 handful fresh mint leaves
Pinch boxwood basil leaves, optional
1 oz goat cheese, divided, or more to taste

Directions:
Add the quartered strawberries, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to a large ziploc or plastic container. Toss well, seal and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 8 hours.

Remove from fridge and add 1 tablespoon lemon flavored olive oil. Let sit while you slice the onions, then add the onions to the berries. Break up the kalamata olives and add to the mixture along with another pinch salt and pepper. If you are nearly ready to eat, stir in the croutons and set aside (you want them slightly softened by the vinegar but not obliterated by it.) If not, wait until five minutes before you eat.

Meanwhile, plate a handful of fresh basil leaves per salad plate along with some freshly torn mint and/or other fresh herbs (some boxwood basil leaves are fantastic!) to your liking. Divide the berry/balsamic/onion/olive/crouton mixture between the plates over the top of the herbs, then the goat cheese, breaking up into bits with your fingers.

Serve right away, with additional fresh cracked pepper if desired.

After Cabo, we will return to our regular programming...

2011-05-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Darling fellow cooks, food whores, and friends who like to put things in their bellies. I know I've been absolutely CRAP at blogging lately. I won't give you excuses - I respect you too much. But I will say that I head out for Mexico tomorrow for the first real vacation my husband and I have had in years and I promise to be better when I return.

In the meantime, keep those pans hot and thank you so much for checking in. It will be worth your while when I get back.

Happy summer, y'all.

Farrotto. Purely simply fabulous.

2011-05-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Meatless Monday y'all! I have to admit, I haven't posted a Meatless Monday recipe before because we eat a LOT of meatless meals and not just on Mondays (I like to see how many in a row I can get away with before Kris complains.)

Farrotto is simply farro (whole grains of wheat) cooked risotto style. What I love about it is it's healthier than traditional risotto yet heartier at the same time. You can eat it as a meal without the guilt of ducking into a bowl of creamy rice (or at least I believe you can.) And as an extra bonus, you don't need to heat the chicken stock before adding it throughout the cooking process. You can pour it straight from your measuring cup or from the box, as I do;)

Feel free to sub roasted butternut squash for the acorn squash. I'm telling you - there's something bizarrely amazing about the natural sweetness of roasted squash with the subtle roundness of maple syrup a with the salty kick of gorgonzola. I know it sounds weird if you've never tried it in a savory context but I promise you it's not.

PS animal lovers - you can make this completely vegetarian if you sub veggie stock for the chicken stock.

Farrotto with Lovely, Lovely Things
Serves 6.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup Farro
2 1/2-3 cups low sodium chicken stock
olive oil
1 acorn squash, peeled, cut in half and seeds removed
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup thawed frozen corn
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup gorgonzola plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons maple syrup
fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400.

In a medium/large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions and saute for 4 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and saute 2 more minutes until onions are completely translucent. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, then bring the heat to high and add the white wine. Stir constantly as the wine evaporates and bubbles - 2 or so minutes. Once mostly evaporated, stir in the farro and reduce heat back to medium. Stir constantly for 2 minutes, then add in a half a cup of chicken stock, stirring in. Let softly simmer, stirring occasionally, until mostly evaporated (soaked up by the farro) before adding another half cup. Continue this process until the farro is to the risotto-style consistency you like (start checking the consistency after you've added a little over 2 cups.) If you happen to run out of stock and need more, you can add water. Like the mom says in Friday - 'It won't hurt.'

Meanwhile, cut the halved squash into quarters, then into eights. Turn the sections sideways and cut them crosswise into thin, 1/8 inch thick pieces. Grease an aluminum-lined large baking sheet with nonstick spray and add the squash pieces, evenly distributing them. Drizzle with olive oil just to coat, add in the cherry tomatoes and toss all to lightly coat with oil before patting back down to get them all spread out again. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 16 minutes. Turn over with a spatula and roast another 8 minutes or so until nice and caramelized, but not blackened. Remove and add into the farrotto (once it's to the consistency that you like.)

Gently stir in the corn, black beans, maple syrup, pinch salt and pepper, gorgonzola and basil. Taste for salt and pepper and make any adjustments necessary (I actually like a lot of pepper with this and I'm not a pepper person.) Serve in deep bowls, garnished with additional gorgonzola and basil.

Neely's Fish Tacos with Cilantro Chipotle Slaw

2011-05-02T08:53:00.000-07:00

Perhaps today's historical significance deserves something more historical than fish tacos. But that's what we were eating last night when we found out. I still can't believe it.

Anyway, after watching the Neelys make this on Saturday, I wanted to make them that night. Unfortunately I decided to go for a run that afternoon forgetting it was 90 degrees out and by the time I got back had to lie down. Fish tacos were no longer in the cards but I still dreamt about them.

At Sunday brunch I fantasized about...fish tacos. So after an unhealthily expensive trip to Whole Foods for fresh halibut I finally had them for dinner. They lived up to my expectations and then some (marinate the fish longer than half an hour though!)

What is it about something hot off the grill drenched in lime juice? And salt? And cilantro? Pure lust.

One word of warning though. The chipotle in the cole slaw will actually get hotter the more it sits. So if you make it way ahead, maybe start with half a chipotle then taste before serving. You can always mince up more chipotle to add it in, but you can't take it out once it's in there!

Fish Tacos
Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk
1 jalapeno, sliced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Juice and zest of 1 lime
handful roughly chopped cilantro
1 1/2 pounds center cut halibut, skinless
Olive oil, for greasing grates
3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Hefty grating freshly ground black pepper
Flour or corn tortillas
Olive oil, for grilling
Cabbage Slaw, recipe follows
Lime wedges, for serving
Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

Directions:
Add buttermilk, jalapeno, smoked paprika, lime zest and juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper to a large resealable zip top bag. Add the halibut and let marinate for 1-2 hours.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

Once hot, brush the grill grate with some olive oil. Remove the fish from the marinade and gently pat dry with paper towels. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Add to the grill and cook 5-8 minutes, or until grill marks have appeared. Very carefully flip to the other side and cook another 5 or so minutes until cooked through. Remove to a plate and break the fish into chunks. Sprinkle with lime juice and a touch more salt.

Grill tortillas until warm and soft and they have a few charred marks.

To assemble the tacos, place a nice spoonful of the fish onto the center of a warmed tortilla. Top with the Cabbage Slaw. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro leaves.

Cilantro Chipotle Cole Slaw:
1 (8 oz) package cole slaw cabbage mix
3 tablespoons minced red onion, or more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 chipotle, packed in adobo, finely minced (I use half of one)
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

Directions:
In a medium serving bowl, toss together the cole slaw mix, red onion, and cilantro. Set aside. In a separate (small) bowl, mix together the sour cream, minced chipotle, lime juice, honey, salt and pepper.

Add the dressing to the cole slaw mix and toss gently but thoroughly. Chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours before serving, using as a topping for your tacos.

Whole Lemon Muffins with Dried Cherries

2011-04-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think my taste buds have split personality. For example when I made these muffins last October (lured in by a recipe involving pulverizing an entire lemon - skin, pith and all. Woo hoo!) I remember being completely let down by them when they came out of the oven. I'm not much of a baker so after spending the morning dusting my kitchen with flour, I just wanted to throw the whole batch away. BUT because I'm also a serious food hoarder (seeking therapy), I decided to freeze them just in case the aliens should attack or something and we were in a real bind for breakfast.

Cut to six months later. This morning to be exact. We were working (the advertising industry doesn't believe in Easter - or in holidays in general) and I was too busy to make anything. I checked the freezer and found these muffins. Of course I didn't have much hope since I didn't like them the first go around and they'd been in the freezer longer than any sperm on record in a sperm bank. But I thew them on a pan and put them in a 325 oven anyway.

And thank God. They were delicious. In fact I wished I could rewind time and taste them again that first fateful day when I considered throwing them out. What was wrong with me? Was it the weather? The hormones? We'll never know. All I know now is that I love them. Now and forever. Amen.

By the way - Happy Easter to those lucky enough to enjoy it with your families - and to those having to celebrate without them!!!

Whole Lemon Muffins, adapted slightly from Rebecca Rather

Ingredients:
1 medium lemon (preferably unwaxed, organic)
1 cup unsalted butter/2 sticks (at room temperature)
1 1/4 cups sugar plus 2 tablespoons (Rebecca uses 1 1/2 cups)
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Generous grating of fresh nutmeg, or 1/4 teaspoon from a spice jar (Rebecca doesn't add this)
2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups plain whole or reduced fat plain yogurt
1 cup dried tart cherries (Rebecca uses walnuts)

GLAZE, optional (Rebecca uses but I don't)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 freshly squeezed lemons, juice of
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 55 mins

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F Grease 12 texas size muffin cups with butter or cooking spray or line with paper muffin wrappers.
2 Wash and dry the lemon. Cut into quarters and remove the seeds. Process the quartered lemon (all of it!) in a food processor fitted with a metal blade for 1 minute or more, until it is completely ground up. Scrape the lemon into a bowl.
3 Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter in a large bowl on medium high speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the sugar and beat on medium high until light and fluffy. Add the eggs all at once and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the vanilla and nutmeg and beat for about 30 seconds. Mix together the dry ingredients. Beat one third of it into the creamed mixture just until incorporated. Add half the yoghurt and do the same. Repeat, ending with dry ingredients. Gently stir in the lemon mixture then use a spatula to hand fold the dried cherries into the batter.
4 Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (mine took longer) until they are slightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack.
5 Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over the warm muffins. Glaze will harden in about 15 minutes.
6 These are at their very best served warm, but if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap once cooled, they will still taste great for up to 3 days. They can be frozen for up to 3 weeks (or if you're me - 6 months!!)

Lemony Grilled Chicken with Avocado and Orange Salsa

2011-04-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

I've been very inconsistent lately. A bad blogger. Boo on me. There are many reasons for this (work, planning vacation, True Blood reruns) but the honest to God's truth is I've been striking out in the kitchen. Does this ever happen to you? I mean I've definitely had my share of duds on the stove top but not a whole string of them in a row. I was going to share some of these culinary disasters but decided not to. Life's too short to waste lamenting crap recipes.

This is the recipe that helped me get my groove back. The 'salsa' is heavily borrowed/inspired by one of Giada's and it was originally meant to be served over fish (the fish at the Randall's fish counter terrified me so I made a last minute decision to switch to chicken.) I actually loved the salsa with chicken but while we were eating, Kris leaned over to say how amazing he thought it was and then, in a trying-to-be-casual manner politely suggested it might be even better over fish. Okay Giada. Okay.

Coriander Scented Grilled Chicken with Avocado and Orange Salsa

Chicken and Marinade:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon coriander
dash of garlic powder
juice of 1 lemon, plus the roughly chopped spent lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
healthy pinch salt and pepper

Combine bay leaves, coriander, garlic powder, lemon juice and chopped up remains, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large ziploc. Mix to combine then add the chicken. Refrigerate for 8 hours, flipping over halfway through.

Remove from fridge half an hour before grilling.

Prepare a stovetop or gas grill by oiling grates, then turning to medium heat. Once hot, remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off excess and add to the grill. Grill for 4 minutes (or until grill marks appear) then carefully flip over. Season with salt and pepper and continue grilling the second side for 5 minutes or so until cooked through.

Let rest for five minutes, then serve with the salsa spooned over and rice as a side dish (you can doll up the rice with chopped green onion, red onion, cilantro, etc.)

Avocado and Orange Salsa:
zest of 1 orange
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
2 oranges, peeled and segmented
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup minced flat leaf parsley
1 scallion, chopped
2-3 teaspoons capers, rinsed
1 avocado, cut into chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all gently together in a medium bowl. Serve over grilled chicken OR fish. Serve with rice if desired.

Molly Wizenberg's British FlapJacks (Granola Wedges)

2011-04-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

Confession. Remember when I told you I attended a blogger conference at SWSW where famed Orangette blogger Molly Wizenberg was a panelist? Well, while I'm a huge fan of her blog and even own her first book, A Homemade Life, I'd never actually made one of her recipes before. Talk about a poser.

I've redeemed myself by making this delicious recipe of hers - a genius spin on granola bars. Not sure where the British or flapjack part comes in but it makes it more fun to say at least. These are dangerously easy to make and even easier to eat. I'll even go as far as to call them life saving. (When we were in Houston for the Final Four, we got back to our hotel room late to find out they didn't have room service after 10:00. Seriously. We were too tired to run out so we feasted on some of these bars I had brought along on a whim. Boom. Starvation averted!)

Another confession. I have yet to open her book that I bought over a year ago. It's on my list of things to do along with shaving my legs more often and sending thank you cards. Wish me luck with that.

British FlapJacks
Bon Appétit | March 2010
by Molly Wizenberg, additions in italics are mine and I used salted butter.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup*
2 1/3 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant or old-fashioned)
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8 x 8 x 2-inch metal baking pan. Combine first 3 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until butter melts, sugar dissolves, and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Add oats and salt; stir until coated. Fold in cinnamon and cranberries if adding. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and spread out in even layer.

Bake until top is golden (edges will be darker), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 5 minutes. Cut into 4 squares; cut each into 4 triangles (mixture will still be soft). Cool completely in pan before serving.
* A type of syrup popular in Great Britain; available at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores, and British import shops.

Salmon over Roasted Tomato Couscous with Capers, Kalamata Olives, and Citrus Dressing

2011-04-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

My husband and I just booked a vacation. A REAL vacation. The kind you scrimp and save for. The kind you justify because it's been years since you've taken a vacation, much less a turn-off-the-cell-phone, toes-in-the-sand-vacation. I am beside myself with joy. Literally. And I haven't been this motivated to work out since prom. Okay I didn't really work out before prom much like I probably won't do much working out before this little escapade...

But I might eat a little healthier beforehand. Especially if I can whip up more numbers like this salmon and couscous. I swear to the Lord himself I loved it as much as a double cheeseburger. On second thought that might be the vacation high talking but it was dang close, I assure you. So tell me - what are y'all's big summer plans?

Salmon over Roasted Tomato Couscous with Capers and Kalamata Olives
* Serves 2.
* This looks like a lot of steps and intimidating but it's not. Most things can cook at the same time and don't need tending. The couscous takes 5 minutes once your water comes to a boil! Line your roasting pans with aluminum foil and spray with Pam for easy, throw away clean up.

Ingredients and Steps...Objects are easier than they appear

Roast Veggie Mix:
2 pints roasted cherry tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives

Add the tomatoes to a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with just enough olive oil to coat, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast on 350 for 25 minutes. Add the chopped pepper, toss and continue roasting another 15 minutes or until the tomato skins have popped and the little suckers look a little deflated. Remove and set aside to let cool for 10 minutes. Toss with capers and olives and set aside. In the meantime, carry on with the next few steps...

Citrus Herb Dressing:
Juice and zest of 1 healthy sized lime
2-3 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch salt and pepper

Combine juice, zest, parsley and honey in a small cup or bowl. Drizzle in the oil while whisking or stirring furiously with a fork to 'emulsify' then season with salt and pepper and stir again. Set aside.

Salmon:
1 large salmon fillet - enough for two people.

Place the salmon on a small, aluminum lined, nonstick-sprayed pan. Drizzle with a teensy amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put in the oven (at 350) alongside the tomatoes and peppers, towards the tail end of their roasting. You'll only need about 18-20 minutes of roasting time for the salmon, depending on how 'done' you like it, so keep an eye on it. There's no harm if the veggies finish first and need to set out before the salmon's done. If for some reason the veggies end up finishing at the same time, it's fine. Just let the salmon (and the veggies) rest for five minutes before serving. Cut the salmon in half, use a spatula to 'scoop' off of the skin. Be sure to start the water boiling for your couscous in the last few minutes of cooking the salmon, instructions below.

Couscous:
1 cup water
1 teaspoon olive oil
good pinch sea or kosher salt
3/4 cup couscous

Add the water, olive oil, and sea salt to a medium pot with a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, kill the heat, stir in the couscous, return the lid and let rest for 5 minutes on a cool burner or surface. Remove the lid and scrape with a fork to fluff. Stir in half the roasted tomatoes mixture, including the juice, reserving the other half for the garnish/topping.

To plate, put a nice serving of the couscous on a plate, top with half of the roasted salmon, and drizzle with some of the citrus dressing. Add additional roasted veg mixture on the side or over the top, as desired. Serve right away.

Beef and Portabello Double Cheeseburgers with Grilled Green Onions, Sharp Cheddar and Espresso BBQ Sauce

2011-03-31T09:58:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many times I've gone out to eat somewhere fancy, perused the menu full of foodie fantasies, and wound up ordering the burger. If I'm being honest, a good burger is probably my favorite thing to eat on earth. Not lady like. But true.

I can't help it - I get it from both parents. While my husband inherited a double dose of sweet teeth (I'm convinced his blood is 90% sugar at this point) I might as well be part vampire. In fact, one of my fondest childhood memories with my now long-divorced parents is hunting down and enjoying a good burger at some little Texas hole in the wall. Be it country diners or truck stops or even a Whataburger when that's all that was available.

But that's not the real reason. I mean what other food is as satisfying, versatile, and fun? I'll admit that sometimes I get so carried away with all the possibilities (bacon, grilled onions, pimiento cheese, lamb burgers, pork burgers, pesto burgers - someone stop me...) that I forget the sheer nirvana that is the unadorned, simple-as-Simon burger. American Cheese. Meat. Bun. Heaven. But as fantastic as the plain ones are, they're not really worth a blog post are they?

This burger, however, is worth sharing. It requires a roll of paper towels and a pint of beer to get it down. The first patty is beef, liberally seasoned on the outside with salt, pepper, and onion powder while the second is a meaty roasted portabello. Sharp cheddar is melted over the beef and the whole thing is topped with grilled green onions. But the party doesn't start until it's all been doused in a sweet yet smokey espresso BBQ sauce (I'm lying - it's equally good without it or even with a more savory style BBQ sauce.) But as much as I love this particular combo, I'd be hard pressed to call it my absolute favorite burger. I mean how does a mother choose a favorite when she has several dozen children? She doesn't, that's how.

So instead why don't you tell me - what's your favorite burger - homemade or otherwise?

Beef and Portabello Double Cheeseburgers with Grilled Green Onions, Sharp Cheddar and Espresso BBQ Sauce
* Makes 3 burgers.
* Make the BBQ Sauce ahead of time and keep in the fridge, heating up over the stove just before serving the burgers.

Ingredients/Instructions:
* 1 lb grass fed ground sirloin, preferably 80-85% lean but not leaner than 90%
* Liberal amounts of kosher salt and pepper and onion powder, for seasoning
* Whole Wheat or Soft White Hamburger Buns
Form the meat into 3 patties, trying not to overwork the meat. Season both sides liberally with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium/high heat and cook the burgers about 4 minutes then flip over. Let cook another 2 minutes then top with the desire amount of cheese and cook another 3-4 minutes until cooked to your liking and the cheese has melted. Remove from the heat, put on a bun and top with each with a roasted portabello, green onions, and bbq sauce if desired - recipes follow.

* 3 portabello mushrooms, stems removed and 6 stalks of green onions, white ends trimmed off, rinsed and dried
Add the above veggies to a greased, rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper and roast at 375 for 18 minutes, until the mushrooms have sunken and the onions have begun to wilt and caramelize a little (alternatively you can grill them until they've begun to brown and caramelize - about 3 minutes per side.)

* Plenty of Cheddar Cheese Slices
* BBQ Sauce (recipe follows) or your favorite homemade or store bought

Espresso Barbecue Sauce:
* From Michael Chiarello
* I like to let the sauce cool, then blend it in the blender for a smoother consistency (and to hide the garlic from my husband;) but you don't need to do this
* Recipe can be halved - it makes tons!

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons mashed and minced garlic
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cups ketchup
2 cups honey
Grey salt
2 demitasse cups espresso (or about 1/2 cup of strong coffee or instant espresso)
Fresh ground black pepper

Instructions:
Mash garlic with the side of a knife and then mince finely to release oils.

Add olive oil to a preheated saute pan. Add the garlic and saute until it gets light brown, about 1 minute. Add cider vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, and honey and stir well. Add a pinch of grey salt, then whisk in the coffee. Add freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes.

Let cool and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Yield: about 5 to 6 cups

Cilantro Mayo...

2011-03-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the easiest way to spice up something old and familiar (i.e. the everyday burger) is to change its clothing. Cilantro mayo gives burgers a Southwestern spin along with a healthy dose of attitude. Of course you could also slather it over grilled corn with some crumbled cotija cheese for a great-off-the-grill side dish. Oh the fun of accessorizing!

Cilantro Mayo

1/2 cup light or regular mayo
large handful of cilantro, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha, or more if you like more heat
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all ingredients and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Will keep for up to two days well covered in the fridge.

The New York Madame (New York Strip with a Fried Egg and Goat Cheese)

2011-03-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I skip lunch. I didn't intend to skip lunch (after all, this is me we're talking about.) It just happened. We went out to run a few errands and ended up staying out all day. I kept thinking we'd make it back in time for me to heat up some roasted tomato soup but by the time we got home it was dinner. And I was starving.

Now that I've justified this somewhat over-the-top-man-feast, I feel slightly better. Oh wait - did I mention I served it with fried onion rings and garlicky sauteed collard greens? Hmm. I should really go and exercise. But not before I tell you that my husband declared this his favorite meal of all time. I also have to mention that I can't help eating it without singing the lyrics to "Big Poppa" - "A t-bone steak, cheese, eggs and Welch's Grape..."

Forgive me - I'm a child of the 90's. RIP Biggie!

The New York Madame (New York Strips with a Fried Egg and Goat Cheese)
* Heavily inspired by/subconsciously lifted from Giada DeLaurentiis.
* Serves 2 very hungry people who may or may not have skipped lunch.

Ingredients:
2 NY strips with plenty of marbling around the edges
mustard powder
fennel seeds
fresh thyme
ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
2 eggs
2 oz goat cheese, divided
fresh chopped herbs - cilantro and basil, or flat leaf parsley

Instructions:
Pull your steaks out a half hour before you're ready to grill them. Season them on both sides with liberal amounts of mustard powder, fennel seeds, fresh thyme leaves, and just a teensy pinch of nutmeg. Cover with plastic wrap and let come to room temp for about 20-25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400. Add about a teaspoon of olive oil to a large rimmed skillet and put over medium high heat, letting heat through and tilting to coat the bottom of the pan (you just need a thin layer.)

Season the steaks on both sides with fresh cracked pepper and kosher or sea salt. Add to the pan and let sear - not touching them - for 3-4 minutes until you have good browning and the steaks lift easily (release from the pan) when you try and pick them up with tongs. Flip and cook another 3 minutes or until you have equally grand bronzing, then carefully and quickly transfer to a greased rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes (less for medium rare, longer for medium well, depending on the thickness of your steaks.)

While the steaks bake in the oven, remove the goat cheese from the fridge and set aside. Pour off all the excess oil from the pan you seared the steaks in but enough to leave a thin coat and put back over medium heat (you can also give a spritz of nonstick spray to ensure the eggs don't stick.) Carefully crack the eggs into the pan, giving each its own space, and fry for about 2-3 minutes, until just sunny side up and fried only on the bottom. You want to cook the eggs less than you would for your usual sunny side up eggs, only because you're going to put them on top of hot steaks and they'll continue to cook because of this. Also you want your yolks runny here - that's the beauty of it - and once they're cooked - there's no more golden liquid to be had.

Take the pan off the heat and set the eggs aside while you retrieve the steaks.

Pull the steaks from the oven, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and smear with goat cheese - about an ounce per steak or to taste, then cover each with a sunny side up egg. Sprinkle the egg with salt and pepper, then top the entire 'madame' with fresh minced herbs - any kind you like. Basil, parsley, and/or cilantro are wonderful here.

Eat up!

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup (without a drop of cream!)

2011-03-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Can I tell you about the time I fell in love with tomato soup? I was in college having lunch with my sister at La Madeleine (fancy!) and I ordered a mug of their tomato soup and Caesar salad thinking I was being virtuous. I can't remember what we talked about. All I can remember is the damn soup. It literally drowned out everything around me. I was in a bubble and it was peaceful and warm and I never wanted to leave it.

But eventually, we had to leave and as we approached the exit I spotted some of the delicious soup for sale. In jars. With the calorie count on them. Turns out, there were about three gallons of heavy cream in each 1/2 cup serving. Don't ask me to do the math - I'm an advertising dork not a scientist - but trust me it was something crazy like that. I have it in my head that it was 60 grams of fat per serving. In other words I could've eaten an entire deep fried chicken or grazed my way through the Texas State Fair for less calories. And it had been soup.

Tomato soup was an evil dirty whore. She'd lied to me with her fresh pink color and visions of spending entire summers in a bikini. From then on I avoided it like the plague. Okay I lied. I got over my phobia eventually. When I was sick I ate Campbell's Tomato with my grilled cheese (not bad) and occasionally whipped up some various chef recipes (Giada's Tomato, Rosemary, and White Bean...divine.) But none were of the creamy variety. I had been scarred.

Until now. My dears - let me introduce you to a creamy, luscious tomato soup without a drop of cream in it. Again I'm not a scientist. I can't tell you why it tastes so naughty and rich and cream-laden. Maybe it's from roasting the tomatoes or the addition of fennel which incredibly doesn't make it licorice-y. But I'll be honest. I don't want to know.

I just want to eat it.

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup (without a drop of cream!)

Ingredients:
3 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, cut in half crosswise and scooped free of seeds and watery pulp
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1 medium head fennel
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 carrot, chopped
1 peeled, whole garlic clove, lightly smashed
4 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
1 sachet of fresh herbs (a handful each of flat leaf parsley, cilantro, and basil tied together in cheese cloth)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large, rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray and set your tomato halves on it, cut side up. Drizzle over enough olive oil to coat them, using your fingers or a pastry brush to spread the oil over each one. Flip them to cut side down, smear any leftover oil over the tops and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Bake the tomatoes for about 40-45 minutes until the tops are just beginning to blacken a little and the tomatoes have shrunk. Set aside.

While the tomatoes roast, trim the stalks off your fennel bulb, peel away the outer layer and remove the bulb base then chop. Add the 3 tablespoons of butter to a large dutch oven and bring over medium heat. Once just melted, add the shallots, carrot, garlic, and fennel. Season lightly with pepper (hold off on the salt for now) and saute until softened, about 12-15 minutes. Be careful not to let the vegetables burn or the butter brown. Once softened, add 2 cups of the chicken broth and the herb sachet.

Reduce heat to a low simmer and let gently bubble away, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and retrieve the sachet, squeezing once cool enough to handle to get all the juice and herby flavor out. Discard the sachet then add your tomato halves and any juice collected in the pan to the pot. Let cool slightly before blending.

To blend, add in batches to a blender or all at once to a food processor and process until nice and smooth, being sure to scrape down any strays from the sides as necessary. Return to the dutch oven and put over low heat. Gently stir in 1 cup of the chicken stock, and then use your judgement wether you want to add more or not once well stirred - just depends on how thick or thin you like your soup.

Taste for salt and pepper, adding any more if need be. ONE WORD OF CAUTION - if you're making the soup for another day and going to refrigerate it - maybe hold off adding more salt as the soup will continue to 'develop' in the fridge. By the time it's reheated - it might be saltier than you think it is.

Serve garnished with fresh herbs, if desired.

SXSW, Giada's Turkey Meatloaf, and Roasted Vidalia Onion and Carrot Salad with Dill Dressing

2011-03-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry I have been MIA with my posts and comments lately. I have been busy attending SXSW - my first time ever even though I'm from here...practically.

Anyway I am so thrilled to report back to you with what I've seen, heard, and learned. I even went to a blog panel with Molly Wizenberg of the famous blog Orangette and book, A Homemade Life. But as sexy as SXSW sounds - it's exhausting and at times actually painful. Especially when you're nearing your mid thirties and your best night imaginable involves dinner at home and being asleep by 11:30. The point is - tonight was my first evening of respite from all of the festivities and I took full advantage and made dinner at home ( know - I'm crazy!)

I may be over biased based on the past few nights in a row of eating Taco Cabana at 1 am (nothing wrong with that...if you're 20) but this dinner will go down in history as one of my all time favorites on earth. It made me grateful to have taste buds. In fact I'm drooling now just thinking about it even though I only finished it two hours ago.

The meatloaf recipe was courtesy of Giada DeLaurentiis. How bizare is it that my two favorite meatloaf recipes on earth come from a woman famous for Italian cuisine (the other is her lamb meatloaf.) This meatloaf has nothing in common with the other recipe aside from sundried tomatoes (I.E it has everything in common, if you're a sundried tomato fan.)

Anyway as you make the meatloaf you will think to yourself - 1/4 cup olive oil? Really? But you will carry on with the hope that the recipe was created by a famous person and printed in a danged book for Christ's sake and therefore must be accurate. But later when you check on it in the oven you will look at the liquidy mess and say I knew it - it was a damn typo!

But then you'll finish cooking it, having no other choice at this point, let it cool, and notice that the drippy mess has somehow transformed into a beautiful 'loaf'. And then you taste it and realize - that bobble headed beauty knows her stuff! It's downright dreamy. Rich and complex with the feta and sundrieds yet light and clean at the same time. One of my favorite all time recipes...but again...did I tell you how I felt about sundried tomatoes? Or that I have been binge drinking for the past five (seven) days?

Turkey Meatloaf with Feta and Sundried Tomatoes
* Lightly adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis

Ingredients:
Vegetable cooking spray
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and drained well
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1/4 cup olive oil
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt (you may use less if you're salt sensitive or if using plain bread crumbs)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 package lean ground turkey (usually about 1.1 pounds)

Directions:
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, eggs, olive oil, lemon zest feta, salt, and pepper. Add the turkey and gently stir to combine, being careful not to overwork the meat.

Carefully pack the meat mixture into the prepared pan and bake until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer and/or it looks 'set' and no longer a liquid-y mess, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice. Put on a serving platter and serve with or over roasted carrot and vidalia salad with dill dressing, below.

Mustard Dill Dressing for Roasted Carrot and Vidalia salad:

Dressing:
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
pinch fresh cracked pepper

Combine all ingredients into a glass jar or other and shake until emulsified.

Salad Components/Instructions:
2 Vidalia onions and 4 carrots, sliced into thick slices, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted at 375 for 45 minutes, turning over halfway.
2 cups Romaine lettuce or other type lettuce, for salad

* Toss lettuce leaves with salt, pepper and dill dressing. Top with roasted carrots and onions.

Jerk Chicken

2011-03-10T19:59:00.000-08:00

Ever see a recipe and think that's the one! That's going to be my show-stopping signature!! Well, I thought this recipe for homemade jerk chicken would be one of those. I even waited years to make it, never having the time to cook the marinade, blend it, cool it, then put the chicken in it overnight.

I don't know what went wrong. Maybe it was because it's better with dark meat (I used a whole chicken.) Maybe because the marinade didn't include any salt (I added some to the recipe.) It even smelled to die for in the fridge while marinating...but once cooked was...okay. Not bad. Not great. But all those flavors - what the f?!?

If you have a great homemade jerk chicken marinade - please end it my way.

Jerk Chicken, from Food Network Get Grilling

Ingredients:
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup dark rum
3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 bunch scallions (white and green parts), roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
2 tablespoons Pickapeppa sauce (see Cook's Note, below)
1 tablespoon freshly grated peeled ginger
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
zest of 1 lime
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 whole chicken, backbone removed and split

Directions:
Pulse the vinegar, rum, brown sugar, scallions, garlic, chile, Pickapeppa sauce, ginger, allspice, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a food processor to make a slightly chunky sauce. Heat the oil in a medium skillet and cook the sauce over medium heat, stirring, until the oil is absorbed and the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Cool. Stir in lime zest and salt.

Rub the jerk paste all over the chicken halves, cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.

Prepare an outdoor grill with a medium-high fire for both direct and indirect grilling. Position a drip pan under the grate on indirect side. Place the chicken, skin side down, over direct heat and cook until skin crisps and has definite grill marks, about 4 minutes per side. Move to indirect heat over the drip pan and cook skin side up, covered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let the chicken rest about 5 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve.

Cook's Note: Pickapeppa -- the celebrated Jamaican bottled sauce -- is a blend of tomatoes, onions, sugar, cane vinegar, mangoes, raisins, tamarind, peppers, and spices. Fans use this "Jamaican ketchup" on all manner of grilled foods. It adds a distinct punch to this version of the island's spicy jerk marinade.

Happy Mardi Gras - Emeril's Cherry Whiskey Sours

2011-03-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

Cherry Whiskey Sours
* Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces Irish whiskey, preferably Jameson
4 ounces homemade sour mix, recipe below
2 teaspoons Maraschino cherry syrup (such as Reese brand)
Crushed ice
Maraschino cherries or lemon slices, for garnish

Directions:
Combine the whiskey, sour mix, and cherry syrup in a large old-fashioned glass with ice, or strain into a martini glass. Stir, garnish with cherry and/or lemon slice, and serve.

Sour Mix:
1-ounce lemon juice
1-ounce sugar
2 ounces water

Combine lemon juice and sugar, then dilute with water and stir to dissolve sugar.

Yield: 4 ounces

Guacamole with Green Apple, Fresh and Flirty

2011-03-05T18:42:00.001-08:00

I thought I was a genius when I came up with this recipe back in December. Then I bought the South Beach Wine and Food Festival Cookbook and found a similar recipe in it by Ferran Adria. Oh well, my SAT scores should've told me I wasn't Mensa-bound.

This is a slightly rogue guacamole in the fact that it's not 'mushed' - I like keeping the chunks of avocado as whole as possible in this version. This recipe also has the untraditional element of green apple in it. Don't worry - it won't taste 'apple-y' per say but the fruit gives it a refreshing twist that other guacs don't have. Not that I've ever met a guac I didn't like, except for the pre-packaged store bought variety. After all, guacamole isn't all that unlike Cinderella - her beauty expires at midnight.

Guacamole with Green Apple
Serves 6.

Toss the following together gently in a medium bowl. Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips, or with tacos or fajitas or any grilled meats.

* 2 Hass avocadoes, seed and skin removed, chopped
* 1/2 small green apple, finely chopped
* 1 smallish jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed and chopped fine
* juice of 1 large lime and zest of 1//2 the lime
* 2-3 tablespoons minced red onion (up to you)
* large handful chopped cilantro
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Happy BBQ Season! Martha Hall Foose's Glorious Baby Back Ribs

2011-03-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

I have grill fever. The first day of March here in Texas is warm and sunny and not conducive to getting work done, though I am being forced to. But it's hard when you're having visions of sizzling steaks, juicy burgers, and beer can chicken sitting pretty on the grill.

My current obsession is ribs. I spent the first 30 something years of my life avoiding them, thinking them messy and fatty, and the last few years praising Jesus for those exact same traits. Now I'm making up for lost time with a vengeance, as if my whole reason for being on this earth is to try any and every iteration of them, from smoked to roasted and sauce less to those doused in thick, sweet goop.

After all, there are a lot of animals with ribs in them. And they should all fear me. I'm looking at a squirrel right now in my backyard thinking how adorable his tiny ribs would look on a plate. Just kidding - I feed possums cat food for crying out loud - but you get my drift. I'm temporarily possessed by a five hundred pound truck driver. It'll pass, I'm sure, though I kind of hope it won't.

Sunday I made baby back ribs (in the oven because I was out of propane, classic!) from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea (order this on Amazon now if you don't already have it) and they turned out flipping fantastic. So good in fact that they made me want to make more and more ribs. So stay tuned.

PS - my slaw recipe, though pretty, sucked. Anyone have a good, vinegary (cause that's how I like it, y'all) recipe to share?

Happy Grilling Season!

Martha Hall Foose's Mustard Rubbed Ribs with Vinegar Mopping Sauce
* There is nothing difficult about this recipe but it is a time sucker. Be sure to factor in the 24 hour dry rub and the 3-4 hours of actual cook time, with basting. The upside is the mop sauce doesn't need cooking - just mix and refrigerate.

* 1 slab of baby back ribs, rinsed and patted dry
* 28 oz low sodium chicken stock, only if roasting in oven
* 1 can or bottle of beer, only if roasting in oven
* ingredients for dry rub and mopping sauce below

Step 1 - Make the dry rub (whisk together ingredients listed below) and thoroughly coat your rack of ribs with it, pressing in and smearing around with your fingers. Cover the ribs tightly with plastic wrap and then foil and refrigerate overnight. Remove from fridge a good half hour before cooking.

Dry Rub:
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 tablespoon black pepper (she uses a whole tbsln)
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice

Step 2 - whisk the ingredients below together for your mopping sauce and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made a day or two ahead.

Mopping Sauce:
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I halve this because I'm a wimp)

Step 3 - Grill or Roast!
If roasting, preheat the oven to 300. Prepare your largest roasting pan with a rack. Pour the can or bottle of beer in, then enough chicken stock to reach up the sides to 1/4 inch or so (you don't want the liquid to touch the ribs.)

Set aside a half cup of the mopping sauce for serving with the ribs. Place the ribs over the rack then baste thoroughly with the mopping sauce then continue to roast, BASTING EVERY HALF HOUR WITH THE SAUCE, for 3 1/2 hours, or until the bones move lightly when twisted. Also be sure to continue adding stock to the bottom of the pan to keep it from drying out/burning - if you run out of stock you can just add water.

Slice them up and serve with leftover mopping sauce.

If grilling, place coals on one side of the grill and set a drip pan on the other side. Set the rack 6 to 8 inches above the coals and light the coals.

When ready to grill, you should be able to hold your palm over the coals for about 2 seconds and there should be a light ash coating on the glowing coats.

Place the ribs on the grill opposite from the coals and cover.

Cook for 20 minutes, keeping the temperature at 200 to 225F. Brush with the sauce, cover, and continue to cook, brushing with the sauce every 30 minutes covering between moppings, for 3 hours or until the bones move slightly when twisted.

Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

Shrimp Scampi Tacos with Cilantro

2011-02-19T06:23:00.000-08:00

I have a soft spot for ugly beaches. Growing up in Houston, our summer vacations meant Galveston or Rockport, where the sun was bright, the air salty, and the water filled with tar. Red noses and black feet were the signatures of a day well spent and I racked up my share of both.

They definitely weren't the prettiest beaches. The sand was far from white and the ocean more brown than blue. But they were my beaches. And let me tell you - I have been in California many many times happy to trade their beautiful, fog covered coastline for a good old sunny Texas beach. California beaches are gorgeous - they just don't want anyone to know it!

Anyway, long preamble into a simple recipe and a new all time favorite. After a long, travel-filled work week, all we wanted was to have a margarita (or two) and enjoy dinner on the porch in this unbelievably balmy 70 degree weather. Kris wanted shrimp scampi. I wanted something to go with the margs. We both won. Hooray marriage!

Shrimp Scampi Tacos with Cilantro
* You can saute onions, peppers, or jalapeno with the shrimp if you like.

Ingredients:
16 fresh peeled and deveined shrimp - large in size
1 tablespoon butter, plus 2 additional tablespoons
salt and pepper, for seasoning
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
Shredded cheddar cheese, optional
Several flour tortillas, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil and warmed in the oven on 250 for at least 10 minutes

Instructions:
Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a large, rimmed nonstick pan. Put the pan over medium heat and once the butter has melted, tilt the pan around to evenly coat the bottom and add the shrimp, giving each its own private space to cook in.

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and let cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until you can see the sides of the shrimp becoming nice and pink. Use tongs to flip them to the other side, and cook another 2 minutes or just until the tails have become bright and there is no more translucency in the shrimp. Bring heat to medium high and add in the wine.

Let the wine bubble away for a minute or so just to burn off the alcohol, then stir in the last 2 tablespoons of butter and cilantro and reduce the heat to low. Stir the butter until it's melted and incorporated into the sauce. At this point, you can keep the shrimp on the lowest flame just to keep warm until serving - they'll hold for about 15 minutes just fine.

Or eat right away, spooning extra sauce into the tortillas along with the shrimp if desired. Garnish with additional cilantro and/or cheese and don't forget to pull the tails off first if you're wimp like me.

Happy Valentine's Day to All. And the winner is...

2011-02-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Siri!

I'm so so happy too because I happen to love Siri's Blog - Siriously Delicious.

Check it out when you have a chance and thank you everyone for entering. I'm sure there'll be another one soon!

xoxo,

The Meat and Potatoes Foodie

Spice up Your Valentine's Day - Jalapeno and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce

2011-02-12T14:01:00.001-08:00

Very unsexy weekend for me as we're barreling towards a deadline at work. So I'll keep it brief and leave you with a sexy little dish to keep in mind for Monday. Or tonight. Or tomorrow. After all, is there really a way to make Mondays romantic? Not sure...

But Monday is also the day I'll announce the $55 giveaway- so enter if you haven't already on the post a couple down and good luck!

PS - to make this an easy and fast dinner, make the tomatillo sauce ahead of time and refrigerate (up to 2 days before) then just reheat gently over the stove before serving.

Jalapeno and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets, preferably on the thicker side so you can stuff them
1 large jalapeno, seeded and deveined and cut in half length wise
4 (1/8 inch thick) slices of Parmesan cheese, from a wedge, about 1x2 inches each
White pepper and kosher salt, for seasoning
Ground coriander, for seasoning
Garlic powder, for seasoning
Olive oil

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375.

Make a slit length-wise in the thickest part of your cutlets, not all the way through but leaving a good 1/4 inch before the other side. Sprinkle the inside with a good shake of white pepper, coriander, and garlic powder, then stuff each cutlet with the sliced jalapeno your slices of parmesan cheese. Transfer the cutlets to a greased, rimmed baking sheet and season the outside of the cutlets with salt and pepper, and a little more coriander and garlic powder if desired. Drizzle a little olive oil over the filling and the top of the cutlets and bake for 22-25 minutes until cooked through. Let rest for 8 minutes before slicing on the diagonal. Serve with tomatillo sauce.

Tomatillo Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper, for seasoning
1 (28 oz) can tomatillos, well drained
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1/2 cup sour cream
2 heaping tablespoons chopped cilantro or flat leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
Add the olive oil or butter to a medium heavy bottomed dutch oven and put over medium heat. Let heat through for 1-2 minutes until warm and add the chopped onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add in the tomatillos and cook them in the onions, stirring occasionally for 12-15 minutes until the 1 or 2 of the tomatillos 'bursts' releasing its seeds into the pan OR until some of the onions begin to brown and stick to the bottom of the pan. You don't want them to start burning but some good browned bits are lovely. Add in the coriander, garlic powder, and white wine or vermouth and bring to a boil over high heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture, being sure to scrape up any sticky or browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let boil away stirring occasionally until the majority of the wine has evaporated and the mixture is beginning to thicken - about 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes before adding to your blender to puree. Blend until the tomatillos and onions are all broken down, then add the sour cream, herbs and salt and blend again.

Taste to see if you need more salt or pepper, make any adjustments, blend again and serve. Sauce can made ahead and stored up to 3 days in the fridge in a tightly sealed container. Either serve cold if using for dip or reheat as a sauce over a low flame on the stove.

Pork Tenderloin with Apple and Onion Confit

2011-02-10T14:45:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite thing I've made so far this year. The tenderloin is its usual buttery, tender self with a crust of spices including garam masala. If you don't have garam masala, don't panic. Just substitute a mixture of cumin, cinnamon, and coriander. If you don't have cumin, cinnamon, and coriander, put your computer down and get your arse to the store immediately, thanks.

I have to tell you as good as the tenderloin is, it's really just an excuse to make the confit. A confit, though fancy sounding with its French name and pronunciation (CON-FEE) is just something that's been slowly cooked for a long time. You might have seen duck confit on a menu or even ordered it before which is simply a duck leg slow roasted in duck fat and aromatics for a good long time until it's falling off the bone. But having consulted the web I learned that the definition has opened up a bit to other kinds of meats and even vegetables and fruit and no longer requires being submerged in fat to qualify as a confit.

This confit is simply onions and apple, started in butter and finished with a splash of cider vinegar. The closest thing I can liken it to is an adult version of apple sauce. Both sweet and savory. Comforting and exotic. Fric and frac.

Pork Tenderloin with Apple and Onion Confit
Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin (or 2 as confit will be enough for 2 smaller ones)
2 teaspoons garam masala, to season (or a combo of cumin, coriander and cinnamon)
salt and pepper, for seasoning
Dash of olive oil, for drizzling over tenderloin

4 tablespoons butter
1 super large or 2 small/medium pink lady apples, cored and thinly sliced to about 1/8 inch
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
white pepper
couple pinches kosher salt
1/8 or so teaspoon garam masala
couple pinches ground cinnamon
large pinch dried thyme
Splash of cider vinegar

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean up), spray with nonstick spray, and set aside. Meanwhile, season the tenderloin well with garam masala, salt, and pepper. Place the pork onto your prepared baking sheet and drizzle with a smidge of olive oil. Roast for 25 minutes or just until pork is no longer pink on the inside and has the tiniest hint of a crust from the spices. Set aside and tent with foil to rest for 5 minutes before slicing on the diagonal into 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch pieces.

For the confit, add the butter to a heavy bottomed dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add the apples, onions, bay leaf, white pepper, salt, garam masala, cinnamon, and thyme. Saute, stirring often for ten minutes. Reduce the heat to low/medium (or low if it's sizzling too much) and put the lid on to let simmer for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. At end, add a splash of apple cider vinegar and stir in. Simmer another 5 minutes before stirring again. Serve warm over roasted meat or crostini.

Spicy and Sweet Eggplant Stir Fry

2011-02-08T08:28:00.001-08:00

This is so easy and simple, it's become a go to at our house. To make it a meal, I first fry up a couple of cubed chicken breasts in the pan, remove and set them to the side while I cook the veggies, then add the chicken back in to warm through just before serving. You could do the same with tofu. Just serve it over some rice and you're done.

Don't forget to enter the $55 CSN giveaway on this post!

Spicy and Sweet Eggplant Stir Fry
* Adapted from Epicurious
* You can add or subsitute mushrooms for the eggplant if you like.

Ingredients:
2 Japanese eggplants, tops trimmed, halved lengthwise, then cut diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 smashed and peeled garlic cloves
pinch kosher salt
2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon finely grated peeled ginger (use a Microplane)
1/8 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice powder, or coriander
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped chives, plus extra

Directions:
Add the oil to a wok or large rimmed nonstick pan and let heat through over medium heat.

Add the eggplant, bell pepper, and garlic. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and cook, stirring often, for about 15-18 minutes or until the eggplant has begun to lose its shape and cook through and the bell pepper has started to brown and caramelize a little at the edges.

Meanwhile, stir together the mirin, soy sauce, ginger, and five spice powder. When the vegetables are thoroughly cooked, add the mirin mixture and green onions to the pan and stir for about a minute, until the sauce becomes a glaze and eggplant is browned and tender.

Serve over rice with additional fresh chives.

$55 CSN Giveaway!

2011-02-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

As promised our friends at CSN whose wonderful sites sell everything from modern office furniture to cooking gadgets to dinnerware (I so wish I hadn't seen those Thomas Paul plates...) are hooking us up! One of you lovelies will win a $55 gift certificate to spend however you wish.

All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment on what your favorite kitchen gadget is and 'follow' me if you don't already. Next Monday I'll randomly draw a name and post the winner back here on my site.

Start your engines - and good luck!

Margarita Cookies, because 'Snowball Cookies' seems cruel at this point

2011-02-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

As you make this dough, you will scratch your head and say 'this can't be right....' There are no eggs in the batter and the amount of powdered sugar seems off. But stay the course my friends. These cookies are the reason Martha can make being socially retarded and borderline witchlike (I say this with love - I adore her) into a badillion dollar empire.

These cookies are heaven on earth - sweet and salty with a fierce wallop of citrus. They're like eating a margarita and a perfectly crumbly french pastry at the same time. Okay now that I say that out loud I realize that doesn't sound that awesome but trust me. They're the kind of cookie you don't want to know how many the recipe makes because it's too depressing to do the math of how many of them you've eaten. Then again, isn't that what you want in a cookie?

I hope you all are having a heck of a weekend. $65 CSN giveaway coming TOMORROW!

Margarita (Snowball) Cookies
From Martha Stewart's 'Cookies' Cookbook

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature (martha uses unsalted - I say bring it)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Grated zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt (maybe use kosher if you've used salted butter)

Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Add lime zest, juice, and vanilla; beat until fluffy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined.
Between two 8-by-12-inch pieces of parchment paper, roll dough into two 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. Chill at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Place remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Remove parchment from logs; slice dough into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart.
Bake cookies until barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, place cookies in the sugar-filled bag; toss to coat. Bake or freeze remaining dough. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Meet Miss June Carter!

2011-02-02T19:51:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the radio silence - as you can see I've had my hands full. More recipes to come soon as well as a big, fat giveaway from our good buddies at CSN!

Farro with Shrimp, Parmesan, and Peas

2011-01-22T05:49:00.001-08:00

This is an easy recipe if you do your 'mise en place' (chopping, measuring, and sorting) ahead of time. Don't let the long ingredient list or multiple steps scare you off. Just start everything at the same time and dump it all into a dutch oven along with the vegetables at the end of cooking.

If you love tucking into a bowl of pasta in this cold weather but don't want to break your New Year's resolution, I beg you to try farro. It's as easy to cook as pasta and equally as satisfying. In fact with its slight nuttiness, some may argue it's even more comforting. Trust me - I generally turn my nose up at uber healthy dishes (and have the arse to prove it) and yet I eat this like it's running away from me. But then again, I do add a cup of cheese to it...

Farro with Peas, Shrimp, and Parmesan
* I use Whole Foods frozen shrimp, unthawed. If using fresh shrimp, roasting time will be shorter.
* Ideally, you start the veggies in the large dutch oven the same time you start boiling the farro and roasting the shrimp. That way, once all ready you can just dump the shrimp and farro into the dutch oven, warm through, and serve.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup chopped shallots
2 carrots, chopped
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup Chardonnay vermouth or other dry white wine
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
¾ cup thawed peas

20-22 frozen shrimp peeled and deveined shrimp with tail on, unthawed
1 tablespoon olive oil, or enough to lightly coat each shrimp
salt and pepper, for seasoning

1 (8.8 oz) package farro, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms boiled in a large pot of water for 10 minutes or until just al dente. Drain and set aside.

1 cup (or more) shredded Parmesan, plus more for garnishing
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley or basil
fresh cracked pepper and additional sea salt, for seasoning

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400.

Add the butter and oil to a large dutch oven and bring over medium/high heat. Let heat through for 1-2 minutes, then add the shallots, carrots, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally until tender – about 8 minutes. Add in garlic and cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Bring the heat to high and add in the white wine. Allow to boil for 4-5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add in thawed peas and stir to warm through then lower the heat to low or turn off if you still have a while to go with the rest of the steps and leave be.

Meanwhile, add the frozen shrimp to a large rimmed roasting pan (you can use aluminum foil to line it, for easier cleanup - just spray with nonstick spray.) Drizzle the shrimp with 1 tablespoon olive oil, or enough to lightly coat them, then season with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes or until the shrimp are bright pink, curled and cooked through. If using fresh shrimp you won't need as much time so keep an eye on them. Remove from the oven and set aside while you get on with the next step.

Meanwhile, add the drained farro and porcini to your vegetables in the dutch oven, putting the flame on low/medium heat. Stir well to mix, then add in the parmesan and stir again. Add in the roasted shrimp along with any leftover juices from the pan and stir again.

Finally stir in the last 3 tablespoons olive oil and chopped herbs, if desired. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper to suit your needs. Serve by the bowl full.

Nigella's Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

2011-01-11T21:25:00.000-08:00

I made this for Christmas and while it was absolutely delicious I feel it got lost in the shuffle with all the other sweets flying around. Next year I'll make it for Halloween because I can't help but feel that that's the holiday it was meant for. After all if this dessert were a Halloween costume, it would be the 'naughty nurse' outfit favored by college girls and cougars.

And while Nigella says the flavors might be too much for children, I disagree. It's basically a super rich chocolate sheet cake with a little something extra you can't quite put your finger on. Not really spicy like you would expect, just unapologetically chocolate-y with a pleasantly damp, squishy crumb.

A word of warning - the cake isn't much to look at after it's baked but don't fret. The pourable icing gives it an instant makeover (not accurately depicted by the above image, taken by me via iPhone while a bit tipsy at a holiday party...and on a paper plate no less.)

Nigella's Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
From Feast by Nigella Lawson
Makes about large 12 slabs, but smaller servings are nice too as its so rich.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup + 2 T dark brown sugar
2 T granulated sugar
3/4 cup golden syrup (such as Lyle's Golden Syrup) or light corn syrup
3/4 c. molasses
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
2 T warm water
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened powdered cocoa
1 cup (or more) semi sweet chocolate chips

For Frosting:
2 c. powdered sugar
2 T butter
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 c. ginger ale (I used Dr. Pepper as it's what I had on hand)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking pan (10X13 pyrex) with parchment paper (so that you can lift it out later.)

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, melt the butter with the sugars, syrup, molasses, cloves, cinnamon and ginger.

In a separate cup or bowl, dissolve baking soda in warm water.

Take the saucepan off heat and add eggs, milk and soda/water mixture. Stir in flour and cocoa, reserving 2 T or so of the flour.

Toss the chocolate chips in the reserved flour, then fold in floured chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the parchment lined pan and bake about 50-55 min until risen and firm. The middle should still be a little damp under the set top, and will sink a little. Let cool in the pan.

While the cake is cooling, melt the butter, cocoa and ginger ale for the frosting in a small heavy based saucepan. Whisk in the powdered sugar and remove from the heat.

To frost, either remove the cake from the pan, fold down the paper, and pour frosting evenly over the cake (or you can just leave it in the pan and pour over there, removing it to cut up later.) Let frosting set for a few hours or overnight then cut into large slabs.

Gorgeously Green Tomatillo Cream Sauce for Beef, Chicken or your Chip Bowl

2011-01-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

I made this up a few years ago to serve with Filet Mignon on Christmas Eve because I needed a backup for my mushroom mascarpone sauce (one of my nephews detests mushrooms.) I was panicked looking around my sister's pantry for something to make a sauce out of when I came across a huge can of tomatillos. I pretended I hadn't seen the expiration date (the tomatillos were as old as Jesus) and went with it.

The weird thing is this sauce is delicious served warm as an accompaniment to grilled or roasted meat as well as cold, straight from the fridge, as a dip for tortillas chips. But no matter how you prefer to eat it, it tastes even better when made ahead and chilled for a few hours (or even overnight.)

Pretty. Versatile. Improves with age. If this recipe were a woman I'd have to kill her.

Tomatillo Cream Sauce:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper, for seasoning
1 (28 oz) can tomatillos, well drained
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1/2 cup sour cream
2 heaping tablespoons chopped cilantro or flat leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
Add the olive oil or butter to a medium heavy bottomed dutch oven and put over medium heat. Let heat through for 1-2 minutes until warm and add the chopped onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add in the tomatillos and cook them in the onions, stirring occasionally for 12-15 minutes until the 1 or 2 of the tomatillos 'bursts' releasing its seeds into the pan OR until some of the onions begin to brown and stick to the bottom of the pan. You don't want them to start burning but some good browned bits are lovely. Add in the coriander, garlic powder, and white wine or vermouth and bring to a boil over high heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture, being sure to scrape up any sticky or browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let boil away stirring occasionally until the majority of the wine has evaporated and the mixture is beginning to thicken - about 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes before adding to your blender to puree. Blend until the tomatillos and onions are all broken down, then add the sour cream, herbs and salt and blend again.

Taste to see if you need more salt or pepper, make any adjustments, blend again and serve. Sauce can made ahead and stored up to 3 days in the fridge in a tightly sealed container. Either serve cold if using for dip or reheat as a sauce over a low flame on the stove.

Three Cheese, Sausage and Onion Calzones

2011-01-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

This would be perfect for a low key dinner party along with a salad and some fun antipasto to go alongside. When it's just the two of us, we eat what we can for dinner and snack on the rest from the fridge throughout the week. What I love about this recipe, or any calzone for that matter, is how flexible it is. For instance Kris cannot get enough cheese - it actually freaks me out sometimes - so I divide the stuffing mixture in half before assembling the calzones and add another cup of mozzarella or whatever I have on hand to his. (I also skip adding the arugula to his as well as he doesn't like too much veg in his.)

As for mine - I load it up with veggies. Doing so makes me feel better about being too lazy to make a salad to accompany dinner;)

Three Cheese, Sausage and Onion Calzones
Serves 6-8 as a main course.

For crust, 1 recipe Pioneer Woman's Pizza Dough, as follows:
1 teaspoon or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling bowl
Extra flour for rolling out the dough

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water.
2. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, gently stir in the yeast/water mixture.
5. And drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture. Mix until the dough forms a ball. (You can also mix by hand until it comes together.)
6. Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl and turn the dough over in it to coat it in the oil.
7. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel (I used paper towels) and set in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours. After the dough has risen, divide the dough in half and place each half in a large ziploc bag and store in the fridge for up to 3 days (it freezes well too) or proceed to the next step if making right away.
8. Line two medium, rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil, then parchment paper. Spray the parchment with nonstick spray and set aside.
9. Preheat the oven to 450.

Calzone Filling:
I tablespoon olive oil
I large sweet or Spanish onion, chopped
Pinch salt
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
20 oz (1.25lbs) chicken or turkey sausage, removed from casings
Pinch salt and fresh cracked pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
Good pinch red pepper flakes (or 2)
Good pinch grated nutmeg
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella (double it if you're a cheese freak)
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling over finished calzones
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1-2 cup arugula leaves (about a cup per calzone), optional
Egg wash (1 egg mixed with a generous splash of whole milk)

Add the olive oil to a large dutch oven and bring over medium heat. Add the onion, season with a good pinch of kosher or sea salt, and saute 6-8 minutes stirring occasionally until softened. Add in the bell pepper and cook another 5 minutes or so, until softened. Add in the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you do. Season with another pinch of kosher or sea salt and some fresh cracked pepper then add in the garlic and stir. Continue cooking, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.

Remove from the heat and stir in the red pepper, nutmeg, cheeses, and salt. Set aside to cool (you don't want the mixture to be too hot when you fill your calzones or you'll end up with a gooey mess) while you roll out the dough.

Flour a cutting board or your counter well then take one of the halves of dough and add some flour to it (and your hands) so you can pat it into a submissive ball. Once you can handle it (this may take a couple additions of flour), plop it onto your floured working surface and flour your rolling pin to begin rolling. Roll out the dough, flipping over now and then to ensure it's not sticking (as well as the pin and board again, if necessary) until it's about 14x14 inches wide, trying to keep it as circular as possible (or at least oval.)

Add half of the filling over one half of the dough, spreading it evenly while leaving a good inch in the clear around the edge. Spread the arugula leaves, if adding, on top of the sausage mixture then fold the other half of the crust over the filling (you should have somewhat of a half moon shaped calzone when finished.) Now start at one end of the calzone and use your fingers to quickly and firmly roll and seal the edge from end to end. Think to yourself 'roll, pinch', 'roll, pinch' as you do. Don't be afraid of the dough - you want a good firm seal so the filling doesn't leak out.

Use your widest spatula to carefully transfer each calzone to a parchment lined baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to brush them with egg wash then sprinkle over parmesan or sea salt. Put in the oven on separate racks and bake at 450 for 12 minutes then swap their positions and bake for another 8 or so minutes, JUST until beginning to turn golden on top and around the edges.

Remove and let set up for 8 minutes before slicing and serving with warm marinara on the side.

Dulce De Leche Bars...Because New Year's resolutions were meant to be broken.

2011-01-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

Dulce De Leche Bars
From Southern Living

Ingredients:
3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup uncooked regular oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 (2.07-oz.) chocolate-coated caramel-peanut nougat bars (Snickers), chopped
1 (14-oz.) can dulce de leche*

Directions:
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture, stirring just until blended. Fold in chopped candy bars.

Spoon batter into a greased aluminum foil-lined 13" x 9" pan coated with cooking spray, allowing foil to extend over ends of pan. (Pan will be very full.) Spoon dollops of dulce de leche over batter; swirl slightly into batter with a knife. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack, and cool completely. (This may take several hours.) Use foil to lift uncut brownies out of pan. Peel foil away from sides of uncut brownies, and cut into bars.

*Find dulce de leche with other Mexican ingredients or on the baking aisle.

Doughy, Naughty, Cheesy Pigs in Blankets - Happy New Year Loves!

2010-12-30T19:33:00.002-08:00

I am writing this as my last post for the year. Dear God - where did it all go? As I write I'm having a little bout of overwhelm-ment (that's a word, right?) and gratitude with all kinds of sappy, retrospective goo filling my brain. But this year was truly special to me for reasons I haven't been able to share on the blog. Maybe one day soon (and no my dears, it's not a baby.) Anyway, I feel beyond, beyond blessed with everything that's happened to me in the past 365 days.

I hope I can share this and much, much more with you in the new year. It's about dang time. I feel like all of you - my darling readers and anyone who happens to stop by this often silent and neglected blog - deserve it. But in the meantime, I want to say that I treasure each and everyone of you - particularly the peeps I have a semi regular dialogue with but also even the most random stranger who leaves a comment and never appears again. Because as is now a cliche thanks to the movie Julie and Julia, blogging can be a very lonely business (if only we all had as many readers as Julia! We'd be sittin' pretty, wouldn't we?)

Alright. Cue the violin music... I am so happy you read me. Be it once or once in a while or regularly. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The funny thing is, as a quasi professional writer by trade, I am blown away by how many amazing writers there are out there. You guys are funny. And witty. And original. So keep it up y'all. Okay, I'm done with my rant. And now - onto the star of the M&PF New Year's Show...

Pigs in Blankets! With cheese! Because clearly I'm on a mission to constipate everyone for the first week of the New Year! ;)

Unlike yeast doughs, you can whip this up and have it the oven in half an hour. The only hitch is you need self rising flour on hand and you have to be willing to play with the dough a little. For example, I can't tell you why but sometimes I need exactly the amount of flour called for and other times a WHOLE lot more... The good news is it is very resilient. Just keep adding spoonful by spoonful until it gets to a constisency you can roll and work with. If it sticks to your hands when you try to pick it up, keep adding...

Doughy, Naughty, Cheesy Pigs in Blankets
* If you're really naughty you can sprinkle some additional cheese over the pastry strips before you add the sausage and roll them up. As they say - you can never be too rich, too thin, or too cheesy.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour, sifted or spooned into the measuring cups with a light hand, plus extra just in case and for flouring board an rolling pin
1 heaping teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup whole milk, lightly warmed for 20 seconds in the microwave, JUST until not cold
1 egg
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
55-60 cocktail sausages

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425.

Add the flour, salt, sugar, mustard and cheese to a large bowl. Stir with a whisk or fork to make friends. In a separate bowl (or even a measuring glass the milk was poured into) take the 1 cup of milk and add in the egg and oil whisking briefly to combine. Set the milk/egg/oil mixture aside while you make a 'hole' in the center of the dry ingredients, then add the milk combination gradually to the dry mixture, stirring or forking as you do just until it's combined.

Do a finger check for the consistency of the dough after mixing. If it sticks to your fingers and therefore won't roll out, add a bit more flour and mix again. Keep doing so until it cooperates with you but be patient because if you dump a boatload of flour in we've just wasted a good chunk of time on a cheese brick.

Once happy with the dough, flour your rolling surface and rolling pin , LIGHTLY, and roll the dough out until it's slightly thicker than 1/4 inch thickness, or just roll until the dough stops stretching/giving outwards, being careful not to go too thin.

From there, use a sharp knife dipped into flour to cut it into 3" long by 1" thick strips. To each strip, lay a mini sausage on one end, then roll up pinching the seemed bottom and placing onto an aluminum or parchment-lined, oil sprayed baking sheet, seam-side down.

Once all assembled (you can put them on 2-3 large disposable pie tins or on 2-3 baking sheets) bake for 12-15 minutes until the tops are JUST light golden brown. Remove and let cool slightly before serving.

I like them with mustard but have ketchup or whatever you fancy on hand to dip.

Savory Double Cheese Crackers a.k.a. What to drink with your Champagne on NYE

2010-12-29T06:59:00.000-08:00

Actually these crackers are good with just about anything to drink from Coca Cola to milk, though my sister would like to cast her vote for red wine. We like our ripple, what can I say?

But the real beauty to these is that you can make them ahead, keep a log in your fridge for up to three weeks and slice and bake when needed. Because there's no egg in the dough, you're good to go. You can also bake them off and freeze them and then just reheat in a low oven. But I can't imagine there being any left to freeze once you've baked them. As soon as that savory cheddary goodness hits the air waves in my house, it's game over.

Although Rebecca suggests using your mixer to put these together, you can also use a good old wooden spoon and large bowl. Just be sure your butter is at room temp and to cream it thoroughly with the cheese before adding the rest of the ingredients. My little Kitchen Aid struggled a bit (the dough gets very stiff) so I ended up dumping everything into a large bowl and finishing mixing them by hand. You'll appreciate having done the arm exercise afterwards, trust me.

So what apps are you making for NYE and what are your plans?

Savory Double Cheese Crackers
* Adapted from Rebecca Rather
* Don't slice these too thin or they won't come out 'crackery'. Remember they won't rise much so what you cut is what you'll end up with when they come out.
* If I were you, I'd double the recipe since it keeps so well:)

Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temp
2 cups freshly grated extra sharp Cheddar cheese (about 8 oz)
1 cup grated Parmesan or Manchego (about 4 oz)
1 cup all purpose flour (use a light hand when measuring or sift the flour first)
1/4 teaspoon table salt plus a healthy pinch
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon mustard powder (I prefer Coleman's brand)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts

Directions:
Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cheeses on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the flour, salt and cayenne pepper, dried mustard and paprika and beat on low speed until combined. Stir in the pecans or walnuts. Divide the dough in half; shape each half into a roll about 2 inches in diameter and 8 to 10 inches long. Wrap in wax paper and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease baking sheets with butter or cooking spray or line with silicone liners. Unwrap the dough and slice into scant 1/4-inch rounds. Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheets about ½ inch apart. Bake until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges and crisp, about 10 minutes.

Meaty yet Meatless Pasta with Parmesan and Pine Nuts

2010-12-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

Well it's almost that time of year again. The time of year that makes me want to hide in the closet with a pack of Oreos (I keep some there for emergencies next to a box of unfortunate looking boots I bought one night while sipping and clicking online...)

Anyway, you know the time of year I'm talking about - the dreaded penance time for all the celebrating we've been doing. That said, I rarely manage to do any serious boot camping or calorie counting after the holidays. Instead I like to tell myself that eating more veg and less sweets makes for a saner, more realistic approach. So I dig through my archives and pull out recipes like this one - an oldie but a goodie from Giada.

I have to admit on the surface it's a pasta only a mother could love. The color is a bit like wet clay and there's not much you can do to dress it up. But it's (reasonably) healthy, fairly quick, and so easy a caveman could do it. Plus it's got a feisty little kick to it which I love. The last thing I'll say about it is even though it has eggplant in the sauce, non eggplant lovers would never know it's there. The overall taste is undefinable yet delicious. Rich and hearty like a meat sauce yet much, much lighter.

Me likey.

PS - the beautiful bowl above was a Christmas gift from my mom and stepdad. It's so beautiful I want to curl up and sleep in it!

Meaty yet Meatless Pasta with Parmesan and Pine Nuts
*Use more eggplant than you think is necessary. For instance I used 3 large (long, rather) Japanese eggplant thinking it would be WAY too much and it wasn't. A good rule of thumb is to take out your largest roasting pan and load it up.
* Don't forget to reserve as much pasta water as the recipe says - you'd be surprised by how thick the veggie mixture can get.

Ingredients:
1 large regular eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes (or 3-4 long thin, Japanese style eggplant)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 clove of garlic, whole but peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus extra for sprinkling over
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 pound rigatoni pasta or spiral or penne pasta
small handful of fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons lemon flavored olive oil (if you don't have any use regular extra virgin olive oil and add in the zest of a whole lemon)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling over each portion

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (you don't have to do this - just helps with cleanup.)

In a large bowl combine the eggplant, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Spread the vegetables out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden but not charred, about 35 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, place the pine nuts in a small baking dish. Place in the oven on the rack below the vegetables. Roast until golden, about 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid.

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor. Add the basil and lemon extra-virgin olive oil (or plain EV olive oil and lemon zest if substituting.) Puree the vegetables.

Transfer the pureed vegetables to the bowl with the pasta and add the Parmesan. Stir to combine, adding the pasta cooking liquid 1/2 cup at a time until the pasta is saucy. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and serve along with any additional parm you like and/or freshly torn basil

Merry Christmas Y'all!!

2010-12-24T06:25:00.000-08:00

I'll be in touch after the big day with more sweets and appetizer ideas for New Year's. Until then I hope you all have the merriest and tastiest of Christmases!

Gingerbread Men (and Women) Cookies

2010-12-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

Is Martha Stewart God? This recipe makes me wonder. It is the best, most forgiving dough on earth. You can re-roll it over and over (just try not to over do it on the flour) and the flavor is nothing short of celestial. Plus any dough that lets you make any body part you want is golden in my book.

Just be glad I only shared the PG 13 versions...

Gingerbread Men (and Women) Cookies
* From Martha Stewart Living
* The icing pictured is good old, store bought decorating icing (I'm lazy!)
* Do NOT over bake these - they are finished when they puff slightly and evenly across and are LIGHT golden - not dark.
* Use a light hand when measuring the flour - be sure not to 'pack' it in.

Ingredients:
6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus 1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molasses

Royal Icing, for decorating
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions:
Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.

Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick. Cut into shapes with people cookie cutters or whatever shapes you like. Make 'hair' for them if desired by placing a small bit of dough through a garlic press, then scraping it off the press with the back of a knife. Once crafted, space the cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or sprayed lightly with nonstick spray. If the dough has become too warm and your people are getting falling apart while assembling/baking, refrigerate it until firm again, about 15 minutes.

Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 8-10 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Decorate away!

The Best Make Ahead Gravy

2010-12-19T09:26:00.000-08:00

Gravy traumatizes me. I can handle the bird, the sides, and the desserts just fine. But gravy? I break down. The thought of having to whip something up after cooking all day (and when it's finally time to celebrate the cooked bird with a glass of champagne) literally gives me nightmares. So rather than go to therapy, I make my gravy ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. On the big day (even at the last minute) you just heat it up over a low/medium flame, adding a little more stock to loosen it.

Easy peasy, even while holding a glass of champagne:)

The Best Make Ahead Gravy
* Adapted from Southern Living
* Yields 2 cups; can be easily doubled

Ingredients:
2 turkey necks (you can buy them during the holidays in the meat section)
salt and pepper, for seasoning turkey necks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 fresh thyme sprig
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 teaspoon dried (rubbed) sage
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions:
Add the oil to a medium dutch oven with a lid and put on medium/high heat to let heat through.

Season the necks lightly with salt and pepper. Once hot, add to the pan and brown on all sides. Don't rush this step - that caramelization makes the gravy. Add the onion, celery and bay leaf and saute for five minutes until softened (resist the urge to season with salt - you don't want too much salt early on or you'll have a salt block later.) Stir in the broth, parsley and thyme.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes (I like to leave the lid 3/4 on during this time.)

Remove from the heat and let cool down a couple minutes, then put the mixture through a wire mesh strainer, using the back of a wooden spoon to press as much through as possible. Discard leftover solids and set stock to the side.

Now melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium/low heat. Slowly whisk in the flour (and please use a whisk - it helps to incorporate it and reduce lumps.) Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is golden. Gradually whisk in the stock you made before, which is ideally still a little warm. Add in wine and sage and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally 5-10 minutes or until thickened (it will continue to thicken when chilled.)

Stir in salt and pepper to taste.

Cinnamon Sugar Banana Bread

2010-12-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

Nothing makes me happier than stumbling onto a recipe for something so good, I know I'll never need to try any other version. There may be 101 ways to make banana bread for the holidays, but in my humble opinion, this is THE recipe. The smell as it bakes is every fond memory you had of the holidays growing up wrapped into one wafting cloud of cinnamon and sugar.

Cinnamon Sugar Banana Bread
* Makes 7-8 mini loaves that freeze well.
* Adapted from All Recipes - thank you Esther Nelson!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup white sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for dusting pans
Butter or nonstick spray, for pans

3/4 cup butter at room temp
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 eggs
4 very ripe smallish bananas, mashed well with a fork
1 cup apple butter
1 (16 oz) container sour cream (you can use light if desired)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Good grating fresh nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (please 'lighten' the flour by fluffing it gently with a spoon and then use a spoon to gently fill your measuring cups - this is easier than sifting and will ensure you don't use too much flour and end up with cement)
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 (yes this is correct! 300!)

Grease or butter your loaf pans then dust lightly and all around with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 2 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, apple butter, sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until just incorporated. Mix in salt, baking soda, and flour until just mixed. Fold in nuts then divide the batter evenly between the pans.

Bake for one hour, rotating pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then carefully invert onto a cooling rack to finish cooling (you may need to run a bread knife around the edges to help them let go.)

Nigella's Chicken with Tarragon Cream Sauce

2010-12-19T07:53:00.001-08:00

Again Nigella saves the day during this busy time of year with this jack-rabbit-fast chicken dinner. If you don't like the licorice scent of tarragon, feel free to substitute basil.

Chicken with Tarragon Cream Sauce
* from Nigella Kitchen
* Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 fat scallions (green onions) or 4 skinny ones, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon or chives or basil
2 chicken breast fillets, skinless and boneless
couple dashes garlic powder
1/3 vermouth or dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/8 tspn table salt, plus extra for seasoning chicken
1/2 cup heavy cream
white pepper for seasoning
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for garnish

Directions:
Heat the oil in a pan or dutch oven that has a lid. You want the pan to hold the chicken and sauce comfortably, but not one the chicken will get lost in. Add the green onions, stir, then sprinkle in the dried herbs and stir again. Cook for a couple of minutes, being careful to not let them burn.

Season the chicken on both sides with kosher or sea salt and white pepper and garlic powder then add to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until the first side is light golden brown (if the scallions begin to burn at any point, put them on top of the chicken.)

Turn the chicken over and add the vermouth or wine. Let it bubble away for a couple minutes then lower the heat and put the lid on so that it simmers gently underneath, for ten minutes. When you peak you should see little bubbles in the center, not a static or a violent one either. Remove the chicken to a holding plate, the bring the remaining liquid to a boil and gently stir in the final bit of salt and fresh tarragon and cream.

Let bubble, stirring often, until it thickens slightly - just a couple or three minutes. Check for salt pepper then return the chicken to the sauce to warm through. Check the chicken just before serving to see that it's cooked through - slicing into the thickest part of the breast.

Serve with some sauce ladled over and additional fresh herbs.