{vittles}

Winter Slaw Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing

2012-01-06T19:13:00.000-06:00

Bartlett's has an Asian salad that I really like involving mint, mango and avocado. When I saw a winter slaw recipe calling for a tahini orange dressing, I decided to make something similar because I have a jar of tahnini, oranges and orange juice crying out to me from the fridge. 

We had this with a chicken and broccoli dish: 

I marinated pieces of chicken in an Asian marinate then stir fried them in 2 tablespoons of peanut oil. Pulled the chicken out once cooked. 

Added to the same pan about a cup of broth and about 2 cups each broccoli florets and halved brussels sprouts along with 2 teaspoons each garlic, fresh grated ginger and red pepper flakes, scraping up the meat pieces and stirred. 

Simmered until cooked and liquids reduced. 

Tossed it all back with the chicken and about 1/4 cup soy sauce!

This dressing was really good and this salad has a great variety of textures and flavors. It tastes really fresh but hearty at the same time with the tahnini dressing. Which is technically why it's called a slaw, I believe. Taylor would not have eaten it had I called it a slaw, however.

Winter Slaw Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing

adapted from My New Roots, to whom the picture belongs.

Ingredients:

2 cups each shredded Savoy cabbage, purple cabbage, kale (I only did purple cabbage, about 3 cups)

2 cups shredded carrots

2 scallions, finely sliced

½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley

½ cup chopped mint

½ cup slivered almonds

1 orange, cut into bite sized pieces (mango would be ideal but I have oranges coming out my ears... it was great) 

3 T. roasted sesame seeds or even better an Asian Spice Mix (such as Adams Reserve Asian Spice rub which is a mixture of sesame seeds, garlic, sweet pepper, red pepper and green chili pepper flakes, turmeric and garlic)

Tahini Cream Dressing with Orange

Dressing:

Makes 1 cup

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. orange juice

1 Tbsp.  agave or honey

1/3 cup tahini

2 Tbsp. water

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar 

a couple pinches of salt

zest of 1 orange

Directions:

Combine herbs, nuts, fruit, shredded cabbage, kale and carrots in a large bowl. Whisk dressing ingredients together (or shake up in a jar). Add water to thin to desired consistency. Toss desired amount of dressing with salad once you're ready to serve. Garnish with extra parsley, mint and sesame seeds.

This dressing would be good over soba noodles too. 

bagels

2012-01-01T10:00:00.000-06:00

I love bagels and have been wanting to make my own for a while. In keeping with my resolution to try to bake more bread, I went for it yesterday! I tried it with some heartier flours and as a result, I think I should have been more patient with the rising time {winter day + denser flours} and done a bit more research as to how the dough is supposed to feel after kneading. I let them start their rising without getting the dough to a supple stretchiness. Adding a bit more water during the kneading process would have fixed this easily, but I wasn't sure how the dough was supposed to compare to the feeling of pizza dough that I'm used to. I'm thinking it should feel as supple as pizza dough because mine were still pretty dense after rising, which then affected how well they baked.

Homemade Bagels 
Adapted from Artisan Breads Every Day by Peter Reinhart and BGSK
Makes 6-8 bagels

You can find barley malt syrup at a specialty foods store or Whole Foods.

Ingredients
For the dough:
1 tablespoon barley malt syrup, honey, or rice syrup
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt, or 2 ½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt
3 ½ cups (16oz) unbleached bread flour (or other flour by weight. I did about 4oz rye and 8oz bread flour and 4oz whole wheat flour

For the poaching liquid:
½ tablespoons barley malt syrup, honey, or rice syrup
tablespoon baking soda
teaspoon salt, or 1 ½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt

Stir the malt syrup, yeast, and salt into 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water. Place the flour into a mixing bowl and pour in the malt syrup mixture. Use a large, sturdy spoon and stir for about 3 minutes, until well blended. The dough should form a stiff, coarse ball, and the flour should be fully hydrated; if it isn’t, stir in a little more water. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Transfer to a very lightly floured work surface and knead. The dough should be stiff yet supple, with a satiny, barely tacky feel. If the dough seems too soft or overly tacky, mix or knead in a little more flour.

I did this all in a stand mixer with the dough hook, about 8 minutes.

Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes. Patience is key.

Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper, then misting it with spray oil or lightly coating it with oil. Divide the dough into 6 to 8 equal pieces.

Form each piece into a loose ball by rolling it on a clean, dry work surface with a cupped hand. Holding the dough with both thumbs in the hole, rotate the dough with your hands, gradually stretching it to create a hole about 2 inches in diameter.

Place each shaped bagel on the prepared sheet pan, then mist with spray oil or brush with a light coating of oil. Cover the entire pan with plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes

Fill a pot with 2 to 3 quarts of water, making sure the water is at least 4 inches deep. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain at a simmer. Stir in the malt syrup, baking soda, and salt.

Gently lower each bagel into the simmering poaching liquid, adding as many as will comfortably fit in the pot. They should all float to the surface within 15 seconds. After 1 minute, use a spoon to turn each bagel over. Poach for another 30 to 60 seconds, then use the spoon to transfer it back to the pan. 

Transfer the pan of bagels to the oven, then lower the oven heat to 450°F.

Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and check the underside of the bagels.  Bake for another 8 to 12 minutes, until the bagels are a golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. 

Image belongs to Smitten Kitchen who has a similar albeit more complicated version of Peter R's bagels. There was no way I was going to attempt bagels for the first time with all that business. Too daunting to attempt. This was simple and I was quite happy with the result and what I learned. I plan to keep working on them and will keep you posted.

By the way, this is helpful baking advice. ... because I freeze butter too and yet am also an impulsive baker.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

2011-10-29T03:10:00.002-05:00

This was so good and perfect for the recently cooler weather! I could have eaten the roasted tomatoes straight off of the baking sheet. 

Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup

recipe & bottom image from SpoonForkBacon 

Makes 7 cups 

INGREDIENTS
½ lbs Roma tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
tablespoons unsalted butter
medium yellow onion, diced
garlic cloves, minced
tablespoon fresh thyme, minced*
(28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
cups basil leaves, roughly chopped
tablespoons dried basil*
tablespoon sugar
cups low sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup heavy cream {I did not have cream. I mixed in about 4 oz cream cheese but thought it was great without it}
garnish:
basil
feta cheese, crumbled.
*I did have fresh basil but not fresh thyme or dried basil. I used extra fresh basil and about a 1/2 tablespoon Italian spice mix. 
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Spread tomato halves onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Roast tomatoes for about 1 hour.
While tomatoes are in the oven, melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and thyme and sauté for another 5 minutes.
Add crushed tomatoes, basils and sugar. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir the mixture and reduce the heat to medium or medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
Pour broth and roasted tomatoes into the pot. Season with salt and pepper.
Continue to simmer soup, covered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Carefully pour soup into a blender and blend until smooth. {Immersion blender party! Get one!}
Pour soup back into the pot and stir in the cream until fully incorporated.
Simmer the soup for 3 minutes before ladling into bowls.
Top each soup with a sprinkle of feta cheese and basil and serve hot.

asian haricot vert salad

2011-09-19T18:24:00.002-05:00

Just threw together a yummy and easy modification of this salad.  Serving this with pork tenderloin, marinated in a Ginger Lime Vinaigrette marinade, seared briefly on high heat on all sides in an ovenproof skillet then baked till 145 degrees. Reducing leftover marinade in the same skillet mixed with some spicy mustard for a sauce.

Asian Dressing to coat 3 to 4 cups steamed fresh green beans

whisk together:

2-3 teaspoons champagne vinegar

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

2-3 teaspoons spicy mustard

a few dashes of pepper and coarse salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger {hello cheap little tiny chunk from Whole Foods!}

1 tablespoon Asian Spice Mix (such as Adams Reserve Asian Spice rub which is a mixture of sesame seeds, garlic, sweet pepper, red pepper and green chili pepper flakes, turmeric and garlic)

good warm and also chilled!

Eggplant Caponata

2011-09-11T09:09:00.001-05:00

Another veggie dish! I had been wanting to cook eggplant more and try another, more summery way of cooking squash besides roasting it. Because I freeze my herbs, it wasn't a problem to use the fresh herbs this called for, and I knew the combo of sauteeing and balsamic vinegar had to be a winner.

My only beef with this recipe was that even though I reduced the portions to about 2/3 of the recipe, I still couldn't do it all in one skillet. Next time I'll make a smaller quantity or just use the same skillet twice rather than having two going simultaneously.

You don't have to use heirloom tomatoes --they're pricey. I used one heirloom tomato and one really ripe beefsteak tomato. This dish alone would have cost about 12 bucks had I bought two big heirloom tomatoes. Bet this would be a great dish to make after hitting up the farmer's market though!

Eggplant Caponata
from happyyolks
INGREDIENTS
1 lb eggplants {I used the long, skinny ones}
¼ cup olive oil
1 chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large heirloom tomatoes, in chunks
3-5 yellow squash, into bite-sized chunks
2 cups crimini mushrooms, quartered
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar {don't skimp!}
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup chopped basil
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Prepare the eggplant first by chopping the bulbs into bite sized chunks, and sprinkling with salt in a strainer. {Many chefs say this draws out the eggplant’s bitterness.} Let sit while you prepare the squash, tomatoes, onion, and mushrooms. In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and minced garlic to simmer. Add eggplant cubes and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and soft. Remove from heat. In a second large skillet {or the same one} over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and simmer onions until barely translucent. Add squash and mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes last along with the balsamic vinegar and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. {I would have done this all in the same skillet had there been room.}

Stir chopped basil, parsley, and a dash of salt and pepper over all veggies.

Roasted Cauliflower with almonds, lemon and parsley

2011-08-26T13:56:00.001-05:00

By halving the recipe but doubling the nuts, I could almost have eaten this as a main dish. It's from Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa:How Easy is That? I'm putting the recipe as it appears in the book and noting my thoughts and changes. I really liked this, the nuts, parsley and lemon are simple but make it really flavorful. I appreciated the mixing it all in the sheet pan plan, since I'm averse to making more dishes dirty than necessary.

This just came about serendipitously when I saw cauliflower at the store and realized I hadn't had it in forever...took it home with no other plan aside from throwing it in my salads raw. Then I found this recipe, and am really glad I tried roasting something new. I think it's a good summer veggie roast.

Roasted Cauliflower
serves 4-6 {I halved this, except the nuts and lemon juice}

Ingredients
1 head garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into large florets
4 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley {chop then freeze! then thaw the amount you want on a paper towel for a few min}
3 tbsp pine nuts, toasted (I used about 1/3c. slivered almonds, toasting them in a dry skillet on medium for about 2-3 min, til browned and fragrant)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (I used it from a bottle)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees* F. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add the garlic cloves. Boil for 15 seconds; drain and peel. Cut the largest cloves in half lengthwise.
2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with the garlic, 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp salt, and black pepper. Spread into a single layer and roast, stirring twice, until the cauliflower is tender and the garlic is lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes*.
3. Transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl with the garlic and pan juices. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, parsley, pine nuts, and lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt, toss well and serve hot or warm. Serves 6.

*{note} This burned my garlic. Maybe I boiled them too long. Or maybe they were too small. I don't know if that boiling step was just to make them easier to peel (which was cool) or if it was to blanch them and get them cooking, fragrant a bit. It wasn't worth bringing a pot to boil for just easy peeling and I don't actually like eating entire heads of garlic even when they're not burned. I may chop the garlic when I try this again, or even use garlic powder (is that bad?) Watch it as it cooks if you do it Ina's way, because surely she knows what she's doing. Or consider roasting on 425 or 400.

{pictures credit} because her images were much better than mine.

balsamic haricot vert salad

2011-08-16T09:40:00.000-05:00

Green beans caught my eye at the store today. I think I'd been subconsciously dwelling on their fresh simplicity since enjoying a salad from a cute french bistro in Spokane last week. They were on sale and looked fresh, green and easy, so I grabbed a handful.

I could have put any sort of chopped toasted nuts in this. Maybe I'll do it again with chickpeas or fava beans. Anyway, this was easy and good.

And I was happy to bust out my shamefully neglected steamer insert. Really, I should use this thing more. Clean up is a breeze too.

balsamic haricot vert salad
let's use the french name for kicks.
serves 2
INGREDIENTS
2-3 cups fresh green beans
{addition suggestion} pine nuts, slivered almonds, finely chopped pecans toasted on medium high in a dry skillet, stirring often 3-4 minutes until browned and fragrant

{dressing}
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
a couple generous dashes of pepper and garlic powder
a dash of ginger
2 teaspoons spicy mustard {the stuff with horseradish}

DIRECTIONS
Steam beans until cooked and tender but still maintaining a bit of a crunch, about 4-5 minutes. Toast nuts if you're using them. Whisk together dressing ingredients. Toss dressing with beans, nuts and whatever else you feel like throwing in there. Good warm. Good cold.

stuff your salad in a tomato

2011-07-13T11:47:00.000-05:00

Tomatoes are huge and inexpensive right now, and I've been looking for ways to mix up my habitual lunch salad with toppings like tuna and a bunch of different types of beans, but when I picked up a Runner's World magazine while I was at the airport this weekend, I was inspired by a bunch of their great recipes. Who knew they'd have recipes? Guess I shouldn't be that surprised, but I was quite impressed....

Among other healthy, fresh, balanced and light recipes was one for a stuffed tomato. I found a bunch of varieties on stuffed tomatoes when I went to Runner's World's site to look for the recipes ones I'd seen in the magazine and now plan to chop up my salads and try a few of these variations among others on their site. Maybe they will come up with a cheap {and non-clutter causing}Nook version of the mag so I don't drown us in magazines saved merely for their recipes. Image belongs to foodstuff, who also has a great looking recipe.

farmer's market lunch. farmer's market salsa

2011-06-25T14:08:00.000-05:00

I've been making my own salsa recently. I use it sometimes as salad dressing and sometimes when I make a couple corn tortilla chips for a midafternoon snack. I've used canned diced tomatoes because I had tons of them, but it's obviously great with higher quality tomatoes, especially those that are about to be a little too ripe to enjoy on your salad.

The farmer's market today was crazy with peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and of course peaches. One stand was giving away cucumbers! Sliced salted cold cucumbers is one of my favorite summer snacks so I will certainly be enjoying that this week...

I had a little over a pound of tomatoes in my bag so they threw in a handful more to make it at least 2 pounds, though I'm sure it was more, and gave it to me for an even $2. I will be baking them in big slices, maybe attempting a summer tomato feta tart similar to this one, this one or this one, and of course eating them raw with salt and pepper and enjoying them in this salsa I just made. Yessss.

Salsa is flexible. Throw in whatever you have. I had onions and tomatillos already so I used:

the ripest tomato in the lot + one and a half tomatillos + a fourth of a large white onion. I also seeded and added half a jalepeno + a half a serrano pepper + fourth of a poblano pepper. Plus a dash of white vinegar + a dash of lime juice + a few generous sprinkles of salt.

Process it all in a food processor. Eat.

It turned out pink! I really like the taste of tomatillos in salsa, Chuy's uses them. When I asked about cilantro, they said it's dried up in the heat, as had mine. So no cilantro in my salsa.

If you've never shopped a farmer's market, you're missing out! If nothing go for the experience. It's really fun to see and talk to the people who live and work around the food they produce. Oftentimes families are there selling their goods. You'll find great fresh juices and baked goods such great breads and baked goods handmade soaps, cheeses, herb mixes, candles. Samples of it all galore and of course great produce. I think a gentleman literally gave me the equivalent of a loaf of bread in all his variety of samples he was enthusiastically explaining and handing out. So fun.

Some of it may be more expensive than the grocery store, cantelopes and watermelons were today, but a lot of it isn't and it's all much better and more fresh, my huge $2 bag of tomatoes, $5 bin of peaches and $2 bunch of kale for example. Plus it's fun to support the people who grow food locally and now that it's moved right down the street from me, I need to go more. I'm suuuuper excited about my farm fresh eggs! They were $5 a dozen, though, so part of me hopes I don't like them too much...

Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin + Veggies

2011-06-20T07:00:00.001-05:00

My husband is the master of last minute dinner decisions. My freezer and I have become fast friends. I use my cast iron skillet to cook a variety of frozen vegetables often. For our anniversary, I did a one skillet pork tenderloin and vegetables. Marinating for a long time, searing well on all sides and removing when it was @ 145 degrees made for a great, tender piece of meat with a yummy, shreadable, well seared outside. Plus, can't beat that one pot clean up business. Especially when it's a cast iron skillet, I literally rinse it and wipe it clean.

ONE Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Veggies

INGREDIENTS

1 medium sized pork tenderloin {I'm sorry, I truly have no clue how many pounds ours was...}

a thick Asian dressing or marinade of choice. I used Cookwell & Company Asian Ginger Vinaigrette.
3 cups frozen vegetables such as brussels sprouts, broccoli florets, or green beans
2 tablespoons olive oil {learned that extra virgin is not ideal for skillet cooking because it burns at a lower temperature. find just olive oil for skillet cooking. HEB makes some that’s labelled for sautéing.}
Cracked pepper
Coarse kosher salt
balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Trim ends off of tenderloin so it is uniform thickness. Cut in half. Marinate in the fridge overnight, well coated. Remove from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking and pat dry.

Thaw vegetables by running warm water over them in a colander or allowing them to sit about 5 minutes in warm water. Cut the brussels sprouts in half.

Preaheat oven to 425 degrees. Film an ovenproof skillet with oil and sear the tenderloin over medium high heat to brown all sides, about 5 minutes in all.

At the same time meat is browning, add vegetables and generously sprinkle with pepper and salt. Lower heat if things get splattery. Stir to coat and allow to sit undisturbed as meat browns, only stirring once or twice. Sprinkle balsamic vinegar over the vegetables and toss to coat.

Place skillet in the oven and roast 15-20 minutes until internal temp is 145 degrees. Tent skillet with foil and let rest about 5 minutes. Use more of your marinade as a glaze or make a pan sauce by deglazing the skillet with chicken broth, wine or something like orange juice.

Here's the basic recipe I use to cook vegetables @ the last minute.

Just Freezer Skillet Veggies

INGREDIENTS
3 cups frozen vegetables such as brussels sprouts, broccoli florets, or green beans
2 tablespoons olive oil {learned that extra virgin is not ideal for skillet cooking because it burns at a lower temperature. find just olive oil for skillet cooking. HEB makes some that’s labelled for sautéing.}
Cracked pepper
Coarse kosher salt
balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS
Thaw vegetables by running warm water over them in a colander or allowing them to sit about 5 minutes in warm water. Cut the brussels sprouts in half. Heat oil in metal or cast iron skillet on medium high. Add vegetables and generously sprinkle with pepper and salt. Lower heat if things get splattery. Stir to coat and allow to sit undisturbed about 2-3 minutes. Stir again and leave alone for a few more minutes. Once they are looking cooked, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, stir to coat and cook about 2 -3 minutes more, stirring infrequently to allow maximum, flavorful browning.

Remove from heat. Cool. Plate. Sprinkle with a bit more salt and pepper.

almost no knead bread

2011-06-16T09:28:00.003-05:00

Bread strikes again. I've been eating this for two days straight. Toast a slice. Little honey. Little butter. Best crust and super moist. probably because I accidentally tripled the beer. Which should go to show you that bread is forgiving. You can't screw it up. It will probably be different every time depending on how long and at what temperature it rose, but it will always taste good. Especially right out of the oven.

Best when baked in a dutch oven. Best way to get heat and steam needed for good rise and the perfect crust.

almost no-knead bread

makes one delicious loaf. from america’s test kitchen via pete

INGREDIENTS

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (15 oz), plus additional for dusting work surface I used bread flour

1/4 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast (or 1/2 tsp dry active yeast)

1 1/2 tsp table salt

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp water (7 ounces), at room temperature

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp mild-flavored lager (3 ounces) {I accidentally used 3/4 cup + 2 Tb! Used Shiner's Black Lager. The dough was crazy sticky and hard to manage but it turned out fine and was super moist. May never try it the right way...}

1 Tbsp white vinegar

DIRECTIONS

whisk flour, yeast, and salt in large bowl. add water, beer, and vinegar. using rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours.

lay 12- by 18-inch sheet of parchment paper inside 10-inch skillet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10 to 15 times. shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. transfer dough, seam-side down, to parchment-lined skillet and spray surface of dough with nonstick cooking spray. cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours.

About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed dutch oven (with lid) on rack, and heat oven to 500F. lightly flour top of dough and, using razor blade or sharp knife, make one 6-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slit along top of dough. carefully remove pot from oven and remove lid. pick up dough by lifting parchment overhang and lower into pot (let any excess parchment hang over pot edge). cover pot and place in oven. reduce oven temperature to 425F and bake covered for 30 minutes. remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 210 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer. carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

If you note that mine has a weird shape, it's because I did not have parchment paper so I used my Silpat mat. The sturdiness probably helped my gooey dough. Further proof that you can't mess it up. Try it!

french baguettes

2011-06-15T08:54:00.000-05:00

I made bread and it was heavenly. It made my house smell great. It was killer straight out of the oven, with butter and honey, and now I'm hooked. I can't figure out what website this recipe came from, but I just printed nearly every bread recipe over at pete bakes and can't wait to try them all. I've come a long way and so can you! Do not be scurred.

{french baguettes}
adapted from artisan breads every day by peter reinhart
INGREDIENTS
5 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
2 tsp salt or 1 tbsp kosher salt
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
2 c. lukewarm water {about 95 degrees. Tap water that feels just warm to the touch is fine}
DIRECTIONS
{prep day} combine all ingredients in bowl of mixer with paddle attachment and mix on lowest speed for 1 minute until well blended and smooth. Dough should form a coarse, shaggy ball. Let rest uncovered for 5 minutes. Switch to dough hook and mix on medium low speed for 2 minutes. Dough should be smooth, supple and tacky but not sticky.

Knead dough by hand on lightly floured work surface for 1 minute, then transfer to a large, clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and immediately refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days.

{baking day} remove dough from refrigerator 2 hours prior to baking. Gently transfer to lightly floured work surface. Divide dough into 10 ounce pieces for baguettes. Just divide the dough in fourths if you don't have one but Yes! I bought a $7 kitchen scale for this. I had four 10 ounce balls and then a little 5 ounce one leftover.

Form baguettes: by batting each piece of divided dough into a thick rectangle. With the long end facing you, fold the bottom half to the center and seal the seam. Fold the top half to the center and once again seal the seam. Roll the top half of the dough over the seam to create a new seam on the bottom of the loaf. Rock loaf back and forth with hands moving out toward and increasing pressure at the ends, to slightly taper the loaf until baguette is length of your baking sheet (or baguette pan if you have one).

Mist top of dough with spray oil, loosely cover with plastic wrap and proof and room temperature. Make a "couche" by placing baguettes on a clean towel dusted with flour, bunching up fabric between each loaf to create walls for support. Proof for about 1 1/2 hours or until they have increased to 1 1/2 times their original size.

Prep for baking: About 45 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a rimmed sheet pan which will serve as the steam pan on the shelf under which the baguettes will be baked. Remove plastic wrap from the dough 15 minutes prior to baking. Gently roll dough onto baguette pan or baking sheet. Just prior to baking score the dough 1/2 inch deep with a serrated knife. Transfer loaves to oven, pour 1 cup hot water into steam pan. Wear an oven mitt & be careful, the steam will be steamy in the hot pan. Warmed the water in my stovetop kettle and poured it in so there was some distance.

Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate pan and bake for another 15-25 minutes until the crust is rich golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when thumped, and the internal temperature is about 200 degrees. Coll on a wire rack for at least 35 minutes before slicing or serving. good luck with that. Store wrapped in a dish towel to maintain crust's crispiness.

banana bunchaheartysoundingstuff pancakes

2011-06-02T08:52:00.001-05:00

This is what I made for breakfast this morning. If you're a light, fluffy buttermilk pancake person, sorry. These were fluffy for sure, but they're more on the hearty side. By now you surely know about the seriousness with which I approach my breakfasts. In my opinion frozen bananas, frozen right when they're turning brown and would be just a bit too overripe to eat, are best for baking. I set these out to thaw for about an hour and a half then peeled them into the bowl. Trying not to think about how slimynasty they looked...They're so easy to mash and provide a bit more moisture to a recipe like this with a bunch of dense stuff. Anyway, these are filled with protein and fiber. Check out how good for you wheat germ is. But the banana and agave nectar I tried out as syrup provide ample sweetness and flavor, in my book at least.

And you must sing the song of course.

Erin's Banana flaxbranoatwheatandbunchaheartysoundingstuff Pancakes

adapted from here and here.

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup old fashioned oats

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

3 T. wheat germ

1 c. milk I used almond milk bc that's what I had.

3 t. flax seeds

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. cinnamon

1 t. vanilla extract

1 egg beaten

2 very large, very ripe bananas, mashed well (or thawed from frozen is better)

2 T. olive oil

DIRECTIONS

In a cup or small bowl, pour 1/3 cup of your milk over the wheat germ and let sit. Process the oats in a blender or food processor until they resemble a coarsish flour. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, soda & salt in to a large mixing bowl. Add oat flour. Sifting the w.w. flour helps it get fluffy and whole wheat tends to be more coarse anyway. (Once I run out, I'm getting whole wheat cake flour) supposedly that's the way to go to get your whole wheat flour baked goods to stay fluffy, less coarse, more similar to white flour. Whisk together beaten egg, banana, oil and vanilla until well combined. I beat my egg into my mushed banana, shhh don't tell, bowl minimization. Whisk in the soaking milk with wheat germ. Add dry mix, combine, and let sit for five minutes. Heat griddle or cast iron skillet to medium or medium low. It's ready when droplets of water bounce on it. Cook pancakes. They'll cook slower than regular pancakes. I kept my skillet on medium low, otherwise the outsides get to crisp before the middle is cooked. Add more milk or water if the batter gets too thick. Serve topped with peanut butter and agave nectar as syrup. yum.

roasted shrimp

2011-05-06T08:26:00.002-05:00

Umb. I'm dumb. Where has this been? I'm sure I own the Ina Garten cookbook that it's in. As in, for the last three years this recipe {or rather this simple 8 minute interaction between a hot oven and four household staples} has been sitting in my kitchen, in painfully close proximity to the freezer which houses an old, colossal and overly ambitions, never ending bag of frozen shrimp.

Le Sigh. Despite the time it took, I'm so glad cute Little Kitchen could bring it to the forefront of my Google Reader so that at least, albeit feeling like an idiot, I could at least come out of the cave I've been living in, begin to enjoy this and make some more room in my freezer. Or maybe not since I'll probably go to Costco for an elephant sized bag later today.

This. Is. So. Good. So versatile. So stinkingfrikinannoyingly simple. Be generous with your oil, salt and pepper and use good olive oil. Eat these babies alone, chopped up on salads, thrown into summer pastas, make little ceviches.

Roasted Shrimp

via The Little Kitchen that Could {to whom the pic belongs} from Ina Garten

{Ingredients}
2 lbs. large shrimp (15-20 count), peeled and deveined with tails left on

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon coarse kosher or sea salt
1-2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon Old Bay blackening seasoning is also good if you have it
{Directions}

If your shrimp were frozen, as mine were, easily thaw them by running them under lukewarm water in a colander or setting them in a bowl of lukewarm water for 5 minutes or so. They are then easy to peel if they aren't already.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Toss shrimp with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread in one layer. Roast for 8 minutes or just until pink and cooked through. Set aside to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature, on top of salads, mixed in pasta, or even in warmed corn tortillas with some fresh pico de gallo, cilantro, maybe some chopped mango, cabbage, and a little chipotle mayo.

steel cut oats

2011-05-05T08:24:00.001-05:00

It has been unseasonably cold (at least in my opinion) the last couple days. Monday's high was only about 58 and it's been in the 40s in the mornings. I wore gloves at my workout this morning!

Feeling cold and also a little blah with my typical breakfast, I thought something warm sounded lovely alongside my eggs, rather than cold cereal. Perfect time to try steel cut oats. I found that a little bit goes a long way; they are hearty, and they can be creamier yet still have a crunch to them --I like that texture --unlike regular oatmeal.

They do take longer to cook; many recipes call for soaking them first. I found a recipe where it can be done in a larger batch and cooked more quickly in smaller quantities in the morning. You make the amount you want each morning and store the remainder in the refrigerator.

steel cut oats breakfast

adapted from the bitten word and the ny times. pic belongs to the bitten word

{Ingredients}

water

milk or almond milk

1 cup steel cut oats

wheat bran

flax seeds

honey, agave nectar or sugar

fruit

{Directions}

bring 2 cups water to a boil. pour boiling water over 1 cup steel cut oats into a heat safe (such as glass) storage container. stir and let sit covered overnight.

In the morning, stir the mixture. Into a large microwave safe bowl, {or you can do this over the stove, but I prefer to get less vessels dirty} combine 1/3 cup soaked oats, 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup milk or almond milk. I also add 2 teaspoons wheat bran and 2 teaspoons flax seeds.

Microwave a total of about 4 minutes, stirring once or twice.

You want it to come to a boil and ideally simmer for most of this time, but I typically have to stop and stir it initially once or twice to keep it from boiling out of my bowl. {Which is why simmering the mixture stovetop would be better. Especially if you don't have my ridiculously oversized Pottery Barn cereal bowls. But also more effort.}

Once the liquid has lessened and it's looking like oatmeal, you're good. Add more milk for desired creaminess, or to help it cool faster.

As for toppings, I like about a teaspoon of agave nectar, half a banana and some raisins. Though the pic below via here, looks like a great variation I may need to try!

By the way, thanks Liz! I think "Bird's Nests" is a much cuter name than Egg In a Hole!

egg in hole

2011-04-01T10:01:00.001-05:00

I love breakfast.

True story. I eat an egg every morning. I usually scramble it in a mug {one egg. one mug. pam spray. scramble with little whisk. 19 seconds zap. more scramble. 15 seconds zap.} but I love ordering eggs over easy with toast when I eat out for breakfast, loving soaking up that runny oak with some good bread, but resigning myself to my inability to make a fried egg well.

Well.
Enter Egg in A Hole.
INGREDIENTS
one egg
one good piece of toasted bread. like 9 grain.
olive oil cooking spray
biscuit cutter
DIRECTIONS
Heat skillet to medium high. Cut a hole in your toast with the biscuit cutter and ready the leftover circle on plate. Spray skillet with cooking spray. Add holed toast and crack egg into hole. Wait 2 minutes and swiftly flip entire unit. After 2-3 minutes, remove to plate. Sprinkle with coarse salt and cracked pepper and enjoy making perfect bites of cooked egg white, runny oak and nutty bread.

sliders

2011-03-28T18:54:00.000-05:00

After a long and undoubtedly reader-mourned hiatus, I return to you with a versatile, well loved dish in our house.

The base of these sliders is Sister Shubert's rolls. Discovering that my husband loved these was further affirmation of my theory that I'd married the male version of my best friend, but that's beside the point. All that matters is T. loves the rolls and thus has loved whatever I'm able to fit in them. I've made steak sliders with leftover sliced steak meat, I've made turkey burger sliders with leftover turkey meat {and a really cute 2 inch biscuit cutter} and I've made fajita sliders. You could use black bean veggie burger patties, chicken breast sliders {cue that cute biscuit cutter} or even thickly sliced roast beef or turkey deli meat. The possibilities are endless, but the steak is is the one I make the most often. The pictures are of the turkey burger sliders.

{Steak sliders}

INGREDIENTS

Sister Shubert's Parker House Rolls

sliced steak or other meat of choice

spicy mustard

pesto

provolone cheese

baby spinach leaves

sliced Roma tomatoes

oven or toaster oven with a broiler

pepper

DIRECTIONS

Yield note: {I think there are about 16 rolls in each package. When I make these just for T, I break the frozen biscuit 'disk' in half and only use half at a time. One package should feed two for a main course comfortably and be great for appetizers for 4}

Cook frozen rolls according to package directions. Then turn broiler on.

Time spend under the broiler will only melt the cheese not warm the meat sufficiently, so if you're using leftover or chilled meat, warm meat separately @ this point.

Half each roll and generously spread pesto on one side and spicy mustard {to your level of spiciness preference} on the other. I put pesto on the top and mustard on the bottom because I like the idea of the meat touching the spicy mustard...

Cover each bottom half with as much meat as you please and top with cheese. Place open faced halves on a cookie sheet under the broiler until the cheese melts. Remove. Sprinkle pepper on melted cheese. Top cheese with a few baby spinach leaves and a slice of Roma tomato {and whatever else you've got going on in the fridge that you think sounds good}

Smash top {pesto covered} half on. I served my turkey "burgers" with roasted new potato "fries."

Happy sliding!

briebruschetta

2011-01-18T21:20:00.000-06:00

I bought brie for myself and needed to do something else with it after eating it on bread with chipotle raspberry sauce for two days straight. I also had some sad looking tomatoes, looking on the extra juicy side.

Do all my recipes seem to originate with stories of how I'm trying to get rid of leftovers or clean out the dregs of my pantry and freezer? Evidently.

Brie Bruschetta

{ingredients}

3 cloves garlic

good olive oil

good fresh bread such as ciabatta, 10-12 slices

two ripe tomatoes

4 oz of brie

cracked pepper

italian seasonings

{directions}

In a small ramekin covered with foil, bake 3 finely diced cloves of garlic in about an inch of olive oil for 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Then put the oven on broil and move a rack close to the broiling coil. Under the broiler, toast one side of your bread slices on a baking sheet

Half the tomatoes and generously rub the cut side on the untoasted side of the bread slices. Basically, you want the tomato to soak into the bread. Brush the baked garlic oil on the slices, sprinkle with Italian spices and cracked pepper. Spread on the brie, or place on thin slices, if spreading is difficult.

Broil the slices until cheese is melted and edges of bread begin to look toasted. About 2-3 minutes.

Enjoy!

blackberry fage

2011-01-11T11:58:00.000-06:00

Operation Clean Out Freezer and Pantry is in full force.

After the pasta frozen fruit is next on the hit list. I have frozen cranberries, peaches, blackberries and strawberries. Since this stuff isn't in season anyway, now is a great time to start using it!

{blackberry yogurt}
heaping 1/2 c. frozen blackberries
1 c. greek yogurt
2 T. granola (or Grape Nuts - if you're in OCOF&P)
2 t. honey

Heat blackberries in a coffee mug for 1-2 minutes in the microwave until thawed. To thawed berries (and resulting liquid that I kept for sweetness) mix yogurt, granola & honey.

cheesy tomato penne bake

2011-01-02T13:07:00.000-06:00

This was a combination of a few recipes from my new The Complete Vegetarian cookbook I found for half off at B&N yesterday. It has TONS of great sauce recipes, pasta recipes, appetizer, stuffed vegetable recipes and a billion different ways of incorporating nuts and beans into recipes. Not that I'm a vegetarian per say, but I like eating nuts, vegetables and beans more than meat, typically, and the typical meat portions are hard to cook for just the two of us.

Anyway, I added ground turkey I had frozen from another dish to this recipe, used a tomato sauce recipe from the book and made a really easy cheese sauce to hold it all together. The cookbook's author, Rose Elliot, used the cheese sauce in a couple of her lasagna dishes, but called for egg to hold her penne bake together. (However, I buy good, expensive eggs to eat for breakfast and quite honestly didn't want to use up my good eggs on a baked pasta dish) I had tons of cheddar cheese I was ready to use up and had been wanting to make my own tomato sauce for a while. Also, as I think about moving, I get frustrated with the crazy assortment of pastas I have stuffed in the back of the pantry. Two separate bags of, half used orzo, two versions of penne and enough spaghetti to feed a village. So this allowed me to get rid of the remainders of a penne bag as well!

cheesy penne pasta bake

{ingredients}

1 cup penne pasta, cooked according to package directions

1/2 c. reserved pasta water

1/4 to 1/2 lb ground turkey, cooked and finely crumbled

tomato sauce:

1 14oz can crushed tomatoes

2 T. olive oil

2 bay leaves

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

cheese sauce:

1 T. butter

1 T. flour

5 - 6 oz milk

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1/2 t. pepper

3/4 c. cheddar cheese or other sharp cheese

1/4 c. bread crumbs

{directions}

Heat olive oil in large skillet or saucepan with lid. Cook onions covered with one bay leaf, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and stir briefly. Add tomatoes, seasonings and reserved pasta water. Allow to simmer about 25 minutes until visibly reduced. Add salt, pepper and italian seasonings to taste. Remove bay leaf.

Make the cheese sauce. I found a rubber whisk worked better than a metal one had. In pot that you made the pasta in, melt butter on medium heat with second bay leaf until bubbly. Add flour and whisk until smooth and slightly darkened in color. Remove bay leaf. Add about 1/3 of the milk and whisk until smooth. Slowly add the rest of the milk and whisk. Whisk until thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in all but 1/4 cup of the cheese, allowing each addition to melt. Add spices.

In a small baking dish (I used what I think was about a 9 X 5 pyrex) combine pasta, ground turkey, half of the bread crumbs, and all but about a 1/4 of the cheese sauce. Spread the rest of the cheese sauce on top, sprinkle with remaining cheese, remaining bread crumbs and some cracked black pepper. Bake on 350 for about 25 minutes.

{photo belongs to kraft as i'm too lazy to upload mine!}

corn & potato bisque

2010-12-28T20:42:00.000-06:00

When we ate in Paris, many places served bisque-type smooth soups as the first course. Because Taylor raved about each one, I bought an immersion blender as soon as we got home. He will typically try any soup I attempt so I've enjoyed trying new things and basically throwing in whatever veggies I have in the fridge, frozen in the freezer or canned in the pantry. This is was my second time using the blender, and thought this soup turned out really well. It was yummy and satisfying on this cold, rainy day. Blending cooked potatoes allows you to make a creamy soup without actually having to add cream or even milk. Since I almost never have milk on hand and don't really like the idea of eating a soup made with cream as my meal, pureeing potatoes has been perfect.

corn and potato bisque
Serves 2 if that's dinner, or 4 as a first course
{ingredients}
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
5 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon each ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground pepper, kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
{directions}
In a large saucepan or soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions until soft, add garlic and sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Add potatoes, stir to coat with onions and garlic, add a pinch of salt and dried parsley as well. Add stock and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of corn and remaining spices, allow to simmer a few minutes longer. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender or a food processor, purée contents of pot, in batches if necessary, until smooth.
Add remaining 1/2 cup of corn. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve. I typically leave my soups on warm until we are ready to eat (or until Taylor is home!) I think they just get better as the flavors combine.

old people cookies

2010-11-03T21:57:00.000-05:00

....also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies or maybe Sandies. But these remind me of visiting elderly family in West Texas and of old ladies and the Baptist potlucks.

I think I have memories of them from my childhood because their unique shape caught my eye and the powdered sugar stuck to my fingers. They remind me of holidays. So when I found a recipe originally published in the New York Times for "Viennese Almond Crescent" cookies, I thought they sounded good and set out to recreate my West Texas memories

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Makes about a dozen cookies

1/2 cup ground almonds (I used my food processor)

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vanilla sugar (I used powdered sugar), for coating

Whisk together the ground almonds and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl.

In a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed for several minutes until smooth.

Add in the almond mixture and mix until combined. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until combined. Add in the flour and salt and mix on low just until combined and the dough starts clumping together.

Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly, and chill for about 20 minutes.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Form dough into 1-inch balls. Roll into a log and curve the ends to make a crescent shape. Place on cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through; the edges of the cookies should turn light brown but the tops should not get too dark. Cool on sheets for about 4 to 5 minutes. While they are still warm, sift sugar over the cookies. Let them finish cooling on wire racks. They are best enjoyed the day they are made, but you can store them in an airtight container between sheets of wax paper for 2 weeks.

{thoughts}

As they baked, they did not seem done after about 13 minutes but once they cooled, they seemed good. They may look really undercooked and there was a huge variety of baking times in the recipes I looked at, some up to 30 minutes! So I still don't know if I should have cooked them longer. They were really good but fell apart easily. I doubt cooking time would have effected that though and they may have just turned into biscotti or something, lacking egg.

banana gingerbread muffins

2010-10-28T08:29:00.000-05:00

These turned out great! So seasonal! Taylor liked them and according to my calculations, right under 200 calories each. These are my kind of muffin, more dense and quickbreadish, rather than a cake.

I think you could also substitute a cup of pumpkin for the cup of mashed banana, but the banana is sweeter than pure pumpkin so you may be missing out on some sweetness, if that's what you expect from your muffins.

Banana Gingerbread Muffins

makes 1 loaf of bread or 12 muffins

{ingredients}
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
pinch freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup banana, mashed (about 2 large)
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk*
4 tbsp oil

{directions}

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or 12 cup muffin pan or place paper liners in muffin pan. (as you can see I had to use fall liners)

In a large bowl, whisk or sift together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, banana, molasses, buttermilk and vegetable oil. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.

Bake muffins for about 20-25 min and loaf about 45 min, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

*make your own buttermilk by adding 1/2 t. vinegar to 1/2 c. skim milk and letting it sit about 3 minutes.

sudden saturday sugar cookies

2010-10-24T21:25:00.000-05:00

I wished I had halloween sprinkles and black piping icing when I randomly decided to make these on a saturday afternoon.

I made these partially because I thought it would be fun to decorate halloween cookies, but mostly because I had three egg yolks in the fridge, crying out not to be wasted. And this recipe fit the bill!

{"melt in your mouth" sugar cookies}
via Better Homes and Gardens' The New Cookbook
{ingredients}
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
{directions}
In a large mixing bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium high for about 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can. Stir in remaining flour.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 300 degree oven about 15 minutes or until sides are set but not brown. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.

raisins pecan oatmeal cookies

2010-10-17T16:17:00.000-05:00

These are also known, as of 2pm, October 17, 2010, as the Best Cookies Ever.

Ina says, "I consider myself and oatmeal cookie aficionado and I've been searching for decades for the perfect recipe. Finally! These are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside with lots of chunky raisins and toasted pecans."

There is nothing more to say.

{raisin pecan oatmeal cookies}

from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups pecans

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 extra-large eggs at room temperature {yes, i used Jumbo eggs}

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 1/2 cups raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop very coarsely. {i bought chopped pecans from the CM bulk bin}

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.

With a sifter or a mesh strainer, sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the oats, raisins, and pecans and mix just until combined.

Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely. For chewier cookies allow them to cool on pan. {do this!}

pumpkin pie for lunch.

2010-10-01T12:15:00.000-05:00

we're just taking this to a new level.

it's october!

{pumpkin pie for lunch}
combine the following {with a vigorous spoon or a blender}

one cup fat free fage Greek yogurt
three tablespoons pumpkin puree
one half a banana {not necessary, and seems weird but it sweetens it!}
one tablespoon Stonewall Kitchen Maple Pumpkin Butter
one fourth a cup chopped toasted pecans or almonds
a dash of pumpkin pie spice
graham cracker crumbs

yum.

a match made in heaven

2010-09-30T07:59:00.000-05:00

one tablespoon

one to two cups

{love}

toppings? toasted pecans, diced peaches, cinnamon granola...

fall stuffed squash

2010-09-28T23:21:00.000-05:00

how cute is that round "8 ball zucchini"??? kinda reminds me of cinderella's carriage.

goal: reproduce stuffed bell pepper and make more fallish.

why i hesitate to share this recipe:

there are not many measurements or times. i just threw a bunch of stuff together that i thought sounded and looked good at Central Market today. it’s very adaptable to your preferences, cravings and current kitchen stock.

but. what is essential here:

a zucchini squash vessel. a lighter crispier squash was a good light flavor and crisp to go with the creamier, heartier filling. i don’t think a more dense, hearty, almost nearer potatoey butternut squash or pumpkin vessel would have worked as well. plus i found perfect little ball shaped zucchinis! they were more “seedy” (heh. pun) than long zucchini, which you could certainly use, so not as much of their pulp was as usable. in my opinion. but the cooked outside and layer of flesh left was perfect with the filling.
butternut squash, though next time i want to try pumpkin!
toasted pecan pieces: crunch and flavor. i just toasted them on pan in same 400 degree oven til crispy and fragrant, about 4 minutes
a good cheese that can hold its own. parmigiano reggiano has done wonders to my stuffed bell peppers and i liked the manchego cheese i tried today.
pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar (partially cuz it’s fun. partially cuz it’s good)

{fall stuffed squash}

place 3 “8 ball zucchini squash,” with tops cut off * and 1/2 butternut squash face down in baking dish with a bit of water in the bottom.

bake in a 400 degree oven, covered with foil for 30 min, or until tender. i finished the squash in the microwave.

while the squash are baking:

saute diced onions until tender in olive oil on medium heat

season with kosher salt and cracked pepper

add chopped cremini mushrooms and a bit of butter

saute til tender, but not all the way wilty

reduce heat to low and add

roughly chopped roma tomatoes

more kosher salt and cracked pepper

cover and simmer for about 10 minutes

uncover, increase heat a bit and stir, breaking up tomatoes and allowing liquids to reduce significantly

mix in about a fourth a cup good bread crumbs or cooked brown rice**

stir in pulp {flesh?} from zucchini and butternut squash

and a few dashes of pumpkin pie spice, pepper and brown sugar to taste

stir to combine for a few minutes and season to taste

remove from heat and stir in:

grated Manchego cheese

generous amounts of toasted pecan pieces***

a bit of parsley

fill hollowed zucchini squash with mixture, top with more cheese,

cover in foil and bake for 10-15 minutes in 375 degree oven, removing foil about half way through.

top with more cheese and parsley if desired

*or large zucchini, halved, lengthwise (will need less cooking time)

**did brown rice, will try bread next time, not even sure if it’s necessary but the rice was nice for texture

excuse my phone pics!

chai tea latte concentrate

2010-09-23T16:42:00.000-05:00

'tis the season for spicy warm drinks like pumpkin spice and chai tea lattes. i got a chai tea latte today from central market and it was glorious. however, since i can't be shelling out the big bucks each afternoon, morning, evening... that i get a craving, i pulled out this recipe i'd been saving for at home, on-demand, chai tea lattes.

Chai Latte Concentrate
from foodie with family

Ingredients:

12 Chai tea bags
4 cups cold, fresh water
1 1/2 cups milk

Place the tea bags, cold water and milk in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. When you reach the boil, drop the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and squeeze the tea bags to extract as much flavor and liquid as possible. Discard tea bags and transfer the Chai Latte Concentrate to a heat-safe container, like a glass Ball jar. Allow to cool to room temperature, put a tight fitting lid on the container and store in the refrigerator for up to 12 days.

To prepare a Chai Latte: (it's really flexible, adjust to your taste)

Ingredients:

1/3- 1/2 cup of milk (use whole milk or even half and half to make a creamy, rich one)
1/2- 2/3 cup of Chai Latte Concentrate
1-3 teaspoons, to taste, of sweetener. Foodie recommends agave nectar. I used Splenda and skim milk but may try adding real sugar with the milk and warming it together stovetop then topping with whipped cream and some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. I also found decaffeinated chai tea bags, which was a plus!

yum!

quesadillas. a tutorial.

2010-07-19T08:48:00.004-05:00

this is for hallie and macey.

{quesadillas}
serves 1
INGREDIENTS
2 good tortillas
a big handful of grated cheese {monterey jack is usually what you find in mexican food quesadillas but any cheese is good. feta, cheddar, parmesan... use whatever you have}
shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken
or rinsed and drained black beans from a can of black beans
or some chopped baby spinach
1 tablespoon of butter
tools needed:
a skillet {non-stick is easier to deal with, but i think regular skillets make better quesadillas}
a spatula {any kind will work. i use a wide, rubber spatula}
a pizza cutter is recommended
DIRECTIONS
heat the skillet on medium high on the stove top, about a 7. on a plate or cutting board assemble your quesadilla, layering half the cheese on one tortilla, adding beans, meat or whatever else, then sprinkle the rest of the cheese. it's ok if it seems full, when the cheese melts, it won't be. leave a little border around the edge of the tortilla so the cheese doesn't ooze out while it's cooking. and top with the other tortilla.
place the butter in the skillet and swirl the pan or stir it around until it melts. when the butter starts bubbling a bit, place your quesadilla in the pan. as that one side cooks, press down on the top tortilla with your fingers, especially around the edges, this will make it easier to flip. cook about 2-3 min, or until the bottom starts looking crisp and brown in spots.

then flip. slide a spatula under it, hold it with the top with your hand and flip in one quick motion. if it splatters or the tortilla folds it's ok, fix it. it may be messy but it will still taste good. press down a bit with your fingers and cook 2-3 min on this side, till tortilla is brown in spots. remove, allow to cool and cut. i think it's easiest to cut quesadillas with a pizza cutter.

{to make it extra good, and to be sure the second side doesn't stick, you could take the quesadilla out, place another tablespoon of butter to melt in the pan, then flip it.}

good luck!

cilantro pesto & the grown up gringo's green chicken tenders

2010-07-11T19:42:00.001-05:00

pat on the back for creativity.

a tomatillo?

the grown up gringo's green chicken tenders with cilantro ranch dip

serves 2

INGREDIENTS

for this recipe you’ll need a skillet with a lid and i used a non-stick one.

2 T. butter

2 T. olive oil

2 chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise into strips and pounded into even thickness

3 tomatillos, roughly chopped

1/3 - 1/2 c. corona beer

1 c. flour + seasoning salt + onion powder + cumin + paprika

1/4 c. cilantro pesto, see recipe below

1/4 c. ranch dressing

DIRECTIONS

marinate chicken breasts in 3 T. cilantro pesto, coated evenly, for at least 1 hour.

combine remaining pesto with ranch dressing to make cilantro ranch dip. to taste.

heat butter and oil in skillet to medium high until bubbly. dredge pesto covered chicken cutlets in seasoned flour and brown in skillet about 4 minutes each side. remove from pan. add tomatillos to pan and cook, stirring occasionally till browned and softened, about 3 minutes. add beer to skillet, reduce heat a bit, and stir till reduced to about half the original amount. return chicken to pan and cover, cooking about 3 minutes on each side or until internal temperature reaches 170.

serve with cooked tomatillos, saucy bits from the pan and chopped avocado. spoon cilantro ranch dip over tenders or serve on the side. would also be good with this.

{cilantro pesto}

yields approx. 1/4 c.

4 c. cilantro leaves (the leaves from 2 bundles of cilantro)

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1-2 T. olive oil

1 T. cumin

3/4 T. garlic powder

1 T. white sugar

combine all ingredients in food processor. freezes well.

this pan cooked chicken, albeit confusing with its mexican flavors, turned out really good and helped me use up some cilantro pesto i'd made last week, with no clear intention regarding its usage. this was also my first time cooking with tomatillos, and i thought the way the beer cooked and caramelized them was SO yummy. they were sweet and a little spicy at the same time. awesome.

cooking smaller pieces of chicken in the skillet helps everything stay crispy and flavorful. i think a non stick skillet with a lid is the best way to cook chicken here in our grill-less apartment life.

spinach pesto provolone pizza

2010-07-04T20:20:00.000-05:00

I promise I make more than pizza. Taylor really liked this variation, so even though I've posted lots of pizza recipes, I figured this would be worth sharing. I bought pesto in bulk the other day from Costco and divided it up into about 1/2 c. portions to freeze. Now I take one out whenever I want to make anything with pesto! So glorious.

spinach pesto provolone pizza

dough adapted from Smitten Kitchen

{dough}

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour + 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon instant yeast

1/2 cup warm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

{toppings}

1/3 c. grated colby jack cheese

3 T grated provolone cheese {I ripped up a large, thick slice intended for sandwich making}

1/4 c. pesto

1/4 c. finely chopped spinach

garlic powder

cracked black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Measure flour in a large bowl, make an indentation and measure the yeast and salt. Pour warm water water over the mix and stir lightly until yeast and salt are dissolved. Add honey and olive oil, stirring entire mixture. Mix in mixer with dough hook for about 5 minutes, adding more flour if too sticky, until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Or knead by hand, 8 minutes or so until a piece of it stretches in your hand without breaking.

Dough should be stretchy and not easily break when pulled but should not be sticky or get stuck easily on your hands. If it doesn't stretch and is too firm, thick feeling after kneading for a while, add a tiny bit of water. If it's too sticky after kneading for a while, add more flour. Kneading introduces air to the dough and builds up gluten, it's really hard to over knead so once it's the right feeling, knead two min or so more.

Lightly oil a bowl with cooking spray (you can use the same rinsed one you made the dough in) Dump in the dough, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in a cotton dishtowel leave it undisturbed for about two hours (ideally in a warm, undrafty place) until it has doubled in size. To speed up this process you can also place in an oven on 150 and it should double in size in an hour. It's ready when two fingers pressed firmly leave an indentation and the dough does not bounce back into shape.*

Oven to 500. Stretch dough out thinly into desired shape on pizza pan or cookie sheet. Should make a circle at least 14 inches in diameter (depending on how long it's had to rise) Spread pesto, sprinkle spinach, top with cheeses. Sprinkle garlic powder over all, generously on the crust. Bake 8-10 minutes until crust is lightly browned. Sprinkle freshly ground cracked black pepper over warm cheese.

*I usually double this dough and after the rise, divide it in half and freeze half in a well sealed freezer ziploc. Once I'm ready to use I let it thaw either in the fridge or on the counter until I'm ready to use it. Once it's thawed in the fridge or even at room temperature, it's still sort of rising so keep that in mind. Roll it out a bit more thinly if it's had lots of time to thaw then rise and it may make a thicker crust. ...but it can't ever really be messed up!

overnight cinnamon rolls.

2010-06-28T15:03:00.017-05:00

well, i finally tried these! i adapted my friend megan's recipe using one that i also had from alton brown (my idol) to come up with something that i could make the night before and have minimal work in the morning. i used AB's dough but meg's filling and icing. these were definitely a task but were SO good. taylor said they tasted exactly like the ones he likes from The Kitchen Door...that i used to get him (too) often the first summer we were married until they cruelly closed their lake austin blvd location. but alas! i can make them at home and they're SO good! these will definitely become a staple of special mornings @ our house.

{overnight cinnamon rolls}

adapted from here and here

yields 12-15 rolls

time the night before: 2 hours

time the morning: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

{dough}

4 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 large whole egg, room temperature

2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 (I did 1/3 cup)

3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons

6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature

20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting

1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

Vegetable oil or cooking spray

{filling}

6 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup brown sugar packed

2 tbsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

{icing}

6-8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. (I ended up using a little more than 3 and 2/3 total) Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl and toss to coat in oil, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. For faster rise, Cover bowl with a kitchen towel. Let dough rise in a 150 degree oven for an hour until doubled in size.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with two knives or a pastry cutter until it resembles crumbs. Set aside until ready to use.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Spread the filling mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 - 15 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours. {I put the odd end pieces of the roll in baking dish too to fill up the pan and it worked perfectly. I had 14 rolls and 3 little odd end twists.}

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator, uncover, and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 25 - 30 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, make the icing. In a mixer with the whisk attachment, mix the cream cheese, sugar, butter, and vanilla on low until incorporated, occasionally scraping down sides when necessary. Then beat at medium-low until fluffy. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.

yay!

salted nutty oat cookies

2010-06-25T17:23:00.000-05:00

I like to consider myself an oatmeal raisin cookie connoisseur. Whenever I eat at a bakery or sandwich shop, I have to try their oatmeal raisin cookies. Texas French Bread has one of my all time favorites; I think they use nutmeg. But a recent favorite is at Walton's, which in itself is worthy of mention. A picturesque cross between a bakery, little deli and florist shop on west 6th allegedly owned by Sandra Bullock. Everything there is good. I recently had green pepper chicken salad and eyed enviously my friend's Garden Party sandwich of grilled eggplant and squash with roasted red peppers, Texas Chevre and balsamic on rye. Their scones are great and their Monte Cristo looks truly epic.

But anyway, back to cookies. Their oatmeal raisin cookies are chewy (a must) but also have coarse salt sprinkled on top. So that was an aspect I wanted to try when I decided to make cookies today. I also didn't want to finish off my butter and wanted to do something with the wheat germ I have sitting in the fridge staring at me. So this is what I came up with. Wheat germ gives it a nutty taste. And I guess has some heath benefits, but I'm not much into marketing them that way since they have plenty of sugar and were made with shortening. But feel free to think of these as healthy! ...whatever helps you sleep at night.

{salted nutty oat cookies}
adapted from here and here. picture from here
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups - old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp - all purpose flour
3/4 cup - raisins
1/4 cup - toasted wheat germ {simply replace this with an equal amount flour if you’re not interested}
1/2 tsp each - baking soda and baking powder
1 tsp - ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup - granulated sugar
1/2 cup (packed) - light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 tsp - pure vanilla extract.
coarse sea salt
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix oats, wheat germ, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Mix butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on medium speed until pale and fluffy for about 5 minutes. Fold in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add oats mixture; mix until just combined. Add raisins.
Drop dough in inch balls onto lined baking sheets.
Bake until golden and just set about 10-12 min. Sprinkle sea salt over warm cookies.

{asian salad}

2010-06-18T09:30:00.001-05:00

a really great way to get your veggies and mix up the flavors! the peanut butter gives this a nutty flavor as well as a tiny bit of hearty creaminess.

{asian salad}

adapted from hungry girl

INGREDIENTS

1 16oz package broccoli slaw mix (a bagged mixture of shredded broccoli and cabbage)

1 cup canned mandarin orange slices

2 cups shelled and cooked edamame beans (find shelled edamame in the frozen vegetable section)

1/3 c. cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes or 1 T. sriracha sauce

1/3 to 1/2 c. asian dressing such as Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger dressing. I used Central Market's Ginger Sesame Vinaigrette

1/4 to 1/3 cup peanut butter.

{additional veggie options}

1 cup steamed broccoli

1 cup steamed snap peas

1/2 c. water chestnuts

1 cup steamed asparagus pieces

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together pepper flakes or sauce with dressing and peanut butter. Toss well with combined slaw mix, cilantro and edamame. Chill covered for at least and hour before serving. Adapt to taste!

{cobbler version deux: strawberry}

2010-06-12T11:43:00.000-05:00

Well forgive that stinky image quality. I tried this cobbler with thawed (and then drained) frozen strawberries. So good. and that means I can keep extra crispy topping around and make this with whatever fruit I have frozen or fresh! That is, as long as I have the right ice cream to go on top.

{texas peach crispy cobbler}

2010-06-01T20:59:00.008-05:00

they are selling fredericksburg peaches on the roadsides now and central market was bursting with texas peaches today. i couldn't wait to make this. first, a few words about terminology.

crisps are crispy, cobblers are bready. because i like crispy, i like crisps better, as long as there is a nearly equal proportion of crispy stuff to fruit filling.

cobblers, while more bready, actually tend to have this proportion that i like and have a good, more pie-like filling. i am also more partial to the name cobbler because it has an old, nostalgic name to me --that sounds like texas summers and bbq at the salt lick. so. now that we have our terminology correct, and even though this is more of a crisp, i'm calling it a cobbler.

{texas peach crispy cobbler}
INGREDIENTS

5 -6 peeled peaches cut into bite sized pieces, about 2.5 cups

1 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cups white sugar

1 pinch salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, chilled

Blue Bell Vanilla Ice Cream

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place the peaches in a round shallow pie plate. Sprinkle 1/4 c. sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon over them and toss to coat. In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Slice the butter into chunks, or grate it, and cut or rub it into the dry ingredients until it looks like pea size crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs over peaches.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly golden.
Top with vanilla ice cream.

{home fries}

2010-05-28T09:06:00.003-05:00

are you imagining things?? has vittles just posted two recipes within days of each other? has the dead come back to life!?

home fries are essentially pan fried potatoes. i like them with skins and think red potatoes are best, but any of them work. i had been wanting to duplicate magnolia cafe's home fries. i think these were quite good and pretty darn close. next time I want to try rosemary.

Home Fries

from CHOW

INGREDIENTS

5 lb red potatoes

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

2 tablespoons canola oil (i may try olive oil next, but supposedly canola oil heats at a higher temp, according to something i read, something to make it more conducive to frying than olive oil)

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 medium shallots peeled and minced (i thought i had a shallot but alas, i did not)

1/2 T. paprika

coarse salt

fresh cracked pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375°F. Halve potatoes lengthwise and place, cut side up, directly on the oven rack. Roast until entire cut surface of potatoes about 20. Until outsides are cooked but insides are not. About 1/2 way cooked. Let potatoes cool until they are easy to handle, then cut into large dice (you should have about 8 cups).

Melt butter with oil in a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. When mixture foams, add shallots. Cook until vegetables are softened and edges are beginning to color, about 3 minutes. Halfway through, add garlic.

Add potatoes and spices, tossing to coat. Allow to cook undisturbed about 5 minutes. Toss and cook again. Avoid much stirring so that they have a chance to get crisp. Total crisping time about 15-25 minutes. Remove them as they look done and crispy to give others a fair shot :) Cover pan if they’re not cooking all the way but are getting crispy. Liberally season with more salt and pepper.

I actually did this in two skillets because I didn't have one that was big enough. While it did not facilitate clean up, it did probably facilitate the browning, crisping action.

try with scrambled eggs or in breakfast tacos.

{amish cookies}

2010-05-26T17:49:00.000-05:00

...as promised.

who are we kidding here, shortening and molasses. recipe for delish. i think i want to try butterscotch chips in these next time. though raisins were quite good. something about the sweetness of the chocolate, i just can't do it when there are oats in there. i've been eyeing this recipe for a while now and when Taylor brought home old fashioned oats rather than the quick oats i use to make my oatmeal, i knew how to use them.

crispy, chewy, dense, flavorful and fun to make! make.these.cookies. my 8th graders loved them, though there was no clear winner on the raisins vs. chocolate chip debate.

{amish cookies}

recipe and pics from foodie with family

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup softened butter (6 ounces)
3/4 cup coconut oil or shortening (6 ounces)
2 cups granulated sugar (14 ounces by weight)
1 large egg*
1/3 cup molasses (3 1/2 ounces)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3- 1/2 cups all purpose flour (15 ounces by weight)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon baking soda (not a misprint!)
1 Tablespoon baking powder (also not a misprint!)
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup buttermilk (Don’t forget, you can make your own!)
Optional: 1 -1/2 cups of any of the following ingredients: chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, coconut, chopped dates, dried cherries, or chocolate chunks.

DIRECTIONS

Oven to 350

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, and coconut oil or shortening on low speed until they the sugar starts combining with the fat. Turn the mixer to medium high speed and whip until the mixture is fluffy and the sugar is completely distributed.

Add the egg, molasses and vanilla extract to the butter and beat on medium speed until even.

In a separate bowl, use a whisk to combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and powder, and the rolled oats. Add this to the butter mixture along with the buttermilk and beat until thoroughly combined. Stir in the optional goodies.

On a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet, drop generously rounded tablespoons of the cookie dough three inches apart. Form the cookie dough into balls.

Use a flat bottomed drinking glass dipped in sugar to gently flatten the cookie dough.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the bottoms and edges of the cookies are lightly browned and the cookies are set. Allow cookies to rest on the cookie sheets for one minute before transferring to a cooling rack. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

I accidentally used two eggs. Didn't hurt. Probably made them better and denser. Who knows. The batch was huge! It made at least 4 dozen.

a place for everything...

2010-05-24T22:40:00.003-05:00

...and everything in its place!

i baked today! but the jury is still out on the results so say tuned. for now, two household ideas that have been keeping me sane. the first needs a story...

{ door sixteen }

when my great aunt gave me a cookbook of her favorite recipes, some of them old family ones, she not only gave me the treasure of her time, her sweet and patient instruction, and her recipes but she, i think inadvertently, taught me a really useful cooking tip.

{ door sixteen }

it was because they threw away food in a trash can in the garage, that she would keep a plastic grocery sack on the counter while she cooked. as we chopped, peeled, wiped up and the like, we threw everything away in that sack right there on the counter, we could move quicker and keep things cleaner throughout the meal prep. at the end, we'd tie it up and take it to the garage.

{ that kitchen }

in truth, my first household sanity tip, with that practical example, is rooted in my perfectionist psychosis which causes me to crumble at large and seemingly daunting {read: unable to be done perfectly} tasks and often results in me never even embarking upon jobs i perceive to be daunting {read: cinnamon rolls}. so, to keep the final cleaning task small and therefore less overwhelming and craze-inducing.

{1} clean as you go.

{ una mosca en la luna }

haven't you enjoyed these shots of beautiful shelves and clean kitchens, where everything is stacked and sorted neatly in nice little containers?

{ki}

my second sanity epiphany involved cellphone chargers. the cell phones always ended up getting charged the bar in the kitchen closest to our bedroom door, cords then littering the floor or the kitchen counter. pencils, pens, notepads and eyedrops always ended up out of the study, out of the bathroom and on the couch. loose change always ended up on the tv cabinet. my bobby pins, rings and earrings ended up on the counter rather than in the drawer.

{johanna}

so i put a basket right inside our bedroom door, nearest that odd bar outlet, that now houses all the chargers to our random electronic devices, cameras, cellphones, ipods etc. it also now holds the little little devices and their little accessories as well.

a little tin bucket went on a shelf near the couch for all those random tools needed for some reason near the couch: pens, eye drops {law school}, notecards and even now outgoing mail.

a change catch-all went on the tv unit and it also holds our restaurant gift cards so they're out in the open, not easily forgotten and easily snatchable.

a fleet of little shallow bowls for the earrings and rings.

{26oliveetsy via we heart it }

{2} sometimes its "place" needs to be wherever it ends up. so find a cute basket, bucket or bowl.

now, even though bobby pins allegedly live in the drawer, in reality they are ubiquitous when i want to clean and elusive when i need one. so perhaps epiphany two and a half:

bobby pins will haunt us.

{taco mania}

2010-05-13T17:03:00.000-05:00

just acquired a puppy? too crunched for time and slammed at work to conjure up new and exciting dinners much less update your food blog? biding your time for summer?

sorry, i can't relate.

check out taco mania for pretty pictures and easy ways to zest up many meats. perfect for fast summer dinners. just be sure you get yourself some epic tortillas and life is good.

{almond spice scones}

2010-04-05T22:21:00.000-05:00

I tried a new scone for Easter! I added it to an old post on scone variations but thought you'd like the update brought to your attention... Sometimes when I make these, I cut them into smaller triangles, making about 14 or 15, rather than 8 triangles. Portion control. Sort of.

almond spice scones. and other recommended variations on this recipe.
::almond spice::
{add to dry}
1/3 c. crushed or sliced almonds
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. all spice
1/4 t. nutmeg
{add to wet ingredients}
1/2 t. almond extract

::cranberry orange::
{add to wet ingredients}
1 cup, well drained, frozen or fresh cranberries chopped, food processor recommended
2 T orange zest
2 T fresh squeezed o.j.
use at least 1/3 cup sugar, see recipe
sprinkle extra sugar on top before baking, coarse sugar would be ideal

::rosemary brie and parmesan::
{add to dry ingredients}
1/2 cup grated brie and parmesan {reduced fat brie is very easy to grate}
1 - 2 tsp. chopped rosemary

::sweet citrus::
{add to wet ingredients}
1 T. orange zest
1 T. lemon zest
1 T. lemon juice
use at least 1/3 cup sugar, see recipe
sprinkle extra sugar on top before baking, coarse sugar would be ideal

::hershey's best brownies::

2010-03-27T23:03:00.003-05:00

so i've never posted this since i feel like plain brownies are pretty basic and generally unexciting to post on a foodie website proporting new, inventive or interesting recipes. however, this has proven to be a great and easy recipe that i have whipped up a lot at the last minute either when taylor asks for some sweets or when we have guests and i need a good dessert with ingredients i already have. it only requires one bowl, which i really like, and comes straight from a little hershey's recipe "board book" cookbook i got while we were engaged. i add chocolate chips and half it each time. i always receive lots of compliments so here's to the girls, k and m, who've asked about it! :)

{hershey's best brownies}
adapted from here
INGREDIENTS
1 stick butter
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour
a scant 1/2 cup cocoa powder {technically, half of 3/4 cup so i think that's 1/4 c and 2 tablespoons}
1 cup sugar
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
oven to 350. grease a 9x9 pan. melt butter in microwave safe mixing bowl, about 1 min. mix in sugar, vanilla. whisk in eggs individually. stir in flour, powder, salt. mix in chocolate chips. bake for 25 -28 min. allow to cool before cutting and serving. i take them out at 25 or so min before a "toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean" and store the leftovers wrapped well in foil in the fridge. they stay chewy and the chocolate chips get crunchy. so good cold the next day!

{ overnight pizza }

2010-03-20T15:37:00.003-05:00

a pizza update. the garlic powder addition and how you can do it overnight.

Pizza with Homemade Dough 
adapted from Smitten Kitchen 
the doubled and updated version of this dough
yields one 20- 24 inch pizza or two 10 - 12 inch pizzas
3 cups flour (can replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water {use the microwave, warm about 45 seconds }
2 tablespoon olive oi
2 tablespoon honey 
Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add honey, olive oil then warm water. Stir mixture. Knead into a ball once you can no longer stir. Let it rest for a bit and it may be easier to knead
Knead it for about two minutes, pulling, folding and pressing backing to itself with the heel of your hand. Knead until a piece of it stretches in your hand without breaking, and feels and smells like pizza dough. Lightly oil the same rinsed mixing bowl with shortening, butter or cooking spray. Dump in the dough, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it tightly in plastic wrap. Store in fridge at least 12 hours, until you're ready to use. I let mine rise about 4 hours, froze it in a well sealed plastic bag, sprayed with cooking spray, then put it back in its bowl in the fridge the next morning for about 10 hours before using. I bet it would have been fine in the fridge for a total of 24 hours, no problem.

Roll or stretch onto pizza stone or baking sheet. Heat oven to 500.
Toppings seen above:
1/4 c. pesto
1 c. mozzarella
1 c. Parmesan Reggiano
quartered kalamata olives
chopped artichoke hearts
sliced tomatoes
chopped baby spinach
black pepper over all
garlic powder {ESPECIALLY OVER THE CRUST!}

Bake for about 10 minutes.

::double chocolate m&m cookies::

2010-03-13T21:16:00.001-06:00

to show my 8th graders some love the day before spring break, i put springy, Easter pastel m&ms in a classic recipe for double chocolate chip cookies from my old, trusty Hershey's Cocoa baking book. i'd made this double chocolate chip recipe for taylor before since he loves the "chocolate decadence" cookies from blue baker. but this was my first time to try something different with them.

{double chocolate m&m cookies}
adapted from hershey's "perfectly chocolate" chocolate chip cookies.
INGREDIENTS
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) pastel m&ms {or semi sweet chocolate chips}
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 375°F. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in m&ms or chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 5 dozen cookies.

{pan recipe} Spread batter in greased 15-1/2x10-1/2x1-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake at 375°F. 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely; cut into bars. About 4 dozen bars.

{image and a recipe from botc}

::spicy vegetarian chili::

2010-03-10T23:39:00.000-06:00

taylor said he wanted chili. so this is what i was able to throw together. it was really good, in my opinion, especially for being essentially an experiment in rummaging through the fridge and pantry!

{spicy vegetarian chili}
INGREDIENTS
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can rotel
1 can black beans
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 tsp. adobo sauce {from canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce}
2 tbsp. chili powder
dash of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. cumin
2 tsp. coriander
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 - 1c. beer, or other liquid like broth, water or wine
2 tbsp. olive oil
DIRECTIONS
In large pot or dutch oven, saute onions and peppers in olive oil until well softened. Add spices and adobo sauce and stir. Add beans, rotel and tomato paste. Add liquid until desired thickness. Stir uncovered for a few minutes on medium heat until bubbly. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Serve with cornbread and cheese.

I did not drain or rinse the beans very carefully. Meaning, I allowed the beans and rotel liquid to serve as some of the soup liquid. This is SO flexible, good and easy!

::overnight yeast pancakes::

2010-03-03T22:32:00.000-06:00

this was such a fun experiment. but mostly because i'm a nerd. i mixed these up on friday night. took them out of the 'fridge on saturday morning and only had to clean the bowl in the morning. no flour or other pantry items strewn about. taylor liked the little bit of cinnamon in them, but would probably have preferred that i not have substituted a cup of white flour for wheat. we have to alternate our hearty with our less-than-hearty pancakes.

{ Overnight Yeast Pancakes }
INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (i substituted a cup of wheat)
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise yeast
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups warm milk (due to the wheat flour, i added 1/4 cup milk)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl combine flour, white sugar, salt, cinnamon and yeast; mix well. Add vanilla, milk, butter, and egg until well blended. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight. Allow to reach room temperature before making.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. {oiling with butter before each new batch, is yummiest} Stir the batter with a whisk.* Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Flip when bubbles begin to form throughout. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

*try to make a few just scooping out the batter with a 1/4 measuring cup BEFORE whisking. most of the reviews said they had better results when they DIDN'T stir. They were definitely thicker before I stirred the batter, but it depends on if you like spread out, flat pancakes or less spread out, more fluffy ones...

::pizza margherita::

2010-02-28T13:47:00.001-06:00

pizzas have proved to be a yummy and versatile way to incorporate veggies and good cheese into our lives. i've successfully frozen the dough after rising and then on the designated day, allowed it to thaw through the day in the fridge, and then come to room temperature before rolling out.

{ pizza margherita }
INGREDIENTS
this pizza dough
1/2 a roma tomato, thinly sliced, then cut into bite sized pieces
about 3 tablespoons to 1/4 c. good basil pesto (homemade or fresh from a Central Market or Whole Foods type food bar)
fresh mozzarella cheese
freshly cracked pepper
DIRECTIONS
oven to 500. roll out prepared dough. spread pesto generously and evenly on the pizza, leaving a little crust. crumble/drop/ small cheese chunks. cheese spreads significantly when it melts, so don't fee like you have to cover up the pesto. leave holes, a little bit goes a long way. place tomatoes evenly around pizza. sprinkle tops of tomatoes with pepper.

bake for about 10-12 min on a pizza pan or a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper.

enjoy!

::chipotle black beans::

2010-02-26T18:34:00.001-06:00

i had made this before so i don't know why it wasn't on here. perhaps i made it before {vittles} was in place. it's a good, easy and versatile dish. you can control the heat with the amount of chipotle peppers, sauce and their seeds.

Chipotle Black Beans
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper
5-6 cups cooked black beans or canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 seeded chipotle chiles in adobo, minced (set 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce aside)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
fresh cilantro, minced
DIRECTIONS
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers, and cook until translucent.
Turn heat to medium and add garlic, cumin, paprika, cocoa, salt and minced chipotle peppers. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, then mix in reserved adobo sauce. Stir to combine, then add beans immediately.  When the beans are hot, add vinegar and honey or sugar. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.   Sprinkle with fresh cilantro before serving over rice.

i did all this in a casserole dish in the microwave. i don't know how you fell about that but it was a quick, one pot dish from prep to service to storage, and that was nice. . . Adjust peppers and sauce according to taste.

{image belongs to foodpeoplewant}

{the proper care and feeding of polos}

2010-02-23T22:05:00.005-06:00

I realized as I folded laundry this evening that I have a useful domestic tidbit worth sharing. It starts with a confession.

I was tortured as child. Granted, in her defense, my mom was a working teacher throughout my middle school and high school years and couldn't be bothered with the likes of our soddy laundry piles that showed up at their leisure with complete disregard for their sheer volume and soddiness. She had better things to do with her evenings at home after a full day of teaching Trigonometry to sassy high schoolers. Like eat bon bons and soak her feet in peppermint oil.

So she made us do our own laundry. Egad. I know. And it is within these roots that my domestic trivia begins. I still have some explaining however, so stick with me. We wore uniforms and I was a vain yet lazy high schooler. Who wanted to avoid ironing at all costs. So let's talk collars. In my vanity, I liked (ahem, like?) the look of a straight-standing, well curved collar. No flat collars and no creased collar curves. (Now, oxford collars are another matter, but laziness and thus the non-iron uniform brand were involved.) So in my lazy vanity, I discovered how a nicely standing, well-curved polo collar can be achieved with a little preliminary work and no ironing.
Please note: "The Prep." When a polo comes out of the dryer and is still warm, shake it out and promptly hang it. Button all buttons, and pop the collar. Hang in closet with the rest of its preppy friends.

Let's take a closer look at this red one here. What has happened? This is unfortunate.Now granted, this is a golf polo in which the sun and sweat and non-ironing facilitated an irrevocable crease. But if you have a husband who is outside often, or who does not differentiate between his athletic and non-athletic collared shirts, or who likes to wear sporty polos for their shininess at other occasions, or if you have a small, or large, boy whose clothes are often subject to sun and sweat and lack of collar ironing THIS could be your fate.

SO shake them out, get preppy with them and they will last long, stay lovely and you will be able to avoid the iron.

Thanks for your time.

::sugar cookies::

2010-02-23T12:47:00.003-06:00

i'd never made sugar cookies from scratch, at least not that i could recall. although these were simple, they were really good, soft, chewy, rich and dense.
{ sugar cookies }
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, **softened**
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets. {I recommend, flattening just a bit, like with a snickerdoodle, using the bottom of a glass.}
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

frost if desired.

::wheat scones::

2010-02-06T10:01:00.005-06:00

here's a good scone recipe to use when you don't have sour cream. make buttermilk by adding 1 T. white vinegar to 1 cup milk and letting it sit for 5 - 10 minutes. it can also be made with all white flour.

wheat scones
INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt into a bowl.
Grate in the butter with a cheese grater. Add sugar. Then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in enough milk to mix to a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface, knead lightly but allow mixture to stay flaky, and press in to a circle about 3/4-inch in thickness. Cut into 8 or 9 triangles and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes then cool on a wire rack.

{roasted asparagus with wine mushroom sauce}

2010-02-06T09:48:00.004-06:00

here's another recipe owing credit to the costco overload. fortunately, you can't go wrong with these veggies, or with this combo so, it's all good.
{roasted asparagus}
INGREDIENTS
12- 15 asparagus spears, ends trimmed where necessary
1/2 tablespoon seasoning salt
1/2 - 1 tablespoon fresh cracked pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
DIRECTIONS
cover roasting pan or baking dish in foil. heat oven to 425. mix all ingredients well. roast for 25 minutes.
while that's baking make...
{mushroom sauce}
INGREDIENTS
1 T. butter
1/2 T. oil
3 cups chopped cremini mushrooms {or mushroom of your choice}
pepper
1/4 c. dry white wine
DIRECTIONS
heat oil and butter over medium heat until foam subsides. add chopped mushrooms and pepper to taste. sautee for 3 minutes, until barely soft. add wine and stir, allowing to reduce. stir, while simmering and steaming, for another 3 or 4 min.

remove asparagus from oven and pour mushrooms over them to serve.

...mine are in foil in the picture because i removed them using the foil from the pan and made a little foil packet to keep them warm.

yum!

dark beer braised chicken, asparagus and mushrooms

2010-02-03T16:23:00.005-06:00

i have tons of asparagus and mushrooms due to a costco overload. plus i've been wanting to practice braising. i like braising because it's a one-pot-meal and keeps the meat nice and moist. this was roughly adapted from a cooking light cookbook i got for christmas. you could make it with any vegetables you have. just saute root vegetables a bit longer than you would something more tender like asparagus. i used a lemon pepper seasoning mix i have to season the chicken, but imagine fresh lemon zest would be even better. it had coarse pepper though so definitely use coarse or freshly ground pepper.

{chicken braised with dark beer}
adapted from cooking light: way to cook
3 T. flour
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 T lemon zest
4 boneless chicken thighs
2 T. butter
1 T. canola oil
1 to 2 c. cut asparagus
1 to 2 c. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. chopped shallots (i just used a yellow onion b/c i had no shallots but they'd be much better)
2 T. dry parsley
1 bay leaf
8 - 10 oz. dark beer (I used Fireman's Four --which isn't really dark)
2 t. white wine vinegar
DIRECTIONS
Combine flour, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Coat chicken in flour mixture. Heat butter and oil in large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken to pan; saute 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan. Add shallots and a tablespoon or so of the beer, saute until opaque. Add asparagus, reduce heat to medium, saute until just tender. Add mushrooms, dried herbs and more salt, pepper and lemon zest if desired. Return chicken to pan, nestling into vegetables. Stir in beer until chicken is mostly but not all the way submerged. Bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat. Simmer 30 minutes or until chicken reaches 160 degrees.

Remove chicken and vegetables from pan. Add vinegar, 2 T. flour to liquids in the pan and increase to medium. Stir constantly while bubbling until reduced and slightly thickened. Pour over veggies and chicken. Add fresh chopped parsley if you have it.

This can be done with any cut of meat, bone-in pieces may take longer to cook.

{image via apartmenttherapy}

{stuffed bell peppers remix}

2010-01-20T18:13:00.004-06:00

i made these tonight. I used two bell peppers, a can of black beans, two little zucchinis, one little potato, two celery stalks and Gruyere cheese. Onion garlic, parsley and spices the same. So yummy once again. I liked the addition of the black beans a lot but missed the creaminess afforded by the tomato.make them with whatever's in your veggie drawer! eat the leftover insides for lunch or mixed with orzo or rice!

::peppermint mocha with starbucks via::

2009-12-19T16:02:00.003-06:00

an at home use for starbuck's instant coffee using microbrewed beans. omit coffee for peppermint hot chocolate and substitute peppermint extract for vanilla extract for simple hot chocolate.

{peppermint mocha}
INGREDIENTS
8oz milk
1 packet starbucks via instant coffee
1 1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar or other sweetener
1/4 tablespoon peppermint extract
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
{stovetop}
in very small pot, heat milk slowly, stirring often, over low heat. when just warm add all ingredients and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until dissolved. pour into mug.
{microwave}
heat mug filled with milk until just warm, about a minute. stir in all ingredients and mix well. heat about 45 seconds more, stirring briskly once in between and again at the end.

top with whipped cream or marshmallows!

pesto rubbed trout

2009-12-19T12:03:00.006-06:00

for my pizza and pasta adventures, central market's dip slash sauce bar thing is perfect for purchasing the exact amount of pesto needed for one or two dishes. their pesto is SO good. this is even better when you can find trout on sale, like i did, and salmon can easily substitute as well.

pesto rubbed trout
serves 3-4
INGREDIENTS
1 lb fillet trout
1/4 cup basil pesto
DIRECTIONS
Rub the pesto generously over the fish. Really rub it, like with the back of a spoon. Cover and marinate 30 min. Heat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with foil. Bake skin side down 8 - 10 min until fish begins to look slightly opaque and flakes with a fork. Use a metal spatula to slide fish off skin, as skin will stick to the foil.

gingerbread men

2009-12-05T14:38:00.003-06:00

these were yummy, fun and made my kitchen smell like christmas!
molasses cookies slash gingerbread men
adapted from all recipes.com and betty crocker
INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 c. brown sugar and 3/4 c. white
1 egg
1 tablespoon water or orange juice or orange liquor
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture.
{for gingerbread men}
Divide dough in thirds; wrap each third in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. Before rolling out, let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. If after refrigerating the dough feels too soft to roll-out, work in a little more flour.   Place a dough third on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper or wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate again for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Cut into desired shapes.
{for molasses cookies}
Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

chicken and root veggies with wine & rosemary

2009-12-01T20:07:00.006-06:00

i think this is called braising. it was good and i think next time i will try it with a non-non-stick pan to be sure that the chicken as well as the carrots and potatoes, or whatever root veggies i use next, really brown a bit before adding the liquid. i think a big pot or dutch oven may be best, rather than a large covered nonstick sauce pan --which is what i used and it got a little crowded. i also think after browning everything, you could throw all this in the oven and it would turn out just great. i, however, was interested in minimizing clean up. but then that brings us back to the dutch oven idea.
anyway, this was good and is something i am interested in perfecting since, as i've previously mentioned, we have rosemary growing wild around here.
i think i'm done. here's the recipe.
chicken and root veggies with wine & rosemary
adapted from all recipes & the two of us and friends by jessie carry saunders
INGREDIENTS
4 bone-in chicken breast thighs or breasts, with skin
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 small potatoes chopped into bite sized pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced & divided
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
{optional sauce}
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour

DIRECTIONS
this would have been even better if i had NOT used a non-stick pan. more crispy goodies.
Season the chicken liberally with pepper and seasoned salt. Loosen skin and stuff half of diced garlic and chopped rosemary into skin. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter’s foam subsides, add chicken and cook until well browned on all sides. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Lower the heat, add the onion, and cook and stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, carrot, and potato, and cook and stir an additional 3 minutes.

Pour the chicken broth into the pan {I added only about 1 1/2c. because my pan was getting crowded}, and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the wine and reduce heat back to low.

Return the chicken to the pan and place rosemary sprigs among them. Simmer covered on low until chicken breasts are no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 40 minutes. Serve chicken and vegetables with sauces from pan or make separate sauce {it's just thicker}
{sauce}
Remove chicken and vegetables from pan and remove pan with liquids from heat. Allow to cool enough to skim off some fat and remove rosemary sprigs. In another pan, heat 2 T. olive oil over medium heat and once glistening, add flour, stirring or whisking continually. Add slowly until desired thickness: chicken and wine juices from pan, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serve over chicken.

pumpkin bread

2009-11-29T17:44:00.006-06:00

as much as i love it, i can't believe i've never made pumpkin bread. surely my mom has and i was at least present. since i've decided vegetable & fruit purees are not an excellent substitute for butter in scones and cookies {just because crispiness is more important to me than healthiness in these things}, pumpkin bread and muffins are really the only way to go to get that yummy spiced pumpkin fix.

pumpkin bread
adapted from allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
2/3 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans. {or one 9x5 in pan and one muffin pan}
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. {muffins for 30} Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

{images belong to thedeliciouslife & imperfectcomplainer}

pork tenderloin with rosemary and red wine glaze

2009-11-17T18:56:00.005-06:00

pork isn't particularly photogenic so here's the wine. this spanish wine I used and enjoyed drinking after was found at costco, and it's called chapillon cuvee harmonie.

my, and most people's, usual complaint with pork is that it's dry. however, this was not dry. i didn't trim my one pound cut and allowed it to marinate 2 hours. then coated it with and actually cooked it in the remainder of the glaze, rather than saving the glaze for serving. I had plenty of sauce since i was cooking 1 one pound cut rather that the amount called for. all the extra that cooked with it in the pan made a great au jus that i definitely recommend pouring over the meat. dryness can also be avoided by paying attention to the time and temperature so that it doesn't overcook and dry out.

pork tenderloin with rosemary and red wine glaze special equipment: meat thermometer
INGREDIENTS
2 (3/4-lb) pork tenderloins or 1 1lb tenderloin
1 cup dry red wine
1 (2-inch) sprig fresh rosemary plus 1/4 teaspoon finely chopped
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
DIRECTIONS
Boil wine, rosemary sprig, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small heavy saucepan until reduced to about 1/2 cup, 7 to 8 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a measuring cup, then transfer rosemary sprig, garlic, and red pepper flakes to a sealable plastic bag along with 1/4 cup wine marinade and tenderloins. Marinate, chilled, turning bag occasionally, at least 2 hours or overnight.
Return remaining 1/4 cup wine marinade to saucepan and add vinegar, honey, and chopped rosemary, then boil dressing until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 6 to 8 minutes.

Take the tenderloin out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Film an ovenproof skillet with oil and sear the tenderloin over medium-high heat to brown all sides, about 5 minutes in all. Apply glaze generously. Save remainder for serving or pour over meat and into skillet for cooking. {i'll try reserving it as a glaze for next time...with all the "stuff" left in the pan from browning the meat, however, it was tasty. but. there would probably be a more sufficient amount for serving, had i reserved some of it.}

Anyway. Place skillet in the oven and roast 15 to 20 minutes, until internal temperature is 145 degrees. Remove from the oven, tent the pork with foil and let it rest about 5 minutes before serving.

happy birthday vittles!

2009-10-28T20:33:00.006-05:00

the 23rd marked the one year anniversary of {vittles!} i missed it!

happy birthday vittles!

and now a recipe for my loyal readers having nothing to do with cupcakes.

fall roasted veggies part deux
::ingredients::
1 zucchini
1 squash
1/2 red bell pepper, large dice
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 cup / can of chickpeas, drained
1 carrot, peeled
seasoning salt
garlic salt
pepper
olive oil
3T finely grated parmesan cheese
1 T dried parsley or other similar seasonings such as italian
::directions::
oven to 425, cover rimmed baking pan with foil. cut squash and zucchini in to large yet bite-sized pieces. cut carrots into pieces half the size of zucchini and squash pieces. if you are adding any potatoes or sweet potatoes {which would be good} cut them the same size as well.{see note} add veggies with peppers, onions and chickpeas to mixing bowl

drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with a few shakes of each of the seasonings, mix well and spread onto baking pan. bake 30 min.

the toasted chickpeas with the bell peppers is such a treat!!

note {the carrots and potatoes take about 20 min longer to cook than the squash and zucchini if they're all about the same size. i tried making the soft veggies larger than the root veggies and it worked fine, but be aware.}

{image belongs to pinkbow}

vegetable pasta toss

2009-10-25T14:31:00.004-05:00

wondering what to do with all those great vegetables from the stuffed peppers?? here's a yummy, fresh, flexible pasta sauce and you don't even have to turn on the oven. next time i try this, i might put a little white wine in there with the tomatoes.

{vegetable pasta toss}
serves 4
a few drizzles of olive oil 
2 small, diced
 1 T minced garlic 
1 slender zucchini, small dice
1 slender yellow summer squash, small dice
 1 sweet bell pepper, small dice
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed {or 1 c cooked ground beef}
 1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved {or 1 15 oz can of chopped tomatoes}
1 T ground cumin
 1 T ground coriander
 1 t cinnamon 
1/2 lb whole wheat penne pasta or pasta of choice
juice of one lemon, divided
 salt and pepper to taste
 chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
::directions::
  Bring a large pot of water to boil.   Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat up a large skillet with a lid on medium high heat. Depending on whether it is nonstick or stainless steel, drizzle a very little oil or a tablespoon or 2 into the pan, and heat it up. When it is shimmering, add the garlic and let it toast briefly, 15-30 seconds. Do not let it burn. Add the onions and cook until caramelized, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with salt.  

Add veggies {and chickpeas if you're using them}. When the onion has totally caramelized and the zucchini is a little tender, add the spices and stir. Do not allow the spices to stick and burn. Add the juice of half of the lemon to the pan to deglaze it. Then add the tomatoes. Stir the mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Let it cook for 10 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.

Uncover and stir to allow tomatoes to break up and liquids to evaporate. Add breadcrumbs if you want it thicker. Remove from heat and add meat if you're using it, 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley and cheese. Toss the cooked noodles with the juice from the remaining half of the lemon. Serve combined or separately.

{image belongs to themarmot}

stuffed red bell peppers

2009-10-19T20:24:00.009-05:00

Turns out I was inspired after my sad farewell for a bit and decided to cook dinner. I'm on a bell pepper kick now that I've decided I like them after 23 years of marked repulsion to even the smell of them sharing space in a salad with similarly colored tomatoes.

This came from smitten kitchen who had it as a vegetarian dish. I added meat based upon some other recipes. You're just going to have to guestimate the vegetable quantities based upon the size of the veggies you end up with and what you like more. Don't skip on the spices though and save yourself some time by just throwing all your parsley leaves in a food processor. I've decided I hate washing, drying, pulling leaves off and cutting herbs like parsley and cilantro. So I just lightly washed them, barely dried them and threw them in the food processor. Now have a parsley pesto foundation for later and am not picking herb leaves out of my nails.

These were good and very flexible.

roasted vegetable stuffed peppers
inspired by smittenkitchen.com

5 bell peppers halved and seeded {see note}
2 bell peppers - small dice {see note}
1 zucchini - small dice
1 summer squash - small dice
1 onion - small dice
6 cloves garlic - minced
1 c frozen corn
1 c grape tomatoes halved or quartered
4 tbs chopped fresh parsley
3/4 c panko breadcrumbs
salt
pepper
1 tbs essence {i used a dash of paprika and cayenne pepper}
3 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter
1/4 c parmesean plus more for sprinkling {or whatever cheese you have... but i strongly recommend using GOOD freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and this will change your life.}
1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
 cumin 
coriander

oven to 375. cook meat in a skillet with a few dashes of coriander and cumin and a bit of salt and pepper. set aside. saute onion in butter and olive oil over med high heat until translucent. add garlic and cook til fragrant. add vegetables and saute until just softened. add salt, pepper and essence. {don't be shy with your spices! taste it!} add parsley and breadcrumbs. you may need to add more breadcrumbs if the liquid is not absorbed. add parm and meat and take off heat. combine.

stuff the peppers with the vegetable stuffing mix. place in baking dish with a little olive oil in bottom. put in oven and bake until peppers are softened (about 20-25 minutes). just before they are done (5 minutes early) take out and sprinkle top with parm.
{note} I cut the top off of my peppers, then diced the de-stemmed, de-cored top as the “diced” pepper. I then stuffed into the topless peppers.
{post note} BUT I think this recipe was designed so that each pepper would equate two halves for stuffing if you cut each lengthwise. Since I made them stuffable by cut the tops off, one pepper only equaled one pepper, rather than one turning into two, if that makes any sense. I halved all the quantities shown here, didn't add corn and added only a few cherry tomatoes and it filled three peppers perfectly. We each ate one as a meal.

Taylor said these were good because the "bell pepper tasted fresh" I think the yummy, gooey innards were a good contrast with the cooked but still crisp bell pepper on the outside.

{image belongs to tdfl}

recently...

2009-10-16T23:53:00.004-05:00

fall! and well, recently i've been finding it much easier to muse over at my other blog {tied up with string}. but do not be dismayed, coaching season is nearly over and that {hopefully} means a bit more culinary adventures for {vittles} to dutifully document!

until then,
i'll be over there!
so come visit!

{image belongs to marthastewartliving}

cheater pancakes

2009-09-26T22:11:00.004-05:00

A similar sentiment to crumblies I feel for these, being, at heart, fundamentally opposed to baked good mixes. Baked good mixes truly epitomize the "what is it worth to you?" question because real, homemade, from scratch baked goods are so cheap and so yummy to make yourself. However, said homemade baked goods require energy for me to not only actually bake but clean up after as well.

I mean, besides when the clean up fairies sweep in.

So this mix is really useful for when I let the clean up fairies go on vacation.

It's also really useful for when I'm interested purchasing a boxed Make-Your-Husband's-Week mix for about $6 at Central Market. But I imagine if I put Bisquick in this tub when we're done with it he may never know...

When we stayed at a friend's parent's house in Houston, Taylor was introduced to this Stonewall Kitchen Pancake & Waffle Mix. My understanding of Mr. Reeve's love affair with this brand is that he orders essentially their entire line of fruit preserves spreads and this pancake mix by the case load. The secret that he passed on to Taylor is to add a bit of sugar to the mix. When I made this for Taylor he reminded me about seventeen times, from the time we stood in line at Central Market and saw the light from heaven shining on this mix in the fourth isle to the minute I poured the batter on the griddle, that the secret was to add a bit of sugar.

make-tay's-week pancakes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Stonewall Kitchen Pancake & Waffle Mix
1 tablespoon sugar
DIRECTIONS
Follow directions on package. Add sugar. Don't forget the sugar. Continue to follow directions on package. Read clean up fairies' postcard sent from their vacation.

baked bbq chicken

2009-09-21T21:40:00.005-05:00

My dad makes his dad's excellent bbq sauce from scratch. The first time I made this dish it was because my dad gave me nearly a gallon of leftover sauce. If you don't have a stellar family recipe sauce to use, pick out your favorite, quality bbq sauce.

baked bbq chicken
INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6)
4 chicken drum sticks, bone in
4 chicken thighs, bone in
2 - 3 cups good barbecue sauce

{spice rub slash marinade}
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon seasoning salt
2 teaspoons cracked pepper
1/4 cup olive oil or melted butter
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or red wine

DIRECTIONS
{spice rub option} combine all seasonings without liquids (vinegar, butter or oil) and rub into meat and under skin immediately prior to cooking
{spice marinade option} combine seasonings with oils and rub into meat, allow meat to marinate in seasonings 2 - 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 and in large baking dish arrange chicken pieces in a single layer and cover completely and generously with sauce. It may be necessary to flip pieces to ensure the tops are coated in sauce. Bake uncovered 30 to 45 minutes.

Serve with rosemary roasted potatoes, twice baked potatoes, or baked macaroni and cheese

{image belongs to judithsweet}

buckeyes

2009-09-07T12:56:00.010-05:00

Happy Labor Day! Taylor and I enjoyed ourselves a late breakfast at Magnolia Cafe this morning with our friends, M & C. I got the "Economical" --scrambled eggs, homefries, black beans with a large side of salsa. Tay go the "T-Rex Omelet" with pico de gallo, avocado, cheese and smoked turkey. He also got a short stack of gingerbread pancakes, which I hadn't had in years. They smell like fall and like my highschool breakfast dates with my dad.

On another note, on to dessert. My mom got these as a teacher gift years and years ago. I was rereminded of their greatness a few weekends ago. Homemade Reese's essentially.

buckeyes 
INGREDIENTS 
1 1/2 cups peanut butter 
1 cup butter, softened
 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
 6 cups confectioners' sugar 
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  DIRECTIONS  
In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar. The dough will look dry. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Press a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth. Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like Buckeyes. Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.

utilizing your freezer

2009-09-02T21:52:00.004-05:00

Check out this post from Whole Food's blog on how to utilize your freezer! Great for both weeknight meals and cooking in small portions. Clicking on a picture in the post will take you to its recipe. HEB sells bags of frozen shrimp that are perfect for portioned grabbing.

have you tried greek yogurt?

2009-08-31T21:20:00.006-05:00

This summer, through various sources, I heard all about the wonders of Greek yogurt. It's strained differently so it's thicker while still having fat free options, and it's packed with protein. This week I've been enjoying the plain version and putting diced up fruit in it. I have the blueberry in my refrigerator waiting for lunch tomorrow. Check it out:

5.3 ounces of Stoneyfeild Farm's Oikos blueberry flavor has 120 calories 13 grams of protein. The plain version of the same size has 90 calories and 16 grams of protein which is a whopping 32% daily value of protein.
Fage is another brand that's a few cents more expensive at my local HEB. They carry both of these at the HEBs and Randalls near me, in addition to a few other brands. If you can't find them at a "normal" grocery story, I wager you won't regret the trip to a nearby Central Market or Whole Foods.

You can't get much more nutritious than that, and I think they're pretty yummy as well!

rosemary brie parmesan scones & friends

2009-08-27T20:56:00.005-05:00

Wow I can't believe I left those ugly chicken bags on the top for over a week! Ick! Forgive my blog neglect. School and volleyball coaching have both started, and I have hundreds {literally} of papers I should currently be grading. Rather, I blog.
Here are some variations of my basic {and still favorite scone}. When adding juices and zest, add them to the liquid part --the sour cream and egg mixture. Basically mix wet and dry separately. I'm fairly certain this is basic tenet in cooking. I, however, did this incorrectly and so my cranberry orange scones were less than ideal, pictured here in this first attempt. Just not as crispy. Dough was very gooey.

Aren't you thankful I mess up basic tenets so I can pass on wisdom to you? The explanation for my error, that I won't burden you with, involves a long saga of double and a halving a recipe, yes, "double and a half," and then thirding it.

Regardless, do these right and you'll be obsessed. Add more or less of anything according to your preferences.

recommended variations on this recipe
::cranberry orange::
{add to wet ingredients}
1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries chopped, food processor recommended
2 T orange zest
2 T fresh squeezed o.j.

::rosemary brie and parmesan::
{add to dry ingredients}
1/2 cup grated brie and parmesan {reduced fat brie is very easy to grate}
1 - 2 tsp. chopped rosemary

::sweet citrus::
{add to wet ingredients}
2 T. orange zest
1 T. lemon zest
1 T. lemon juice
use at least 1/3 cup sugar, see recipe
sprinkle extra sugar on top before baking.

::almond spice::
{add to dry}
1/3 c. crushed or sliced almonds
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. all spice
1/4 t. nutmeg
{add to wet ingredients}
1/2 t. almond extract

I make no promises about vittles' fall prospects. Sadly, vittles may be sparse until mid-October.

Taylor accepts sympathy in the form of Mr. Gatti's and Chipotle gift cards.

cooking in small portions

2009-08-17T22:19:00.003-05:00

This attractive picture is that of a de-meated rotisserie chicken. An entire cooked chicken for $6.99 at HEB or $4.99 at Costco. Each baggie has about a cup of meat and will be frozen in a larger, dated ziploc bag.So I can grab an individual baggie from the freezer and make a fresh pasta or summer salad for one or both of us. Easily adding tasty, sometimes even flavored chicken without cooking enough meat for a family of 5.

rosemary roasted potatoes

2009-08-13T09:15:00.000-05:00

Do you live in Texas? Are there plants growing around where you live? Chances are you have rosemary growing nearby. I think since it's very resilient and stays green despite droughts, many neighborhoods have rosemary planted all over the place. Our apartment complex certainly has about a dozen gigantic rosemary bushes that I smell all the way up to my walk to the pool. So I found this recipe in a new Tapas book I got and walked out my front door with a pair of scissors. 90 seconds to free and fresh rosemary.
rosemary roasted potatoes
INGREDIENTS
5 "old" potatoes {the white small ones, the size of new potatoes but not red skinned}
the leaves from 1 large sprig of rosemary, finely chopped {about 3 teaspoons}
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 small scallion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Oven to 400. Cover roasting pan with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Skin potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces, and toss with all remaining ingredients in mixing bowl. Pour into roasting pan. Pour or spread with spatula any remaining liquid, onions, etc. from the bowl over the potatoes.

Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes. Stir in the middle but not necessary -- I like one really brown and crispy side rather than a couple lightly crisped sides. Remove from oven and make a pocket over the potatoes with the foil. Allow to sit about 4 minutes. Dump into serving bowl.

I've found that creating that foil pocket for roasted vegetables to cool in allows the moisture to gather and makes it easier to remove the veggies along with their crispy sides, rather than scraping them off the foil and sacrificing that crispy side while it sticks to the foil. But. To each his own.

Don't worry about the neighbors when you go boldly snip your rosemary. Some may realize and admire your genius...and bravery. And don't forget to wash it.

steak salad

2009-08-10T08:01:00.000-05:00

Hey look! A man salad.
This was a great summer dinner that kept Taylor feeling he'd been heartily cooked for and involved a tasty little portion of red meat that I didn't mind eating. {read: not ground beef}

steak salad
serves 2
INGREDIENTS
3/4 lb strip steak
2 heaping cups arugula
2 heaping cups baby spinach
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 to 1/3 avocado, chopped
1/4 cup red bell peppers, diced
1 tablespoon seasoning salt
red wine vinaigrette dressing {recipe below}
cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
DIRECTIONS
Heat skillet to high heat. Season steak generously with Worcestershire sauce and cracked pepper and rub in to both sides. Add steak to skillet and cook about 2 minutes on each side, until internal temperature reaches around 130 degrees. Transfer to cutting board and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes. While meat is resting, divide vegetables evenly among two rimmed plates and toss with desired amount of dressing and seasoning salt.

Cut meat into thin strips, trimming as desired, and then cut each strip in half. Top tossed salads with steak.

red wine vinaigrette
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Add all ingredients together and whisk in the oil.

I served this with some roasted "old" potatoes, kind of a twist on steak and potatoes, but it probably would have been better with some good, toasted crusty bread.

baby molten chocolate cakes

2009-08-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

I have yet to figure out where these have been all my life. MAN they were good. I hope you have custard cups. Mine came with my Pyrex set and I think they're around 6 ounces. You can probably pick up some Anchor brand version on your next trip to the grocery store.

Do not be deterred! Make these!!
Another reason this was awesome was that it only required one bowl and minimal clean up. Great for a weeknight dessert when you don't want to bother with messing the kitchen up after dinner.
Oh and I made whipped cream. So easy and so tasty. Whipping cream stays good longer than milk, I discovered. I had about a cup sitting around from a quiche experiment with Ellen and it still had weeks left to live.
Reason number three why these were fantastic was that the recipe makes individual portions. Great for serving guests or easily saving for another day.
baby molten chocolate cakes
from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
yields 4 cakes
INGREDIENTS
4 pieces (squares) Semi-sweet Baking Chocolate
½ cups Butter
1 cup Powdered Sugar
2 whole Eggs
2 whole Egg Yolks
6 tablespoons Flour
2 cups Real Whipping Cream {seriously, please do this}
2 tablespoons Sugar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 4 custard cups with cooking spray and place on cookie sheet.
Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl on high for about 1 minute, until butter is melted. whisk until chocolate is also melted.
Stir in sugar until well blended.
Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour. Divide between cups.
Bake 13-15 minutes until sides are firm and center is soft. Let stand 1 minute.

Combine sugar and heavy cream and whip until stiff. {I made half of what was called for and it was plenty}

Invert cakes on dishes and top with whipped cream.

Leftovers! Perfect for a little taste of sweetness sometime tomorrow. This was rich enough that neither of us finished our little serving.