Comfort Foodie

2011

2011-12-31T19:57:00.000-06:00

Here's to a great 2011 and a wonderful 2012!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Accidental Apple Cake and the Holiday Season

2011-12-02T19:00:00.002-06:00

I haven't been blogging much lately. Obviously. Food and I have a funny relationship right now. At times, I know exactly what I want and will stop at nothing to create or obtain it. This apple cake falls into that first scenario. Other times, nothing sounds good and I try to piece together a relatively healthy meal. And still, at other times, what sounds good when I start preparing has no appeal once it is ready to eat, so I have a couple of bites and call it a day.

Combine the strange food relationship with (seemingly) never-ending fatigue and there is not much blog material, sorry to say.

There are reasons for this food madness. I am pregnant: we are expecting our first child in May.

(That sentence deserves a million ! after it - we are so very excited - but one by itself did not fit, maybe because this is not an AIM conversation or, in this age, a teenage text message.)

This time last year, I was excitedly preparing for the holidays. This year, not so much, at least not yet. Presents are almost all purchased, plans are made, and so on, but I'm having a hard time fully embracing the season. Is it the exhaustion? Maybe. The overwhelming desire to empty my house of almost everything we don't use on a daily basis? Something like that. It might be the stresses of the past month, with travel (the husband to a conference and the both of us to a wedding - congrats guys!) and holidays to host and massive career-affecting exams to pass (American Institute of Certified Planners, and I passed!). But we got through all of that, we are starting to relax and let the holiday season wash over us. The autumn-themed dishes that came out for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving certainly helped.

One of the first things that has sounded good and remained good throughout its life over the past few months has been this apple cake. The cake started as simmered apples and cinnamon to enjoy over ice cream after the Thanksgiving meal and perfect turkey, and finished the next morning as a moist, spiced apple cake with crumb/streusel topping. Because it was an accident, or at least an experiment, there are no photographs of the process.

Apples

Johnagold apple, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch to 1-inch cubes

Pink Lady apple, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch to 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup water

Heat all ingredients except for water over medium-low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally. Some of the apples will start to break down. Reduce heat and cover, let cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add water as needed if the mixture gets too thick or dry. Remove from heat. Can chill overnight.

Cake

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups flour (all-purpose)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream*

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9-inch springform pan or similar (the batter came within 1/2 inch of the top of my 3-inch tall springform pan, for reference). Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat each until incorporated. Add vanilla, beat until incorporated. Remove from mixer. Add one cup flour and baking soda, stir until incorporated. Add 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon sour cream, stir until incorporated. Add another one cup flour and baking powder, stir until incorporated. Add second 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon sour cream, stir until incorporated. Add third one cup flour and nutmeg, stir until incorporated. Fold in apples mixture. Pour into your prepared pan.

Topping

4 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons oats

5 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into chunks

Combine all dry ingredients (no butter) in a bowl or small food processor. The food processor will grind the oats a bit, or if you prefer them whole then skip the processor. Add the butter and rub into clumps with your fingers, or process in pulses until combined and crumbly. Sprinkle topping over batter in pan. Bake for 55 minutes or longer, until cake is set and a toothpick comes out clean (might not be completely clean if it pierces an apple). Immediately remove the springform shell and let the cake cool. Serve warm or cool with whipped cream for dessert or coffee for breakfast.

*If you have 8 ounces of sour cream and no more, you can use yogurt or something similar in its place.

Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

2011-11-30T19:00:00.001-06:00

It's the end of November. How did that happen?
Thanksgiving has come and gone, and this year was surprisingly uneventful. We had planned to host a small group this year, the Husband's mom and my folks, but his mom was prohibited from flying because of a nasty illness. We had a small, 4-person meal, with a 12-pound bird for the three of us who eat such things. We tried a new turkey recipe, and while it cooked faster than expected, the results were stunning and magazine-worthy. The gravy was also outstanding. We omitted the wine and used our homemade broth to de-glaze the pan. I'm sure it would have been just as amazing with the wine.

The only thing I might do differently next time is figure out a way to get a little more flavor into the turkey. We stuffed the cavity with herbs, celery leaves, and onion, but I wanted a little more. The gravy took care of things this time around, but it would be nice to enjoy a flavorful piece of turkey without the gravy.

The leftovers made several of the all-important day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches and a delicious turkey pot pie.

(Please forgive me for not including the turkey and gravy instructions. Saveur did a lovely job at capturing everything you need to know (and more) about this process.)

Absent, but not forgotten

2011-11-03T20:29:00.001-05:00

I promise I haven't forgotten about you. I was waiting for the lovely dear husband to finish his pizza post, but that was ages ago. You will be reassured to know he takes responsibility for the stagnant nature of late.
So, while we wait, here is something to hold you over. And please feel free to bug the heck out of him until he gets it together and posts. Apparently writing a dissertation and fixing the house from the flood take a lot of time. Or so he says.

Last winter. Snow.

Taco seasonings.

Hot. September 25. The high at the house that day was 110.

Happy Halloween!

Pizza Throwdown

2011-07-16T11:50:00.001-05:00

We took our annual Canada trip a few weeks back, and a part of that trip was the annual food throwdown, or cook-off if you're from around here. Last year was wings, this year, pizza. There were 6 entries and 5 judges, an afternoon of pizza cooking and eating, and lovely Canadian weather that meant we could spend most of the day outside. Prizes include bragging rights, drinks service, and, this year, the privilege of choosing the theme for next year's competition.More on that one later.

The Husband spent several weekends prior to the trip practicing, preparing, and generally making lots of pizza. We tried crust recipes, sauces, and a variety of toppings before settling on our favorite combination. As we learned, however, only so much preparation with American ingredients can be done for a contest in Canada. Food is different up there. We couldn't find the tomatoes or the sausage we wanted to use, but we made due and the substitutions were more than adequate. Our WINNING recipe for dough, sauce, and toppings will follow this post, with a few words from my first guest blogger, the Husband himself. (That's right, we won the pizza throwdown!)

(Side note: I love going to the grocery store in Canada, because they do have different foods, brands, and produce readily available. In Canada, Kraft makes peanut butter. Even so, after this trip, and the failed attempts to find particular pizza ingredients, I was very thankful for my HEB waiting for me back home.)

Here are some of the moments from the contest:

Contestants

Making Pizza

The Judges' Table

Kitchen Work

Tossing Dough

Another Contestant

The Final Contestant (and the winner!)

Judges hard at work

Judges discussing their tastes

Presentation to the Winner

We did it!

Vanilla Beans and Tito's Vodka

2011-06-21T19:03:00.000-05:00

Finally! My vanilla beans arrived, and the husband brought home a small bottle of vodka, so my vanilla making can commence.

I chose a lovely bottle of my favorite vodka, the locally distilled Tito's, for the base. Vanilla beans from Mexico will infuse their rich, slightly smokey flavor over the next 2 to 6 months.

Apparently, all I have to do is shake it occasionally (and be patient) and after awhile, I'll have some fantastic homemade vanilla.

I'll keep you posted, with pictures monthly and a review of the final product once I deem it recipe-worthy.

Fish Tacos

2011-06-06T18:00:00.019-05:00

Mmm. My relationship with tacos only recently expanded to include those with fish. They were rare, hard to spot on a restaurant menu growing up, at least here in Texas, or my eating habits did not include much fish, a direct consequence of only eating (and not much liking) gefilte fish, according to the Husband. Things might have been different in, say, California. A Bon Appetit (involved, multi-step, chill overnight) recipe got me started, and we've adapted it and changed up some of the components so it can be a quick weeknight meal instead of a drawn-out, only-on-the-weekend affair.

We actually made these ages ago, but I found the pictures over the weekend and almost cried because I hadn't shared them yet. Okay, maybe not, but I was curious as to what was taking me so long to get this goodness to you.

Ingredients and directions, since there are many components

Fish
4 to 6 oz fish per person (we used tilapia, we've also used salmon and orange roughy)
1 tablespoon achiote paste (found in the Latin food aisle, comes in a box)
1 table spoon olive oil
1/2 cup flour (optional)

Combine the achiote paste and olive oil in a small bowl. Slather onto the fish, and cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to four hours if you've got time. While the fish is chilling, prepare the other components of the dish, so everything is ready to go when the fish goes in the pan.

Coat both sides of fish lightly with flour prior to cooking. (Optional)
Cook in a large pan over medium high heat, turning once, until cooked through or desired doneness is reached. Cooking times vary for different types of fish.

Salsa
1 cup black beans
1 cup corn
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup cilantro (or to taste)
1 cup chopped onion, rinsed
Jalepeno, or serrano, chopped (seeds have the heat, use gloves or be very careful and don't touch your eyes while handling chili peppers)
1 tablespoon lime juice, or more to taste
Combine all ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, lime juice, cilantro, and heat as needed. Ideally, this salsa will sit for a couple of hours or longer to allow flavors to combine, but it doesn't have to.

Chipotle Mayo
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilis in adobo, plus one half to one chili chopped
Combine mayo and sauce (and chili if using) in small bowl, stir to combine.

Tortillas
Tortillas
Olive oil
Chili powder (or other spices as desired)
Brush tortillas with olive oil, sprinkle with spices. Grill tortillas for 30 seconds on each side, until heated through. Grilling tortillas gives them amazing flavor.
(no pictures of that part, sorry)

Other toppings, as desired
Cabbage, sliced or shredded
Avocado
Cheese
Mango, chopped
Fresh lime wedges
Cilantro

Assembly

We start with tortillas.

Then add the chipotle mayo, then the fish.

Next comes salsa, cheese, and mango. I add cabbage at this step but the husband does not.

Avocado tops it up, then time to enjoy!

Long Shopping List (and flood pictures!)

2011-06-04T11:50:00.000-05:00

It's Saturday morning, and that means magazines, cookbooks, and a shopping list. It's actually been awhile since I've created a grocery list this way, but it is the preferred method since it means we will then have actual rounded meals. Planned out ahead of time, not decided upon at the last minute because steaks looked good at the grocery store. Again.

So this weekend, along with this long list, we have a menu for the week. Tonight is salmon with mango-peach salsa, broccoli, and cilantro-lime rice. Also in the running for dinners this week are the lettuce cups in this month's Bon Appetit, a favorite summertime tagliatellle with cherry tomatoes and zucchini, and something to accompany a tomato cucumber salad that I will continue to make all summer long, while these ingredients are at their best.
My goal: to post at least one of these recipes this week. Maybe more, if I get ambitious.
In other news, part of why this blog has been so lacking in new content the past month or so is because we're still dealing with the aftermath of our house flooding. All of the furniture that is usually in our guest room and library/workout room is in the den off the kitchen, and throughout the hallways. It is a constant reminder of how much work we have done and have left to do before returning to normal. We're doing the work ourselves, trying to get the most out of the insurance money. The two rooms have their new floors and baseboards in them. This weekend we plan to caulk and paint, with the hopes of starting to move furniture back in Sunday night or Monday.
Reviewing the pictures of the damage to post on here, I recalled the one massive feeling of the day, aside from the despair that coated everything. Never is it more clear how much stuff you have than when you're forced to move it quickly to prevent ruin. The other part of that, at least for me, was the realization of exactly how clean we keep the house on a regular basis, because a lot of the stuff that had to be moved would not have been there if the house was immaculate. I would like to say I learned from this experience and now keep the house shiny and clean with everything put away, and maybe after we get finished with the renovations I will, but now there is still stuff all over the house (in fairness, there kind of has to be now). We'll see.
Aside from new floors, the major positive that came out of this experience is the huge amount of stuff I was finally able (allowed myself) to get rid of. The trunks of my car and my mom's car were both completely full of clothes and other goodwill-worthy items. That part of it felt good.

The water seeping into the garage. The garage is at the front of the house, the broken toilet at the back.

Water on the rug in the bedroom. The pile of clothes at the top of the picture was in the bathroom, laundry sorted and ready to get washed.

Closet in the guest room.

Floor of the guest room. The comforter absorbed a lot of the water - the edge was in contact with the floor. The bed was one of the first places we started stacking things to get them off of the floor.

The den off the kitchen, with the contents of bookshelves and the floor of my closet.

The giant fans that dried out the house (and drove us crazy with the noise for days).

The fan and dehumidifier in the bedroom. They only tore out half the flooring in that room because the water only reached so far. The floor is still like that.

The bathroom. The cords ran all over the house to various outlets and bathtubs.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

2011-05-06T18:30:00.001-05:00

Bon Appetit calls this recipe the new beef stew, I call it YUM.

Well, they also call it Zinfandel Braised Beef Short Ribs with Rosemary-Parsnip Mashed Potatoes. Funily enough, it comes from one of the issues that has many favorite recipes of ours, May 2009. We regularly make the Ragu, the Macaroni and Cheese, and sometimes the apple tartlettes. Those recipes, and my default short ribs recipe (the slow cooker is involved, as is bar-b-que sauce), might have something to do with why it took me so long to try these short ribs.

The prep is easy, brown the ribs,

remove them,

saute the onions,

then the parsnips,

then the garlic and rosemary,

and then add the liquid and scrape the bottom. Return the ribs to the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer.

Cover the pot, and stick the whole thing in the oven while you go do something else and enjoy the aromas that will soon penetrate your house. I did laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.

About 2 hours in, return to the kitchen and prepare the mash. Boil the parsnips and potatoes together, and heat the milk, butter, and rosemary mixture.

Prepare any sides you may have. We enjoyed this particular meal with a chopped vegetable salad and sauteed and roasted radishes and carrots.

After about 2 and a half hours, remove the beef ribs from the oven and poke them to see if they're done. They should be almost falling off the bone tender.

Remove the ribs from the pot (pot is HOT - we always have a hard time remembering this one), skim the fat, and simmer the sauce until it's a little thicker.

Taste your sauce and your mash and adjust seasoning accordingly.

Return the ribs to the sauce and let that whole thing simmer for a few more minutes. Then, finally, enjoy!

Braised Beef Short Ribs (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Serves 4, with sides, or 2, with some leftovers

Ingredients

Butter

4 to 6 beef short ribs, we used 4 because they were very thick

1 1/2 cups chopped red onion

1 cup cubed parsnips (if you want parsnip pieces identifiable in the sauce, use a larger cube, closer to 1-inch; if not, use 1/2 inch)

2 to 3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 heaping tablespoon fresh rosemary

375 ml (give or take a sip) Zinfandel (substitute beef broth if you don't want to use wine, but the flavor will be completely different)

1 cup reduced sodium or low-salt beef broth

2 teaspoons all purpose flour

Take the ribs out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes and ideally an hour before browning (not required, but helps). Preheat the oven to 375. Generously salt and pepper the ribs. In a large oven-safe stock pot, brown on all sides in a little bit of butter (1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon). Remove the ribs from the pot, and add a little more butter if needed. Sauté the onions until brown, then add parsnips and sauté until they being to color a little bit. Stir in the garlic and rosemary. Add the wine and the broth, scraping the bottom of the pan for those delicious brown bits. Bring the pot to a boil and return the ribs and their juices to it. Once the mixture is simmering, cover the pot and place it in the oven until the ribs are tender, about 2 and 1/2 hours, but they can stay in longer if they need more time or if you need more time preparing sides.

This is when you can go do laundry or something more fun than laundry as your house fills will enticing aromas.

Once ribs are tender and you have removed the VERY HOT pot from the oven, remove the ribs from the sauce. Spoon the fat from the pot, or use one of those strainer pourer fat separating things, just remember to add the onion and parsnips back to the pot. Boil the sauce until just beginning to thicken, then mix equal parts butter and flour (start with one tablespoon each) in a small bowl, making a smooth paste. In small amounts, add the butter-flour to the sauce, whisking after each addition, and evaluate the sauce consistency before adding more. Simmer until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, or looks like it will cling to the meat when you serve it. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Return the ribs to the pot and spoon the sauce over.

(I'll post the mash recipe separately, I'm tired of typing and we have to go out to dinner.)

Education

2011-05-04T18:00:00.000-05:00

Fantastic article by Eric Schlosser, from the Washington Post.

Big plans

2011-04-13T18:26:00.001-05:00

I had big plans for this blog, with things getting done over the weekend. There were several dishes to be prepared, and specially photographed using my new light box. I was very much looking forward to making the dish, recording each step, then playing with photographing the final product in the light box. Then would come editing the pictures, writing a brilliant and witty post (I can dream), and sharing the results with you, internet folks, here. I was going to post a "pick our seder" post, with options for each course, so you could choose what we ate, and subsequently, what I would write about here later.

Instead, we woke up Saturday morning with about a half inch of water in half the house. Now, as far as destruction that requires involvement of the insurance company goes, this flood of ours is relatively minor. We will be getting new floors in three bedrooms and their closets, and some furniture has some water damage, and there have been very loud (and annoying) fans throughout the wet part of the house from Saturday until Tuesday, but all in all there is more to be thankful for than devastated about. As the Husband put it, when he was looking for ways to remove water on the internet, he said he came across methods for removing feet of water, amounts much greater than the half inch we had. We have a functioning kitchen, living room, and office, and (aside from lack of sleep) no harm caused to either of us or the puppy. We actually got to sleep in our bed last night.

However, I am overwhelmed by the damage and the work that needs to be done. Completely overwhelmed. It's amazing that I can get myself to work, cleaned and dressed, every day, because when I wake up or get out of the shower or move through the house, I see my shoe rack in the hall, not in the closet where it belongs, or the concrete under the floor boards in the bedroom with the remaining boards still needing to be removed (with our bed on top of them), or observe the many holes drilled into the wall where the baseboards used to be, and the effect is paralyzing. The effort it takes to pull my eyes away from those holes, or to move my hand off of the shoes, exhausts me. All I want to do is get back in bed and wake up that Saturday morning again, only this time to a normal Saturday that doesn't involve sweeping water out of the house at 5:00 am or starting a list of all of our things that were damaged by the water.

I also don't know how to try and return to some semblance of normal. The laundry we did on Sunday is still folded on the coffee table because I don't know if it would be better to leave it there or put it away in our dressers that will have to move soon so we can replace the floors in the bedroom. The books from the workout room and the contents of the floor of my closet are still occupying most of the floor in the fireplace room, so I see them the entire time I'm in the kitchen. I have to resist the urge to run out and buy small cement bricks to put under every piece of furniture in the house in case it happens again.

This weekend, instead of preparing for Passover and taking pleasure in the cleaning and cooking that comes with the holiday, I will be sorting through clothes and other things to see what I can get rid of, making lists and taking more pictures of what was ruined, and trying to organize the displaced books and other things into some semblance of organization that we can live with while we get the house fixed.

(Pictures to come. There are a ton of them, but I don't know where the camera cord is right now.)

Foodie Friday Fav - Beef Chili

2011-03-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

Mmm chili. I had always been a beans and vegetables chili kind of girl, until I met this recipe. This chili is nothing like the slow cooker chili seasoning packet variety that was a frequent meal when we lived in Baltimore. This chili is deep, seductive, warm, and amazingly flavorful. This chili makes me go "mmm chili" whenever I think about it. It's the perfect meal for a Sunday afternoon at home, since you can put it on the stove and go about your other housework.

Adapted from Bon Appetit's Beef Chili with Ancho, Mole, and Cumin

Chili
1 T cumin seeds
4 bacon slices, chopped
4-pound boneless chuck roast, trimmed of fat and connective tissue and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup rye, whiskey, bourbon, or rum (optional)
at least 3 1/2 cups beef broth, maybe more
1/4 cup ancho chile powder
1/4 cup Texas-style chili powder blend
1 T mole paste (available in a jar on the Mexican aisle of the grocery store)
salt - start with 2t, then season to taste
2 t apple cider vinegar
2T Mexican oregano, fresh, or 1-2 t dried
1/4 t cayenne pepper, or to taste

Toast the cumin seeds in a small skillet until fragrant. Grind using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

Cook the bacon in a large pot or dutch oven. Remove the bacon to a large bowl once cooked, leaving drippings in the pan. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Brown the beef in small batches. Transfer the beef to the bowl with the bacon once brown.

Once all the beef has browned, add the onions to the pot and saute until tender. Scrape the bottom of the pot to get the brown bits. Midway through sauteing the onions, add the rye (or other liquor, if using) and saute until the liquid is almost all gone. Add the garlic and stir for a few minutes.

Return the beef and bacon and drippings to the pot. Add the chile powders, mole paste, cumin, oregano, cayenne (if using), and apple cider vinegar. Stir to incorporate.

Add the broth (start with 3 cups). Stir, and bring it to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for a few hours, tasting after two hours and adding more broth if needed (if the chili gets too thick). The chili is ready when the meat is very tender and the sauce has thickened. Sometimes this process takes 2 hours, sometimes 3. Stir occasionally, and taste occasionally to adjust seasoning as needed. The chili will look like the below picture when it is close to being ready.

Serve in bowls with garnishes separate. Garnishes can include black beans, queso fresco or other cheese, sour cream, pickled or fresh jalapeños, cilantro, chopped green or red onion, and anything else you desire. The bowl in the picture has queso fresco and a pickled sweet pepper.

Breakfast Tacos

2011-03-13T15:15:00.001-05:00

Breakfast tacos are so Texas. At work, we'll get them most Fridays. Almost every place that does breakfast has them on the menu in some form or another, and every person has their favorite place to get them. There are infinite combinations of ingredients, of course, but eggs, some meat, and cheese, rolled up in a soft flour tortilla, tends to be the standard. Other ingredients may include potatoes, beans, vegetables (peppers and onions), salsa, avocado, jalapeño, and so on. Variations include minor details such as how the meat is incorporated (mixed into the eggs or placed on top), the type of cheese, or the size of tortilla.
Whenever we have the fresh tortillas from Central Market, we make our own breakfast tacos. Today's rendition included bacon, colby-jack cheese, black bean and corn salsa, and eggs. Fruit was served on the side.

First, cook the fillings, in this case, eggs and bacon.

Set the table with all of the ingredients.

Assemble the taco.
Cheese

Salsa

Egg

Bacon

Roll and enjoy.

French Onion Soup

2011-02-27T17:27:00.000-06:00

French Onion Soup

Slice onions. I used three, for two servings.
Caramelize onions. Put them, with a drizzle of vegetable oil, in a heavy pot over low heat and leave them alone.

You can push them around every so often. They will get nice and soft and brown.

Add beef broth (4-6 cups, depending on how thick you like your soup) and a bouquet garni. This one used tarragon, rosemary, and thyme, all from the garden.

Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, tasting occasionally and adjusting seasoning as needed.
Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls, and top with a slice of French bread and cheese. Havarti, Swiss, orFontina are all good to use. Set the bowl under the broiler for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and brown and soup is bubbling up around the edges.

One year?

2011-02-15T18:30:00.000-06:00

It occurred to me, in planning this year's Valentine's meal over the weekend, that this bloggy thing is just about a year old now. The first real post was February 10 and the first recipe was the amazing beef tenderloin we had last year.
It also occurred to me that I have cooked much more than has appeared here, and photographed almost as much of those meals. Over the next few weeks, I will go through and feature some of the better dishes and pictures, only without much of a detailed review. If it's posted, it was good.
Here's a sneak peak:

It would be nice to revive some features I tried to start during the year, like Friday Favs and Tuesday Treats, but I was not as diligent as I had hoped with them. Maybe soon I can continue them.

I also plan to update and continue with my 30 before 30 list. On that note, and knowing I will be home for at least a month (no major travel plans scheduled, amazingly), I will begin a 30 posts in 30 days mission.

January Vegetable: Brussels Sprouts (#2)

2011-02-15T18:00:00.000-06:00

For the second round of Brussels sprouts, I tried a simple preparation method. I drizzled them with a little olive oil, then roasted them in the oven until they were slightly browned and cooked through, about 20 minutes. I did toss them around about 10 minutes into the roasting time. Once out of the oven, they got a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a drizzle of white balsamic vinegar.
The roasting brings out a sweetness to the Brussels sprouts, and the white balsamic takes that sweetness to the next level with a zing. The Husband agreed we could have used a little more white balsamic, but he did eat (and kind of enjoy) most of his serving.

Next up, I am interested in trying the sprouts directly from the stalk. They are available at Central Market this way, and apparently taste better because the stalk tricks them into thinking they are still growing and continues to provide some nutrients to them.

Ingredients
Brussels sprouts
Olive Oil
White Balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Method
Spread Brussels sprouts on a cookie sheet or baking pan, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until desired amount of cooking is reached. Move them around the pan about halfway through the cooking time.
Once cooked, transfer them to a bowl. Drizzle them with white balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

February Vegetable #1: Kale Chips

2011-02-14T18:33:00.004-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!
So thrilled I finally tried kale chips. I plan to keep a lot of these on hand to satisfy late evening munchies. The ongoing attempt to enjoy this leafy green is progressing... this recipe certainly helps the relationship.

Kale Chips
Preheat the oven to 250. Start with a bunch of kale. Remove the ribs and leave the leaves whole, or break them up, That part is up to you. Toss the kale with some olive oil, and sprinkle salt and pepper (and any other herbs or spices) on them. Arrange them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and bake for about 30 minutes, until they are crispy. Let them cool, then enjoy!

MRIs of Food

2011-02-07T19:00:00.001-06:00

Check out these cool food images on the Inside Insides blog.

January Vegetable: Brussels Sprouts (#1)

2011-01-22T20:27:00.000-06:00

As indicated on the listie, I will be trying a new vegetable each month, cooked 3 different ways (number 24). This is the first entry in that category. (This entry also satisfies another item on the list, number 20, at least kind of. I did alter the recipe enough that the Husband doesn't think it counts.) More on Brussels sprouts (choosing them, storing them) to follow.

The Vegetable: Brussels Sprouts
The Cookbook: Fresh From the Farmers Market
The Recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Walnut Oil

Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons walnut oil
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives
1 pound small Brussels sprouts
salt and freshly ground pepper

Method
Combine the first four ingredients in a large bowl. Trim Brussels sprouts ends. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add sprouts and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and return to the pot over low heat. Cook briefly, shaking the pot until water evaporates. Transfer the sprouts to the large bowl and toss to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper and serve.

What I did:
I started by substituting olive oil for walnut oil because we didn't have any. I omitted chives. I halved the Brussels sprouts before cooking them. Does it count as making the recipe if I alter it that much? You be the judge.

The results:
Very good. The Husband (a sworn enemy of this particular vegetable) ate most of his serving. The walnut oil definitely would have added something spectacular, so when I remember to, I'll pick some up, and try again.

Cottage Pie

2011-01-22T19:23:00.001-06:00

Continuing on the trend of making recipes from my cookbooks (and less from the interwebbings and other such means), we made Gordon Ramsay's Cottage Pie on Thursday. This dish is fantastic for a winter evening, warm, filling, and heavy on the comfort food of the Husband's childhood, beef and potatoes. In fact, we commented to each other that it was like a grown-up version of mushed up hamburger, a long-time favorite of his. Of course, in Cooking for Friends, Gordon uses ground lamb to make Shepherd's Pie. In this recipe, either beef or lamb works, and apparently the use of beef changes it from Shepherd's Pie to Cottage Pie. Either way, it's very good. We've added celery from time to time, too. A green salad would be a great accompaniment if desired.

Ingredients - Filling
1 pound ground lamb or beef
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, minced or grated (I find chopping the vegetable into sizable pieces then adding them to a mini food processor creates a great size for this dish)
1 large carrot, minced or grated
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste (we have some in a tube in the fridge so we don't have to open - and subsequently waste - a can every time we need just a bit)
1 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
leave from several thyme sprigs
leaves from one rosemary sprig, chopped
2 tablespoons minced Branston Pickle (we don't use this regularly, mainly because it's hard to get Branston pickle here)

Ingredients - Topping
1 1/4 pound baking potatoes, cut into chunks (we used yukon gold)
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons hot milk
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, and more for topping
2 extra-large egg yolks

Method
Use a large cast-iron or heavy pan over medium to high heat. Season the ground lamb or beef with salt and pepper, and brown in a little oil. Transfer the meat to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Add some more oil to the pan, and add the onion, garlic, and carrot. Stir frequently until vegetables are a golden brown.

Add the flour and tomato paste, and stir for a few more minutes. Add the wine, and reduce, scraping the bottom of the pan to get the flavorful brown bits. The wine should reduce until the pan is almost dry.

Add the chicken stock and bring it to a simmer. Return the meat to the pan and stir in the Worcestershire sauce and herbs. Turn the heat down to the lowest (or almost lowest) setting and simmer until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened (he says 30-40 minutes, we let it go for about 30).

As the sauce is thickening, cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain the potatoes and return them to their original pan over low heat to dry out a bit. Mash the potatoes (or use a ricer) into a large bowl. Add the butter, hot milk, and parmesan and mix well. Season to taste before adding egg yolks.
Preheat the oven to 350. If using, add the pickle to the meat mixture at this time. Pour the meat mixture into an 8-cup baking dish and top with the potatoes. I found it works best to start at the outside of the dish and work with small spoonfuls of the potato mixture. Once covered, top the potatoes with more Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with pepper. Bake until the top is brown and the filling is bubbling up around the sides. We baked it for 20 minutes then turned the broiler on for 3 more. Let it sit for a minute out of the oven, then serve.

Food Facts

2011-01-20T18:30:00.000-06:00

10 Fun Food Facts for your Thursday evening. Enjoy!

Dilemma

2011-01-19T19:32:00.000-06:00

Here is the problem I have:
I make many, many recipes. I document most of them. However, I do not post most of them, because there are tweaks I want to make, or because they didn't come out as I hoped, or whatever other reason of non-perfection you want. It hasn't been a problem before, but now that I have this list, I feel more obligated to post any attempt if it meets something on the list.
Take last night, for example. I made lasagna, from our Pasta book (adding another check mark to number 20). It technically was a compilation of 3 recipes, the Bechamel sauce, the Bolognese sauce, and the combination to get lasagna. It was not quite what I was expecting. Almost everything I've read lately has extolled the virtues of Bechamel lasagna over ricotta, and I was very much looking forward to experiencing this new rich, creamy, amazing lasagna. While the flavor was great (fantastic, in fact) the texture was drier than I thought it should have been, and the filling a bit sparse. It was a much more delicate final product than the thick, heavy, meaty lasagna in my head.
The Bolognese sauce, two (or three) different kinds of meat braised in three different liquids over a long period of time, was spectacular. Rich, slightly sweet, very flavorful, and with a traditional Italian taste that sung in my mouth. The Bechamel thickened up nicely and was easy to do, but was too thick by the end. The recipe for lasagna called for one recipe each of Bechamel and Bolognese, but I found more Bolognese could have been used with the one pound of lasagna noodles instructed.
I will make this recipe (these recipes) again, with tweaks (of course). Now that I have a better idea of the final product, it will be easier to adjust amounts, consistencies, and so on. I won't do much to the ratios, or seasonings, because the flavor is fantastic.

Email me if you want the recipe. Or comment, and I'll give it to you. I will update with a picture tomorrow.

Is it Food?

2011-01-10T18:30:00.000-06:00

It may be true, but I got more laughs out of it than anything else. Check out this real food flowchart:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/darya-pino/is-it-real-food-flowchart_b_805406.html

Lamb

2011-01-08T20:45:00.000-06:00

I can't eat lamb. I've tried. I've even tried to blog it. I have pictures from two recipes, now 3, that may not see the light of day, because I can't eat lamb.
I tried.
I promise I tried.
Out of all three recipes, I ate most of it. Maybe most. Except for tonight.
It was just too tender. And yummy. And moist.
And with a flavor I just could not get my mouth around.
It's hard, because I don't know if it's one of those things that I don't like because of what it is (baby sheep, you know, very cute lambies) or because of what it tastes like (shrimp, you know, out of the ocean water I swim in, that murky gulf, it's supposed to be safe with no jelly fish or anything (ignoring the oil - tar - I used to have on my feet after every beach trip)).
I very much would like to objectively describe the recipes we've made with lamb. There have been two with lamb shanks and one of a rack of lamb, which is not called lamb rib, apparently. And, in truth, they all very lovely, with great flavor and tasty results.
But I'm not posting recipes. Sorry. I don't usually do the preachy thing, and I'm not now. It's just not something I can do myself, the lamb thing. Pictures, maybe. Tomorrow. But not recipes. If you want them, let me know. They are very good, after all. It's part of that inner struggle.

(Go Ravens. No struggle there, just proper team spirit.)

A New Year

2011-01-01T16:04:00.000-06:00

Bon Appetit's food predictions for 2011 and my friend's ambitious blog, Foods I Like, got me thinking. I doubt I'll be cooking rabbit, or trying 365 (or 367) new recipes in 2011, but I do have some food goals for this year. In addition, I turn 30 this year, in August. In the spirit of other "30 before 30" lists in the bloggy world out there, I have a list of 30 food related things I would like to accomplish before I turn 30. 8 months and 8 days should be enough time, right? I've tried to make the goals mostly quantifiable, but a few vague ones slipped in. There is also some overlap, with some recipes able to fit into multiple items on the list, for example, but that makes it more fun.

Did I forget anything? Do you have any ambitious (or not so ambitious) food goals for 2011?

The List:
1. Expand my breadmaking abilities (oven and bread machine, it doesn't matter)
2. Do a 30 posts in 30 days blog feature

3. Find (another) (equally tasty) halibut recipe

4. Master ravioli

5. Explore new dessert recipes and techniques (one a month, say?)

6. Organize my recipe binder

7. Lose 20 pounds (doc says 30, but I'll start with 20) (the Husband says this one isn't food related, but I disagree)

8. Learn how to jar something – strawberry jam, Husband’s mom?

9. Host a dinner party

10. Use our restaurant gift certificates

11. Make sushi

12. Find a beer I like

13. Eat at top 5 Mexican restaurants in Texas

14. Try a new recipe every week before the big day (and blog each one)

15. Eat at 10 restaurants I haven’t been to yet

16. Visit the Texas olive oil producer

17. Cook shellfish

18. Learn how to make chicken shawarma

19. Make tuna tartare

20. Make one recipe out of every one of my cookbooks

21. Submit a recipe to Food 52

22. Finish reading “In Defense of Food”

23. Use our fondue set. It’s been in the garage since we moved (about 3 years now). Even better, I actually bought fondue cheese back in Baltimore, and it got tossed when we moved out of the apartment.

24. Try one new vegetable a month, cooked 3 different ways (8 total)

25. Make dog treats

26. Master my ice cream maker for at least one signature recipe

27. Go through my kitchen cabinets and get rid of redundant equipment and things we don't use

28. Eat a main course salad for dinner once a week

29. Grow 4 kinds of tomatoes (and keep track of which plants are which!)

30. Cook the perfect brisket. And remember how to spell brisket

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

2010-12-14T19:16:00.000-06:00

I made bread this weekend with my bread machine. I decided to get adventurous and try a new type of bread. We’ve done whole wheat and we’ve done white, but I noticed this time as I was looking through the breadmachine book, that I have the option to do French bread. Also with the reading of the breadmachine book, I discovered some hints and tips that had the potential to transform my bread attempts into something that tasted as spectacular as it smelled.

The recipe was an adaption of the Italian Herb Bread recipe in the breadmachine book (I know bread machine is two words, but it is so much more fun to type it as one, especially when followed by “book”). When I assembled the ingredients, I thought we would be enjoying a lovely piece of red meat and an even lovelier bottle of red wine for dinner, but the Husband was in an unfortunate state from having consumed large quantities of red wine the night before. So we had soup instead, and the bread was still a fantastic addition to the meal.

Rosemary Olive Oil Breadmachine Bread

The instructions for this recipe correspond to the one for my bread machine. I have no idea if they are all the same, so if the instructions for yours differ, please alter accordingly. Also, I used a tiny bit more yeast than it called for, because I wanted a fluffier, lighter texture.

Wet ingredients go in first.

3 tablespoons olive oil

1¼ cup water

Chopped rosemary. I used about 2 tablespoons, and we both decided it could have used more.

Dry ingredients

3½ cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic power

Make a little well in the top of the dry ingredients, careful not to get any wetness into the well. Add the yeast.

2 ½ teaspoons breadmachine yeast

Turn the machine on and let it go to town. Try not to get frightened by the machine when it suddenly starts to knead the dough when you’re standing in front of it with your back to it. Enjoy!

You want pictures, you say? We may have eaten it too fast for pictures. It also makes lovely toast for eggs, and lovely bread to accompany NY strip roast.

Kitchen Toys

2010-12-09T20:00:00.000-06:00

The weather outside is frightful...

If you've been anywhere near my house in the past week, you've probably heard me singing this and various other Christmas songs loudly and very off-key. I love this time of year, and I love Christmas music. Until recently, I didn't celebrate Christmas, and so had very mixed feelings about this time of year. But not the songs. I've always loved them.

When I met my now husband back when we were in school, he told me wild tales of Christmas and warm fuzzy goodness that was his family. And I was jealous. Big time jealous. It's the one holiday I always wanted to celebrate, but never got to, being Jewish and all. Don't get me wrong, I love my religion, it's history, and my family traditions related to the holidays, but this time of year was always challenging and full of guilt for me.

As we became closer, and our relationship grew, my exposure to his Christmas also increased. The first time I visited his family (and met them, and saw his house) started on Boxing Day (that's the day after Christmas for all of you non-Canadians out there). When I arrived at the house, I was overwhelmed with the complete immersion into Christmas that I experienced. His mom is an incredible Christmas decorator. The decorations weren't the only thing - there were presents for me. For me! How cool was that?

The next year, I was invited to participate in all of Christmas. All of it! From Christmas Eve all the way through traveling to Canada on Boxing Day for extended Christmas with his extended family. At this point, we had been dating seriously for almost 3 years, and knew we planned to continue our relationship after we graduated (it was, after all, Senior year). That Christmas was my first candlelight Christmas Eve service, my first unable-to-sleep-because-I-was-too-busy-being-excited-and-watching-for-deer-out-of-the-window-in-the-moonlight, my first Christmas morning, my first sticky buns, and my first (and only) white Christmas, which resulted in my first snowman.

Man, take a Jewish girl from the south and throw her into a Baltimore Christmas, and that is what you get.

As the years have gone by, my Christmas experiences have progressed from that tingle of excitement that kept me up most of my first Christmas Eve to excitement over spending a relaxing few days with family I see not nearly enough anymore. Moving down to Austin has just a little bit to do with that. Last year, for the first time, I participated in Christmas in a new way, a behind-the-scenes sort of way that involved stockings. I'll leave it at that.

It's my 9th Christmas this year, the third year we've had a full-sized tree at home (something I always wanted but swore I would never do), and the third year we're spending the holiday itself at the Husband's brother's house, complete with his wife, their daughter, my mother-in-law, and her giant yellow Lab, Max. And I cannot wait.

(Here comes the guilt again, it's Chanukah now, and I feel like I should be writing about the beauty of the lights, or the joy of sharing my family traditions with the Husband. But that's not what this post is about. There will be another one about Chanukah.)

Anyway, the purpose of this post was to discuss some of my favorite kitchen toys, in case you're in need of gift ideas, or need padding for your own wish list.

1. Kitchenaid mixer. We do so many things with it (and with attachments). Ice cream, ground beef, and pasta, to name a few things. We occasionally use the food processor attachment.

2. Spatulas. I use them for everything, even making eggs, and have a variety of sizes and shapes. These are particularly cute and festive.

3. A good knife. We did just update our knife block for one with more slots, but all you really need for most tasks is one really good knife.

4. A kitchen scale. Ours weighs in 4 different weights. Indispensable tool. Just don't let it jump off of the top of the refrigerator, because it most likely will stop working at that point.

Thanksgiving 3

2010-12-03T16:45:00.000-06:00

And finally (I know, a week later) we get to the food.
The day was lovely, the food all came out wonderfully, and we were mostly relaxed. I say mostly because out of the 5 of us (me, the Husband, his mom, and my folks), 3 of us spent the morning increasingly anxious about when the turkey needed to go into the oven. Guess which three.

Every time one of us would go from the kitchen to the living room, we would ask the dear Husband if he knew when the turkey was to go in. It went something like this:
Me: When should the turkey go in?
Husband: I don't know yet, I'll let you know when I look it up.
Me: Please do it soon.
(I walk back in the kitchen and exchange eye rolls and general moaning about boys with the moms)

5 minutes later, in the living room
My mom: Have you looked up the turkey time yet?
The Husband: Not yet. I will soon.
My mom: Ok.
(She walks back into the kitchen, to the same reactions from us as I received moments before.)

10 minutes later, in the living room
Me: Husband, I am getting nervous. Please look up the turkey time NOW.
Him: Lay off. I'll let you know when I do, and it will be fine.
Me: It's more important than your fantasty football. You're losing this season anyway. Look it up now and we'll all leave you alone.
Him: I'll do it when I damn well please. Get back in the kitchen where you belong, woman.

It got to the point where each time one of us would open our mouths in that room, my dad would already be laughing. Aside from that minor stress-inducing incident, the day passed very smoothly, ending with a lovely meal of Thanksgiving-y goodness.

Mom's Corn Casserole
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 can cream-style corn (14-15 oz)
1 can corn kernels (11-14 oz)
1 1/2 cup grated cheese (I've used cheddar, Colby jack, and jalapeño jack at different times)
8 oz sour cream
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix (8 oz)

Method
Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in a large bowl. Add corns, 1 cup grated cheese, sour cream, and muffin mix. Stir to blend. Pour into a greased 7x11 baking dish or a round casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts. Let stand for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Thanksgiving, Part 2

2010-11-25T08:08:00.000-06:00

There are many things to be thankful for this year, all right here at home.

Our tomatoes have taken off the past few months. There are probably around one hundred fruits on the plant.

And peppers. Lots of peppers that, somehow, the deer have not managed to decimate this year.

Eggplant, herbs, and so much more.

I am very thankful we are in a place where we can have a vegetable garden.

But - the weather - we're supposed to get our first real freeze tonight. So we'll probably have to say goodbye to the garden for the year.

There may be pickled tomatoes in my future. And fried green ones. Lots, because as you can see, we're not ready for a freeze! Despite the worries, it's nice to have such a garden for which to be thankful. Some of our treasures are treasures in part for the reason they sometimes bring us grief, or fear, or worries. We get that much more joy out of them and we're that much more invested in them. (And it makes me feel all grown up and proud. You would think hosting Thanksgiving for the fourth year in a row would do it. But no, it's worrying about my plants that did it.)

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm off to the turkey trot with the family.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-23T18:00:00.002-06:00

It's the 4th annual Davey Thanksgiving Extravaganza....

A little history:
Year 1: cooking for 7 in a tiny Austin apartment. Generally a success, despite such tight quarters. We used all new recipes, an adventure for us since we never hosted Thanksgiving before.
Highlights included Cornbread Dressing with Roasted Fall Vegetables, Cranberry Cornmeal Quick Bread, my mom's corn casserole (recipe later), and a roasted garlic-cauliflower soup.
Year 2: cooking for 12 in our new house. Such a difference in space. Equally a success. We used a lot of the same recipes from the year before, and added a few new ones, like poached pears and pumpkin creme brulee, and, in a nod to the Husband's Canadian roots, Smashed Rutabagas with Ginger Pears.
Year 3: cooking for 12 (not quite the same 12 as the year before). It was still generally a success, despite too-salty gravy because we salted the turkey. We added a cranberry sorbet and an amuse bouche of butternut squash ravioli (all handmade) with sage butter sauce. The Herb and Cheese Poppers as a mid-day snack were a huge hit.

And this year.
Year 4: Still discovering lists and menus from the previous years in the November issues of cooking magazines. I am much more relaxed than previous years, in part because the number of eaters at my table has dropped to 5. The menu this year features a lovely heritage turkey, the Husband's mom's stuffing, my mom's corn casserole, gold and sweet potato gratin, braised spinach, butternut squash ravioli with walnut-cream sauce, roasted root vegetables, carrot cake, my mom's pecan and fudge pie, Goode Co pecan pie, and an apple/pear salad. Oh, and multi-grain rolls and mini corn muffins. Not in that order, of course.

Unlike previous years, I have not written out a detailed timeline for Thursday yet. And it's Tuesday afternoon. I do know that tonight I will be baking. Carrot Cake, cranberry walnut scones, and corn casserole (for a pot-luck at work tomorrow) are on the list for tonight. I also know that tomorrow the Husband will make the pasta for the ravioli and go to the store for any last minute ingredients, including lettuce and other such delicate perishables, while our mothers enjoy a day of shopping at the San Marcos outlet malls and I try to make the time pass quickly at work. I know when I come home I'll prepare the dough for the rolls, and set it to rise.
I am not concerned about the schedule for the big day, and I'm trying to figure out why. I know the day will progress smoothly with a schedule, but I still haven't put one together. Am I that confident in our cooking abilities this year? Am I more relaxed because there are fewer guests? Have we done this Thanksgiving thing enough to have it down? Will I have a minor spaz tomorrow afternoon and quickly write up a timetable, only to discover I'm still missing some key ingredients (impossible, because the grocery list making process was ridiculous, but still)?

I guess I'll have my answer in two days. You'll get the full report, don't worry. You'll also get (hopefully) lovely photographs of our meal, with brilliant (ha) descriptions and reviews of each dish.

In the meantime, what are your plans? Are you hosting? Are you bringing your favorite dish to someone else's? More importantly, what are you cooking, or, if you're not cooking, what are you eating?

Pyramids

2010-10-18T18:00:00.003-05:00

Another interesting find from good.is:
Dual Food Pyramids: "To help people select foods that contribute to a Balanced Diet from the Nutritional viewpoint but that are also Sustainable for the Environment, we have developed the Double Pyramid."
Click on the image for more information. (You may have to click the top button to translate the page to English.)

And I promise to post more recipes and pictures soon. I have about ten just waiting to get published.

Local Food?

2010-10-15T18:00:00.001-05:00

It's hard, as a lover of food, to ignore the many issues in the food world today. Everyone has an opinion, and every issue has a study backing it. For some reason, it seems there is more and more press on food-related things now, and lately in particular. It probably doesn't help that I am reading Best Food Writing 2010 (and highly recommend it), since many of the issues discussed today are topics of the essays presented in the book. The point of this post is mainly to recommend the book, and not to delve into the arguments behind the many reasons to or not to eat something, but I do have a few thoughts about an article I just read.

Walmart Goes Local, on good.is
My first thought was, WTF? Doesn't the concept of local goods, unique to the town, region, or state, go against everything Walmart, as a national retailer, has done to the average consumer? I ran through several discussion points in my head, but then I realized what was actually bothering me about this particular issue. It is not that the concept of local is contradictory to the economies of scale that supports Walmart. It's not that people shopping for produce at Walmart may have other priorities than local production. It's also not the concern that local farmers may not be able to compete with prices. And it's beyond wondering if it all is a publicity stunt, or an attempt to lure new shoppers into the store.

Should Walmart be spending money on local produce programs when they offer no benefits and very low wages to the majority of their employees? I know it's not a sexy or trendy issue, like local produce, but it is a very real problem. Walmart, in it's position as gigantic retailer and employer, has the ability to make widespread changes to retail jobs across the country. This issue concerns me greatly, and until they make changes in the direction of a living wage or basic benefits to employees, I cannot be impressed by other things, like this local food thing, that they will do.

What do you think? Will Walmart be successful in their support of local farmers? Should they address the issues within their company before attempting to reach out? Do you eat local food? Do you have any particular food-related shopping habits like buying local, eating seasonally, or anything else?

Foodie Friday Favorite - Buffalo Meatloaf with Spinach and Fingerling Potatoes

2010-09-27T09:58:00.013-05:00

Adapted from Bon Appetit.

This recipe was my first attempt at meatloaf, about 3 years ago. We were living in a tiny apartment in Austin, and had a very old (and not in a good way) oven/stove combo. As a newlywed, It was important to me to learn how to cook some of my husband’s favorite dishes. Not wanting to compete with my new mother-in-law and her meatloaf, I thought the ground bison in this recipe would set it apart as a different meatloaf, yet still capture the intention. It was months later when I learned the seemingly obvious fact that it didn’t matter how different (or similar) the recipe was. It wasn’t the same, and it wasn’t made by the Husband’s mom. We have come to enjoy this meatloaf and to me it symbolizes the next level in our cooking abilities and experimentation that took place shortly after we got married. (The recipe also happened to appear in the first issue of Bon Appétit that we purchased, to read on a camping trip where we watched the Persied Meteor shower. Coincidence? Probably not, since that one magazine led to our subscription…)

When I made the recipe the other night, I thought about how far our cooking has come in these three years. I love using ground bison and usually get at least two pounds whenever I pick some up. It’s a great healthy substitute for ground beef, and has sweeter flavor notes.

The beauty of this recipe is that it is a full, balanced meal. It does have a fair amount of cooking time, so on a weeknight start the potatoes as soon as you get home, and then do the other prep.

Ingredients

1 pound fingerling potatoes (or baby Yukon gold, if fingerlings are not available)

5 teaspoons olive oil, or more, as needed

1½ cups chopped crimini mushrooms (also called baby bella)

1 cup chopped onion (red onion gives the most flavor, but use whatever you have on hand)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 pound ground buffalo meat (Central Market and Whole Foods have ground bison in the meat case, and other grocers have pre-packaged ground bison in the meat section)

1 large egg

½ cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs, also now available in non-Asian sections of the store)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon (more or less as preferred) crushed red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove, diced

10 to 15 ounces fresh spinach

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Toss the potatoes in the olive oil. Place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.Meanwhile, prepare the meatloaf. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the mushrooms and onion until mushrooms are beginning to brown and onion is slightly translucent. Remove the skillet from the heat and mix in the herbs. Cool the mixture slightly.In a large bowl, gently mix together the buffalo, mushroom mixture, egg, panko, salt, and pepper. At this point, the 20 minutes for the potatoes should be over. Remove the potatoes from the oven and push them to the sides of the pan. Shape the meat mixture into a loaf-like shape in the center of the pan. 6 inches long by two to three inches tall works the best. Roast the meatloaf and potatoes for 30 minutes.Prepare the sauce. Combine the tomato sauce and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. After the 30 minutes have passed, pour the sauce over the meatloaf. Roast for 20 minutes more.

Once the meatloaf comes out of the oven, let it rest while you prepare the spinach. Heat the remaining oil and garlic in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and toss to wilt. If you prefer your spinach a little more done, cover the pot and steam the spinach for two to four minutes.

Slice meatloaf and serve alongside potatoes and spinach. Serves 6, and the leftovers are excellent.

Roasted Red Pepper and Fontina Grilled Cheese and Tomato-Lentil Soup.

2010-09-21T18:15:00.001-05:00

Roasted Red Pepper and Fontina Grilled Cheese and Tomato-Lentil Soup.

A portion of the soup is left over from the Yom Kippur dinner we shared with my folks this weekend. The lentils add a warm, slightly nutty flavor to my basic vegetable soup, and had a texture similar to butternut squash bisque. For dinner tonight, we’re using the lentil soup but adding some tomatoes, to make it more consistent with the tomato soup/grilled cheese comfort food of the Husband’s childhood.

Roasted Red Pepper and Fontina Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

4 slices country bread

2 to 4 slices tomatoes, marinated in olive oil, 2T fresh basil, 2T fresh oregano, and salt and pepper for 30 minutes

Fontina cheese

Roasted red pepper, one whole, sliced in half (Easiest way to roast a red pepper is in the toaster oven. If you don’t have one, or if you are unfortunate and like us, have a nice one that no longer works, the second easiest way is on the grill, if you have a gas grill. Otherwise, stick it in a hot oven. Once the pepper is roasted, seal it in a zip-lock bag until it cools, about 20 minutes. Remove it from the bag and peel the skin. The skin will come off easily at this point. Slice it in half, clean out the seeds, and you’re all set.)

Wilted leaf spinach, enough to cover slice of bread

Dried crushed red pepper flakes

Optional: pancetta, prosciutto, thinly sliced leftover roast beef

Procedure

Marinate tomatoes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly toast bread in pan on one side. Lightly butter untoasted side of each bread slice. Place 2 bread slices, buttered side down, on work surface. Top each with 2 meat slices, if using, then spinach leaves, then red pepper slices, then 4 cheese slices. Sprinkle with salt and crushed red pepper. Top with remaining 2 bread slices, buttered side up. Heat olive oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add sandwiches to skillet and cook until golden on bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn sandwiches over; transfer skillet to oven and bake until golden and cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Carefully lift off top bread slices from sandwiches and insert tomato slices into each, then cover with bread tops and serve.

Tomato-Lentil Soup

Ingredients

Make Lentil Soup, see recipe below. (If making Tomato-Lentil soup on the first go, add additional tomatoes when adding the first can, then add the cream towards the end of the cooking process.)

2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes

2T cream

Fresh basil, for garnish

Procedure

To turn the leftover lentil soup into tomato-lentil soup, we reheated the leftovers in a pot and added another can of diced tomatoes. We also added cream and used the immersion blender to blend until almost smooth. Serve in warmed bowls with sliced basil on top.

Vegetable Lentil Soup

Ingredients

1 onion, cut into rough ¼” pieces (or whatever size you prefer for soup)

3 or 4 carrots, cut

3 or 4 celery stalks, cut

The leafy inside part of the celery bunch, chopped

1 leek, chopped (we used the lower half of the leek)

1 garlic clove, chopped into very small pieces

2 quarts vegetable broth, and maybe more for thinning as the soup cooks

2 cups red lentils (or lentils of your choosing)

1 14oz can diced tomatoes

Fresh herbs (we used parsley, basil, oregano, tarragon)

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

Sautee onion, carrot, celery, celery leaves, and leeks in olive oil until crisp-tender over medium to medium high heat. Add garlic, cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add broth, bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmering vegetables for 10-15 minutes. Add lentils, tomatoes, and herbs and cook for 30 minutes or until lentils are soft. At this point, you can leave the soup as it is, or you can blend some or all of it. I used the immersion blender until about half of the soup was smooth, with some vegetables remaining in larger pieces. Add broth to thin if needed. Salt and pepper to taste, or allow each diner to salt and pepper individually (whenever we cook and my mother is one of the recipients, we always leave out the salt and pepper and let each person add their own).

Fall?

2010-09-21T18:00:00.001-05:00

It’s fall. Maybe it’s not technically fall, but school has started and temperatures at night here are hitting the upper 60’s. We had the windows open last night, at least until I realized the humidity was defeating the purpose of the cool temps and the house was actually getting hotter. Fall means apples, soups, squashes, and savory flavors. It means more food cooked in the oven than on the grill (though we do grill year-round). It means football and chili, and wishes every week for our games to be broadcasted at home so things like chili can be made while the game is on. It means cooking dinner as it gets dark outside, instead of finishing dinner then sitting on the porch as the sun sets. It means the return of favorite cooler-weather meals, like the chicken pot pie we had last week for the first time in months.

(I just did a search, and it turns out that fall does officially start this week, on Wednesday, so this post isn’t too far off. I think I felt that way because in my mind, it is hard to believe it is 2010, let alone nearing the end of September.)

And no, the leaves do not look like the picture above here yet. And may never. We tend to go from the brown of summer to the green of early fall to the brown of winter. This is much closer to what fall looks like here.

Part of fall for us this year means time to save a little more money than usual. The summer of weddings and travel has exhausted us, and not just physically.

A substantial portion of

our budget goes towards food. Therefore, saving money means making meals using as many things as are already in the kitchen as possible. I’m not good at planning meals this way. Part of my favorite part of the week is planning the menu, then grocery shopping for the ingredients we don’t have, with little regard for whatever we might already have. Saturday mornings are spent pouring over magazines and cookbooks, discussing recipes and pairings, and generally having a lovely breakfast filled with thoughts of other meals. Sadly, such dreaming will have to change for awhile. The meal planning for this month will involve a careful study and consideration of foods already in the pantry, fridge, and freezer (and there’s a lot of it). New creativity will come not with selecting recipes (or inventing recipes) to complement one another, but with combining ingredients in ways that minimize the weekly shopping list.

Pantry meal #1, dinner last night (and a post shortly), came from a little online searching with certain ingredients in mind, and then some tweaking of several recipes I encountered in my searching. It's Roasted Red Pepper and Fontina Grilled Cheese with Tomato-Lentil Soup.

Pizza

2010-08-15T18:29:00.000-05:00

It was a very relaxing and restful weekend. Stay tuned this week for beef fajitas, Greek salad, and orecchiette with mozzarella pearls. All three will feature produce from our garden.

Dinner tonight: Margherita pizza and Pugliese pizza from Mandola's. We're big fans.

Summer fun, and yummy steak

2010-08-04T19:46:00.001-05:00

Garden! Watermelons are getting bigger, peppers are actually starting to change color on the plants, and tomatoes and cucumbers continue to produce. Our tomatillo plants are going crazy – we’re just starting to see fruits on them. Herbs continue to please, and our poor grapes are recovering slowly from the deer munch fest a couple of months ago. Until this week, temperatures have been relatively mild (at least, mild from a Texas summer standpoint) but we are now seeing those 100 degree days and no rain, which will dry everything out and slow or stop production on most plants. However, I am not complaining, by this time last year we had almost 50 days over 100 degree or hotter weather, so this year has been substantially better for the garden.

Meanwhile, the summer continues to progress! We have discovered a new way to cook steak, courtesy of Gordon Ramsay (video on YouTube). All I can say is YUM. No pictures, but last night we used an herb butter on the nice rib-eyes from HEB instead of plain butter that Ramsay calls for, and it was fantastic.

Mix with ½ stick butter: 1 T chopped fresh parsley (Italian, from the garden), 1T chopped fresh chives, and 1 clove pressed garlic. Add the herb butter as instructed in the video, when it calls for plain butter.

We served this delicious piece of meat with steamed broccolini and garlic smashed potatoes.

Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Boil 2 potatoes (or however many people you want to feed) with 5 peeled gently crushed cloves of garlic until potatoes are soft. Remove from heat, let potatoes remain in the garlic water for a few minutes. Move the potatoes to an oven-safe dish. Gently push down on the tops of the potatoes until lightly smashed, enough so that toppings will seep inside. Drizzle the potatoes with a bit of olive oil and lay a pad of butter on top of each one. Salt and pepper. Broil for 10 minutes or so until the tops are crispy. Top with a small spoonful of crème fraiche and a sprinkle of chopped fresh chives.

Dismal Summer Bloggie

2010-07-13T19:39:00.000-05:00

Apparently I have fallen off the blog wagon this summer.

(Yum, slow cooked beef tacos. Even though you can't see the beef.)

And yes, this dock had something to do with it.

It also might have something to do with the enormous amount of work I have to do, at, well, at work, which renders me useless and exhausted every evening, or the multiple weddings and vacations occupying the weekends (we're in St. Louis this weekend), so that free weekends mean house cleaning, laundry, yard and garden work, and generally not doing too much else.
However, we have still been cooking, and taking pictures, so it's all a matter of time before I select the best recipes and have a "best of summer" post. Or several.
Highlights to look forward to include a Canadian chicken wing cook-off,

piri-piri chicken,

our garden's progress (huge, because of the two tropical storms of late), and I'm sure many more things that I will remember once I see the pictures. Like sunrise over Georgian Bay, courtesy of the Husband.

So please, folks, bear with me, and know that more is in the works (or already happened, but actually posting it is in the works).

Dinner tonight!

2010-06-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

Stay tuned: Grilled Asian Chicken with Bok Choy, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Radishes (from our garden)
with Mango-Sesame Dressing

(photo from Bon Appetit)

Spring Garden

2010-05-29T14:29:00.000-05:00

The spring garden is coming along quite well. We have tomatoes with fruits, broccoli, cucumber plants climbing the trellises, radishes poking up, eggplant and more tomatoes in the ground, bell peppers and spicy peppers, strawberries, a few stalks of corn, carrots, and a little watermelon plant. In the back garden we have our two grapes and many herbs. The garlic harvest was very successful, but the drying process was slightly interrupted by the torrential downpour of the other evening. It should be fine.

The broccoli is suffering from inchworm infestation. We cleared the first round of them from the plants but missed some eggs, so a second round of removal took place. We'll see how they do. I have a feeling it might be too hot for much more good production from them.

Dinner tonight!

2010-05-27T17:00:00.001-05:00

Soup soup soup. It's getting so close to summer, my nights of having soup and having the Husband agree that soup is reasonable are rapidly decreasing in number. As a welcome to summer, and in appreciation of the yummy summertime vegetables now available, tonight we enjoyed our take on this soup:

The Husband absolutely loved this soup. He has multiple helpings. I did too, but that's nothing new for me. The soup itself is very flavorful and the vegetables simmer into loveliness, and the pesto gives it a kick and boost. It serves 6 as a starter or 4 as a main course.

2 slices bacon (omit bacon for vegetarian, use olive oil instead)
1 large onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 leek, chopped (I use the white parts and the soft green parts)
3 carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
4-6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 28 ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes with juice
1 cup finely chopped leafy green, like spinach, kale, chard, etc
1 9 oz package of tortellini
store-bought pesto, or make your own
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Chop the bacon into little pieces. Cook in the soup pot until crispy. Add onion, garlic, and leek, and cook, stirring occasionally until tender and starting to brown. Add carrots, celery, zucchini, and potato, and stir for a few minutes. Add broth, start with 4 cups and add more later if needed. Add tomatoes, breaking tomatoes up with the back of the spoon. Let the soup cook for 30 to 45 minutes so the flavors blend. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Add leafy green and tortellini and cook until tortellini is cooked. Serve, with pesto and cheese as a garnish.

Insanity

2010-05-20T22:28:00.000-05:00

On an unrelated note (unrelated to food, that is) I have signed up to run the half marathon (yes, that's 13.1 miles, 10 miles further than I have ever run at one time) in November in San Antonio. So far, the planning and preparation to run has been more fun than the actual running. Mapmyrun.com and I are good friends. However, since this is Texas and it is May, the majority of the training will now take place inside, with air conditioning, on my grandparents' treadmill. Weekends I may be able to put in some miles outside, especially if I get up early, for the next month or so, and then again in October. For those of you unfamiliar with a central Texas summer, and maybe thinking that I'm crazy and I can keep running outside if I get up earlier or run at night, such things may be possible but definitely very uncomfortable. Come summertime, I will be very lucky if it drops below 85 degrees before 10:00 at night. Likewise, if it is below that same temperature when I leave for work at 7:15, it will make for a very pleasant morning. So, in summary, Texas is hot during the summer. (I know, duh.)
My current running ability is in the Couch to 5K Week 3 range. So I am building back up SLOWLY. But it also means anyone can do it with me at this point, because I am a beginner. Beginner beginner.

Anyone want to join me in San Antonio in November?

(I was originally planning to run one in February in New Orleans but a training knee injury prevented that from happening.)

Not sick anymore

2010-05-03T17:15:00.000-05:00

But the husband is. However, I will make up for the complete lack of posts last week with extras this week, I promise. It was a tough week where I didn't feel like doing anything, and actually missed work for awhile. All better now, and busy taking care of the husband. His dinner request last night was for Kraft dinner and hot dogs. I added some sliced tomatoes and mozzarella, and we had a lovely meal out under the trees in our backyard.

This was taken awhile ago, back when it was still dark outside around 6:00 pm. I have a series of them (I had to sit a lot because of a knee injury), all of the husband doing various things around the kitchen. Judging by the ingredients and equipment on the counter, I believe we were making meatballs.

Dinner tonight

2010-04-26T17:30:00.006-05:00

We made Classic Sole Meuniere a few weeks ago (apparently I mentioned it here in one of my longer posts but never wrote about it), in part because of this article (a little motivation never hurts). A nice sale on Sole at the store last night prompted another purchase, so we will be enjoying it again tonight. It was quite good when we had it before.
I'll update later tonight with pictures and more.

Roasted Grape Tomato Sauce

2010-04-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

We made this recipe a number of times last fall, after it cooled off enough for our grape tomato plants to really start producing. We're hoping for a slightly cooler summer, so maybe we'll have tomatoes all summer instead of spring and fall. It's a fairly easy recipe, with not a lot of time in the kitchen. It's modified from a Bon Appetit recipe, and I was going to link to it, but I realized the modifications we made this time stray a little too far from the original recipe. It may be the subject of another post in the future, because we do enjoy it so much.

First, preheat the oven to 375. Slice tomatoes and add them, with olive oil, balsamic, red pepper flakes, garlic, basil, and oregano to a glass baking dish.

Roast the tomato mixture for 45 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are very tender.
Cook the pasta in boiling water until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the tomato mixture and stir over medium heat until heated. Add cheese and stir until melted. Serve, adding a fresh basil garnish if you so desire.

Ingredients (for two servings and leftovers)
1 1/2 pounds grape tomatoes (or cherry)
1/3 cup olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 t crushed red pepper
3 T chopped fresh basil
3 T chopped fresh oregano
1/2 pound pasta of your choice
3 ounces fresh mozzarella, grated
extra basil and olive oil for garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375. Slice the tomatoes in half, and combine them in a glass baking dish with the olive oil, balsamic, garlic, red pepper, basil, and oregano. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes or until tomatoes become nice and soft. Stir occasionally. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and set aside.
Cook pasta in boiling water until almost done. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot, along with the tomato mixture. Reheat over medium heat until heated, then add the cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. The cheese will be very stringy.
Serve with a basil garnish and a light drizzle of olive oil, if desired. It pairs nicely with a green salad.

Salmon with Sweet Chili Glaze

2010-04-25T21:00:00.001-05:00

Bon Appetit April 2010 Cover recipe.
BA's picture.

Our attempt.

The recipe was easy to make and good. We served it with rice. Our pea tendrils were more mature than the intention (so they were woody) and we ended up placing them to the side. Other than that, a success, and we'll add it to our ways to prepare salmon.
Note: I am not including stirring times in the stove-top portion of this recipe because I find them to be inaccurate on my electric stove. Sadly, gas is not available in my house.

Ingredients
vegetable oil spray
1/4 cup Asian sweet chili sauce (Asian aisle)
3 T soy sauce, divided
2 T finely grated fresh peeled ginger, divided
6 6-ounce salmon fillets with skin
2 T vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces sugar snap peas
1 1/2 T Chinese rice wine or dry Sherry
3 cups pea tendrils or pea sprouts (6 ounces)
1 t Asian sesame oil

Prep
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Place salmon on the baking sheet, skin side down, with a bit of room between each fillet. Combine chili sauce, 2 T soy sauce, and 1 T ginger in a small bowl, whisk, and spoon sauce over the salmon. Let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat the broiler. Spoon any remaining sauce from the baking sheet back onto the salmon. Broil the salmon for 6 to 10 minutes or until desired doneness.
Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add the remaining ginger and garlic and stir until aromatic. Add the sugar snap peas and stir until crisp-tender. Add the remaining soy sauce, the rice wine, and pea tendrils and stir until the tendrils are just wilted. Drizzle the pan with sesame oil.
Serve the salmon on plates with the pea mixture over the tops.

Migas Casserole

2010-04-25T09:24:00.000-05:00

The husband was still asleep. I started making breakfast, and mid-way through the bacon cooking I realized I wanted migas, but didn't want to have to cook after he got up. I wanted everything to be ready by then. Migas became migas casserole, and it stayed nice and warm in the oven until he woke up. Serve it with fresh fruit.

Migas Casserole
2 strips of bacon (optional - if not using, use olive oil to crisp the tortillas instead)
2 corn tortillas
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 to 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
5 eggs
1/4 cup cream
1 cup grated cheese of your choice (used cheddar and Cojita)
fresh ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 375.
Cook bacon. Drain on paper towels. Tear corn tortillas into bite sized pieces. In the same pan, with bacon grease that remains (or olive oil if you choose), cook corn tortilla pieces until crisp, stirring occasionally (for me, that means I stir almost constantly thinking that the more or faster I stir, the sooner the food will be done). Drain tortillas pieces on the paper towel with the bacon. When the bacon is cool enough to handle, break it into small pieces.
In the same pan, add the onion and red bell pepper and cook until onions are almost translucent and peppers are tender. Scrape the pan to remove browned bits. Remove from heat. Add the bacon and tortillas back to the pan and stir to combine.
Prepare the eggs. Whisk the eggs with the cream. Add pepper to taste (but don't taste the raw eggs, just guess).
Grease a small casserole dish. Place about half of the onion/bacon/tortilla mixture in the bottom of the dish. Pour half of the egg mixture over it, and top with half the cheese. Repeat.
Cook on the middle rack of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes until the eggs are firm. Let it cool for about 5 minutes. Serve with chopped tomato, cilantro, avocado, and anything else you want (black beans, salsa, and so on).

Foodie Friday Favs - BLTs with a twist

2010-04-25T08:33:00.000-05:00

These are really more like PATs, with pancetta, arugula, and heirloom tomato (in season). The original recipe also calls for burrata, which I have yet to find in Central Market (can find EVERYTHING there) or any other place I've looked in the area. Instead, we use fresh mozzarella. This is a great summer meal, served with a salad, because it can be served room temperature, requires little time in a hot kitchen, and shows off those summertime tomatoes. We recently found a tomato that almost tastes like summer, so I decided to use part of it in this recipe.

Ingredients
pancetta - 2 thick slices or 4 thin slices per sandwich
tomato slices - use a red heirloom
1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves (use fresh, makes such a difference)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano (dried is ok here)
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
slices of bread, enough for as many sandwiches you want to make
2 ounces of cheese per sandwich, burrata recommended, fresh mozzarella is an ok substitute
1/2 to 1 cup baby arugula or other fresh small greens

First, cook the pancetta as you would cook bacon.

We've tried it several ways, and thick slices of pancetta work the best. You can find it at an Italian market or a specialty grocer. I even found it in small town grocery store. Once it is cooked, drain it on paper towels and set it aside.

Meanwhile, marinade your tomatoes.

Slice the tomatoes to desired thickness and lay flat in a shallow pan. Add the oil, basil, salt, pepper, and oregano, and flip the tomatoes to make sure they are completely coated. Let them sit in the oil mixture at least 30 minutes and longer if you get busy in the garden or outside and lose track of time.

Assemble your bread. We've used ciabatta, potato bread, challah, Safeway bread (French loaf), and others. All of it is good, with the slightly more substantial breads standing up to the sandwich a little better. Thick slices of challah may be my favorite so far. Toast the bread slices to desired level of toastiness. Slice the mozzarella (or burrata if you're lucky enough to locate some) and spread it on one side of the sandwiches. Top the cheese with one tomato slice each, then with pancetta and arugula. Press the tops of the sandwiches lightly down. Sometimes we use a little less cheese on the first slice of bread in order to use some on the upper slice - it helps with sandwich integrity. Cut each sandwich in half and serve.

Tuesday Treats - An Almost Disaster

2010-04-21T17:00:00.001-05:00

Last night I made this cake. I wish I had pictures of the kitchen. From the state of things, it appeared that I had never baked before, and that I was a complete mess when it came to doing anything in the kitchen. There were dry ingredients everywhere (everywhere!), on the counters, on the floor, on the dog - she was almost white at one point - and all over me. I was spilling everything, from cake flour (both before and after sifting) and cocoa powder to dropping eggs (at least one) on the floor. I also added powder instead of soda, then removed the powder, only to discover I needed it as well. Disaster, and ridiculously messy kitchen to clean up at around 10:00 last night. Groan. But the cakes baked just fine, and were nice and fluffy once they cooled.
Frosting the cake this morning was equally as challenging. It's a very tasty frosting, but between the hardness of the frosting and the softness of the cakes, I had lots of difficulties and in several places removed the top layer of the cake.

Anyway, here is the recipe (adapted from Bon Appetit)
Chocolate Cake with Caramel-Milk Chocolate Frosting

Frosting
24 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped (I used milk chocolate chips and did not finely chop them)
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
2 1/4 whipping cream

Combine chocolates in large bowl. Combine water and sugar in saucepan and make caramel, stir sugar into water over medium heat until dissolved, then swirl pan and brush down sides until mixture darkens and turns golden. Add the whipping cream SLOWLY (it will boil and fizz A LOT) and then stir until the caramel dissolves (it will take some time and it's hard to do). Once it is all nicely dissolved, pour the caramel cream over the chocolate and stir the chocolate mixture until the chocolate is all dissolved and the mixture is very smooth. At this point, you can either chill it in the refrigerator or you can let it sit out at room temperature if you plan to frost the cakes as soon as the cake portions cool.

Cake
Nonstick vegetable oil spray and parchment paper
2 cups sifted cake flour (sift, then measure)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups golden brown sugar (packed)
1 cup plus 2 T room temperature butter
3 large eggs (more if you drop one on the floor)
1 T vanilla
1 cup plus 2 T buttermilk
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

First, preheat the oven to 350 and prepare your pans. You will need between 2 and 3 springform cake pans. I used 2, the original recipe calls for 3. Spray pans with cooking spray, then cut parchment paper circles and line the bottom of each pan with one circle. Set them aside.
Sift and measure the flour into a medium bowl. Add the rest of the dry ingredients (through the salt) to the flour. In the mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and butter and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to combine between each addition. Add a third of the flour mixture, then a third of the buttermilk, and repeat until all ingredients are incorporated, beating after every new addition. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Distribute the batter equally among pans. Tap the sides of the pan to smooth the tops of the batter. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let them cool in their pans until they are entirely cool, then pop them out of their pans.

Once the frosting is at room temperature, beat it until smooth and light brown, about 1 minute. Do not over stir it, you want it smooth not grainy. Spread frosting on the lowest level, then stack the next level on top. If you are using two layers, place the layer upside down so the top is flat. Frost all around and on top of the cake. It works best if you use a frosting spatula thing and not a butter knife. Be patient. It takes some time.

Dinner! Mac and Cheese

2010-04-15T19:34:00.001-05:00

Dinner: a revised version of this recipe.

Prep was easy. 20 minutes from start (including grating the cheese) to in the oven. My kind of weeknight recipe. The recipe, as I made it:

Ingredients

2 or so cups Dried Macaroni (the husband is sick, and a small bowl of cooked noodles went to him, with a tiny dab of butter)
3 T Butter
3 T All-purpose Flour
1 1/2 to 2 cups 2% Milk (it's what we had - I originally used 1 1/2 cups but added a little more right before adding the noodles because the sauce was very thick)
1 teaspoon (heaping) Dry Mustard
1/2 whole Egg Beaten (the puppy does not like uncooked egg - I tried to give her some and, to give her credit, she tried it, but did not take another lick)
1/2 to 3/4 pound Cheese, Grated - I used medium cheddar (my other macaroni and cheese recipe uses gouda and edam, so this was a nice change)
½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, to taste
½ teaspoons or so Ground Black Pepper, to taste
whatever other spices you like, I usually add ground nutmeg to my creamy cheesy dishes, I think it was about 1/8 teaspoon to this one (I don't measure, just sprinkle on top until it looks like a good amount, then taste, and add more if needed)
1/2 to 1 cup chopped greens of some sort - I used broccolini because it was in the fridge
Preparation Instructions - these I didn't really adjust, aside from adding the green vegetable

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
Preheat your oven to 350.
In a small bowl, beat egg.
In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.
Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
Add in cheese and stir to melt.
Add salts and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.
Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Add green vegetable of choice and stir to combine.
Pour the entire mixture into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Cilantro and Taste Memory

2010-04-14T12:08:00.000-05:00

Fascinating article on cilantro in the New York Times. Not as much for the cilantro aspect of it, but for what it means for our taste memories and how we can change taste associations. (Picture from the article)

Tuesday Treats 2 - Cinnamon Rum Ice Cream

2010-04-13T17:15:00.000-05:00

Cinnamon Rum Ice Cream (to accompany Caramel Apple Tartlets)
Adapted from this recipe.
(make ahead - ice cream needs to freeze overnight for best results)
Whisk 6 large egg yolks to blend in a medium bowl. Pour 1 cup heavy whipping cream into another medium bowl. Place a large strainer over the bowl with the cream in it. Whisk 1 1/2 cups whole milk, 3/4 cups sugar, and 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream in a heavy medium saucepan and bring to a slow simmer. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Gradually (and do this slowly, or you will cook the egg) whisk the hot milk and sugar mixture into the blended egg yolks. One it is blended, pour it back into the saucepan and stir constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens and the temperature reaches 160 to 170. If you boil it, start over - it is too hot and the chemical composition has permanently altered. Once it reaches 160 to 170, you have made custard. Pour the custard through the strainer into the cream. Whisk it together and add 3 tablespoons dark rum and 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon. Refrigerate the mixture until cold. I left it in about 3 hours.
After it's chilled, process it in your ice cream maker. I highly recommend the ice cream maker attachment for the kitchenaid mixer. It makes making ice cream very easy. All you have to do is set up the frozen bowl on the stand and let it run for 20-30 minutes until the ice cream starts to solidify.
After you have ice cream, taste it. Then freeze it overnight.

Weekend Activities

2010-04-12T17:00:00.001-05:00

Lots of cooking happened this weekend. Baking, too, so lots of recipes will appear this week. However, for some reason, I was very unmotivated to take pictures. I did get some great shots in the garden, which I'll post soon. As a preview, the recipes are Caramel Apple Tartlets with Cinnamon-Rum Ice Cream, Asparagus Raviolini with Beef Shank Ragu, Classic Sole Meuniere (we do have pictures of this one), Onion Foccacia, and Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Friday Favs - Crockpot!

2010-04-09T08:00:00.016-05:00

This recipe is adapted from a giant saved file of slow cooker recipes I have. If you are interested in the "book" leave me a message and I'll send it to you.

I love my crock-pot (the one thing I wish is that it had a programmable feature - that'll be on the next one). We usually make slow cooker recipes on the day of the week when the husband has a long day at school, because we both come home tired and lacking the desire to cook.

Slow Cooker BBQ Short Ribs

Serves 6

cooking oil

3 lbs. beef short ribs (we trim some of the fat)

1 cup BBQ sauce (Salt Lick is the best, of course)

2 T. Molasses

2 T. white vinegar

1 1/2 t. Salt

1/2 t. fresh ground pepper

1 T. soy sauce

1 28 oz can diced or crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped onion or more to taste

can also add celery or other similar vegetable at this time

Heat oil in frying pan, enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the ribs. Brown on all sides. Drain the fat. Place ribs in 5 qt. slow cooker. Mix next 7 ingredients well in bowl. Stir in onion. Pour over short ribs. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hrs. or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hrs. Spoon the fat off of the top. Serve the ribs with or without the sauce to accompany.

We serve this with polenta or mashed potatoes and vegetables. This week we had it with polenta and sautéed spinach, and a modified Caesar salad on the side.

Tuesday Treats - Snickerdoodles

2010-04-06T17:00:00.002-05:00

This recipe is from a book I purchased from the clearance section of the bookstore years ago. I still want to try more of the recipes, and will at some point. The snickerdoodles recipe is one we make all the time. The cookies are especially good as a brunch or breakfast cookie, light and fluffy, not too sweet, with lovely cinnamon flavors.

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 t vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

3 1/2 all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda

Coating

5 T sugar

2 T cinnamon

With an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy. Add the sugar and the vanilla and continue until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and the milk.

Sift the flour and baking soda over the butter mixture and stir to blend (the sifting gives them the lighter texture, we have been known to lightly beat the batter at this point instead of just stirring). Stir in nuts. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 baking sheets.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar for the coating in a bowl. Roll tablespoon sized balls of dough in the mixture and place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes until golden. Cool on wire rack.

For perfectly round cookies, shape the dough with damp hands, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. The colder the dough, the easier it is to shape.

Tuesday Treats - Lemon Cheesecake

2010-03-31T08:59:00.000-05:00

Another cheesecake! I know, I know... but this one is for Passover.
It's very good, and easy to make. Not too lemony (could almost be more lemony if what you had in mind was a LEMON cheesecake). Tonight I may make a raspberry drizzle for it.
Passover Lemon Cheesecake
(more, and a picture, to come, I promise!)

Foodie Friday Fav - It's Friday!

2010-03-26T19:50:00.001-05:00

Oops I'll add the actual recipe tomorrow!

This halibut recipe gets a mention because we've made it twice in about a month. So it's not a longstanding favorite of ours, but a new one. And a bonus, since I've been so negligent this week, you get the entire meal.

The recipe is from Gordon Ramsay's book, . It's pretty easy. The sauce makes the fish sing. This particular time, we served it with Brussels Sprouts with White Beans and Pecorino and roasted root vegetables that were tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Serving Brussels sprouts in the house was a huge challenge, but the husband relaxed and actually ended up trying them. There's a long history of Brussels sprouts veto in his house growing up, so I have been reluctant to try and serve them.

The process:

Chopping veggies - celery root, a new favorite of ours

Playing with my new lens

Heating the garlic and the oil for the Brussels sprouts

Preparing the water with aromatics to poach the fish

The fish after it was poached before the sauce (with the Brussels sprouts on the side)

Pouring the sauce

Brussels sprouts

Vegetables: we used carrots, potato, celery root, maybe some fennel

halibut with sauce

Dinner!

Poached Halibut with Tarragon-Cream Sauce

No Tuesday Treats...

2010-03-24T11:47:00.000-05:00

Sorry, folks. No Tuesday Treats this week. Work has been taking all of my time and energy these days. I do hope to have a post for you on Thursday, and Friday Favs will definitely happen. But until then, I leave you with these: Happy Spring!

Foodie Friday Fav - Cauliflower with Mustard-Lemon Butter

2010-03-19T18:34:00.002-05:00

Don't be put off by the mustard in the title. I am not a huge fan of mustard, but this is delicious.
The recipe is included below, and adapted from Bon Appetit.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the cauliflower in half. Cut (perpendicular to the half cut) cauliflower into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Spray a rimmed cookie sheet with cooking spray. Arrange the cauliflower on the cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. If desired, flip cauliflower once during cooking to brown both sides.

While the cauliflower is cooking, go out to your herb garden and gather some Italian parsley. You'll need 1 to 2 tablespoons, or to taste.

In a small sauce pot over medium heat, whisk to combine 3 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (reserve the lemon for zest), and 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard. Whole grain really makes the difference, so use it if you can find it. Add 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest. Continue to stir until heated.

Pour or spoon the butter mixture over the cauliflower, and continue to cook in the oven for 10 or so more minutes, until the cauliflower is your desired consistency. Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh chopped Italian parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Cauliflower with Mustard-Lemon Butter

serves 2 as a substantial side, doubled it could serve 4-6

Ingredients:

1/2 of a cauliflower head

cooking spray

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon whole Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

chopped fresh Italian parsley

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the cauliflower perpendicular to the half cut, into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange the slices on a cooking-spray prepared rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping cauliflower halfway through if desired.

Meanwhile, prepare the butter sauce. In a small saucepan, whisk to combine melted butter, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Add zest and continue to stir until heated through.

Pour or spoon butter mixture over cauliflower and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until cauliflower is cooked to the desired done-ness.

Remove from the cookie sheet and toss with fresh chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Fried Steak

2010-03-17T19:22:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Texas.
Chicken fried streak is one of those foods I have always eaten, remember eating as a child as far back as I can recall, and will continue to eat for just about ever. However, I have never made or watched being made this favorite food of mine. Until last night. I now proudly can say that I mastered the art of the chicken fried steak. (This mastery is actually very dangerous. Now that I know I can make it, what's to stop me from eating one of my all-time favorite foods ALL THE TIME? Oh wait, those little things called pants. I like it when mine are not tight. So, dear chicken fried steak, you will remain a very rare meal, and I will love you all the more because of it.)

For those of you who do not know, chicken fried steak is a piece of meat that has been thinned, either with the butcher's tenderizer machine or by hand. Typically, the meat of choice is a cheap cut. The meat is then dipped in flour, egg, and flour again and pan fried in a cast iron skillet. The resulting fried piece of meaty goodness is served lathered in cream gravy (I had the opportunity to be brave and try this dish in the north one time - it was served with brown gravy - gross, and totally unacceptable) with mashed potatoes and a vegetable of some sort on the side.

Now, there are many recipes that claim they are the perfect blend of seasonings on the meat, in the eggs, and in the flour mixture. It's all a matter of taste. In our particular recipe, we used garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne in the flour, and sirracha, buttermilk, salt, and pepper in the egg. We fried in canola oil. Likewise, there are many recipes for gravy out there, but in the matter of proper cream gravy, there really is only one set of ingredients. Anything else, and you start to move away from cream gravy and in the direction of "sauce" that is not cream gravy.

For the chicken fried steak:
Heat your canola oil (or shortening, or whatever oil) in a cast iron skillet. You need about 1/4 inch of oil. It is important that the oil not cover the tops of the steaks when they are in the skillet or they will get mushy. Oil should be heated to between 325 and 375. If your meat is cold and has not been resting on the counter for awhile, closer to 375 works the best, but if it's smoking it's too hot and you need to start over.

Take your meat pieces and salt and pepper them.

Combine in one large bowl 1 and 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon each cayenne and fresh ground black pepper and mix all together. In another large bowl, beat 3 eggs, 1/2 cup buttermilk, salt, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon sirracha. Dip the steaks first in the flour and shake off the excess, then dip in the egg mixture, turning to coat.

Dip back into the flour mixture and do not shake the excess. Place gently into the hot oil and cook, turning once, about 5 minutes after you place it in the pan.

You want a brown crunchy texture. Put them in the oven, on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet (to catch the oil drips) heated to 200 degrees, to keep them warm while you make the gravy.

So, for the gravy:
Save some pan drippings from the chicken fried steak, about 2-3 tablespoons. Heat that in a small saucepan. Combine 2 tablespoons soft butter with 2 tablespoons flour. Add 1 1/2 cups milk or buttermilk to the saucepan with the drippings and bring to a boil, stirring constantly (if you don't the gravy will burn to the bottom of the pan). Add your roux a little at a time, stirring until each bit is dissolved. You may not need all of the roux to get it to desired thickness. Taste, and add your salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Serve over mashed potatoes and chicken fried steak.

As required, we ate our steaks with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

Tuesday Treats - Chocolate Chip Cornbread

2010-03-17T11:04:00.001-05:00

This recipe is incredibly easy to make, and perfect for breakfast. The chips bring the perfect amount of sweet to the savory cornbread, and served with butter makes a fun breakfast, and great for company. Next time I will make it in my mini-loaf pan so we each can have a baby loaf to ourselves.

Preheat oven to 375.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup granulated sugar (scant)
2 teaspoons baking power
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Stir in chocolate chips.

Combine wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. I love the word whisk.
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. I used cooking spray.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for a little while, around 10-15 minutes, then cool on a rack or serve warm, with butter. Reheat before serving if not serving immediately.

Chocolate Chip Cornbread

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup granulated sugar (scant)

2 teaspoons baking power

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in chocolate chips. Combine wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. I used cooking spray.

Foodie Friday Fav - Cilantro Lime Butter and Chicken

2010-03-13T08:44:00.011-06:00

Southwestern Chicken with Cilantro Lime Butter
Adapted from mccormick.com, here

Side note: mccormick.com has a fairly good recipe search feature, allowing you to search by ingredients or type of dish.

This recipe has long been a favorite of ours. We were skeptical at first, because, really, cocoa powder on chicken? However, the flavors work very well together, the smokey savory, slightly caramelized chicken marinade is countered nicely by the slightly spicy citrusy butter sauce. Yum. We usually serve it with grilled red bell peppers and onions and rice.

Chicken:

1 T chili powder
1 T cinnamon (recommend saigon)
1 T brown sugar
1 t unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t salt
fresh ground black pepper
3 T Olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
Chicken - the original recipe calls for 3 1/2 lb bone-in chicken parts. We have made it with bone-in, with chicken breasts, and with salmon. It works well on all of them.

Combine all ingredients in a large zip-lock bag or large bowl. Marinate for a little while. Brush marinade over chicken prior to grilling. Grill chicken over medium heat until cooked through. It works best to cook the chicken with the grill closed. You can brush more marinade on about halfway through the cooking process, but not too much after that to make sure the chicken bacteria get killed.

Sauce:
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro (fresh is extremely important, recipe will not work with dried)
1/2 c (1 stick) butter, melted (if you use salted butter, omit salt later in recipe)
1 serrano chile, minced (can have spicy oils, use gloves if sensitive, and make sure to wash your hands very well after handling. Avoid touching your eyes.)
2 T minced white onion
fresh lime juice from 1/2 a lime, or more to taste
few grinds of fresh ground pepper
sprinkle of salt
Combine all ingredients in bowl or something that has a spout (we use our 1-cup pyrex measure cup). Serve alongside the chicken, and drizzle on chicken and rice.

Tuesday Treats - Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls

2010-03-08T11:55:00.022-06:00

Ok, so I know this post is a little late. Maybe more than a little. I am sorry. It has been a ridiculously stressful week. So here you go, a Tuesday treat on Saturday.

Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls

These rolls are good. Time consuming to make, but oh-so-very tasty, nice and cinnamony and the dough is the perfect consistency, soft and gooey on the inside and bready on the outside. They will make a perfect holiday breakfast treat. The process is fun, and the time consuming part comes more in the letting the dough rise and less in the actual assembly of ingredients.

Adding the potatoes to the sugar yeast water foam. For the potatoes, after reading the comments on Bon Appetit website, I used less than the prescribed amount of water for the potatoes, just enough to cover while boiling. I used more than the four and a half cups flour, not sure on the total amount, just added in small bits until the dough was the right consistency. And I used my dough hook instead of kneading by hand, until the dough was not as sticky.

Ingredients for the filling.

Cinnamon mixture spread out on the large rectangle of dough.

Dough rolled up.

Waiting to be cooked.

We cooked four and saved the rest. I spaced them out a little more than needed on the cookie sheet, so some of the filling leaked out and caramelized. No matter, still very good.

Artichoke Dip

2010-03-07T20:39:00.000-06:00

(Sorry, no pictures of this one, at least not this time. When I make it again I'll add some.)
This recipe is my mom's, and it is a staple at any gathering of people at her house. It's super easy to make, and it freezes and reheats well, so there is always one made up in Mom's freezer just waiting to go. That, and a quiche (another super easy recipe for another time).

Mom's Artichoke Dip
2 14 oz cans of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (they are hard to chop when they are wet, so have them in a strainer and try to squish the liquid out of them before chopping)
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened (can use reduced fat if desired, I don't recommend fat free because of the texture)
1 cup grated mozzarella, plus more for topping
1 cup grated Parmesan (or whatever else you may have around, I've used a Mexican blend before)
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste (I usually just sprinkle a little of each)

Add all ingredients to a large bowl, stir to combine. Make sure to break up any lumps of cream cheese. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with additional mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 20 -25 minutes. Turn on the broiler for the last few minutes to brown the top. You can garnish it with chopped tomato or green onion, or serve with salsa on the side. It works with fresh bread, tortilla chips, crackers, vegetables, and just about anything else you could dip or spread.

Favorite Friday

2010-03-05T18:57:00.001-06:00

Portobello Mushroom Burgers
(adapted from Bon Appetit)

This recipe is easy to make, perfect for a weeknight, and the only cooking happens on the grill, so cleanup is quick. We'll serve it with a green salad or this one if we're feeling fancy and have fennel. The pesto we get from Central Market, from their olive bar/prepared foods area. These quantities make two burgers. Sometimes we'll each have one, sometimes we'll split one and have more substantial sides with it.

1/4 cup prepared pesto
2 T. mayonnaise
2 rolls (we prefer ciabatta, which stands up well to the substantial mushroom)
2 portobello mushroom caps (or one if they are really large)
1 red bell pepper (or roasted red pepper pieces from a jar)
2 cups arugula
2 slices provolone cheese (we've also used fresh mozzarella in a pinch)

Mix together pesto and mayo. Add salt and pepper if needed. Cut off the stems, scrape the brown gills out of the mushrooms and brush both sides with olive oil. Heat the grill to medium-high. Slice the rolls and grill, cut side down, until toasted, then spread the mayo-pesto on both cut sides. Grill the mushrooms, rounded side up, for about 4 minutes, then turn them over and continue grilling. At the same time, if using fresh red pepper, grill red pepper halves until tender, about 5 minutes/side.

Assemble the burgers: roll bottom, red pepper, mushroom, cheese, 1 cup arugula, roll top. This is the assembly we've found to work the best, but I'm sure there are other combinations.

Sometimes I'll serve it with potatoes, either little baby new potatoes or sliced potatoes drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with rosemary, salt, and garlic, roasted in the oven until cooked through. These particular potatoes were coated in oil that had garlic and rosemary soaking in it, and then cooked in the skillet until tender and crispy on some sides.

Lasagna Noodles

2010-03-04T21:26:00.000-06:00

With the leftovers from the meatballs, we made lasagna. This was more intense than lasagnas in the past, mainly because I made the noodles in addition to the sauce and the assembly of the thing itself. I used the recipe that came with the pasta roller attachment, and for the first time used semolina flour instead of all-purpose. It was initially harder to get the lumps of dough to start rolling through the rollers, but after the first few tries everything went smoothly. I think the semolina pasta comes to the right texture sooner than all-purpose flour pasta does, but I have nothing to back that up.

The dough was crumbly and needed slightly more water than the recipe called for in order to form the dough ball. I enjoy saying the words "dough hook" and just about drove the husband crazy saying it so many times when the dough hook was in action.

I let the noodles dry on our pasta rack for awhile. I'm really going to have to get much better at remembering/writing down times if I want to keep posting recipes for others to try. The pasta recipe made enough noodles for 2 batches of lasagna, so half of them got wrapped in wax paper, put in a container, and are now enjoying a chilly nap in the freezer.

For the layers, I mashed up the meatballs and blended up another can of tomatoes to add to the sauce. I also cooked some spinach and threw that in the blender as well. For the ricotta layer, I mixed a few spoonfuls of prepared pesto (Central Market prepared foods bar) with the ricotta prior to spreading it on top of each pasta layer. I did not use the traditional bechamel sauce, sad to say, but that will be a project for another time. Steve wanted lots of cheese on top of his lasagna.

For some reason, this lasagna did not firm up in the middle, even after a night of refrigeration. I'm afraid the spinach might have added too much liquid to the sauce portions of the layers. Nonetheless, it was good and a great way to use up the rest of the meatballs.

Kitchen Companion

2010-03-04T21:24:00.001-06:00

I want to introduce you to our kitchen companion, Zoe. She's our sweet girl, an eighteen-month old black lab mix. We've had her since she was 8 weeks old, and she's grown quite a bit since then. She loves helping us out and keeping us company when we cook.

Whether lying on the floor between the kitchen and dining room,

sniffing in the direction of the counter to figure out if it's worthwhile to stick around and catch anything brave enough to make the dive to the floor,

or waiting patiently for the inevitable shredded cheese crumbs to be swept off the counter,

she keeps us company and keeps the floor clean in all of our kitchen adventures. (And because I have my camera in the kitchen, she has been the subject of almost as many photos as the food itself!)

Spring Garden

2010-02-28T11:02:00.001-06:00

As it nears March, we are busily preparing for our spring garden. We have seeds started in the garage and seeds of chard, peas, and spinach in the raised beds. We also have a nice crop of garlic up and running. It's the first time we've done garlic, so it will be interesting to see how it turns out. The primary goal of the garden, aside from the hobby aspect of it, is to provide produce to feed the two of us. We started by focusing on produce we love (and eat regularly) that was expensive to purchase, and then ventured into trying some other things. Our space is rather limited because we have wonderful tree cover on our lot.

We're planning out the layout and building the remaining raised beds, and carefully watching the weather so we can cover our outside plants if needed. (Side note on the weather: the weather here this time of year is insane. I can have ice on my car in the morning and by 3 pm, it's 70 degrees. Only to get back down to freezing by dawn the next day. Gotta love the Hill Country.)

Some of the big lessons we learned from last year (see below for pics of last year's garden - the first one is the garden in the spring and the second is in the fall, after we raised some of the beds):
1. Squash vine borers are the devil, and we may not try squash and zucchini because of them
2. When it gets above 95 degrees outside, tomatoes do not set fruit. We have started them inside earlier this year, with the hopes of getting some fruit before it gets too hot. We also hope to have a slightly cooler, damper summer this year (no more drought, please!).
3. Deer like the pepper plants. Garlic clips seem to work.
4. Plants do much better in raised beds in soil as opposed to our rocky, clay-filled dirt.

Some of the things we are excited about trying this year:
1. Raised herb garden in the back yard! Last year, we grew basil, oregano, parsley, sage, and thyme in pots. I am very excited about being able to grow many more herbs, and maybe even some different varieties (lemon thyme, purple basil, etc).
2. More types of tomatoes. We were very successful with grape tomatoes last year.

What do you think? What have you grown successfully in the past? What should we try?

Favorite Friday

2010-02-28T10:56:00.003-06:00

Every Friday I will post a favorite recipe of ours, one we have made countless times, with a brief description. The next time we cook it, I'll add some photos. Posting at least one favorite a week will ensure weekly content regardless of whether or not I have time to otherwise cook, photograph, and blog that week, and I get to share our favorites with you!

The first featured recipe is Chicken Pot Pie, a recipe we have made countless times since it first appeared in the May 2008 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. It's taken on a life of its own and we've managed to tweak it over the years. I will post our version and a link to the original, so you can compare (and see how easy it is to change it up a bit based on what you have in the fridge). This is one of the only recipes we don't half or otherwise reduce in size, and we always eat all of the leftovers.

Chicken Pot Pie
The perfect thing to do with leftover chicken. We have used leftover roast chicken, leftover smoked chicken, fresh rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, and leftover turkey.

Crust: if you make your own crust (well worth it), keep in mind that this process must be started at least an hour and a half before you want to eat, so there is enough time to chill the dough. If you're short on time, use a prepared rolled pie crust, and start the crust recipe at the rolled out dough part.
1 1/4 cup flour
pinch of salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter, chilled, cut into half-inch cubes
3 tablespoons ice water
1 egg yoke and 1 more tablespoon ice water
Preheat oven to 425. Combine the first 3 ingredients in the food processor, blend until mixture becomes a coarse meal texture. Add ice water as needed to moisten the dough. When moist clumps form, remove the dough. Gather it into a ball and flatten it into a rectangle, about an inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Remove the dough, roll it out on a floured surface to an approximate 12" x 8" rectangle. Cut dough into Bake on parchment paper in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes until golden. They can sit after baking for a little while as you finish the filling.

Filling:
7 tablespoons butter, divided into 2 and 5
5 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces assorted wild mushrooms (shiitake with stems removed, crimini, oyster)
3 or 4 peeled carrots (cut into 1/2" pieces)
3 or 4 celery stalks (cut into 1/2" pieces)
1 medium onion chopped
other vegetable options: frozen peas, green beans, cubed potatoes, and so on
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or sage or a combination
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup dry white wine (optional, of course, replace with 1/2 cup broth in the same place in the recipe if omitting)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
5 cups (or whatever you have) roughly torn or chopped roast chicken (or turkey)
1/3 cup whipping cream (or milk)
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Melt 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil in large pot. Add mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion, and any other non-frozen vegetables to pot. Cook until vegetables are tender.

Add the thyme/sage and garlic, stir for 3 minutes. Add the wine and boil until almost all the liquid is gone. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil.

Combine the remaining butter and the flour in a bowl. Over medium heat, add the butter and flour mixture one tablespoon at a time, stirring until dissolved. If the mixture reaches the desired thickness before all of the butter-flour is used, discard remaining butter-flour.

Add the chicken, the cream, any frozen vegetables, and parsley at this time. Simmer, season to taste with salt and pepper. Filling will last at least 8 hours chilled.

Transfer filling into an oven-safe dish, approximately 9" x 13", or smaller if you prefer more filling to less crust. Top with the crust pieces and bake at 425 for 20 - 25 minutes until the entire thing is heated through and flavors meld. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

If baking from a chilled filling, let filling come to room temperature (about an hour) before baking.

Spaghetti and Meatballs (Bacon Paste!)

2010-02-28T10:51:00.002-06:00

Or, Spaghetti and Meatballs All'Amitriciana.
We enjoyed this recipe very much. The bacon adds a richness to the sauce and the roasted red pepper in the meatballs brightens them and provides a distinct taste, since so many of the ingredients are in both the meatballs and the sauce. However, it took a lot longer to prepare than I had anticipated, so we ate quite late for a Thursday night. No matter, still very tasty. Next time we make it I know it will be much quicker, in part because we have made it before and also because I know which steps can occur simultaneously.

Step by step:
The husband started this process early in the day when he ground up the chuck roast we would use. He is a big fan of the grinder attachment for the KitchenAid. The meatball ingredients require some chopping and grating. Grating onion is so much more painful than chopping it, and my eyes were a leaky mess after the first two grates. The onion candle we keep in the kitchen helped a little, though I lit it after I had started.

The meatballs themselves were easy enough to make, combine all of the ingredients after pressing the garlic on top of the bacon paste (!) and mix, and then let it sit.

Instead of starting the bacon for the sauce at this point, like we should have, we waited the full 15 minutes to form the balls (probably longer) and passed the time by preparing other ingredients for the sauce. The tomatoes went in the blender (this may be one of the only places we deviated from the recipe. We did use San Marzano tomatoes in juice, but they were whole tomatoes, not diced. I figured that since the recipe called for them to be blended until smooth, it didn't matter) and quickly got blended into a lovely thick tomato-y liquid. (Highly recommend this brand of San Marzano tomatoes - whenever we find them in the store, we buy 4 to 6 cans to have on hand. They are by far the best sauce making tomatoes I've used.)

(Have I mentioned how much I love my blender? It is incredibly fast and very powerful. KitchenAid, three speeds and a pulse option. My one requirement when I purchased it was that it could blend ice to a frozen margarita machine consistency, and it hasn't let me down. It can also chop ice to a coarser consistency, and it makes pureeing soups and other jobs a cinch. I LOVE my blender.)

After the waiting period for the meatballs, the husband got started shaping them while I cooked the bacon for the sauce. (As I said, this step could have been started immediately following the combining of the meatball ingredients, so the pan would have been ready to take the meatballs once they were formed.)

Turning the meatballs in the pan was the trickiest part of the recipe. We used tongs (I love my tongs, too) to gently push them over to brown all the sides, but some of them still insisted on coming apart a little bit. It took three batches to get them all done.

The sauce was easy, just took some monitoring, since things were added in steps.

By the time the meatballs went in, we were very hungry, so letting them cook for enough time was hard. Pasta boiled, was tossed with olive oil and Italian parsley (instead of marjoram) and then we ate. Yum. Some of the meatballs had come apart in the sauce, so in addition to whole balls there were some meaty chunks. The sauce was a nice texture and consistency, thicker than I would have expected but very smooth and velvety. We found the spice levels to be just right (we enjoy spicy things, being in Texas and all) but if we make it for a group in the future I would cut down on the red pepper flakes in the sauce. Some of our northern relatives would find it to be too much.

Dinner tonight!

2010-02-25T11:35:00.000-06:00

Tuesday Treats - Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake

2010-02-23T05:07:00.001-06:00

Yum. Adapted from Epicurious and smitten kitchen.

1 crumb-crust recipe , made with chocolate teddy grahams
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped (I used 60% bittersweet by Scharffen Berger)
3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Make your crumb crust. Take 10 oz of teddy grahams (one box) and turn them into crumbs. I used the food processor. Melt 9 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Mix together the crumbs, the butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a springform pan (mine is about 9 inches). If you want less crust on the sides, don't use all of the recipe.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Heat the sugar in a dry saucepan over medium-low heat, until it melts and turns light golden, stirring occasionally to frequently. This step will take awhile, but yes, the sugar does actually melt. I went ahead and whipped the cream cheese while I was waiting.

4. Let the sugar achieve a darker golden color, swirling the pan occasionally. This step takes much less time, thankfully. I was getting impatient.

5. Remove the pan from the burner and add the cream. The mixture will bubble and steam.
6. Return the pot to the same lowish heat as before, and stir. Eventually the caramel will stop being a clumpy lump on your spoon/spatula/whatever and blend in with the caramel.

7. Once it is all melty and smooth, remove it from heat and stir in your chocolate.
8. If you haven't done so already, whip your cream cheese until it is fluffy. I used the regular attachment (not the whisk) of my KitchenAid.

9. Slowly add the chocolate-caramel mixture. Scrape the sides and continue to beat.

10. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping bowl before each new addition.
11. Add vanilla, blend.
12. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the crust. Place the pan on a cookie sheet to catch the leaks. All that leaked out of mine was lots of what appeared to be butter.
13. Cook the cheesecake for about 55 minutes. Remove it from the oven when the center is still wobbly but the edges and most of the top surrounding the center is set.
14. If your crust did not go to the top of the pan, run a butter knife around the edges down to the crust to loosen the cake. Let the cake cool completely. At this point, it's time to remove the sides of the pan, and loosely cover it and chill it for as long as you can stand it (the recipe I used calls for at least 6 hours, but we tried ours after about 3, and it was soft, but tasty. After we taste it again tonight I'll let you know about the extra chilling time).

I prefer my cheesecake coldish, but you can also remove it from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before serving. I served it with fresh whipped cream (1 cup whipping cream, 1 capfull vanilla, and 2 tablespoons sugar, whipped together until it looks like whipped cream and not like liquid).

Photos...

2010-02-23T05:06:00.002-06:00

(side note on the photographs - my husband and I share a desktop computer and his desk, since that is where the computer is. Right now, the desk is covered with his readings, papers, the occasional dirty dish, and other odds and ends. I want to install Photoshop on the desktop - my poor laptop has no "t" key right now - but cannot spend more than a few seconds at that desk in its current state. So while I could install the program, sitting there and going through the pictures would be a very painful process. Anyway, I've mentioned to him about cleaning the thing, so hopefully by the end of this week I will have a desk, and then you will have some pictures. So make sure you check old posts in the future for the promised images...)

Black Pepper Fettuccine

2010-02-20T09:45:00.002-06:00

Last night I made pasta. Usually the husband does it, and I'll help, or watch, or do other things, but last night I did the entire process myself. In our pasta book, The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles, there was a recipe for Black Pepper Pasta. It's an easy one, with 3 or 4 ingredients, depending on whether or not you need to add water to moisten the dough in the food processor (I did). The husband kept trying to get me to use the dough hook on the KitchenAid, but I kneaded it by hand (great shoulder workout) and ended up with a very nice doughy texture.

After resting for some time (20 minutes min) it was time to get out the pasta roller attachments. I highly recommend a KitchenAid mixer (mine is Caviar, a lovely dark grey with sparkles in it), and I highly recommend the pasta making attachment. We love ours and use it frequently. I started out with a quarter of the dough and rolled it through on the '1' setting (widest) for awhile. Fold and feed, fold and feed, fold and feed. Each time the dough rolls through, it gets folded in half and rolled through again, usually in the opposite direction. Figuring out when to move to a narrower setting might be the trickiest part of the entire process, but as the husband said, I just kind of knew when it was time to move to the '2'. Once I got up to the 4 or 5, the paced picked up, since I was no longer folding and feeding; instead, I was feeding and adjusting the setting to the next narrow number.

I prefer my pasta slightly thicker than the skinniest possible (an 8), so after the dough went through the 6, I had to switch attachments, to the fettuccine one. At this point, my dough sheet was quite long, so I cut it into 4 manageable segments, and fed each one through the cutter. The husband received this rack for Christmas, and the best part about it is the arm that comes out of the top. We use the arm to catch the pasta as it comes through the cutter to transfer it to the drying rack.

The best thing about fresh pasta, aside from the amazing texture and taste, is how quick it cooks. I served my pasta with a pesto cream sauce, made from Central Market's prepared pesto and some whipping cream. I started by heating the cream and then added pesto by the spoonful until I achieved the flavor and consistency I wanted. I would have liked some fresh tomato pieces to top off the pasta (and make a pretty presentation for the dish) but I will have to wait until summertime for sweet ripe tomatoes.

All in all, a very successful dinner.

Black Pepper Fettuccine (from the book mentioned above)

2 cups flour (and more if needed)

1.5 teaspoons fresh ground pepper (I ground mine in a coffee grinder that has been converted to an herb grinder, worked very well and I had control over how coarse it was)

3 eggs

water, if needed, by the teaspoon

Combine flour and pepper in food processor and pulse a few times. Add eggs and blend until the dough forms a ball on one side of the bowl. If the dough is sticky (mine was not), add flour by the teaspoon until the ball forms. If the dough is dry, it will resemble large couscous and you will need to add water by the teaspoon. Once you have your dough ball, remove it from the processor bowl and knead it for 1 to 2 minutes, until the dough feels nice and elasticy. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and let it sit for at least 20 minutes before making pasta.

*note: dough keeps for a few days in the refrigerator, or for a long time in the freezer. We have yet to determine exactly how long, because I think it depends on that particular batch of dough. Sometimes we have perfect dough out of the freezer, and sometimes once it has been frozen it no longer does the pasta thing and the husband gets frustrated.

Deb's Caesar Salad

2010-02-17T15:47:00.003-06:00

(A quick note about this recipe: when I first met my husband, this was a long-time family favorite, a staple at special meals in their house. When I first learned it was adapted from a cookbook, and the cookbook was still referenced from time to time, to check quantities and whatnot, I was amazed, until I read the recipe myself, and realized I would not be able to make it from the recipe as I had witnessed it made, because it had adapted that much. So bear with me as I try to get it onto paper, it may change over time, and it may never be made exactly the same. It’s all part of the evolution and sharing of a recipe that is adjusted, passed along, and treasured.)

1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and torn into pieces

½ cup olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed

Good squirt of anchovy paste

3 T white or red wine vinegar (try one, then the other to see which you prefer)

Several dashes of Worchester sauce

¼ t. dried mustard powder (or ½ t. whole grain Dijon mustard)

Lemon juice from 1 lemon (more or less, depending on the size of the lemon)

Freshly grated or shredded Parmesan and/or Pecorino Romano to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

2 slices of bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled (or diced then cooked)

Can be served with croutons, mushrooms, tomatoes, anything else as desired

1. Soak the garlic in the olive oil in a container that has a lid. This step can be done up to a day in advance.

2. Remove most of the garlic from the oil, and remove 2 T of the oil.

3. Add anchovy paste, wine vinegar, Worchester sauce, mustard, and lemon juice. Can be done a few hours in advance.

4. Add egg, shake the container vigorously to blend.

5. Add cheese, shake again, this time lightly.

6. Pour dressing over lettuce, toss to coat.

7. Add more cheese, bacon, croutons, mushrooms, anything else that you desire.

For really good croutons, take the 2 tablespoons of the garlic olive oil after it’s been marinating for awhile, and drizzle it over French bread cubes. Toast them in the oven for a few minutes, or sauté them in a large skillet until lightly toasted. Toss with a little freshly chopped Italian parsley.

Caramelized shallot mashed potatoes

2010-02-17T15:09:00.002-06:00

This is another Bon Appetit recipe (no surprise there). I was hesitant to try this one, in part because of the amount of shallots used. I did not want a particularly shallot-y mashed potato (would defeat the purpose, in my mind). However, these were just lovely. They were light and fluffy and the caramelized shallots provided a wonderful slightly sweet, deep flavor. Heating the milk in the pan before adding it to the potatoes is a new one for me, and one I will remember and use again.

Slice the shallots, then cook them in the pan long enough to get some brown bits on them, then move them into a bowl and pour the milk into the pan. Boil the potatoes until cooked, then drain, then return to pan and dry out a little bit. Mix in the milk, then the shallots. I saved a few shallots to garnish the potatoes once they were on the plate, which you also could do if you serve this in a dish on the table.

Amazing Caramel Chocolate Truffles

2010-02-16T11:00:00.008-06:00

Caramel-Dark Chocolate Truffles with Fleur de Sel (courtesy of Bon Appetit)

3 notes before I get to the description.

1 We halved this recipe, and used the little bit of extra chocolate in the second part to dip strawberries. It was perfect for that.

We did not follow the instructions exactly as written in the recipe. We followed the ingredients, but the process is where we changed. More on that below.

3. Fleur de sel is available in bulk at Central Market (gourmet grocery store in Austin, of the HEB chain). It might be available at similar groceries in places that are not fortunate enough to have Central Market.

We used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate, available in the baking aisle. The husband chopped it up into small pieces, then it went on the stove. The recipe called for a metal bowl on top of a pot of water, but we used one of the pyrex ones instead, and stirred almost constantly to keep the chocolate melting at an even temperature and to keep it smooth. That got set aside once it was melted and we started on the caramel. There is a very delicate point when boiling sugar and water where it goes from being completely clear to having a gorgeous amber hue to it, and this one was no exception. (The husband wanted me to interject with a comment on the recipe. It says to “brush down” the sides of the pan while all of this sugar water boiling is happening. It is tricky to brush down the sides of the pan. We found that keeping a small bowl of water nearby, and dipping the brush in the water before and after brushing down the sides, kept the brush from getting too sticky. We also tended to brush around more than down. It must have worked ok, because the recipe came out great.) Back to my beautiful amber gooey pot. The hardest part of this recipe was this step, the addition of the whipping cream to the caramel. It said to stir until smooth, but we did not know exactly when that point was. The caramel was clumping at the bottom of the pot, and the cream did not seem to want to combine with it, but it eventually did. Keeping it over the warm burner (it was turned off) helped. The addition of the salt and the caramel to the chocolate was no problem, and the whole thing went into the fridge for 3 hours, which ended up being more like 4 hours by the time we got it back out.

When the filling comes out of the fridge, it will be HARD. The husband was afraid he had broken our melon baller trying to make little balls. The ice cream scoop worked well, and his hands got very messy rolling the filling, but he did say that the heat from his hands helped soften the filling enough to roll it, and enabled the cocoa powder to stick easily.

The next part of the recipe is where we substantially changed our procedure. Because it was Sunday already, and we wanted these little guys for dessert Sunday night, we did not chill the rolled balls over night. I doubt we chilled them for more than an hour before coating them, and they were still amazing. The salt provides a nice relief from the sweet caramel, and the bittersweet chocolate tops off the deep richness.

Tenderloin

2010-02-15T19:43:00.011-06:00

Yum. We purchased this tenderloin from Central Market for around $16 a pound. It was on sale, and a good deal by CM standards. When we got home from the grocery store, I rinsed, dried, tied, and salted the meat. I didn't measure the salt (I'm bad about that) but sprinkled it on; it was probably about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of course sea salt. Then into the fridge it went. Somehow I managed to teach myself how to do the butcher store tying of the tenderloin, so it was very pretty and professional looking. The husband was impressed.

A note about twine: we use organic cotton cooking twine. We didn't always, it used to be standard twiney twine, but it always seems to disappear from the kitchen, moving to other parts of the house to do other tying duties. After a particularly stressful search for the runaway twine, I found and purchased the organic stuff. Because of its nature, as food safe and special and all, it does not have the same wandering tendencies and stays in its place in our silverware drawer. It is well worth the extra couple of dollars, as far as I'm concerned, to have a special kitchen twine that stays in the kitchen where it belongs.

The meat came out of the fridge roughly 2 hours before it went in the oven. The recipe recommended one hour, but I took it out and it took us some time to be ready to cook it. We used our remote thermometer thing (an amazing tool, and I highly recommend it for cooking meat. Meat of any kind. I also said to the husband, during dinner, that if his folks had one we would have been spared many stressful and dramatic pre-dinner experiences. I want to quote them here but I won't, out of respect to the husband. Maybe in the future...) and the meat beeped when it was the perfect temperature to remove from the oven, 125.

Once out, it got a nice tent of foil over the top, and it sat that way for about 20 minutes as we finished other things. The husband said the internal temperature raised 13 more degrees while it sat, and then leveled off at a nice 138.

The simple rub of olive oil and cracked pepper, combined with the salt, gave the meat a lovely crispy edge with a nice pink color and unbelievably tender inside. I wish I had better words to describe the texture of this meat (I will work on my descriptive prowess, I promise). Very soft, easily cut with a butter knife, and moist and yummy. I took the middle pieces (they were more red than pink) and the husband took the ones closer to the edge, since he likes his more done. The beauty of the tenderloin is the range of done-ness that can be achieved; everyone can dine happily.

Valentine's Day (or tenderloin, truffles, and taters)

2010-02-15T08:44:00.005-06:00

Details to come tonight on our lovely Valentine's Day meal (here's a peak!):
Deb's Caesar salad (courtesy of the mother-in-law)
Beef tenderloin (adapted from Bon Appetit)
Steamed asparagus
Caramelized Shallot Mashed Potatoes (Bon Appetit)
Caramel-Dark Chocolate Truffles (Bon Appetit, with modifications)

Why a blog?

2010-02-10T12:05:00.005-06:00

After spending much time online reading other people's cooking blogs in search of new and interesting recipes, I realized that I (or I should say we) cook quite a bit. Enough, in fact, to be able to blog about it in much of the similar manner of all of the cooking blogs I follow. I'd also like to include photographs of the process and of the final product, as I have my new camera that needs some love. My husband has said several times that good food photography is very difficult, and I am intent on proving him wrong.

Comfort Foodie. A blog about the love of good food, quality ingredients, the process of recipe crafting. There is very little more exciting to me than reading a new recipe - the anticipation builds as I scan the ingredient list, my mouth waters as I contemplate the particular flavors and how they might combine with each other, and by the time I get through the steps of the recipe I'm already bouncing in my seat, making grocery lists and checking the cupboards for ingredients. The excitement grows at the store, the search for that one last ingredient and the slight anxiety, the flutter in the tummy, if I can't find it (what can I use instead? is it that important?), and then the satisfaction of discovering it and carefully placing it in my cart, as if I might lose it if I just tossed it in. Once home, I don't want to waste time unpacking all of the groceries, eager to get started on my newest recipe. The assembly, watching a meal come together from scattered ingredients, is remarkable. And tasting. Of course tasting, learning how the different ingredients affect the flavors and textures throughout the cooking process. The final assembly, the combination of different parts of the recipe into one whole, the point when I can finally step back and proudly admire my hard work for a minute before sitting down and enjoying the final product. Sometimes I don't know which I like more, the cooking or the eating.

In addition to recipes and photography, there will probably be some musings on our vegetable garden. It will be the second year we've attempted such a thing, and we learned a lot the first year. It's a challenge to keep plants protected from the late frosts only to battle with keeping them cool enough to produce in the scorching summers.

We cook a lot. And we cook a variety of foods. There will be our favorites, our go-tos on nights when we don't really know what to do or don't have anything planned, and there will be our adventures, new recipes or new ingredients that may or may not work out.

I find peace in the kitchen. I am most comfortable there, with or without a recipe, and I derive great satisfaction and contentment from my efforts. On that note, I present to you Comfort Foodie, taking the love of food from the recipe to the tummy.

Up and running!

2010-02-09T19:53:00.000-06:00

We're up and running! Very exciting! However, because of too much work tonight, the introduction and first post will have to come tomorrow...

Until then, happy cooking!

(oh, and dinner tonight is Tomato Sauce and Pasta, thanks to smittenkitchen.com)

Comfort Foodie

2011

Accidental Apple Cake and the Holiday Season

Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

Absent, but not forgotten

Pizza Throwdown

Vanilla Beans and Tito's Vodka

Fish Tacos

Long Shopping List (and flood pictures!)

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Education

Big plans

Foodie Friday Fav - Beef Chili

Toast the cumin seeds in a small skillet until fragrant. Grind using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

Breakfast Tacos

French Onion Soup

One year?

January Vegetable: Brussels Sprouts (#2)

February Vegetable #1: Kale Chips

MRIs of Food

January Vegetable: Brussels Sprouts (#1)

Cottage Pie

Food Facts

Dilemma

Is it Food?

Lamb

A New Year

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

Kitchen Toys

Thanksgiving 3

Thanksgiving, Part 2

Thanksgiving

Pyramids

Local Food?

Foodie Friday Favorite - Buffalo Meatloaf with Spinach and Fingerling Potatoes

Roasted Red Pepper and Fontina Grilled Cheese and Tomato-Lentil Soup.

Fall?

Pizza

Summer fun, and yummy steak

Dismal Summer Bloggie

Dinner tonight!

Spring Garden

Dinner tonight!

Insanity

Not sick anymore

Dinner tonight

Roasted Grape Tomato Sauce

Salmon with Sweet Chili Glaze

Migas Casserole

Foodie Friday Favs - BLTs with a twist

Tuesday Treats - An Almost Disaster

Dinner! Mac and Cheese

Cilantro and Taste Memory

Tuesday Treats 2 - Cinnamon Rum Ice Cream

Weekend Activities

Friday Favs - Crockpot!

This recipe is adapted from a giant saved file of slow cooker recipes I have. If you are interested in the "book" leave me a message and I'll send it to you.

Tuesday Treats - Snickerdoodles

Tuesday Treats - Lemon Cheesecake

Foodie Friday Fav - It's Friday!

No Tuesday Treats...

Foodie Friday Fav - Cauliflower with Mustard-Lemon Butter

Chicken Fried Steak

Tuesday Treats - Chocolate Chip Cornbread

Foodie Friday Fav - Cilantro Lime Butter and Chicken

Tuesday Treats - Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls

Artichoke Dip

Favorite Friday

Lasagna Noodles

Kitchen Companion

Spring Garden

Favorite Friday

Spaghetti and Meatballs (Bacon Paste!)

Dinner tonight!

Spaghetti and Meatballs All'Amatriciana

Check back tomorrow for the review!

Tuesday Treats - Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake

Photos...

Black Pepper Fettuccine

Deb's Caesar Salad