cats. crooners. cook.

If only every day was a lazy Sunday: Banana Bread Pancakes

2012-02-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

I am a sucker for lazy Sunday food. I have an assortment of breakfast food pans in the pantry for just this reason. I like to make anything from ebelskivers to mini-waffles but sometimes all it takes is a new twist on a classic to get me inspired.

I am also a sucker for Pinterest. I was a fan of Pinterest before I got engaged, using it to search for new recipes, party decoration ideas, and home decor. Of course now I am elbow deep in wedding ideas (how is a girl supposed to make a decision on wedding decor when every day there is a new batch of ideas?!?) but I still take some time to look at the food.

It is the perfect storm when two of my sweet spots (no pun intended) come together and provide a gem like How Sweet It Is' Banana Bread Pancakes http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/06/whole-wheat-brown-sugar-banana-bread-pancakes/.

Words cannot describe how wonderful these pancakes are... I mean, banana bread + pancakes + maple glaze = lazy Sunday food coma, in the best way possible of course. I made these for the first time, solely based on how yummy they looked on Pinterest. They went wildly above and beyond my expectations and I immediately sent a text to one of my vegan friends in Toronto who is a fellow foodie. She "veganized" them and had the same glowing reviews as I did. Within seconds, these to-die-for pancakes became Sunday staples in both our homes.

So this weekend, brew up some coffee, make a batch of these bad boys, then snuggle into the couch with some blankets and a movie while the banana bread pancake food coma sets in!

Banana Bread Pancakes
makes 12 pancakes
2 cups all purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour to be somewhat healthier or add 2 Tbsp of flax seed to the all purpose as I did)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Measure out the milk and add the vanilla extract to it. Whisk together the dry ingredients and add in milk and vanilla, stirring to combine. The mixture will still be dry. Add in mashed bananas and mix. Add in melted butter and stir until batter is somewhat smooth.

Heat a skillet or grilled on medium heat. Using a 1/3 cup measure, spoon batter into rounds and cook until bubbles form on top – about 2-3 minutes. The pancakes will be thick but don't worry, they cook through.Flip and cook for a minute or two more. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve hot with butter and syrup, or the vanilla maple glaze.

Vanilla Maple Glaze
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth. Pour over pancakes.

Thanks to Jessica and her How Sweet It Is blog for posting these on pintrest!!

We're Back!!

2012-02-12T18:01:00.000-08:00

My first inclination is to apologize for our prolonged absence, but the Maine lobsterman in me says screw that. We have no reason to apologize. We will, however, happily share an explanation for why we’ve been absent. We think you’ll forgive us. On December 19, 2011 Dawn and I got engaged! I’ll let Dawn share some of the specifics of the engagement at a later point, but between our Christmas and New Year’s trip to California, my studying for the LSAT, and Dawn and I trying to get our wedding planning on course, we simply haven’t had much free time. The little time we have had has been dedicated to other ventures besides cooking. We’ve missed our contributions to Cats. Crooners. Cook. We’ve missed posting reading material for our friends and family members to read in the wee morning hours during baby feedings. We’ve missed the excitement of finding out someone from a new country has found our blog. But we’re back baby! We have a whole new pantry full of an assortment of new cooking tools acquired over Christmas, and we’re excited to break them all in. We look forward to a new year of tasty treats and fantastic food. Stay tuned, we’ll have a few new recipes posted shortly.

Rose Fondue

2012-02-12T17:58:00.000-08:00

Dawn and I wanted to be sure to post something for our triumphant return. We have managed to squeeze out enough time in the past 45 days to cook a few meals here and there. We’ve done our best to take photos of everything we felt was blog worthy. Some of the photos aren’t our best, but come on people, we’ve been busy!

As many of you may know by now, we like cheese. So it seems appropriate that we start 2012 off on a cheesy foot. Hopefully some of you out there have tried our champagne brie pesto fondue. If not, I urge you do so, and to give this lovely fondue a try. It’s still winter. It’s cold out, the wind is howling and when the weather is bad, it doesn’t get much better than to gather around a table with friends or family and dip some of your favorite foods into rich and flavorful melted cheese. Here’s the recipe.

- 4 ounces Gruyere cheese

- 8 ounces mild white cheddar or swiss

- 8 ounces rose wine

- 1 garlic clove

- 3 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:

Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the cut side of the garlic. Add the wine and heat to a heavy simmer. In a medium bowl, toss the cheese with the cornstarch. Stir into the fondue pot by small handfuls until cheese is melted.

As we highlighted in our Pesto, half of the fun with fondue is what you choose to dip. For this rendition we steamed some baby carrots & broccoli, sliced an apple, cooked some beef and vegetarian sausage and sliced some fresh bread. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes

2011-12-23T12:17:00.000-08:00

I came across cookie dough cupcakes a few months ago but was finally motivated to make them after the recent gift of a cupcake corer. I had previously seen some recipes online that had a vanilla cupcake stuffed with the cookie dough and with a cookie dough frosting but being a chocoholic, I decided to switch it up and use a Devil's food cupcake instead.

And again, being that I was sharing these with my vegan friends I made these vegan by using a Devil's Food Duncan Hine's mix for the cupcake and margarine instead of butter and soy milk instead of milk. And of course, gotta love the Trader Joe's chocolate chips!

All the steps are easy but it is a long process putting it all together so give yourself time!

Here we go....

Devil's Food Cupcakes

Buy a box of your favorite brand of Devil's food mix (or make your own if you have the extra time) and follow the directions.

Let the cupcakes cool before coring. I used my new Williams-Sonoma corer.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

See our previous blog on the best eggless cookie dough around (I used half the recipe for the cookie dough center but feel free to make the whole batch so you can nibble away while baking!)

Make sure the dough has been chilled for a least an hour in the freezer before making teaspoon-sized cylinders for the dough centers.

Place the cylinders in the cupcake core and make sure the top of the cupcake is even.

Cookie Dough Frosting

Ingredients:

1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c. vegetable shortening
3/4 c. brown sugar
3 c. confectioners sugar
1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. milk
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all the ingredients (except the chocolate chips) in a mixer or with a hand blender until smooth. Put frosting into a piping bag with your favorite tip. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcake and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 package of chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugar and egg. Add the flour mix to the sugar mix and add the vanilla. Stir to combine. Add chocolate chips and mix evenly.

Place tablespoons of dough on a cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Let the cookies cool and place in the middle of the icing.

You can keep the cookie dough center a secret and give your guests an extra surprise when they bite in!

Good luck eating just one!

Holy Guacamole: Loving our new Molcajete!

2011-12-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas is around the corner and Aric and I got a present early this year: a molcajete!

A traditional Mexican version of the mortar and pestle, it is traditionally carved out of a single block of basalt (which ours is). The rough surface of the basalt stone provides an excellent grinding surface, perfect for making guacamole.

We were anxious to give it a whirl so off to the grocery store we went and got all the ingredients we needed for a nacho feast!

Do you think it is possible for our guacamole to taste even better just because it is happier in its pretty molcajete home?

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, chopped
1 ripe tomato , diced
3 ripe avocados , peeled and dices
Lime juice (2 limes)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)
1 pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 jalapeno pepper
5 or 6 fresh cilantro sprigs
Tortilla chips for serving

Directions:

Prepare all the ingredients and combine in the molecajete. Smash to desired chunkiness and serve with chips for dipping.

Serves 4 to 6.

A Taste of Hong Kong: Egg Waffles

2011-12-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

Last Valentine's Day, Aric decided to buy me an Egg Waffle pan after I oohed and ahhed over it during a Christmas stroll through one of our favorite stores: Williams-Sonoma. I'll admit, I was pretty excited about this pan, based on the following two reasons: (1) I have both an ebelskiver pan and a mini-waffle pan, also from Williams-Sonoma, that I adore and figured this would be a perfect addition to my pan collection and (2) the picture of the egg waffle on the packaging looked delicious. Note that I had never seen nor even ever heard of an egg waffle before this chance encounter so I had no idea if I would actually like it but what can I say, I am apparently a sucker for breakfast food pans!

My first attempt was somewhat of a disaster. I used the egg waffle mix, also found at Williams-Sonoma, and battled between burning the suckers and under cooking them. I think this mainly had to do with learning what stove top setting worked best with the pan, as my most recent attempt went off without a hitch. (Note, I had similar (and somewhat frustrating) trial and error experiences with the other two pans on my first attempts but once you get that sorted out, you are good to go. Don't be discouraged!)

I also switched it up slightly this time around and followed the recipe on Williams-Sonoma.com, which I preferred as it had nutmeg in it and was a slightly sweeter flavor.

Since I knew nothing about these waffles, I did a quick Google search after I got the pan to learn a bit about them. Sold as a street snack by sidewalk vendors in Hong Kong (and ranked No.3 in the 50 most popular HK "street snacks" to boot), gai daan tsai, or egg waffles are a puffy, doughy treat and are enjoyed for breakfast and snacks, eaten either plain or with fruit. Historians agree that the egg waffle originated in the 1950's but the story of where it came from are debatable.

Well, wherever it came from, it is a yummy twist on your traditional weekend waffle breakfast!

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt
6 egg whites, beaten to medium peaks
Vegetable oil for cooking

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, vanilla, butter and sugar until combined. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined and no lumps remain. Add one-third of the beaten egg whites to the batter and stir until lightened. Gently fold in the remaining whites in 2 additions.

Set a wire rack on a baking sheet. Preheat both sides of an egg waffle pan on separate burners over medium heat until hot. Lightly brush each side of the pan with vegetable oil and pour 3/4 cup batter into the center of one side. Immediately place the other side of the pan on top, flip the pan over and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Flip the pan over and cook until the waffle is golden brown on the other side, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes more.

Open the pan, invert the waffle onto the rack-lined baking sheet and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Makes 5 egg waffles.

A New French Onion Soup is in Town

2011-12-08T19:49:00.001-08:00

It has turned cold here and I crave nothing more than hot drinks and meals. Apparently it is only going to get colder (or so they keep telling me) so there is bound to be a plethora of "warm you from the inside out" meals here for the next few months.

One of my most recent favorites is Gwyneth Paltrow's White Bean Soup, from her cookbook “My Father’s Daughter”. This recipe was inspired from a soup she used to have at a restaurant that she and her father would go to in Los Angeles. She actually offers this recipe with two versions: French Onion and With Kale. They both are amazing soups which is why I prefer to combine them into one steaming bowl of perfection.

The end result looks like a yummy French Onion Soup on top, with slices of bread and melted cheese. Once you dig in, you have the reinvented amber brown onion broth that contains the white beans and kale. This is a soup that not only tastes amazing but you get great health benefits from as well. Kale is considered one of the healthiest vegetables around and white beans are full of protein and fiber.

Who would of thought, a soup that tastes this delicious can be so good for you?

Here is my adapted recipe.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb, stems and fronds removed, sliced thinly
3 large garlic cloves, minced
Pinch red chile flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 pints chicken or vegetable stock
Coarse salt
1 bunch of kale, stems disgarded and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
8 thin slices baguette
1 cup of Gruyere or Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium-heat. Add the fennel and onion and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. At the 15 minute mark add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. The onions and fennel will be slightly carmelized.

Add the chile flakes, oregano and pepper and cook for a minute. Add the beans and stock, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and add salt to taste, and let cook on low heat for 1 hour.

Stir in the kale leaves and let it cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until slightly cooked. Lade into four to six ovenproof bowls. Float two toasts on each bowl and evenly distribute the cheese. Put the bowls under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly, less than a few minutes.

Serves 4-6.

(Note: I didn't use the fennel, as I am not a fan of the taste, and I don't find that I have to substitute it with anything)

Molasses Chicken Sandwich with Sweet Potato Mash

2011-12-08T19:32:00.001-08:00

The other night I was thinking about our Cuban dinner and was craving those flavors but wanted something quick and simple. So, I did what I normally do in a situation like this... I turned to Williams-Sonoma to hunt down a recipe.

I ended up finding a molasses chicken, which was reminiscent of both the molasses beans and the chicken from our Cuban meal. I decided that it would be fun as a sandwich so Aric grilled the molasses chicken (Gardein chicken for me) then we smothered it between fresh spinach leaves, ranch dressing, red onions, asiago cheese and two toasted pieces of focaccia bread. It not only looked divine, it tasted divine too.

We paired that with the oh so delicious sweet potato mash from Thanksgiving for a twist on the traditional potato side dish.

A quick and simple dinner that is tasty and looks great - you can't ask for much more than that.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. canola oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup bourbon
1 chicken, about 4 lb., cut into 8 pieces
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Make the bourbon-molasses sauce

Prepare a hot fire in a grill.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the ketchup, molasses, vinegar and bourbon and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Grill the chicken

Season the chicken pieces with the salt and pepper. Lightly oil the grill rack. Place the chicken pieces, skin side down, on the rack over the drip pan, positioning the legs, thighs and wings closest to the heat. Cover the grill and cook, turning the pieces occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh or breast (not touching bone) reads 170°F, about 50 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of grilling, brush the pieces generously with the sauce. Remove from the grill and serve.

Serves 4.

Reader's Choice Reveal Part II; Rack of Lamb with Mint Pesto & Warm Gorgonzola Potato Salad

2011-12-04T19:48:00.001-08:00

Thanks to everyone who voted for the rack of lamb, I was secretly pulling for this recipe. Earlier this year my cousin gave me a cookbook from a restaurant they had eaten at while on vacation in Hawaii. The cookbook is The Hali’imaile General Store Cookbook. The reviews of the restaurant from my cousin were top notch, so needless to say, I’ve been looking forward to trying something from the cookbook. I could pick 3 potential recipes from just about every one of my cookbooks, but I wanted to be sure to spread the love around several different cookbooks for this reader’s choice blog.

Apparently the restaurant is famous for its Hunan lamb recipe, to the point where they refuse to share the recipe with anyone. This recipe is their attempt at a viable second option. There are several parts to this recipe, so let’s just get to it.

Mint Pesto:

2 cups packed fresh mint leaves

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds)

1 Tbsp. good quality red wine vinegar

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

To prepare the pesto, in a food processor, combine the mint leaves, garlic, and pepitas and pulse several times. With the motor running, add the vinegar and drizzle in the oil through the feed tube and process until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and add the salt and pepper. (For the record, I did not like the peptitas. I would stick with a more traditional pine nuts)

Warm Gorgonzola Potato Salad:

20 small new potatoes (about 2 lbs)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms

1 red onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup chopped chives

½ cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

To prepare the salad, in a saucepan combine the potatoes with water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, until tender. Drain, quarter the potatoes, and keep warm in a large bowl.

In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 3 minutes, until just cooked. If the pan dries out, add 1 Tbsp. of water so the mushrooms won’t scorch. Add to the potatoes along with the onion and chives and toss together. Add the gorgonzola and toss again. Keep warm. (For the record Tim, we did not include the mushrooms in our version)

Rack of Lamb:

Heat a large non-stick ovenproof sauté pan over high heat until hot. No oil is needed. Using tongs, sear the lamb racks for 30 seconds to 1 minute on the loin side. Until caramelized. Remove the racks from the sauté pan and spread one-half of the pesto over the top of each rack. Return the racks to the pan, place in the oven and roast for 10-12 minutes for medium rare, or to desired doneness. (I let my lamb marinate for about 20 hours in a little olive oil, with fresh garlic and rosemary) (Vegetarian Substitute: We used Morningstar Farms Hickory BQQ Riblets)

Cut each rack into 4 double chops and transfer 2 to each warmed individual plate. Serve with the warm potato salad.

Spinich Salad:

Spinich
Strawberries
Feta Cheese
Pecans

We went to an old standby for this salad. It's one i've been making for years. Fresh baby spinish with sliced fresh strawberries, crumbled feta cheese, and pecans. Generally I use a poppyseed dressing, but as this was last minute we used what we had on-hand, spicy ranch.

Reader's Choice Reveal Part One: Boston Cream Pie Cake

2011-12-04T18:48:00.001-08:00

Well, the weekend is drawing to a close and we can finally reveal what the final selections were from our Reader’s Choice post: Aric made his lamb dish and I made the Boston Crème Pie Cake. And since Aric is still eating his good portioned slice of cake, I decided to blog first.

First off, I have to talk about the cookbook from which the recipe came from: Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito. Aric bought it for me last Christmas because he knew how much I loved baking and so far, every recipe I have tried from this cookbook has been nothing short of amazing. With that bit of confidence in my back pocket, I felt good about making this cake. And of course, I was not disappointed. This 4-layer concoction was an excellent balance between the thick, creamy custard, the decadent chocolate glaze and the lightness of the sponge.

Just make sure to give yourself some time to prepare this. It isn’t an overly difficult cake to make, it just takes time. I decided to made the custard the night before and let it chill in the fridge overnight so that I could just focus on the cake and the assembly on the day of.

Without further ado, here is the recipe!

Boston Cream Pie Cake

For the milk sponge cake

1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup whole milk
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the pastry cream filling

7 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup cornstarch
3 cups whole milk
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp light rum
6 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), finely chopped

For the chocolate glaze

5 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60-72%), coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Make the milk sponge cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms iwth parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust the parchment with flour and knock out the excess flour.

In a large bowl, sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over low heat, stir together the butter and milk until butter is just melted. Do not overheat. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until the mixture is pale and has tripled in volume, about 5 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the standing mixer and sprinkle a third of the flour mixture over the egg mixture. Gently fold the two together, using a rubber spatula. Add the rest of the flour mixture and fold again.

Add the warm milk mixture (if it has cooled completely, reheat it slightly) to the batter and gently fold until just incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake might appear wobbly if you shake the pan, but if pressed gently in the middle, it should spring back.

Transfer the cake pans to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the rack and let them cool completely. Remove the parchment.

Make the pastry cream filling

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, half of the sugar, the salt, and cornstarch until the mixture is pale, thick and smooth.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the milk and the remaining half of the sugar. Continue stirring until the mixture boils. Remove the pan from the heat, and pour about a third of the liquid into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer the tempered egg mixture back to the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture and, whisking constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and strain thought a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Stir in the butter, vanilla, and rum until combined.

Scoop a third of the pastry cream into a different bowl and set it aside. Add the chocolate to the warm pastry cream remaining in the pan and stir until melted and smooth. Scoop the chocolate cream into a bowl. Once both pastry creams have cooled for about 15 minutes, wrap both bowls in plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours of overnight.

Make the chocolate glaze

Place the chocolate and cocoa powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth.

In another small saucepan, combine the sugar, cream, corn syrup, and salt with 1/4 cup water. Place the pan over low heat and warm, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and simmer for about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and butter. Whisk to release excess heat, then add the reserved chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Set the sauce aside; it will thicken while you assemble the cake.

Assemble the Boston Cream Pie Cake

Using a serrated knife, cut the cake layers in half horizontally. Place the first cake layer on a platter and scoop half of the chocolate pastry cream on top. Spread the cream evenly to the cake’s edges using an offset spatula. Add a second cake layer and cover that with all the vanilla cream. Add a third cake layer and cover it with the remaining chocolate cream. Place the last layer on the top and press gently with your palms to help the cake layers adhere to the pastry cream.

Very slowly, pour the thickened chocolate glaze onto the center of the top of the cake. Use an offset spatula to spread it out to the edges so that it drips down the sides of the cake. Let the sauce thicken for about 20 minutes before serving.

The cake tastes best when eaten within 24 hours. If you have leftovers, tent the entire cake in foil and refrigerate. Serve it chilled or at room temperature.

Yield: one 8-inch, 4-layer round cake

Reader's Challenge: What's for Dinner?

2011-11-30T21:06:00.000-08:00

Dawn and I have had a lot of fun with Cats. Crooners. Cook. over the past few months. We’ve enjoyed sharing our joy of cooking with all of you. Our blog is still young, but we’re growing. In fact we’ve just passed 1000 pageviews. In celebration of that, Dawn and I want your help. Each of us has chosen three potential dishes and we want you to choose what we’re going to make. We’ll each make the dish from our list that receives the most support from you, our readers. We’re planning to make these dishes this weekend.

Please send us your comments telling us what you want to see for dinner! Thanks everyone for participating.

The three dishes I’ve chosen are as follows:

Star Anise and Pomegranate Flank Steak: Flank steak marinated for 24 hours in a pomegranate soy base then grilled and garnished with fresh pomegranate seeds.

Ossobuco: An Italian classic. Fresh veal, cooked with fresh vegetables.

Rack of Lamb with Mint Pesto and Warm Gorgonzola Potato Salad: I think the title says it all.

The three dishes Dawn has chosen are:

Wild Greens-Filled Ravioli with Walnut Sauce: Homemade pasta, stuffed with wild greens, then bathed in a creamy garlic and walnut sauce.

Boston Cream Pie Cake: A tribute to the classic Boston Cream Pie, with 4 layers of milk sponge cake, vanilla and chocolate pastry cream, and a chocolate glaze.

Asparagus Lasagna: A sundried tomato pesto layered between fresh homemade pasta, vegetables, and cheese.

Berry Crisp

2011-11-29T19:44:00.000-08:00

After a very filling lunch today of winter vegetable chili, Aric and I were in the mood for something simple but satisfying. Pair that with this being the first snow day of the season in Dayton, OH, I figured something warm would fit the bill. So I turned to a favorite that works well as a breakfast dish, a dessert, or in this case, a tasty dinner in front of the fire. I am referring to a gooey bowl of berry crisp. Once again, it is a Williams-Sonoma recipe (honestly, I am not getting paid by them to promote their stuff, I just really adore their company) and it is pretty straight forward to make.

A couple notes: the recipe calls for pecans but feel free to pick and choose nuts of your choosing. Tonight I had walnuts and cashews on hand so I used those. I also saw a bag of shredded coconut and threw some of that in too. It is pretty flexible to what you are in the mood for. Second note is the butter. I didn't have time to do this tonight but Aric's mom actually told me about this trick. If you get a stick of butter really cold, you can get those pea size pieces that they always talk about in recipes without a whole lot of effort that we are all used to - simply grate it on a grater and voila! Pea size pieces. Brilliant.

Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into
1-inch pieces
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup honey, plus more for drizzling
4 cups mixed berries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp. water

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375ºF.

In a bowl, stir together the oats, brown sugar, pecans, flour and salt. Using your fingers or 2 knives, cut in the butter until no clumps remain. Set the topping aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt and the 1/4 cup honey. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the berries, granulated sugar, cornstarch and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries release their juices, 5 to 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and simmer until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Transfer the berry mixture to a ceramic loaf pan and sprinkle the topping over the fruit. Set the dish on a baking sheet and bake until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Spoon the crisp into 2 bowls, dividing evenly. Drizzle with the yogurt mixture and more honey.

Serves 2.

Eggnog Waffles

2011-11-28T21:41:00.000-08:00

Well we’ve covered the African appetizer, so let’s get to the main course, eggnog waffles. There is absolutely no connection between my choices for tonight’s meal, simply liked how these recipes looked. The recipe for eggnog waffles comes from my favorite cook book, yup, Bobby Flay’s Throwdown! For those of you who don’t know anything about Bobby Flay, he has a TV show called Throwdown where he challenges people from around the country to a cooking throwdown, challenging them to a cook-off of their signature dish. The cookbook I keep returning to is a compilation of some of Bobby’s favorite episodes which includes the recipes of both Bobby and the chef he has challenged. The reason for this short explanation is that to date, I have only used Bobby’s recipes. Tonight marked the first time I’ve ventured to the other side of the aisle and utilized the local chef’s recipe. The episode I‘ve chosen from was titled Chicken and Waffles. The recipe comes from Melba Wilson. She explained that she developed eggnog waffles accidentally. One day while making a batch of regular waffles, she realized she was out of heavy cream and used what she had available as a substitute, eggnog. She loved the result so much, she never went back to heavy cream. No chicken today, just the waffles, but lets get straight into this fun twist on a classic recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 cups eggnog
2 large eggs, separated
4 Tbsp. unslated butter, melted
Cooking spray, for waffle iron

For the Strawberry Butter

1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
4 oz. strawberries, hulled and sliced
A few drops of grenadine syrup

Directions for the Waffles

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Whisk the eggnog, egg yolks, and butter in another bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until combined. Wish the egg whites until almost stiff; fold them into the batter. Heat the waffle Iron. Spray the iron with cooking spray. Pour some of the batter into the middle of the iron, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Close and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter. Top the waffles with the Strawberry Butter, and Maple Syrup.

Directions for the Strawberry Butter

Put the butter in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and blend until smooth. Add the berries and grenadine and pulse until combined, but with small pieces of berry still visible.
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Kalawule (Spicy Fried Bananas)

2011-11-28T20:00:00.000-08:00

It’s been a fantastic food night in the Merrill house this evening. I’m sitting here on my couch with a belly full of eggnog waffles and kalawule, while every breath I draw pulls me deeper into the aroma of Dawn’s winter vegetable chili (tomorrow’s lunch). It’s been a fun night. Let’s start with the Kalawule, which filled the role of appetizer this evening.

I had a very short business trip to Baltimore this past summer, there and back the same day, but I was able to schedule enough time for a short stroll around Fell’s Point, and an early dinner, before I had to run back to the airport. Quick side story, but for those of you who don’t know, Baltimore, MD is awesome. It’s a fantastic harbor city, and it has some fantastic food. If you ever find yourself in Baltimore with a couple spare hours, I highly encourage you to try the following restaurants: Pazo Restaurant, a swanky tapas bar located in a renovated old brick warehouse; and The Black Olive, a Greek inspired seafood restaurant (they have a seafood bar, where you get to choose the specific fish you eat). I promise I’m going somewhere with this. As I said, I had a few minutes to walk around Fell’s Point, and ducked into a few of the local stores, one of which had a cookbook that I just couldn’t leave behind, The World of Street Food. Kalawule is my first attempt at any of its tantalizing recipes. For those who are not familiar with kalawule, it originates from Africa. It’s a very simple dish, often sold by street vendors from trays in the evenings. Here are the ingredients.

4 Firm bananas, cut into chunks
½ - 1 tsp grated fresh or powdered ginger
½ tsp cayenne or chili powder (I did a little of both)
½ tsp ground black pepper
Palm or peanut oil (I didn’t have either, but used some Spanish olive oil)
Salt

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix the ginger with the cayenne and chili, pepper, salt and a few drops of water to combine the ingredients.
2. Put the chunks of banana into the spices and coat them well.
3. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or wok and cook the banana pieces in hot oil until nicely golden. Drain well on a paper towel.

It’s simple, quick, fun, and really tastes great! Dawn and I are planning to make Zitumbuwa soon, which is very similar, but instead of the spices the bananas are coated with sugar to make a sweet treat.

Mustard & Molasses Baked Beans

2011-11-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

As Aric mentioned, he had come up with a Cuban themed dinner and my contribution was a side dish. While I was searching for a recipe, I came across this sweet and tangy baked bean dish from Williams-Sonoma. It actually hails from the Carolinas so it doesn't really adhere to the Cuban theme but the savory flavors of mustard and molasses were bound to be a perfect compliment to Aric's chicken.

I was not mistaken. This was a delicious new twist on baked beans... and easy! It tastes like you have spent hours slow baking the beans and all it takes is half an hour from start to finish!

Enjoy.

Ingredients:
10 oz. bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used veggie bacon strips)
1 large yellow onion, diced
5 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3/4 cup mustard and molasses grilling sauce
3/4 cup water, plus more as needed
2 cans (each 15 oz.) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (each 15 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until golden but not crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 7 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the salt, cayenne, grilling sauce, the 3/4 cup water, and the kidney and pinto beans. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Uncover, stir the beans and add more water to achieve the desired consistency. Continue to cook, uncovered for 5 minutes more. Serve warm.

Serves 8.

Havana Nights!

2011-11-26T22:44:00.000-08:00

I am ashamed to say that it took me almost a complete year to really delve into Bobby Flay’s Throw Down cookbook, which Dawn gave me as a Valentine's Day present last year. It had nothing to do with my interest in the recipes inside. Simply, that just about every time I would go on a recipe hunt I used the internet since I wasn’t at my house. But after the smashing success of Bobby’s Mac & Cheese, I decided to see what other recipes intrigued me. It didn’t take me long. Actually, I now have a Throw Down recipe waiting list. In particular, there are several chicken recipes that I want to take a shot at. The ironic thing here is that not more than a year ago, I hated chicken. The only form of chicken I would eat was nugget form. I don’t really have a reason. Maybe I just had some really bad experiences, but I never seemed to find any chicken that I liked. But then like many things, Dawn perked my interest. I can’t remember if it was due to a chicken dish she made me, or if it was her suggestion that I BBQ some chicken, which led to my first original Aric Merrill recipe, Raspberry Chicken (which I will post about after Christmas), but it worked. Chicken is my new favorite food to cook. Let’s get back on track here.

As I was saying, I identified several dishes that I wanted to prepare, but was most interested by Bobby Flay’s Cuban Pork with Sour Orange Sauce. Now some of you may be confused since I spent the whole first paragraph rattling on about chicken, and those of you who know me may be confused because you know I don’t eat pork. Well the marinade and the mojo dipping sauce for this Cuban pork sounded so amazing so decided I had to try it and thought it would go great with Chicken; I was not disappointed. The Cuban pork got me all riled up and I decided that we needed to do a cultural theme so I found a great recipe for a Cuban salad to pair with the chicken. Let’s delve into the salad straight away.

Avocado & Pineapple Salad

The salad itself its incredibly simple. Just combine the following items:

Shredded iceberg lettuce
2 Cups Pineapple Chunks
1 Large Avocado, peeled and cut into cubes
1 Small onion, sliced thin

This recipe did come with its own simple vinaigrette dressing, but I found the following recipe for a Cuban Mango Mojo that sounded to die for, and I figured it would make a wicked good salad dressing.

Cuban Mango Mojo

2 Cups fresh mango
½ Cup fresh lime juice
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 red onion, diced
¼ Cup garlic, chopped
¼ Cup ginger, chopped
1Tbsp. sugar
1 Bunch Cilantro, minced
2 Cups Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

A few points of interest. This is the original recipe. It makes a lot of Mojo. I cut up 2 fresh mangos, used the juice from 2-3 fresh limes, used store bought OJ, used about ½ an onion, used about 4 cloves of garlic, and much closer to 1/8 cup of ginger, and no more than 2/3 cup of olive oil. But play it by ear to see what seems to be working for you.

Directions:

Mix the all the ingredients into a blender and puree. Use the olive oil to get to the consistency you desire. Use the salt & Pepper to season to your preferred taste. Once completed, simply pour over the salad and enjoy.

Bobby Flay’s Cuban Pork (or Chicken) with Sour Orange Sauce

Interestingly enough, Bobby’s recipe differs ever so slightly from the recipe I have posted here, which was found on the internet, to the one he has in his cook book.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups fresh orange juice, divided
1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice, divided
1 orange, zested
1 lime, zested
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh oregano, divided
12 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 bone-in pork shoulder (about 4 to 6-pounds), trimmed of excess fat (I used a couple of chicken breasts)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mojo Dipping Sauce, recipe follows

Directions:

Combine 4 cups of the orange juice and 1 cup of the lime juice and zest in a large saucepan over high heat and reduce to 2 cups. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining orange juice and lime juice add a few cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup of the oregano. Let cool to room temperature.

Using a paring knife, make small slits over the entire surface of the pork and rub the garlic into the slashes. Whisk together the oil and remaining 1/4 cup of the oregano in a large roasting pan, add the pork and turn to coat, cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. I also grilled my chicken on the BBQ. The BBQ season is rapidly coming to an end, so I’m using every excuse in the book to get outside and grill.

Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting. Season the pork with salt and pepper and cook for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and continue roasting, basting with the marinade during the last 30 minutes of roasting until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reaches 150 degrees F. Remove from the oven, baste with any remaining glaze, tent loosely and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Mojo Dipping Sauce:

8 cloves garlic
1 serrano chile, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic, serrano, cilantro and a few pinches of salt until it becomes a paste. Add the orange juice, lime juice and oil and stir to combine.

Dawn will be following up with a post explaining the beans you've seen in the photos throughout this post.

Mozzarella Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2011-11-26T19:03:00.000-08:00

This is actually a follow-up to the Bobby Flay’s Macaroni and Cheese night Dawn and I had a week or so ago. We did have a couple semi healthy items that day. This salad is from a cook book I picked up a few years ago titled, Simple but Perfect Salads. I’ve made several of their salads, all of which have been nothing short of wonderful, but both Dawn and I felt this may have been one of the best salads in the book. It’s a very simple salad, which is actually one of the reasons I chose it. The Mac & Cheese was quite involved, so we wanted our salad to be something quite simple. Let’s not waste any time, let’s get right into the recipe.

Ingredients:
A bag of mixed salad greens, such as oak leaf lettuce, baby spinach, and arugula.
A ball of smoked mozzarella cheese, cubed.

For the Dressing:
5 oz. sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, reserve the oil from the jar
¼ cup coarsely shredded fresh basil
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbsp. capers, rinsed
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
Extra olive oil, if necessary
Freshly ground pepper

Put the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, capers, vinegar, and garlic in a food processor or blender. Measure the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar and make it up to 2/3 cup with more olive oil if necessary. Add it to the food processor or blender and process until smooth. Season to taste with pepper.

Divide the salad greens among 4 individual serving plates. Top with the cubes of mozzarella and spoon the dressing over them. Serve immediately.

Mini Pumpkin Pies

2011-11-25T20:10:00.000-08:00

I recently fell in love with mini pies on Pinterest. When I decided to tackle a vegan friendly pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, I thought I would incorporate the mini pies too. Taking on two new endeavors the day before Thanksgiving - risky? Possibly. But my philosophy is “Go big or go home.” (This doesn’t mean that I still didn’t turn to Aric as soon as popped the pies into the oven and say “Start praying!”)

All kidding aside, these pies exceeded all of my wildest hopes and expectations. The filling was just like traditional pumpkin pie filling and the crust was on the firmer side, like a tart shell, which was perfect for handling the mini-pies.

Again, like the rest of our Thanksgiving contributions, these are dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, wheat-free, and egg-free and I owe much credit to Vegan Spoonful and The Blender for the recipes.

Pie Crust (courtesy of The Blender)

The gluten in wheat flour does a beautiful job binding dough. However, when working without it, pay particular attention to some steps in order to ensure success. Following is a gluten-free pie crust recipe using readily available ingredients. For instructions and tips on making this gluten-free dough and crust, visit Simply Gluten-Free. Note that some individuals are sensitive to xanthan gum, a binder commonly found in gluten-free flour mixes. In this recipe, flax (or chia) meal is used in place of xanthan gum.

This recipe makes one 9 inch pie crust. If you are making the mini pies, you will require two 9 inch crusts.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Shortening
4 to 8 Tbs. cold water
1 1/4 cups Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour, plus more for rolling
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. sugar
3 Tbs. ground flax seed or ground chia seed

Directions
Cut butter into ½ inch pieces and place it the freezer for 15 – 30 minutes.
Add some ice cubes to the water and let it get ice cold while preparing the dry ingredients. Combine the flour blend, salt and sugar in a bowl. Stir 5 -6 times to combine. Add the shortening and stir until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea size pieces of shortening.

Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture just barely starts to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough together and it holds then you have enough water, if not add more a little at a time. You do not want to add any more water than is absolutely necessary.
Remove the dough from the machine and pour the mixture into a large food storage bag and form it into a disk using the bag to help (the dough doesn’t form like regular dough so using the bag makes it easier to combine). Close up the bag and put it in the fridge for at least an hour. Remove dough from fridge 5 minutes before rolling.

To roll the dough, lay a piece of waxed paper on a work surface and sprinkle with some flour blend. Lay the chilled disk on the floured paper, sprinkle with some more flour and lay on another piece of waxed paper. Roll the dough into a circle approximately 12 inches wide. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper and carefully cut out 4 inch rounds with a glass or cutter and remove the waxed paper. Push the dough very gently down so it lines the bottom and sides of the muffin tins. If the dough splits or breaks apart just push it back together.

Pie Filling (courtesy of Vegan Spoonful)

Ingredients:
2 cups pureed pumpkin (or one 15-oz can)
1 cup plain nondairy milk (soy, almond, coconut)*
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 – 3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine pumpkin, non-dairy milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and spices in a large bowl, and mix very well with an electric mixer. Pour into unbaked pastry shell, and bake for about 60 minutes. The pie will still be jiggly when you take it out of the oven, but it will firm up as it cools. Cool completely on a cooling rack, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving. Serve chilled.

I used Thai Kitchen’s Full Fat Coconut milk for this recipe, given the no soy restriction, and it worked amazingly well. You couldn’t taste the coconut but it definitely added a richness and creaminess to the filling. Almond and soy milk will also both produce great results. The only milk that doesn’t seem to be recommend is rice milk – the consistency is a bit too thin to produce a nice creamy pie.

Makes 14 mini pies.

A Healthy Thanksgiving Part Doux

2011-11-25T19:46:00.000-08:00

As Dawn mentioned earlier, our goal for Thanksgiving was to make some food that some of the new mothers who are dealing with food allergy issues would be able to eat as well. My responsibility was to make the Sweet Potato Mash, or for those of you who need someone to explain the obvious, mashed sweet potatoes. Not generally the most difficult dish to make, but Dawn kept my ego in tack by convincing me that it was the key to a successful Thanksgiving. It took her a while, but she was able to convince me telling the truth by using the Pythagorean theory and a bunch of big words.

Dawn found the recipe in her vast Williams-Sonoma files. The only thing we did differently was avoid the pecans since some of the potential consumers have a few allergy concerns regarding nuts. We loved this recipe. Dawn and I both commented on how good this dish was, and how we can work it into another meal. I hope some of you will try is and enjoy it as much as we do. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (And I apologize for the following picture, it looks more like sweet potato ice cream than it looks like the Mash)

Ingredients:
3 ½ Lbs. Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh sage
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
3 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup toasted chopped pecans

Directions:
Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot, add water to cover by 3 inches and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well in a colander.  

 Fit a food mill with the disk with the smallest holes, set over the pot and pass the sweet potatoes through in batches.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sage, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Pour the butter mixture over the sweet potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and stir until incorporated. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a serving bowl and cover loosely with aluminum foil.

In another small saucepan over medium heat, combine the maple syrup and pecans and heat until just warmed through. Transfer to a small serving bowl. Serve the mashed sweet potatoes immediately and pass the maple-pecan drizzle alongside. Serves 6 to 8.

Here's what our Thanksgiving meal looked like!

Happy Healthy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T19:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving yesterday, full of family, friends, and of course, amazing food! We certainly lucked out with our Thanksgiving feast. We spent the day with Aric’s family as well as with friends of ours and everyone contributed to the whole meal. We not only ended up having quite the tasty spread but it was by and large very health conscious as well. I know the words health conscious and Thanksgiving generally don’t go together but this meal proved that the two can harmoniously coexist.

Since a lot of the mothers attending Thanksgiving dinner have had to forgo dairy in their diets to appease the allergies and sensitivities of their young babies, there was a limited amount of cheese in the dishes. On top of that, one of the moms has recently had to cut out dairy, wheat, soy, eggs, and nuts from her diet. I couldn’t stand the thought of someone not being able to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal so I went in search of food that everyone could eat and enjoy.

All of the dishes Aric and I are posting on for Thanksgiving are dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, wheat-free, and egg-free. And each were met with great enthusiasm by the 20 something people that tasted each recipe, and the crowd ranged from vegans to carnivores. So whether you are on a strict diet, are vegan, or just want some healthy ideas that taste unbelievably delicious, these recipes are bound to satisfy everyone’s palates.

First up is Maple-Dijon Roasted Root Vegetables. I have made both Gwyneth Paltrow’s and Ina Garten’s versions of this dish before and have enjoyed both immensely. So I thought it would be fun to combine the two and get the best of both dishes. This is a very easy dish to prepare and can be prepped ahead of time so all you have to do is pop it in the oven before the guests arrive.

Ingredients
4 tablespoon maple syrup 
4 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 pound carrots, peeled
1 pound parsnips or rutabaga, peeled
1 large sweet potato, peeled
1 small butternut squash, peeled and seeded (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, and butternut squash in 1 to 1 1/4-inch cubes. All the vegetables will shrink while baking, so don't cut them too small.
Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Mix together maple syrup, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper then drizzle the vegetables with the mix. Toss well. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.
Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot.
Serves 8.

Next up is the Butternut Squash Soup. I have made this soup numerous times before and it is one of my favorites to make on Sunday for weekday lunches. It is also quick and easy to make and the best part is that it tastes creamy without any cream or dairy required. This recipe is taken straight out of Daniel Green’s Healthy Eating for Lower Cholesterol
. Don’t let the slightly medical title deter you - all of the recipes in this cookbook are ridiculously yummy and yet so simple. It is one of my favorite cookbooks.

I doubled this recipe for Thanksgiving and there was enough for at least 15 starter soups.

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 small potato, quartered
2 garlic cloves
850 ml or 4 cups of vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
Handful of chives

Directions

Peel the squash, scoop out the seeds and cut into thick wedges. Heat the oil in a large pan or soup pot. Add the onion and cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the butternut squash and potato and coat in oil. Cook for two minutes on medium heat then add garlic and season.

Add the stock and simmer for 25 minutes. Using a hand blender or food processor, blend thoroughly.

Serve with some sprinkled chopped chives.

Ina Garten's Italian Wedding Soup

2011-11-15T18:23:00.000-08:00

I love this soup. I had to say that straight out of the gate because it really is a fantastic fall soup. It has so much texture to it, from the colors and flavors to the variation between meatballs, pasta and vegetables. And it really has a “stick to your bones” quality that fills you up on a cold fall day too. Plus this makes a ridiculous amount of soup so it is great for leftovers or a party.

Ina Garten’s version is fairly straight forward to make. For the vegetarian option, I use one tube of LightLife’s Gimme Lean Sausage to replace the meat portions of the meat balls and I find it works wonderfully.

Ingredients
For the meatballs:
• 3/4 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
• 2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 cup minced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 10 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
• 12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

Makes about 8 servings.

Ranch Club Panini

2011-11-15T17:47:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when I need some inspiration on what to cook next, instead of turning to a cookbook, I start rummaging through the kitchen to see what gadgets or appliances haven’t been used recently, then find something to make with it. Given the amount of kitchen appliances and the lack of storage space, things tend to get lost in the back recesses of the cupboards, but last week, the Panini press got to see the light of day.

I decided to check out Williams-Sonoma for panini recipes (I know, I know, I sound like a broken record about the place but I really love it!) and was intrigued by the Ranch Club Panini. It was a bit of a twist on just a plain Chicken Club sandwich, plus it had avocado and it had cheese (which is the new chocolate for Aric and I – see his post on the Mac and Cheese). It sounded like a great Friday night dinner.

I used Gardein chick’n for myself (they have wonderful meatless options for us vegetarians) and a thin cut of chicken breast for Aric. If you can’t get your hands on the Williams-Sonoma buttermilk ranch rub, buy a packet of the dry buttermilk ranch dressing at the grocery store and mix in some dried chives, dill, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, and pepper then cover the chicken with that.

Serve with garlic steak fries and enjoy while it’s still warm!

Ingredients:
8 slices country Italian bread, each 1/4 inch thick
Olive oil for brushing
1/4 cup mayonnaise
8 bacon slices, cooked until crisp
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each about 8 oz.
8 tsp. buttermilk ranch rub*
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick
8 slices provolone cheese, about 6 1/2 oz. total

Directions:
Preheat a panini press to 400°F according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Brush one side of each bread slice with olive oil. Turn the slices over and spread with the mayonnaise. Top 4 of the slices with the bacon, dividing evenly.

Butterfly the chicken breasts, cut each one in half and pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Rub each piece with 2 tsp. grilling rub or place rub and chicken in a plastic bag and shake until covered. Place the chicken on the panini press, close the lid and cook, turning once, for 4 minutes. Place 1 chicken piece on each of the bacon-topped bread slices and top with the avocado and cheese, dividing evenly. Cover each sandwich with one of the remaining bread slices, oiled side up.

Place the sandwiches on the panini press, close the lid and cook until the bread is golden and crisp and the cheese is melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Bobby Flay's Macaroni & Cheese Carbonara

2011-11-14T19:56:00.000-08:00

Lactose Intolerants beware. High cholesterol junkies, avert your gaze. Dieters, direct your attention elsewhere. This next post is only for those of us whose blood flows freely through their arteries.

Dawn and I have been on a cheese rampage as of late. It all started with Dawn’s Salt adventure. We gorged ourselves on cheese till we were blue in the face. You would think after stuffing ourselves full of 3 different cheeses to the point where it hurt to breathe we would avoid the cause. But, it’s actually had exactly the opposite effect. We’ve found ourselves desiring more and more cheese over the past few weeks. This past Sunday I wanted to make dinner, and I wanted to use a recipe from Bobby Flay’s Throwdown cookbook. His Thowdown with Delilah Winder over Macaroni & Cheese hit the spot.

Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-inch thick piece pancetta, cut into small dice (I used stripples)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 to 7 cups whole milk, heated
• 4 large egg yolks, lightly whisked
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups freshly grated Asiago cheese, plus more for the top
• 1 1/2 cups Irish white Cheddar, plus more for the top
• 1 1/2 cups Mountain Valley Cheddar, plus more for the top
• 1 cup grated Fontina cheese, plus more for the top
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for the top
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked just under al dente
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 3 quart baking dish and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook until lightly golden brown. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in 6 cups of the hot milk, increase the heat to high and cook, whisking constantly until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the thyme, cayenne, and all of the cheese until completely melted, season with salt and pepper. If the mixture appears too thick, add some of the remaining milk 1/4 cup at a time.

Place the cooked macaroni in a large bowl, add the cheese sauce, reserved pancetta and parsley and stir until combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Combine together additional Asiago, Cheddars, Fontina, and Parmesan in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the macaroni. Bake in the oven until heated through and the top is lightly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Follow-Up
Let me assure you of this, this is without a doubt the best macaroni & cheese I’ve ever had (sorry mom, but Bobby’s got you beat on this one). It’s rich and heavy. Your taste buds will scream for seconds, but your stomach will holler for you to put your fork down! Don’t plan to do any athletic activities after dinner, just find a good movie or football game and curl up on the couch while your stomach goes to work. The majority of us will end up in a food coma, but make no mistake, it will be the best food coma you have all year.

This blog posted whilst lying on the floor in a food coma ;)

Bruschetta

2011-11-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

There are so many wonderful things you can do with a tomato. It’s an incredibly versatile ingredient. One of my favorite tomato-based recipes is Bruschetta. It’s a very common appetizer made in all kinds of restaurants. Everyone makes their dish a little different, uses different ingredients, different herbs. I enjoy trying everyone’s different interpretation and seeing how it varies from mine.

I remember the first time I made Bruschetta. It was when I was first beginning to discover the joy of cooking. Through most of high school my dad and I had a lot in common. Sports, cars, politics; I was growing into a man, and had a lot going on that closely related to my father. My mother and I didn’t have the same level of similar interests. I had never been interested in cooking, but we both saw it as an opportunity to spend some time together. As I recall, I was home from college and wanted to help out with dinner. Somehow I volunteered to make Bruschetta. I had no idea what I was doing and asked questions throughout the entire ordeal. But I will say this, add enough fresh basil and garlic to pretty much anything and you’ve got a winning recipe. I’ve made Bruschetta many times since that first try and I believe I’ve developed a pretty good version. Here is my rendition of this popular appetizer.

- Tomatoes: get the best looking, freshest tomatoes you can find. If you have a garden, there is no doubt that homegrown is the best. For this attempt I used a couple of different colors to change things up.
- Fresh Garlic
- Basil
- Onions
- Kalamata Olives
- Feta Cheese
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Salt & Pepper

These are the base ingredients. Like always I don’t have specific measurements, just keep adding whatever you think is missing or whatever taste you want more distinct.

You will need a French Baguette as well. Slice the Baguette in pretty thin slices, between ¼ and ½ inch thick. I like to put some cheese on the bread and stick it under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is browned and the bread is toasted. I have found Mozzarella to work well for this. Once you pull the bread and cheese out from the broiler spoon as much of the Bruschetta on top of each piece as possible. Just know that it will spill, that’s part of the joy. Serve while still warm.

This blog posted whilst listening to Mambo Italiano.

Love This Season!

2011-11-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

There are many things that I love about the changing of the seasons this time of year. I love to see the leaves change color. I am more than happy to see the sweltering days of August fade away to the crisp, frosty days of November. I love football season. I train and prepare all summer so I’ll be ready for Thanksgiving dinner. And Christmas is undoubtedly my favorite holiday, even though I fervently loathe the rampant proliferation of Christmas emblazonry and promotions months before the actual holiday arrives. But there is one thing that I may love even more than anything else, Eggnog. The first time I see Eggnog in the grocery store I experience absolute and unfettered joy that can only be described as an amalgamation of the joy of Christmas morning for my nieces and nephews, and the cinematic depiction of Masquerade on the 2005 version of the Phantom of the Opera. Needless to say, I am very excited to announce that I had my first glass last night.

If you like eggnog, check out our eggnogg waffle post here.

PS: This is not what my glass looked like.