Today I Cooked...

Pasta al Limon

2012-02-05T18:52:00.003-07:00

I'm sure everyone and their dog made this recipe when it came out in the NYT (I know my mom and I did - she was visiting me in my Brooklyn apt during law school and came bearing amazing lemons from a colleague's New Mexico relative's tree). But just in case you're the person who didn't, it really is amazing and worth doing (unlike the accompanying tart recipe, or so I hear).

I think using fresh pasta really helps, and I served it with bok choy and kale, cooked over high heat in oil and maple syrup in a closed pan, which made them kinda caramelize and get toothsome and brown.

Also, if you mistakenly use a reactive saucepan for the wine-reducing stage and your reduced white wine tastes crazy bitter... and you don't have a NONreactive pan around... might I suggest a mug and the microwave. You're welcome.

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

2012-02-01T21:28:00.002-07:00

Filling:
1 roasted butternut
1 can corn
2 small onions, caramelized with LOTS of chopped garlic
Cumin & cinnamon*

Sauce: Canned green enchilada (tomatillo) sauce with juice of 2 lemons and one package cherry tomatoes added

Cheese: A salty white.

1 package (14) 8-inch flour tortillas.

Fill each tortilla with cheese & filling, nest together into 2 glass baking pans, cover with sauce, and bake at 35 for 25 minutes.

*One wise in the ways of the squashilada tells me"a little coriander doesn't hurt, either."

Green Chili Souffle

2011-12-27T12:36:00.001-07:00

Kate and I raided our mom's large bag of cleaned, individually wrapped, frozen Hatch green chilis (<-- yes, she is that organized and foresightful) to make this great-smelling breakfast on Christmas morning. In the process, we also cleaned out (/raided) her recipe and cookbook drawer. Kate nabbed a southwestern cookbook that suggested dumplings made of tamale dough - brilliant, and just happens to be gluten free. I got some high altitude bread books that might help me with my serial baking failures in the Mile High City. Happy Holidays!

8 eggs (we used 6, I'd go to 8 or even 10 for more eggy layers)

Block of good cheddar, grated

6-8 green chilis, cleaned

Salt & pepper

Separate eggs. Beat whites until stiff. Whisk yolks till smooth and season with S&P; fold into whites as gently as possible.

Layer egg mixture, chilis, and cheese in a greased 9x13 baking dish, ending w/a layer of eggs so cheese doesn't get crispy. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, being careful not to overbake. Serve with avos, salsa, olives, plain yogurt, etc.

DIY Gingerbread Latté Syrup

2011-12-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

After our success with the homemade pumpkin spice latté syrup, my roommates and I in accordance with the change in season moved on to a search for the perfect gingerbread latté syrup. The batch I made at my apartment left something to be wanting however, as it took several spoonfuls to create the desired taste. I'm now visiting our Dad's Alaska home for Christmas, where an espresso machine also resides. I decided that gingerbread lattés will be most necessary for the Santa frenzy that will occur on Christmas Day morning, so in the midst of making this and this pie, I decided to google some more recipes and experiment. Really, making these syrups is just about finding the right spices to add to a basic simple syrup, and I think what made the difference for the gingerbread syrup was the addition of molasses. Here is what I came up with, with which I am quite pleased.

1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cups brown sugar or Splenda brown sugar blend
1/2 cup molasses
3 teaspoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons cinnamon,
Nutmeg and ground cloves to taste

Combine water, sugar, molasses and spices in a small saucepan over medium heat. I continually played with the spices, and you may want to add more than I have here- I would recommend going heavy on the spices. Simmer them together until it thickens into what looks like a syrup. Pour into a mason jar to keep.

For latté making, use 1 shot espresso or 2 ounces hot coffee, 2 tablespoons syrup to 2/3 cups steamed milk. Add syrup to taste, if desired. Top with homemade whipped cream and nutmeg, and bid 4 dollar lattés adieu.

Holiday Cookies

2011-12-17T18:59:00.001-07:00

…. lots…. and… lots of holiday cookies (GF readers, avertyour eyes! Except from the peanut butter kiss cookies!).

We had a proper holiday party with lots of hot drinks andsanta hats and cheeses and gals in red dresses, and I went a bit overboard withthe cookies. It just didn’t seem rightto have lemon cookies without peppermint cookies, or crinkles without peanut butter kisses (which are really just the amazing go-to peanut butter cookies Kate makes all the time). Or not to havegingerbread, even after making all of the above plus Deb’s to-die-for toffee cookies. Making too many cookies seems like an unlikely source of regret, anyway.

A few words about the above. To make perfect striped candycane cookies: after twisting together your littlerolled-out pieces of red and white dough, roll the resulting twist until it's one smooth piece. I recommend making the batterin 2 batches and adding the red food coloring to the wet ingredients of one batch, ratherthan trying to color half the completed dough, which involves overhandling it and dying your hands. I tried rolling some of the cookies in crushed candycanes both before and after baking, but thought it just made them less pretty. Finally, I like almond extract to complement the peppermint even better than vanilla.

I wasn’t satisfied w/the crinkle recipe I used. I wish I had put some cinnamon, cloves, andcayenne in the dough, and I think they needed to be more soft & fudgey andless chewy. I overbaked the peanut butter kiss cookies a bit and wish I had rolled the balls of dough in sugar before baking, but people still <3ed them.

The lemon cookies and, of course, Deb’s toffee cookies areperfection, and the high-altitude gingerbread recipe linked above isfantastic. I used pureed ginger in atube, and used a liiiiitle more than the recipe called for, as well as morecloves than indicated. Good blackstrapmolasses definitely helped. Finally, Iwas good (for once) about not overbaking – 9 minutes did it for me – and suspectthat made all the difference. Thequantities in the recipe are in weight, so if you need them in volume, it’s 1csugar and 4c flour.

Oh, and for the toffee cookies - don't worry if you don't have a double boiler / bain marie - melting the butter and then adding the chocolate over low heat while stirring furiously does just fine.

Oh, and this pumpkin chocolate bread is freaking fantastic,with cloves added to the spices and about twice as many chocolate chips as called for. (And no walnuts, to me, that would ruin the texture).

Happy holidays!!

Simple White Bean Soup

2011-12-17T18:36:00.005-07:00

Easy, peasy, one-two-threesy.

4 cups dried white beans (I used limas)

1 large white onion

1 head garlic

1 cup milk

8 cups (?) water

2 tsp bullion (optional)

2 sprigs sage leaves & twice as many basil leaves, freshor dried

salt & pepper

Soak your beans overnight. Then put beans, roughly chopped onion, peeled garlic cloves, sage,basil, and water in your soup pot. (8cups’ water is an approximation – I think I started w/about that much, but had to addmore when it boiled down. You just wantto generously cover the beans.) Bringto a boil and simmer for at least 2 hours.

Once the beans are soft, blend with an immersion blender orin batches in a regular blender (then return to the pot). After blending, add milk, bullion ifdesired, and salt & pepper to taste.

Served with shredded parmesan and homemade garlic croutons.

Basil Baked Eggs

2011-12-07T08:00:00.004-07:00

Three things of note this morning. First, it is not yet 8:00am and I have already baked a gingerbread cake, made maple-whipped cream, and made myself a delightful breakfast of eggs, baked with loads of basil, chopped tomatoes, and torn spinach. Second, I have hated eggs for my whole life, a hatred that was intensified when I had to eat chemical-laced rubbery cold hospital eggs not once, not twice, not even thrice, but four times when I was very ill seven (seven?!!) years ago. (This was part of the months of trying to figure out what was wrong with me before I was diagnosed with Celiac Sprue.)

P's scrambled eggs have overcome my bad hospital-egg memories, and now? I love eggs. For me, the key is that they have to be piping hot and have tons of herby, cheesy flavor.

Third, I should be writing my dissertation pre-proposal. So, without further delay:

Basil Baked Eggs

serves one

2 mini-ramekins (or 1 serving size equivalent baking dish/ramekin)
2 large eggs
1 tsp butter
2 T milk
1/2 tomato, chopped
handful spinach, torn or thinly chopped
Fresh basil (or the tube squeezy basil if you are somewhere with a growing season shorter than 100 days)
Grated gruyere or sharp white cheddar cheese
Sea Salt
Cracked Pepper

Preheat oven to 325. Divide the butter and milk and place in the bottom of the mini-ramekins. Add torn basil or basil from the squeezy tube (or pesto!). Place in oven. Break 2 eggs and mix well with fork. Add a generous amount of salt, pepper, grated cheese, chopped tomatoes and torn spinach, and more basil.

After a few minutes, pull the ramekins out. Pour the eggs into them. Place back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add a dusting of grated cheese and turn your oven to a low broil. Broil for another 5-10 minutes (depending on your oven). Check that the eggs are firm enough for your taste, pull out, and enjoy! Good with toast or, for brunch or lunch, with salad.

Saturday Breakfast Mug Cake

2011-11-19T08:37:00.010-07:00

I can't believe I'm about to post the second of two microwave cake recipes. This is embarrassing. If you are offended, feel free to ignore me and my bad taste. Until you are desperate for a gluten free baked good one night and don't want to turn on your oven. Or until it is Saturday morning. You know, whichever comes first.

So this is basically the mug cake recipe from earlier this week, which I found here (just used different gluten free flours than they recommended, but in the same proportions). This morning, I wanted something sweet but a little healthier. So here is a semi-healthified breakfast version, which is a little lower in sugar and fat, higher in nutritional content, and higher in protein:

2 tablespoons quinoa flour (very high in protein)
2 tablespoons gluten free oat flour
1 pinch xanthan gum (I think you could leave this out)
2 tablespoons extra-dark cocoa
4 tablespoons sugar (You could probably get away with 3 for breakfast)
1 egg
3 tablespoons skim milk
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon olive oil (you could try to replace all of the oil w/pumpkin puree, it could work just fine)
A splash of vanilla (would you want to measure extra things on a Saturday morning?)
2 tablespoon dark chocolate chips (it's Saturday!)
2 tablespoons chopped pecans, gluten free oats, or berries as desired

Serves 2 or 3.

Mix all together, microwave in a huge mug for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Rather than making actual frosting, I topped this with a spread of equal parts pumpkin and peanut butter, with honey to taste. So there you have it: A wee bit healthier, but definitely not the equivalent of scrambled eggs with spinach.

I promise to stop bringing you weird microwave recipes now. Blame the end of the semester.

Up later this week: Kate and Annalise do maple buttermilk pie and cheddar apple pie. No relying on Whole Food's amazing but seriously overpriced gluten free pie crusts this year, either.

Can't wait that long? Check out last year's spiced molasses pie, which I will be making again for Christmas, and my family's favorite maple cream custard tart.

Peanut Butter Frosted Chocolate Cake for Two

2011-11-13T21:01:00.004-07:00

I'm not much of a food snob, but even to me microwave mug cake has never sounded appealing. But, tonight I really wanted to make P a quick sweet treat, so I decided to give it a go.

Adapting this recipe just slightly (g free all purpose and sweet white rice flour) turned out to be the best idea I've had all weekend. Two very hefty servings of fudgey cake, frosted with a play on our family's famous pb frosting, all ready in about 5 minutes. Yum!

Easy Peanut Butter Frosting
Wait for it...
Wait for it...
Wait for it...

Mix 1 part pb with 3 parts confectioners sugar. Add splashes of milk until you get the consistency you want. Depending on your sweet tooth, you may want more sugar.

Fancy times at my place tonight.

Pomegranate Beverage

2011-11-10T19:08:00.001-07:00

Juice of 4 poms in a Coke. (I'm sure you could slip some booze in there, too.)

WHAT? This IS TOO a recipe.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

2011-10-30T21:14:00.002-06:00

And now for a guest post by my dear roommate Sarah. At my request, she learned to make pumpkin spice lattes. I often refer to her as my fairy godmother, because she frequently makes my wishes, be they decorating or food or latte related, come true. Here's how to bring some of the magic into your own kitchen:

Now that Fall is finally here in Phoenix (by that I mean the high has dipped under 90 degrees), it’s time to bring out the Pumpkin Spice Latte. While the rest of the country is wrapping up leaves-changing-colors season, we here in the valley search for any hint of a normal Autumn experience. Not all of us can afford to purchase the tasty yet pricy seasonal drink, which makes the DIY version a great alternative. Inspired by my roommate, Annalise (the owner of the espresso machine and the one who found the syrup recipe), I learned how to make this drink in our kitchen this weekend.

I first had to learn how to make espresso (an intimidating feat, but not so hard, really). The next ingredient is the pumpkin spice syrup. I used this recipe, but I think that next time I might add more pumpkin for a stronger flavor. To make the latte I used 1 shot espresso, 2/3 cup milk steamed (using the espresso maker), and 1 tablespoon syrup. If you don't own an espresso machine, the espresso can be replaced with 2 ounces hot coffee. The latte is especially delicious when served in a mason jar (also ideal for sealing and saving for later) and topped with homemade whipped cream.

Milestone

2011-10-23T19:50:00.001-06:00

I just noticed.... we've got 99 entrees! (but a blintz ain't one).

Green Tomato Spice Cake with Chocolate Chips & Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-10-23T18:16:00.000-06:00

It's been quite the Indian Summer in Denver, but we finally had a frost warning last week. I covered my healthiest 2 tomato plants and picked the green tomatos from the rest. A few ripened up after some time with an apple in a paper bag, and the rest led me to the same solution overzealous zuchini growers know so well: spice bread. Well, OK, except even better, a sweet, soft, fragrant spice CAKE.

I started with this recipe, took note of some suggestions in the comments, and made some changes of my own (mostly in the "why eat raisins when you could eat chocolate chips" vein). Can I just note, I love being a grownup and turning vegetables INTO CAKE if I dang well want to.

Cake:

4 cups chopped green tomatoes (these will be blended so you could skip chopping them up and just halve or quarter them - in that state, they'd probably fill 5 or 6 cups)
1/2 an apple

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 egg

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp ea cinnamon and nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

1 c chocolate chips

1. Throw the tomatoes and apple in the blender and puree. Then pour the puree into a mesh sieve over a bowl. Quite a bit of liquid will drain right out - I saved this to throw in a soup later. You should be left with about 2 cups of puree. If you have too much, squeeze a little more liquid out; too little, put some back in or puree a couple more tomatoes.

2. Cream together butter and sugar, add egg and tomato puree and mix well.

3. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl. Stir in chips and wet ingredients.

4. Pour into a greased 9x13 cake pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Frosting: Like so.

And now, I will probably not set foot in my kitchen for another three weeks, when I have my first trial! So, we'll see how long I can subsist on this cake and a freezerful of tamales. Wish me luck.

Peanut Butter Pecan Cookies with Chocolate Espresso (Gluten Free!)

2011-10-12T08:50:00.003-06:00

How's that for an over the top title? Fitting for these over the top cookies, which are basically a riff on my incredible (-y easy) pb cookies.

Preheat oven to 350. Gather the following:

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 large handful chopped pecans
1 large handful chocolate chips, chopped
1 small handful chocolate covered espresso beans, chopped

Mix all at once in a stand mixer, if available (this gets the peanut butter all chocolatey), or by hand until well-mixed. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes.

Real Simple Black Bean and Cheese Taquitos

2011-10-02T09:44:00.004-06:00

Somehow, getting engaged led to P and I getting a subscription to Real Simple. P loves the magazine and gets really excited about the recipes. Normally I balk because their staple ingredients don't align with mine, and I am really obsessive about centering the week's meals around shared ingredients for budget purposes. Well, this was not the case with their bean and cheese taquitos. All you need:

Black beans, cheese, corn tortillas, olive oil, salsa. Avos or greek yogurt are value added but not necessary.

So, so good. I mean, we eat lots of beans and cheese and corn tortillas--we're even serving our wedding guests tacos--but frying them really took it up a step. Next up: Pete and Kate, taco molds, and a fryer. (Kidding. Sort of. Ok not at all. Make these!)

Go-To Crunchy Stirfry

2011-09-25T20:50:00.002-06:00

Good protein, bright colors, big flavor.

1 eggplant, peeled
1pkg extra-firm tofu
1 egg

Cereal bowlful of summer tomatoes, quartered
2 ears corn, boiled & cut from cob
1 pkg shelled edamame
1 bunch torn kale
Thai peppers (I had about 5 finger-sized little guys from my garden), cleaned & thinly sliced

Soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, ginger paste, crushed/diced garlic (lots of ginger and garlic! More than you think!)

Dice eggplant and tofu into cubes. Marinate in a bowl in a mix of soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, ginger paste, and garlic. Then place on a flat cookiesheet, and stick under the broiler (with oven door open) until deeply browned.

Meanwhile, beat the egg with a little milk or water and pour into a small frying pan to cook, then cut the resulting pancake intro strips.

Also meanwhile, heat up more marinade with the strips of peppers in a wok until it starts to spit. Throw the tomatoes in first, as you want them well-cooked and everything else just seared. After they start to lose their shape just a little, add the kale, corn, and edamame and sear them, then throw the tofu and eggplant in, mix it all up, remove from heat, and serve over brown rice.

Vaguely Tuscan Veggie Stew

2011-09-24T14:13:00.004-06:00

I didn't post this when I first made it, but I've really been enjoying it as a lunch leftover and want to remember to make it again next time I have some good white beans, leafy greens, and day-old bread. Between beans, bread, quinoa, and pasta, it's a spoon-bender and not a bad dose of protein. As a leftover, the broth all gets absorbed, and it's like a pleasant, savory casserole or something. I might leave out the pasta next time; the quinoa and bread were really nice together.

Ingredients:

1 large, sweet white onion
One small jar of artichokes packed in oil
Approx. 2 cups dried white beans, soaked overnight
Leftover bread, torn into bite-sized chunks
1 jar canned whole tomatoes (first time using the ones I canned myself...)
As many leafy greens or green veggies as you can pack in (I used kale and broccolini)
2 cups tiny pasta (like estrellas, or orzo would be nice)
2 cups quinoa
8 cups water (didn't need broth, lots of flavor here)
Paprika, white pepper, celery salt, garlic & onion powders, oregano, cumin, chili powder

Sautee the onion & artichokes in their oil. Add the water & jar of tomatoes w/their liquid. Get them boiling, and add the beans, pasta, and quinoa. Add & adjust (tons of!!) spices while they're cooking. Once these are cooked, add the greens and cook just long enough to take away their crunch, then add the bread and eat it all up.

Carrot-Kabocha Soup with Honey Plum Vinegar

2011-09-24T13:54:00.005-06:00

Soup, man. I can't get enough of it.

Our dad and stepmom brought me a bottle of honey plum vinegar from a trip to Korea years ago and, as I tend to do with special things, I never used it. Until Chris requested carrot soup, and I didn't have any white wine on hand as specified in the recipe I started with, and... one thing led to another. This kind of reminds me of eating more complex, less-sweet honey glazed carrots. Plus, it's orange!*

Ingredients - halve all quantities if you want enough for 2-4 people for one dinner. Use these quantities if you want to eat if for lunch all week, freeze some, etc.

2 lbs carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium onion, same
2 potatoes, same
1/2 a roasted Kabocha squash (acorn would work)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (a few more wouldn't hurt)
(I bet some celery would add a nice touch!)

4 TB butter
3/4 cup honey plum vinegar, or use another fruity vinegar and some honey
8 cups broth of your choice
1 TB hacho miso
Tarragon (I was using sprigs picked from the truly intimidating quantity currently hanging in my stairwell to dry, so I don't really have a measure for ya - maybe a tablespoon or two of freshly dried leaves, probably more if storebought)
Salt, few tsp lemon juice

Sautee carrots, onion and garlic in butter till onions are just turning translucent, then add the vinegar and cook until it's reduced by half. Add the broth, potatoes, and miso. Turn up the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or so, until you can easily poke a knife through the potatoes and carrots (but they needn't be mushy).

Then puree with immersion blender or in batches in big blender, adding the kabocha and tarragon. I added the tarragon to one blender batch and let it puree for a really long time to break it up. Once pureed, add salt and lemon juice to adjust flavor.

*Notice how, out of respect for my Phoenician sisters, I didn't even say the word "fall"?

Cheddar Basil Quiche with Roasted Sweet Potato, Spinach, and Tomato

2011-09-24T11:37:00.005-06:00

5 Eggs
1/2 sweet potato, already roasted
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fat free half and half, cream, or milk
Sharp cheddar, grated
4 Fresh Basil leaves, torn
1-2 large handfuls spinach, torn
Sea salt
Cracked pepper

Lightly grease a 9 inch cake round or pie pan. Layer slices of cold roasted sweet potato and torn spinach. Cover with a good amount of grated cheddar.

Beat 5 eggs with cream, milk, or half and half. Add salt and pepper. Pour over veggies and cheese. Place tomato slices on top and press in gently with a knife or spatula. Cover top with torn basil and another good dusting of cheese.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes and enjoy.

The Way I've Been Eating

2011-08-29T20:41:00.004-06:00

This blog has long been neglected by me, although certainly not by the sisters. My only explanation is that it's been hot (consistently over 115 F last week) for months now, and my new how-to-survive-the-PhD-with-mental-health-intact strategy is to not stress over always eating new and exciting meals when nutritious, comforting, and easily repeatable meals will do.

But I feel bad that I have nothing to share. Knowing others are in the same place, here's what we've happily been eating a lot of lately.

1)Beans & Grains. Tonight it was quinoa with caramelized onions and chickpeas, spinach, and roasted tofu. I drizzled the whole thing with a pesto/hummus mixture thinned with lemon juice. Yum. Another variation is to make S's lemony rice but bulk it up with black beans and garlic broiled tofu.

2) Toasted sandwiches with hummus, melted cheese, spinach and tomatoes on gluten free bagels. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I've never relied on gluten-free substitutes, and the gfree bagels are expensive. But it is so nice and easy to make a meal when you have something like that on hand! I'm torn. Probably it is too expensive of a habit to keep up.

3)Stovetop popcorn and vegetables with hummus. This probably does not a dinner make, but some nights when we're both getting home after 8 or 9, it sure does the trick.

4) Scrambled eggs served in warm corn tortillas with salsa and avocado. A weekly favorite of mine because P makes amazing scrambled eggs. The trick is fresh basil, finely shredded turkey, sharp white cheddar, and a lot of patience, apparently.

5) Fruit. Fruit. Fruit. Did I say fruit? I've been tearing through the summer produce. Normally I eat 2 cantaloupes, a bag of grapes, several pieces of stonefruit, and an apple or two a week. I'm not sure how I manage this and keep us in our budget, but I just shop the sale produce. It's the only thing that sounds nice in the mornings when it is already 100 degrees before 6am.

6) Chili and stew. Yes, it is 115 degrees out. I know this is bizarre. But the crockpot is so easy, and frankly, it allows me to pretend I do not live in this dusty, inferno-ish place. For all the vegans out there, I highly recommend this spicy peanut stew (although I had to use much larger spice quantities than she calls for).

So that's it. Nice and boring. But maybe it will help someone who is feeling the pressure to always cook amazing things. Trust me, this has been a huge stress reliever for me!

Greek Stuffed Peppers

2011-08-28T19:45:00.003-06:00

I rarely let myself post various forms of stuffed peppers because, well, stuffing a pepper is less 'recipe' and more 'fridge cleaning.' But these I'd love to make again. They WERE a fridge-cleaning project (bunch of kale from the garden whose time had come, leftover caramelized onions from bbq earlier in the wknd, tomato paste I made with the juice left from the tomatoes I canned last weekend, etc.), but I'd re-create the ingredients I had just to have them again.

Four orange or yellow bell peppers with nice, roomy, symmetrical cavities
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 large, sweet onion, chopped and caramelized (with the oil from caramelizing)
1 bunch kale, torn
1 jar of slow-roasted tomatoes
1/2 can of tomato paste
several TB lemon juice
feta & parmesan
heaping teaspoonful of chopped garlic
salt & dill

Put everything but the cheese (and the peppers of course) in a covered frying pan over high heat and cook down. Stuff the peppers, alternating filling and thin layers of feta. Tuck the remaining filling around the peppers in a deep, square glass baking dish. Sprinkle parmesan over everything. Cover baking dish, bake at 400 for 35 minutes.

I wish I had thrown some pine nuts on top, come to think of it. Spinach would be nice in lieu of kale. Etc.!

Andalusian Gazpacho

2011-08-28T17:17:00.001-06:00

A blended gazpacho with bread as an ingredient, pale peach in color, from law school classmate Felony Kirsch. I, too, dislike chunky gazpachos. I do not dislike this!

Orange-Currant Scones

2011-08-27T21:02:00.003-06:00

I've made other scones from time to time, and I always regret not sticking with these. They're from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook, and they are everything you want a scone to be. Since I seem to keep purchasing terrible drywall-esque "scones" from the coffeeshop most proximate to my office every morning, I figured I'd lean into the fact that I enjoy eating butter for breakfast, and do it right.

Makes 12.

3 cups flour
Scant 1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

2 sticks cold butter
1/2 cup dried currants (actually very easy to find - sunkist makes 'em)
1 TB orange zest
1 egg
1/2 cup milk (they say whole, I use 2%, the scones are still sconetastic)

Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets w/parchment.

Mix dry ingredients well. Take butter out of fridge and cut it into the flour mixture (an ulu works well for this!) until it's the size of "small peas" (per cookbook). Mix in the currants and zest.

Then beat the egg and milk together in a large bowl, and fold the dry ingredients into those, mashing the dough together with your fingers till you get it to cohere. (It's OK if it's still streaky w/clumps of butter).

Divide dough in half, and plop each half in turn onto a lightly floured surface, and pat it into a 6-inch circle (it will be about an inch thick) - I find you don't need a rolling pin for this, hands are fine. Cut each circle into 6 wedges, put on baking sheets, and bake for 25-30 mins, until barely golden. Scones are pale critters, so be careful not to overbake.

Guest Post: Duck with Tart Cherry Port Sauce and Hazelnuts

2011-08-20T17:25:00.001-06:00

In a new apartment across the country from home, the lovely and linguistically savvy Heather breaks in her kitchen:

Where the craving for duck in August came from, I’m not sure. But I found this recipe and followed it almost exactly, except for the duck breasts part.

I could not locate duck breasts or, for that matter, any ducks at all (except live ones) in my town. Spokane came to the rescue with whole ducks (and maybe would even have coughed up duck breasts if I’d looked harder). So whole, in fact, that they still retained both head and feet. Which my husband (dear man, and used to animal feet from his Chinese parents) promptly removed with a cleaver. So, if you can find the duck breasts, let me know how it turns out.

If you have to get a whole duck as I did, simply roast for 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the duck, and then slice off what you like. I didn’t season the roasting duck except for a bit of kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, as I didn’t want the seasoned meat to compete with the flavor of the sauce. They say the hazelnuts are optional, but they are delicious with the meat.

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

2011-08-13T16:29:00.004-06:00

Nearly every blog we link to already has a recipe for slow-roasted tomatoes, and for good reason. My four little plants have been producing like champions, so I needed a way to make dozens of ripe Big Boys and Lemon Boys (hmm, all my tomatoes are male) last a little longer. If you have the same "problem," this is the solution. It takes tomatoes and makes them into Tomatoes Squared.

Just halve them, lay them out face up on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with salt, and stick them in a 200 degree oven for as many hours as it takes (I decided mine were done after 5 hours). They'll be a little shriveled but still bursting with juice and really amazing flavor. Put them in jars and cover with olive oil, and the statute of limitations for using them is extended well beyond their fresh state. (Or can them properly and they'll REALLY last.)

Late Summer Cocktail

2011-08-07T20:58:00.004-06:00

the following guest post was dictated to A by our beloved mum:

Freeze blueberries, drop them in the bottom of the glass, pour in a shot of citrus vodka and fill to taste with sparkling blueberry lemonade (68 cent zero calorie MIRACLE bottle from WALMART). No high fructose corn syrup!

Top with a squeeze of lemon. Devised to enjoy on the porch in the heat of the summer.

Cottage Cheese Dill Bread

2011-07-31T19:37:00.004-06:00

Soft & spongy & savory with a nice crust, brought to my attention by polkadotdotdot, in whose kitchen I've enjoyed more than one cup of tea and slice of toast sprinkled with dill. Amazing fresh from the oven w/oil, vinegar, and garden tomatoes. And speaking of toast, I expect it will be a winner in that arena too.

The only problem is: NOT ENOUGH DILL! I doubled up to half a cup of freshly chopped dill and it's still only a background flavor. Next time: ONE CUP of dill. Till then, I will sprinkle my putative toast with MORE DILL.

Chilled Corn & Fava Soup

2011-07-24T20:07:00.004-06:00

Chris says this is "the finest soup I've ever made." And we are generally more or less awash in a sea of soup around here, so he wasn't lacking in comparators. However, it's just a leeeeeeetle bit labor intensive (cutting corn from the cob, double-shucking favas, peeling a whole head of garlic, cleaning leeks, stemming herbs).

So as not to inadvertently lead anyone down the path to a very late dinner, I'll specify that it took me about 2.5 hours ... maybe this is one to make with a sous chef, or on a post-farmer's -market Sunday afternoon when you have lawyer work you should ACTUALLY be doing and are seeking to forget, through repetitive physical motions and nice veggie smells, that you've ever read a law at all...

But anyway, that said, I just gobbled down two veggie-laden, pale green, savory-sweet, crunchy bowlsful like they were dang ice cream sundaes, so it gets a post.

You'll need:
2 pounds (in pods) favas - or more if you think you can face the shucking
6 cobs corn
4 small / 2 large leeks
1 head garlic
2 cups-ish (de-stemmed, loosely packed) fresh herbs: Mix of parsley, dill, tarragon, and mint
3 TB butter
Veggie bullion
Salt, paprika
Cotija cheese or a mild feta to top

Also: A soup pot, a saucepan with a steamer, tongs, blender.

The favas take the longest, both to prepare and to cook, so they're the place to start. Get 12 cups of water boiling. I added just 4 tsp of my preferred vegetable bullion to that quantity of broth (about 1/3 the amount called for) so it wouldn't be too intense. Then start shucking those favas.

When the broth starts to boil, take a break from the favas, husk your corn, and plop it in there to parbroil to make it easier to cut off the cob. (Unless you don't mind cutting raw corn off the cob, in which case be my guest, save yourself a step). When it cools, cut it off the cob and set it aside.

When the favas are out of their pods, put them in a steamer and steam them for 2-5 minutes, till the outsides look waxy and puckered, as if pulling away from the inner bean. Then peel that layer off too. (This was my first time dealing w/fresh fava beans,* and I quickly got in a groove where I'd put the knife perpendicular to the little brown line on top, and pop the top off like a cap, and then they'd shoot right outta their skins).

Once you get the favas into the broth, they will need awhile to soften, so you have plenty of time to prepare your garlic and leeks. Wash and slice the leeks; peel and slice the garlic, and put them all in the butter in the bottom of your saucepan, still hot from fava-steaming duty, on low heat. Let them soften. When they're niiiiiice and soft, add them to the broth. When the favas are also soft, add the corn as well.

Meantime, start pulling aromatic leaves from their stems. I used more parsley & dill than tarragon & mint. Don't skip the tarragon if you can help it though, I think it was an important flavor.

Once your herbs are ready, scoop some of the soup into the blender, add the herbs to the blender as well, and liquefy. I left the soup about 1/3 rustic and 2/3 blended, so there was plenty of texture but the broth had some creaminess to it. Season with salt and paprika.

Chill, then serve topped with your crumbly cheese plus maybe a squirt of lime and dash of paprika, with buttered bread and chilled white wine,. (I had it hot for lunch today on account of ferocious office A/C, and that was good too, but I think cold is better.)

*You'd think I never had a sister who farmed fava beans! But I did! Guess which one!

(There, have I redeemed myself from silly salad-dressing and smoothie recipes??)

Guest Post: Cherry Crumble

2011-07-23T16:40:00.005-06:00

My good friend Natalie brought this very tasty summer dessert to a picnic last weekend. No worries about messy crumbles when you're in the grass! I pested her till she sent me the following guidelines:

Ok, here is the recipe I used, as my baseline anyway.

But I changed it to add 1 tsp. lemon juice to the crust and 1/4 tsp. into the cherry part, and also I threw the oatmeal into the food processor for a few seconds to make it smaller, closer to a coarse oat flour, but not nearly as ground up as flour. (And probably more than a pinch of salt in the crust. But I don't measure stuff, so I don't even know about the lemon juice/salt amounts above.)

The main criticism I had of this recipe is that there was way too much sugar in the crust, too much butter/margarine (I used a mix of half butter, half margarine in mine), and not enough oats and flour -- the wrong ratio. So if I make it again, I will definitely change that ratio to half the amount of sugar in the crust and increase the oats and flour.

Perfect Summer Salad

2011-07-22T21:20:00.002-06:00

Denver's had strange afternoon rainstorms rolling through all summer. I suspect it's not something to celebrate, but it HAS been pretty amazing for my little potted garden. Tonight I went out back and picked a salad of delicate little lettuce leaves, bright red cherry tomatoes, and torn basil.

To dress it, I mixed up just a little olive oil with the juice of a grilled lemon (leftover from an artichoke adventure, and even better than plain old lemon juice), pinch of salt, and few drops of honey... and drank the last few drops of dressing from the bottom of the bowl when the salad was gone.

Happy summer!

Cherry Garcia Smoothie

2011-07-22T18:13:00.005-06:00

One scoop vanilla ice cream, 3 frozen bananas, 1 chocolate pudding cup, 1 large handful frozen cherries, a few hershey's kisses, a few ice cubes, and a splash of orange juice.

Chiky Cookie S'mores

2011-07-10T23:09:00.006-06:00

I read the food blog of a dear friend, Melissa Harrington, at 519 Kitchen. She's living in Korea and often posts about the trials of cooking abroad. Awhile ago, she posted here about her makeshift s'mores in the absence of graham crackers.

Saturday night, my friends and I encountered the same thing in Monteverde, Costa Rica when the family that ran our hostel (a.k.a. hosted us in their home for the night) offered to light us a fire for s'mores. We couldn't find graham crackers and the chocolate bars were only in mini size and far too expensive.

In the midst of our disappointment, I suddenly remembered Melissa's stroke of inspiration in using Korean chocolate covered cookies in place of graham crackers and chocolate. I ran to the cookie aisle and found the Costa Rican version, Chiky cookies, which are chocolate chip cookies with chocolate covering.

We bought a pack and returned to our hostel and a ten foot blaze of a fire that the family insisted was perfectly fine. Most of us weren't brave enough to edge close enough to the fire for roasting, but the five year old boy present took care of that for us. The kids loved the galletas and marshmallows, and one of my friends said she thinks that how s'mores should always be made- essentially a gooey chocolatey marshmallow cookie sandwich.

The moral of the story is this: resourcefulness in cooking is always a win, and if you are ever in a foreign country with chocolate covered cookies (I can't think of any U.S. equivalent) make s'mores with them. ¡Que delicioso!

Baked Barbecue Chicken with Pineapple

2011-07-06T17:14:00.006-06:00

Before my sisters begin laughing about the fact that I am about to present yet another variation on my go-to dish of barbecue chicken, let me explain.

I spent six weeks in Peru. And in Peru, they don't have barbecue sauce. If you know Annalise, you know that this is a big deal.

I visited McDonald's for the first time out of homesickness and the comfort "normal" food can easily give in that regard. As I was ordering my McNuggets, I could have sworn I heard the words "barbecue sauce" escape her mouth (albeit in Spanish) and my love for Mcdonald's skyrocketed in that moment. Sadly, that day, there was no barbecue sauce sauce next to the aji de gallina, thus I ate my McNuggets in contentment and attributed it to the language barrier.

A few weeks later, with a shortened lunch break and knowledge of the fact that restaurants in Peru take about twice as long to bring you your food, I stood in Gato's Market in the Plaza de Armas and spied it: a bottle of barbecue sauce. I debated for some minutes before caving, purchasing it, tucking it in my bag and marching proudly to McDonald's, excited to consume some McNuggets with barbecue sauce. I got to McDonald's, ordered, and....she handed me two packs of barbecue sauce with my meal.

Fast forward a few weeks and here I am in Costa Rica, with a bottle of unopened barbecue sauce, a kitchen (at last!), and an abundance of the most melt-in-your-mouth, juice-dripping-down-your-chin delicious pineapples you will ever find. The following meal is the result:

Barbecue Pineapple Chicken

I placed two laaaarrrrge chicken breasts in what was supposed to be a casserole dish, but was metal and electrocuted me several times. These I drenched in the precious barbecue sauce (I imagine this would have been better with honey barbecue or some sort of tropical fruit-themed one) and 1 bottle of pineapple juice bought at the store. If you are not in a place that has corner markets overflowing with fruit (sorry, friends) canned pineapple could also work, and the extra juice from the can would be placed in the pan. I then looked up recipes for baked chicken, but wisely called up my mama to gather her opinion first. I ended up placing the whole thing, covered in tin foil, in the oven for about 40 minutes at 375 ish (ish because I had to convert to Celsius). Then I pulled it out, checked it, placed fresh pineapple slices on top and placed it back in for another ten to allow the pineapple to become even more juicy (if that's possible?). We served it with corn on the cob (not very good here) and sauteéd zucchini (very good here, particularly when topped with cheese).

The verdict: the pineapple CAN be juicier, and that bottle of barbecue sauce was totally worth it. Also I'm going to live in Costa Rica and eat tropical fruit for the rest of my life. See you at the beach.

Warm Asparagus and Potato Salad with Tahini Mustard Dressing

2011-07-03T16:39:00.002-06:00

Inspired by this potato and asparagus salad. I took the mustard dressing idea as a base, but added tahini to make it creamier. Deliciously tangy!

4 russet potatoes
1 large yam (the kind with pale yellow flesh)
2 bunches asparagus
1 bunch green onion
4 cloves garlic
2 lemons
Dill
Basil
Dijon Mustard
Tahini
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

Wash and chop the potatoes + yam. Toss in a bit of olive oil, lots of dill, sea salt, pepper, and basil. Roast at 425 until starting to brown.

Meanwhile, cut and steam the two bunches of asparagus. Once steamed, chop into large pieces and set aside in serving bowl.

Chop green onions and garlic. Use about 1/2 of the total green onion bunch. Place in a bowl; squeeze the juice of both lemons over the onions and garlic. Add several tablespoons of mustard and olive oil, to taste. Add two tablespoons of tahini, make sure to mix well and emulsify. Finish with sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste.

Remove potatoes from oven, move into serving bowl with asparagus. Toss with dressing and serve warm.

Mediterranean Salad with Baked Sweet Potato Falafel and Very Good Dressing

2011-06-27T22:04:00.004-06:00

Last night, after a too-short visit in Wyoming, my lovely big sister took me to eat in Denver at her favorite restaurant before shuttling me to DIA. Among other delicious things, including a cantaloupe sorbet and dark chocolate ice cream mix that was to die for, we devoured incredible sweet potato falafel. In thanks for both the meal and for keeping this blog running while I have been distracted and little sister A has been studying in Latin America, I thought I'd try to recreate it and gift her the recipe.

Well, it turns out that talent much greater than I has already done a wonderful job with a baked version. So instead, I recommend making Heidi Swanson's version of Allegra McEvedy's baked sweet potato falafel. I used much more garlic than was suggested in the recipe, added a bit of fresh mint, skipped the cilantro, and rolled each falafel in black sesame seeds.

Although I'm wildly jumping cuisines here, I would highly encourage you to serve this in the summer like I did, with chopped lettuce, cherry tomatoes roasted in lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, avocado, and thinly diced shallots.

And no matter the season or what you serve your falafel with, you should definitely make this dressing:

Very Good Dressing

Greek Yogurt and Hummus (in equal part)
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Splash of Olive Oil
Sea Salt, White Pepper, Smoked Paprika and Dill to taste (light on the smoked paprika)

The entire meal is inherently gluten free, and the falafel only requires some chickpea flour. I imagine you could use mashed chickpeas and some wheat flour as a substitute.

Double Lemon Snowpea Pasta

2011-06-20T12:29:00.002-06:00

Angelhair topped with parmesan and fresh peapods, flashfried in a bit of olive oil with salt, plenty of chopped garlic, the juice of a nice big lemon, and 1/2 a preserved lemon peel, finely chopped.

Key Lime Pie

2011-06-11T18:03:00.004-06:00

Silky, tangy, crunchy, salty, sweet.

Group One:
18 graham crackers (2 packets)
5 TB sugar
6-8 TB melted butter (use salted, or add 1 tsp salt)

Group Two:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
generous 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4-ish limes)
2 tsp lemon juice
zest of one lime

Group Three:
One pint whipping cream
1/2 cup (ish) powdered sugar

(1) Start with the crust. Crush the grahams into crumbs with the sugar (and salt, if using) in food processor. Pour crumbs into a deep pie dish and pour 6 TB of butter over them. Work it in with your fingers. If this isn't enough to cement the crumbs together a bit, add more until it is.

(2) Press crust mixture into the bottom of the dish, then mash the middle with your knuckles to work a layer of crust up the edges. Once you're satisfied, parbake at 350 for 5 minutes.

(3) While baking crust, make filling. Mix Group Two ingredients with a whisk. Taste to make sure it doesn't need more lime or lemon juice to tart things up.

(4) Pour filling into crust. With my pie dish, this won't quite fill the crust, leaving room for a top layer of whipped cream. Bake 15 mins at 350 (until barely jiggly).

(5) Let the pie cool, and whip your cream & sugar into whipped cream. Once pie isn't too hot, pour this on top to make a top layer. Refrigerate till cold, then stick a fork in it.

Key lime would be yummy in an almond meal crust, I betcha.

Machineless Chocolate Ice Cream (with Poached Pears)

2011-05-20T10:35:00.005-06:00

For realz! Ice cream made in a pan in the freezer! I couldn't believe how nicely this came out. It *looks* a little funky, but let it soften and scoop it out, and it's amazing.

Here's the recipe. I won't rehash, but will just mention that (1) I forgot the straining step, which didn't cause any catastrophes (except maybe the aforementioned unpromising visual aspect), (2) I don't have a kitchen scale to measure everything superprecisely and this still came out fine.

Regarding pectin: If you buy Pomona Universal Pectin (they have it at Whole Foods, in the aisle with the spices), the box will contain 2 little packets. One of them is calcium - you don't need it here; the milk provides that. The other has the pectin mix, and that's what you use. Again, I have no kitchen scale, and I decided somewhat arbitrarily (math skills failing me in the heat of the moment) that 1.6 grams would be about 5/16ths of a teaspoon - that is, 2 1/8 teaspoons-ful, and then another half-filled 1/8 tsp. It worked.

Nor do I have an immersion blender, but pouring the wet stuff into a glass bowl and using a hand mixer to add the dry stuff worked fine and seemed easier than getting my blender dirty.

I added cinnamon to the ice cream, too, and served with (1) some tasty store-bought caramel sauce and (2) poached pears. Serious yumminess.

Squash Gnocchi with Coconut-Tomato Sauce

2011-05-20T10:33:00.000-06:00

Somewhat unseasonal, but my sense of Spring has been totally ruined by weeks of rainy 40- and 50-degree weather. For a small dinner party, I served stacks of pale orange little gnocchis on a thick, boldly spiced tomato sauce, with a swirl of Greek yogurt & toasted cumin seeds on top.

I like the lightness of squash gnocchi compared to their potato brethren. I made 'em with butternut squash, because you can still get it in May (shipped from god-knows-where....), but I would have liked to try kabocha. Must remember this next winter.

Bake the squash well ahead of time (like the night before) so it's cool enough to handle, and leave yourself plenty of time for forming the gnocchi - it took me over an hour (granted, I may have been watching Project Runway at the same time) to make the dough and turn it into enough gnocchi for 4 servings.

I have to admit, this whole dish is just deconstructed version of this soup. Perhaps if I start with my overactive soup imagination, and force myself to put some of the ingredients in other forms, this blog will get a lot more interesting. :)

Gnocchi:

Squash
Flour
Salt
Egg(s)

Halve your squash, brush all sides with oil, place facedown in a glass baking dish, and bake at 350 for an hour or more, 'till it's well and truly softened. Mine was big - the length of a 9x13 dish - and made a lot more dough than I needed.

The next day, scoop your cooled squash into a bowl. For mine, I added 3 eggs; for a smaller squash use 1 or 2. Mash with potato masher, then start adding flour.

The size and moist-ness of your squash will cause the amount of flour needed to vary greatly. The dough will be sticky, and will stick to your fingers even when ready, but you want it floured enough that it's no longer wet, just shaggy, like a ciabatta dough. I used 4 cups before I could handle it well enough to make the leetle gnocchis. (In retrospect, I probably could've left out an egg and thereby reduced the necessary quantity.) If you're uncertain, it's easy to test: get a little water boiling and drop a ball of dough in, and see if you like the result! Once the consistency is good, salt to taste (and add any other spices you like - cumin would be nice with this recipe).

To form the gnocchi, heavily flour a surface or some wax paper, as well as your hands. Scoop up a baseball-sized hunk of dough, plunk it into the flour, roll it around, and form it into a long snake. Anything not flour-coated will stick to your hands, so flour up. Once you have a snake, slice it to make gnocchi, and roll each one in flour again if needed. Use the tines of a fork to give them pretty ridges if you care. Freeze or refrigerate till the sauce and everything else are ready - you want to eat 'em fresh and hot!

Then, it's just a matter of dropping them in boiling water in small batches. They only need about 3 minutes in the water, and are ready when they float to the top. (I tried frying one and thought it tasted too fried, but that's an option too.)

Coconut-Tomato Sauce:

Bring the following to boil in saucepan:

4 large heirlooms, roughly chopped
1/2 can coconut milk
Turmeric, ground cumin, salt, pinch of asefoetida if you have some, dash of lemon juice
Add tomato paste if coconut flavor overpowers tomato

Sautee 1/2 an onion sliced paper-thin, and a handful of dried coconut, then add them to the sauce. Simmer till tasty.

Chipotle Potato Pizza

2011-05-20T10:15:00.004-06:00

Let's grant this recipe a handicap since it arose from the questionable creativity (/panic?) engendered by an empty veggie drawer. It was a man-pleaser and a little off my beaten flavor path, so it gets a post.

All the veggies I had were 3 red potatoes (refugees from a barbecue a few weeks ago) and 1/2 a bunch of kale, plus of course onions. Hence the following pizza toppings:

1. Onions and potatoes, sliced thinly on mandolin, sauteed in oil until tender, with salt, apple cider vinegar, and a ton of paprika, and torn kale added at the end.

2. A chipotle-tomato sauce, made with a small can of unflavored tomato sauce; 4 finely chopped chipotle peppers from a can, with their adobo sauce; salt, sugar, and molasses.

Served with dollops of plain yogurt to take the heat off.

Oh, and if you should happen to buy a new pizza stone that you *just can't wait* to try out, for heaven's sakes read the instructions and don't forgot to dust the thing with cornmeal. Otherwise, your pizza will cement itself stubbornly to the stone. If this DOES happen (and it shouldn't, once you've read this!), give the pizza time to cool. Its ardor for the stone will cool with time, and they will become much easier to pry apart.

Spicy Tomato Corn Sauce & Grilled Eggplant

2011-05-17T12:49:00.002-06:00

Another not-too-remarkable, but very nice, summer pasta dish:

Sauce:

Put the following in pot. Bring to boil. Thicken a little if needed. That is all.

3 huge, chopped heirloom tomatoes
1 large can diced tomates
2 cobs corn, boiled & decobbed
10 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped, & their oil
Salt, sugar, lemon juice, balsamic
Cayenne to taste

Eggplant:

Peel an eggplant, quarter it, and slice into 1/2 inch thick slices. Salt these heavily and let sit in a colander until water comes to surface - should only take 1/2 hour or so. Wipe off the salt and water thoroughly with a towel. Brush with oil from jar of sundried tomatoes. Place under broiler till highest points start to brown.

Served over campanelli.

Warm Tortilla Salad & "Jalapeno Poppers"

2011-05-15T21:16:00.004-06:00

Warm Tortilla Salad:

Last weekend I made this amazing warm pita salad, and I think it was still in the back of my mind tonight. I grabbed a bunch of fresh & vaguely southwestern veggies at the store, and had some corn tortillas to use up, and here's what came of it all:

Ingredients:

2 calabasitas
1 heirloom tomato
1 ear of corn
1 avocado
small chunk ricotta salata
1/2 package small corn tortillas
Parsley
Olive oil, lime juice, honey, salt

Before they go into the salad bowl, prepare likeso:

Calabasitas: Cut into tiny cubes and flash-fried till tender in teeny bit of oil
Tomato: Chopped into small dice and tossed in w/its juice
Corn: Boiled, decobbed
Avo & cheese: Small dice
Tortillas: Cut into ribbons, then again into squares. Toasted in oil with the parsley till partly crispy, partly soft.
OO, LJ, H&S: make the dressing, of course!

"Jalapeno Poppers:"

I also had a small package of sweet little peppers (banana peppers, maybe)? Stuffed them with a mix of chedder & manchego cheeses, a little greek yogurt, finely chopped oregano, sauteed thinly sliced onion, and salt and pepper. Baked at 350 till tender.

Guest Post: Gingery Smoothie

2011-05-05T15:03:00.000-06:00

Kay says:

"OMG. Best. (Non-dairy.) Smoothie. Ever.

2 kiwifruit (peeled)
1 mango (peeled)
juice from 4 oranges
1 apple (de-cored)
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 piece of ginger, about 1.5 times the size of your thumb (peeled & roughly chopped)
1 Tbsp sugar

Blend. Consume. (All by yourself if you are me, who was hungry.) Yummeh."

Holy Wow Zucchini Bread

2011-05-05T10:11:00.003-06:00

Now I realize the general idea of this bloggy is to post things that we, ourselves, have cooked. But someone brought me this zucchini bread, upon which I am munching with great joy, and also sent me the recipe. Its deliciousness arises from characteristic Paula Deen fat content.... but delicious it is, and I commend it to you in advance of the zucchini surplus days of late summer:*

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/zucchini-bread-recipe/index.html

*Unlike most days at work, I am actually reading law today. It makes my sentence structures go completely wackadoo. Sorry!

TOMATO SOUP, YES MORE TOMATO SOUP

2011-05-04T21:22:00.003-06:00

It's been, like, a month since I posted a new tomato soup recipe. Don't worry, my blogidentity has not been hijacked, here's proof! (I KNOW I'm way beyond any reasonable lifetime quota of tomato soups, but this one is the BEST ONE YET except maybe this one and this one oh don't make me choooose!)

All I did was buy 12 Romas and 10 biiiig meaty heirlooms and chop them into a pot with a little olive oil, peeling skins if easy to do so but not really sweating it if not. Turn up the heat and cook 'em down. Meantime, slice 3 shallots paper-thin and cook them over low heat in olive oil & sugar. When soft & translucent, add them & their oil to the tomatoes.

Also add lemon juice, balsamic, sugar, plenty of salt, and, if you need to stretch the soup to have enough, maybe a few cups of broth (but it's not necessary flavor-wise). (After we blend this all up, we'll add the super secret amazing ingredient that vaulted this puppy into the specially reserved Tomato Soup chamber of my heart.) Taste and adjust a lot, and when it's getting there, put the soup through a mesh strainer into another pot. Whatever wont' strain, blend, and stir back in.

THEN! once liquified! You add a few TBs of creme fraiche. (!!!!! so good!) Then you do more tasting & adjusting. Served with homemade croutons and curls of good parmesan on top, with some rapini cooked this way and a salad.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

2011-05-02T22:14:00.005-06:00

Working off of this recipe, I threw some filling in a premade crust for a party last night. I liked it a lot better than the last Strawberry Rhubarb I attempted, so here ya go.

There was a little drama along the way, though (I know, even with a frozen crust.... Deb of Smitten Kitchen, I am not). I used too many pie weights while parbaking [Edit: Long after writing this post, it finally dawned on me one day that you're supposed to COVER THE CRUST WITH FOIL before you add weights. Live and Learn!], and the bottom layer got totally embedded in crust, leaving me to gingerly pick them out one.... by.... one:

And then I realized the tapioca I had around was not instant like the recipe called for. Perusing the interwebs, I found proportions for substituting instant tapioca / noninstant tapioca / arrowroot / cornstarch as thickeners, and used arrowroot instead (though possibly not enough of it, as the pie was still a little runny).

Foibles aside, though, the final flavah won my heart like a cowboy in a country ballad ("God bless the broken roooooooaddd.... that led me straight to rhu! Barb!"). Mix the following stuff in a big bowl, put it in parbaked crust, and bake (450 for 15, then 400 for 45). Put it on a baking sheet to catch the drips, especially if you can't be bothered to throw a crust on top:

3 cups halved strawberries
3 cups (thawed) frozen rhubarb, drained
1.5 cups sugar
2TB arrowroot & 1 TB flour (maybe change these up, it didn't thicken thickly enough for me!)
1 tsp each: lemon juice, balsamic, vanilla, and cinnamon

My pie crust, like my country song reference, was pretty deep, so this may be too much filling for some pies.

Pre-baking closeup! :

Spring Pasta with Egg

2011-04-24T10:09:00.005-06:00

Feriday night I saw asparagus topped with a fried egg on a restaurant menu and did not order it. By Saturday, I was still thinking of asparagus and fried eggs. I tossed thinly chopped asparagus and fennel and fresh tarragon with spaghetti and topped with egg and so-good-it-was-a-splurge parmesan. Fresh and rich at the same time:

2 small servings spaghetti
1 bunch asparagus
1/2 a fennel bulb
1/2 an onion
1/2 a bunch kale

2 eggs
Snipped fresh tarragon and fennel fronds
1 lemon
Grated parmesan or other hard white cheese - bring out the big guns for this one
Olive oil, butter, good salt & pepper

Start by preparing a frying pan for the eggs and a deeper one for the veggies, and getting water boiling for pasta.

Slice onion and fennel very thin and sautee in olive oil and some sugar. You don't want any burnt or fried flavor here, so use as little oil as you can and keep the heat down. Also resist the urge to make too much onion.

If your asparagus is thick, halve or even quarter each stem lengthwise before chopping into thirds. Add to the onion and fennel once they're soft. Once the asparagus is cooked through, add a confetti of kale pieces and let them wilt, then get this part off the heat.

(Sometime during this process when your water boils, get your spaghetti going).

Once the veggies don't need further attention, melt a swirl of butter in your small pan over medium heat. Add tarragon and fennel fronds to flavor the butter, then carefully break the 2 eggs in. Don't disturb - just let them cook from the bottom up till whites are cooked through and yolks still liquid.

Toss the veggies (leaving any oil behind in the pan) into the spaghetti and divide into bowls. Top each with parmesan, salt, pepper, more of the snipped herbs, and of course an egg. Then douse with a healthy squeeze of lemon juice (1/2 a lemon each). (The toppings are key, so don't skimp.)

Break the yolks and mix into the pasta while still hot, and enjoy.

Veggie-Packed Lasagna

2011-04-17T20:24:00.004-06:00

Is it strange to reach age 28 without ever making a lasagna? Well, strangeness remedied. I like how this came out - not too cheesy or bland. This is for a double batch (2 glass baking dishes full) to allow for leftoversgloriousleftovers.

Used:

2 boxes lasagna noodles
3 jars tomato sauce (2 plain, 1 vodka)

2 zucchinis
4 carrots
4 leeks
Lots of crimini mushrooms
1/2 a squash

1 lb ricotta
6 or 8 cloves garlic
Crumbled sea vegetable (kombu)
Cayenne, Nutmeg, Paprika, Italian herbs

So, basically, the leeks/mushrooms/squash got sliced thin/chopped small/roasted respectively; cooked till soft in a little oil in bottom of saucepan with finely chopped garlic; and mixed with the sauce, ricotta, kombu, and spices. I beseech you: Do not underspice! Shake with reckless abandonment!

The noodles (after precooking per package instructions) and the zucchini and carrots (after slicing into thin noodle-like strips with mandoline and blanching briefly in boiling water) were all used for layering, with sauce in between.

Baked at 350 for 45 minutes, covered in foil for the first 30. Mmm!

Salty Apple Salad

2011-04-12T19:14:00.004-06:00

This is inspired by the CSA-gobbling gals at Thyme to Kale, whose blogname puts ours to shame. They've been making variations of thinly sliced apples & cheddar tossed in walnut oil and lemon juice with greens, and that is a bandwagon I am happy to jump on.

I used:
2 apples, sliced w/mandolin
2 avos, thinly sliced
1 bunch chard, torn into small pieces / stems thinly sliced
2 large handfuls crushed pistachios
Thinly sliced cheddar cheese

Dressed with:
Lemon juice (lots!)
Walnut oil
Salt (don't be shy, esp if your nuts are unsalted!)
Mustard

After tossing this all together, I took my ulu to the salad bowl to turn the large slices of avo, apple and cheese into more bite-size pieces. It has at least one thing in common with its progenitor: I can't stop eating it.

Biscuits On A Stick

2011-04-05T10:44:00.003-06:00

Last weekend, a group of friends and I jumped on the opportunity to escape the rising heat in the valley and head up north to the fresh mountain air and the red rocks of Sedona. The plans for our camping trip came together a little haphazardly and last minute, so I didn't have time to plan out the elaborate camping menu I normally would. Some people may think camping is a time where one eats only hot dogs and s'mores, but there are so many opportunities that come with a campfire that are just plain fun. One of my friends on the trip taught us this easy trick to make basic camping food a tad more exciting.

Ingredients:

Biscuits that come in dough form in a can

Sticks about the circumference of an wooden broom stick, or wooden broom sticks

Take three dough biscuits out of the can. Place one over the end of the stick, stretch down on all sides and push to make it stick. Take another, and wrap it around the stick just below the first, push to make them stick together. Take the third, do the same as with the second. Cook by rotating stick above hot coals, with the same technique as making golden brown marshmallows. Biscuit is ready when it can be pulled off stick without sticking to it. Pull biscuit bun off stick, fill with hot dogs, pb & j, or get creative with your own filling. I think this would also be delicious in the morning with sausage and gravy (made ahead of time and reheated).

Tarragon Broccoli

2011-03-29T12:30:00.003-06:00

I didn't think this was worth a blogpost until I had it as lunch leftovers today, and decided it would be a shame not to prepare broccoli this way again.

Clean broccoli and cut into florets. Then slice each floret through the stem (at least in half, maybe into thirds or more if it's a big one) to make flat slices of broccoli.

Sautee on medium-high heat in a little oil with tarragon and splashes of white balsamic vinegar, just long enough to turn dark green and take out the crunch. Firm, sweet, and very pleasant.

(Served as a side with this pasta dish from Smitten Kitchen, which was fantastic.)

Becky's Breakfast Shake

2011-03-24T09:21:00.003-06:00

The boyfriend has been making me these in the morning. His sister taught him. They are awesome and shockingly creamy.

Banana, peanut butter, milk, ice, little salt. (I imagine if the banana were frozen you might not need ice.)

Enchiladas with Creamy Roasted Corn Sauce

2011-03-21T21:41:00.006-06:00

Cheesy on the inside and corny on the outside, just like me!* Base recipe here, but it's weirdly hard to follow, sooooo:

For the (really really freaking tasty) sauce:
1 32-oz bag frozen corn
1/2 TB butter & a squirt of honey
4 large cloves garlic - don't peel yet!
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp cayenne
S&P

For the enchiladas:
14 corn tortillas
1 10-oz bag spinach
1 white onion
2 portobello caps
butter, salt
14 corn tortillas + grated cheese (sharp cheddar... salty white... many could work).

Start w/the sauce. Put the butter, corn & honey in a deep skillet w/a tight-fitting lid. Crank the heat up high to melt out the water & toast the corn, gripping the skillet with potholders to give an occasional good shake so it doesn't stick to the sides. Toast it till at least some of it is golden-brown.

Meanwhile, bake your 4 cloves of garlic till soft (I always do this in the toaster). You could also put them in with the corn, but that seems messy.

When corn's done, put 1/2 of it in the blender. Peel the garlic and add that too. Add rest of sauce ingredients. Puree. Adjust flavor. Mix in the rest of the corn. Try not to eat with spoon while making the enchiladas.

Next, slice up your onion and your portobellos., the thinner the better. Brown the onion in butter, add mushrooms. When they're cooked, put the spinach atop to melt it down. Salt the mixture a little.

Finally, the assembly line: On each tortilla, put a line of cheese down the middle. (I had some sharp cheddar and some grated parmesan, and I liked both). Spoon just a leetle of the filling mixture on top. Fold, and nestle all of 'em together in a greased 9x13 glass baking dish. Cover with the corn sauce. Tortillas will probably crack some. No biggie, it'll all be delicious in the end.

Bake at 350 covered with foil for 25 minutes, then without the foil for another 5. Unless you're feeding an army, this will lead to many leftover lunch portions.

*I'm so braindead that the whole time I was cooking these, I was singing a little ditty in my head to the tune of Frere Jacques, like this: "EnchiLAdas, EnchiLAdas, I'll eat you! I'll eat you!" So please, don't judge me by my commentary. Just by my enchiladas.

Lemony, Nutmeg-y Kale

2011-03-15T19:38:00.006-06:00

In just the tiniest amount of grapeseed oil, cook down:

2 bunches kale (1 red & 1 green), torn from stems
1 container of yellow cherry tomatoes
1 TB chopped garlic

Douse with lemon juice; add about 1 tsp grated nutmeg and a small pat of butter.

Serve dusted with grated parmesan.

When I see kale as a side at an Italian restaurant it's usually something like this, and I order it everytime.

Strawberry Breakfast Salad with Cowboy

2011-03-07T20:01:00.005-07:00

Older sister S and I both love salad for breakfast. Little sister A is just learning to love salad. And thus the Strawberry Breakfast Salad was born, which can be eaten by A for dinner and S and K for breakfast.

Confused? Me too. Just make this, then eat it for lunch, or for dinner, or for breakfast. Especially recommended with biscuits.

Warm brown rice
Lots of fresh sliced strawberries
Walnuts
Torn rainbow chard

Toss with a tiny bit of maple syrup, olive oil, a bit of sea salt, a dash of mustard powder, and a bit of apple cider vinegar.

Eat with a cowboy, if available. If said cowboy doesn't want salad, make this and serve with a fried egg on top.

Tom Yum Cabbage

2011-02-28T20:29:00.003-07:00

Spicy saucy stirfry over salty coconut rice:

The veg:
1/2 a purple cabbage, chopped in large chunks
2 handfuls brussels sprouts, quartered
2 apples and 1 red onion, thinly sliced w/mandolin

The flavahs:
Nearly an entire jar of tom yum paste
Rice vinegar (several splashes)
Chopped garlic & ginger
Juice of 2 limes

The rice:
1 packet (2 uncooked cups) Forbidden Rice
1 can coconut milk
2 very large pinches kosher salt

In a large deep skillet, cover the cabbage and brussels sprouts and onions with water and bring to a boil. Add the other flavors (leave lime juice closer to the end for more punch). Boil until cabbage is tender. Add apples and boil till they soften. Thicken with cornstarch.

In the meantime, cook the rice in rice cooker and add the coconut milk and salt when it's done.

Cumin Apple Chips, Panko-Fried Asparagus, Sriracha Mayo, and more

2011-02-27T13:31:00.005-07:00

Oscar party menu:

Dip these:

1. Sweet Potato Fries
2. Apple chips, dusted with cumin and sea salt
3. Panko-fried green beans and asparagus

In these:

1. Mayonnaise with sriracha and a squirt of lemon. Unreal.
2. Greek yogurt with Tom Yum paste stirred in.
3. Tarragon mustard with chopped artichokes.

Also there were these:

1. Dates with blue cheese
2. Grown-up No-bakes
3. Lemon cookies

(Plus tsatsiki and dolmas, bought premade, and a phyllo pie with herbed homemade ricotta, brought over by a guest.)

Another Snack

2011-02-24T19:38:00.003-07:00

avocado + yogurt + honey + cucumber

(posted today on my friend R.A.R.E.*'s facebook wall)

*(her real initials)

Spinach and Gruyere Quesadillas

2011-02-18T10:38:00.003-07:00

Last Saturday, P and I enjoyed a late lunch with a good friend who was in from Chicago. We went to one of our favorite Phoenix restaurants, Sierra Bonita, where I enjoyed a cup of their incredible posole, which inspired my own, and some corn tortillas cooked on the griddle and stuffed with spinach and menonita cheese. They were so good, I have been eating my own version at least once a day since. After reading about menonita, I learned gruyere (which I had on hand) was a reasonable substitution.

Wilt your spinach in a generous pat of butter and season with salt and pepper. Move to a plate, and use the remaining butter to lightly fry 2 corn tortillas. Halfway through, flip and place a generous amount of thinly sliced gruyere, sharp white cheddar, or menonita cheese on the tortilla. After melting, add the spinach and maybe some avocado, and enjoy! A particularly nice side to tortilla soup or black refried beans.

Apricot Almond Quinoa Salad

2011-02-13T09:11:00.003-07:00

No amounts below because this is all to your taste and your batch size--I made a huge serving (4 cups of uncooked quinoa) to share with friends.

Dried Apricots
Dried Cherries
Shallots
Unroasted, unsalted almonds
Quinoa
White Balsamic
Sea Salt
White Pepper
Some type of cranberry, pomegranate, or orange dressing or juice

--

Soak dried apricots and dried cherries in water for 1-2 hours. While soaking, rinse & cook quinoa.

Thinly slice shallots and add to a skillet with a bit of olive oil, sea salt, and white pepper. I also toasted with rosemary, and while this is a delicious way to prepare appetizer nuts, it didn't work well with the salad. (At all--oops. Your version will be much more delicious). Cook until shallots begin to be translucent and almonds are fragrant.

Finally, drain and slice the apricots and cherries. Add to quinoa, along with the nut/shallot mixture. I dressed this with a pomegranate white balsamic, sea salt and pepper to taste, and a little more olive oil. I also think it would be delicious with a citrus tone--maybe orange juice, white balsamic and a bit of honey?

Serve on top of torn spinach with a sharp cheese, like feta.

French Lentil Soup

2011-02-06T16:37:00.004-07:00

The main thing to know about french lentils is that they hold their shape and stay pretty firm when cooked, which makes a french lentil soup a different animal than other lentil soups. This one hit the spot. I won't repost since I did basically as the recipe's author instructed (including using a spice bag).

I did substitute tomato paste for tomatoes; use dried thyme & oregano instead of fresh; add some dried kombu (sea vegetable) that was lurking in my cupboard for smoky flavor + nutrition; and substitute a mix of soy sauce/bullion/rice vinegar for the worchestershire sauce (since it has anchovies in it).

All of which is just to say, it's a forgiving recipe like most soups are, and it was DELICIOUS. And I highly recommend miso , soy sauce and tomato together as a veggie soup base.

Baked Potato Soup

2011-02-06T16:21:00.004-07:00

Saw breadbowls at the bakery in a snowstorm; had to fill 'em, made this up as I went along:

3 large baking potatoes
2 heads broccoli
1 yellow onion
1 head garlic

4 TB butter
Salt, white pepper
Celery seed, nutmeg
Brown mustard
4 c water
2 c milk
Sherry

1 grated c ea: Cheddar & gouda

1. Put the potatoes in to bake, preferably for about an hour. Steam the broccoli crowns & leaves, removing most of the stems.

2. Slice the onion with a mandolin. Peel the garlic cloves and halve the big ones. In the bottom of your soup pot, melt the butter. Put the onions & garlic in there to soften.

3. Chop the soft steamed broccoli into smithereens (as Kay would say) with trusty ulu. Add it to the softened onions & garlic.

4. Add the milk & water, then the flavorings (spices, squirts of mustard & splashes of sherry). Taste & adjust. Be very judicious with the nutmeg & generous with the rest.

5. When the potatoes are nice & crispy, take them out of the oven. mash em up some in the skins and add innards to the soup. Then chop the skins and add those too. Thicken a little with flour or cornstarch if needed (it probably won't be).

6. Stir in the cheeses to melt.

7. NOM NOM NOM.

Grown-Up No-Bake Cookies

2011-02-03T18:19:00.003-07:00

(Note: These are easily made gluten free IF you have a source for GF oats.)

My entire Legal Aid office played musical offices today in the course of expanding onto a new floor. It was a DIY move aside from desks and file cabinets (it's a DIY kinda place), and a lot of folks had been in their offices for, oh, longer than I've been alive. So needless to say, we were all pretty dusty & tired by the end of the day.

So, tonight, I wanted to bake something to cheer everybody up, get a leg up on befriending the Consumer Unit's new neighbors (the Health & Elder Law Unit), and thank the fulltime volunteers who helped us haul files. Being dusty and tired, though, by "bake" I really mean "stir." Et voila:

Ingredients, group one:
1/2 cup milk
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Ingredients, group two:
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ea: cinnamon & cloves
1/2 cup Nutella
3 1/2 cups quick oats

Bring Group One to boil in a saucepan, whisking all the while. Once boiling, turn heat to medium and boil for 1 minute (still whisking).

Remove from heat. Stir in Group Two (leaving oats for last so everything else is mixed together).

Drop by large teaspoons onto waxed paper & chill. Makes about 2 dozen.

Guest Post: Pan-Mediterranean Baked Eggplant

2011-02-01T14:03:00.001-07:00

Kay & Nigel team up again!!

This recipe is modified from Nigel Slater's "Simple Baked Aubergine" in his wonderful book Tender Vol. 1. My biggest adjustments (which aren't very big) are adding measurements. Also, in the original Nigel uses plain old paprika and fresh mint, and recommends using sheep yogurt. I didn't have any of those things on hand.

Ingredients:

2 eggplants
olive oil (2 1/2 Tbsp.)
sea salt
garlic (4 cloves)
greek style yogurt (approx. 1 cup)
pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika)
one Moroccan mint spice teabag (or alternatively, dried mint and cinnamon)

First, preheat the oven to 400F. Slice off the tops of the eggplants and then slice them lengthwise into halves. Slash the flesh on the cut face into a lattice pattern, as deep as you can without cutting the skin. Drizzle the slashed sides with olive oil and give them a sprinkle of sea salt (to taste--and upon tasting, I wished I had been a little more generous here; personally, I think eggplants can take a lot of salt, but then again, I've been called a salt-aholic).

Turn the eggplant halves over and lay them face-down in a baking dish. Put the 4 garlic cloves unpeeled into the dish along with the eggplants, and proceed to bake. Bake into smithereens! Or until the eggplant is completely collapsed into squishy and translucent deliciousness (which took about an hour for me).

Decant onto plate, and then squeeze the now-squishy garlic cloves out of their skins and rub the cloves across the faces of the cooked eggplants. Then top with yogurt, and finish off with a sprinkle of pimenton & minty spices.

Sweet & Sour Barley

2011-01-30T17:04:00.004-07:00

File this under simple & satisfying. It's not as strongly flavored as most dishes usually described as sweet & sour, but it's that kind of flavor profile. The purple cabbage is a great color.

You'll need:

1.5 cups quick barley
4 leeks, cleaned & sliced
1/4 of a red cabbage, sliced

Butter
Salt
Sugar
Veggie Bullion
Rice Vinegar

Sautee the leeks and cabbage in butter and sugar in the bottom of a soup pot. Add 3 cups of water, a dollop of bullion, a heavy splash of rice vinegar, and cook till the barley has soaked it all up.

Sweetly Spiced Socca

2011-01-24T23:00:00.005-07:00

Socca is a new discovery, and an amazing one at that. Made from chickpea flour, it is typically crafted with olive oil, savory salts, peppers, and other herbs, cooked over a wood fire. Luckily the oven is a decent substitute (so says this expert and this expert) so this is basically the lazy celiac's dream. You can make it thin and crispy (think pizza), or soft and almost cake like.

Tonight I decided to do some flavor experimenting. Following the advice of these gluten free bloggers, I went with a cocoa cardamom socca. It probably violates a lot of rules about traditional socca, but it is amazingly tasty so I am choosing not to care.

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix 1 cup chickpea (garbanzo) bean flour with 1/4 cup dutch cocoa, 2 tsp. vanilla, and 1 and 1/2 cups water. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil, butter, or coconut oil and pour into cake pan. Pour batter into oil and bake for 25 minutes.

There you have it! I served with some cherries for a subtly sweet and cakey nighttime snack. The possibilities are endless though--it could easily be dressed up as a brownie, baked in a skillet as a soft bread to pair with salad, turned with fresh basil in the batter and broiled with cheese on top to finish...oh yum!

Guest Post: Delicious Baked Onions

2011-01-20T10:55:00.002-07:00

Another post from Kay, our favorite expat:

Delicious Baked Onions (or, "Nigel says...")

from Nigel Slater's "Tender Vol. 1"

I should probably start out by saying that I haven't actually EATEN this yet, but I've just taken it out of the oven and it looks so delicious that I'm not sure I'll be able to restrain myself until G gets home. They smell good, too. Nigel says to eat these baked onions with some grilled gammon steaks (gammon is English for ham) sprinkled with oregano, and possibly also some mashed potato or buttery rutabaga.

Ingredients:
6 medium onions
About 2 Tbsp. butter (Nigel says 30g)
1 heaping Tbsp. flour
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup milk
3 bay leaves
salt & black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (Nigel says "a gentle grating")
2 tsp. whole-grain English mustard
chopped parsley (Nigel says "a small handful")

Preheat the oven to 350oF. Peel the onions, and then put them whole into a pot of boiling water. Simmer for 20 - 25 minutes until they're tender (Nigel says you should be able to poke them with the tip of a knife). Then dump them into a colander and let them cool down a bit while you do the next few steps. (Nigel says not to be tempted to use the oniony water for the sauce--it will be TOO oniony, apparently.)

Next, put the pot back on the stove and melt the butter in it. Add the flour to the butter, and cook for a few minutes, whisking so the mixture doesn't burn.

Now, at this stage, my mixture turned into about five big butter-colored lumps. Either, a) it's supposed to be that way and I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to making a white sauce, which is quite possibly the case, b) I used low-fat spread instead of butter in an attempt to be healthier, or c) I religiously weighed out a meager 30g of said low-fat spread and Nigel estimates the mass of his butter with an optimistic eye, which resulted in an anomalously low butter-to-flour ratio in my pot.

Either way, I didn't let the butter/flour mixture cook very long--I just got it all mixed into homogeneous lumps and then added the hot vegetable stock. At this point, worried that the sauce was going to turn out lumpy, I whisked frantically until my butter/flour lumps disappeared, and then added the milk. So, if you know how to make white sauce, do this part of the recipe as you see fit--otherwise, feel free to copy my amateur technique. Then add the bay leaves, the nutmeg, the mustard, and the salt and black pepper.

Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes or more, stirring frequently to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pot. Meanwhile, slice the (hopefully cool) onions in half from top to bottom (stem to roots, that is, not around the middle) and put them face-down in an oven-proof dish. Stir the coarsely chopped parsley into the sauce and dump the lot over the onions. Their tops will probably be poking out, but Nigel says that is ok.

Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until the sauce is nice and bubbly. Nigel says you can leave the onions in the bottom of the oven while you broil up your gammon steaks. Yum!

Pear & Sweet Potato Pizza

2011-01-16T20:25:00.003-07:00

I'm at a complete loss re: how to introduce this pizza. So I'll just say it was amazing - funny how that happens when you just go pick out exactly the ingredients you want - and move on.

1 pizza dough (made ahead by you or by someone else.... in my case a whole foods employee - they do make a really good pizza crust....)

1 small sweet potato
1 pear
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 large, sweet white onion
1 small bunch spinach

Pizza sauce
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt, sugar, honey

1 hard white cheese (pecorino romano)
some good goat cheese

1. Roast toppings. Chop the sweet potato and pear into small dice. Toss them with the pine nuts, olive oil, balsamic, sea salt and honey in a baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 425 for 20 mins or so, till soft and browned where they touch the pan.

2. Caramelize onion. Chop roughly, heat some olive oil with salt, sugar and balsamic in a saucepan or deep frying pan, add the onion and stir to coat. Then let it sit there on med-low heat. After about 15-20 mins, when it's really gotten soft, add the cleaned & torn spinach on top to wilt it.

3. Prepare the dough & coat w/sauce.

4. When the onions & spinach are ready, layer those on. Then add the sweet potato mixture, then sprinkle with a light dose of both cheeses. Bake at 425 for about 20 mins.

Christmas Tomato Soup

2011-01-11T18:34:00.001-07:00

I kinda felt I'd posted enough variations on "roast squash and put it in soup," but Annalise requests the version we made together on Christmas, so here's my memory thereof:

1 small butternut squash
10 roma tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 small, juicy onion
1 head of garlic

+ Olive oil, broth, 1 small can tomato paste, white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, salt & pepper, splash of cream

Roast the veggies & garlic with oil & salt until well and truly softened. Toss em in the broth (and other stuff), bring to a boil, and blend. Taste & adjust.

I probably tossed some other things in there, but I'm drawing a blank. I do remember it was a lovely orange-red and warmed the bones!

Winter Foods

2011-01-11T11:20:00.007-07:00

In an attempt to inspire, sometimes with recipe links and sometimes without:

Always healthful, Heidi's savory protein muffins are amazing. I added sundried tomatoes, sauteed baby potatoes, and lots of fresh basil to this batch.

Another protein favorite, steak. Here, in a salad, with green chile salsa, avocado, shallots, and other delicious things.

Simply delicious, this tortilla soup from Simply Recipes is a new favorite.

Or this cabbage soup with spicy sausage, which I unfortunately didn't document and now can't recall how I made it. I know it had salt, pepper, fresh chorizo sausage from a local butcher (with no casing), cabbage, potatoes, maybe onions?

Or how about backyard local eggs?

Or homemade roasted tomato soup, served with a caramelized onion, Gruyere and fried sage polenta flatbread and massaged kale tossed with white beans, walnuts, and Parmesan?

Warm Brussels Sprout Salad

2011-01-02T08:41:00.003-07:00

I feel badly that I don't have any idea how much of anything I added to this comforting salad. All I can say is trust your instinct and you want a really good brussels to pecans/shallots/garlic/feta ratio. Basically, just make sure you include enough of the good stuff!

So, here's what you'll need to have on hand:

Brussels sprouts (Sidebar: I never knew it was "brussels sprouts" and not "brussel sprouts" until writing this post!)
Shallots
Garlic
Pecans
Feta
Sherry
Rubbed Sage
Ground Rosemary (optional, I love Rosemary but it seems that it doesn't please everyone's palate)
Sea Salt
White Pepper
Olive Oil
Brown Sugar

Slice brussel sprouts into quarters. On a baking sheet or roasting pan, toss with a generous pour of olive oil, rubbed sage, sea salt, white pepper, and rosemary if using. Roast at 400 until starting to crisp. Meanwhile, saute a few shallots with minced garlic in sherry and just enough olive oil to keep from sticking. Cook until shallots are translucent. Toast a bag of halved pecans with some brown sugar, the tiniest splash of afore-mentioned sherry, and just a hint of salt. Toss all together with a large portion of feta, and enjoy warm!

I used sage and rosemary because this was for a holiday party and so those flavors felt appropriate, but it would also lend itself to many other profiles if you want to play around!

Champurrado

2010-12-31T17:18:00.004-07:00

Also known as the CHOCOLATEY DELICIOUSNESS that was demanded to be posted by my oldest sister.

I found the recipe for this perfect wintery drink at Muy Bueno Cookbook. While I don't personally know a whole lot about authentic Mexican flavor, the drink tasted perfect to me. It was sweet yet spicy, and filling yet not too rich. Using corn flour to thicken balanced out the deep chocolate flavor. It didn't take a whole lot of effort to prepare, just a little time. If your sidewalks are piling with snow, I highly recommend this drink to warm chilled hands and fill empty tummies. If they aren't, well, I recommend it anyhow. 'Tis the season.

Toffee Pecan Cookies

2010-12-30T14:46:00.003-07:00

Poking around for a quick cookie recipe to feed hungry skiers, I settled on this one from Giada de Laurentis. A little more exciting than good old chocolate chip, but still in the cookie comfort zone. The ground oats really do things for the flavor - I'll have to remember to use that trick in other, future cookies.

I didn't change anything except using pecans instead of hazelnuts, 'cause they come chopped in a bag and it's a lazy kind of day, so I'll let you click through for the recipe. I should add, though, that if you ever find yourself baking in an unfamiliar kitchen with no mixer or food processor, this worked really well. Happy New Year!

Flourless Mexican Chocolate Cookies

2010-12-23T11:20:00.005-07:00

Between the aforementioned mom's best friend (for gluten-eaters) and K herself (for gluten-haters), the Christmas cookie needs in this house are pretty much taken care of without any involvement by moi. But when a flight carrying both of your baby sisters home for the holidays is about to land, it feels like the house should smell like cookies. Chewy, fudgy, nutty cookies:

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1.5 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped & toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 300.

Mix the dry stuff (minus nuts) well. Add vanilla to egg whites, then gradually stir this into the dry until dough forms. Add the nuts.

Forms into balls and roll in powdered sugar (makes 15 cookies). Bake for 15 minutes, until crackled, being careful not to overbake. Keep these guys in a ziploc or they'll get crispy pretty quick.

Creamy Meyer Lemon Bars

2010-12-16T22:20:00.005-07:00

Around here lemon season happens in December, but no matter how hard I try I associate lemon treats with spring and summer. Luckily for all of us, the combination of having done no Christmas baking and having four Meyer lemons fresh off a tree staring at me from my counter prompted me to set my seasonal confusion aside and and make a lemon bar rich and creamy enough for my, well, rich and creamy holiday tastes.

These thin Meyer lemon bars come together with only six ingredients, two of which are good for you. Four of which aren't. But who said I was counting?

As a base layer, I used a pie crust recipe from Karina, found here and also seen here. For the top layer of lemony goodness, I drew a little inspiration from the Pioneer Woman, who uses this approach in her more streusel like lemon crumb bars.

For your base layer, you'll need:

2 heaping cups of almond flour
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 T vanilla

For the lemon topping, you'll need:
1/2 cup fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice (or any fresh squeezed lemon juice)
1 can of sweetened and condensed milk
2 T lemon zest

Preheat your oven to 325 F, and grease or line a 9x13 baking sheet. Mix together almond meal, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. Transfer to pan and flatten to 1/2--1 inch height with fingers, in the shape of a rectangle. Crimp edges up with fingers to form a bit of a shelf.

Whisk lemon juice into sweetened and condensed milk. Slowly pour onto the crust, dust with lemon zest. Bake at 325 F for 25-30 minutes. Let cool and cut into squares.

I imagine these would be delicious chilled.

Christmas Wreath Cookies

2010-12-16T19:46:00.004-07:00

...at about 4:00 pm, and there is already only one left. Someone even walked into my apartment begging for some after their roommate returned eating one. I'm gonna go ahead and say they were a pretty big hit, and they were simple and sweet.

A friend and I wanted to spend a lovely afternoon making Christmas treats, but wanted something rather easy. She was the one who suggested the recipe, so I Google'd it and found this. Below is the recipe for what we did, with slight modifications from the original. It yielded about 3 dozen sweet treats.

1 cup butter

8 cups mini marshmallows

2 1/2 teaspoons green food coloring (increased for a brighter, cheerier green)

2 teaspoons vanilla

7 cups cornflake cereal

red m&m's or red hot candies

Melt butter and marshmallows together in the microwave. Start on HIGH for 2 minutes, stir, put back in for 2 more, stir.

Move to the next steps quickly so that marshmallow doesn't begin to set up.

Add cereal, food coloring and vanilla. Butter hands so marshmallow doesn't stick to them. Mix together into a blob of gooey deliciousness. I've reduced the amount of cornflakes from what was called for because we liked them extra gooey, you may want to add more yourself.

Lay out parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Pick up a golf-ball sized blob, place on parchment paper, shape into wreath. Add m&m's or red hots for decorations according to taste preference. Let set (no refrigerator or oven necessary!) until ready.

The result is similar to a Rice Krispie treat, but gooier and with more Christmas cheer. :)

Shakshuka

2010-12-15T18:39:00.004-07:00

I used to get this at a teeny Israeli restaurant right by my dorm at NYU Law which served only two dishes: hummus and shakshuka - both loaded with flavor, with tiny pickles and soft pita and tongue-blistering Turkish coffee on the side. When finals time came along in the icy New York winter, I'd go for the steaming-hot shakshuka; when it came around in the spring, a swirl of hummus with fava beans and hardboiled egg. Talk about brain food for vegetarians. Anyway:

You'll need:

4 Anaheim chilis, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 28-oz can whole stewed tomatoes
6 roughly chopped cloves garlic

Olive oil, sugar, salt
Paprika, cumin, turmeric, cayenne
1 cup veggie broth

4 eggs

Toppings: Feta, fresh parsley
Sides: Pita, hummus, pickles

Soften the chilis, onion and garlic in olive oil with some salt and sugar in an oversize skillet, a wok, or a soup pot. Add about 2 tsp each cumin and turmeric , 1 TB paprika, and a dash of cayenne, for starters. (I added more of all 3 once taste-testing time came. This is no time to be shy with the spices.)

Break apart the tomatoes with your fingers as you add them (and their juice). If you don't think you have enough broth to cook down into a good stew, add some veggie broth. Let this all come to a boil with the lid on and simmer for 15 mins.

Then break the eggs carefully on top, and cook again till they're poached. Taste and adjust salt and spices.

Spiced Molassess Pie with Maple Whipped Cream

2010-11-26T15:36:00.004-07:00

A and I spent Wednesday afternoon making pies and Christmas wreaths. We made the same maple cream custard tart as last year, with no adjustments and no problems. Knowing that others were bringing more traditional pies, we also decided to have fun and make a strong, sugary molasses pie with gingerbread spices. I had a frozen Whole Foods g-free pie crust I wanted to use, although really I think this would be much better with the almond meal crust we all use for the maple cream tart.

After doing some googling, and coming up with a few recipes on forums, we came up with this:

Melt 1/2 cup butter, then simmer with 1/2 cup of blackstrap molasses, 1 cup of white sugar, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and slowly beat in 3 eggs, 1 T vanilla, 1/4 tsp. salt, and nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, and ground cloves to taste.

Pour filling into a pie shell and cook at 400 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for 25 more minutes.

Ultimately, I should have trusted my flavor instincts and added another 1/2 cup of sugar and had a heavier hand with the spices. The molasses taste was very strong. To soften this a bit, I piped a thin layer of homemade maple whipped cream (1 cup heavy cream, 3 T maple syrup)over the top. The molasses lovers at our table really enjoyed small slivers of the pie, especially with coffee and cream. The texture-soft and gooey-was beautiful, as was the color. If you do want to make it though, I'd definitely recommend upping the sugar or reducing the molasses to 1/4 cup and adding 1/4 cup honey? If anyone tries it, please let us know!

Easy Angelfood Cake

2010-11-17T22:14:00.005-07:00

Again: Used to make all the time. Have terrible memory. Etc etc. Nothing revolutionary here, but if you need a go-to angelfood, this is it.

12 egg whites
1.5 tsp cream of tartar
1.5 c sugar, divided
1.5 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 c sifted cake flour
1/4 tsp salt

Beat the egg whites & C of T at high speed till foamy. Add 3/4 c of sugar a tablespoon at a time, beating constantly, till sugar is dissolved and egg whites are glossy and hold a peak. Beat in flavorings.

Sift together flour, 3/4 c sugar, and salt. Sift half of this over the beaten egg whites and fold in gently until JUST combined, then do the same with the other half. Bake at 375 in a bundt pan or brownie pan until springy.

(Hmm, looks like my forgotten recipes were 2 cookies, 2 soups, and 3 cakes. Cookies, soup, and cake!? Yes please!!!)

Ridiculous Rum Cake

2010-11-17T22:10:00.003-07:00

My friend Jess made me this recipe from her Italian grandmother* who, it turns out, uses yellow cake mix in her baking. Fine by me. I am drooling just remembering it.

1 package yellow cake mix
1 small package instant vanilla pudding
1/2 c water
1/2 c oil
4 eggs
1/2 c white rum

Beat ingredients together for 3 min., pour into lightly greased & floured bundt pan, and bake 50-60 mins at 350.

Sauce:
1 c sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 c water

Cook for 2 mins and add 1/4 c white rum. Loosen center of cake w/knife when cooled, and pour sauce over it while still in the pan.

Good lord. Rummy.

*Or maybe it was her American mother. Either way, bless the woman.

Adzuki Chili

2010-11-17T21:58:00.002-07:00

(Note: I make this in my pressure cooker, 'cause I have never once been organized enough to soak any beans overnight.) Adzuki beans are tiny and brick-red and kind of nutty! I love them!

1 cup adzuki beans, soaked overnight then simmered till tender (35 minutes or more) & drained.

4 TB butter
1 large chopped onion or equivalent amount of leeks
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 diced carrot

1 c broth
2 TB whole wheat flour
1 TB paprika
pinch cayenne
Salt & peppah
1 TB soy sauce
1 TB tomato paste + 1 can diced tomatoes

Fresh parsley to garnish

Heat the butter in the bottom of your soup pot and soften the onion in it. Add garlic and carrot and soften these, then stir in the flour and spices. Add the remaining ingredients (broth, soy sauce, tomato stuff), bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the beans, adjust flavors, simmer gently for 20-25 mins, eat.

Rich Cream of Broccoli Soup

2010-11-17T21:31:00.004-07:00

I am so glad I found this recipe again; it is getting dang cold and I need a big pot of it in my life. Also, I found it on a printout of an email I sent from my very first email address, which was - get this - s-j-p@excite.com. Seriously! I'm an oldster!

1-2 heads broccoli (or a large bunch of asparagus, or some artichoke hearts...)
4 red potatoes
1 onion
6 cloves garlic

4 TB butter
1/4 c flour
1 egg yolk
2 c milk

Salt & white pepper
Ground coriander
Any variety of mustard
(other possibilities: cardamom, chives, etc etc)

2 c (ish) broth
1 - 2 c grated cheese - 1/2 parmesan, 1/2 gruyere or cheddar

Chop and steam the veggies (you can steam the garlic cloves whole to avoid chopping, or chop finely and add at next step). Once soft, melt 1 TB butter in a deep frying pan and move 'em over there to get truly soft. They can stay on medium-low heat while you make a roux:

Melt 3 TB butter in bottom of soup pot, add flour. Beat the egg yolk in a bowl till foamy, add milk, then pour this into the soup pot once flour is golden and starting to bubble. Add spices and mustard. Cook, stirring frequently, till it thickens.

When veggies are quite soft, mash with potato masher, removing un-masheable bits (especially of onion.) Or toss them in the food processor, but don't over-process - you want some small chunks. Add these and the right amount of broth, then melt in the cheese, adjust spices, and simmer together.

Lentil Cookies (emphasis on "COOKIES")

2010-11-17T21:21:00.004-07:00

Never has virtue tasted so good. This was an Alton Brown recipe, I think. (His measurements are in ounces with approximations of volume, of course. I just use the volumes.)

2 c whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp cinnamon
.5 tsp allspice

1 c sugar
3/4 c butter (@ room temp)
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1.5 c lentil puree (= 2/3 cup dry lentils simmer for 30-40 minutes in 2 c water, pureed, and cooled)

1 c rolled oats
1 c each unsweetened coconut and dried fruit (I left these out but finely chopped dried cherries would probably be amazing)

Cream sugar and butter. Add (1) egg, then (2) vanilla and lentil puree until just combined. Mix the dry stuff (flour, bp, salt, spices) in a separate bowl, then add gradually. Stir in oats, fruit, and coconut. Drop 2-tsp sized balls onto parchment paper and bake for 15-17 mins at 375.

Lemon Cookies

2010-11-17T21:16:00.004-07:00

When I went digging back through my dog-eared pile of paper recipes to find the Apricot Spice Cake, I dug out quite a few more that I'd completely forgotten about thanks to the internet. They need to be on this blog or I'll never remember to make them again. So brace yourselves.

For starters, these sweet, cake-like, sunny little guys are my favorite thing on the tray of Christmas cookies my (our!) mom's best friend brings over every year. Last year I finally wrote down the recipe:

1/2 c butter, softened
1 c sour cream
1.5 c sugar
2 eggs
.5 tsp baking soda
.5 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp salt
2 3/4 c flour
1 tsp vanilla (or 1/2 of vanilla and 1/2 of lemon extract)

Cream the sugar & butter. Mix in sour cream, then eggs & extract. Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the wet.

Chill for one hour, then drop by tablespoons onto parchment paper, and bake for 8 minutes at 400.

Frosting:
3 TB melted butter
3 TB milk
2 tsp lemon extract
Yellow food coloring
3 c powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients but the sugar, then add it gradually. Frost while warm.

(PS - if you can't has teh gluten, perhaps these little guys will suit your fancy?)

Apricot Spice Cake

2010-11-17T21:02:00.004-07:00

This used to be my go-to dessert in college and law school, but I'd completely forgotten about it until I tried making Deb's Spiced Applesauce Cake. The cake was good, but rather dense and not as moist and spicy as I wanted. Clearly, somewhere in my mind, there was already a "Spice Cake" archetype lurking... and suddenly I remembered scouring the shelves of a Brooklyn bodega for apricot baby food:

Dry:
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (make the teaspoons of spices generous)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
.5 tsp baking powder

Wet:
1 c veg oil
1 jar (1/2 cup) apricot baby food
1/2 cup mashed canned apricots & juice (leave some chunks)
3 eggs

Mix together dry, add wet, and bake at 350 in a brownie pan. (Can't remember how long.) Top with cream cheese frosting.

I originally begged this recipe out of the mother of a childhood friend who would make it specifically for me... it may very well be the first thing I baked. I guess I can thank the applesauce cake for bringing me back to it.

Persimmon Rice, Pile Of

2010-11-16T18:11:00.004-07:00

(Whenever they served Rice Pilaf in our college cafeteria, that's what Kay - the same person who sent me this recipe, actually - would call it. Giggle, giggle, snort!!)

The best thing about this dish was how it made my apartment smell - the fragrance of shallots, ginger, and cinnamon together in the rice cooker had me walking around taking big sniffs of air like a weirdo. It was plenty tasty as well, though it couldn't quite unseat this in the annals of delicious sweet-savory Piles Of.

Basic recipe here, though I strongly recommend adding something for crunch as I do below.

Ingredients:
1. 1/3 cup finely chopped shallot (+ olive oil)
2. 1 TB fresh grated ginger

3. 1/4 tsp cinnamon
4. 1 cup white long-grain rice + broth to cook it in

5. 3 firm-ripe Fuyu persimmons, peeled & chopped
6. 1/2 cup well-chopped cilantro
7. 1/2 cup pepitas
8. Lemon juice to taste (go generous!)
9. S&P to taste

Sautee 1&2 in the bottom of your saucepan (or better, rice cooker). Add 3-4, and cook the rice. Toss in 5-9 at the end. The NYT is right: Fuyu persimmons are like extra-cheery tomatoes .

And finally, A Brief And Rapid Overview Of Other Things I Have Recently Cooked:

Soup,

then more soup,

then a stirfry flavored kind of like this with the leftover ingredients from the second soup,

then a Spiced Applesauce cake,

then 3 kinds of cookies in a single Sunday, all from Smitten Kitchen:
Key Lime Meltaways (my favorite and SUPER easy)
Hazelnut Thumbprints (crowd favorite)
Green Tea Shortbread (cute and green but not tea-flavored enough - maybe my matcha was inferior?)

oh and at some point, in a fit of using up farmer's market proceeds, roasted beets & carrots one night and risotto the next.

It's been a nice repeat-recipe rut, but thanks Kay and persimmons for getting me out of it!

Applesauce Sticky Cake with Dates

2010-10-30T19:07:00.003-06:00

This cake is not what I was envisioning, but it's delicious. Due to a lovely apple picking adventure last weekend, P and I had eaten through an apple pie and a tub of applesauce, but still had apples to consume.

Well. P was in California. So really, I had eaten all of that and still had apples to consume. After some recipe plotting, I designed an applesauce date cake based on Martha's, here, which turned into a delicious sticky cake reminiscent of a proper steamed British pudding.

Well. I've never eaten a proper steamed British pudding. But I imagine that's what this is like. Regardless, it's delicious. The amount below makes enough for one 9 inch cake and 6 cupcakes.

1.5 cups almond flour
1.5 cups gluten free all purpose flour
2 tsp. xantham gum
2 tsp. baking soda
2 large eggs
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups chunky applesauce (I recommend homemade, and super chunky)
1/4 honey

Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cardamom

1/2 cup or more chopped medjool dates

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, honey and applesauce. Sift in combination of dry ingredients. Add copious amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom. Throw in some ground cloves if you want! Fold in 1/2 cup or more of chopped medjool dates.

Bake in buttered 9 inch cake pan and buttered muffin tins. (I left the "muffins" unfrosted and have been eating them for breakfast. :). I baked at 350 for 50 minutes, but took the muffins out earlier.

Any frosting will do. For simplicity's sake, I used a basic powdered sugar + milk + cardamom frosting. It's not very pretty, so if you're going for presentation, I'd use a spiced buttercream.

Honey Rosemary Pork Chops

2010-10-18T15:17:00.003-06:00

A few nights ago, faced with a pork chop that I wanted to cook not with my normal barbecue sauce (I really am trying to branch out. I swear.), I decided to throw it in a frying pan with whatever I pleased and see how it went. In went the pork chop, some lemon-infused olive oil and a little water to keep the oil from spattering too badly. Then went rosemary, my lemon-garlic spice mix, and thyme. I flipped it and cooked it on medium high until no longer pink, but when I pulled it out knew it would be wanting for a little more flavor. In a moment of randomness, I pulled out a bottle of honey, drizzled some on, and bam! Unexpected deliciousness. The honey, the move I was most afraid of making, turned out to be what made the meal. Served with corn on the cob and brown rice.

Guest Post: Pasta with Arugula & Goat Cheese

2010-10-13T21:06:00.006-06:00

And now, a mouthwatering interlude from everyone's favorite Nebraskan (and that's saying a lot, because Nebraskans are mad awesome, as a general proposition), polkadotdotdot:

****

I adapted this from an epicurious recipe for homemade ravioli w/ arugula & goat cheese in the middle. Fat chance, epicurious.

You'll notice that there aren't many measurements. I think we're all big girls here.

Pasta w/ Arugula & Goat Cheese:

Ingredients:
fat
flavor
vegetable
cheese
starch
water

Turn on the tunes. As you proceed with the recipe, make sure to insert a few sweet dance moves and sing along with a chorus or two. This is not part of the recipe. It just makes you happier.

Start your water boiling for pasta. Salt &/or oil your water if that's what you do. I didn't.
When the water's boiling, insert pasta (I prefer fettuccine but pretty much any kind'll work) and cook it. Set your timer if you're that sort of person. I am.

Meanwhile:

Tear your arugula to bits! Best to do this first or you'll end up w/ burnt butter, and then SJP would say SHAME!
Melt 1T-ish butter (or fat of choice) in big frying pan on medium.
After bubbling subsides, add a couple cloves of garlic, lightly mashed but not in tiny bits, + S&P. Saute until garlic is golden, then remove (we're just flavoring the butter here, people, not scaring away the potential smoochers lined up at the door).
Add arugula bits! Saute until limp but not dead.
Remove the pan from heat and put the arugula in the bowl you plan to eat out of.
Add a couple T of goat cheese and shred some parmesan on there too.
Squeeze in a lemon wedge. Please do not airily dismiss the lemon like you just don't care. It is critical. Plus it will keep away the dread scurvy.

When the pasta's done, strain it and dump it on top of arugula/cheese mixture. Mix w/ fork.

Insert into mouth, chew, swallow, digest, excrete.

the end.

Cake Balls

2010-10-07T15:06:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was my roomie's 20th birthday, and we appropriately threw her a surprise party that included milkshakes served in various coffee mugs, a "Birthday Jedi" badge and a fantastic cake that she cut with a toy light saber. The cake was created by a talented friend, and featured a Yoda head with the words "20 years, you have." In the process of creating her masterpiece, she had leftover cake bits and frosting with which she suggested I throw together some cake balls. This is a recipe I had heard of from multiple people and had been wanting to do for awhile. It's super easy and delicious! Here's how it works:

Take some cake and crumble it into frosting. Find a good consistency. Roll the mixture into bite-sized balls. (This part gets messy. It's fun.) If you want them chocolate-covered, put into the freezer for a bit, and take them out later to dip them in melted chocolate and freeze them again. If you want them sprinkles-covered, roll them in a bowl of sprinkles and then put them in the freezer.

Last night's were fun-fetti with strawberry frosting and sprinkles. I'm eager to try this with red velvet cake, vanilla bean cream cheese frosting and chocolate. Yum!

Snack

2010-10-06T21:21:00.003-06:00

Sliced Fuji apple, honey mustard, and robusto cheese on toasted ciabatta.

Makes me want to get Hobbesian (no, not THAT kind of Hobbesian!) and say "snack" over and over:

September Cookies

2010-09-26T13:45:00.003-06:00

I am mildly sad that I decided to make these using a box mix as a base, and not to measure any of my own contributions, because that certainly makes it harder to share them with you. They are lovely. The best I can do is tell you to take a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, add about 1/4 cup of oat bran flour, 1/3 cup of pumpkin puree, 3 tablespoons of molasses, and a lot of cinnamon. Or, alternately, do all of the above to a Betty Crocker gluten free chocolate chip cookie mix. Because really people, we're all busy and sometimes measuring out millet flour and coconut flour and almond flour and xantham gum and guar gum and oh don't forget the potato starch--it's a damn drag.

Bittersweet Orange Macaroons

2010-09-19T07:36:00.003-06:00

Perfect fancy party fare, this macaroon recipe from Bon Apetit defies all laws of good baking and uses the oh-so-dreadful sweetened coconut stuff. Shockingly, these still have a very sophisticated taste (thanks to the bittersweet chocolate and addition of orange peel to the batter). It also produces lots and lots and lots o'macaroons, for a very low cost.

I didn't make any changes, so you can find the recipe here.

Blackberry Cream Frosting

2010-09-15T09:30:00.005-06:00

I wish this post could be titled Blackberry Buttercream Frosting. Sadly, while I intended on making a buttercream, I didn't feel like walking from the kitchen to the computer to look at the recipe. Yes, I am that lazy. So instead we have a cream cheese/buttercream hybrid frosting. But really, what's wrong with that?

1/3 block low-fat cream cheese
The lowfat part is kind of a joke, considering the nutritional stats of frosting.

1/2 stick butter, just above room temperature

2/3 bag of powdered sugar
The normal sized bag. If you don't know which one is normal, buy bigger and just add powdered sugar until you get to the right consistency.

1 pint fresh blackberries, washed and dried

1 tsp. vanilla

Using an electric mixer or a lot of arm strength, beat together the butter and blackberries. Add powdered sugar until frosting starts to stiffen, then add cream cheese and whip until just so. If you don't have a pastry bag and tip, like me, just cut the corner off of a ziplock bag, scoop in frosting, seal tightly, and pipe through there.

You could easily eliminate the cream cheese and add more butter, but I like the tang it provides as background for all.that.sugar.

This was delicious on 15 vanilla cupcakes, and I had plenty left over to freeze for the days when blackberries aren't abundant.

Food from Morocco

2010-09-12T21:27:00.001-06:00

Fancy, traditional Moroccan courtyard restaurant in Marrakesh

Food stalls in the Djemaa al-Fna in Marrakesh

Food stall feast

Sorbet at an ice cream shoppe in the ritzy Ville Nouvelle

Rooftop cafe snack in Essaouira

Cozy French cafe lunch in Essaouira

Shopping for mint at the Essaouira spice market at the end of Ramadan

Cat with olives.

Mint Green Smoothie

2010-08-26T20:15:00.002-06:00

I can't believe I forgot to put this concoction up when I first started making it - heaven knows I broadcast its delicious + virtuous qualities to everyone who would listen. So anyway, the best smoothie I personally have ever made:

2 frozen bananas, several scoops mint chocolate chip ice cream, half a package of spinach and a splash of soy milk.

Summer Ratatouille, with Harissa

2010-08-26T12:33:00.006-06:00

[..... is really hard to spell.]

I guess oven dishes are not ideal for summer, but the result was light and fresh, with that sweet-savory vibe I can't get enough of. Woulda been great with a glass of chilled white wine.

Chop up the following into bite-sized chunks and put them in a small casserole dish:

Half a large eggplant / 1 small eggplant, peeled
1 small zucchini
2 large tomatoes
2 large peaches

Top with a can of harissa, bake for 25 mins at 400, serve over fusilli.

I realize it's not likely that any of us has home-canned harissa hanging around the shelves at a given moment, but harissa recipes and commercial pastes (or spice blends) are pretty easy to find. The rich tomato-and-chile flavor was amazing on all these veggies, and especially with the peaches.

Pulled Pork Green Chile Stew

2010-08-22T21:04:00.005-06:00

After a trip to New Mexico, a trip to a local butcher and a trip to Safeway where New Mexican green chiles were on sale, pork green chili stew seemed inevitable even in the dead heat of a Phoenix summer. There is likely nothing authentic about this recipe, but it was delicious and gave us about 12 big servings (!!).

Cook a 3 lb bone-in shoulder blade of pork with several tomatoes, 3 chopped Anaheim chiles, and 2 cups of water for 8-10 hours in a slow cooker. Season well with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon. After cooking remove fat and pull pork apart with a fork.

Chop several potatoes and a large onion. Brown with garlic, cumin, olive oil, cilantro, and chili powder. Add 2 cans pinto beans and 2 cans stewed tomatoes (we only added stewed tomatoes because we didn't use enough tomatoes with the pork).

Combine the contents of the slow cooker with the potatoes and beans. Add more spices to taste, let simmer for a few hours and enjoy. It was quite tasty with a bit of sharp white cheddar cheese.

**I use Black Canyon Chile Powder (linked to above) from the Savory Spice Shop in Denver, Colorado. You can order their spices online for a reasonable price. If you are ambitious and like to mix your own, this particular chile powder is made using "chile peppers, cocoa powder, garlic, toasted onion, Saigon cinnamon and Mexican oregano" and is salt-free.

Really Good Classic Cookies (gluten free!)

2010-08-12T21:26:00.004-06:00

Since returning from Guatemala, I see to have lost all of my desire to make exciting foods and all of my ability to come up with clever blog posts. Now that I'm home, I just want to eat my favorite foods and then tell you about it. That's it. Soon enough I'm sure this will wear off and I'll get around to those Italian doughnuts with cherry sauce that I've been thinking of, or to that buttermilk granita, but for now, you are getting some Really Good Cookies. According to P, they are my number one or number two best cookies, ever. And, they taste more like cookies with gluten than any others I've ever made.

This is because I'm using oat bran flour, and oats, which we are used to eating in baked goods with gluten. I of course used gluten free oat bran flour and gluten free oats. You could try these using brown rice flour if you can't find gfree oat bran flour, but they won't be quite as good.

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup oat bran flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1 1/4 cup oats
1 Tbs almond butter (a generous tablespoon...)
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Melt the butter and mix with the egg and sugar. Add the dry ingredients and let chill in the refrigerator for awhile. Bake at 375 F for 12 minutes. Enjoy!

Cold Tomato-Melon Soup

2010-08-09T17:51:00.003-06:00

OK, wowzers!

You go, Militant Carnivore.

(I used apple cider vinegar, and ate with fresh dill and goat cheese on top. I'm sooo glad I still have a few bowlsfull b/c that is some tasty semi-liquid eating!)