the daily crouton

empanadas part deux.

2009-09-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

***See previous post for empanada dough recipe creation...

Follow steps to create empanadas, but instead of filling with chicken mixture, fill with one tablespoon each nutella and cream cheese, fold dough in half, enclosing filling. Press edges together to seal, then crimp decoratively with your fingers or tines of a fork. Transfer empanadas to a baking sheet.

Lightly brush empanadas with some egg wash and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer empanadas to a rack to cool at least 5 minutes. Serve warm so the inside is a little gooey... maybe with some ice cream.

empanadas part uno.

2009-08-31T12:20:00.000-05:00

Chicken Empanada with Chorizo and Olives
adapted from Gourmet, January 2005 and Smitten Kitchen

Makes 18-24 empanadas

Dough:
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I swapped 1/2 cup with whole wheat flour)
3 teaspoons salt
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 large eggs
2/3 cup ice water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

Filling:
about 2 lbs shredded chicken... get it however you want, we used grilled breasts, but a rotisserie chicken would be fine too.
salt
black pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup finely diced or ground chorizo (cured spiced pork sausage; 1 1/2 oz; casings discarded)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup chopped pitted green olives
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

Egg Wash:
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Make Dough: Sift flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Beat together egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated. (Mixture will look shaggy.) Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. (Deb note: If you use a large-ish bowl, you can do this step in-bowl.) Form dough into two flat rectangles and chill them, each wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour. Dough can be chilled up to 6 hours total.

Make Filling: Sauté onions, garlic, and bay leaves in oil in skillet, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add chorizo and paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add olives, wine, and broth and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Add chicken to skillet, then reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, covered, until headed through and thickened, about 25 minutes. (Sauce in skillet should be the consistency of heavy cream; if it’s not, briskly simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.)

Discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then cool filling, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

Form Empanadas: Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Divide first dough and half of second dough into 18 equal pieces and form each into a disk. (The remaining dough can be stored in the freezer for future use.) Keeping remaining pieces covered, roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 5-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick).

Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling onto center and fold dough in half, enclosing filling. Press edges together to seal, then crimp decoratively with your fingers or tines of a fork. Transfer empanada to a baking sheet. Make 17 more empanadas in same manner, arranging on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.

Lightly brush empanadas with some of egg wash and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer empanadas to a rack to cool at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*** Save some dough for empanadas, part deux.

a panzanella to prepare you for cooler weather.

2009-08-27T12:03:00.000-05:00

Winter Panzanella
adapted from Michael Chiarello and Smitten Kitchen

For the croutons:
olive oil to coat
6 cups day-old bread, cubed (baguette works best)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:
1 small red onion, sliced thinly lengthwise
3 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar vinegar
Gray salt
4 cups peeled, seeded, and diced butternut squash (1/2-inch dice)
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, then quartered

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake until golden and crispy. Allow to cool.

Soak the sliced onion in the sherry vinegar and a pinch of salt for about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Toss the squash with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the squash is tender and lightly caramelized, about 15 to minutes. Add the quartered Brussels sprouts mid way through cooking the squash and cook until tender and caramelized but retain a touch of crispness. Let cool.

Into the reserved red onions and vinegar, whisk in remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. Season with pepper.

In a large bowl combine the roasted squash, croutons, and Brussels sprouts. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with grated Parmesan and serve immediately.

arugula, arugula

2009-08-25T11:58:00.004-05:00

Pasta with Arugula
adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

Salt
1 pound linguine or spaghetti
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups very finely grated Pecorino Romano
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped arugula
the zest of one lemon

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until it is al dente, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Immediately toss the hot pasta in a large bowl with the butter to coat. While tossing the linguine, gradually sprinkle the cheese, pepper, lemon zest and enough of the reserved cooking liquid evenly over the linguine to moisten. Add the arugula and toss to combine. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt. Divide the pasta among 6 plates and serve.

my love for pickles.

2009-05-25T16:11:00.000-05:00

I have started making pickles. A lot of pickles. There is something about a cold, crisp pickle that just can't be beat. As a snack to hold you over until dinner. As the perfect addition to a sandwich. They are a great thing to have in your fridge. And it makes it even better if you have made them yourself.

I have been very happy with all the pickles that I have made. But these take the cake. I probably love them more than other pickles because of the memories they bring of the restaurant that they are from... a restaurant that I would gladly travel back to Minneapolis for any day. But until that next trip comes, at least I have some pickles to hold me over.

Pickles

4 seedless english cucumbers, sliced very thin
2 cerano chilis, sliced thin
2 fresno chilis, sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin

4 cups rice wine vinegar
4 cups sugar

Boil the vinegar and sugar together until sugar is dissolved. Pour over cucumbers, chilis and garlic in a large bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature. Pour into jars and refrigerate.

the best sandwich. ever.

2009-05-23T20:01:00.002-05:00

This sandwich. It is the bomb. I can honestly say that, as I was eating it, I was convinced that this was the best sandwich I have ever eaten. It may not be true... but I can sure tell you that it is good enough for me to think that it was. It is helped out by the great ham recipe that I got from my soon-to-be sister-in-law... but I don't have a photo of the ham... so you will have to wait for that recipe. But another key player was the pickles. Pickles that I made from a recipe given to me by a friend who is a chef at a restaurant that will remain nameless just in case I get in trouble for sharing the recipe with you. But you will have to wait for that recipe too... but just for a couple of days. For now, be happy with the sandwich.

Deviled Ham and Pickle Sandwiches
adapted from Gourmet, April 2009

1 1/2 cups chopped cooked ham (1/2 pound)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
Sliced cornichons or dill pickles
Thinly sliced sweet onion
8 slices sandwich bread (we used small baguettes from a mexican grocery down the street... it was a good call for us. use whatever bread you see fit)

Pulse ham with mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco in a food processor until finely chopped.

Make sandwiches with ham mixture, pickles, onion, and bread.

brown a little more butter.

2009-04-20T16:26:00.002-05:00

You have all heard about my love for brown butter. This recipe is a new and different twist for a bit of a fancier dinner... but still a quick one. It is really simple, but it is so good it deserved a post to honor its yummy-ness. It works really well for a quick dinner because cooking store-bought stuffed pasta takes no time at all and browning the butter is really quick. Plus, most things are probably already in your pantry (frozen cheese tortellini is a great thing to have on hand). So if you have surprise guests, you won't be caught with nothing to serve, and you will still be able to impress them.

When I made this, I completely forgot the walnuts. Duh. But it was still good. Make sure to cool the butter a bit because if you don't it splatters. A lot.

Stuffed Pasta with Balsamic Brown Butter
adapted from Everyday Italian with Giada DeLaurentis

8 to 20 ounces store-bought ravioli or tortellini
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain ravioli onto a large serving platter.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides, and the butter begins to turn a golden brown, about 3 minutes, turn off the heat. Let cool for about 1 minute. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Transfer the ravioli to the pan saucepan with the balsamic brown butter. Sprinkle walnuts and Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.

in search of the perfect brownie.

2009-04-13T18:07:00.003-05:00

Are you on the search for the perfect brownie? Well, your search ends here. This is the recipe that will get you that brownie. And it will be amazing. I promise. I Have made homemade brownies in the past, and I was never really impressed. They just didn't come out right. They were disappointing. Maybe I was just doing it wrong, but I have to admit that I always thought the brownies from the box came out better. Never again. These brownies are it, and they make enough to last quite a while... long enough, at least, until you get the energy up to make them again.

They aren't difficult to make, just a little time intensive. I made these with the peanut butter for valentines day, and they were great, but I like the parts without the peanut butter better. So the next time I made them without.

Brownies
adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the remaining 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour into the prepared sheet pan. If using, spoon the peanut butter over the top of the chocolate mixture and using a knife, swirl it through the chocolate mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes more or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into large squares.

the lost recipes.

2009-03-30T16:20:00.001-05:00

The other day I was looking though all my backup photos and I came across a few meals that I had made that never got posted... they didn't even get labeled in preparation for a post. They just got lost in the computer, waiting around to be found again and loved.

The main on that I wanted to post from that grouping is this one: my first experience making fresh pasta. I had a lot of fun doing it and I used it in this recipe because I, for some reason, thought that it would make it better. I don't really remember why now, but it was really good, so I guess I was right.

I will continue to make fresh pasta in the future, in fact I did it again just this week, but that recipe is still on the camera, so you will have to wait a little while for it. This one, however, is great and you should definitely give it a try. It is on the rich and decadent side, but it is something a little different then your plain old pasta dish.

Carbonara Deep Dish Pasta-Crusted Pan Pizza
adapted from Rachel Ray

Salt
1 pound fresh fettuccine pasta or 2 packages fresh linguine (9 ounces each)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta or bacon, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, grated or chopped
1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
4 large eggs
1/2 cup cream
Salt and black pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese
A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat water for pasta in large pot, salt it and cook pasta for three minutes.

While water boils, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil. Add pancetta and brown, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook a minute more.

Drain pasta and add to pan to toss with the garlic oil and pancetta. Add the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Beat eggs with cream and pour over top of pasta. Let eggs begin to set up, one minute, and pat pasta into even layer to make the pizza pie crust. Place in oven and cook for five minutes.

Mix together the ricotta and parsley. Remove pie from oven and smooth the ricotta over the top. Scatter the mozzarella over the top and return to oven. Bake 10 minutes more until cheese is melted and golden at edges. Let ricotta sit a couple of minutes to settle, then cut into wedges and serve out of pan at table.

a new staple.

2009-03-25T11:32:00.003-05:00

I had never made curry before. It just always seemed like something that was too out there for my kitchen. Something to eat out at dinner, not in. I don't know why. But when I read about this curry, for some reason, it struck a cord. I called my husband from the grocery store to have him look up the ingredients. It might have been the bean aspect. I have discovered a new love for beans that I never knew I had. And I am so glad that I discovered them because, man, this is good stuff. So easy to make and awesome for a quick and healthy dinner. Plus, great lunch for the rest of the week from the leftovers! We've had this for dinner once a week for the past month. It is that good.

Red Kidney Bean Curry [Rajmah]
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated fresh ginger
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 plum tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large green chili, chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
8 ounce can of tomato sauce or puree
3 cups boiled red kidney beans or 30 ounces canned red kidney beans, undrained

Heat oil in a deep sauce pan over medium heat for one minute. Add ginger, garlic, onion, green chili, and let sizzle for one minute. Add the tomato sauce, salt and remaining spices and cook for an additional five minutes, stirring frequently. Add the kidney beans with water or canned red kidney beans (undrained) plus one additional cup of water, and tomatoes. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Garnish with yogurt for a little creamy-ness. Serve over rice or with naan.

an homage to jamie.

2009-03-04T11:15:00.000-06:00

Jamie Oliver has a magazine! My mom came across it at Barnes and Noble the other day and I couldn't be more excited. I can't get enough of Jamie Oliver. He has always been my favorite. I was a huge fan of the Naked Chef... it must be the british thing that started it all, but I have been hooked ever since.

Last fall when I saw that Food Network was showing his new series "Jamie at Home" I immediately set the DVR (8:30 a.m. on a Saturday is a little early for me to commit to) and it really is a great show. The cookbook, also great. Jamie shows people how to cook using more local ingredients by cooking straight out of his garden. I love it! I also knew when I saw this recipe that I would love it as well. But I wanted to wait for the right carrots. You see, the carrots that Jamie used were all different beautiful colors and I never knew where I would ever find carrots like that. So I filed the recipe away and hoped that I would find some someday. And that someday came one of the first weeks we were in Lincoln. The little co-op around the corner, Open Harvest, had the most beautiful carrots! I immediately picked some up and that next day we had this salad. It has so much flavor and an amazing texture. Your meat-eating significant other won't even notice the lack of meat. So, in honor of Jamie's new magazine, here is that recipe for you.

Roast Carrot and Avocado Salad with Orange and Lemon Dressing
adapted from Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

1 pound medium mixed colored carrots, with their leafy tops
Sea salt
2 level teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 or 2 small dried chiles, crumbled
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
Extra-virgin olive oil
Red or white wine vinegar
1 orange, halved
1 lemon, halved
1 lime, halved, optional
3 ripe avocados
4 (1/2-inch thick) slices ciabatta or other good-quality bread
4 handfuls interesting mixed salad leaves, washed and spun dry
2/3 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
4 tablespoons mixed seeds, toasted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Parboil the carrots in boiling, salted water for 10 minutes, until they are very nearly cooked, then drain and put them into a roasting pan. You should flavor them while they're steaming hot, so while the carrots are cooking get a pestle and mortar and smash up the cumin seeds, chilles, salt and pepper. Add the garlic and thyme leaves and smash up again until you have a kind of paste. The idea here is to build up the flavors. Add enough extra-virgin olive oil to generously cover the paste, and a good swig of vinegar. This will be like a marinade, a rub and a dressing all in one! Stir together, then pour over the carrots in the pan, coating them well. Add the orange, lemon and lime halves, cut side down. These will roast along with the carrots, and their juice can be used as the basis of the dressing. Place in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden.

While the carrots are roasting, halve and peel the avocados, discarding the pits, then cut them into wedges lengthwise and place in a big bowl. Remove the carrots from the oven and add them to the avocados. Carefully, using some tongs, squeeze the roasted orange and lemon juice into a bowl and add the same amount of extra-virgin olive oil and a little swig of red wine vinegar. Season, and pour this dressing over the carrots and avocados. Mix together, have a taste and correct the seasoning. Call your gang round the table while you toast or broil your ciabatta slices.

Tear the toasted bread into little pieces and add to the dressed carrot and avocado. Mix together, toss in the salad leaves and transfer to a big platter or divide between individual plates. Spoon over a nice dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt and drizzle over some extra-virgin olive oil.

the perfect lunch.

2009-03-01T11:01:00.003-06:00

I have trouble deciding what to eat for lunch. My husband comes home and he is perfectly happy to eat the same thing everyday. It is either a hot dog or a turkey sandwich. I, on the other hand, enjoy a little variety and sometimes a turkey sandwich just won't cut it. It seems boring. And bland. I need a little spice in lunch. So when I saw Giada making this recipe on Everyday Italian, I knew that it would join my lunchtime menu. I love white beans and this soup is so easy, it comes together in minutes. The perfect time line for lunch. I made a half batch and it lasted me through 2 lunches (one all soup, one soup and half a grilled cheese). Next time, I might make a double batch and freeze some for a quick heat up at a later date. A great lunch for any time of year, this light and fragrant soup is a must.

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Italian

I used rosemary instead of sage because I thought it would work well with the beans. It did. I think you could use any herb that you wanted here. I also ran out of stock when I made it, and used half water. It worked just as well if you need to do that, but I am sure it is better with all stock.

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 sage leaf or rosemary stalk
2 (15-ounce) cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
1/2 cup cream or half and half
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and beans and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. (Alternately, use an immersion blender right in the pot. It works great too and is easier in my opinion.) Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pan. Puree the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pan, add the cream and the pepper. Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.

alinea

2009-02-27T15:47:00.004-06:00

Words cannot express how amazing this dinner experience was. All I can say is that if you have the chance to visit Alinea in Chicago, you have to go. The there is no restaurant that can compete with this experience. The photos that follow are just a few of my favorite courses from our 24 course tour.

super bowl, super chocolate.

2009-02-17T15:30:00.000-06:00

Last year for my birthday my dear friend Sarah gave me a mini popover pan. I told her that day that I knew the first thing that I would make with it would be Bouchons au Chocolat, or mini chocolate cork-shaped cakes. What I didn't know was that it was going to take me a year to get around to doing that.

We were invited to watch the super bowl with some friends and I wanted to bring something fun for dessert... I finally had my chance to make these little chocolate wonders. The pan worked out perfectly and the cakes came out just as they should. A mix between brownie, cake and scone. They are great with ice cream, but I like them even better alone, maybe as an afternoon snack with some tea or coffee. They have a way of making you feel very french when you eat them. C'est bon!

Bouchons au chocolat
Adapted from Orangette, David Lebovitz’s The Great Book of Chocolate, and Pearl Bakery

3 ½ ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 ¾ cups cake flour
1 ½ Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a muffin pan or mini popover pan with butter or cooking spray.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates together by microwaving for 30 seconds at a time and stirring in between. When the chocolates are just melted do one final stir and set aside.

Sift the flour, cocoa, and salt together into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate until well incorporated. Using a rubber spatula or spoon, stir and fold in the dry ingredients in three additions. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine. The batter will be quite thick.

Divide the batter between the wells of the muffin tin or popover pan. Bake the cakes for 15-18 minutes, or until they still feel quite soft in their centers when pressed lightly with your index finger. Do not overbake them, or they will be dry.

Remove the pan from the oven, and allow to cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cakes from the pan and cool completely before eating or storing.

Store them at room temperature in an airtight container.

Yield: 12 cakes

our new taco tuesday.

2009-02-15T17:47:00.002-06:00

Taco Tuesday is a tradition that my husband and I and our friends started in college. No matter how much work had to be done, we would all come together to eat and hang out on Tuesday night, enjoying tacos and some laughs. Dave and I still keep the tradition going... maybe not every week, but quite often as i am making our weekly meal plan we will save Tuesdays for tacos.

Tuesdays now, however, have mostly involved these tacos. Once I saw them in Bon Appétit a couple months back, I knew they would be my new favorite. They are super quick to put together, healthy and really yummy. Crispy and creamy and salty and rich all in one. I highly recommend that you put Taco Tuesday on your meal plan for the week and try these out.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw
adapted from Bon Appétit

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cups coleslaw mix
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 white or yellow corn tortillas or flour tortillas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 avocado sliced
Bottled chipotle hot sauce or other hot sauce

Place beans, cumin and half the lime juice in small pan to heat; partially mash. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta, sliced avocado and slaw. Pass hot sauce alongside.

a good effort.

2009-02-04T14:40:00.002-06:00

I have always wanted to try my hand at a tart tatin. When we were in Paris for our honeymoon, I ate a few of them. One amazing one at Polidor... they say it is the most famous one in France, and I would have to agree that it was out of this world. A fig tart tatin at another restaurant paled in comparison, but was still good. My try, turned out okay. I think the caramel was a little too done, the apples weren't sliced thin enough. I would do some things differently nest time. But, it was just the first try. Many more to come.

Find the recipe here.

mexican football.

2009-01-20T15:10:00.000-06:00

These dished were created a long time ago... back during college football season. But they are all so good that I wanted to do a quick post on them so you could enjoy the goodness too.

#1: My Guacamole.
I make a mean quac... if I do say so myself. It is almost salad-like, but man is it tasty.

Guacamole

2 medium Hass avocados, pitted and cubed
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
3 tablespoons lemon and or lime juice
2 small cloves garlic, chopped
A few drops hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix together and serve with scoopy chips.

#2: Huevos Cups
I found this recipe in Bon Appetit and it was the perfect thing to eat for a Sunday morning breakfast after a Saturday filled with tacos. All the leftovers went into these and they are so good I ate them three days in a row.

Huevos Rancheros in Tortilla Cups
adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2008

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 6- to 61/2-inch-diameter corn or flour tortillas
1 15-ounce can pinto beans or black beans, drained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
6 large eggs
3/4 cup grated cheese
1 cup pico de gallo, guac or salsa

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush six 10-ounce custard cups with 1 tablespoon oil. Stack tortillas; microwave uncovered until warm and flexible, about 25 seconds. Gently press 1 tortilla into each cup. Brush tortillas with 2 tablespoons oil.

Place pinto beans, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and cumin in small bowl; mash coarsely with fork. Spoon bean mixture into bottom of tortilla cups, spreading and dividing evenly. Crack 1 egg into each tortilla cup atop beans. Sprinkle each with grated cheese, covering egg completely. Bake uncovered until egg yolks are firm to touch and whites are set, about 27 minutes (yolks will still be soft inside).

Using large spoon, lift tortilla cups from dishes; transfer to plates. Top eggs with salsas and serve immediately.

finally.

2009-01-17T18:39:00.005-06:00

the holidays got to me a little i guess. between taking photos and working a bunch at the shop, i just never got a chance to sit down to blog... and there wasn't much exciting cooking either. but i am back to it now and i hope to be better about posting this year. i think i have said that before though...

the weekend before thanksgiving brought dave's parents to visit and we decided that sunday night was going to be out "nice/thanksgiving" dinner with them before they headed home to ohio. it took me a while to decide what to make, but i settled on short ribs from the lovely cookbook "sunday suppers at lucques." it is such a great cookbook and i hadn't gotten around to making anything from it until then. i love how everything is based on the seasons and is divided into meals. the braised beef shortribs were paired with potato purée, swiss chard and horseradish cream. sounds like a great combo to me! i did change it up a bit and make mashed potatoes instead of the purée... i just didn't want to do that much work. i finished the meal with a dessert from another menu, olive oil cake with creme fraiche whipped cream. it was a hit.

Braised Short Ribs with Potato Purée, Swiss Chard and Horseradish Cream
Adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques

Serves 4 (generously) to 6

6 beef short ribs, about 14 to 16 ounces each (ask for 3 bone center-cut)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, and 4 whole sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
3 dozen small pearl onions
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced carrot
1/3 cup diced celery
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups port
2 1/2 cups hearty red wine
6 cups beef or veal stock
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
2 bunches Swiss chard, cleaned, center ribs removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Horseradish Cream (recipe follows)
Mashed Potatoes (recipe follows)

Season the short ribs with 1 tablespoon thyme and the cracked black pepper. use your hands to coat the meat well. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Take the short ribs out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking, to come to room temperature. After 30 minutes, season them generously on all sides with salt.

When you take the ribs out of the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the pearl onions with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon thyme, 3/4 teaspoons salt, and a pinch of pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet and roast them about 15 minutes, until tender. When they have cooled, slip off the skins with your fingers and set aside. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees F. (This didn't work out too well for me, i would probably use frozen ones next time.)

When it’s time to cook the short ribs, heat a large Dutch oven over high heat for 3 minutes. Pour in 3 tablespoons olive oil, and wait a minute or two, until the pan is very hot and almost smoking. Place the short ribs in the pan, and sear until they are nicely browned on all three meaty sides. Depending on the size of your pan, you might have to sear the meat in batches. Do not crowd the meat or get lazy or rushed at this step; it will take at least 15 minutes. When the ribs are nicely browned, transfer them to a plate to rest.

Turn the heat down to medium, and add the onion, carrot, celery, thyme springs, and bay leaves. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the crusty bits in the pan. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables just begin to caramelize. Add the balsamic vinegar, port, and red wine. Turn the heat up to high, and reduce the liquid by half.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Arrange ribs in the pot, lieing flat, bones standing up, in one layer. [If you used a saute pan for previous steps, transfer the ribs to a braising pan at this point.] Scrape any vegetables that have fallen on the ribs back into the liquid. The stock mixture should almost cover the ribs. Tuck the parsley sprigs in and around the meat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid if you have one. Braise in the oven for about 3 hours.

To check the meat for doneness, remove the lid and foil, being careful of the escaping steam, and piece a short rib with a paring knife. When the meat is done, it will yield easily to a knife. Taste a piece if you are not sure. [If you would like to cook these a day ahead, this is where you can pause. The next day, you can remove the fat easily from the pot -- it will have solidified at the top -- bring these back to a simmer on the stove or in an oven, and continue.]

Let the ribs rest 10 minutes in their juices, and then transfer them to a baking sheet.

Turn the oven up to 400 degrees F.

Place the short ribs in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to brown.

Strain the broth into a saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables with a ladle to extract all the juices. Skim the fat from the sauce (if you made these the day before, you will have already skimmed them) and, if the broth seems thin, reduce it over medium-high heat to thicken slightly. Taste for seasoning.

Heat a large saute pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Tear the Swiss chard into large pieces. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to the pan, and stir in the cooked pearl onions. Add half the Swiss chard, and cook a minute or two, stirring the greens in the oil to help them wilt. Add a splash of water and the second half of the greens. Season with a heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of ground black pepper. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently, until the greens are tender.

Place the swiss chard on a large warm platter, and arrange the short ribs on top. Spoon lots of braising juices over the ribs. Serve the potato puree and horseradish cream (recipes below) on the side.

Horseradish Cream

3/4 cup créme fraîche
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the créme fraîche and horseradish in a small bowl. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Taste for balance and seasoning.

Mashed Potatoes

2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed (i used half yukon golds and half baking potatoes)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces), melted
1 cup half-and-half , warmed
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
Ground black pepper

1. Place potatoes in large saucepan and cover with 1 inch water. Bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender (a paring knife can be slipped into and out of center of potatoes with very little resistance), 20 to 30 minutes. Drain.

2. Set food mill or ricer over now empty but still warm saucepan. Spear potato with dinner fork, then peel back skin with paring knife. Repeat with remaining potatoes. Working in batches, cut peeled potatoes into rough chunks and drop into hopper of food mill or ricer. Process or rice potatoes into saucepan.

3. Stir in butter with wooden spoon until incorporated; gently whisk in half-and-half, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Olive Oil Cake with Creme Fraiche Whipped Cream
Adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques

1 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing pan
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup semolina
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brandy
3 large eggs
6 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup creme fraiche

Preheat oven to 375.
Brush a 9 inch round cake pan with olive oil.
Sift the flour and baking powder together and then stir in the semolina and salt. Combine olive oil and brandy into a small bowl.
Beat the eggs, yolks and sugar at high speed for 7 minutes until at full volume. Alternate folding in the dry and wet ingredients into the eggs, a third at a time. Pour into prepared cake pan and tap to release any bubbles.

Bake about 40 minutes until the cake begins to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool at least 15 minutes.

Whip the cream and creme fraiche together to soft peaks.

Serve the cake with the cream and any sort of berries or syrup you prefer.

an old standby.

2008-11-04T16:16:00.001-06:00

There are days when you just don't know what to cook. You want to make something that will make you and your loved one happy, but it just isn't in you. You just don't want to think too much about it. Enter Gnocchi Gorgonzola. This recipe has been one of my husband's favorites from the beginning and it tastes great. If you want to make it easy on yourself, you can just head to your local grocery store, grab a package of pre-made gnocchi and some gorgonzola or blue cheese and a pint of heavy cream and you are all set for a great dinner. Add in a salad and a loaf of bread to mop up the leftover sauce and you are golden. If you want to make it difficult on yourself, you can make the gnocchi from scratch... but I haven't done that yet. Maybe next time. Until then, the store-bought kind still makes for a pretty good dinner.

Gnocchi Gorgonzola
1-2 packages store bought gnocchi
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound Gorgonzola

Cook gnocchi per package directions. Place the cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Whisk in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Toss the gnocchi with the cream sauce. Spoon onto a large serving platter. Garnish with black pepper.

a new kitchen... the first weeks.

2008-10-27T10:01:00.008-05:00

I wanted our first meal in our new home to be special. Memorable. And it was... I made macaroni and cheese and it was great. The perfect meal to break in my new oven. It was, however,the next meal and the one after that were milestones for my culinary self.

The first of those two was inspired by figs. I have had figs on the brain lately and I really have no explanation for it. But on a pantry stocking trip to whole foods I picked up a carton of the lovely little guys and new that I needed to do something fabulous with them. In the corner of my mind was the new cookbook by David Tanis of Chez Panisse fame that Gourmet Magazine reviewed. Well, I had figs, I should probably have that cookbook too! And it was the duck recipe in that cookbook that became our next meal. Duck with Roasted Figs. And it was great. The method of cooking the duck was something that anyone could do and it really did come out great. I was really happy with my first try at making duck.

The next meal also brought something that I had never done before:Soufflé!! I had pulled a recipe from a magazine somewhere for soufflés with Roquefort and spinach and really wanted to give it a try. It rose and everything, just like it was supposed to! But it did take a lot longer to cook than it should have... like 45 minutes longer. I kept cutting in and checking and praying that it wouldn't fall (which it never did!) and finally we got to eat it and it tasted great. I full soufflé success!

The last meal to mention today is this fabulous pizza. I have started taping Alex Guarnaschelli's "The Cooking Loft" and watching it during the week when I am awake (it airs pretty early Saturday mornings). One of her first shows she made an "Oven Fried Pizza" with sausage and caramelized onions. Immediately I knew that that was dinner. I loved the way that she fried the pizza crust in a cast iron skillet before popping it into the oven. It gave a great texture to the crust and I will definitely do it again. It was a big hit with the hubby, too.

saying goodbye to the old kitchen.

2008-10-27T09:38:00.006-05:00

Time the past few weeks has seemed to slip through my fingers. I feel a lot busier than I really am and this blog has gotten left at the bottom of the priority list. I also think I have been putting it off because of all the catching up that I have to do. So I decided just to do one big post of photos and links to recipes and start fresh with all the fun, new stuff I have been cooking in my new kitchen.

All of these photos and recipes were the last meals from living in Minneapolis. I still miss my old little kitchen, but not as much as I thought I would. The new kitchen is quite a happy place and as soon as we get a table, it will be fully functional and wonderful. I do miss the grocery stores, the selection here doesn't compare to the stores in Minnesota. But I am making due and still cooking some good food. That food will be posted in the next couple weeks.

Zucchini Spaghetti

Vanilla Lavender Ice Cream

Strawberry Galette

Garlic Scape and White Bean Dip

Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon and Blueberry Pepper Jelly

Creamy Corn Orzo

crazy easy.

2008-09-15T17:38:00.004-05:00

There are some nights when you want some thing really good, but all you really want to do is sit and relax. That is where this recipe comes to the rescue. Its simple. Almost boring... but not boring in flavor.

I am a huge fan of brie. I there is something on a menu with brie, there is a good chance I am getting it. It is such a beautiful smooth cheese and I just love it. A little brie, some avocado and a baguette... best snack you can get. I randomly ran into this recipe somewhere, in fact I don't think it was even a recipe, but just a mention of the idea somewhere and I immediately wrote it down on a post-it to make asap. Brie and pears. How can you go wrong?

Brie and Pear Quesedillas

4 flour tortillas (taco/medium size)
Brie cheese (you decide how cheesy you want them)
1 pear cut into thin slices.
a handful of fresh spinach, just wilted in a little olive oil

Layer the cheese, pear and spinach onto two tortillas and then top with the other two. Spray a bit of olive oil onto a non-stick pan and fry the quesadillas at medium high until golden brown and crispy and heated through. Done. Yum.

back. baby back.

2008-09-07T17:06:00.005-05:00

I'm back. It has August was a crazy month that included a trip to Scandinavia, a lot of packing, moving, unpacking, painting and trying to make a new home in a new place. Lincoln is good. It is treating me well so far. This biggest problem I am having is the food. I can't cook it. I have no kitchen and I am without kitchen for at least two more weeks. I have a microwave, but that doesn't lead to much gourmet cooking, if you know what I mean.

What that does mean is that I can catch up on the recipes that have been collecting on my computer for a while. So today I will take you back in time to the fourth of July. (Imagine a time machine sound here...) This recipe is probably coming at a bad time, as the weather really is starting to take us into fall. But maybe it is coming at the exact right time so you can use it for one of your last of the season grill outs or maybe for some pre-football tailgating.

Anyway, I got it into my head that I was going to make ribs for the fourth. There had been so many rib and brisket specials on TV that I really wanted to try my hand at it. I knew that the whole smoking thing would be a bit out of my league (at least for now) so I needed something easier yet still mighty tasty. Enter The Kitchen Sink. She always comes to the rescue right when I am searching for a recipe. And the day before I needed to shop for the fourth, there was this recipe.

And it was perfection. Exactly what I wanted and so yummy. The barbeque sauce is awesome and I have since made it again and used it on pork tenderloin where it also worked great.

So, take advantage of these final days of summer and do some grilling. A couple ribs and a piece of corn on the cob will make winter seem a lot farther away.

Bourbon-Glazed Baby Back Ribs
Bon Appetit

5 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup bourbon
1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon plum sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon hot chili paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 2 1/4- to 2 1/2-pound racks baby back pork ribs
1 cup pineapple juice

Whisk first 11 ingredients in small bowl.

Do ahead: Glaze can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place long sheet of heavy-duty foil on each of 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Sprinkle rib racks on all sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 rib rack on each foil sheet. Fold up sides of each foil sheet around rib rack to form boat-like shape. Pour 1/2 cup pineapple juice over each rib rack. Fold up foil to seal packets. Bake until ribs are tender, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Remove ribs from foil packets. Transfer to roasting pan; pour any juices from foil over and cool.

Do ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Cut each rib rack in half. Grill until browned, brushing frequently with glaze and turning often, about 10 minutes. Cut racks between bones into ribs.

a short time out.

2008-07-22T16:23:00.003-05:00

I should have posted this earlier... but things around these parts have been quite busy. So I am writing now to tell you that there will be a small pause in posting. My husband and I finally sold our house and are moving back to the home state of Nebraska. Which means the next few weeks are going to be filled with moving and cleaning and painting and such... oh, and a short little trip to Scandinavia with my dad and little sis. Plus, we have canceled the internet at home in the hopes of saving some cash-ola, which means all the photos on my computer and stranded there unless I can get it into work, which is difficult on crutches. Oh, yeah, did I mention that I am on crutches? A lovely stress fracture has decided to grace my shin and I am supposed to crutch around for two more weeks. Awesome.

So, dear friends, I will post when I can, but my guess is it won't be until our internet is turned on at the new house. So expect something new at the end of August. Maybe the awesome ribs I made for the 4th of July! I will have lots of time since I will be working from home. Hooray!

celebration in a bowl.

2008-07-11T11:50:00.004-05:00

It is time to celebrate, people. It has been a big week. We finally sold our house here in Minneapolis and we got approval on our house in Lincoln after 9 weeks of waiting. These things together than allowed me to quit my job. Hooray for the week! I am going to celebrate tonight with a big Juicy Lucy from The Nook and a Sam Adams with my dad. Things are happy.

For your celebration, I give you pasta salad.

Tuna and White Bean Pasta Salad

1/2 a box of curly pasta
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans white tuna
a small handful of capers
a handful of green beans cut into inch pieces
the juice of one lemon
a few glugs of good olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta until almost al dente and then add the green beans. Cook together for a minute or two until the pasta is done and the beans are green and still crisp. Drain and move to a large bowl. Add the beans, tuna and capers. Squeeze on the lemon juice and pour on the olive oil. Mix and season.

Nice and simple.

the chance meeting of me and a pork chop.

2008-07-07T10:19:00.004-05:00

Hi. So I had written a lovely little post about these pork chops. Eloquent and witty and stuff. And then something happened and I lost the whole thing. And I don't want to write it anymore because I'm peeved. So I am giving you the recipes and a lovely photo and you will have to wait until next post for more words from me. I'm upset with the computer. I need to take a moment.

Try these pork chops. They are really yummy.

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated and SmittenKitchen

Serves 4

4 boneless center-cut pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (or a chunk of a nice italian loaf)
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large egg whites or one whole egg
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about eight 1-second pulses (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Transfer crumbs to rimmed baking sheet and add shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. (Do not turn off oven.) Cool to room temperature. Toss crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley.

3. Place 1/4 cup flour in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tablespoons flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps remaining.

4. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Season chops with pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour; shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 chops.

5. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chops registers 150 degrees, 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.

Garlic-y White beans and Spinach

1 can white beans
3-4 cloves of garlic, diced
a couple handfuls of spinach
lots of good olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet and lightly sauté the garlic until fragrant. Add white beans and heat through. Add spinach and toss until wilted. Finish with more olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

garlic in its birthday suit.

2008-07-01T16:21:00.002-05:00

I love the farmers market. It has brought so many new and yummy things into my life. Fresh things that you just can't find and any old supermarket. Things like green garlic. It wasn't until this year that I even new green garlic existed. I mean, I knew that garlic as we know it had to come from somewhere, but I never gave it a thought. I wish I had because green garlic is lots of fun. I wish it had come into my life sooner, but since I have it now, I am making the most of it. Mostly with this soup.

See, when I first read Orangette's blog about this soup, I kind of dismissed the part about the green garlic. I figured that if I wanted to make the soup, which I wasn't too hyped up on, then I could just use regular garlic. But then the farmers market intervened... there, at the lovely Loon Organics stand was a huge pile of green garlic. So I bought some and went about making the soup. And it is amazing. So I went back the next week and bought double the amount... and made double the soup. And this week I bought some more! But I still have some soup left since I made so much, so this batch is going into a green garlic soufflé!

It really is great stuff, people. If you have a farmers market near you, go and see if they have any left. It is nearing the end of its time, so you may have to wait until next year, but it is worth a shot. You might also want to ask for some garlic scapes... the flower stem that the garlic plant puts out. I just bought some on Saturday and they are going to be eaten soon. I'll let you know how that goes. Until then, here is the soup!

Spinach and Green Garlic Soup
adapted from Orangette

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
½ to ¾ lb. green garlic, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only)
Salt
1 qt. vegetable or mild chicken broth
8 to 10 oz. baby spinach leaves
3 Tbsp. crème fraîche

Warm the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the green garlic and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until it is soft and translucent. Also, as the garlic cooks, you should notice that its scent changes from raw and sharp to sweeter and more mellow; that’s what you’re after. When the garlic is ready, add the stock, raise the heat a bit, and bring it to a boil. Then adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and continue to cook for about 15 minutes. Add the spinach, and immediately turn off the stove. Let it sit for 5 minutes – not too long, or the spinach will lose its color – and then, working in batches, purée the mixture in a blender, regular or immersion. The soup should be a rich shade of green and as smooth as you can get it.

Return the soup to the pot, and place it over low heat to rewarm gently. Add 1 Tbsp. crème fraîche and another pinch or two of salt. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Serve warm or hot, with a drizzle of olive oil or a dollop of crème fraîche, if you like.

Yield: 4 servings

catching up.

2008-06-25T15:55:00.009-05:00

So. I have quite a few things that I have cooked in the past few weeks that I haven't posted about. Today is the day that I catch up on these, because this week has been a big week for cooking and I will need to post on the newer stuff soon enough. That makes today catch-up day. The day when you get a lot of photos, some recipes or links to them and not too many words. Words aren't my strong suit anyway. I cook.

Number one on the list it the fabulous steak sandwich that I found on The Kitchen Sink. I knew when I saw it that I would be making in for the husband, as he loves the mix of steak and blue cheese.

It was awesome. I highly recommend it as an alternative to the normal grilled burger. Find the recipe here: Grilled Flank Steak and Blue Cheese Sandwiches

Keeping with our grilling theme, we will move onto number two for the day. Chicken and Vegetable Kabobs with Hoisin BBQ sauce. I'd had a jar of hoisin sauce in our fridge for a while and this seemed like the prefect way to put it to use. I good way to spice up chicken and veggies. Yum.

Find the recipe here: Hoisin BBQ Sauce

Now, onto the sweet stuff.

My freezer often gets a bit crowded. I make a lot of stuff and save a lot of stuff and buy a lot of stuff... and lots of this stuff ends up in the freezer. Since some of the stuff that I have been making included ice cream, I've ended up with lots of frozen egg whites. What better way to put them to use than to make meringues. Simple, slightly low-fat, tasty. What more could you ask for?

I decided on a brown sugar version and kind of made the recipe up as I went. I don't really remember it too well, but I will do my best to give it to you here:

Brown Sugar Meringues
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 140°C (285°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

Place the egg whites in a large, clean bowl (i.e. dry and with absolutely no trace of fat). Using an electric whisk or the whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whisk until soft peaks form.

Keep whisking continuously as you add in the sugar, one tablespoon at a time: wait until each tablespoon is fully incorporated before you add the next. Once all the sugar is incorporated and the mixture is smooth and firm and glossy gorgeous, whisk in the vanilla until incorporated.

Using two tablespoons, form pingpong- to golf-ball-sized blobs of meringue and drop them on the prepared baking sheet, giving them some space (roughly their own width) to expand.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 45 minutes for soft centers, 1 hour for fully baked centers. If you prefer soft, remove the baking sheet from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the meringues delicately to a rack to cool. If you prefer fully baked, turn the oven off, open the oven door just a crack, and let the meringues cool inside for a couple of hours.

And onto our last recipe for the day:

I saw these on SmittenKitchen a while back and they immediately went on my list to bake. I knew there was some cocoa powder hanging around in the cupboard that was longing to be used (it was pretty old) so one evening some lovely Brownie Roll-out Cookies were born. A lot of them, in fact. I stashed some in the freezer while we were out of town last weekend and they are still being eaten.

These really are what they sound like... very dense brownies pretending to be cookies. They are great. Even right out of the freezer. And although I was hesitant to make a roll-out cookie because I am lazy, they were really easy to make and the cookie cutter use brought me back to childhood.

How is that for a cheesy line to end this post?

where does the time go?

2008-06-23T16:54:00.002-05:00

It has been a long time since I posted... not since I've cooked, but getting the posts up has been tough. We got rid of our internet connection at home, which leave me only work as a place to post. Which wouldn't be bad except then I have to get my photos here. And I have been lazy. And last week my kitty went missing and I could focus on anything. I spent three days walking the street of my neighborhood searching for her, only to have her re-appear out of nowhere. We think she was hiding in the basement for three days. Scared me half to death. I am going to do my best to get back to it. I am going to bring in my camera tomorrow to download photos and get some stuff up. I have been making good things too! I can't wait to share them! And so much more plannned for this week. There will be lots of entries coming. I just have to get to it.

sweet pea.

2008-06-11T11:11:00.002-05:00

Yay! It's Pea Dumpling time!

I'm sorry for my absence in the past two weeks. I was running on a huge lack of sleep from press checks for work and a really fun but really hot trip to New York City. It is really difficult to sleep when you feel like you are on fire. Just so you know.

Anyhoo... on to the peas. I saw this recipe on 101 Cookbooks and new immediately that I had found a home for the bag of frozen peas that had been living in my freezer for a while. I was so excited about making these I just can't express it! A quick and simple filling and pre-made won ton wrappers. Easy, right? Well... don't get your hopes up. Filling these suckers is a task. And your counter gets kind of gummy from the water/flour-ness of things. But it really is worth it. I made a double batch and have had them in the freezer ready to pop in a pan at a moments notice.

Plump Pea Dumpling Recipe
101 Cookbooks
The instructions here are for steaming the dumplings, but I prefered pan-frying them. Use just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cover and cook in a single layer until the bottoms are deeply golden, flip, cover and cook until the other side is browned. I really liked the crispy skin that is created from the frying.

2 cups (about 10 ounces) cups peas (freshly shelled or frozen)
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
scant 1/2 tea spoon fine grain sea salt
1 small shallot, minced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
zest of one large lemon

1 package of wonton wrappers, or round wrappers

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Salt the water (as you would pasta water) and add the peas. Cook until bright green in color and puffy, about a minute if the peas were frozen, less if you started with fresh ones.
Drain the peas and run under cold water for one minute to stop the cooking.

With a food processor (or hand blender) blend the peas, ricotta cheese, olive oil, and salt into a puree. I like a bit of texture, so I don't go too far. Return the mixture to a big bowl and stir in the shallots, Parmesan, and lemon zest. Taste. Add more salt if needed.

Fill the dumplings using an assembly line technique - a dozen at a time (for the most part following the instructions on the wrapper packaging). Place twelve wrappers out on the counter, drop a very scant teaspoon of filling onto each wrapper, rub the perimeter of each wrapper with a wet finger seal, fold (most packages have diagrams), and set aside on a plate. Do the next dozen and repeat until all the filling is used up.

Set up your steamer, rub each dumpling with a bit of olive oil, arrange the dumplings in a single layer (being careful not to overlap), and steam for about three minutes - until the dumplings are tender and transluscent. Sprinkle with a touch of salt and enjoy.

Makes about 4 dozen dumplings.

crispy phyllo.

2008-06-02T08:33:00.000-05:00

Phyllo is tough, man. It's cranky and cracky and temperamental. And that is just the fresh stuff that hasn't been in the freezer for a year. Try using that. But before you do, maybe you should cover your kitchen floor in drop cloths. Damn, does that stuff make a mess.

I had my heart set on making this dish. I am a huge Jamie Oliver fan and am so happy that he finally has a new show on the food network (I miss the Naked Chef so!). Although 8:30 on a Saturday morning is asking a little much of me, I TiVO it and watch it faithfully when I finally roll out of bed. This recipe called to me one Saturday morning and I knew it had to be dinner for the next day. I went out and bought the right size tart pan (unnecessary, I know, but worth it) and was ready on Sunday to make a great little tart. I wasn't ready for the phyllo. It was too much for me and it got everywhere. My kitty was eating it out of her food dish by the time I was done with it. BUT! I forged on and the tart came into being. And it was great. Dave and I both went back for seconds and we ate the leftovers at room temperature on our drive to Nebraska that next week. I bet it would be even better with the really fresh, local asparagus from the farmers market... there may be another tart in my future.

Crispy and Delicious Asparagus and Potato Tart
adapted from Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Sea salt
1 pound asparagus spears, woody ends removed
8 ounces filo pastry
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup freshly grated Lancashire cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Cheddar
3 large organic or free-range eggs
1 (8-ounce) container heavy cream
1/4 whole fresh nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
Put your potatoes into a pan of salted boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile blanch your asparagus in a separate pan of salted boiling water for 4 minutes, and drain in a colander.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Get an ovenproof dish - I've used many different shapes and sizes. Layer the sheets of filo pastry in the dish, brushing them with melted butter as you go and letting about 1-inch hang over the edge. You want to get the pastry about 5 layers thick. Put a clean, damp kitchen towel over the top and put aside.

When the potatoes are done, mash them with the cheeses. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and cream and stir into your cheesy mashed potato. Grate in the nutmeg, season well with pepper and mix together. Spread the mashed potato over the filo pastry, then bring up the sides of the filo and scrunch them together to form a rim. Take your blanched asparagus and line them up across the filling, making sure you cover it all. Brush all over with the remaining melted butter and pop into the preheated oven for around 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve just as you would a quiche for a quick lunch or supper, with a salad.

nothing like a square cookie.

2008-05-28T20:39:00.002-05:00

I went on a slight cooking kick a couple weeks back. Every recipe I saw, I wanted to make. It usually was because I realized I had one or two of the key ingredients in the house that I could use and the rest of the stuff could be picked up by my husband on his way home from work. So why not? These cookies were a perfect example of this. Smitten Kitchen had written about them the day before and talked about how they had made her top five favorite cookies ever... so I just had to make them! I had oatmeal... all I needed was white chocolate. And Dave was going to the store anyways... so I did it. I made them. On a whim. And you know what happens when you make cookies on a whim? You don't have room temperature butter. So you put some in the microwave and it gets a little too melty. And then your dough is just a little too thin. Which causes the cookies to spread more than usual when they cook... and then you get square cookies.

But they tasted mighty fine. C'est la vie!

Cripsy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated and Smitten Kitchen

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

6 ounces good-quality white chocolate bar, chopped

1/2 teapoon fleur de sel (for sprinkling on top)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt in a medium bowl.

2. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl again. Add flour mixture gradually and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Gradually add oats and white chocolate and mix until well incorporated.

3. Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons. Roll between palms into balls, then place on lined baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Using fingertips, gently press down each ball to about ¾-inch thickness.

4. Sprinkle a flake or two of sea salt on each cookie

5. Bake until cookies are deep golden brown, about 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool.

my man and his mac and cheese.

2008-05-19T17:53:00.005-05:00

I have to admit, I really like making food that my hubby swoons over. I love it when he closes his eyes and makes yummy noises. I love making him happy. And I know that one of my special ways to his heart is my mac and cheese. When we met, he always said that his aunt makes the best mac and cheese ever. And, to be quite honest, I was jealous. As much as I love his aunt, she is a wonderful woman, I wanted him to think that about my food. About me. Every time I make dinner, I hope to please him. And, dammit, I wanted him to love my mac and cheese.

And I think I did it. Sorry Aunt Kathie! I have never had your mac and cheese, but I think I won Dave's heart with mine. I really isn't anything too special, based off the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. But my twist really makes it something. Something that Dave won't let me play with. Sunday I wanted to try a blue cheese version. And my crazy husband, who LOVES blue cheese, wouldn't let me. He wanted the original. And that is what he got.

Mac and Cheese
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

2 T butter
1 onion chopped
2 T flour
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
velveeta cheese, cubed*
cheddar cheese, shredded*
havarti cheese, shredded*
8 oz elbow noodles, cooked until just al denté

Melt the butter and saute the onion until soft but not browned. Add the flour and pepper and cook for just a second to remove the flour-y taste. Add the milk and stir until mixed. Cook the milk mixture, stirring occasionally, until it coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the cheeses and melt away. Mix noodles and cheese sauce and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake at 350 until hot and bubbly. (I like to add a bit more cheese on top in the last few minutes of baking... your could also try breadcrumbs if you like a crunchy top.) Let stand (if you can) 10 minutes before scooping.

* I am not sure how much cheese i use. It ends up at about a half of a small box of velveeta, and about a cup each of the shredded cheeses. Sometimes it ends up with more cheese. Because cheese is good. Use how much you think you'll like.

a night to myself.

2008-05-15T19:23:00.003-05:00

As much as I love my husband and spending the evenings at home with him, sometimes it's nice when he has something to do so I can have an evening alone. It gives me a chance to try out new recipes that he may not enjoy and cook things for myself that feel like an indulgence. I'll pour myself a bottle of wine and put on my favorite show and settle in for the night with a nice plate of food.

This recipe came from such a night. I had had a jar of pumpkin pesto in the cupboard for a while waiting to use it to make pumpkin and sage risotto. I knew that Dave wouldn't enjoy it because of the pumpkin, so it was the perfect sports-night dinner. I had never made risotto before, but was excited to try my hand at this magical dish. And magical it is... both in how it comes together into creamy goodness and the taste. The sweetness of the pumpkin is the perfect match for the sharpness of the sage.

Creamy Pumpkin and Sage Risotto
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
1 cup onion
1 T sage
1 T garlic
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
4 cups heated stock
1 jar pumpkin pesto
2 T marscapone
salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter and olive oil and sauté onion, sage and garlic. Pour in rice and cook until just coated with the butter/oil. Stir in wine and cook until just absorbed. Stir in stock one cup at a time. Stir constantly, adding stock until rice is al dente. Fold in pumpkin and marscapone and season to taste. Finish with a sprinkle of parmesan.

almond paste. who knew?

2008-05-14T15:09:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that I haven't written about this yet. I saw this recipe on Orangette while reading her archives and was extremely excited to make it. In fact, I bought a special pan for it. See:

And, let me tell you, this cake is totally worth a pan to call its own. It is amazing. I wanted to eat the whole thing. It was very lucky that I made this for the premier of Top Chef when we had friends over for a little shindig. Otherwise, I just might have indulged in much more than the one (two?) piece that I did. And I got to send a couple squares home with them too... to prevent further temptation.

This cake really is beautiful. Square and very moist with a snowy sprinkle of powdered sugar. I can't say enough good things. So I will leave you with the recipe and be done with it.

Pain de Gênes
adapted from Orangette

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 Tbs potato starch (available in the baking section of most supermarkets)
14 ounces soft, pliable almond paste broken into pieces
4 large eggs
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled (but still liquid)
1 Tbs kirsch, Grand Marnier or some other good flavored liquor you have on hand
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter an 8-inch square pan (preferably metal, with nice, straight sides and corners), dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess, and put the pan on a baking sheet.

Sift the flour and potato starch together and set aside. Put the almond paste and two of the eggs in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for five minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, remove paddle, and put whisk attachment in place. Return the mixer to medium speed and beat in the remaining two eggs one at a time. Once eggs are incorporated, beat the batter for another ten minutes, scraping down the bowl frequently, until the batter is creamy. It should remind you of mayonnaise.

Stir a couple of tablespoons of this batter into the cooled melted butter. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the Grand Marnier, followed by the dry ingredients, mixing only until just incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the butter.

Turn the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cake from the oven, unmold onto a cooling rack, reinvert and cool to room temperature.

Dust powdered sugar (through a sieve or special powdered sugar shaker, if you have one) onto the top of the cake. Serve.

community.

2008-05-13T19:49:00.005-05:00

When you read food blogs with the passion that I do, you notice the people who also read the same blogs that are in your rotation because every once in a while everyone will make a similar thing within the same time period. It is a funny little community of food bloggers... many of which don't know each other at all. But it does make me feel like a part of something... even though I probably post less than most.

I made this dish a couple of weeks ago, around the time in popped up on 101 Cookbooks... and has it popped up a couple other places since. But, I gotta say, it is one of my new favorite go-to recipes. I made it again last night for a quick, healthy dinner on my own and took the leftovers for lunch today. Fabulous. It tasty and fresh with just a hint of richness. Tomorrow night, you should join the community too and make this for dinner.

Peanut Noodles
adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 8 ounce package soba noodles
1 bunch asparagus spears, ends trimmed then cut into 1/2-inch segements
1 carrot, sliced

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
drizzle of toasted sesame oil
big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/4-1/2 cup hot water

1 cooked chicken breast, cubed
1 small bunch of spring onions or scallions, thinly sliced for garnish

Big a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the soba noodles per package instructions.In the last minute or so of cooking toss in the asparagus and carrots. Drain noodles and asparagus, run under cold water for about a minute to stop cooking, and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the peanut dressing by combining the peanut butter, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and a big pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Thin with hot water - the amount you'll need depends on the original consistency of your peanut butter. Taste and season with a bit more salt if needed.

Gently toss the noodles, asparagus, carrot and chicken with the dressing and garnish with scallions.

the last of the curd.

2008-04-21T20:11:00.006-05:00

I have been in the midst of taking stock of all the food in our freezer and cupboards to try to start using is up (and also to save a little money). The meyer lemon curd of yore has been waiting patiently in the freezer and I've had a box of graham cracker sticks in the cupboard for a while that needed a mission. So when I saw the recipe for Meyer Lemon Cheesecake on The Kitchen Sink I knew that we had a winner.

My big plan was to take it for dinner at a friends house where we were going to watch the final four. My inexperience at making cheesecake hindered this plan because I didn't realize that I needed to chill it for at least 8 hours before eating it... and that is after letting it come to room temperature, which takes about six. Our little cheesecake made the trip to our friends house, sat tempting us for the evening, but never had the time to properly chill, so it traveled back home with us and became our dessert for the next night.

Cheesecake was a lot easier to make than I expected and I am excited to try new flavors. I will say that the recipe for the crust was fantastic and will be used again. I changed a little bit from the original recipe for the cheesecake, adding some more fattening cream cheese to make it a little richer. It is pretty yummy!

Graham Cracker Crust
Adapted from Gourmet

1 1/3 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (5 oz)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Invert bottom of springform pan (to make it easier to slide cake off bottom), then lock on side. 3Stir together crust ingredients in a bowl, then press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of springform pan. Place springform pan in a shallow baking pan and bake 10 minutes, then cool crust completely in springform pan on a rack.

Lemon Swirled Cheesecake
Adapted from Cooking Light

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) blocks fat-free cream cheese, softened
3 (8-ounce) blocks 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) blocks full fat cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind*
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
1 cup lemon curd (find recipe here)

To prepare the filling, beat cheeses at high speed of a mixer until smooth. Add 1 3/4 cups sugar and the next 4 ingredients (1 3/4 cups sugar through salt); beat well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Pour the cheese mixture into prepared pan. Spoon mounds of Lemon Curd over filling, and swirl together using the tip of a knife. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cheesecake is almost set. Remove cheesecake from oven, and cool to room temperature. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours.

behind.

2008-04-15T15:32:00.003-05:00

And sick. In between traveling for work last week and having my dad in town for the weekend I caught my first sickness for the year. And I totally thought that I had bypassed it this year. I have a great post on Meyer Lemon Cheesecake on the burner... but for now I leave you with this courtesy of my friend Kelly over at Design Crush.

Welcome to my weekend.

my first vanilla bean.

2008-04-02T11:55:00.006-05:00

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to find a reason to use a vanilla bean. I watched in envy as food network chefs split the bean and scraped out the seeds to make something really tasty. But I just never found a reason to use one. I didn't have an ice cream maker until recently, so there was no vanilla ice cream to be made. And I just never really had a recipe that required the skinny, little bean. Until now.

Hooray! It's Guinness Ice Cream Day!

I will say, that this ice cream turned out much better than my last attempt. The flavor was great. Like fabulous vanilla ice cream with a hint of the Guinness sharpness. Like a Guinness float! Yum! The perfect treat for St. Paddy's Day.

Guinness Ice Cream
adapted from Emeril Lagasse on foodtv.com

1 can Guinness stout
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
6 egg yolks

In a large saucepan, simmer the Guinness until reduced by 3/4 in volume, about 8 minutes. Combine the cream, milk, and sugar in a medium, heavy saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pan and add the vanilla bean halves. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat.
Beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk 1 cup of the hot cream into the egg yolks. Gradually add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, to the hot cream. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and reaches 170 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to keep a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Remove from refrigerator and add the Guinness reduction, whisking until well blended. Pour into the bowl of an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

the great st. patrick's day extravaganza.

2008-03-24T14:37:00.010-05:00

It has taken me a long time to get this whole St. Patrick's Day feast uploaded for you all, and I am sorry about that. It has been a crazy couple of weeks. But here it is, with lots of photos to boot.

St. Patrick's Day is a big to do in our little group of friends. There is always a gathering, usually there is basketball (although this year we were a week too early for that tradition), there is beer and there is food. The food is usually made by me. And this year I was ready for the challenge yet again. Especially after I saw the cover of Bon Appetite's March issue. The grilled corned beef and fontina sandwiches were it, but first came dessert. Okay, I made it first... intending for it to be eaten last... but it was not. It was eaten first too.

Dessert was my second attempt at ice cream: Guinness Ice Cream. When our friend Nate gave us an ice cream maker for our wedding, I promised him Guinness ice cream for St. Paddy's. And I make good on my promise. And damn is tasted good. However, I am saving it for the next post. So the partner dessert will have to tide you over until then. I needed something to go with the ice cream. Cookies seemed right and added something else to munch on for the day. I chose Meyer Lemon Sablés by Orangette because I still had a couple meyer lemons from our meyer lemon curd expedition. They tasted great, but...

Since I baked them at a friend's house, I had no parchment and no silpat to bake them on as instructed. Not good. Obviously. But at least the crumbs tasted good. And we got a couple full cookies out of the deal.

On to the savory... as for the corned beef, I did not brine it myself. The week of preparation was just to much for me to commit to this year. But the pre-brined that I bought at Lund's tasted mighty good. I braised it with beer and peppercorns and a couple bay leafs and it came out great.

I also made Braised Cabbage with Carrots and Onions, also by Orangette. You just gotta have cabbage with the corned beef, whether it is in sandwich form or not.

I also did some rosemary roasted potatoes. Red potatoes, olive oil, rosemary, S and P. Simple and perfect.

Last but not least, the sandwich. These were amazing. Melty with cheese, tangy with Guinness Dijon Mustard and sweet with caramelized onions. Just great. I wish I had eaten a whole one instead of just eating bites of my husbands. Oh well, I guess I will just have to make them again!

Guinness mustard
Bon Appétit - March 2008

1/2 cup coarse-grained Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons regular Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Guinness stout or other stout or porter
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon golden brown sugar

Whisk all ingredients in small bowl to blend. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.

Grilled Corned Beef and Fontina Sandwiches
adapted from Bon Appétit - March 2008

Good bread, I used a french style loaf, but you could use rye or whatever you wanted
Guinness Dijon mustard
1 pound thinly sliced corned beef
8 ounces thinly sliced Fontina cheese
2 sweet onion (such as Maui or Vidalia), thinly sliced and caramelized
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, divided

Place 4 bread slices on work surface. Spread mustard on 1 side of each. Divide corned beef among bread slices. Top with cheese and onion. Cover with remaining 4 bread slices, pressing slightly to adhere.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in each of 2 large nonstick skillets over medium heat. Place 2 sandwiches in each skillet and cook until golden brown on bottom, pressing occasionally with spatula, about 3 minutes. Turn sandwiches over and cook until golden on bottom and cheese melts, about 3 minutes. Transfer sandwiches to plates, cut in half, and serve.

meyer lemon ricotta pancakes.

2008-03-17T12:43:00.007-05:00

Still basking in the glory or the Meyer Lemon Curd, and with a whole lot of leftover zest, Sunday morning brought pancakes. Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. I have always wanted to try these little guys, but at every brunch I have had the chance I always lean toward something else. I really am much more of a savory brunch gal. And I am very picky about my pancakes. In the olden days, I wouldn't eat a pancake unless it was very small... silver dollar sized. My mom made them for me special. High-maintenance, even at age 5.

So Sunday was the day for pancakes. These were a bit more time intensive then I would have liked. I mean, for me, Sundays mean ordering coffee, not whipping egg whites. But I was chipper and I whipped and folded with the best of them.

They had great flavor, especially with all the lemon curd that I put on top of them. But they were a little too grainy for my taste. Next time I will probably use whole milk ricotta instead of part skim... hopefully that will help. One key point I will mention is that the batter is pretty thick, so pouring was not an option for me. I used a scoop and spread method which worked out better and help make the pancakes not to thick in the middle. Dave ate three platefuls, so, in my mind, that means the pancakes were a success.

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
adapted from Gourmet

4 large eggs, separated
1 1/3 cups ricotta
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated meyer lemon zest
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
melted butter for brushing the griddle
large dollops of Meyer Lemon Curd for topping

In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, the ricotta, the sugar, and the zest, add the flour, and stir the mixture until it is just combined. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold stiff peaks, whisk about one fourth of them into the ricotta mixture, and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Heat a griddle over moderately high heat until it is hot enough to make drops of water scatter over its surface and brush it with some of the melted butter. Working in batches, pour the batter onto the griddle by 1/4-cup measures and cook the pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden, brushing the griddle with some of the melted butter as necessary. Transfer the pancakes as they are cooked to a heatproof platter and keep them warm in a preheated 200°F. oven.

an amazing find.

2008-03-11T11:34:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to share with you all this amazing thing that I picked up at Whole Foods the other day. Anyone who visits Whole Foods regularly knows that they have a great cheese department with lots of little sample to enjoy as you peruse their selection. Well, my cheese department wander led me to a fantastic find: Palatte Fine Foods Chili Honey. It was sitting there, calling out to me next to a pile of Dubliner Cheddar cubes that were just waiting to be dunked into their new neighbor. It was a pairing to jump around about. The honey has a deep honey sweet flavor with a hint of heat from the peppers, which is obvious, but not overwhelming. Paired with the slightly salty cheese, it is a match made in heaven. I couldn't resist. I picked up a honey jar and a slab of cheese and headed home excitedly to enjoy it with my fresh loaf of Olive Oil Focaccia from Lucia's To-Go. It was the best Sunday afternoon snack a gal could ask for. I highly suggest you try it.

nectar of the gods.

2008-03-10T20:34:00.007-05:00

Everyone who's anyone knows that it is meyer lemon season. And, I ask you, is there any better way to enjoy the lovely taste of lemon than in curd form? I think not. And enjoy it we did, my friend Megan and I, the whole entire process of the curd from zesting to custarding.

I never really knew what the deal was with curd and I never dreamed that I would be able to make it myself. But, I gotta tell you, it is so easy! It does take some tenderness to make sure that the custard doesn't curdle... no need for scrambled eggs in the curd. We actually made a triple batch and had no problems.

The whole process is a treat for the senses. The beautiful color of the lemons and the juice. Then the amazing smell that wafts through the kitchen while you whisk it... like lemon pudding but better. Rich and fresh at the same time. And then of course the taste. Good enough to eat straight off the spoon.

There may be a whole lot of butter involved, but I definitely will make curd again. Lemon, lime and more meyer lemon if I can get my hands on them.

Meyer Lemon Curd
Gourmet
3 to 4 Meyer lemons (about 1 lb)
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Finely grate enough zest from lemons to measure 2 teaspoons and squeeze enough juice to measure 1/2 cup. Whisk together zest, juice, sugar, and eggs in a metal bowl and add butter. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, whisking, until thickened and smooth and an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F, about 5 minutes. Force curd through a fine sieve set into another bowl. Serve warm or cover surface of curd with wax paper and cool completely.

Lemon curd keeps, covered and chilled, 1 week and can also be frozen.
If substituting regular lemons, increase sugar to 3/4 cup.

Enjoy your curd with a nice scone, some pancakes or just a nice spoon. A related recipe for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes that, topped with Meyer Lemon Curd, are out of this world, will grace this blog very soon.

those pesky green beans.

2008-03-04T14:08:00.004-06:00

The one thing that I failed to mention in the previous post is the one thing that we almost forgot to eat! Thank goodness for Megan and her memory.

When shopping for the goods we needed for our fabulous meal, we decided we definitely needed something green and healthy to complement our pasta. We thought briefly about brussels sprouts, but, after remembering the shallot sitting at home on my counter, ultimately decided on harcot verts with shallot and butter. During the all the cooking an churning of burnt ice cream, we sauteed the the chopped up shallot in some butter, added the green beans and heated them through to just hot but still crisp and green. Realizing that we still had some time to kill on the pasta, we stashed the lovely beans in a warm oven for safe keeping until we were ready for them. Well, in all the hustle-bustle of the meal, those little beans were forgotten in their warm oven. It wasn't until mid pasta did we remember them and I went running to the kitchen to fetch them. In a last minute flash of brilliance, we sprinkled some extra breadcrumbs on top. Although forgotten until almost too late, those beans had heart... and tons of flavor. They joined our meal happily and we were happy to have them.

It is too bad that these little guys were forgotten again by my silly brain as I was writing about the meal. Please forgive me, little beans.

girls' weekend part deux.

2008-03-03T15:00:00.005-06:00

There were some bright spots in the cooking that ensued during girls' weekend. In fact, most of the night was bright as can be. Shining glasses of red win began our journey through the edible wonderland that was Saturday night. Our starter course, taking a cue from Orangette, was a crunchy baguette topped with butter, fleur de sel and crispy sliced radishes.

Now, let me tell you, I used to hate radishes. Despised them. But as I read Orangette's post on radishes and butter and watched Anthony Bourdain eat them joyfully at Prune in the New York City episode, I knew that I needed to open up my mind to this pretty little vegetable. And I am so glad I did. This was a fabulous and refreshing way to start a meal and I will from this day forward eagerly embrace the radish at my dinner table.

Following the radishes, we moved onto the main course. We based this dish on Last Night Dinner's Scallops in a Snap, however neither of us is very fond of the tiny bay scallop, cute as they are, so we opted to change things up a bit for our recipe.

Angel Hair Pasta with Seared Scallops
adapted from Cappellini with Nantucket Bay Scallops from Last Night's Dinner

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
Kosher salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
Red chile flakes to taste
Sea Scallops, 2-3 per person
3/4 lb. angel hair pasta
Lemon zest
Toasted breadcrumbs

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions. Meanwhile, sear the scallops over high heat in a pan with a little butter and olive oil. Heat the oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Saute until just beginning to brown, then add the wine and the chili flakes. Add the pasta to the garlic oil and toss together. Plate the pasta and top with fresh lemon zest and breadcrumbs (we used a piece of baguette that had been pulsed in the food processor and toasted in the oven with a little olive oil... these were the best breadcrumbs I've ever had and would highly suggest this method). Place the scallops lovingly on top and sprinkle with a little more olive oil if you wish.

I loved this pasta and brought leftovers, sans scallops, for lunch the next day. The chili flakes give is a great heat and the breadcrumbs add a nice little crunch to the whole thing.

Now, onto the good part of dessert: the fried part.

When I suggested salted caramel ice cream to end our girls' night meal, Megan, the genius that she is, requested that we also make Apple Zeppole. These lovely little balls of fried dough were dusted with powdered sugar and then dipped into cinnamon whipped cream. Had the ice cream tasted better it would have been a dessert that other desserts would have looked up to. We made the batter before dinner and then left it in the fridge until we were ready for frying. And fry we did. With our trusty sidekick, my new oil and candy thermometer, we did pretty well. Some were a little doughy in the middle from the oil getting a little to hot, but otherwise there were amazing. They made me think that one day I might be able to make regular donuts.

Apple Zeppole with Cinnamon Whipped Cream
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Zeppole:
1 large apple, peeled and grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Olive oil for frying

Cinnamon Whipped Cream:
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt, sugar, and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Take pan off the heat and stir in the flour. Return the pan to medium heat and stir continuously until mixture forms a ball, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the flour mixture to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on low speed, add eggs, one at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Beat until smooth. Add the grated apple and stir to combine. If not frying immediately, cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator.

Combine the whipping cream, 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, and cinnamon in a
medium bowl. Whip until medium soft peaks form. Transfer the whipping cream to a serving dish.

Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees F.

Using a small ice-cream scooper or 2 small spoons, carefully drop about a rounded tablespoon of the dough into the hot olive oil. Turn the zeppole once or twice, and cook until golden and puffed up, about 4 minutes. Fry the zeppole in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Drain on paper towels. Transfer the zeppole to a serving dish and sprinkle with powdered sugar using a small sieve. Serve with the cinnamon whipped cream alongside for dipping.

girls' weekend out and in.

2008-02-29T11:49:00.006-06:00

See, I told you in the beginning: I'm lazy. I just haven't gotten around to posting about my fabulous girls' weekend until now. I blame the laziness. It has taken over me... as has the daunting task of fixing up my house to be put on the market. So that is my only (small) excuse for not posting until now.

But, anyways. Let's get onto girls' weekend, because, let me tell you, it was fabulous. It all started with working out, where my good friend Megan and fellow foodie tried her hardest to show me how to lift. Then, after a quick shower, we headed to lunch at the amazing French Meadow Cafe and Bakery. I hadn't been there in a while and I was very excited about the new beet salad that they had added to the menu (it was delicious!) and the chocolate croissant that Meg and I shared for dessert. Perfection. Being fully recharged, we headed out for a day of shopping and manicures.

A quick sidenote: In the midst of shopping at Kitchen Window, I was excited to find that Rogue Chocolatier has come out with three new chocolate bars. I picked up two of them and they are so very good. If you haven't tried Rogue's chocolate, I would head out to buy some right away.

Rogue is a Minneapolis based chocolatier and the chocolate is made from beginning to end by one man. It is a great story and it is worth a click on the link above.

Now, off the topic of other people's food creations and onto mine. This post will detail the most disappointing of the day's edibles and then we'll move on from there in future posts. And when I say disappointing, I am not exaggerating.

So, to say salted caramel is one of my favorite things is an understatement. I love, love, love salted caramel. In everything. For my birthday, Megan made me a fabulous salted caramel and chocolate cake. If that isn't friendship, I don't know what is. So when I read the recipes for salted caramel ice cream by Orangette and David Lebowitz, I knew that it was the perfect thing to make to christen in my ice cream maker. I went all out for this recipe. The best eggs, milk and cream that I could get my hands on went into this recipe... but I, myself, went in unprepared. Lesson: when you have 10 eggs to break and separate, don't do it with caramel on the stove.

You know what is coming. I put the sugar on, thinking it was going to take a lot longer than it did to caramelize, cracked the eggs, messed up the eggs, fixed the eggs and, ultimately, burnt the caramel. The problem was that I didn't really know that I had brunt the caramel. Orangette's recipe said that it should be darker than you think it should... and I, having never made caramel before, didn't really know when to stop it. So I forged on.

Made the custard, spent 30 minutes putting it through the chinois put it in the fridge to cool and waited eagerly for the time to come when I could churn the stuff into glorious-ness.

It was not glorious. It was burnt. Burnt to the point that it tasted like unsweetened chocolate. And so burnt that even my loving husband only took one bite before he made me rush the bowl away.

Megan at least ate a couple bites with the rest of our dessert (the details of which are coming). The texture, at least, was amazing. Super creamy and smooth. I am anxious to try my hand at it again. This time I will know what is coming and there will be no burnt caramel!

If you want to try your hand at some salted caramel ice cream, check out these recipes:

http://orangette.blogspot.com/2006/11/scoop-alongside.html
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/04/salted_butter_c.html

This weekend will bring more posts on girls' weekend dinner. I promise.

all the goodness in one pot.

2008-02-22T10:18:00.007-06:00

As you may have already read, last Sunday was a big day of cooking in my house. It was also a day filled with cleaning and organizing and fixing up things in the house. After all the craziness, I was ready for some cooking. There was the whole banana bread fiasco, but I luckily was able to redeem myself after that with this amazing recipe for Panade adapted from Orangette. Who knew that day old bread could taste so good? Even better than my amazing croutons! (I'll write about those sometime soon, promise.) After a long cold day in Minneapolis, all you really want is something warm to cozy in with. To dip your spoon into something gooey and have cheese string up to you mouth from the bowl. And, I tell you what, this recipe fits the bill. It is almost like French Onion soup, but not. Although the big pan or caramelized onions does seem reminiscent of the soup.

It did seem to take a lot of work to make this seemingly simple pot o' stuff, but, in the end, it was totally worth washing the extra pans. I ended up using kale even though the recipe called for swiss chard. It seemed that the city was fresh out of swiss chard, so i had to substitute. But it worked just fine. I think I might not have used enough, but in the end it was all okay. I am always deceived by how that big chunk of green sautés down to something so small.

After all the sautéing and caramelizing and cubing of bread, everything really does end up in one bowl. Or, in my case, the small Le Crueset pot that we got for free through our wedding registry (I love free stuff!). I will admit that I was a bit weirded out filling it all up to the top with broth, but the bread soaks all the soupy-ness in and becomes sticky and wonderful with a lovely, browned and crispy top.

After the torturous period of waiting for things to settle in the pot, sticking a huge spoon in to lift out an amazing smelling mass of the oozey bread and onion goodness is an amazing thing. This one pot includes all the things my husband loves: bread, cheese and caramelized onions, plus I got him to eat some greens, which is a huge feat! He did comment that the only thing missing was meat, but that it tasted good enough that it didn't really need it.

We started out with forks and spoons because we thought we'd need both to get all the broth-y goodness, but as time went on the bread just kept soaking and spoons weren't needed at all. It was a glorious dinner filled with slurping of cheese and warm tummies. And a bit of leftover Valentine's Day champagne for me. This is also a meal that really keeps on giving because I ate it for lunch the next day and dinner two days later. The flavor deepens and, although the crusty top is not quite as crusty, the texture is just as wonderful as it is the first time. It is a great lunchtime treat, that all your co-workers will be jealous of.

View the full recipe here:
http://orangette.blogspot.com/2005/10/sog-story.html

the tale of the sad banana bread.

2008-02-20T12:11:00.008-06:00

On my last trip to Penzey's Spices, I was very excited to happen upon a bag of candied ginger. I had recently read Orangette's recipe for Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Candied Ginger and with the bunch of bananas that i had sitting on my counter at home, decided that this was the perfect thing to make over this past weekend. I bought that lovely bag of ginger and it waited patiently for me in the cupboard until I could finally get to baking. And bake I did. My Sunday night was filled with cooking both the banana bread and a Kale, Onion and Gruyere Panade (also from the lovely Orangette... you'll be seeing a lot of her recipes in the coming days because she is fabulous).

The bread started out all well and good. I love taking my lovely Kitchenaid mixer for a spin and the batter came together great. Thick and shiny and goopey loveliness. I prepped the pan, squished it in and popped it in the oven.

An hour later and peaked and and it was nice and golden brown and delicious looking. I did the toothpick test and thing came out clean, minus the gooey chocolate chip I hit, things seemed all normal. But no. I turned the bread out of the pan to cool and the was a little crackage... then a hole began to form. A gigantic chasm in the center of my lovely bread.

I decided that all would be okay, and after dinner cut into the still slightly warm bread. The first slice was fine and my husband throughly enjoyed it... it was after that first piece where it gets messy. The wonderful goopey dough wanted to hang around and it did, right in the center of my loaf. Raw, it was, and I was not happy. The next evening was filled with emergency procedures to fix the raw-ness. Another hour in the oven at a low temperature helped a little, but also made the outside a bit dry. Nothing a bit of whipped cream can't fit, I suppose. But still, not a happy day in my kitchen.

If you are interested in having a go (and i wish you more luck than i had) at this fabulous recipe... and it is fabulous, the ginger adding a very nice kick to the bread... find it here:
http://orangette.blogspot.com/2004/12/
mussels-wine-and-excuse-to-eat-whipped.html

And may your banana bread tale be a happy one.

a mini honeymoon for valentine's day.

2008-02-18T18:39:00.002-06:00

When I mentioned the idea of going to Paris for our honeymoon, my fiancé (now husband) gave a little shrug. He wasn't really interested in the romantic city as a destination until he realized the wealth of edible wonders that awaited us there. As soon as he discovered that we could eat our way through Paris, it was all decided: Paris, here we come! And we went. And we ate. And drank. And were merry (and married).

Now, I'm not going to lie, we ate some amazing food. But, to be honest, some of my favorites were the snacks that we ate while walking or sitting on a park bench. There is nothing like a crispy baguette with ham and cheese eaten on a bench while people watching. Or a pain au chocolate to munch on as you saunter down the cobblestone streets toward the louvre. And of course, one of my favorites, the crepe. We had many a crepe on our trip. We ate them as snacks, we ran through the rain to get them and it was the only thing that I could stomach on our second to last day in the city when I came down with a mysterious stomach illness (which turned out to be a bacterial infection from the lovely chicken sandwich that I had eaten the day before), so I had one for breakfast.

So now that we are back in the states, our chance of finding a crepe vendor on the corner is pretty slim. And the stand at the Mall of America just seems too anti-culture for my taste. So when I received a crepe pan from my mom as a valentine's day gift (okay, begged for one as a valentine's day gift) I made immediate plans for our first valentine's day dinner as a married couple.

Crepes it was. Nothing fancy, just the french classics: ham and comte cheese, nutella and banana and a single citron et sucre to satisfy my need of a little freshness at the end of the meal. Being my first time making crepes, I was a little nervous at how they would come out... and they did end up a bit too thick for my taste. But the flavor was nice and, with a crisp glass of champagne and a bit of dark chocolate to finish off, it was the perfect valentine's day meal. Savory and sweet and romantic.

Crepes
Adapted from Alton Brown

2 Large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter
Butter for coating pan

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse for ten seconds. Refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 48 hours. Heat a non-stick pan and add butter to coat the bottom. Pour enough batter into the pan to make a thin layer on the bottom after swirling the pan. Cook about 30 seconds our until the first side is lightly browned. Flip and cook the other side until it is also browned to your liking. Lay the crepes flat to cool or place in a warm oven to keep warm.

Now fill your crepes. You can be as creative or as simple as you wish. My fillings for the evening were:

-cubed, thick country ham with shredded comte cheese
-nutella chocolate hazelnut spread with sliced bananas
-a squirt of fresh lemon juice sprinkled with sugar

I hope that you enjoy your mini trip to Paris.

the simple life.

2008-02-13T19:11:00.000-06:00

I am sorry to all those who may be disappointed in this, my very first food post. It isn't really a recipe. It is more of an homage to brown butter. I, myself, have never know the joys that brown butter can bring. Sure, I had heard the words "brown butter sauce," but, until making it myself, I never appreciated how fabulous it really is. Flavorful, nutty and so very easy to create! I am amazed.

Dinner tonight was pumpkin tortellini in brown butter sage sauce. It was frozen tortellini, but it still tasted fabulous. Someday I'll try my hand at making it myself, and I'm sure you'll join me in that adventure, but tonight was not the night. Tonight was a night for quick and simple, yet tasty. On to the brown butter... two tablespoons of unsalted butter gave me the perfect amount for my single helping of tortellini. Place in a fry pan over medium high heat and allow to melt. Continue cooking the butter, swirling the pan to prevent burning, until the butter becomes a golden color and begins to smell nutty. At this point you can toss in any of your desired fresh herbs or other flavoring. I used sage and let it crisp just a touch before I added my cooked pasta and tossed it about.

I promise to include a real-live recipe next time. There are a lot of cooking plans for the near future... and some from days past that i wil also share soon. Until then, enjoy your butter. It's yummy.

in the beginning.

2008-02-13T18:43:00.000-06:00

It has taken me much to long to do this. I am a person who, when I turn on the television, i immediately tune to the food network. A person who, when entering a bookstore, heads straight for the cookbook section. A person who, when recieveing wedding gifts, is most excited about the pots and pans. And finally, a person who spends as much of the day as she can reading food blogs online.

So, why, you may ask, has it taken you so long to write a create a food blog of your own? To document all your lovely kitchen creations and share them with the world? And I will answer truthfully: laziness. I have been stuck to the couch watching the food network. But I am now up and ready to work hard in the kitchen. To break out my trusty camera and learn how to be a food photographer (my two loves come together! food and photography! how can i go wrong?).

I hope that those of you who join me on this journey will enjoy yourselves and that you too will give up the laziness and make a little love in the kitchen.