Velveeta Ain't Food

A Rerun

2010-08-20T20:43:00.005-04:00

Let me keep this short and sweet...I posted this before, but it's worth re-posting. First of all, many of you weren't reading back then and secondly the pictures I had were atrocious, and thirdly, well...just because it's delicious and I thought some of you might want to eek just a little bit more tomato out of your summer. (As you can tell from some of my recent posts, I've already gone into the "premature Fall food mode"; this happens to me every year). Anyways- here's one of the last summer recipes; I might have one more in me, as I've been working on a delicious tomato sorbet/granita type thing), but we'll see. We've still got plenty of tomatoes in the garden, but most of them are finding their way into my freezer where they will patiently wait until their day of tomato bisque, black bean chili, and clam chowder glory arrives.Ain't it purdy?

Tomato Tart

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry (out of a 17.3 oz. package)

2 tbsp. extra light olive oil

1 sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

3 tbsp. dry white wine

2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced

app. 5 oz. good parmesan cheese, grated

6-8 large tomato slices (depending on the size)- these must be FRESH AND LOCAL!

3 tbsp. fresh basil, julienned

Thaw your puff pastry sheet according the the package directions. Once thawed, place it on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and open it gently until it is flat and rectangular (or square, depending on brand) in shape. Take a knife and score the pastry. This involves taking a knife and just cutting slightly into the pastry (not through it) all the way around the perimeter of the pastry, about 1/2 inch from the edge. This just sort of creates a "border" which you can use as a guide to place your toppings within. The edge of the pastry will puff up around the middle part, which has your toppings on it.

After scoring, you will need to take a fork and prick the middle part of the pastry (inside the "border"). It is okay if your fork pierces all the way through the pastry.

Once you've scored and pricked your pastry, place it back in the refrigerator. Puff pastry needs to stay as cold as possible, so try to work quickly and handle it as little as you can.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic, turn down heat and cook about 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. Once the onions are very tender and most of the moisture is gone from the skillet, you can add the following: wine, salt, pepper, and thyme. Continue cooking over low for about 5 more minutes, or until the onions are beginning to brown. Remove from heat.

Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Put about 3/4 of the parmesan on the pastry (staying within the scored "border"). This parmesan creates a bit of a "barrier" on the bottom of the tart and protects it from becoming too soggy with tomato juice. Add the onion mixture over the cheese. Now it is time to place the tomatoes. I used 6 slices of tomato (2 each of 3 different varieties) and overlapped them on top of each other (like shingles) in 2 rows. Lightly sprinkle the tomatoes with a little more salt and pepper. Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan over the top.

Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the fresh basil. Let stand for a couple of minutes before slicing. Cut into 4 large squares. Can serve 2-4 people. It's hard to eat just one piece, but probably a wise decision considering the rich ingredients!

If I were a writer...

2010-08-06T12:41:00.012-04:00

If I were a writer I could tell you how amazing this stew was. I could describe the silky richness that the egg yolk imparted to the gravy, the way that the light scent of cinnamon mingled with the fresh, bright lemon. I could tell you how the texture of tender lamb, hearty potatoes, and smooth gravy felt like they were just made for each other.

But...I'm clearly not a writer. If I could airmail a sample of this stew to Molly Wizenberg, I would; she'd know just what to say. She'd say it beautifully. Her description would, no doubt, make you want this stew even if you hate lamb and potatoes and yogurt and cinnamon.

Nope. I can't do it justice, for sure. But I can tell you this...after coming across this recipe on Cooking By the Seat of My Pants, I officially have a new dish in my "Top 10 favorite foods". This is so delicious, so interesting, so satisfying....well, I just can't even begin to tell you. The best I can do is show you the PROOF...see here- the gigantic pot being scraped clean by a hand that just looks HAPPY??? I realize it's not the most appetizing picture, but you needed to know the truth. If we could've licked the bottom of that pot, we would've. I cannot wait to make this all winter long. TRUE COMFORT FOOD AT ITS BEST!

Don't forget to make some chapati to go with this stew. I used some fresh chives from the garden in this batch. TOO good! Oh- and as always...I've added fresh cilantro to the stew. The original recipe didn't call for it, but it was truly perfect with it. The original recipe also removes the potatoes from the stew, but I left the chunks of potato in and would highly recommend it.

Turkish Lamb and Yogurt Stew (aka "make ya wanna slap somebody stew")

1 1/4 lb lamb, on the bone (I used lamb steaks, but you could use chops, etc)
9 cups vegetable stock (I had homemade stock in the freezer that was NOT salted)
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled and diced in app. 1" pieces
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
scant 1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
water- may need to add, see below
1/3 cup whole milk plain yogurt
1/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 egg yolk
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, depending on desired heat (I went with 1/4 tsp)

Add lamb steaks and vegetable stock to a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down, cover, and simmer for 2 hours or until lamb is nearly falling off the bone. Remove lamb from pot and "clean" (remove bone and fat). Tear lamb into pieces and set aside.

Add the diced potatoes to the stock, cover, and boil until potatoes are tender. You will need to watch this to make sure it doesn't dry up. I had to add 1 cup of water about halfway through. Once potatoes are tender, add the cinnamon, paprika, black pepper, and salt. Stir well, cover, and then keep over low heat.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt and flour until smooth. Add egg yolk and lemon juice and whisk well. Temper egg mixture by ladeling a bit of the hot broth into egg mixture while whisking constantly. Once tempered, add egg mixture to stock pot and stir until well combined. Return the lamb pieces to the pot, cover, and allow to heat through (about 5 minutes).

In the meantime, melt the butter and red pepper flakes over low heat. Drizzle a bit of the pepper butter over each serving of stew and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with chapati or flatbread.

Servings- uh, well I guess it could serve 4 with a big salad or something. The two of us ate the whole thing. Don't judge us.

Chive Chapati

Check out this link for great instructions on making chapati and incorporating herbs into them. Her pictures are so helpful! She calls them "pancakes", but it's no different. Note that you might have to add a bit more water than her recipe calls for. Just add a little at a time until your dough comes together and pulls away from the bowl.

The Gyro Made At Home

2010-08-03T14:56:00.013-04:00

That dang Kelsey at Williams Island Farm has done it again! After a trip to the Main Street Farmer's Market, my mom returned with some produce and Cumberland Lamb; a very welcome gift from Kelsey! You might remember what happened the last time he sent us some produce. Well this time was no different; my enthusiasm was more than it should have been and I became obsessed with looking for lamb recipes. I have an awesome one that uses a leg of lamb, but he'd sent some steaks, chops, and ground meat...As always, I wanted to find the *BEST* way to use it!
The ground lamb got me thinkin' about gyros, and after a surprisingly difficult search for gyro recipes, I realized a few things:
1. Apparently the gyro is a sly and mysterious creature; one that nobody can agree on in any aspect whatsoever. An almost magical creation that seems to somehow appear on the plates of diners across the world without any real knowledge of how it actually got there. A divisive and elusive little recipe that inspired in me the determination to figure this little bad boy out.
2. "Real" Greek gyros use pork, and sometimes chicken and veal. "Greek-American" style gyros utilize ground lamb and beef.
3. The way the meat, the sauce, and even the accompaniments are done vary from region to region, even in Greece.
4. Creating the "cone of meat" was not going to be possible at home. We were going to have to come as close as possible using another method.
5. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (author of the Food Lab article discussed below) is a genius.The genius, mentioned in item #5 above, wrote this article, which is a MUST-READ! This is a "Food Lab" article and was so helpful in understanding the science behind gyro meat. Okay- don't be scared by the word "science"...even I could understand it. Basically, they conducted experiments and posted the results. The conclusion was that 5 things were really important; salting the meat 2 hours in advance, incorporating enough fat, keeping the meat cold, avoiding over-cooking, and emulsifying the fat through mechanical mixing (i.e. a food processor). From their pictures I felt pretty confident that they knew what they were talking about, but there was still a little doubt in my mind. Like any sane person conducting a scary food experiment, I invited my parents over for dinner. If it was a nightmare, I was guaranteed that they would still love me afterwards.
One more problem with homemade gyros...flatbread. A lot of you will be able to pick it up at the market, but I couldn't find it anywhere here (I actually couldn't even find it in Atlanta). So, we had to eat my mom's homemade flatbread; as you can see, it's not very pretty be we made it work. (Okay- I'm kidding....it's BEAUTIFUL and was soft, and pliable, and perfect)!

So, you really do need to click on the link above and read that article. However, I'm still posting my recipe here, as I changed a couple of things just a tiny bit. Check out this meat! After baking it in a loaf, you slice it and then crisp it up under the broiler. It's almost like the real thing!
The meat actually held together like the article claimed it would! Don't ya love it when you're not lied to?!?!

MMM!! Served with tzatziki sauce (our own version- yall know we're some cilantro-lovin' fools), garden tomatoes, garden cucumbers, sliced onions, and hot sauce. A success!
Greek-American Gyros

For the meat:

1 lb. ground lamb
1 lb. ground beef (about 75%-85% lean)
2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 large yellow onion
2 large cloves garlic
4 slices bacon (thick-sliced)

For the Tzatziki:

a 6 oz. container plain Greek yogurt (I used low fat)
2 tbsp. mayo (as always, Duke's)
1 medium/ large clove garlic
juice of half a lemon
2-3 tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. *Normally, tzatziki sauce has mint and parsley. We prefer cilantro. Do as you please.

To serve:

6 pieces flatbread (NOT pita bread)
diced fresh tomato
thinly sliced onion
diced cucumber, peeled and seeded
hot sauce

Instructions-
Combine lamb, beef, salt, pepper, and oregano in a mixing bowl. Mix with your hands until well mixed, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. *This time is important!

After 2 hours, you can start with the rest of the process. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Pulse the onion, garlic, and bacon in a food processor until pureed. Add the beef/lamb mixture to food processor and puree, scraping sides down with spatula as necessary, until you have a smooth paste. (Note- this will look disgusting, as you might imagine any meat in "paste form" would). Place meat on a foil-lined baking sheet. Shape into a loaf, about 12" long x 6" wide x 2" high. Refrigerate for another 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime, make the tzatziki sauce, cover, and refrigerate. After the loaf has chilled for 10 minutes or so, place on middle rack of oven and bake for about 1 hour (or until internal temp reads 155 degrees). Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. (*At this point, you can refrigerate loaf until ready to serve, at which time you simply slice and cook under the broiler until crispy on each side).

After meat has rested, slice into 1/2" (or thinner) slices. Lay slices in a single layer on a clean baking sheet and cook under broiler for about 2 minutes. Turn slices over and broil other side for another 2 minutes, or until meat is crispy and browned on the edges. Now you're ready to serve! Place 3-4 slices of meat on each piece of flatbread and allow everyone to dress their gyro as they like. Oh- and serve in foil wrappers if you wanna really feel like you're eating at a real gyro place!

Serves 6

Oh, and prepare yourselves for more lamb recipes to come. As I sit here the smell of lamb steaks stewing in broth is causing my stomach to growl. A Turkish lamb and yogurt stew is in the works and hopefully it will be worth posting!

******Per your requests, here's the flatbread recipe from my mom....

here is the flatbread as far as i can remember :

scald : 2 cups fat free milk (i reckon you could use whole milk, but this is what i had)...('scald' is when tiny bubbles appear around the edges and there's a bit of steam....don't boil)

add : 1/4 cup 'chobani' lowfat plain greek yogurt
mix well and pour into a kitchenaid mixer bowl
let cool till 'warm' to touch

add : instant yeast (probably 1 1/2 tbsp.) ; stir ; let sit for 5 - 10 minutes

add : 1 tbsp lite olive oil (or vegetable oil)

add : 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour and 2 cups 'king arthur'
bread flour, plus 3 tsp. real salt, and 1 tsp vital gluten flour
sprinkled over ; mix, using the
tips of your fingers just on top of the liquids, just to slightly blend in
the gluten and salt....

then turn on your mixer (using the bread hook) and begin to
knead......

(here's the 'tricky' part)...you'll probably need to add about 2 more cups of flour (it could be less...it could be more....you will have to be the judge)......i just add about 1/4 cup at a time (alternating between bread flour and plain flour)....just keep incorporating flour until mixture comes away from the side of the bowl.....

oil the sides of the bowl and let dough rise (covered with a kitchen towel) for 30 minutes)....

in the meantime, preheat oven to 500*....

when dough is risen, turn it out onto an oiled surface, and cut into 6 pieces ; let rest about 5 minutes, while you prepare 3 large insulated cookie sheets with cooking spray ; working quickly, shape the pieces of dough into oblong, flat 'pizza-like' forms ,oh, probably about 8-9 inches long, by 6-7 inches wide... (you can do this by alternately turning and 'dangling' each piece...then plop it on the pan to finish shaping if needed...there should be a few nice bubbles which you don't need to flatten out)....

at this point, i placed the cookie sheets in plastic garbage bags and set them in the fridge for about an hour (i wanted to cook them at the time when they'd be fresh for dinner)....but i think you could bake them right away if you so desired.....however, if you only have one oven, you may want to slow down the rising a little by putting 2 pans in the fridge while you bake the third.....

or not!.........even with 3 ovens, i prefer the one-pan-at-a time method, because you have to watch them closely or you'll cremate them!

now....here's the fun part!....baking!.....your oven should be nice and hot (preheated at 500)....but NOW you turn it on 'BROIL'.....pop a pan under the broiler (about 5 or 6 inches from the element) and 'broil' your bread until it's golden with spots of dark brown....watch closely!...this will probably take only 3-5 minutes!....then, slide the pan out, flip the breads over and place on the BOTTOM rack of the oven and continue 'broiling' about 5 more minutes or until lightly golden.......

remove from oven and run a stick of cold unsalted butter over the hot surfaces of the bread....stack on (and between) kitchen towels to cool (make sure the towels are clean and dry and drape over the sides of the bread)....this will help insure a soft, 'bendable' flatbread....

we reheated these in foil at dinnertime and were 'swahz-a-lahz'!....they didn't seem to be as good the next day as they were fresh (although we didn't reheat them).....AND....we didn't have any more of carli's awesome 'gyro lamb' to go on them, so that possibly could have been the difference! :>)

hope these turn out okay for you as i'm writing from memory

It figures.

2010-07-30T15:08:00.008-04:00

I am a bona fide rain-loving chick. I can sense how obnoxious I am when people say "Ahh, this is an awful day...what a mess", and I respond with a sheepish, "Actually, I like it". I mean seriously, don't ya just hate those you've-obviously-been-in-therapy-and-I-can-tell-what-your-latest-sessions-have-been-dealing-with-responses?? I feel like the Pavlov's dog of positivity who's been trained to respond in such a manner... Encounter a grumpy person who's clearly already suffering from seasonal affective disorder?? Smile, and give them your most annoying answer. (And try not to get your face punched in).

But the thing is, I really love it. Like, alot. I'm sorta the opposite of most people; I get sick of days upon days of sunshine. Dad-gum blue sky after blue sky. There's nothing like a dark gray storm front to turn my mood around! This being said, we've had a pretty dry month around here. I've longed for rain (not just for my mood, but for the garden too). I've never been much into checking the weather; I figure if it rains, it rains and if it's doesn't, it doesn't. But this dry spell's got me checking the weather 3 times a day. It's as if I can will it to rain by doing so. Every day last week had about a 30% chance for scattered thunderstorms, but each day they were scattered away from us.
I'd seen this recipe for soy glazed salmon burgers on Foodbuzz and was waiting for the perfect night to try it. Monday night I was out of ginger, Tuesday night I had to do drawings, Wednesday and Thursday I was working, but by Friday the planets had aligned and it was time to give it a go. The girl and I had spent the day at the pool with family; it was hot as blazes and not a cloud in sight (one of those spf unrealistic number days). Around 2:00 a thunderhead started rolling in and by the time we were driving home, it was actually hailing. SO exciting! This seemed like a perfect way to transition from a fun day to a great Friday night with a salmon burger on the menu!

I'd had a feeling that this "burger" was gonna' be blog-worthy, and I knew that this afternoon thunderstorm would move out just in time to take some photos before dinner. When we got home the rain was still coming down. The house started getting darker, and darker, and within minutes I had to turn lights on; it was literally as dark as nighttime. It was cool, but almost a little apocalyptic and creepy...I mean, it was pitch black at 3 in the afternoon. 4:00 came and went. Still dark. 5:00...6:00...my crew was starting to get irritable. I had no choice. The food was ready and we were hungry. And it was still crazy dark. No photos for me.So, I was right about one thing...this was definitely blog-worthy. (Actually, I'm afraid you won't believe me if I say it so soon after the last time, but this actually receives the "If I had a restaurant I'd put it on the menu" accolade). Really. We loved it! What I was wrong about, was my thinking that it wasn't the end of the world and this storm would move on out. There was not one ounce of natural light to photograph these burgers by, which is such a shame because they were so pretty! I found myself being frustrated by this and then had to just let it go...here I was, having the most awesome weather, the weather that I'd been longing for, the weather that really did make a perfect ending to a great day, and I was complaining because of stupid food blog pictures. So, I got a grip, I took pictures under the bright kitchen lights, I sat down to dinner with my family, and had a DELICIOUS meal on a stormy, dark Friday night. And it was perfect.

Soy Glazed Salmon Burgers with Ginger-Lime Aioli
(I tweaked the original recipe a bit; they used salmon filets and though I'm sure it would be delicious, I wanted to try a more economical route. Also, I added the cabbage because I felt like it needed some crunch and some color. Good move). *This would also be awesome with crab cakes!

First, make aioli:

Ginger-Lime Aioli

1 1/2 tbsp. mayo (I use Duke's)
2 tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. fresh garlic, minced
juice of half a lime
1 tsp. ginger (fresh, finely minced or ginger paste)
pinch kosher salt

Combine all, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Next, make soy glaze:

Soy Glaze

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tbsp. corn starch
2 tbsp. orange juice

Whisk all ingredients together in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, watching carefully and whisking often, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

Salmon Burgers

24 oz. canned "chunk-style" boneless, skinless pink salmon (well drained)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. hot sauce
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 cup panko
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 green onions, thinly sliced (or a good handful of chopped fresh chives)

Gently stir all ingredients together. Shape into 4 large "burgers". Add 3 tbsp. oil to a non-stick skillet (I use my large electric skillet for this) and heat over med/high heat until nice and hot. Add burgers and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. When burgers are done, brush the top of each burger with the soy glaze until well-coated. (*Note- you will have some glaze leftover; some will be used for the cabbage, but you will still have a bit left). Turn heat down to low, just to keep burgers warm while you prepare cabbage (don't cover with a lid; they'll get soggy).

Wilted Red Cabbage

1 tbsp. oil
1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced (NOT grated)
1 tsp. soy glaze (recipe above)
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add cabbage and cook, tossing often for about 2 minutes, or until just wilted. Remove from heat and toss with 1 tsp. soy glaze and fresh cilantro. Serve on burgers immediately.

To assemble burgers:
Place burger on a large bun, top with wilted cabbage, drizzle with aioli, and top with bun.

Thank you Mexico.

2010-07-17T11:18:00.021-04:00

It shouldn't have taken me this long to post this (I actually think that I'd assumed I'd posted it until a friend recently asked for the recipe). This is one of those life-changing recipes; one that enlightened me, opened my eyes to the possibilities with food, and increased my desire to be imaginative in the kitchen. It sounded like an unusual combination of ingredients to a young, Southern gal such as myself and piqued my interest immediately. It's simple, it's scrumptious, and like many good things, a little bit messy. "Oaxaca Corn" is what we've come to call it and since discovering it, I haven't eaten corn on the cob any other way. Not once.Oaxaca Mexico is known as the "Land of 7 moles". Yes. Book my plane ticket now. You know I'm a mole-lovin' fool. But they might even be more famous for this corn. Grilled over a fire, brushed with a creamy sour cream mixture, dusted with chili powder and cheese, and served with fresh lime. Mmm- sweet, salty, spicy, and tart. Could it get any better? This is a summertime treat that has become a tradition 'round these parts. With corn, fresh from the Main Street Farmer's Market, and a hankering for some homemade limeade with fresh mint, Oaxaca corn was definitely in order.Now, as I'm sure you can see from the pictures, I don't grill the corn. I know, it's not authentic, but I really feel like it gets a bit dry on the grill, and I just prefer it boiled; it's perfectly tender, sweet, and juicy. Do what you please. When I'm making this for dinner, I usually go ahead and make the corn first, as it is fine to sit on a platter at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Then I'll throw together something real quick and dinner is served. Last night, we had it with some pan-seared shrimp with chimichurri sauce, and a fresh salad with creamy cucumber dill dressing. Add to that the homemade "mojito" and you've pretty much got heaven on earth. The girl agreed.
I guess I shouldn't fail to mention a "thanks" to Argentina as well...It is to them that we owe our appreciation for chimichurri. Argentina, you did it. Now, like so many things, you can find lots of variations in recipes for chimichurri; most of them call for a few basic things such as parley, bay leaf, oil, red wine vinegar, cumin, and garlic. Some add cilantro, some add oregano...I've even seen a few that included tomatoes. I left out the parsley because Michael's not wild about it. We just went with all cilantro. We luuuuv cilantro. You can make the chimichurri early in the day and let it start getting all yummified. Then, it's ready at dinner; all you have to do is make the corn, sear the shrimp, and throw a simple green salad on the plate. (And make sure to add Sungold tomatoes to the salad- they are the all time best). Perfect summer food, I'm tellin' ya.
Oaxaca Corn
(I don't know how authentic this recipe is. I'm guessing that they might use some cheese other than parmesan...I've tried to find an authentic recipe but haven't had much luck. Until then, this is good enough).

1 1/2 tbsp. sour cream
1 1/2 tbsp. mayo (I always use Duke's)
2 heaping tbsp. finely grated parmesan cheese (I use what I call the "ghetto" kind in the green can- you know what I mean. This is one application in which it works really well).
1 heaping tbsp. good chili powder
4 ears of fresh corn

Start a large pot of water boiling (should be as tall as your corn cob is). Pull husks back and tie them together with some twine. Remove silks. When water is rapidly boiling, place corn in water, trying to keep husks out of the water, and boil for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, mix sour cream and mayo together in one bowl, and parmesan and chili powder together in another. When corn is done, remove from water and pat dry on a clean kitchen towel. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Then, using a pastry brush, coat one ear of corn with the sour cream mixture (pretty generously) and then coat with chili powder mixture (again, pretty generously). Place on a platter and repeat process for remaining ears of corn. Serve with fresh lime slices.

Chimichurri Sauce

1 1/2-2 cups fresh cilantro (loosely packed)
a good handful of fresh parsley, if you want
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika (can sub. regular if that's all you have)
1 tsp. dried oregano flakes
1 bay leaf
pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes, to your liking
1-2 shallots, depending on size
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Puree all together. Cover and let marinate for at least 2 hours. Can leave at room temp. during this time. Then store leftover sauce in refrigerator or freezer.

You only need a tiny amount if serving as a sauce over seafood, poultry, skirt steak, etc. Also makes a great marinade.

Pan-Seared Shrimp
This is awesome any way you eat it. I like throwing it in gnocchi with pesto and cherry tomatoes, putting it in shrimp tacos...anything. The key is drying the shrimp well so they get good and caramelized on the outside.

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined (fresh is best, but if using frozen, soak the thawed shrimp in 1 cup buttermilk for about an hour, then drain, and pat dry. This will help take away any "fishy" taste).
scant tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. sugar
oil for cooking

Pat raw shrimp dry on paper towels (see note above about soaking in buttermilk first if not using fresh shrimp). Transfer to a clean, dry bowl, and toss with salt, pepper, and sugar to coat. Heat just a bit of oil, maybe 1-2 tbsp, in a skillet until almost smoking hot. Add shrimp to skillet, making sure each one has its own "space" in the pan and is in contact with the surface of the pan. Don't mess with them; just allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes (you may need to turn down the heat just slightly). After about 2-3 minutes, shrimp will be nicely seared and caramelized and will release from the pan easily. If you're having to tug at them, they're not ready to turn. When they release easily, turn them over (working quickly) and allow to cook on the other side for about 2 minutes or so. Serve immediately.
(If serving with chimichurri, you can drizzle a small amount (maybe a tbsp. or so) over each serving, or toss it all together in a bowl before serving. Just be careful...you only need a little bit)!

If I had a restaurant...

2010-07-09T10:42:00.019-04:00

I know you're getting tired of hearing it, but summer life continues to be the same; my fridge is virtually empty, I can't bear the thought of grocery shopping, and every meal seems to be an exercise in creative cooking..."Can I actually make an edible dinner out of basil and wheat bran?" Hmmm...My sweet momma dropped off some asparagus the other day just as I thought that I had exhausted every vegetable resource I had. Woo-hoo! "I can make it without going to the store ONE more day"! (This seems to keep happening; just when there's not another fresh thing in sight, our squash plants come through for us, a tomato becomes "pickable", or a friend drops off a produce treat. It's really becoming a game to see how long we can eat without shopping)!
Back to the asparagus....I started thinking about all the usual suspects; risotto, gnocchi, pizza, etc. I ran into a problem with every idea. No arborio rice, no cheese. Ah. What to do? I started thinking about Creamed Asparagus on Toast. Have y'all heard of this? I have no idea if this is an old-school dish that every Southerner ate when they were growing up or if this is just a thing my family ate??? In my mind, everybody ate this...most often at their grandparents' house in the Springtime. And usually accompanied by a glass of sweet tea with lemon and mint. It's pretty much a white sauce over toast and asparagus with hard boiled eggs. Simple. Cheap. Fast.

If you grew up eating this, you probably think it's more delicious than it actually is. It's one of those nostalgic dishes that fosters more romanticism than it really deserves. Well, in my opinion anyways (but I'm not big on hard boiled eggs). But it's good. And it's comforting in the way that the smell of rain is; it doesn't actually smell great, but you love it for what it means, for what it reminds you of. And for this particular night, it was going to feed us because I knew I could make bread and there's always something to make a cream sauce with.So off to cooking I went...I got a batch of bread rising and then started thinking about the sauce; was there anything I could do to snazz it up a bit? I knew I didn't want to do hard boiled eggs, but still needed to incorporate some protein. I started thinking about fried eggs...then hollandaise...then the green tomatoes in the garden and how I'd been longing for an excuse to fry some up. Within an hour, a superstar was born.Every once in a while, I'll make something that receives my highest accolade; the "if I had a restaurant, I would put this on the menu" one. THIS would definitely be on the menu at my restaurant. (Although I'd have to practice my Hollandaise and get better at not breaking it. See there, in the picture...broken sauce). Even with broken sauce, this was scrumptious. That's all I'm gonna say 'bout it.
Asparagus, Bacon, and Green Tomato Hash on Toast with Hollandaise. Fried Egg.

1 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 lg onion)
4 cups diced green tomatoes (about 2 large tomatoes)- 1/2" dice
1/3 c. buttermilk
2/3 c. cornmeal
1 1/2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 c. oil (light olive or canola)
1 -1 1/2 c. fresh asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
4-6 strips of good bacon, depending on how much you prefer
8 pieces of toast (can use good bought bread or this recipe, which was the perfect texture)
4 eggs (to be fried, one for each serving)
hollandaise sauce (recipe follows)
fresh chives

Toast bread (2 slices per serving) and set aside on cooling rack. Combine the onion, tomatoes, buttermilk, cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and toss to coat. Heat the oil in a large electric skillet (or other large, nonstick skillet) and add tomato mixture to skillet. Cook over med/high heat for about 30 minutes, turning often. (Don't worry if the cornmeal is falling off the tomatoes; this is the way it's supposed to be). In a separate skillet, cook the bacon until very crispy. Drain and crumble. Set aside. When tomato mixture is getting nicely browned (after about 30 minutes) add the asparagus, toss well, and cook for another 10 minutes. Add bacon, toss well, and serve immediately as follows: For each serving, place 2 pieces of toast on a plate, top with green tomato hash, a fried egg, Hollandaise sauce, and fresh chives.

Serves 4

****I'm not sure if you want to use this Hollandaise recipe. I found it online and tried it because it was supposed to be so easy. And it was. But as you can see, it's broken and not too thick. Check out this link for some great tips on making Hollandaise. I'm going to try again with a different method. But...here's this one if you just want something quick.

Easy Hollandaise Sauce

2 large egg yolks
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
couple pinches of cayenne
8 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. kosher salt

Melt butter and set aside. Blend egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne, and salt in a blender (or with an immersion blender). Add butter and blend until frothy.

Fish are jumpin' and the grass is high

2010-06-26T21:33:00.010-04:00

It's hard to blog in the summertime. The cook in me has been on hiatus; there's always outside work to be done, fun to be had, and we're just flat tired. And hot. And sometimes irritable. Cooking has been more about using whatever we can out of the garden and avoiding the grocery store like the plague. Our refrigerator has never been so bare; for weeks on end now it's been empty with the exception of a few daily squash, zuchinni, cucumbers, swiss chard, kale, and the last few stubborn lettuces that simply refuse to give in to this oppressive heat. You go lettuce.

I never buy ice cream at the grocery store. Or any sweets for that matter. I figure that if I want something bad enough to make it, then I really want it. Ready-made treats just sitting around, waiting to be consumed without any effort on my part...well, that's just dangerous.

Last night we had a little "family date night"; all 3 of us went out on the town. It was meant to be; perfect from start to finish. The girl did beautifully at the restaurant, ate a great dinner, didn't make a bit of a mess...our food was fantastic...we walked around downtown for hours with my FAVORITE kind of weather (gray skies that threaten rain and wind that means a storm's coming in, but it's not yet raining). Perfect. Perfect enough for ice cream!
After walking by 4 different ice cream places and having some type of "criticism" for each one, Michael advised that I just pick something up at the store and take it home; he reminded me that I'm always disappointed whenever I buy from any of these shops. He was right. After considering the value for the money, we decided to make a stop at the grocery on the way home.

Kudos to whoever branded Talenti gelato and sorbet; their packaging caught my attention right away and I knew they had me. Sitting beside "Chunky Monkey" and "Half Baked", the Blood Orange Sorbet looked so clean, so fresh, so special. Yep. I woulda' paid anything for this stuff. Blood Orange Sorbet for me and Double Dark Chocolate for my orange-hatin' husband. (Well, and for me too...let me not mislead).
Yum. This was exactly what I wanted. The sorbet was refreshing, the gelato rich and creamy. Though I've gotta say...I wanted Talenti to win my heart, but it still didn't come close to the orange sorbet that Haagen Dazs used to make. Bring it back Haagen Dazs. Bring it back.

But it's good...and it inspired me to get back in the kitchen and whip something up. I had a watermelon sitting on the counter, just staring at me, and I figured I'd better try to make good use of it. For years I've been trying watermelon salads of every type; you know they kind of became the trendy thing a few years ago and one or two recipes still pops up each summer. They always sound great on paper, but have thus far, been a disappointment. I've tried them with olives and red onions, goat cheese and cilantro, mint and lime. All just...."eh".
Tonight, as I faced an empty fridge, I knew I'd need to make use of what was in the garden; lots of basil and some fresh cucumbers. I had a bit of feta cheese and THE SORBET. I made a quick vinaigrette with a balsamic reduction and blood orange sorbet...It worked. So much that Michael ate three servings. This really does scream "SUMMER"; it's so fresh and light, full of flavor, cool, fruity, and easy to make. We have a winner!
I made a quick corn chowder to go along with it, using some more fresh stuff out of the garden. Mmmm!!! Now, I know alot of people think that soup in the summertime is like some type of sin, but I'm a fan. I don't really understand why soup is supposed to make us hotter than other hot things we eat. I mean, nobody's eatin' cold lasagna or chilled hamburgers. That's another thing (while I'm on the subject)...what's up with summertime grilling? That is hot. You stand outside. Over fire. But that's supposed to be more appropriate than slow roasting something in your air conditioned house. I dunno. I think it's all backwards. I want to grill in the Fall and make the most of summertime corn while it's fresh! (Which means, a pot of soup is in order).
I don't really have an exact recipe for this, but I can give you the basics. Every time I make corn chowder it's different; it always just depends what I have on hand; sometimes with bacon, sometimes with orange zest, sometimes with cayenne, and sometimes without. I've used leeks and shallots, caramelized onions and chives. You get the picture. This one was excellent and was really set apart by the Roasted Red Pepper/Tomato garnish! I would recommend trying this with any corn chowder recipe....it's the perfect accompaniment! So here's what I did with the soup, and the watermelon salad recipe is below. If you can handle soup in the summer you should give this a go. (Serve it with the refreshing watermelon salad too...it all works)!

Soup goes something like... saute a diced large sweet onion in a couple tablespoons of light olive oil until starting to brown. Deglaze pan with a good bit of sherry (maybe 3/4 cup) and cook until it evaporates. Add a couple tablespoons unsalted butter. When melted, stir in a good bit of flour (maybe a heavy 1/4 cup). Cook a minute and then add milk (3 cups or so?). Whisk until smooth, over low heat until thickened to desired consistency. Add fresh corn, cut off the cob (2-3 cups?). Add kosher salt and pepper to taste, a few shakes of cayenne, a cup or so of grated sharp cheddar cheese, and a big handful of chopped fresh chives. Finish with another splash of sherry. Serve with a garnish of red pepper/tomato puree. (I just pureed half of a small can of tomato paste with a couple of roasted red peppers from a jar until it was smooth. You may need to use a bit of the oil from the jar or a bit of water to get desired consistency. Oh, and add a pinch of salt). Top with more fresh chives.

Watermelon Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette

3 cups watermelon cubes, cut into small cubes- about 1/2" pieces
1 cup diced cucumber, cut even smaller than watermelon
2 tbsp. fresh basil, finely chopped
Drizzle of Blood Orange Vinaigrette on each serving, recipe below
Feta cheese, sprinkled on each serving

Gently toss watermelon with cucumber and basil. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve. When serving, you will need to plate salad on 4 individual salad plates. Just before serving, drizzle each salad with a bit of the vinaigrette and sprinkle with feta cheese. Serve immediately.

Blood Orange Vinaigrette

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. light olive oil
3 tbsp. Talenti blood orange sorbet
scant 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper

Pour balsamic into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and simmer over medium heat until reduced by half. Allow to cool slightly. Whisk in remaining ingredients and set aside until ready to use.

A year's worth

2010-06-20T11:22:00.016-04:00

This week marks the first anniversary of this lil' ol' blog. I was telling a friend that it's sort of like having a baby...you don't really remember what life was like before it. Were there really years that I could just cook with abandon, throwing things in a pot without measuring and sitting down to eat without a full-blown photo shoot first? (My husband might wish we could go back to those ways). I've gotten used to these pesky little "nuisances" that come along with food blogging; in fact I've learned to appreciate them.

I'm building quite a collection of recipes; not only the ones that end up getting posted, but others that may never see the likes of Blogger. Each recipe has a bit of "life" in it. As I look back through many of them, I remember. The chaotic handwriting and wild scribbling reminds me of when I was frantically trying to get a meal together for unexpected guests; a reunion of friends. The oil spots on the paper make me giggle as I picture myself fuming, spatula in hand, mixing bowl empty, and its former contents dripping out of my hair and down the kitchen walls. Many recipes often contain notes that I've written to myself after we've eaten; "not so great- try again with something acidic"..."Michael thinks the onion texture was funky- he's right- try slicing next time"..."this was a nightmare"..."disgusting". As I came across some of the "disgusting" ones, I wondered why I'd kept them. I guess it has something to do with learning from your mistakes... I don't ever want to forget that eating a cup of edamame puree was a BAD idea.

Life. That is what's represented in these recipes. We've gotta take the good with the bad, the successes with the failures, and try to be humbled by them both. On the days that I'm frustrated, overwhelmed, and wondering why I'm doing this, I think of my daughter. My mom has given me such a rich history of recipes; such an archive of living through the pages that fill her cookbooks. Even though I get onto her about getting them organized so that I'll be able to sort through them one day, I am grateful for their existence and want to pass along this heritage. In my family, FOOD is our "love language" (admittedly sometimes to a fault). Thanks for coming here and letting me share a little bit of love. Thanks for reading.

THE TOP 12

To sort of commemorate the event I thought it'd be fun to go back and see what recipes YOU liked the most this year. Here they are, your Top12 (ew, I felt like Ryan Seacrest saying that). I gotta say, you surprised me with some of these...never thought beet custard would get such a response! (Oh- click the links to see the post and the recipes).

#12-Trio of soups

#11- Frozen Beet Custard with sweet and salty Turnip Chips

#10- Mushroom Marsala

#9- Rosemary Scones with Strawberry Butter

#8- Warm Chocolate Pudding

#7- Veggie Empanadas with Sundried Tomato Pesto

#6- Pizza from Heaven

#5- Thanksgiving Brussel Sprouts

#4- Butternut Salad w/ Crispy Goat Cheese Rounds and Pomegranate Vinaigrette

#3- Peppers stuffed with Rosemary Goat Cheese. Bacon. Maple Glaze.

#2- Mediterranean Roasted Potato Salad

#1- Butternut Risotto

Big John

2010-05-31T10:53:00.023-04:00

When I was 17 years old I decided, like most 17 year olds, that I was in need of a little adventure. After searching the public library's collection of books related to "Summer Jobs and Internships" (believe it or not the "world wide web" was still pretty mysterious to me at this point) I landed a couple of phone interviews and ended up with a job at St. Mary Lodge and Resort in Montana.

The lodge sat at the east entrance to Glacier Park and was in Blackfeet territory. I was pumped. I had been considering a career in anthropology and had lots of romantic, naive, and silly ideas of a "Dances with Wolves-esque" summer. Yeah, I don't even know what that means exactly. I think I had notions of clothing myself in bison skins and actually going back in time...maybe I had notions of Kevin Costner being around too. I don't know. A week before my high school graduation, I jumped on a train in the-middle-of-nowhere-Newburn-Tennessee and spent the next 3 days making my way across the country. I will never forget standing on the platform that night and saying goodbye to my mom, stepdad, and cousin (who were really the only people in sight). I walked up the stairs, took my seat in coach, and spent the rest of the night nearly freezing to death under the Barbie-sized blanket that my friends at Amtrak had provided for me.

Montana was everything I'd expected and so much more. The scenery was literally breath-taking. The air smelled like air. Everything was so right and so incredible. Except my job. Instead of the hippie drum circles, campfire comaraderie, and hiking expeditions I'd expected to encounter, it seemed as if I'd been transported to purgatory for sorority girls. Seriously- this place was like a holding cell for toenail-painting, thigh-master-toting, sorority chicks and it was not my thing. (Pipe down all you sista's...I know you're not all so lame, but this particular group, well...they were). Although I did get to talk to Matthew McConaughey on the phone thanks to one of the toenail painters, and that's purdy excitin' whether you're a Bob Marley lovin' hippie or not. Anyways...I guess I should say that it's not like I couldn't work with these people, but living with them in dorms...it was just too much. Additionally, the lodge was a bit more "corporate" than I was into and the whole vibe just wasn't workin' for me.

It didn't take long to run into some people that seemed a little more grounded. After hanging out with a few of my new friends one night, I was called into the office at the lodge and told that my "behavior" wouldn't be tolerated again. By "behavior" he meant my being friends with a former employee who he didn't care for. This person had literally driven onto the property to pick me up and driven away and it was becoming a big deal. Seriously. Well, being the passionate and justice-seeking teenager that I was (that we probably all are as teenagers), I just couldn't stand for this. What was this-Mobile, Alabama in the 1950's for cryin' out loud??? Nope. I wasn't going to be told who I could be friends with and after a Claire-Huxtable monologue of my own, I quit.

I was 17. I had four dollars. I was 2,000 miles from home. I knew about 5 people and I'd known them for all of 6 days. I was told to pack my things and be off the property in an hour. 5 o'clock came and went. I was officially homeless.

The lodge agreed to cut my check that afternoon so that they'd never have to see my face again. A check and a plan were all I needed. A girl, whose name I cannot remember, agreed to let me borrow her car so that I could drive to the nearest town to cash my check and buy a tent. Kalispell was about 90 mountain miles away; by the time I arrived everything was shut down for the evening. I slept on the front porch of some guys that I met in the Tidyman's parking lot, where I had been trying to sleep before making their acquaintance. (I clarify that I slept on the porch because I want to emphasize that I'm not crazy. Oh no. Surely they wouldn't murder me on the porch, right?!?!). Lord help me...how can we keep our daughter from sleeping on strangers' porches? Anyways, I was up bright and early the next morning and had evacuated the porch before anyone else was up. I arrived at the bank with my plan in full swing; I'd cash my check, be off to the outfitters store, the grocery, and back to St. Mary by early afternoon. I had a bit of a snag at the bank; they wouldn't cash my check without me being an account holder. "No problem" they'd said. Within 15 minutes I could open an account and be on my way. Great. Another problem. I was only 17. You had to be 18 to open an account. The plan was not going well.

After a lot of begging and a bit of crying I had $400 and was on my way. I went to the outfitters store and bought one of those embarrasingly huge condos of a tent; the kind that people who wear socks with sandals buy. But I needed this to be my house and I needed it to be cheap and this one fit the bill. After one more stop at the grocery store I had a car full of tent, oatmeal, and Ramen noodles and was making my way back "home".

I returned the car to its owner and was dropped off 4 miles up the road at a little place on the side of Highway 89, Two Sisters Cafe. I had eaten there once before and knew that it was a spunky little place; one that hopefully needed a spunky little gal to work there. Work wasn't needed in the restaurant, but they said I could pitch my tent on the back of the property in exchange for work around the grounds. Perfect! I'm telling you...I was determined that I was not leaving Montana.

I started by painting a few signs, doing a little bit of laundry, cleaning a few cabins. (They had cabins on the property in which the employees lived and a couple that were sometimes rented out). I was living out of my gigantic tent, which actually didn't seem all that gigantic once it was functioning as an apartment. It was really fine though; I quickly learned that you don't take a shower and go to bed with wet hair in June in Montana (something that would have been completely comfortable in Tennessee). Your head will freeze. Literally.

The only thing I hated was having to go out to the bathroom in the middle of the night. This was grizzly country and there were more than enough stories to haunt me on that looong walk to the outhouse. Additionally, there were a couple of mountain lions that came to drink out of a dip in the road that created a watering hole. It was always eery to walk by this area in the pitch black darkness. I had never experienced darkness like this before; I literally wouldn't know I wasn't walking in a straight line until I felt grass under my feet and realized I'd walked off the road. Crazy dark.

Well, after only a short time, a job opened up in the restaurant and when a job opened up, so did a spot in an employee cabin. With a bathroom. I was offerred the job and the cabin. I actually considered just staying in my tent as I was pretty settled there, but upon further consideration of the grizzlies, the lions, and the dreaded nightly walk of terror to the outhouse, I decided to make the move. I started washing dishes in the restaurant, transitioned to a prep cook, and by the end of the summer I was cooking on the line with the chef 5 nights a week. There are pretty much only 3 or 4 restaurants in the area so we were slammed every night. I learned so much about food, the restaurant business, and huckleberries that summer. More than anyone would ever want to know about huckleberries. I also learned that when you work in a restaurant, you're going to get yelled at. A lot.

The cafe was indeed owned by two sisters and one of their husbands, who we all referred to as "Big John". Big John was an ex football player with bad knees who had won big on Jeopardy (yes, the gameshow). He lumbered around the restaurant (on his bad knees) and used his booming voice to either be jovial or to curse you up one side and down the other. It made no difference if you were an employee or customer, friend or foe. When he felt it, he said it and he said it LOUD. There were plenty of times I watched him tell customers to hit the road, but to be fair, there were warnings; the menu clearly stated "NO CRYBABIES ALLOWED" and they weren't joking. There were some other signs posted as well- something about unsupervised children being sold into slavery- I think. It's hard to remember because most of the restaurant is covered in license plates and bumper stickers. The point is this; if you go to Montana, eat here. It's good. But don't act up. And don't be stupid. Don't ask "where they keep the bears" or "what time the waterfalls shut off". Please. Don't. You will be humiliated.

I had my fair share of "incidents" with Big John, but the thing that stands out in my mind is how he would always scream, "It's not a *^#ing work of art, Carli. Put food on the plate and get it out there". It's funny now to look back and see how the designer in me was coming out (I hadn't recognized that part of myself at that point). I was fast as a line cook, but I always paid attention to plating everything just so. I guess a little too much attention according to him.

The move to the cabin turned out to be interesting; my roommate was a witch, I think. She often had dead flies lined up very particularly across the window sills, some with pins through their bodies. I was just considering moving back into my tent when this little 17 year old suthun' girl showed up named (say it in your best suthun' accent) Winslett Carr. She had traveled up with her sister who was working at another place nearby and she'd had no intention to stay. We became fast friends (as the two youngest people in the area) and before the week was up she'd taken the witch's job and place in the cabin. What a summer we had. Hiking in the mornings, swimming in crystal clear lakes before our shifts started, getting yelled at from 5-11 pm, and then playing music and singing around the fire until late in the evening. There were crazy stories of people being "held hostage" by bears, wild tales of hitchhiking, lots of laughter, beautiful sunsets, healthy doses of Al Green at 3 am, smoked trout, plenty of dance parties, delicious food after a 25-mile day, so many good friends, and even a few run-ins with Robin Williams and Cuba Gooding Jr....The mountains, the glaciers, the creeks...the local people like 78 year old Blackfeet man, ol' Bill Cooper, who had a homestead with no power, no running water, but would invite us up for coffee made over the fire. I love Montana. Out of everywhere I've ever traveled, it is by far the most beautiful, most special place.

The yelling, the berating...it was all worth it. I wouldn't change a thing; though I've been back a couple of times, it's never been quite like that summer in 1997. The friends, though some would return, would never all be the same. We'd never have that group back again. I knew this as I drove out of the St. Mary valley that September and looked in my rearview mirror. I cried. I was so grateful for what I knew had been one of the best experiences of my life and as I watched the landscape that I'd grown so familiar with grow smaller and more distant, I knew that experience was over.

When I saw this painted bread a couple of weeks ago, I was so intrigued. I'd never seen anything like it and my mind started racing with the possibilities (I've already tried stamping it with letter stamps, but haven't had any success so far- will keep trying). This bread doesn't just have a pretty face, oh no. It's yummy too. Really, really good hot out of the oven with some butter (but what's not, right)...the only thing I'd say is that this isn't great leftover; it really needs to be eaten the same day it's made. The recipe at the link above says that it makes 12-16 rolls, which is accurate if you're making rolls. I've been making them into buns for sandwiches and burgers so I get 6 LARGE buns out of it. (I could probably get 8 if I wasn't a glutton who wanted a huge sandwich). The "paint" is made out of cocoa or coffee and a little bit of egg yolk and water. You have to play with it to get the consistency right, but it doesn't change the taste of the bread at all (well, I've only used cocoa). I guess you could paint other types of bread too; so far I've only tried it on this recipe. Let me know if you experiment and learn anything new! This is a fun recipe; one that would be great for kids to help with, but also just fun for yourself.

I can't help but think of Big John every time I'm painting this bread. It takes a little bit of time; I can hear his voice telling me "It's not a work of art, Carli"! But, in this case it is (well, not with my painting ability, but the potential's there). I'd love to hear what he'd have to say about this.

Good summer sandwich idea...boursin cheese with fresh chives and minced garlic, summer squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and fresh garden greens including a bit of arugula. Mmm!

meet jenny

2010-05-26T10:55:00.009-04:00

This is Jenny. Guest blogger #1. She lives in Seattle. She cooks. She writes. She "sweeps Cheerios professionally". She rocks. Her site, Rainy Day Gal, is full of good food and good design; could ya really ask for more? She has a daughter who's just about the same age as mine. I asked her if she had any "kid recipes" she'd come up with that were healthy and suitable for the grown folks too. She did! (And this looks delish)! Here it is...

TAKE IT AWAY, JENNY!

On one rainy Monday, after feeing my daughter a lunch of her favorite pasta (Annie's O's with soy "meat"balls), I was feeling a little guilty. I had just fed my toddler something out of a can. Three days in a row. And she loved it. And even though the ingredients are all organic and things I can pronounce, I set out to make my own version. I wanted something Husband and I could eat and enjoy with her, but that would still be easy for little toddler fingers to pick up and place in her little toddler mouth. What resulted was not only incredibly tasty, but something I felt good about eating and serving to my little one year-old garbage disposal. You should make this too, whether it's for you or for your little eater. Or both. To begin, you'll need grated parmesan cheese, one egg, freshly ground pepper, whole grain breadcrumbs (or regular ones---Italian style, in either case), and garlic salt. Also prep some chopped spinach. If you're using the frozen kind, squeeze all of the water out. Pile one pound of ground turkey, your spinach, cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic salt, pepper, and egg in a bowl. Mix well with your hands until the mixture is uniform... ...and then shape into balls. I made mine small and cooked them in two batches. Brown the outsides, and then add enough water to the pan to go about 1/4 of the way up the sides of the meatballs. Cover and let simmer until those tiny balls are cooked all the way through. Remove them from the pan and let them rest on paper towels while you prep the pasta. Begin by pouring one large can of tomato sauce into a large pot. Bring to a boil. For the pasta, you can use whatever type you'd like: spiral, bow tie, orichette, macaroni, or even long noodles like fettucini or spaghetti. I used these tiny spirals called gemelli because they're easy for little fingers to pick up. Pour the pasta into the boiling tomato sauce and cook until the pasta is al dente and the mixture has thickened. It should take between 20 and 25 minutes with lots of stirring---those little noodles love to stick to the bottom of the pan. Almost there... Perfect. Add one tablespoon of butter... ...1/2 cup of milk... ...and 1/4 cup more of grated parmesan. Mix well, add your meatballs, and presto---kid-friendly, adult-approved pasta that the whole fam-damily will love. You can make it pretty by garnishing with a little fresh parsley and a sprinkling of cheese. No one will ever know this stuff is for kids by looking at it. Or by tasting it, for that matter. By cooking the noodles in the tomato sauce, they're given a rich, hearty flavor. And the meatballs? Oh, the meatballs. I don't know if I'll ever make meatballs without spinach again. Not only does it give this dish a healthy boost, but that lovely green veggie lent some gorgeous flavor to these suckers. I may or may not have eaten two right out of the pan. Or five. This recipe makes a huge batch, too. Perfect for a big family dinner, leftovers for the whole week, or for freezing for a rainy (or busy) day. Make this soon for your little monsters. Or your hungry stomach. -RDG

Gemelli with Turkey Spinach Meatballs

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs (whole grain, if you can find them)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese divided, plus more for garnish

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

1 package Gemelli pasta (or whatever type you feel like using)

1 large can tomato sauce

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter

To make the meatballs, combine turkey, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese, spinach, egg, pepper and garlic salt in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until the mixture is uniform and then roll 1-2 tablespoon amounts into balls. Brown half of the meatballs in a large nonstick skillet, and then add enough water to the pan to come 1/4 up the sides of the meatballs. Cover and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining meatballs. Pour tomato sauce into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until pasta is al dente---about 20-25 minutes. Stir in the milk, butter, and remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Gently stir in meatballs. Serve with a sprinkling of cheese and garnish with fresh parsley. Serves 8.

Moe.

2010-05-24T19:17:00.015-04:00

Cherries. Boatloads of cherries. Sticky forearms, dripping elbows, and a baby in a backpack that repeatedly says "moe, moe, moe"; a desperate, persistent, and exhausting request to eat even "moe" of these delightful treats. That's what life's been like for me lately. I'm not complaining...this year our trees seem to be fuller than ever and for some reason the birds are leaving them alone...must be a "Worms Gone Wild" convention in town or somethin'. And like they say, when life gives you sour cherries, you make cherry pie (of course). And cherry compote. And cherry upside down cake and cherry sorbet and cherry jam....loooooong sigh. I will be so thankful when I open my freezer in 4 months and am able to make a cherry cobbler. This is what I keep telling myself. It's alot of work to get food on the table isn't it? I mean, the more Michael and I experience gardening (this year we have our first real garden ever), the more we realize how inevitable it was that Americans would end up in our confused state when it comes to food. I'm not pointing fingers; I am one of the "herd" who has mindlessly gone to the grocery store and been excited when I got a great "deal" on mystery meat from who knows where with who knows what in it. "Yes! A bargain". We congratulate ourselves...we feel like we've done what was good and right (at least for our family). That's what we're taught to think. Wal-mart.
But if you've ever tried to grow food, harvest food, clean, peel, pit, grate, slice, dice, prepare, can, freeze, dehydrate, store, thaw, rehydrate, cook, chop, caramelize, roast, boil, season, toss, knead, bake, and THEN EAT food...well, you start wondering about these "low prices". Hot dang there's alot of work involved. It took me 3 hours the other day to pick, pit, and put away cherries in the freezer; not 10 gallons of cherries mind you...2 gallons of cherries. 2 gallons. (And don't forget about clean up).

We have a relatively small garden and we're not even in the busy time yet, but already we spend alot of time watering and weeding, harvesting and washing, cooking and storing. Sometimes it occurs to me after a lot of this work, "Oh, now I still have to do something with all of this. I have just now gotten this food to the state it would have been in had I bought it at the store. After 3 hours of work, I can now begin cooking".

Again, I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining. On the contrary I have been so much more aware and grateful for food than I've ever been before. I have been spoiled because my parents have always done LOTS of gardening; I reaped all the benefits with zero work. I realized that they were spending lots of time in the garden or over the kitchen sink with a paring knife, but I was a teenager. Need I say more? Even over the past few years, as I've appreciated locally-grown food and the farmers who bless us with it, I don't think I've appreciated them enough.

I know everyone can't be a farmer; that's not the point. But if you can grow just one or two things and pay attention to what's involved in the process, you might gain a new perspective. Wal-marts prices might not look so "right" to you and those farm-stand, organic prices may not look so "wrong". You've really gotta think; "What has to happen for me to be able to buy this food, at this price, and still make people wealthy by doing so"?
I struggle with this myself; I'm sympathetic to the idea that "we just can't afford anything else". I've had moments in which I've felt the same. But I'm trying...really trying to be more mindful; to make choices that are good and right. Not right for the three of us, but right. Right for the migrant workers, right for the environment, right for our health, right for all of us.

Don't throw tomatoes at me if you see me in Bi-Lo. I can assure you I'll be there again, but hopefully these visits will become less and less frequent. With some more experience, hard work, and deliberate choice-making, maybe I'll be grocery store-free before Wal-mart takes over the Universe.

We have been discussing the possibility of a "local food challenge" for ourselves this summer; maybe starting with just a week in which we only eat local food and seeing where we go from there. I know it might sound ridiculous to some of you West-coasters who have farmer's markets on every block, but this could be tough. Not impossible, though. I'm not sure if we'd make any exceptions for spices? Wheat? Well, if any of you have done this yourselves I'd love to hear from you. Still trying to decide when to start...I'll keep you updated! Maybe some of you want to take on the challenge with me???

Well....now that you've been lectured, I feel I owe you a recipe (or two). I do. Here they are. And they rock.

Pistachio Crusted Pork Tenderloin- Rosemary. Mustard. Savory Sour Cherry Compote.

2 boneless pork tenderloins (about 1- 1.5 lbs each)
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely minced
2 1/2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp. honey
dash or two of cayenne
kosher salt and coarse black pepper
3/4 cup roasted and salted pistachios (ground in food processor into a coarse meal)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pat tenderloins dry. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Sear in a hot skillet until browned on all sides. Place on a roasting rack in a roasting pan (or just in pan if you don't have a rack) and set aside. Mix rosemary, mustard, honey, and cayenne. Coat tenderloins well with mustard mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and roll in pistachios until well coated (may need to press some of the pistachios into tenderloins to make stick). Bake for about 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 140-145 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing ***(very important to do this or tenderloin will be dry)!!!! Serve with savory sour cherry compote.

Savory Sour Cherry Compote

3 shallots, finely diced
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
5 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 cups fresh sour cherries, pitted (*must be SOUR cherries- or I guess you could omit sugar if you had sweet cherries, but I can't promise it would be as good)
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. chili powder

Sautee the shallots in butter over medium heat until tender. Add white wine and reduce by half. Then add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and reduce by half again. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer on low for about an hour (watch carefully to make sure bottom doesn't scorch- it's unlikely if your heat is low enough). After an hour, remove lid and use your judgement to determine if it needs to cook down a bit more; it will just depend on how juicy the cherries were. Once it's to your desired consistency, you can serve immediately, refrigerate for a day or two, or freeze (it freezes well).

Chive Fries

3-4 large Yukon Gold potatoes
olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
2-3 tbsp. fresh chives, thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp. parmesan, finely grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut potatoes into "fries" (leave skin on). Toss with a good bit of olive oil and salt. Spread onto one extra large or two regular baking sheets so that the fries are in a single layer. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and toss with fresh chives and parmesan. Amazing.

This one's for you, JoJo

2010-05-14T20:26:00.013-04:00

Allright, so I'm finally trying to get back into the swing of life after being on vacation. It's not that I haven't been cooking...I just haven't been blogging. But...I've got recipes piling up around here so I figured I'd better get with it.

First of all let me just say that we had a fantastic meal at Robert Irvine's Eat! in Hilton Head. I highly recommend it if anyone's headed that way this summer. They have a Tuesday night special that you don't wanna' miss...half price tapas, house wine, and drinks. Uhhh, half price???Come to momma. We had such a great time trying different things that we're re-thinking the way we dine in the future. Perhaps an entree is the wrong way to go. Everything was great, but I would say the She-Crab Soup and the Quail Pizette are MUSTS. The crab cakes were also awesome; crabby (not bready) on a fresh roasted corn and tomato relish...but what really set them apart were the crispy bits of fried chard on top. Genius. So much more...seared sea scallops with a fennel orange coulis, beef short ribs with a hoison demi glaze (that were literally like cutting through butter), fried green tomatoes with brown butter, feta, watercress, and the best balsamic reduction I've ever tasted. Oh- and sweet potato bread pudding with Tobasco ice cream. The bread pudding was good, but the sauce on top was heavenly and the Tobasco ice cream was an interesting and surprisingly perfect accompaniment.

Getting on with it...what I'm really here to tell you about is the Dutch Baby. No, not a tiny, wooden-shoe-wearing bundle from Holland, but a buttery slice of heaven on a plate. We vacationed with some friends, both of whom are great cooks. Joel is a bit of a breakfast guru (he can make some beautiful omelettes) and mentioned something about possibly making a Dutch Baby one morning. Bells started ringing. I remembered seeing something like this on some Food Network show once; it was the specialty item at some diner in California. I had never seen anything like it before, but was intrigued (even though I'm not a breakfast person). It puffs up so high that it's just darn impressive. A real attention-getter. Well, the show came and went, and my recollection of what "that fluffy breakfast thing on t.v." was did too. I moved on and forgot all about the Dutch Baby. Poor little orphan.

Since Joel's introduction...well, let's just say I'm making up for lost time. I ate the Dutch Baby. I luuuuuved the Dutch Baby. Since returning home I am obsessed with making the Dutch Baby. I want to experiment with this thing every day. From the moment I first tasted it all I could think about were the endless possibilities it offered; it's really versatile. The one I had seen on t.v. was sweet; sugar in the batter and served with blueberries and whipped cream. Yes. This works. Haven't gotten to this version yet, but I want to. Joel made a savory version, which from what I can tell, is really the authentic way to do it. He topped his with grated sharp cheddar cheese and then served it with warm honey butter, plain yogurt, and fresh fruit. Oh my. I would literally eat an entire pan if I had it right now. Everybody dressed theirs differently; I personally decided to forgo the honey butter and just did fruit and yogurt. SOOO good. I cannot tell you how good this is. The texture is so RIGHT; it's sort of "in between". Apparently the appropriate number of eggs is debatable (even among Joel's sisters), but he used 3 and I'm sticking with him. I can't imagine a more perfect texture; dense but not eggy. Perfect. Really perfect.

I've made some different versions since returning home (none as good as Joel's)...I did try to reduce the butter in half just so...well, just so we won't die from heart failure. I'm starting to think that it's worth heart failure. Next time 'round, I'm going with a stick. Yep, a whole stick. I did make a savory dinner version with summer squash and onions. I topped it with a roasted red pepper-orange-saffron sauce and it was pretty delicious. (It didn't puff up as much as Joel's did and I'm wondering if the addition of the veggies just weighed it down too much? Doesn't matter anyways because it falls when you take it out of the oven, but just curious). Like I said, the possibilities here are endless. This dish is great for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. It can be savory or sweet. And the best thing??? It's easy. Not just fast to make, but it's sort of a starch and protein combined into one; all you have to do is throw a green salad or a fruit salad together and you've got a meal worth serving to guests!

Please. Listen to me. You have to make this. Not just one way, but numerous ways. I'm just chompin' at the bit; waiting for the next "special occasion" that would justify eating a quarter of a stick of butter for breakfast. Next up is a sweet one; maybe with a sour cherry hazelnut butter?? Yeah, that just might work. (By the way, get ready to be bombarded with sour cherry recipes; our trees our full and my wheels are turnin').

Oh- and Joel...I was going off of memory with the recipe. This is what I've been doing, but tell me if I'm wrong. Really- none of mine have been as good as yours was. You might have to just make me another one! :)

Dutch Baby (aka German Pancake)

3 large eggs
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup milk (I used skim)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Beat eggs until frothy. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Heat one stick of unsalted butter in a 9" or 10" cast iron skillet until warm. Pour batter into skillet and bake for about 25 minutes (until puffy and golden brown).

*It's worth mentioning...if you serve with sharp cheddar, fruit, and plain yogurt, you need to have GOOD yogurt. Trader Joe's plain whole milk yogurt is SERIOUSLY GOOD.

My brain is still in Hilton Head

2010-05-10T21:18:00.004-04:00

Hello all. Sorry for the recycled post here, but I've been on vacation and now that I'm home I just can't seem to get out of "the mode". So, I'm being lazy here and hope that maybe some of you haven't read this one as it's from waaay back in the archives (the recipe has been tweaked just a tiny bit since the last post). I'll try to get back with it soon...maybe tomorrow I'll brush my hair.

THE POST:

Years ago I used to eat at the Thai restaurant at the corner of Market and 4th Streets. I loved most everything on the menu, but my absolute favorite thing was a dish that we referred to as "C-9". (You know how alot of ethnic menus list their dishes with alphabetical-numerical codes to spare us and them the pain of pronunciation attempts). Anyways, the dish is actually called Pad Khing, and though an occasional "C-9" still slips out, this is what I now call it most of the time. It is often made with chicken, but I've always preferred the version with shrimp.

I can still remember the first time I tasted this dish; the flavor was unlike anything I had ever eaten. I tried time and time again to replicate what I had been served at the restaurant, but failed MISERABLY every time. I'm serious. It got ugly.My love affair with this dish continued (and continued to get me into trouble)...I was in St. Louis for work about 10 years ago and decided to go to a Thai restaurant with my friend, Celeste. We had a fantastic meal; the Pad Khing was not quite as good as what I was used to, but still tasty enough to put a spring in my step. Perhaps a little too much of a spring.

We arrived back at our hotel and I was following Celeste into the lobby. I was just bee-boppin' along. Belly full, taste buds happy. I was probably whistling "Zippity Doo Da" now that I think about it. I was carrying a plastic bag with my leftovers in it. Celeste had advised me against bringing leftovers back to the hotel. "There's no refrigerator" she said. Amatuer. I could MacGyver a shower cap and an ice bucket into a refrigerator faster than she could say "salmonella"! (Besides, those leftovers would never see 10:00). Celeste had just gone through the revolving door and was inside the hotel lobby as I began to enter the revolving door myself. "My oh my what a wonderful day...plenty of sunshine hea..." My song came to a screeching halt, along with the revolving door. I was stuck. The door had stopped and my face had not. What? What in the world just happened? Was it my purse? Some jerk behind me? It felt like I had enough time for all these thoughts to go through my head, but it was really just a second before I realized what had happened...I had zippity doo daa'd my "to-go-bag" right into the door at the exact second it had passed the opening and come into contact with the glass enclosure. My food, my precious, precious food, was now squished between glass, plastic, styrophome, and a rubber gasket, and was beginning to ooze out and slide down onto the floor. As if this weren't bad enough, I lost my mind and starting screaming. I don't know why. I'm not even sure what I said. All I remember are eyes. Many, many eyes across the hotel lobby, on me. Suddenly I realized how truly unlikely and hilarious this whole scenario was. One look at Celeste, who was really just gawking at this point, and it was over. We both began laughing hysterically. The other 30 people in the lobby did not. (What's wrong with these people anyways? Who can't see the humor in this?) Well, I eventually escaped. I had to make a mess of their door enclosure, but what choice did I have? And the best part of the whole story...(or maybe it's the worst part, depending on your stance) is that I still managed to salvage some food! It was more like a Pad Khing smoothie, but it did the job.

That night I sat in bed and thought to myself, "I really have to figure out how to make this in the safety of my own home".Back in Chattanooga, I finally broke down, put all pride aside, and offered Papi, the cook at the restaurant, money if she would just please tell me the secret. (Okay, that sounds sort of sketchy when I see it written, but I can assure you it was all copacetic). Anyways, she graciously obliged (without accepting any money) and took me into the small kitchen so that I could watch her prepare my food. I guess she could tell I was passionate about this (or maybe she was afraid of me). She worked quickly and I was desperately trying to take it all in. I almost missed it, but thankfully was able to see the secret ingredient; oyster sauce. Of course! I could hardly wait to go home and get to cookin'! My excitement was short-lived. I went home. I cooked. I came to a conclusion... Papi was holdin' out on me.

I finally just resigned myself to the fact that this was a dish that I would simply have to enjoy at the restaurant. Not the end of the world, right? I mean, at least I could get it somewhere. What if I had to live in a world in which it didn't exist or was never available to me? I'd be devastated.A couple of weeks later I went in for lunch. It was then that they broke the news to me; 4th Street would be widened and their building demolished. They would be closing soon. Darkness. Delirium. I began experiencing a tightening sensation in my throat and my ears felt hot. Was I going to cry? Okay, reel it in, Carli. Hold it together. It's just food! I guess my desperation was evident...Papi ended up giving me her home phone number so that I could call her to "place my order" when I needed a fix. She would cook my Pad Khing at her house and meet me in the Durty Nelly's parking lot for the "exchange". Sitting in my car one night in the freezing cold, waiting for my dealer to show up, I finally thought, "So this is what the bottom feels like". It was at that moment that I decided I simply couldn't keep living this way. I MUST figure out how to make this dish for myself.

Years have gone by and I've made a few more sad attempts. But tonight...tonight, I experienced a breakthrough. As I cooked I tentatively said to my husband, "This smells like Papi's". A glimmer of hope grew within. We sat down for dinner, I dug right in, and HALLELUJAH! I could finally utter the words, "this tastes like Papi's". Now, I will say this, my dish still did not have quite as much sauce as hers does, but I'm thinking it must just be that she uses more oil because I can't imagine adding anything else without changing the flavor, and the flavor was dead on! I'm posting the recipe below and if you're a Thai food fan, you need to try it. I know it's very simple and you're probably thinking that I'm crazy for taking so long to get it right. Some very subtle tweaking made all the difference. Enjoy! I nearly died for this.

SHRIMP PAD KHING

2 tbsp extra lite olive oil
8 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped (I know the Thai places usually use different varieties, but I had button mushrooms on hand and they were fine)
1/2 of a large yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4-1/2 tsp (to your taste) black pepper
12-14 large shrimp- peeled, deveined, and butterflied
3 tsp oyster sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
Rice, as desired

Heat oil in a skillet (or wok) over med/high heat and begin sauteeing mushrooms. Cook them until they're good and brown (maybe 7-10 minutes depending on heat). Watch carefully so they don't burn. Add the onions and cook just a minute- you want them to stay pretty firm and keep their shape. Add the garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and black pepper and cook about 2 minutes (again, be watchful. You will need to lightly toss occasionally so the tender garlic doesn't get too brown). Add the shrimp, oyster sauce, and soy sauce. Toss to coat and cook just until the shrimp are pink. (This doesn't take long- maybe a minute or two. DON'T overcook them; people do this all the time and they turn into rubber). Serve over rice. This makes enough to serve 2.

A new take on Empanadas

2010-04-17T10:14:00.017-04:00

So there I was. 6 pm and not a clue what to make for dinner, hungry, and facing a nearly barren pantry and refrigerator. Don't you love it when this happens? (I mean, really...I actually do...it's a challenge in resourcefulness and for some reason I've always gotten a kick out trying to be resourceful). I was out of all kinds of basics; I mean, there was no rice, no cous cous, no barley, no quinoa, no pasta, no nothin'. Not even a potato in sight. This lack of starch got me to thinkin' about doing something with pastry and since I'm pastry brave now I decided to try some type of empanada-ish thing. There was just one problem; I had nothing to go inside the empanadas. No chorizo, no beef, no hot peppers. What I did have was a couple of squash and some mushrooms, and this I figured, was as good a start as any.

The only problem that sometimes occurs when "flying by the seat of your pants" like this is that you can end up with a strange combination of dishes on the table. When my family sat down for dinner I informed them that they should just "think of this dinner as if it were a potluck...the slaw doesn't exactly go with the empanadas, but it's what we had". And it was true, the slaw didn't really go with the empanadas, but each dish was worthy of being made again. And again.

My mom was the one who came up with this slaw and it's officially the best slaw I've ever eaten. You really have to make it. It is SO fresh tasting! I made up a sundried tomato pesto to accompany the empanadas and it was a big hit too. (It would be great on any number of things).

Grape and Mango Slaw

1/2 head of a medium cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 green onions, thinly sliced (use green tops only)
a sprinkle of kosher salt (just a bit)
about 1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. vidalia onion, finely chopped
6-8 dried mango slices (that have been rehydrated in boiling water until soft)

Combine all ingredients and serve immediately.

Veggie Empanadas with Sundried Tomato Pesto

2 tbsp. extra light olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
12 oz. mushrooms, any variety you like
2 small yellow summer squash, diced into bite-sized pieces
2 small zuchinni squash, diced into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
4 oz. feta cheese (half a block)
4 oz. neufchatel (or cream cheese)
1 egg, beaten (plus another for egg wash)
1 cup panko
empanada dough (recipe below)
sundried tomato pesto (recipe below)

Heat olive oil in a skillet and sautee onions and mushrooms over med/low heat until getting nicely browned (this could take about 25 minutes or so). Add squash and zuchinni, turn heat up just a bit and continue cooking until veggies are done (about 5 minutes or so). Remove from heat and add the salt, pepper, feta, neufchatel, beaten egg, and panko. Stir gently until just combined. See directions under Empanada Dough recipe for filling each circle of pastry with this filling. After filling, cutting slits in top, and brushing with egg wash, you will bake these at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Sundried Tomato Pesto

1 cup sundried tomatoes, rehydrated in boiling water for 5 minutes or until soft (don't use the ones in oil, but rather the dried tomatoes in a bag)
1/2 cup salted and roasted pistachios, shelled
1 large clove of garlic
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. pumpkin seed oil (this is a small amount, but important to the flavor)
1/2 cup extra light olive oil (important to use extra light so flavors don't compete)
about 1 cup of water (can use the water that tomatoes were rehydrated in)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Puree all in a food processor until smooth. Serve with empanadas or any thing else; chicken, roasted veggies, etc.

Empanada Dough

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
1 large egg
1/3 cup cold water
1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar

In an electric stand mixer combine flour, salt, and shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal (roughly pea-sized). (May want to cover with a towel before turning mixer on so it doesn't get all over everything). In a seperate bowl, beat together egg, water, and vinegar. Add to flour mixture and mix on low until just incorporated.

Put mixture out on a lightly floured surface and knead once or twice, just enough to bring the dough together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use, at least one hour.

Roll dough out, and cut out circles of pastry that are about 5" in diameter (you can use a small plate and a table knife to do this). Fill each circle with a about 3-4 tbsp. of filling. Fold over so that you have a half-moon shape, and use a fork to seal the edges. Place on a sprayed baking sheet. Repeat until all are finished. Cut a few slits in the top of each empanada, brush with a bit of egg wash, and bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

I ♥ Jamie Oliver

2010-04-11T20:16:00.003-04:00

Just sayin'.

dormir la cuisine

2010-04-06T19:41:00.007-04:00

I sorta' hesitate to even tell this story...it's one of those that sounds like a bit of an exagerration, if not an outright lie. (Like the story that my dad tells about a friend of his who had a dream that he could play the fiddle, got up in the middle of the night, borrowed one from a neighbor, and sure enough...could play like nobody's business). Well, I didn't fall asleep and wake up a gifted musician, but I did fall asleep and wake up cooking. You heard me. Sleep Cooking. (I will fully be expecting an intervention, friends).
Since my conversion back in February, I've done quite a bit of baking. Successful baking. It's turning out to be pretty fun! I've yet to attempt French macarons, which I'm dying to try my hand at, but have had some luck with cakes, muffins....the easy stuff. I'm a bit intimidated by alot of pastry-ish items and had sort of resigned myself to enjoying such treats in small cafes and great restaurants; besides, who really needs all this temptation around the house? But today, something strange occurred and before I knew it, I was making pastry and it was a beautiful thing. As I post these pictures and I look at these shiny, golden brown little clouds of pastry, I really cannot believe that I made them. Okay, I'm proud of myself and I'm getting off track...back to the story...
The first strange occurrence of the day was that I was taking a nap. I never, never, neeever, never, ever take naps. Ever. Not even when I had a newborn and came home from the hospital and hadn't slept in 2 days. I've probably had 7 or 8 naps in my adult life and they were most likely induced by some type of illness or post-surgery recovery. I just can't nap; it's a curse. Anyways, I didn't think I was particularly tired, but apparently I was because after putting the girl down for her afternoon nap, I decided to forgo the usual tazmanian devilish cleaning, laundering, and cooking and just sit down. I stretched out on the couch and never even saw sleep coming. Apparently I was pretty deep because I never really saw waking coming either. Next thing I knew I was in the middle of making pastry cream in the kitchen. Not exactly sure how I got there or what posessed me, but I was committed. By the time I was fully awake, I'd put some lemon-scented pastry cream in the fridge to chill and was trying to figure out what else I was going to make to go with it. With some reluctance and a stick of butter, I pushed on. Profiteroles, here I come.

The French. They've got us all fooled. Slap a French name on something and its status is immediately elevated; the price gets higher, the pretense increases, and la poo poo gets thicker. These things were so stinkin' easy to make. Even I did it and they turned out beautifully. The hardest part of the entire process was cleaning the food processor. Now, I'm not going to say that there's no skill involved in pastry-making because I know this isn't the case; there's lots. However, I think I'm going to start being braver and broader in my attempts because there might be some other barrier-breaking recipes out there. So if you're like me, and you've been a big ol' scaredy-cat, it's time to take on some new challenges. You may realize that they're actually not all that challenging!

Profiteroles

1 cup milk
1 stick unsalted butter
good pinch of kosher salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 extra large eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat the milk, butter, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat, until scaled (small bubbles will form on the surface and the butter will be melted). Add the flour, turn down heat to low, and constantly stir with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and dump hot mixture into a food processor. Add eggs and pulse until mixed well and dough is thick.

Spoon dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe onto cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper (can use cooking spray if you don't have parchment paper). Make each profiteroles about 2" in diameter and an inch or so high; mine made 22. (You can wet your fingers and smooth out the swirl on top of each puff if you want to). Bake for 20 minutes and then turn oven off and leave in oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to cooling racks, and make a small slit in the side of each puff to allow steam to escape. You will use this hole to pipe the filling inside each puff.

Once completely cooled, you can fill each puff with the filling of your choice. You can use basic pastry cream (recipe below without the lemon curd added) or flavor it anyway you like. Serve with chocolate sauce, fresh whipped cream, or whatever "garnish" goes well with your particular pastry cream flavor. I used whipped cream.

Pastry Cream

6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
5 tbsp. corn starch
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup lemon curd (optional)

In a medium stainless steel bowl, stir sugar and egg yolks until well combined. Sift the four and corn starch together, then add to egg mixture. Stir until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat milk until it boils (watch carefully). Carefully pour into egg mixture while whisking constantly and quickly. (If you get any lumps, pour through strainer). Return egg mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it starts to bubble. When it bubbles, cook for another minute, still whisking constantly, until it's very thick. Remove from heat and whisk in lemon curd until smooth. Pour into a clean bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold. Pipe into profiteroles once they are also cooled.

Strychnine Baby

2010-03-28T21:42:00.020-04:00

"So my baby is poisoned now with your soy sauce meatballs. It's a good thing they were damn delicious or you would be paying. The funny thing is is that I made up for, in meatballs, what I couldn't eat elsewhere. I think I had like 50."
-excerpt from my inbox, March 29, 2010

What a miserable failure I am. TWO apologies in a row. Excess cheese is one thing, but poisoning babies...that's inexcusable. I guess I should offer some explanantion. Let me start at the beginning....

Like so many mommas lately, my friend, Emily, has a baby that is struggling with food allergies. She has suffered through a complete diet re-vamp for the sake of the little guy; one in which I've been excited to try to help her with. Whenever I've made any food for her, I have obsessively checked every ingredient list. NO soy lecithin. Check. NO dairy. Check. No whey, no eggs, no nuts. Triple check. We've come up with some "safe" chocolate chip cookies that put a smile on her face, some bread that she can eat...so far so good.

Yesterday, she and I hosted a baby shower for her sister. Emily had the shower at her house and I handled the food. So, like any food-obsessed person, I was careful to make sure that there would be some food that would be suitable for Em. (I mean, I can't thing of anything worse than sitting around watching people eat good food, while you waste away from starvation). Terrible, right?

I went over every ingredient. I made sure to set aside some sweet pea puree before adding the parmesan, I set aside a little pasta just for her, made her some cookies, and created a "special" treat just for her; orange-ginger meatballs that were sure to satisfy her hunger and her craving for something delicious! I looked for panko without soy lecithin, I checked the label on the marmalade, I considered the rice vinegar. I went over every single ingredient to make sure that nothing would be in there that could hurt this baby.

It wasn't until late last night that it occurred to me. SOY SAUCE. Holy mother. I had put soy sauce all up in there. I mean, all up in there. What the what?!?!?! For cryin' out loud, how could I miss this..."soy" is IN THE NAME. My stomach churned, my heart sunk. I was literally sick. I could not believe I had done this. It was late, so I was afraid to call. I hung my head in shame, sat down at my computer, and started typing. It felt like I was apologizing for a lifetime of neglect to my own son, whom I'd abandoned when he was only 2 and sick with scarlet fever. Whom I'd sent away, toothless and hungry on the back of a mule. I was so defeated.

I worried all night and all day. I envisioned Emily up at 3 am, pacing the floors with a screaming baby, begging God for mercy, and cursing my name to the cold darkness. I think I actually dreamed that we were in the middle of a black-and-white dirt road; both wearing chaps, plaid shirts, and handkerchiefs around our faces. Even with my back to her, I was aware of each step she took. Her gun clanked and rattled as if it were amplified directly into my ears. Clank. Clunk. Clunk. And then, with one quick draw, I was a goner. The last thing I heard was her raspy voice saying, "If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster".

This afternoon Michael asked me if I'd heard back from her yet. I hadn't. And I was more worried with every passing hour. What if they were at the hospital? What if the soy sauce caused the baby to mutate into a super-powered lizard and he'd been out all night eating flies and selling insurance? I was driving myself crazy. Until tonight; at 8:19 pm I received an email. Yes, I had poisoned the baby, but I was immediately relieved by Em's sense of humor about the whole "incident". It seemed that the baby had not mutated, nor been hospitalized, nor had she cursed my name to the darkness. (Well, that wasn't entirely ruled out; perhaps she had done this). But the relief! Ahh, the relief. I'm so happy to know that little H is well and so happy to know that the meatballs' deliciousness kept me from "paying" for my trespasses. Don't cross Emily. She's a tough, errrr...dairy-free cookie.

One more failure...I didn't take pictures. (Which is sad because they were pretty, and that's not easy to achieve with balls of meat). Picture something like this, but replace the herb with a snow pea and imagine a glazy sauce with pieces of orange zest. Sorry.

Orange-Ginger Cocktail Meatballs

1 lb ground pork
1.5 lbs ground beef (80/20)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk (delete this if making a dairy-free version)
scant tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 or 3 pinches of cayenne
3/4 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2/3 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 cup water
5 tbsp ginger paste
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp sesame oil
8-10 now peas, for garnish (cut into small pieces)
thinly sliced green onions, for garnish
orange slices, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine pork, beef, panko, milk, salt, pepper, cayenne, and 2 tbsp of the orange marmalade lightly, until just combined. Form into small, cocktail-sized meatballs (makes about 40-45 meatballs at 1.5" diameter). Be careful not to over mix and don't squeeze mixture together too much when forming meatballs; leave them a little loose. Brown meatballs (in batches) in a non-stick skillet over high heat, turning as needed, just until browned on all sides. Remove from pan and place in a baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.

In a saucepan, combine the leftover marmalade and the next 7 ingredients (through sesame oil). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Pour sauce over meatballs, cover with foil, and bake another 8-10 minutes (or until cooked through).

*It should be said that at this point, I refrigerated the dish overnight so that I could skim the fat off the top the next morning. I guess this isn't necessary, but do it if you can. It kept the dish from being greasy. After skimming the fat off, I transferred meatballs and sauce to my oven-proof serving dish, covered with foil, and reheated in the oven (on 300 for about 15 minutes). To serve, I used toothpicks that had been garnished with small pieces of blanched snow peas. Simply stick toothpicks into meatballs while they're still in their baking dish (with sauce) and serve directly out of that dish. For more garnish, sprinkle with thinly sliced green onions and a few orange slices.

Like Tiger, I'm issuing an apology of my own...

2010-03-22T15:16:00.008-04:00

My dear readers,

All I can say is that you're too sweet. If you looked at the "Christmas Quiche" recipe that I posted a while back, you surely gasped when you saw (in addition to all the other cheese, butter, and cream in this recipe) a whopping 32 ounces of swiss cheese listed in the ingredients list! YIKES!! Only today, as I was baking this quiche for some friends, did I realize that I'd made such a dramatic and bizarre typo! I have no idea how I managed to type "32" instead of "8", but I did.
So, yes, you're too nice indeed because upon seeing such a ridiculous amount of cheese, you should have blasted me. Your comments should have read something like, "Are you insane?"... "Is this actually a sly way to commit murder and get away with it?"...or "What's up with the Paula Deen recipe; next thing you know we'll be serving burgers on Krispy Kreme doughnuts, deep frying the whole thing, and serving it with clarified butter."

I mean, I'll be the first to admit, this recipe is not going to get anybody into bikini shape (the picture below shows the actual amount of cheese involved and it's pretty hefty), but we've gotta draw the line somewhere, right?!?! So, Jess...I know that you actually made this recipe and I'm horrified at how I let you down (wow, how'd it even fit into the crust??). (Okay, I'm horrified and giggling just a little bit). My apologies to you and to anyone else who gave it a try.When I took this quiche to my friends last night, I was telling them about the mistake. They too had actually made this for Christmas and they had, with good faith, put in all 32 ounces of swiss cheese. One of them had actually questioned this amount of cheese, but lost the battle on the basis that "This is what Carli's recipe says". They'll never trust me again.

I'm re-posting the recipe below. This time, it's correct! Also, I've taken a picture, which I didn't have last time. Brother. Let's just forget that post ever happened.

The do-over:

Christmas Quiche- THE BEST EVER!

The “filling” recipe below is for ONE quiche, but I double it and make 2 at the same time because when you buy the cheese it is enough for 2. Use 2 separate bowls to mix the filling for each quiche. NOTE: Use a homemade crust, please! It makes all the difference. You will need to make these in two, 9" pie plates (or you can use springform tart pans if you want).

Preheat oven to 375°. Grate 5 oz. of parmesan, 8 oz aged swiss cheese, and crumble 4 oz. feta cheese (half of a regular block). Now, you will divide the cheeses equally among each crust. Put half the swiss in each crust, then half the parmesan, and then half the feta.

Next, you will need to thaw a 10 oz. box of frozen spinach and squeeze out all of the liquid very well. Divide the spinach equally among each quiche (spread evenly over top of cheese).
Next, you will need to rehydrate about 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (do not use the ones in oil...use the dried ones in a bag). You can do this by simmering them in water for about 10 minutes and then drain well. Once rehydrated, I use my kitchen shears to snip them into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Divide tomatoes evenly among each quiche (spreading evenly over top of spinach).Now, make the filling.

Filling* Remember to make the following recipe in 2 separate bowls. Add the amounts listed below to EACH bowl. (for example, you will use 6 eggs total).Start by mixing the dry ingredients and try to mix well so the Bakon won’t be lumpy. (It also helps if you whisk cream into dry ingredients before the eggs).

Dry ingredients are:

1 tbsp. Bakon smoked torula yeast (can omit if you don't have, but it's delicious)

1 ¼ tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. marjoram

1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme)

Then, add 3 eggs, 1 cup heavy cream, and ¼ cup melted butter (cooled a little). Mix well and pour over top of one quiche. Drizzle top of quiche with another ¼ cup melted butter and bake for 30-35 minutes. (Now repeat this filling mixture for the other quiche).

Let cool a few minutes before trying to slice, otherwise it will run and not set up nicely.

THIS is Spring. THIS is sacred.

2010-03-19T19:55:00.012-04:00

THIS is a wilted salad and if you're not famililar with it, you're not living life to its fullest potential. I don't know where this actually started. My understanding is that it's something that the old-timers did. My great Grandparents did it in Pikeville, Tennessee and I'm sure there were others too...I betcha' Aunt Bea knew a thing or two about it up in Mayberry.

When I found the recipe my mom had written for this salad, this is what she had to say about it:
"This salad, which all of our grandmothers knew, is best picked fresh out of the garden...the old fashioned garden usually had black-seed Simpson lettuce, curly mustard greens, turnip and beet greens, bunching onions (scallions), and radishes. The salad might occasionally be supplemented with dandelion greens, as our GREAT grandmothers were used to incorporating this springtime pot herb, along with many others foraged from the wild."

Thanks to my parents, not only did I get this recipe, but I got some gardening help as well. (The green thumb was not passed on to me and though I have romantic notions of growing incredible gardens, they are about as realistic as Milli Vanilli's comeback is). So, THANK YOU parental folk for this beautiful bounty that you so lovingly planted in our greenhouse! Look at this awesome harvest!!
For those of you who don't have generous and "gardenly" relatives that are eager to grow food for you, you can purchase some greens. You may use some mixed greens (arugula, mizuna, tat-soi, and/or spinach), but you musn't eliminate one crucial green; curly mustard. This is a MUST. You're not eating wilted salad without it. Also....radishes are crucial here. I don't even like them that much, but they are perfect in this salad!

So you start with this nice, big bowl of greens, radishes, scallions, Vidalia onion, and salt and pepper. Isn't it pretty???
Then you pour hot bacon grease (bacon pieces included) all over it, toss it, and serve! (I know, leave it to the South, right??? We'd dress butter in bacon grease if it wouldn't melt).

One last item to discuss...People are divided on this issue, but I'm all about hitting it with just a splash of plain ol' white vinegar. Many would adamantly disagree with me and argue that vinegar has no place on this salad. You can decide for yourself. (But you should decide on the vinegar- I'm right, really I am).

Oh, and one more thing...make sure the top to your pepper container is on tightly. I once heard of a story in which the pepper top fell right off into the greens and after nearly 1/4 cup of pepper showered the precious salad, it had to be washed, like this...

And it made a big mess in the sink, like this...

And it caused the salad pepperer to say a few words, like.... well, you know. And it wasted alot of pepper.

Wilted Salad

about 10 oz. mixed greens
8-10 large curly mustard leaves (curly edges only, torn into small pieces)
8-10 small radishes (thinly sliced)
4-6 scallions, mostly green tops (thinly sliced)
half of a sweet Vidalia onion, diced
kosher salt and coarse black pepper to taste
12 oz. bacon, crumbled, fried until crispy, and grease reserved
dash of white vinegar

Toss the greens with the mustard, radishes, scallions, onion, salt, and pepper. Pour hot bacon (with grease) over salad. Splash with some vinegar (if desired) and serve immediately.

Back in the saddle again

2010-03-13T15:24:00.017-05:00

I really don't believe in diets. I mean, any way of eating that's not sustainable, is just that. How or why would we expect to maintain a healthy weight if we can't maintain the method of eating that got us there? This being said...Michael and I had a bit of a wake up call last year; after having a baby I knew I needed to lose some extra weight and Michael had put on some "baby weight" of his own. We love food (obviously) and we felt like we ate pretty well; vegetables are a huge part of our diet, along with lots of whole grains. We don't eat pre-packaged or processed food, well, hardly ever. However, working out wasn't cutting it, so we finally gave in and decided to give Weight Watchers a shot. It seemed pretty doable because it allows you to eat your own food (which was a must). Basically, their "points" system was just an easy way for us to monitor our consumption on a daily basis. Turns out, the problem wasn't what we'd been eating, but how much. Yikes! Once we started paying attention to just how many calories were in every little thing we realized that the reasonable 24 points a day that we should have been eating had been more like 40 points. Okay. Time to reset our ideas about quantity. After 6 months Michael had lost 40 pounds and I'd lost 30. I was actually smaller than I was when I got pregnant.

Over the past week or so, Michael and I have "buckled down" again and are trying to lose a few more pounds before summer. We've maintained our weight loss for the most part, but 4 or 5 pounds have snuck back on. So, we're getting "strict" again, just to reel it back in. It hasn't been bad at all, but after a week of really disciplined eating, we allowed ourselves just a bit of a treat this morning. I'm not really into breakfast food; I could not care less about pancakes, omelettes, bacon, or sausage, but a good waffle...well, that gets my attention.

I was trying to come up with something that at least had a little more nutritional value than our tried-and-true overnight waffle recipe, even if it wasn't really low-cal. I think we hit the jackpot; these were really good, really easy, and ready in a snap. Plus, there's some whole wheat flour, wheat bran, and oats in 'em....that's gotta count for somethin', right???

I'm not that into syrup either, so I made a vanilla bean nuefchatel cream as a topping. Uhhh, this is NOT low-cal and doesn't really have any "redeeming" qualites, but it's delicious and you only need a little bit. Top with some fresh fruit and a sprinkle of nuts and you're good to go! And actually, if you only eat a couple of waffles it's not that outrageous in terms of nutrition...I think each waffle had about 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 4 grams of protein, and a gram of fiber (which makes them 3 points if you're "weight watching"). Plus there's some iron and calcium. If you add a couple of spoonfuls (a serving is 1/8 of the recipe below) of the vanilla bean cream, you're looking at another 125 calories and 8 grams of fat (or another 3 points). So, our total breakfast (2 waffles, a couple of spoonfuls of cream, a half of a banana and a couple of broken pecan halves came in at 11 points, which is really reasonable for something so "treat-like and decadent").

Ugh....I'm kind of cringing as I read back over this...I really hate this "diet-speak" and am so fundamentally against it. So, I feel the need to justify this behavior....this really isn't a "diet" as in, do some ridiculous deprivation thing for a couple of weeks and go back to the way you used to eat...it really is just a way (that works for us) to monitor what you're eating and make sure you're being healthy and reasonable. Ok- got that outta my system.

So, without further ado, here are your recipes.

Whole Wheat Waffles

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup wheat bran
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1 /2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. real salt
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup extra light olive oil
1/2 cup light sour cream (50% less fat)
2 tsp. real vanilla extract

Preheat waffle iron(s). Preheat oven to 200 degrees (to keep waffles warm as they come off of iron).

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, oats, sugar, wheat bran, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a seperate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, oil, sour cream, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Don't over mix! (It's okay if it's a little lumpy).

Pour batter onto waffle iron (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray) in appropriate quantities (for your particular iron) and cook until done (usually once there's no more steam). As the waffles are done, I place them on cooling racks (sitting on cookie sheets) in a 200 degree oven to keep them warm and keep air circulating around them (i.e. no sogginess).

This makes 25 four-inch waffles.

Vanilla Bean Neufchatel Cream

6 oz. nuefchatel cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
seeds of 1 vanilla bean
1/2 tsp real vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients and whip with electric mixer until thick and fluffy.

Serves 8.

Oh, the terror

2010-03-04T10:53:00.025-05:00

I have a confession...I'm afraid of sandwiches.

Well, I should clarify that I'm not afraid of all sandwiches. If Nigella Lawson or an Iron Chef or my mom or my friend, Katie, fixed me a sandwich I'd be more than happy to dig in, but typically, upon hearing "Come eat with us; we'll throw together some sandwiches" my knees quiver, my spine shudders, and my taste buds tremble with fear.

This isn't some irrational phobic episode. This is an experience-driven legitimate reaction to a lifetime of run-ins with "slicky" (creepy) deli meats, pre-sliced (creepier) cheeses, sad little flavorless pieces of iceberg lettuce, mealy cold-weather tomatoes, and lackluster condimentation. (I know it's not a word, but it should be). Oh- and sad, sad, sad bread ("sad" in this case should be pronounced as Claire Huxtable would have said it). Sad bread.

I wish I could say that I can't blame anyone for this fear of mine. But I can...no question who's responsible for this one...my mom. For she was the one who sent me to elementary school with lunches of fettucine alfredo, pierogi, eggplant, and many many varieties of "stinky cheeses" (which made me wildly popular in the cafeteria). The types of sandwiches that we grew up eating were so incredible. Not since 1982 (during a traumatic incident at a relative's house) has a piece of bologna crossed these lips. Sandwiches were never just a go-to, black and white, ready in 2 minutes meal. With the expection of a tomato sandwich (which is classically Southern, wonderfully simple, and perfectly delicious), sandwiches were always crafted as if they too were worthy of a little attention.

I remember one sandwich in particular; my mom piled sauteed shitake mushrooms sky high on a homemade hoagie roll, topped them with gruyere and broiled that until it was brown and bubbly. Then she topped that with a fresh, crunchy horseradish slaw and country style dijon mustard. Another one of her creations that has become a classic among our family is her "sub sandwich". It's sort of like a slaw (for lack of a better term) that consists of raw cabbage, grated Spanish onions, grated dill pickle, sliced green olives, garlic, oregano, olive oil, vinegar, and grated mozzerella and/or parmesan. She hollows out the bottom half of the bread so that it creates a little bowl for the slaw stuff. So good. (It started as a vegetarian option, which I prefer, but definitely works on thinly sliced meat if your heart desires). There are so many more...caprese panini, grilled veggie sandwiches with fresh guacamole...and I've yet to make this one, but I've been dreaming about prosciutto, goat cheese, and arugula dressed in fig vinaigrette on toasted raisin bread. Yes, these are the types of sandwiches that don't alarm me. Thanks to Love and Olive Oil I've discovered one more sandwich worthy of the ciabatta it's built upon. When I first saw this recipe, I just couldn't quite wrap my head around it...I could get down with the Moroccan spiced carrots and goat cheese, but the olive tapenade was throwing me for a loop. For some reason, this just sounded like the strangest combination of flavors to me....so strange that I had to give it a try. And you should too. Since giving this a try 2 weeks ago, we've made it twice and I plan on making it a regular in the rotation. So here's where you can find the recipe and here are a few tiny modifications that I made and would recommend...the original recipe calls for pumpernickel, but Love and Olive Oil and I both used ciabatta and that's right up my alley. I toasted the bread and let the goat cheese melt just a bit. Oh- I also added some baby lettuces and fresh cilantro, which I would highly recommend! And one more thing...the marinated carrots are so delicious just by themselves; they would make a great side dish. You could also turn them into a salad easily enough by tossing in some golden raisins, crumbled goat cheese, walnuts....whatever. I hope you'll give this yummy sandwich a try (and continue to check out Love and Olive Oil because they often have great recipes)!

We shall overcome

2010-02-17T09:40:00.019-05:00

I hate baking. And I don't like scones. So it came as a surpise to me when I suddenly and inexplicably proclaimed, "Rosemary scones! I'm going to make some rosemary scones." I truly have no idea what made me think of scones or rosemary or strawberry butter, but it hit me like some kind of supernatural revelation and when divinely inspired baked goods occur to this sleep-deprived brain of mine, I take action.

This was a leap of faith, indeed. After a series of baking failures over the past month (seriously, I actually made FOUR cakes for my daughter's birthday and had numerous other muffin disasters), I was ready to jump off a cliff. Well, almost. I at least considered starting a new blog in which I bad-mouthed baking. It was as if it were a person; an actual being that had somehow wronged me, and like a 12 year old girl, I wanted to spread the word that BAKING was a tramp. A back-stabbing, unreliable tramp.

But when the spirit moves you, it moves you. So here I was...baking scones; something I don't like and have never made before in my life. I looked through a few recipes just to get an idea of what I was dealing with. Some had eggs, others had none. Some had very little sugar, others had more. Some had buttermilk, others heavy cream. So in rebellious, 12 year old fashion, I decided to venture out on my own. I mean, why wouldn't I...I have such a high success rate with baking. I could handle this. I threw some stuff in the Kitchenaid, gave it a whirl, popped them in the oven and watched. The smell that started filling the house was nothing short of life-changing. I started thinking these things might actually be edible; maybe even more than that. Hope. Anticipation. The stakes were high. After realizing that old baking powder may have been the cause of alot of my recent troubles, I'd replaced it and was holding my breath for redemption. I had some strawberries in the freezer that we'd picked at Sequatchie Cove last Spring. I had just seen a recipe for Strawberry Butter at Joylicious and figured this might be perfect with the scones. This was serious business now. There was spread involved. Spread containing precious strawberries from a dwindling supply and expensive organic butter. I was fully expecting these scones to be worthy.

And were they ever! Mama Mia! (Please note: I am not Italian, nor do I have any type of connection which would explain my use of the phrase "Mama mia". It simply was what came out and I am choosing to let it be because this poured out of me in such a way that it must express something so pure, so righteous, that not saying it would be deceptive). And I would hate to deceive. Back to the point...these scones were awesome! Not dry and crumbly like so many are. A little bit sweet (maybe too much so for a scone connoisseur, but just right to me); crispy on the outside and soft on the inside (but not doughy like some biscuits that stick to the roof of your mouth), and just lightly scented with rosemary. And...these are incredibly easy! I didn't mess around with rolling them out and cutting; just mix 'em up and drop 'em on a baking sheet. If you make these, you MUST abide by the rules; it would be a crime not to eat one of these hot out of the oven with a big ol' spread of strawberry butter. Let it melt all into the soft, hot scone, take a mid-afternoon break, and prepare to die from deliciousness! Well, it turns out, I don't hate baking. I just hate sucking at something. Yeah, that's what I learned. When you try something over and over and fail miserably time and time again, that will cause you to think that you hate that thing. But you don't really. In actuality, you really just hate being a pathetic, inadequate disappointment. Who knew?!?

I am happy to report on this 17th day of February in the two thousand and tenth year of our Lord, that I have experienced deliverance from the imprisonment that has plagued me for so long. No longer will I be a slave to boxed cake mixes and futile muffin-making attempts. Freedom tastes so sweet.
Rosemary Scones with Strawberry Butter

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
scant 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup light sour cream (50% less fat)
1/2 cup fat-free milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and rosemary. Add cold butter, cover mixer with a towel (so it won't explode everywhere) and mix on low/medium speed until it is crumbly. Then add sour cream and milk, and mix just until dough comes together. Spoon onto two sprayed baking sheets (6 scones per sheet, each a little bit larger than a golf ball). Bake for 27-28 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Strawberry Butter

6 tbsp. room temperature salted butter
1/2 cup strawberries (can be fresh or frozen, but make sure they're also room temp)
2-3 tsp. agave nectar (depending on sweetness of berries)- can sub honey if needed

Make sure everything is at room temperature! Mix together and serve. (If you use unsalted butter, you may need to add a pinch of salt).

A cheap piece u' meat

2010-02-03T15:27:00.026-05:00

I'm telling you what...my friends definitely know the way to my heart! It seems like every other week I'm getting a delivery of some type of fresh produce! This time, my friend Katie very generously dropped off a LOAD of organic carrots, celery, and onions. I had just been to the store and had a fair supply of this stuff already, but like a dope fiend, I was still excited to get even more. So, I had no choice; a day of stock-making was in order! After putting away 6 gallons of vegetable stock and making 3 different pots of soup (whew), I had a few veggies left. I was growing weary of being in the kitchen, but figured I'd better go ahead and knock it out.

We generally don't care for "traditional" pot roast, but in my laziness I decided to throw one in the crock pot and call it a day. I remembered a recipe I'd torn out of a magazine for cabernet-braised short ribs and thought this method might jazz up the typically boring roast. I'm so glad that I was tired; I may have never discovered this roast otherwise. This was really good. Super tender, rich, flavorful, well-balanced, and "wine-y" but not TOO "wine-y". It had the perfect amount of tomato paste; the flavor was just acidic enough, but didn't really come across as "tomato-y". Okay what's with all the "y" words?? I'm adjective deficient today.

You can serve this with potatoes if you like, but we went with some rice. I made a quick brussel sprout hash and dinner was on. We both agreed this was the best pot roast we'd ever eaten. Ever. And, I used a cheap boneless chuck roast! 9 hours of cooking and some acidity tenderized it beautifully. Not bad for a $7 piece of meat!

The Best Pot Roast I've Ever Had

2 1/2 lb. boneless chuck roast
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 1/2 tbsp. extra light olive oil
2 cups beef stock (I like Kitchen Basics)

1 cup cabernet
2 tbsp. tomato paste
4 large stalks of celery, diced
1 large yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges
6 large carrots, peeled and halved

leaves from 2 large stalks fresh rosemary, finely chopped

4 large cloves of garlic, minced

Pat roast dry and liberally season with salt and pepper. Put olive oil in a large pan and sear roast(about 3-4 minutes on each side) until nicely browned on all sides. Add beef stock and deglaze pan. Transfer roast and stock to a sprayed crock pot. Whisk together the cabernet, rosemary, and tomato paste and pour over roast. Add celery, onions, garlic, and then carrots on top. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Remove roast and veggies from crock pot and allow to stand on serving dish while thickening the gravy with a corn starch slurry. Serve over rice or with mashed or roasted potatoes. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

If we don't love our farmers, who will?

2010-01-27T21:22:00.073-05:00

A couple of days ago my husband walked in the door and had with him, a present. No, not a bouquet of flowers. Definitely not jewelry (I'm not that kinda gal). Not even Season 5 of The Office on dvd (I am that kinda gal). Nope; he came in, set down a grocery sack on the kitchen counter and proudly proclaimed, "Kelsey sent us some beets, turnips, and eggs from Williams Island". Then he proceeded to jump out of the way as I lunged towards the bag of produce as if it were a wild boar and I was a starving Bear Grylls. I'm telling you the truth; I wouldn't have been happier if he'd sat a sailboat up there. What a treat this was; a fresh bag of organic produce and the most beautiful eggs, unexpectedly plopped into my afternoon! I actually got giddy. My mind started racing; this beautiful food was going to be treated well and I wanted to come up with the best way to enjoy it! After considering some of my favorite ol' stanbys like Roasted Beets with Walnuts and Blue Cheese, I decided to challenge myself. For me, "enjoying" this food meant not only that it be palatable in the end, but that I take pleasure in the process. Cooking is one of my creative outlets, one that sometimes ends in utter failure, but one that always teaches and inspires me towards something. Let the learning begin.So, here's what a dork I am...I sort of, um, pretended that I was on Chopped (you know, the Food Network show in which competitors are given a basket containing 3 or 4 ingredients and they have to create a dish that successfully highlights these ingredients). This scenario felt so similar, and well...it just seemed like an opportunity that shouldn't be missed.

So, I quickly decided that I would try a roasted beet frozen custard with sweet and salty turnip chips. After washing the beets, I roasted them in a foil packet, cooled and peeled them, and then took a little "sample" bite for myself. Wow. It was really hard not to eat every single one of them. I mean, they didn't need a pinch of salt or a drizzle of oil. They were just plain ol' good. Next, I reduced them with some water, sugar, and balsamic vinegar. After pushing the reduction through a sieve, I discarded the solids and proceeded to make my custard using the thickest, brightest, most incredible egg yolks ever; this type of egg is only possible when bought fresh and locally. These eggs actually made me consider bustin' out some old-school sweats, cranking up Eye of the Tiger, and downing a couple u' raw ones. (But I imagined it, and that was enough).

The outcome, was, well....delicious. However, I'd be misleading you if I didn't mention a few things...I think next time I try this I will use more beets to get an even "beetier" taste. There was a slight earthiness that could be detected, but I would have liked to taste it more. Mostly, this just tasted like creamy vanilla bean custard, that happened to be beautifully colored. For the amount of work that it takes to make the beet syrup, I'm not sure that the flavor comes through enough to be worth it. Like I said, I'll try once more and see if I can improve it.

And the turnip chips....these bad boys could stand all on their own. They don't need any stinkin' ice cream (although they were an awesome accompaniment)! I washed, peeled, and sliced them paper thin (you can use a mandolin or the slicing side of a box grater), tossed them with extra virgin olive oil, gray sea salt, and spread them in a single layer on a sprayed baking sheet. Bake them at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from oven, sprinkle with just a bit of sugar, turn chips over, and return to oven for about 3 or 4 more minutes. Place on cooling rack immediately. Thin, crispy, salty, slightly sweet, flavorful. Good stuff. (These are also great as savory chips, without any sugar).

So a BIG THANKYOU to Williams Island Farm. We love what you're doing and are grateful for your hard work and your commitment to good things! If you're in the Chattanooga area, please check out their site and some of the other local farm's sites as well (listed on the right side of my blog). Don't miss the Main Street Farmer's Market; my Wednesday visits here are the highlight of my week. (Is that sad)?

Anyways, wherever you are, it's a fine idea to support your local farmers. Show 'em some love! I won't tell you all the reasons why you should do this because there are lots of people who can say it better than I can (like this guy and these folks). But really...why wouldn't you? Visit your local farmer's market and rediscover what food actually tastes like. You don't have to make beet frozen custard or even buy a turnip. Start with a summertime tomato and I promise...you'll be hooked!

Roasted Beet Frozen Custard with Sweet & Salty Turnip Chips

1 1/2 cups roasted beets, peeled and cubed
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 cup skim milk
3 egg yolks
seeds of 1 vanilla bean
1 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash beets (about 5 or 6 small ones), wrap up in an aluminum foil packet (sealed well so steam won't escape) and bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool and then peel. Combine peeled and cubed beets in a pot with sugar, water, and balsamic. Simmer on medium, uncovered, about 25 minutes (or until reduced by half). Press through a sieve and discard solids. Reserve beet syrup.

In another pot, bring skim milk just below a boil. Remove from heat and set aside. In another pot, whisk egg yolks with beet syrup (should be about 1/2 cup of syrup). Add warm skim milk and vanilla bean seeds, return to heat and stir constantly until mixture starts to steam. remove from heat and add heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Allow to age overnight in covered container in refrigerator. When ready to serve, pour custard into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's recommendations. Garnish frozen custard with crispy turnip chips (recipe included in post above).

One more bonus recipe here...I had a few more turnips hanging around and since I also had some leftover World's Best Cornbread, I figured I'd better get to makin' some turnip dressing. This dish screamed THANKSGIVING, and though I'm sure you're over that right now, keep this in mind for next year. It was awesome!

Roasted Turnip Dressing

4 turnips, peeled and cubed into 1/2 " squares
1/2 pan of leftover cornbread (10" pan)
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
3-4 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2" rounds
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsp. extra light olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp. pumpkin seed oil

Toss everything together. Put in a sprayed 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes (may need to lightly stir once).

Sorry to be boring

2010-01-19T19:20:00.006-05:00

Yikes...no picture, no time. Just a recipe. My favorite baba ganoush (which is sort of a baba-hummus combo). Great for lunch with whole wheat pitas.

Baba Ganoush

Peel and cut a large eggplant into cubes (about 1"). Drizzle with plenty of light olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt. Toss well. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at
350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. You will need to stir it around once or twice.

Remove eggplant from oven and puree with the following:

a 16 oz. can of chick peas, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (reduce by half if omitting chick peas)
2 tbsp. extra light olive oil (reduce by half if omitting chick peas)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. kosher salt, or more or less to taste
BIG handful fresh Italian parsley
BIGGER handful fresh cilantro
3 large cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp. cumin