Girl Gone Gourmet

Shortcut Basil & Parmesan Rolls

2013-01-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

I have learned it's okay to take shortcuts, especially when it comes to baking. Oh sure, I aspire to make the perfect pies, cakes, cookies, and bread completely from scratch, but my results are inconsistent at best. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I'm pretty good with cookies, quick breads and muffins. However, if anything needs yeast and effective kneading to get the desired results I'm pretty much screwed. I just can't count on myself to get it done right every time.

But, it's okay. I've made my peace with it.

Even if I had mad baking skills I still happen to live in a world where there isn't always time to make homemade bread from scratch. Between work and Pinterest there aren't a whole lot of hours left in the day, which is why I've been known to stock my fridge with pre made crescent roll dough. It's just too easy.

Take the rolls pictured above, for example. All I did was unroll the dough and spread a mixture of olive oil, basil and grated parmesan cheese one side. Then I just rolled it up, like I was making cinnamon rolls, and sliced the roll into eight equal sized rolls. Then I baked them until they were starting to brown -- about 20 minutes or so. Fresh from the oven, these little rolls tasted mighty fine as a snack alongside a glass of white wine.

From scratch or not really from scratch -- does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? Life is way too short to cry over ruined baked goods. I should know -- I have a few tear-stained hand towels in my kitchen.

Mushroom & Spinach Melt

2013-01-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

I heart sandwiches.

During the week I typically stick to simple turkey, lettuce and cheese, but when the weekend rolls around I like to invest a little more time and effort creating toasty, tasty sandwich options. This mushroom and spinach melt is definitely a weekend sandwich and totally worth the time.

I melted a healthy tablespoon of butter in a pan over medium heat. Once the butter melted I tossed in a package of baby bella mushrooms that I cut into quarters. I cooked them in the butter for several minutes along with some fresh thyme. Then I added in another tablespoon of butter before adding in a few splashes of Chardonnay to deglaze the bottom of the pan. I added some salt and pepper and let the mushrooms cook a few minutes longer in the butter and wine before removing them to cool.

While the mushrooms were cooling I slathered some dijon mustard on two slices of sandwich bread. I layered some fresh spinach on one slice of bread, topped the spinach with some of the cooled mushrooms and then grated some provolone over the top of the mushrooms. Then I cooked the sandwich in a panini press for a few minutes until the bread was toasty and the cheese was melted.

A perfect weekend sandwich.

Favorite Recipes from 2012

2013-01-01T17:18:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking over the last few days that I would skip posting a list of recipes posted here in 2012. However, after spending the better part of today catching up on my favorite food blogs, I realized that paying tribute to the recipes and tasty adventures of the prior year is somewhat of a blogger tradition. To just move on to 2013 without acknowledging the greatest hits from last year just feels wrong.

There are several ways to approach this kind of post and in the end I decided to share my favorite posts from 2012. It's been a fun trip down memory lane and I've managed to whittle the list down to my Top 5 personal favorites.

2012 was a great one and I'm excited to see what 2013 has in store! As always, thanks for stopping by and supporting my little blog --

Happy New Year!

Homemade Granola
I wasn't a fan of the whole fruit and yogurt thing until I made my own granola.
This recipe made me a believer.

Brussels Sprouts
2012 will be remembered as the year I fell in love with brussels sprouts. Simple, tasty and easy to do -- I think I've made these a thousand times since September.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread
So good. Earned rave reviews at Thanksgiving.

Garlic Soup
So comforting it's almost medicinal.

Gingersnaps

My favorite coffee companion.

Hot Chocolate Mix

2012-12-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to find a heavy dusting of snow on the ground and I couldn't have been happier. It's been cold here for weeks, but not a single snowflake dropped until last night.

I miss the snow we had growing up. We had big storms that would dump inches upon inches of the white stuff providing inspiration for all kinds of snowy fun. My brothers and I would bundle up in our snow pants, parkas and moon boots to make the journey to a hill that offered perfect sledding conditions. My two brothers, both older than me, led the way on their cross country skis while I brought up the rear on foot pulling my red plastic sled behind me. Looking back I'm pretty sure that walk was a short one, but at that time it felt like an epic journey.

And the reward after arriving home? It was always a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

Hot Chocolate Mix
Adapted from The Epicurious Cookbook

This mix makes approximately 24 servings and can be kept in the pantry in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

Cut open the vanilla bean and scrap out the seeds. In a bowl combine the sugar with the seeds -- it works best to use your hands to work the seeds through the sugar to distribute. There shouldn't be any lumps of vanilla. Toss the pod in and cover with plastic wrap. Leave the sugar and vanilla out at room temperature overnight.

Process the milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate in a food processor until finely ground. Depending on the size of your food processor you may need to do this in batches. In a large bowl combine the ground chocolate with the baking cocoa and sugar (remove the vanilla pod). To get it thoroughly combined I think it's easiest to pour it all into a large zip-lock bag, seal and then shake to combine. Store in an airtight container.

To make a single serving, warm 8 ounces of milk until scalded and add in approximately 1/4 cup of the mix whisking until the chocolate is melted. Serve with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream.

Gingersnaps

2012-12-17T07:35:00.001-07:00

Sometimes simple is better.

Is it just me or is there an undercurrent of cookie one-upmanship out there in the world? It seems that no one makes just a simple cookie anymore and instead there are a plethora of jacked-up cookie concoctions. It's like a game of who can stuff the most ingredients a single batch of cookies. Nutella! White chocolate chips! Browned butter frosting! Nuts, nuts and more nuts! Peppermint candies, M&Ms and butterscotch chips! It's amazing! The best cookie ever!

Seriously, it can get a little crazy.

Of course, like most things, it takes one to know one and I have often fallen prey to the whole ingredient overload frenzy. I think it probably stems from a desire to be original. There's an insidious need to take that simple cookie to the next level and that's where the trouble starts. In my mind it works out great after adding a little of this and a little of that. In reality? I usually end up with some weird blob so overwhelmed by my "creativity" that it's lost all it's original wonderfulness. Then I sit there and try and convince myself that it is amazing all the while knowing in my heart that it's wrong. So wrong.

For the record, I'm not suggesting a campaign to stamp out creative cookies. Definitely not. However, I need some safe-guards in place so that I can still be creative, but when things go south I have a way to salvage the original concept so not all is lost. At the end of the day a well executed simple chocolate chip cookie is much better than a Frankenstein chocolate chip cookie bursting with a myriad of crazy ingredients that begs the question "what is that thing?".

With Christmas right around the corner I set out to make gingersnaps and quickly felt that familiar tug to take it a step further by topping the finished cookies with a lemon glaze. I thought the glaze would be an interesting addition to this classic cookie and thought to myself, "A glaze! With lemon! And a little lemon zest! It will be amazing!"

I made a small batch of the glaze to start and topped only a few of the finished cookies to test it. It was an incredible exercise in restraint that paid off because the lemon glaze wasn't that great. It's sweetness completely masked the complex flavors of spice and molasses, which are what make a gingersnap so special.

Since I only glazed a few it wasn't a big deal. I still had a bunch of gingersnaps left unadorned ready to be dunked in a cup of coffee, which happens to be my favorite way to enjoy them.

Gingersnaps

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup extra to top the cookies

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 & 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat both sugars together with the softened butter until fluffy. Add in the molasses, egg and vanilla extract. Beat together until combined. In a separate bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and spices together until combined. Add to the wet ingredients and mix together until combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary. At this point the dough will be very soft so cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at 30 minutes.

Once the dough is firm, pinch off enough to roll into 1 inch balls. Roll the balls in the extra sugar and line them up, about 2 inches apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once all the dough balls are made, lightly press down on each of them with the bottom of a glass.

Bake for approximately 12 minutes. I started checking on mine at the 10-minute mark. Pull them out of the oven once the top of the cookies feel dry and firm. If you want a crisper cookie leave them in the oven 1-2 minutes longer. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to wire racks to cool completely.

Four Cheese Manicotti with Meat Sauce

2012-12-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say that I tossed this all together in an hour for a quick and hearty supper during the week, but I would be lying if I did. This is one of those meals that needs to be done on the weekend because of all the simmering, mixing and baking that needs to happen. I split this up into two baking dishes -- one that I enjoyed this past weekend and the other went into the freezer to be reheated when I want a hearty dinner during the week. The effort involved is worth it because the end result is a creamy and hearty pasta dish that makes you feel all good inside.

Four Cheese Manicotti with Meat Sauce
Makes 10 filled manicotti tubes

For the Sauce
1 pound ground beef
1/2 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
24 ounce can of whole plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water
4 sprigs of thyme
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt

For the Pasta
1 ten-count box of manicotti
15 ounce ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella, plus a little extra for topping
1/2 cup shredded provolone
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus a little extra for topping
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt
pepper

Start by heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add in the onions and garlic and cook until softened. Add in the ground beef and continue cooking until the meat is cooked through (you may need to raise the heat a bit). Add in the tomatoes, with the juices, along with a 1/2 cup of water, fresh thyme and balsamic. Break up the tomatoes with a spatula or spoon and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and then cover with a lid and lower the heat to medium or low. You don't want the sauce to boil - just allow it to simmer. I recommend letting it simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally, to allow it to thicken and reduce. Be sure to taste and season with salt as it cooks.

While the sauce is doing it's thing preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the cheese filling by combining the four cheeses along with the parsley and thyme in a medium bowl. Add in the eggs, nutmeg, salt (a few pinches) and pepper (a few turns of the grinder). Stir until combined. Spoon into a large zip lock bag and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with olive oil to keep from sticking. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Coat the bottom of a baking dish with some of the sauce. To fill the tubes, cut a corner of the zip lock bag to make it easy to squeeze the filling into the manicotti tubes. Squeeze in enough filling to fill the tubes with a little extra room on each end. Line them side-by-side in the dish. Ladle some sauce over the top and sprinkle the extra mozzarella and Parmesan on top. Cover with tin foil and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes. Allow to stand a few minutes before serving.

Garlic Soup

2012-12-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Move over chicken soup because I've got a new bowl of comfort in my life.

How I've made it this far in life without making garlic soup is beyond me. I love garlic and I love soup so it's clearly a match made in heaven. And, unlike chicken soup, it's easy to make and requires only a few ingredients. This particular version is thickened using egg yolks, which results in a rich and velvety smooth soup perfect for those days when you need a little TLC in a bowl.

You start with some garlic...

I just smashed the cloves with my knife and then peeled them.

Next, toss the peeled cloves into a large sauce pan with 5 cups of water, a few sprigs of fresh thyme and a bay leaf. Turn the heat on high, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat. Pop a lid on that bad boy and let it simmer for about 45 minutes.

While the garlic and herbs are simmering make the croutons by first tossing bread cubes with some olive oil and fresh thyme. Toast the bread cubes in a preheated pan over high heat until they start to brown and the outside is crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside.

A few minutes before the soup is done simmering, whisk together 5 egg yolks with a 3 tablespoons of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Once the garlic and herbs have simmered for 45 minutes run the broth through a fine mesh sieve and discard the solids -- you won't be needing those anymore. Return the soup to the pot and then ladle about a 1/2 cup of the broth into the bowl with the yolks. Slowly add the broth to the eggs, while whisking, to warm the eggs. Once incorporated, slowly pour the egg mixture into the rest of the broth in the pot, whisking continuously. Bring the soup to a simmer (don't let it boil) over medium low heat and continue to whisk until the soup slightly thickens, about 10 minutes or so. Check the seasoning and add salt to taste. Serve with the croutons.

Monday Photos: December Banner

2012-12-03T11:13:00.001-07:00

The countdown begins - Christmas is just a few short weeks away.

Eek!

In celebration of the season I updated the banner to something a little more festive. It features one of my favorite salads that is perfect for this time of year.

In other news, I've been listening to a whole lot of Christmas music lately and thought I would share some of my favorite albums in case anyone is looking to update their holiday playlists.

Chickpea & Feta Pasta

2012-11-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

Over the long weekend I spent quite a bit of time on Pinterest which, by the way, has suddenly exploded with the holidays. Of course, there are always the die-hard Christmas fans that continuously pin various Christmas stuff all year round, but this past weekend everyone came out in droves to pin all kinds of Christmas crafts, decorating and cooking ideas. Even your's truly, who swore she would never start a Christmas board, got in on the action. I can't help it! My tree went up the day after Thanksgiving, I played Christmas music all day today and I think I've gained a few pounds just gazing at photos of dark chocolate gingersnaps, cranberry handpies and chocolate hazelnut mini pies. Oh yeah. All three of those bad boys are going on my "must make for the holidays" list.

None of this really has anything to do with chickpeas and feta except that the decadence of the season has me looking for some alternative dinner options that don't include butter, cream and loads of cheese. I love that stuff, but my thighs don't so I would love to get to the new year without a lot of extra holiday baggage parked permanently on my hips.

Don't get me wrong, I don't plan to go cold turkey on all the rich and yummy stuff, but I do plan to break it up with some lighter options in between. It's all about balance, people! - I say that like I have no trouble balancing the healthy with the not so healthy, which is kind of a lie. I am the worst at it. - Anyway...

One lighter option is this Chickpea & Feta Pasta, which is so simple there really isn't a recipe. I love dinners that utilize whatever is on hand and are delivered to the table within thirty minutes. For this particular variation I toss pasta with some olive oil and lemon juice and then add in some chickpeas, sun dried tomatoes, feta and parsley Season with salt and pepper and you get a light and tasty supper. I figure that the time and calories I save enjoying this justifies the time and calories I will use making and enjoying various calorie-laden holiday meals and desserts. In my mind that's a good balance to strike.

Monday Photos: Naptime

2012-11-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Pier 39, San Francisco, CA

Turkey Quesadillas

2012-11-25T16:04:00.001-07:00

Tired of turkey yet?

I have challenged myself to use up all the leftover turkey this year and even after turkey sandwiches, burritos and quesadillas I still have leftovers in my fridge. I think the turkey keeps multiplying because every time I think I'm getting close to using it all up I turn around and more appears. At times like these volume is important and a great way to get rid of some of those leftovers is in quesadillas. Admittedly, mine aren't very fancy. After weeks of using up creative juices planning my Thanksgiving dinner it now appears that my innovative thinking has taken a little vacation.

These are just plain ol' quesadillas with turkey and cheese. Cooked for a few minutes in a grill pan and served with a side of salsa. I enjoyed mine while drinking some wine and playing Wii Sports. I love "exercising" with a glass of wine nearby.

Mini Turkey Sandwiches

2012-11-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

Today, in between checking out the deals on Amazon, I put together some cute sandwiches.

I love cute food.

Especially cute food that uses up all kinds of Thanksgiving leftovers like turkey (that took a long overnight soak in this brine), homemade cranberry sauce, arugula leftover from this salad, and dinner rolls. Add a little bit of pepperjack cheese and a smear of dijon and you get the cutest and tastiest little sandwiches ever.

My Thanksgiving was a great one - full of good food, great family, mimosas, laughter and love. I hope you had a wonderful holiday, too.

Thanksgiving Starters

2012-11-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

I think the best part of Thanksgiving are the appetizers. What's better than having a "a bit of this and a taste of that" over the course of the day only to sit down when it's time for the real meal and realize you are completely full and can't possibly eat any more?

There's so much hoopla about turkey, potatoes and stuffing when the real heroes of the day are the bite-sized treats that are served all day so folks can ruin their appetite waiting in anticipation for what they think is the big show.

By the time I'm dishing up some turkey and potatoes I'm really just interested in a taste so I know what leftovers I'll want adorning my plate the next day, otherwise known as the day after the day I ate too many appetizers, also known as my real Thanksgiving.

So in the spirit of ruining appetites I offer up some favorite starters... oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Stuffed Mushrooms with Green Chili and Cream Cheese

Roasted Red Pepper & Basil Pinwheels

A Quick Goat Cheese Dip

Insalata Caprese Skewers

Spicy & Sweet Corn Relish

Olive & Red Pepper Spread

Onion, Bacon & Roasted Garlic Dip

Monday Photos: A Dinner Party

2012-11-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

I had some family over for dinner recently and I am considering renting them out as party guests for hire because they have amazing dinner guest skills. Not only are they the nicest people ever, but they appropriately ooh and ahh over everything they're served. I think there might be some money in putting them out on the party circuit because don't we all want an adoring audience when we make a meal?

I jest.

I want them to just ooh and ahh over my cooking.

Speaking of cooking, let's talk about the food, shall we?

First up: Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon with a Peppercorn Sauce

I seared and cooked the filet in a pan and then made the sauce using this recipe.

On the side: Roasted Red Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

On the Other Side: Tomato & Pickled Beet Salad

I didn't take a picture with the salad on the plate, but open the link to check it out.

For Dessert: Creme Brulee

I used this recipe.

This menu was pretty challenging for me, but I managed to pull it off. Thankfully, my guests pitched in at the end to help pull it all together. The most stressful part of cooking a big meal is the last ten minutes hoping that all the components are ready to serve at the same time. My inner chef definitely came out and I am grateful that my guests understood even though I ordered them around like line cooks. It's all part of the experience, right?

Beans & Toast

2012-11-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

In my house beans & toast is also known as "what I eat after I've screwed up everything else".

Last weekend I set out to make chocolate swirl buns -- they're just like cinnamon buns except you roll them up with chocolate, butter and sugar instead of just cinnamon and butter. I planned to freeze them and bring them out over Thanksgiving just so I could impress my two visiting nephews. What preteen boy would turn away a warm, gooey, chocolaty sweet? I thought I had a winner and was already practicing my acceptance speech for my soon to be awarded "Aunt of the Year" trophy. I thought the chocolate swirl buns would be talked about for years to come.

Not so much.

Something went terribly wrong in the kitchen and those buns refused to rise. After all the kneading, rolling and cajoling I ended up with 12 flat discs made of dough and chocolate. I went as far as baking them hoping and praying they would magically puff up in the oven, but they didn't. They tasted like rope coils glued together with chocolate. So the buns went in the trash along with my dreams of Aunt Sainthood.

In an effort to redeem myself and salvage my tattered ego I decided to make pizza dough and was very excited to find a recipe for dough that didn't require yeast. Ever the optimist I set aside my chocolate swirl bun defeat and geared up for round two and this time I was going to win.

But I didn't really win.

Have you ever done something that you know in your heart isn't that great, but you want so much to believe that it is? Like the time I decided to cut my own bangs and ended up with a 1/2 inch fringe way above my eyebrows. In my heart I knew I looked like a freak, but I really went out of my way to convince others that I thought they were great -- "No, I meant to cut them this short. I think they look really cool!" --after which I would go home and cry into my pillow.

That's kind of how I felt about the pizza dough. After all the effort to make it I can only describe the results as "meh". It wasn't the worst crust ever, but it was kind of like cardboard. Think frozen pizza or school lunch. However, I was so in need of a kitchen win that I almost convinced myself to blog about it, but would you believe that all the photos I took came out blurry and unfocused? It must have been some kind of divine intervention from the kitchen gods.

So now the pizza photos are in their rightful place on the cutting room floor and the buns have a new home in the trash can, which brings me back to the beans & toast.

I eat this a lot more than I like to admit, but gosh darnit it's so good.

It's especially good when you're feeling a little down in the dumps after destroying your kitchen and having no delightfully wonderful baked goods to show for it.

It always comes out right -- just toast some bread, heat up some beans and fry an egg.

Voila... instant savory comfort food for the soul.

Monday Photos: Take the High Road

2012-11-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

There are two ways to get to Taos, NM from Albuquerque: The highway or the high road.

The highway will most likely get you there sooner, but the high road offers amazing scenery, little towns and roadside access to artisan shops and galleries all for the small price of some extra time.

Take the high road.

It's better.

Twice Baked Potatoes

2012-11-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

Bake. Scoop. Mix. Stuff. Bake.

It really doesn't get any easier than that.

The result?

A classic, timeless side dish that is sure to please.

I recently made some with sour cream, spinach and cheddar and, after devouring them, I got curious about other variations to try. So, here are few other twice baked 'tater combos that look pretty darn tasty...

Blue Cheese & Chives

from Simply Recipes

Cheddar & Bacon

from A Cozy Kitchen

Bacon, Green Onions & Almonds

from Eat.Live.Travel.Write

Mushrooms & Prosciutto

from First Came Fashion

Caramelized Onion & Swiss

from For the Love of Cooking

Tomato & Pickled Beet Salad

2012-11-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

Sometime after Halloween and before Thanksgiving a little switch inside me lights up and I start thinking about the holidays. The mental to-do list starts growing and ignites the ~~panic~~ joy of the season. Well, my switch flipped over to "on" this past weekend and now my thoughts are flooded with all things holiday.

People, Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner.
It's best to start preparing now.

If you are in need of a festive, tasty holiday starter/side-dish then definitely give this one a try. Of course, the color combo makes this salad great holiday eye-candy and it's freshness is the perfect compliment to traditional, rich holiday main dishes. The sour earthiness of the beets contrast nicely with the fresh tomatoes and peppery arugula. A little drizzle of balsamic and a sprinkling of feta finishes it off. It's also easy to either make ahead or toss together quickly for those last minute holiday parties and gatherings.

Tomato & Pickled Beet Salad
Serves 4

4 tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
1/2 cup pickled beets*
1 cup arugula
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup balsamic
salt

*I bought a jar of pickled beet slices and cut the slices into quarters

Toss the arugula with the tomato wedges. Top them with the pickled beets and lightly toss again. If making ahead, store the arugula, tomato and beets in a sealed container until ready to serve. Before serving, top the salad off with the feta and the balsamic (go easy on the balsamic, you don't want a soggy salad. You may not need the whole 1/4 cup). Season with a few pinches of kosher salt.

Monday Photos: October Top Posts

2012-11-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

Check out what other people checked out on this site in October. The following posts had the most page views last month and, judging from the recipes, folks are definitely starting to crave warm and cozy comfort food. My favorite from this list? It's a tough choice, but the chorizo breakfast burritos are always a perfect start on a chilly Saturday morning.

So, scroll through and click on the links to check out the original posts.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Swirl (November 2009)

Chorizo Breakfast Burritos (August 2009)

Fresh Corn Muffins with Brown Butter Honey Frosting (August 2009)

Banana & Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins (April 2012)

Chicken Chili Cheese Mac (October 2009)

Pasta with Sausage & Arugula

2012-11-02T07:50:00.000-06:00

Reciting "Spring forward, Fall back" is the only way I can remember which way the clock is supposed to go when the time changes. I can hardly believe that daylight savings is ending-- one minute it was, like, June and now it's almost Thanksgiving.

Some folks don't like this upcoming time change, but I have to admit I look forward to it -- it means I get an extra hour of sleep and it ushers in the season of snuggling up at night early to watch movies. I always feel sort of guilty watching a movie when it's still daylight out.

So, don't forget to set your clocks and, come Sunday night, if you're in the mood for a cozy dinner and movie marathon you should definitely try this recipe. It's super simple and quick to make leaving you plenty of time to curl up on the couch.

Pasta with Sausage and Arugula

source: Real Simple

Serves 4

To start you'll want to thinly slice a medium sized onion. Set those aside for a minute.

Start boiling some water for your pasta and cook it according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, in a seperate large pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Once heated toss in a 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Also add in some thyme ( I used about a teaspoon of dried). Cook until your breadcrumbs look like this...

Remove them from the pan.

Wipe out the pan quickly and return it to the heat. Heat another tablespoon of olive oil and then add in 3 Italian sausage links (casings removed) and the onions. Be sure to break up the sausage as it's cooking. After 8-10 minutes go ahead and add in about 6 cups of arugula.

You may want to add it in batches, allowing it to wilt before adding some more.

By now the pasta should be done, so drain it after reserving a 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water. Toss the pasta with the sausage, onions and some of the pasta water. Serve with the crispy bread crumbs sprinkled over the top.

Fish Tacos

2012-10-31T08:53:00.000-06:00

This one has been on my to-do list for quite a while, although I'm not too sure how authentic my version is. Some of the best fish tacos I've had have crispy breaded fish and some sort of slaw. My version skips the breading for the fish and instead of a slaw I threw together a black bean and pepper salad. Oh, I also tossed in some avocado. All of it wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla tasted pretty darn good.

I kind of made this whole thing up as I went along and most the work is in putting the black bean and pepper salad together. I recommend making it ahead and storing it in the fridge to allow the flavors to mix and mingle. I wasn't paying too much attention to measurements, so here's the gist of what I did...

I diced a 1/2 each of a red, yellow and orange pepper along with approximately a 1/2 of a can of black beans. In a small bowl I combined the juice of 1/2 each of lemon and lime. To that I added a smidge (seriously, like less than a tablespoon) of mayo and a couple tablespoons of chipotle sauce. I whisked it all together and poured it over the beans and peppers. I also chopped up some fresh cilantro and stirred that in the salad. I let it sit in the fridge for thirty minutes or so.

For the fish I used a cod fillet (although I'm sure any white fish would work) and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I cooked it in a hot pan (with some olive oil) for a few minutes on each side until it was cooked through. After removing it from the pan I cut into bite sized pieces and squeezed some lemon over it.

I layered the beans and peppers, fish and some avocado on a whole wheat tortilla and voila! The fist taco was ready to eat. Although different from what I was used to, this version was easy to make and tasted really fresh. I think it's pretty healthy, too.

Monday Photos: Sky

2012-10-29T08:01:00.000-06:00

I have a new job that requires travel, so I've been spending a lot of time on the road since the beginning of September. I took the above picture with my phone on a drive between Tucson and Phoenix, AZ. I'm not sure the picture does the sky justice -- it was one of those amazing sunsets where the sky looks painted. Almost not real. A sky that you can't stop looking at because it's so beautiful. Except I was driving so I had to stop staring, so I snapped a picture. While I was driving. Yes, I know. Don't worry it was just me on the road with no other cars around.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

2012-10-26T12:53:00.000-06:00

The great thing about making banana bread is that it normally comes together pretty quickly. Hence the name "quick bread". Unless you're me and your oven is not working right and it ends up taking over two hours to bake when it normally should only take an hour.

About an hour and 15 minutes into the bake time I realized something was wrong and I had no idea how long it was going to take to bake. The only thing I could do was keep resetting the timer and checking on it every 10-15 minutes. I was frustrated, but I wasn't going to give-up. Perseverance paid off because the bread was fine even after a long bake time. Also, the addition of peanut butter makes a simple banana bread a little more special... and tasty.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Adapted from Joy the Baker

3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup peanut butter

3 tablespoons melted butter

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl mash the bananas. Add in the sour cream, peanut butter, and melted butter. Once it's all combined add in the eggs and sugar.

In a separate bowl stir together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients stirring just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for a bit before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Monday Photos: Black & White

2012-10-22T08:18:00.001-06:00

Some favorite black & whites...

Affogato

2012-10-15T16:39:00.000-06:00

Cold brew, hot brew, what's a girl to do?

This was the question I faced when I decided to make affogato, which is a simple coffee and ice cream Italian dessert. The ice cream part is simple-- just scoop and serve. However, there are some decisions that need to be made for the coffee part of the dessert.

There are a lot of people with strong opinions about the coffee preparation for this dessert. On one end it's totally acceptable to just brew some coffee and pour it over the ice cream, but I'm not sure how I feel about coffee soup. Another camp believes strongly in cold-brewing the coffee, a process that takes up to 12 hours. Apparently, cold-brewing results in a more mellow and less bitter cuppa joe, which is a nice compliment to the ice cream.

I didn't feel like putting in all the effort of cold-brewing and I really didn't want to pour hot coffee over the ice cream, so I found a middle ground.

I brewed a nice cup of coffee and then let it chill in the refrigerator for a while.

*Gasp*

I'm sure I violated some sacred code, but my shortcut resulted in a great dessert. A ridiculously easy and tasty dessert. I paired the coffee with some vanilla bean ice cream with a little grated milk chocolate over the top. I am curious about the whole-cold brewing thing and plan to try it out at some point, but in the meantime I am perfectly happy to serve this shortcut version instead.