What Lauren Eats

Fettuccine Alfredo

2012-02-13T18:06:00.000-05:00

I can make really complex recipes with no problem sometimes, and then very simple ones I manage to destroy. I have no idea how I screwed up something so easy as fettuccine alfredo. It turned into this horrible, gluey, watery mess. It was NOT creamy OR delicious. I am also 100% sure it was cook's error, though I'm not positive where (or how many times!) I went wrong. It was just a disaster from start to finish. I'm not going to try it again - I've ruined it for myself. I'll try another recipe some other time. Anyone else want to try it out and tell me how it goes?

Fettuccine Alfredo
Everyday Italian - Giada de Laurentiis (Food Network)

18 ounces fresh fettuccine
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Drain .

2. Stir 2 cups of the cream and the lemon juice in a heavy large skillet to blend . Add the butter and cook over medium heat just until the butter melts, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

3. Add the pasta and toss. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of cream, and Parmesan to the cream sauce in the skillet. Add the lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Toss the pasta mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

Servings: 6

Bean-and-Veggie Sliders

2012-02-10T22:11:00.000-05:00

I don't know what my deal is with sliders this week. Tonight I made Middle-Eastern Chickpea Miniburgers, and last night I made these Asian-inspired sliders. As a side note, tonight's repeater recipe was not, in fact, worthy of making it again. This is why I have a "worth keeping" pile - to try things out to determine if they really are worth making more than once or twice. And that recipe is not worth keeping around.

Neither is this bean-and-veggie one, for that matter. It's kind of neat, using the rice as a binder in the burger. It holds together nicely. The mango is an interesting twist. These were alright, but I feel like they were missing something exciting and I'm not sure what. I wouldn't make them again.

Bean-and-Veggie Sliders
Martha Stewart Living, January 2011

These mini bean-and-veggie burgers take inspiration from Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches. Blended beans and rice are the basis of these sliders, which are supercharged with grated carrots, broccoli, and ginger. Top them with cilantro and sliced mango for the brightest burgers ever.

2 cups cooked kidney beans
1 cup steamed jasmine or basmati rice
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/3 cup shredded broccoli
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 recipe flavor base (follow recipe in pot of beans, below)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 small whole wheat rolls, split
Garnishes: Chili Mayonnaise (see below), lettuce, mango, red onion, and cilantro

1. Pulse beans in a food processor until mixture resembles ground meat. Pulse in rice. Stir bean mixture in a bowl with carrot, broccoli, ginger, cilantro, and flavor base. Form into twelve 2 1/2-inch round patties (1/4 cup each). Cook in hot oil over medium-high heat until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Sandwich in rolls, adding garnishes.

2. For the Chili Mayonnaise: Stir together 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon Asian chili paste (such as sambal oelek), and a dash of toasted-sesame oil.

Servings: 12

Pot of Beans
Beans:
1 pound dried beans, such as kidney, cannellini, navy, pinto, or black
8-10 cups water, plus more for soaking
Flavor Base:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 fresh chile, chopped
Coarse salt
Optional flavor add-ins (see below)

1. Make the beans: Place beans in a large bowl; cover with water by several inches. Refrigerate, covered, overnight. Drain. (For a quick soak, cover beans in a saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 1 hour. Drain.)

2. Make the flavor base: Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic, chile, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and any add-ins until onion and garlic are soft, about 5 minutes.

3. Add beans, 8 cups water, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, adding water as needed to keep submerged, until tender, 35 minutes to 2 hours, depending on type of bean. (Start checking for doneness after 30 minutes.)

Tips
Stir a few tablespoons of any of these into the flavor base: bell peppers, sausage, bacon, tomatoes. Or season with herbs and spices (cumin, paprika, cayenne, oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf).

Some Make-Agains

2012-02-08T06:54:00.000-05:00

Last night I made Asian Dumpling Soup with some vegetable dumplings I picked up from Trader Joe's last time I was in Connecticut. (I don't have Trader Joe's here in PA! Booooo.) I made it even faster by using a pre-shredded cabbage mix (napa, carrot, celery). I also added a few drops of hot chili oil at the end. Yum!

Sunday night I made Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole with the intention of being able to take it to work every day this week for lunch. I used the last of my frozen farm-picked broccoli from last year, and I made some fresh basmati rice to use in it. Perfect!

Double Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chewies

2012-02-07T06:52:00.000-05:00

The request was: a chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips. The result was: a tasty cookie, maybe a little flatter than I'd hoped, that met expectations but did not exceed them. It was definitely good but wasn't as impressive as I anticipated. I packaged up about a dozen of them and mailed them to friends, and I am nervous that they will not make it to their destination in a good way since the cookies left in my house have hardened significantly in the past day or two. I emailed my friend and said, "I promise they were good before I sent them..." So, I guess we'll see how they survive the transit. Ultimately, I would try a different recipe next time.

Double Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chewies
Eating Well, November/December 2009

These soft chocolate cookies have a big peanut flavor since they use peanut butter and peanut butter chips.

1 cup chunky natural peanut butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup trans-fat-free peanut butter chips -- such as Sunspire
1/4 cup turbinado sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Beat peanut butter, oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until the sugars are blended. Beat in eggs, yogurt and vanilla until combined.

3. Whisk flour, cocoa, oats, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture until blended. (It will be sticky.) Stir in chocolate and peanut butter chips.

4. Using a small cookie scoop or slightly rounded tablespoons of dough, place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

5. Dip the bottom of a glass in water and then in turbinado sugar. Use the sugared glass to flatten the cookies slightly, leaving a thin layer of sugar on top, rewetting the glass as needed.

6. Bake the cookies in batches until they are just set and the tops appear cracked, 8 to 10 minutes. (Do not overbake or they will be dry.) Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Yield: 3 dozen

Sweet Potato Fritters with Smoky Pinto Beans

2012-02-05T10:56:00.000-05:00

When I read reviews for this on the Eating Well website, all the notes said that the fritters were pretty bland and encouraged adding in spices and seasoning. I did that, and it was STILL pretty bland. It was good when I ate it along with the beans or with some of the chard I made for a side dish, but in general this recipe was kind of a dud. Disappointing! I wouldn't make this again.

Sweet Potato Fritters with Smoky Pinto Beans
Eating Well, September/October 2010

These easy sweet potato fritters have a crispy crust and a tender middle. The beans are flavored with smoked paprika, but sweet or hot would work well too. To give it a Mexican-inspired twist, use chili powder as the spice instead of the paprika.

1 large sweet potato -- (about 1 pound)
3 tablespoons canola oil -- divided
1 medium onion -- chopped
2 large poblano peppers or small green bell peppers -- chopped
15 ounces pinto beans -- rinsed
1 1/4 teaspoons smoked paprika -- (see Note) divided
3/4 teaspoon salt -- divided
3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg -- lightly beaten
1/4 cup water
4 lime wedges for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Prick sweet potato in several places with a fork. Microwave on High until just cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. (Alternatively, place in a baking dish and bake at 425ºF until tender all the way to the center, about 1 hour.) Set aside to cool.

3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Set aside 1/2 cup of the mixture. Add beans, 1/2 teaspoon paprika and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Cover and set aside.

4. Whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon paprika and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Peel the sweet potato and mash in a large bowl with a fork. Stir in the reserved onion-pepper mixture, egg and water. Add the cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined.

5. Form the sweet potato mixture into eight 3-inch oval fritters, using a generous 1/4 cup for each. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook 4 fritters until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining fritters and oil.

6. Bake the fritters until puffed and firm to the touch, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve the fritters with the reserved bean mixture and lime wedges, if desired.

Servings: 4

Chipotle Cheddar Chard

2012-02-05T10:52:00.000-05:00

I needed a good side dish for my dinner last night, and reviews on the Eating Well website said to make Chipotle Cheddar Chard. I have made this before in the form of a quesadilla but had not made it just as a side dish. And since I made it almost 5 years ago, I decided it was worth revisiting. And you know what? It wasn't. I don't know why it consistently gets such high reviews because it's really nothing special at all. It went well with my dinner, but it's not great. I officially won't make this again.

Panko-Crusted Asparagus Spears

2012-02-01T07:06:00.000-05:00

Well.

This is amazing.

I thought it would be time-consuming but it wasn't at all, and the result was phenomenal. The dipping sauce is delicious and the asparagus is delicious and everything is just wonderful. I will admit I roasted them a little longer than they needed to because I forgot to check, so they were a little more toasty than they should have been. But that was not a bad mistake at all! Very forgiving, in fact! I would definitely make this again. Maybe even this week if I can find some more miso paste (I finally ran out after what, like, 3 years?). Usually I can find it in the international or "healthy" sections of grocery stores, so hopefully I can find it. Hoorah! You should probably try this if you like asparagus. And if you're worried it will be too spicy, just reduce the chili paste/sriracha.

Also a note: I used yellow miso. What's the difference? You can buy it at Asian Food Grocer, small local Asian food stores, Whole Foods, Wegmans, Trader Joe's, etc.

Panko-Crusted Asparagus Spears
Eating Well, March/April 2011

Warm from the oven, these crunchy asparagus spears make a tasty side dish or cocktail nibble. Before being coated in panko breadcrumbs they are rolled in a flavorful sesame-miso sauce that doubles as a simple dipping sauce.

Cooking spray -- preferably canola oil
1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 scallions -- trimmed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons white miso
1 teaspoon chile-garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 bunch asparagus -- (about 1 pound) trimmed
3/4 cup Japanese-style panko -- (see Notes)
1/4 cup sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with foil; coat with cooking spray.

2. Combine mayonnaise, scallions, miso, chile-garlic sauce and oil in a small bowl.

3. Place asparagus in a shallow dish and toss with half the miso mixture (about 1/4 cup), making sure the asparagus is well coated.

4. Combine panko and sesame seeds in another shallow dish. Working with one spear at a time, roll in the panko mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a bit of room between each spear. Coat the prepared spears with cooking spray.

5. Roast the asparagus until the coating is browned and crispy and the asparagus is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with the remaining miso mixture as a dipping sauce.

Servings: 4

Sesame Farfalle with Roasted Tofu

2012-02-01T06:47:00.000-05:00

This was good, but this was the kind of recipe that made me pause and look up on this blog to see if I'd already made it before. I hadn't, but it felt like I did because this is similar to so many other things I've made. It was definitely good, but there wasn't anything that set it apart from anything else. I'd make it again if I had the ingredients.

Sesame Farfalle with Roasted Tofu
Cooking Light, June 2004

Baking the tofu in a mixture of soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and chile paste accomplishes three goals: It creates a golden crust, gives the tofu a firmer texture, and adds flavor by cooking the seasonings into the tofu.

Salad:
2 cups halved shiitake mushroom caps
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon chile paste with garlic
14 ounces extrafirm water-packed tofu -- drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups uncooked farfalle -- (about 8 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta)
3/4 cup slices green onions -- (1-inch)

Dressing:
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves -- minced

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. To prepare salad, combine first 6 ingredients in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; toss gently to coat. Bake at 425° for 40 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and tofu is golden brown.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain and rinse under cold water. Drain. Combine pasta, tofu mixture, and green onions in a large bowl.

4. To prepare dressing, combine the cilantro and remaining ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss well to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

Servings: 6

Wild Cream of Mushroom Soup

2012-01-31T18:28:00.000-05:00

Though this is another successful meal from the Hunger Games Cookbook, it isn't as extraordinary as the other things I've made from it, so far. Unsure if I picked some randomly amazing things to start with or whether this one is just not quite excellent because it's a boring idea to begin with, but whatever. Don't get me wrong! It wasn't bad AT ALL. It was actually one of the better homemade mushroom soups I've ever had. I just don't think I would make it again. Probably. I don't know. Aah! I'm seriously in love with this cookbook though.

Must point out that this recipe involves a roux. Roux = RUE? :) (//Hunger Games Reference)

This looks terrible, I'm sorry:

Wild Cream of Mushroom Soup
The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook, page 53

1 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms such as cremini
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
5 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, choppped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon apple cider

1. Brush mushrooms clean. Thinly slice the mushroom caps. Discard the stalks.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add onions, garlic, lemon, and thyme, stirring for 1 minute, or until the garlic and onions are golden brown. Add the mushrooms, and then salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the mushrooms just barely soften. Add flour and stir for 1 minute.

3. Remove from heat. Add the stock, stirring continuously. Return to the heat and bring mixture to a boil, still stirring. Reduce heat and gently simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Whisk the heavy cream into the soup, then reheat gently, stirring the whole time. Do not allow the soup to boil. Add cider. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.

Yield: 4 servings

A Lovely Bunch of Repeats

2012-01-29T20:34:00.000-05:00

Something that is fun right now is being able to revisit old recipes that I really enjoyed but that my husband did not. Now I have food freedom! No one is reliant on me! I can make anything! So tonight I made Lasagna in a Bun, and I repeated the broccoletti from a couple weeks ago (this time with an anchovy! scary! but good!). It was a delicious and tasty dinner and it brought me great joy. Hoorah!

Yesterday I was in Connecticut to visit my family and my best friend, and my mom wanted me to make Peeta's Sugar Cookies. She only ever has margarine in the house, and I was nervous that might affect the consistency of the cookies... and I was right. They tasted great, but they weren't as crisp and chewy as the regular recipe. Instead, they did this:

SO PUFFY! And that's AFTER they'd cooled! I was so angry! Everyone said they were very, very good, but I'm too much of a perfectionist sometimes and I was really unhappy with the texture. I will bring butter and make it again for my family sometime so they can have the real version :)

Moroccan Lentils with Chickpea Soup

2012-01-29T17:39:00.000-05:00

Wegmans is my favorite grocery store (minus Trader Joe's, which Eastern PA does not yet have) and lately they have been really impressing with recipes that they serve as samples. A couple weeks ago was the sauteed broccoletti (which I am making tonight as well), and this past weekend they served this. I made it on Tuesday night and it was delicious. It is absolutely not a soup - definitely more of a curry or a stew. I really liked it though. I had it with some naan and it was wonderful. I would make this again.

Moroccan Lentil with Chick Peas Soup
Adapted from Wegmans

2 tablespoons Wegmans Basting Oil
1 package (8 oz) mirepoix
4 cloves (2 Tbsp) garlic, chopped
1 package (16 oz) green lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 can (28 oz) roma tomatoes with basil
2 cartons (32 oz each) vegetable stock
1 teaspoon coriander seed or ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon powdered cayenne pepper
1 can (15.5 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Salt to taste

1. Add basting oil to stockpot on MEDIUM. Add mirepoix and garlic; cook, stirring, 5-6 min, until soft but not browned. Stir in lentils, tomatoes, stock, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.

2. Cook, covered, 20-25 min.

3. Puree briefly (about 15 seconds) with handheld blender, just to thicken (don't puree all the lentils).

4. Stir in garbanzo beans and cilantro. Season to taste with salt. Simmer about 5 min on MEDIUM until heated through.

Unicorn Poop Cookies

2012-01-24T07:01:00.000-05:00

As I will reiterate from similar posts, people who know me well know that I love the following: pie, Journey, rainbows, unicorns, and glitter. While this is not a "recipe," per se, and more of a tutorial, this combines the last three of that list. Rainbows, unicorns, and glitter. It is quite possibly one of the great achievements of my life. I give you...

UNICORN POOP.

Now, before you freak out, I will assure you that these are INSANELY GOOD. I used THIS TUTORIAL but instead of their sugar cookie recipe, I subbed in my Peeta's Sugar Cookie recipe (since it is the best sugar cookie recipe in the whole world). And you know what? Despite their frighteningly joyous appearance, the cookies taste great. Just don't roll them in sugar like the recipe says. Instead, follow the tutorial and cover them in sparkle gel.

So to sum up how to make the cookies:
1) Make cookie dough (if you're using my recipe, stop before the "refrigerate dough" part).

2) Divide cookie dough into four or five groups and color them with food dye. I used Wilton Gel Icing Colors in teal, pink, yellow, and violet. (Side note: I love these food colorings. My mom uses them to dye the icing for her famous cookies, and they're wonderful.) Refrigerate the dough per the recipe.

3) Take little pieces of each color of dough and roll them into "snakes," then combine them into piles. Roll them all together in a swirly pattern and mush, making sure to keep a little point here and there. Here are my cookies before they went into the oven:

4) Bake per the recipe. They don't really spread. Cool completely.

5) NOW IT IS TIME TO DECORATE and this is where the real magic begins. I used the following:

-Wilton Sparkle Gel in White
-Flower/star sprinkles
-White sanding sugar

The tutorial calls for Disco Dust, an "edible" glitter dust, but the reviews of it online make it sound kinda toxic and not something I want to put on my cookies, hence the sanding sugar instead. So I painted the glitter gel on with a pastry brush (squirt on the cookie and then brush), stuck on some stars and flowers, and then sprinkled the whole thing with the sanding sugar.

Ta-da! Magic cookies. And the best part? They're beautiful AND DELICIOUS.

Spinach Salad with Grilled Red Onion Rings & Sesame Vinaigrette

2012-01-23T06:51:00.000-05:00

I wanted something to accompany my Sriracha Mac & Cheese, and I had a bunch of spinach left over from the other night. I decided to make this salad, which was crazy-easy. I grilled the onion on a grill pan. And you know what? It was delicious. It was the perfect accompaniment, and it was very good. I would consider making it again if I needed a side for an Asian-inspired meal.

Spinach Salad with Grilled Red Onion Rings and Sesame Vinaigrette
Cooking Light, July 2007

1 large red onion -- cut crosswise into 12 (1/4-inch-thick) rings (about 10 ounces)
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil -- divided
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
10 cups baby spinach leaves -- (about 10 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds -- toasted

1. Prepare grill.

2. Combine onion and 1/2 teaspoon oil, tossing to coat. Arrange onion on a grill rack; grill 9 minutes or until browned and tender, turning frequently.

3. Combine remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, juice, soy sauce, and honey in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

4. Place spinach in a large bowl; sprinkle with pepper and salt. Add onions. Drizzle oil mixture over spinach, tossing gently to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Servings: 6

Baked Sriracha Mac 'N' Cheese

2012-01-23T06:46:00.000-05:00

You may remember that awhile ago I bought a cookbook devoted to my obsessive love of all things Sriracha, and that so far the stuff I've made from it has been disappointing. I was really worried this macaroni & cheese recipe would be like pasta with an add in of Sriracha, since it seems to be an afterthought in a lot of the recipes. But this was REALLY good! I can't gauge the spiciness level, obviously, but for me it was not spicy at all and was just delicious. I really liked it. I did reduce the butter, I didn't toss the panko with butter (the panko didn't need it) and I used light cream instead of full-fat. Small changes! I am taking it for lunch today so we'll see how that goes. I would make this again.

Baked Mac 'N' Cheese (Sriracha)
The Sriracha Cookbook

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs
8 ounces elbow macaroni
1/2 small sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 cup Sriracha
1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spritz a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the bread crumbs, stirring gently. Turn off the heat, allow the bread crumbs to absorb the butter, and reserve.

3. In a large stockpot, bring 2 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the macaroni noodles and stir. Cook until the noodles are just slightly undercooked, 7 to 8 minutes.

4. While the pasta is cooking, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to sweat, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add 1/2 cup of the milk while whisking. Once the milk has been absorbed by the flour and thickened slightly, add the remainder of the milk, followed by the cream. Add the salt, dried mustard, pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Stir in the Sriracha. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups of the Cheddar while slowly whisking, one handful at a time. Once all the cheese has melted, toss in the cooked macaroni, coating the noodles with the cheese sauce. Transfer the noodles and sauce to the baking dish. Top with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and the remaining 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese. Cover with an even layer of the buttered bread crumbs.

6. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown, 18 t 22 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 minutes so that the molten cheese lava can cool just a touch. Divide into squares, place, and garnish with the parsley.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Parmesan Risotto-Stuffed Portobellos

2012-01-21T21:30:00.001-05:00

For some reason tonight, I decided that I was going to make myself a big fancy dinner. It was just me, Emmadog, and "The Ides of March," but I determined that I should have an excellent dinner. Therefore, I made this stuffed mushroom recipe that I've had forever but still hadn't tried, along with some Smashed Parsnips with Mascarpone. It was a delicious dinner and I was very happy. I think I've had better stuffed mushroom recipes before, but this one worked very well with my whole meal. I enjoyed my dinner. Good job, self!

Parmesan Risotto-Stuffed Portobellos
Cooking Light, July 1997

14 1/2 ounces vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil -- divided
1 cup minced fresh onion
1 cup minced celery
1 cup minced carrot
1 cup uncooked Arborio or other short-grain rice
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced green onions or chives
20 ounces portobello mushrooms -- (about 6 inches wide)
1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese -- (1 ounce)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped onion
3 garlic cloves -- minced
10 ounces fresh spinach -- trimmed

1. Bring broth and 2 cups water to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add minced onion, celery, and carrot; sauté 1 minute. Add rice; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in wine; cook 5 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total). Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese and green onions.

3. Preheat oven to 375°.

4. Remove stems from mushroom caps; discard. Place mushroom caps, gill sides up, in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Spoon 1 1/4 cups risotto mixture into each cap; top each with 1 tablespoon mozzarella cheese. Pour 1/2 cup water into dish. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until mushroom caps are tender.

5. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add chopped onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; sauté 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Arrange 1/2 cup spinach mixture on each plate. Remove stuffed mushrooms from baking dish with a slotted spoon; place on spinach mixture.

Servings: 4

Peeta's Cinnamon Bakery Bread

2012-01-21T12:12:00.000-05:00

I made this Monday night and kept avoiding posting about it because then I have to transcribe it out of the book and that is tedious. Translation: I am lazy.

So this is cinnamon bread (actually more of a cake) based off of bread Peeta makes in the Hunger Games at his father's bakery. In Catching Fire, Peeta is described as smelling like cinnamon and dill from the bakery. Is there anything more appealing? No. Except maybe this actual cinnamon bread. Seriously, related to the book or not, this cookbook is great. I'm 4 for 4 so far with recipes from it. They aren't just "good," they've been "amazeballs." This is no exception. It was delicious warm and delicious the next day. I brought it in to work and it was enjoyed by the masses. This is great. I would make this again, especially considering how little effort it takes to prepare.

Peeta's Cinnamon Bakery Bread
The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook, page 32

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease one regular-sized bundt pan.

2. Mix flour, 1 cup white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla. Combine wet and dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly by hand fr at least 3 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons white sugar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix until crumbly.

4. Pour half of the wet flour mixture into prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar/butter mixture evenly on top of flour mixture; pour rest of flour mixture over topping. Smooth batter and remaining topping ver it. Using a knife, swirl topping for a marbled effect.

5. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Bread is finished when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan to rack to finish cooling.

Yield: 1 large bundt loaf

Pan-Steamed Broccoletti

2012-01-18T19:33:00.001-05:00

This was a sample they were serving at Wegmans this past weekend. The recipe was on the bag of broccoletti (supposedly "baby broccoli." Whatever). It was so delicious that I bought a bag and have made this for myself a couple of times so far this week. I don't have anchovies but I can vouch that they did add a delicious taste, which I have replicated by just adding extra salt. This is really good.

Pan-Steamed Broccoletti
Wegmans

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons chopped garlic, 1 anchovy fillet [if using] on MEDIUM-LOW. Cook, stirring 2-3 minutes until anchovy is dissolved. Raise heat to HIGH. Add sliced or whole broccoletti, 1/2 cup water, and 1 teaspoon salt; stir. Bring to a simmer; cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes or until water is evaporated. Season to taste with black pepper.

Greek Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Feta

2012-01-17T16:46:00.002-05:00

This is a super, super, super simple recipe that was just kind of okay. I'd probably make it again if I had the ingredients but it was nothing special. I even used some Penzeys Greek Seasoning in hopes that it would be a little more exciting, but alas. It was good though!

Greek Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Feta
Cooking Light, September 1995

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large garlic clove -- minced
3 cups diced tomato
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley -- divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups hot cooked thin spaghetti -- (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese -- (4 ounces) divided
Freshly ground pepper
Lemon slices -- (optional)
Green onions -- (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano and garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, green onions, 2 tablespoons parsley, and lemon juice; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

2. Combine tomato mixture, spaghetti, and 3/4 cup cheese; toss gently. Top with remaining cheese and parsley, and serve with pepper. Garnish with lemon slices and green onions, if desired.

Servings: 4

Ultimate Nachos

2012-01-17T07:16:00.002-05:00

I think the special thing about this recipe is HOW the nachos are prepared - so that each individual chip has stuff on it and is cooked evenly, versus lumping everything on top and the ones on the bottom are all neglected. However, I was only making enough for myself so I didn't even follow the instructions and just lumped it all on top anyway. I think the method would have been great if I was making it for a large group of people... the recipe itself was okay. Pretty good. I didn't like the oregano on it. That was not a good choice. And I don't know what my deal is but I did NOT feel well after eating this. I'd keep the method in mind but I wouldn't make the recipe itself again.

Ultimate Nachos
Food Network: Alton Brown

80 corn tortilla chips -- approximately 8 ounces
3 jalapenos -- (3 to 4) thinly sliced
4 1/2 ounces diced red onion -- approximately 1 cup
6 ounces finely grated Cheddar -- approximately 2 1/4 cups
6 ounces finely grated Oaxaca cheese -- approximately 2 1/4 cups
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
2 cups fresh salsa
2 cups sour cream
2 cups guacamole

1. Set 1 of the oven racks on the lowest shelf and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Make 8 (2-inch) balls out of aluminum foil. Spray 3 wire cooling racks with non-stick cooking spray and place 1 of the aluminum balls in each of the corners of 2 of the racks.

3. Lay 1/3 of the chips on one of the racks. Top each chip with a jalapeno slice and sprinkle the chips with 1/3 of the red onions, and 1/3 of both the Cheddar and Oaxaca cheeses. Repeat with the remaining chips and the other 2 racks. Stack the racks on top of one another and set into the parchment lined baking pan. Bake in the oven on the bottom rack for 7 minutes or until the cheese begins to bubble. Sprinkle with fresh oregano . Serve immediately with the salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

Servings: 6

Mushroom & Artichoke French Bread Pizza

2012-01-16T07:14:00.000-05:00

I made this Saturday night because I'd had a long day and I was tired. This was easy. It was okay. I'm not going to pretend it was insanely good, but it was okay. The suggestion says you could add sausage to make it not-vegetarian, which actually maybe would make it more exciting if any of you carnivorous readers want to try that. I personally wouldn't make it again.

Mushroom and Artichoke French Bread Pizza
Vegetarian & More! (2000) by Linda Rosensweig, p. 124

2 teaspoons olive oil
6 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large loaf French bread, split lengthwise
1 jar (4 1/2 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) diced Italian-style tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup (1 oz) grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. Warm the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, scallions, and oregano. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender.

3. Place the bread halves on a large ungreased baking sheet. Top each with the mushroom mixture, artichokes, tomatoes, and cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the pizza is heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into 4 pieces.

Servings: 4

Hearty Ham & Egg Tart

2012-01-13T21:23:00.001-05:00

Another recipe from The Hunger Games Cookbook, another winner. This is super delicious. I did skip the homemade crust and used crescent rolls because it was a weeknight, and I used vegetarian sausage instead of ham. It was wonderful! And you know what's bizarre? It passed the lunchbox test. It was great heated up the next day. Awesome. I would consider making this for overnight guests. It was very tasty.

Hearty Ham & Egg Tart
The Hunger Games Cookbook, page 2

In a time crunch? Never fear! You can skip steps 1-3 by using a premade tart shell or, for a more buttery and flaky crust, use one 8-ounce package of refrigerated crescent rolls. Unroll the crescent roll dough into one long rectangle and press into the tart pan. You will likely have to patchwork the dough into the pan, so be sure to seal the seams and perforations before adding filling.

Crust:
2 tablespoons ice water
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups fully cooked ham, cubed or shredded
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Combine ice water, chilled whipping cream, and vanilla extract. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Scatter butter pieces over dry ingredients. Using your fingertips, quickly pinch butter with flour mixture until butter is coarsely mixed in (you'll have pieces f dough in varying small sizes; you should aim for the size of peas).

3. Add the ice water and cream mixture t dough. Mix in with hands or a wooden spoon until moist clumps form. Add more ice water if dough is still too dry. Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic; chill for at least 1 hour. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out into tart pan.

4. Butter a 9" tart or springform pan with a removable bottom. Place softened dough in middle of pan and, using floured fingertips, spread out evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan, pressing lightly with your fingertips to ensure an even crust. Use your thumbs to press dough to the side of the pan. Make sure dough on the side of the pan is evenly thick (otherwise you will have uneven baking).

5. Preheat oven to 375.

6. In a skillet, saute onion and bell peppers in butter until tender and slightly browned. Add ham and let sit for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; pour evenly over dough in pan.

7. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, cream, salt, and pepper. Stir in Cheddar cheese. Pour evenly over ham mixture. Be wary of overflow.

8. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top of tart. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Fearfully Fried Potatoes

2012-01-13T21:08:00.000-05:00

I made some "breakfast for supper" earlier this week, solely from the Hunger Games Cookbook as I continue my way through it. I made these potatoes and a quiche-like tart.

I have to say, out of the 3 recipes I have tried, all 3 have been amazingly good. This cookbook is fantastic.

So this is a very basic hash brown recipe, and the thing that makes it amazing is really the castiron pan. If you have a well-seasoned pan, it will make it even more delicious. My potatoes were wonderful and tasted like they came from a diner. I was so happy! Yum yum yum. Would make again.

Fearfully Fried Potatoes
The Hunger Games Cookbook, page 4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
3 cups potatoes, peeled and boiled
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Saute onions until they are translucent. Add potatoes and cook until golden brown and warmed through.

2. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Servings: 3

Curried Rice Noodles in Lettuce Wraps

2012-01-11T07:09:00.002-05:00

Look guys, I've been taking better care of myself this week. I've cooked every night so far. I don't know if I will cook tonight or tomorrow. I will try. But at least so far I've been doing a good job. I'm just a little bit behind in posting about it!

Soooooo....

Monday night I made these lettuce wraps. Absolutely delicious. Not too hard to eat. One lettuce wrap as a serving size? No freaking way. I think I had 6 or 7. But I had it as a main dish and maybe they meant it as an appetizer. I don't even care. My lettuce leaves were small and I'm going to eat as many as I want. This is a great recipe. I would definitely keep it around.

Curried Rice Noodles In Lettuce Wraps
Cooking Light, May 2008

Madras curry powder works well in this dish because it adds just a bit of spicy flavor.

4 ounces uncooked rice sticks
2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/4 cups thinly vertically sliced onion
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 1/2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
4 garlic cloves -- minced
1 cup grated carrot
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage -- (Chinese)
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 1/2 tablespoons sake or sherry -- (rice wine)
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh bean sprouts
8 Boston lettuce leaves

1. Place noodles in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water; let stand 20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.

2. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, ginger, curry powder, and garlic to pan; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add carrot; stir-fry 1 1/2 minutes. Add cabbage and 1 1/2 tablespoons water; cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat.

3. Combine cilantro and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add the noodles, cilantro mixture, and 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts to pan; toss to combine. Spoon 1/3 cup noodle mixture on each lettuce leaf; roll up.

Servings: 8

Peeta's Sugar Cookies

2012-01-10T17:34:00.000-05:00

THE LONG VERSION:
(I have another header further down if you feel like skipping all this)
If you know me off this blog at all, you know that I am obsessed with The Hunger Games book series (and soon-to-be movie). I read all three books last year and my love for it has not waned. Another Twilight, it is not. It is absolutely amazing. Friends who have argued with me that it's a "young adult series" and therefore is stupid have eaten their words when they eventually read the books. I have not yet had a single person tell me they did not like them.

So. I saw a Hunger Games Cookbook for sale. It is unofficial and some of the recipes are kind of a stretch to relate to the book (although the ones for "tree rat" and "squirrel" are pretty relatable - though not at all pallatable) but the idea is wonderful. You would be surprised how much they actually talk about food in that book. I have decided that in honor of the movie coming out (March 23!) I am going to cook a whole bunch of recipes from it. And since my favorite character is Peeta, it made sense for me to start with a Peeta recipe.

I am not going to give anything away. At all. I never even tell people what the plot of the series is; I just tell them to read it. So my explanations for these recipes are going to be vague so as not to spoil it, but I will tell you that these are an imagining of the butter cookies the baker gives the girl before she gets on the thing to go to that place.

START READING HERE IF YOU DID NOT READ THE REST:
This is the best recipe for sugar cookies ever. I mean, my mom's are good but my mom's are made with almond extract and they're roll-out cookies. This is a great, delicious, perfectly-textured straight-up sugar cookie. And it has immediately taken the spot as Favorite Sugar Cookie. This will be my go-to. They are just so perfect. Everyone at work agreed, which was exciting. So. Make some now.

Sweet Sugar Cookies from a Sweetie
The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook, pg 175

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
3 tablespoons white sugar

1. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and vanilla.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1 cup white sugar, and the turbinado sugar. Cream until light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla mixture, mixing completely. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.

3. Chill dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375.

4. Pour 3 tablespoons of white sugar into a small bowl. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into small balls. Roll balls in sugar, then place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until just barely golden brown at the edges. If the cookies don't look completely done, that's okay. let cookies stand on sheet for 5 minutes before removing to cool on wire rack.

Yield: 1 dozen
(Note: I was easily able to get 2 dozen out of this, and those were even BIG cookies.)

Homage to Spaghetti Pie

2012-01-10T07:07:00.001-05:00

When I was little, my mom was not the best cook - she agrees with this statement - but she had a whole bunch of really great recipes she'd make from time to time. I've made several of them on this blog over the years. One of her recipes, though, was for chicken enchiladas. I can't post the recipe because a) I've never made it, b) I don't think she makes it anymore, and c) it's all chickeny and stuff. But the point is, when people came to our house for dinner - whether it be my dad's friends, relatives, or coworkers - the requested dish was always her chicken enchiladas.

Spaghetti Pie is quite possibly my chicken enchilada. When I need to show someone that vegetarian food can be amazing, this is what I make. When I need to make something for guests that I'm positive will be well-received, this is what I make. Spaghetti Pie is the kind of thing you can make on a Sunday and warm up for lunch all week long. I've never frozen it and I'm pretty sure that would be gross, but you could always try.

It also is easy to substitute. Don't have regular tomato sauce? Use marinara. Don't want to use soy crumbles? For the love of god, use real meat. No sour cream? I ran out of sour cream the other day when I made this (for the billionth time) so I doubled the amount of cream cheese and added in some plain yogurt to help it smooth out. And guess what? You can't even tell the difference. I also didn't have spaghetti so I threw in a random assortment of rotini, macaroni, and shells. Who cares? Works fine.

This is definitely one of the best things in life. I suggest everyone make it and let me know how it goes. Have you made it before and loved it? Have you eaten it at my house and loved it? Let's discuss the wonders of Spaghetti Pie.

Brown Butter-Roasted Cauliflower, Sauteed Plantains, and Parsley Root Puree

2012-01-08T12:24:00.000-05:00

Alright. This is one of those dishes with a million different flavors, and it sounds weird, but I promise you - this is wonderful. I used celery root instead of parsley root, and I added a little too much water so be frugal with the water. Also, when cooking the plantains remember that plantains are not bananas and therefore cook differently than sauteed bananas. And finally, do not skimp on the almonds and raisins because they are so wonderful.

This was also incredibly easy to eyeball into a one-person recipe (especially using a small celery root and small plantain). I would definitely make this again.

Brown Butter-Roasted Cauliflower, Sauteed Plantains, and Parsley Root Puree
Vegetarian Times, October 2011

Karen and Quinn Hatfield created this recipe for Hatfield's vegetarian prix-fixe menu. "It's pretty easy to find gluten-free dishes on our menu because we highlight so many vegetarian dishes," says Quinn. "This dish appeals to everyone." Parsley root is one of his favorite ingredients, but you could substitute celery root.

1 cup sliced, blanched almonds
1 cup golden raisins
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, divided
1 pound parsley root or celery root, peeled and finely diced
2 medium heads cauliflower, cut into baseball-size floret clusters
2 large large, ripe plantains, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1 cup Italian parsley leaves

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spread almonds on baking sheet, and toast 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden-brown. Cool.

2. Place raisins in 2-qt. container. Add 1 cup boiling water, cover container with plastic wrap, and cool. Drain.

3. Heat 2 Tbs. butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add parsley root, and season with salt, if desired. Reduce heat to medium-low, and sautée 15 to 20 minutes, or until very tender. Transfer to blender, and blend with 1 1/2 cups hot water until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and keep warm.

4. Place large baking dish in oven, and preheat to 425ºF. When hot, remove dish, and add 4 Tbs. butter. Add cauliflower, and season with salt, if desired. Turn cauliflower to coat with butter. Bake 30 minutes, or until cauliflower is golden-brown.

5. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 Tbs. butter in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot and starting to foam. Spread plantains in single layer in skillet, and season with salt, if desired. Cook 3 to 4 minutes. Stir, and cook 5 minutes more, or until plantains are browned. Stir in almonds and chives.

6. To serve: Spoon 1 1/4 cups parsley root purée in center of each serving plate. Top with 2 pieces cauliflower. Spoon plantain mixture over top; sprinkle with raisins and parsley.

Servings: 6

Make-Agains

2012-01-05T10:41:00.000-05:00

I did have a couple of make-agains this week! Look, I'm getting better at making food for myself on a regular basis. I even pushed past my desire to order delivery from Taco Express (seriously I have delicious Mexican food that can be delivered to my house - aah!) and instead made food.

So earlier this week I made Couscous with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, and Edamame. I didn't have any more edamame so I used peas instead. Not the same, but still good. This is just SO FAST and tasty. And it reheats so well for lunches. I love it.

Then last night I thawed out and heated up some of the Marinara Magnifica I had prepared a few months ago. So much love for this. I am pretty sure I will never look for another marinara sauce recipe. This one is just too perfect.

Philadelphia Oreo No-Bake Cheesecake

2012-01-03T20:26:00.000-05:00

While at my parents' house for Thanksgiving, I stocked up on stuff from Trader Joe's, since I do not have a TJ's near me in Pennsylvania. One of the items I picked up was my beloved Candy Cane Joe's O's, which are basically candy cane Oreos. They are SO GOOD. I thought they would be perfect in this recipe for a no-bake cheesecake for New Year's. In theory I was right, because the cookies were delicious. For some reason though, the "cheesecake" was off. I don't know what the problem was. Something about it just wasn't very good. A little too tangy, not sweet enough? That doesn't even make sense. I don't know. I have a bunch of these from the Kraft Foods website but I don't think I would make their no-bakes anymore. It was just kind of weird. Maybe I'd try one more just to be sure. I don't know.

Philadelphia-Oreo No-Bake Cheesecake
Kraft Foods

Variation: Prepare as directed, using 1 pkg. (18 oz.) Golden Uh Oh! OREO Cookies or 1 pkg. (17 oz.) DOUBLE STUF OREO Cool Mint Creme Sandwich Cookies.

1 package OREO Cookies -- (1 lb. 2 oz.) divided
1/4 cup butter -- (1/2 stick) melted
4 packages PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese -- (8 oz. each) softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping -- (8 oz.) thawed

1. COARSELY chop 15 of the cookies; set aside. Finely crush remaining cookies; mix with butter. Press firmly onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

2. BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping and chopped cookies. Spoon over crust; cover.

3. REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Servings: 16

Bite-Sized Ginger Cupcakes

2012-01-02T10:41:00.000-05:00

So I had a big new year's eve party (happy 2012 everyone!) and thus a lot of food. I already posted about the Parmesan-Scallion Pastry Pinwheels. I had a fruit tray, a cheese plate, a cheesecake we forgot to eat so I will eat it later today and post about it at that point, and a bunch of things like chips and stuff. I also made S'Mores Cookie Bars.

Then I wanted to try something new so I made these ginger cupcakes. I made them in a mini-muffin pan, but I'm sure you could make full-size cupcakes if you adjust the cooking time. The frosting was great too. I used mascarpone because I love any excuse to use mascarpone. I didn't use crystallized ginger, but I did sprinkle with some finely grated orange zest. And these were great! The cupcakes are like little pieces of gingerbread. They were really good. I loved having them be bite-size, too, because it made them easier to eat as a party food. I would definitely keep this recipe around. It's great for holiday parties!

Bite-Sized Ginger Cupcakes
Vegetarian Times, Jan/Feb 2011

These miniature desserts get a touch of flavorful bling from crystallized ginger sprinkled over the creamy frosting.

Cupcakes:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsulphered molasses
5 tablespoons margarine or unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup skim buttermilk
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:
4 ounces low-fat cream cheese or mascarpone, softened
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 teaspoons finely chopped crystallized ginger, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat 2 12-cup mini-muffin pans with cooking spray.

2. To make cupcakes: Combine sugar, molasses, and margarine in saucepan. heat over medium-low heat 3-4 minutes, or until margarine is melted and mixture is smooth. remove from heat, and cool 15 minutes.

3. Whisk together buttermilk and egg in bowl. Whisk in molasses mixture.

4. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in separate bowl. Whisk buttermilk mixture into flour mixture.

5. Fill muffin cups to within 1/8 inch of rims. Bake 12 minutes or until cupcakes are puffed and set. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack.

6. To make topping: whip cream cheese, honey, and orange zest with fork in bowl until smooth. Dollop one teaspoon topping mixture onto cupcakes and sprinkle with crystallized ginger, if using.

Yield: 24 mini-cupcakes

Parmesan-Scallion Pastry Pinwheels

2012-01-02T10:34:00.000-05:00

This is similar to the pastry pinwheels I made a few weeks ago except it is even easier to make and just as delicious. This is the kind of recipe you want to keep around in case you need to make a last minute appetizer/snacky food. It takes like 4 seconds to prepare and then you pop it in the oven. SO EASY. And, most importantly, really tasty! I completely forgot to take a picture because I made them on New Year's after I'd already started drinking wine, so I apologize. But hey! An easy appetizer you can make while drinking wine? Who doesn't want that, really? Make again.

Parmesan-Scallion Pastry Pinwheels
Real Simple, November 2010

1 sheet frozen puff pastry -- (from a 17.25-ounce box) thawed
1 large egg -- beaten
3 scallions -- thinly sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan -- (1 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan -- (1 1/2 ounces)
kosher salt and black pepper

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. Unfold the pastry and brush with the egg. Sprinkle with the scallions, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Roll tightly into a log. Freeze until firm but still sliceable, about 20 minutes.

3. Slice the log into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Servings: 8

Rosemary-Apple Bread

2011-12-29T19:41:00.002-05:00

For a yeast-raised bread, this is super-simple. I used frozen apples that I'd frozen from the farmer's market over the summer. Superduper. It was REALLY good. I would consider making it again.

Rosemary-Apple Bread
Cooking Light, November 2003

3 cups all-purpose flour -- divided
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 package quick-rise yeast -- (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water -- (100° to 110°)
1 cup diced peeled Granny Smith apple -- (about 1 small)
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons butter -- melted

1. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 3/4 cups flour, salt, rosemary, and yeast in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add water, stirring until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Cover and let rest 5 minutes. Knead in apple. Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 375°.

3. Shape dough into a loaf; place dough in an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Gently press dough into pan; cover. Let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

4. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until bread is lightly browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Brush top with butter. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Servings: 16

Tony's Breakfast Couscous

2011-12-27T19:47:00.000-05:00

When I got home from Connecticut, I have had a rough couple of days so I internally refused to go grocery shopping. Thus, this week is one of those Super Exciting Weeks where I randomly make things based on what I have in the house (SHOCKING, I know right?!). So tonight I had a breakfast-for-dinner that uses couscous as the base of a breakfasty thing that is kind of similar to oatmeal. It was interesting and not at all what I expected. I liked it a lot. I would actually perhaps consider making it for breakfasts in the morning, should I ever run out of bagels. I would definitely keep this recipe around.

Tony's Breakfast Couscous
Cooking Light, May 2006

Latimer received this recipe from the husband of one of her guides, and it quickly became a favorite way to start the day. You can prepare it the night before and serve warm or cold. The recipe is easy to double to serve more people. Use any combination of dried fruits you like--cherries, apples, blueberries, or raspberries. You can substitute one cup fat-free milk for dry, and decrease the water to 1/4 cup.

1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup uncooked couscous
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts -- toasted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan; stir in milk and remaining ingredients. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 10 minutes. (Mixture will thicken as it cools.)

Servings: 3

Christmas 2011 and Pecan Pie

2011-12-26T17:22:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas can be summed up by my mom, who provided the toast on Christmas Eve as we ate at a diner in Carmel NY: "Cheers to another Christmas full of death and sadness." *Clink*

Because once again our holiday season was fraught with death of relatives and friends, it was still a melancholy occasion in which no one really felt like doing anything. I did bring my caramel corn, which my dad ate obsessively. And we made some Spinach-Artichoke Dip to eat on Christmas day, which was nice. I also made a pecan pie.

Now, when I bake for myself and for friends, I am so snobby and need my pie crust to be homemade and need the pie to have quality ingredients. Not so when I cook for my family because they just do not care at all. Pillsbury roll-out crusts and corn syrup abound! And so I made a super-basic pecan pie which is super-easy and at this point doesn't even require a recipe since I've made it so often, but it's on the back of a Karo Syrup bottle.

Pecan Pie
Karo Syrup

1 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans
1 (9-inch) unbaked or frozen deep-dish pie crust

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla using a spoon. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into pie crust.

Bake on center rack of oven for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool for 2 hours on wire rack before serving.

Slow-Cooker Vegetable Lasagna

2011-12-23T07:08:00.000-05:00

First I should state that if you are coming to my blog because of my caramel corn recipe from the holiday party yesterday, the recipe is HERE. I made a huge batch of it, and ended up with just enough left over for one holiday tin of it. Hoorah!

I actually made this lasagna Monday night and am just getting around to posting it. I had never heard of cooking lasagna in a crockpot before so I was definitely intrigued. I made the full recipe so I could cut it up and have it for lunches this week, which I did. I'm not going to pretend it was incredible-amazing, but it certainly was better than I expected for lasagna made in a crockpot. I mostly just wanted to make it because I could. Good enough, right? It was okay but I probably wouldn't make this again.

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna
Eating Well

1 large egg
1 15- to 16-ounce container part-skim ricotta
5 ounces baby spinach -- coarsely chopped
3 large or 4 small portobello mushroom caps -- gills removed (see Tip), halved and thinly sliced
1 small zucchini -- quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
28 ounces diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic -- minced
pinch crushed red pepper -- (optional)
15 whole-wheat lasagna noodles -- (about 12 ounces) uncooked
3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella -- divided

1. Combine egg, ricotta, spinach, mushrooms and zucchini in a large bowl.

2. Combine crushed and diced tomatoes and their juice, garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) in a medium bowl.

3. Generously coat a 6-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the tomato mixture in the slow cooker. Arrange 5 noodles over the sauce, overlapping them slightly and breaking into pieces to cover as much of the sauce as possible. Spread half of the ricotta-vegetable mixture over the noodles and firmly pat down, then spoon on 1 1/2 cups sauce and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat the layering one more time, starting with noodles. Top with a third layer of noodles. Evenly spread the remaining tomato sauce over the noodles. Set aside the remaining 1 cup mozzarella in the refrigerator.

4. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on High for 2 hours or on Low for 4 hours. Turn off the slow cooker, sprinkle the reserved mozzarella on the lasagna, cover and let stand for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.

Servings: 8

Cabbage Sausage Supper

2011-12-23T07:02:00.000-05:00

I've gotten grain-sausage (not soy, but vegetarian) chorizo before and loved it, so when I saw a new variety of grain sausage at Wegmans I immediately picked it up: smoked apple-sage! TO ME, it sounded delicious. But then I didn't know what to do with it. Suddenly I remembered that my friend Laura had posted a super-simple recipe on her blog awhile back. It's like five ingredients, toss in a Dutch oven, and eat. Voila. And it sounded like it would go very well with the fake sausage.

And it did! It was very tasty! It was very similar to the Ethiopian Cabbage Dish I made awhile ago, just minus the spices and with fake-sausage instead. I would make this again if I had this sausage on hand to make it. I don't think I would go seeking it out. If you eat meat, I'm pretty sure this would be great with any smoked sausage so you might as well try it with the weird sausages you'll inevitably get in holiday gift baskets.

Cabbage Sausage Supper
Quick Cooking, January/February 2004 via Laura

2 pounds smoked sausage -- halved and cut into 3/4-inch slices
1 large onion -- cut into eighths
1 medium head cabbage -- chopped
1/2 cup water
1 pound carrots -- cut into 1/2-inch slices
5 medium potatoes -- peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until sausage is lightly browned and onion is tender; drain. Add the cabbage and water. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Servings: 12

Spinach-Mushroom Melts

2011-12-18T10:35:00.003-05:00

I wasn't really in the mood for cooking last night anyway but I made myself do it, and I was oddly disappointed. This seems pretty straightforward and I thought the pine nuts and green onions and smoked cheese would make it exciting, but I was wrong. It wasn't bad, it was just way more boring than I'd hoped. I would not make this again.

Spinach-Mushroom Melts
Vegetarian Times, January 2006

8 ounces portobello mushroom caps -- (about 4 medium) stemmed
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 green onions -- (white and pale green parts) thinly sliced
1 clove garlic -- minced (1 tsp.)
1/2 pound fresh spinach -- stemmed and coarsely chopped
4 slices country bread -- 1/2-inch thick, lightly toasted
3/4 cup shredded smoked mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Wipe tops of mushroom caps. Using spoon, remove gills from inside caps, and discard. Cut caps in quarters, and thinly slice.

3. Toast pine nuts in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer pine nuts to bowl.

4. Heat 1/2 Tbs. oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and green onions, and cook, stirring often, until mushrooms begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer mushroom mixture to large bowl.

5. Add remaining 1/2 Tbs. oil to skillet, and heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, 15 seconds. Add spinach, and toss until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and add to mushroom mixture; toss to combine. Stir in pine nuts.

6. Arrange bread slices on baking sheet; top with spinach-mushroom mixture, dividing equally, and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake 5 minutes, or until cheese melts. Serve sandwiches warm.

Servings: 4

Nutty Sweet Potato Soup with Harissa and Spinach

2011-12-15T21:35:00.000-05:00

At the hospital where I work, we have a great cafeteria. It has its share of crappy food, but it also has some delicious food. And for awhile (until a couple weeks ago, actually), it had some wonderful soups. (It changed because the soup dude left.) A couple of my coworkers developed a rule of thumb when it came to choosing the Most Delicious Soups: the more it looks like baby poop/vomit, the more delicious it will be.

The same is not true in Lauren's Kitchen, however. I know I was making a weird combination to begin with so it's my fault for choosing the recipe, but I have SO MUCH harissa and just want to use it up in recipes. Therefore, I chose this one. And it certainly did look like baby poop/vomit (both, really) but it was not a delicious soup. It was just weird. There's no other way to describe it other than being weird. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't delicious. I would not make this again. Booooooo, this week has not been a successful week in terms of cooking!

Nutty Sweet Potato Soup with Harissa and Spinach
Vegetarian Times, October 2011

Harissa is a smoky North African chili paste made from smoked chiles, olive oil, spices, and sometimes tomatoes. Heat and flavor vary from brand to brand. This recipe was made with a French-produced harissa with a mild heat and extra sweetness from tomatoes.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced (2 cups)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons harissa paste
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick (5 cups)
3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3 ounces spinach leaves, thinly sliced (2 packed cups)
Lemon wedges, for garnish

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leeks, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, peanut butter, harissa, garlic, turmeric, and cumin; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sweet potatoes, broth, and 1 1/2 cups water, and simmer over medium-low heat, partially covered, 20 to 25 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender.

2. Blend mixture with immersion blender, adding more water if soup is too thick. Bring soup back to a simmer, and stir in spinach leaves. Serve with lemon wedges.

Servings: 8

Sri Lankan Eggplant Curry (Vambotu Curry)

2011-12-15T21:27:00.001-05:00

When I talk about eating vegetarian food with people, I am frequently told how many people dislike tofu and eggplant, two common staples in a vegetarian diet. The reason is always texture. I'm not a very texture-sensitive person in general, so it's never bothered me and I enjoy tofu and eggplant all the time. But this eggplant curry made me see. Oh, did it. You can kind of tell by the picture that the eggplant got soggy and weird, and it turned almost into more of a shiitake mushroom-like texture, which is not really okay when it's an eggplant. But most importantly, this just wasn't very good. I was really disappointed because it came from a cookbook I respect, but it was not awesome. I would not make this again. It's recipes like this one that cause people to think they hate eggplant!

Sri Lankan Eggplant Curry (Vambotu Curry)
Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian

Serve this with plain rice. You may make it as hot as you like. The original recipe called for 2 tsp of cayenne! Normally the eggplant is fried. I have tried to cut down on oil by broiling it instead.

1 pound eggplant
2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or more as desired
4 teaspoons fresh lime or lemon juice
1 small cinnamon stick
15 fresh curry leaves (use basil leaves as an interesting substitute)
1 small onion, peeled and cut into fine half rings
3/4 cup coconut milk from a well-stirred can
2 teaspoons ground brown mustard seeds

1. Preheat the broiler, placing a shelf about 6 inches away from the source of heat.

2. Cut the eggplant crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick round slices and put the slices in a broiling tray. Rub 1 Tbsp of the oil on both sides of the slices and then sprinkle both sides lightly with salt and pepper. Place the tray under the broiler and cook one side for about 4 minutes and the other side for about 3 minutes, or until both sides are a pretty, reddish color. Remove and quarter each slice. Put the sections in a bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt, the cumin, coriander, turmeric, fennel, cayenne, and lime juice. Toss gently to mix.

3. Put the remaining 1 Tbsp oil in a large, preferably nonstick frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cinnamon stick and a second later, the curry leaves. Stir once and put in the onion. Stir and fry for about 2 minutes, or until the onion has browned a bit. Put in the seasoned eggplant. Stir and toss for 4 minutes. Combine the coconut milk and the mustard seeds and pour the mixture over the eggplant. As soon as it starts bubbling, turn the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes, stirring gently now and then. Check for the balance of salt, cayenne, and lime, adding more of whatever you need. Serve hot.

Yield: 3-4 servings

William Shatner's Cappuccino Chip Muffins

2011-12-12T18:18:00.001-05:00

Yup. You read that right. Shatner.

This was listed on a celebrity recipe series one time on CDKitchen.com and, being the super-geek that I am, I immediately saved it. I forgt about it for a long time (as usually happens) but last night I was inspired to bake muffins and already had all of the ingredients. It only took about 5 minutes from start to oven. This is why I love muffins and quickbreads! So easy just to make out of the blue.

So these do not taste at all like cappuccinos. I'm not sure why. There isn't nearly enough espresso powder in it. You can't taste it at all. You can kind of taste the cinnamon, but it's mostly just a really nice chocolate chip muffin. I would make it again probably, but not if I want something with a coffee flavor.

William Shatner's Cappuccino Chip Muffins
CDKitchen

2 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, espresso powder, cinnamon and salt. Whisk gently to mix.

3. In a medium bowl, beat egg lightly. Whisk in milk, melted butter and vanilla extract. Make a well in center of dry ingredients and pour in milk mixture. Stir just until evenly blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Divide batter among 12 greased muffin cups. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

Yield: 12 servings

Autumn Vegetable Roast with Orzo

2011-12-12T18:11:00.001-05:00

I thought this would be fun and exciting because it has a lot of vegetables I do not usually cook with. In fact, I have never used celery root before. It was scary while I was preparing it - it reeks of celery (for obvious reasons). But once it was cooked, it had a different flavor. Everything went together really nicely. I used bouquet garni instead of herbes de provence because I am not a fan of the lavender that is usually in herbes de provence. And, since I'm Lauren and I never use the right pasta shape for anything, I used shells instead of orzo.

I thought this was really good. It also passed the lunchbox test. I think I should have added a little bit more balsamic, but ultimately this was really nice. I would consider making this again.

Autumn Vegetable Roast with Orzo
Vegetarian Times, October 2011

Fingerling potatoes, cauliflower, celery root, fennel, and kale are roasted and served with orzo that’s studded with parsley and chickpeas.

1 pound fingerling potatoes, halved
1 pound cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
2 medium onions, thickly sliced (3 cups)
8 ounces celery root, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 small fennel bulbs, cut into 1-inch pieces (8 oz.)
6 cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbs.)
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 12 oz bunch kale, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
3/4 cup cooked or canned chickpeas
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar

1. Place 1 oven rack in bottom one-third of oven and 1 rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.

2. Toss potatoes, cauliflower, onions, celery root, fennel, garlic, and herbes de Provence with 3 Tbs. oil in bowl. Arrange vegetables on prepared baking sheets. Roast 1 hour, stirring occasionally and reversing positions of baking sheets halfway through.

3. Cook kale in large pot of boiling salted water 5 minutes. Drain, and stir kale into vegetable mixture. Roast 5 minutes more.

4. Cook orzo in pot of boiling salted water 5 minutes. Add chickpeas, and cook 2 minutes. Drain, and transfer to bowl. Stir in parsley and remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve orzo with vegetables, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Servings: 6

Mediterranean Couscous Cabbage Rolls

2011-12-11T11:05:00.002-05:00

I've never made stuffed cabbage before so this was very exciting for me. It was definitely yummy although I think I'd like other cabbage roll recipes more. But at least now I feel confident to pursue those! This was yummy and enjoyable. I probably wouldn't make it again, but if you're looking for something different than a traditional cabbage roll then this one is a good bet.

Mediterranean Couscous Cabbage Rolls
Eating Well

We love the subtle flavor of cinnamon with fresh mint in these vegetarian cabbage rolls stuffed with couscous, olives and feta cheese. Don’t worry if your cabbage leaves tear a little when you pull them off the head; they will wrap up just fine. As a precaution you can cook a couple extra leaves and roll two partly overlapping if needed. Serve with roasted butternut squash tossed with olive oil, cinnamon and garlic. To double this recipe, use 2 large skillets and prepare one 4-serving recipe in each.

4 1/4 cups water -- divided
8 large Savoy or green cabbage leaves
3/4 teaspoon salt -- divided
1 cup whole-wheat couscous
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic -- minced
4 cups chopped plum tomatoes
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint -- plus more for garnish

1. Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil in a large skillet. Add cabbage leaves, cover, reduce heat to medium-high and simmer until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Bring 1 1/2 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for at least 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the cabbage leaves to a clean work surface to cool. Discard the water and dry the pan.

4. Heat oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are mostly broken down, 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile stir feta, olives and 2 tablespoons mint into the couscous. Mound about 1/2 cup of the couscous mixture at the stem end of each cabbage leaf. Roll into a bundle, tucking in the sides.

6. When the tomato sauce is ready, add the cabbage rolls seam-side down. Cover and cook until the rolls are hot all the way through and the cabbage is very tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Serve the cabbage rolls topped with the sauce. Garnish with mint, if desired.

Servings: 4

Portobello Mushroom Fajitas

2011-12-09T06:43:00.000-05:00

This was a really quick, nice little dinner. Nothing special. I didn't have queso fresco so I just threw in some feta instead, like the tip suggested. It worked nicely and was yummy. I probably wouldn't make this again, but it was fine.

Portobello Mushroom Fajitas
Cooking Light, January 2005

Portobello mushrooms and red onions make a meaty fajita filling with satisfying, pungent flavors. If you can't find queso fresco, crumbled feta cheese is a good substitute.

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups slices portobello mushrooms -- (1/2-inch-thick) (about 8 ounces)
1 cup vertically sliced red onion
1 cup green bell pepper strips -- (1/4-inch-thick)
2 garlic cloves -- minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 serrano chile -- minced
12 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup crumbled queso fresco -- (4 ounces)
3/4 cup salsa verde

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until almost tender. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 4 minutes or until bell pepper is crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro, lime juice, salt, black pepper, and chile.

2. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/4 cup mushroom mixture down center of each tortilla; top each tortilla with 4 teaspoons cheese and 1 tablespoon salsa. Roll up.

Servings: 4

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pies

2011-12-08T18:17:00.000-05:00

It is a truth in life that lentils are ugly and do not photograph well. They never look appetizing.

I made this on Tuesday night and forgot to post about it. It sounds time-consuming but it really isn't. It heats up alright the next day, but I'm not a huge fan of it. I wouldn't make this again. And not just because it's ugly.

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pies
Eating Well

These mini vegetarian shepherd’s pies feature lentils, carrot and corn, crowned with a velvety mashed potato topping. The recipe can also be made in a broiler-safe casserole dish.

1 pound Yukon Gold or white potatoes -- peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 teaspoon salt -- divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper -- divided
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion -- finely diced
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1 tablespoon water
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels -- thawed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
14 ounces vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups cooked or canned lentils -- (rinsed)

1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, partially cover and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and return the potatoes to the pot. Add buttermilk, butter and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until mostly smooth.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Coat four 10- to 12-ounce broiler-safe ramekins (or an 8-inch-square broiler-safe baking dish) with cooking spray. Place ramekins on a broiler-safe baking sheet.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in corn, thyme and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and stir to coat. Stir in broth. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in lentils and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

4. Divide the hot lentil mixture among the prepared ramekins (or spread in the baking dish). Top with the mashed potatoes. Broil, rotating halfway through, until the potato is lightly browned in spots, 6 to 10 minutes.

Servings: 4

Samuel Adams Boston Lager Cheese Soup

2011-12-04T09:54:00.001-05:00

I didn't realize I hadn't posted about this, but I guess I haven't made it in a really long time. I have a folder in my Living Cookbook that is for recipes that I've had, that I've made, but that it's been so long since I made them that it's time to re-evaluate if they need to be kept at all. So if this didn't make it on the blog, then it means it was at least six+ years ago. I remember when I got this recipe: I was 21 and went to a beer and cheese tasting at the Sam Adams Brewery outside of Boston. I had never had a beer I liked, other than Guinness, and discovered that I absolutely adored Sam Adams. That is still my beer of choice!! Delicious.

Wait I have a picture of myself at the beer tasting. Gosh that feels like forever ago.

{Lauren, circa 2005? Age 21. Boston MA}

So one of the things I got from that was a recipe for this soup. I made it a couple of times but I wasn't a good cook at all back then. But I kept the recipe, and I am glad I did. Whereas the other Beer-Cheddar Soup I made recently was delicious, this one is delicious in another way. It has vegetables and potatoes in it which makes it thicker and more substantial, which is excellent. I would keep both of these beer-cheese soup recipes on hand depending on the occasion, because this one is great. Nice work, Samuel.

Samuel Adams Boston Lager Cheese Soup
Sam Adams Brewery

4 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups diced carrots
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/3 cup flour
1 12oz bottle of Samuel Adams Boston Lager
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups diced red potatoes
2 cups milk
3 cups Cabot Sharp Cheddar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced onions or scallions

In a heavy 4-quart pot or Dutch oven melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, coating the vegetables well with the roux. Whisk in the Boston Lager and stock, bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer until the soup thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook 10-15 minutes until tender. Stir in the milk, grated cheese, thyme, Worcestershire, paprika, and tomato paste. Continue stirring until the cheese is melted and the soup is smooth. Taste of salt and pepper and tabasco if desired. Serve in large bowls and garnish with the onions or scallions.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Spinach & Artichokes In Puff Pastry

2011-11-29T20:57:00.000-05:00

Tonight I went to a sangria social with my women's group and we all needed to bring an appetizer or dessert (no sangria on an empty stomach!). It was at 6:30 and I clearly do not have time to make anything from scratch between work and that, so I found this genius recipe for a fancy little appetizer that can mostly be made ahead of time. I made it last night at like 10pm but according to the recipe you could make it three months ahead of time. It's super quick and super simple, freeze it into a log, then slice it up and bake it. Delicious. And guess how many I brought home with me today? Zero. Because people ate all of them. Score. I'd definitely recommend this for your upcoming holiday parties!

Spinach and Artichokes In Puff Pastry
Southern Living: Top-Rated Recipe, November 2000

You can make them ahead, slice them, freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer ziploc bag. Just bake them right before serving.

10 ounces frozen chopped spinach -- thawed
14 ounces artichoke hearts -- drained and chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
17 3/10 ounces frozen puff pastry

1. Drain spinach well, pressing between layers of paper towels.

2. Stir together spinach, artichoke hearts, and next 5 ingredients.

3. Thaw puff pastry at room temperature 30 minutes. Unfold pastry, and place on a lightly floured surface or heavy-duty plastic wrap. Spread one-fourth spinach mixture evenly over pastry sheet, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Roll up pastry, jellyroll fashion, pressing to seal seam; wrap in heavy-duty plastic wrap. Repeat procedure with remaining pastry and spinach mixture. Freeze 30 minutes; cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. (Rolls may be frozen up to 3 months.)

4. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 4 dozen

Gruyere, Apple, and Sage on Rye

2011-11-28T19:59:00.000-05:00

In my quest for fancy grilled cheeses, this was the next on my list to try. Honestly, I did not love it at all. I don't know why. It just didn't do it for me. Sad.

Martha says:
Crisp apple combined with a creamy, nutty Gruyere balances the earthiness of sage and rye.

S'Mores Cookie Bars

2011-11-27T21:02:00.000-05:00

So as if I don't have enough to do in life, I'm in love with Pinterest. I avoid recipes more often than not, because I am a snob, but I do take food ideas (especially ideas for shots and cocktails!). However, a friend pinned this the other day and I simply couldn't ignore it. Not only did I save it, but I made it. Already. Today.

And I will make it again because OH MY GOD. These are incredible. I would make them for guests and for parties and for any occasion I can think of. BEST BEST BEST. Directly into the favorites folder.

S'more Cookie Bars
Baked Perfection via Pinterest

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately 7 full graham crackers)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 super-sized (5 oz.) dark chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. Two 5 oz. Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread marshmallow fluff evenly over the chocolate layer.

4. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. This is most easily done by putting the second half of the dough in a gallon size freezer bag. Use your palms to flatten it out, and then use scissors to cut down both long sides of the bag, so it will open up book-style. Open it up carefully, and the dough will stick on one side of the bag. Then place the bag, dough side down, on the other three layers. From there peel the bag up ad spread the dough where it is uneven.

5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars

Yield: 16 cookie bars

Toasted Millet with Harissa and Sweet Potatoes

2011-11-27T20:56:00.000-05:00

I got a pressure cooker as a wedding gift and was so excited when I got it, because I'd used one in an Indian cooking course I took with my mom and was so excited to be able to cook rice and beans quickly. But then I got scared of it. I was suddenly terrified that it would explode and beans and rice would go everywhere or I would get burned with scalding water or what have you. I know, I know. It happens, but rarely. And not with newer models so much. But still! Terrified. So it remained in my basement.

Well, I'm on a whole kick of making myself conquer fears and try new things as much as possible, so I decided that Tonight Is The Night I would try the pressure cooker. And you know what? Ridiculously easy. Ridiculous. This is wonderful because it means I can use it more. Hoorah! And it was exciting especially because the millet and sweet potatoes took all of 8 minutes to cook. Eight! Beautiful.

So on to the food. This was pretty good. Nothing special. More of just an exciting vehicle to try out the pressure cooker. I already had everything on hand so it made sense. Yes, I have harissa in the refrigerator, and yes, I have millet:

I wouldn't make it again, but I enjoyed eating it. So there.

Toasted Millet with Harissa and Sweet Potatoes
Vegetarian Times, Jan/Feb 2011

Harissa is a spicy red chile paste used to season North African dishes, such as couscous and tagines. Here, it adds gentle heat to a stew of millet, sweet potatoes, and spinach.

2 teaspoons olive oil
10 ounce container diced onions -- or 1 large onion, diced (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups millet
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 large sweet potato -- peeled and cubed (3 cups)
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 teaspoons harissa paste
5 ounce bag baby spinach -- leaves thinly sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1. To make Stew: Heat oil in pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add onions, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until soft. Stir in millet, cumin, turmeric, and coriander, and cook 3 minutes more, stirring constantly. Add sweet potato, broth, and harissa.

2. Close pressure cooker, and bring up to high pressure. Cook 9 minutes.

3. Release pressure with quick-release button, or transfer pressure cooker to sink, and run cool water over rim to release pressure.

4. To make Vinaigrette: whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, oil, maple syrup, and lemon zest in small bowl. Stir spinach and Vinaigrette ?into millet mixture until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Servings: 6

Vermont Maple Syrup Muffins

2011-11-27T00:11:00.001-05:00

I was really excited for these muffins because maple syrup is delicious, and I was really disappointed with these muffins because they were not at all what I was expecting. They looked and tasted like I had made them with Bisquick. In fact, they actually just tasted like a muffin-pancake. This is not necessarily a bad thing and probably would be great for a quick breakfast in the morning, but I was expecting something cakier and less biscuity. I wouldn't make these again.

Vermont Maple Syrup Muffins
Joy of Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup melted butter

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. In a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, syrup, and butter. Gradually pour this egg mixture into a well in the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir quickly. Batter will be lumpy. Do not overbeat or muffins will be tough. Spoon into greased muffin cups and bake at 400F until brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Yield: 1 dozen

Thanksgiving Breakfast

2011-11-26T16:15:00.002-05:00

What to do with leftover stuffing? Have an amazing day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast, obviously. Smush the stuffing up into little patties, pan fry in some olive oil, top with fried egg. Best thing ever.

Chinese Orzo Vegetable Salad

2011-11-25T19:04:00.002-05:00

I've had this recipe forever and never bothered to try it. I made it tonight. Super easy-peasy. I skipped the celery because I didn't want any, and that's that. Good choice all-around. I liked this. It would make a great lunch. I would make this again.

Chinese Orzo Vegetable Salad
CLBB

Salad:
1 1/2 cups orzo
2 quarts boiling water
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 cups asparagus, sliced on the diagonal
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup canned baby corn, cut in half
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 scallions, thinly sliced

Dressing:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium
1 teaspoon chili paste
1 tablespoon grated ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced

1. Cook the orzo in a large pot of boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente, sitrring frequently. Drain the orzo in a colander with small holes or with a strainer, rinse with cold water, and transfer to a serving bowl. Toss the orzo with the sesame oil and set aside.

2. Blanch the asparagus in boiling water to cover for 3 minutes, until just tender, then briefly submerge in cold water to help maintain their bright green color. Add the bell peppers, baby corns, celery, scallions, and asparagus to the orzo.

3. Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and pour it over the orzo and vegetables. Gently toss to coat everything evenly with the dressing and serve.

Servings: 6

Thanksgiving and Stuffing

2011-11-24T21:24:00.001-05:00

Well, here's the situation with Thanksgiving: my family is in chaos right now. We are dealing with a lot of family emergencies all at one time, so it ended up just being me and my mom. We ate in front of the TV and watched Arrested Development. That was not so bad. As a result of the chaos, though, we only made a few things. All the standards that are the true definition of Comfort Food in my household. Except pie. I didn't make pie. I know, shock, right? And since it was just two of us and I don't eat meat, we nixed the turkey. So this is what we had:

*My mom's cheeseball
*Lipton soup onion dip
*Mashed potatoes
*Green Bean Casserole
*Roasted Brussels Sprouts
*Rolls from Trader Joe's

We also had stuffing. And I've decided I might as well share that recipe here now. My mom has made this super-simple stuffing my entire life, and she got the recipe from her mom. The closest I've found is this Betty Crocker recipe. The night before Thanksgiving, my mom tears up the bread (standard white bread from the store), chops up the onion (Vidalia) and celery, pours on the pepper and sage (no thyme), and mixes it up in this huge tupperware container that is at least 10 years older than me. She doesn't cook the onion or celery, just tosses them in. Then she melts 2 sticks of butter and pours that over everything, stirring it in. And then she covers it up and leaves it overnight so all the flavors mush together. She used to put it all into the turkey, but then I stopped eating turkey so she'd make a smaller pan of stuffing just for me, and then she just started making a huge pan of stuffing for everyone. So, since it doesn't get moisture from The Bird, she pours vegetable stock over it before baking so it doesn't get all dried out. And thus our perfect herb stuffing comes to fruition. Here is the Betty Crocker recipe that I found that is close to it.

The other secret with this stuffing is the Morning After Thanksgiving amazing breakfast: smush the stuffing into a little patty, pan-fry it in a little bit of butter or olive oil, and top with a fried egg. Oh my gosh. Heaven.

Bread Stuffing
Betty Crocker

3/4 cup butter or margarine
2 large celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
9 cups soft bread cubes (15 slices)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Melt butter in 4-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook celery and onion in butter 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Remove Dutch oven from the heat.

2. Gently toss celery mixture and remaining ingredients, using spoon, until bread cubes are evenly coated.

3. Use to stuff one 10- to 12-pound turkey. Or to bake stuffing separately, grease 3-quart casserole or rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches. Place stuffing in casserole or baking dish. Cover with lid or aluminum foil and bake at 325°F for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.

Yield: 10 servings

Greek Pizzettes

2011-11-24T21:08:00.000-05:00

Monday I did cook! Monday I made Greek Pizzettes. I had found some great locally-made onion-fig jam and wanted to use it. It was delicious. I didn't have fresh figs, but dried ones actually worked just fine. So that was nice. I give myself a pat on the back for that.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Rosemary, and Garlic Lasagna

2011-11-20T19:26:00.000-05:00

Look! I made a very intricate dinner. It makes up for the lack of cooking. This really was very involved and I have half my kitchen in my dishwasher now as a result. It took about 2 hours from start to finish. But I didn't skip any steps! I even used my little aerator to whip the cream (I swear, that was a genius idea on my part awhile back - whipped cream or egg whites in less than 2 minutes? Best.).

This was wonderful. It's one of these recipes I've had for a long time and always want to make but it's too complicated to make on a weekday so I always put it off. And as I was making it, I was very nervous because it occurred to me that it's really just noodles, squash, and a LOT of milk. But it was great! It was really, really good. I would make it for guests; that's how good it was. I had it with some rosemary ciabatta. Delicious!

Roasted Butternut Squash, Rosemary, and Garlic Lasagna
Cooking Light, November 2004

This dish is easy to divide into make-ahead steps. Roast squash and prepare white sauce the night before, then layer lasagna up to six hours before the party. Just before guests arrive, top with cream and the last layering of Parmesan cheese, then bake.

8 1/4 cups cubed peeled butternut squash -- (1/2-inch) (about 3 pounds)
Cooking spray
4 cups fat-free milk -- divided
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt -- divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces precooked lasagna noodles
3/4 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano -- (3 ounces) divided
1/2 cup whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Arrange butternut squash in a single layer in a large roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Coat squash with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until squash is just tender, stirring once. Set aside.

3. Lower oven temperature to 350°.

4. Combine 3 1/2 cups milk and rosemary in a 1-quart glass measuring cup, and microwave at high 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil. Let stand 10 minutes. Strain milk through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard rosemary.

5. Lightly spoon all-purpose flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and remaining 1/2 cup milk, stirring flour mixture with a whisk until well blended to form a slurry.

6. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute or until tender, stirring constantly. Stir in steeped milk, and increase heat to medium-high. Gradually add slurry to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Combine milk mixture and squash, tossing gently.

7. Spread about 1 1/2 cups squash mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over squash mixture; top with 2 cups squash mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers once with 3 noodles, 2 cups of squash, and 1/4 cup of cheese. Top with 3 noodles.

8. Beat whipping cream and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt with mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Spread the whipping cream mixture over noodles; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden. Let stand 10 minutes.

Servings: 8

Vegetarian Reubens

2011-11-20T09:58:00.000-05:00

I KNOW. I KNOW I DID NOT COOK ALL WEEK. I made my black bean soup and then I ate that all week long. So it's not like I ate frozen meals or take-out, I just didn't feel like making anything new. Gosh.

Last night I did made Vegetarian Reubens, which are one of my favorite vegetarian sandwiches. So yummy. And the fun part is that I had them with Alexia Sweet Potato Puffs, which are sweet potato tater tots. There is absolutely nothing that is not awesome about that sentence. It was a nice dinner. And I swear to you I am trying really hard this week. Plus this week is Thanksgiving so that's a day when I definitely will be cooking!

Black Bean Soup

2011-11-14T20:59:00.000-05:00

I still have a ridiculous amount of dried beans from my old boss in Maryland. That means they are about 3 years old. How long do dried beans survive for? The internet tells me that they can last for years but may require longer cooking time to soften. I did not find this to be the case, but I also soaked the beans for like 10 hours because I started them right when I woke up this morning. So by about 6:00 my 3-year-old beans were ready to make into a soup. This came together easily and, although it cooks for an hour, it was relatively hands-off. I did make the crema (using sour cream instead of actual crema) and the hard boiled egg. I know it's weird, but this is not the first time I have put hard-boiled egg into soup. And it worked very well and was very tasty. I must be lacking in protein lately to be constantly craving beans and eggs. Weird, right? Oh well. This was really good. It's a nice, solid black bean soup recipe. I'd keep it around but I have a feeling there are better recipes out there, and when I find them, my dried beans will still be waiting.

Black Bean Soup
Cooking Light, October 2009

1 cup dried black beans
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil -- divided
3/4 cup chopped onion
7 garlic cloves -- minced and divided
2 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1/4 cup no-salt-added tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
4 ounces chopped green chiles
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 jalapeño pepper -- seeded
1/4 cup crema Mexicana
3 hard-cooked large eggs -- peeled and finely chopped
Fresh cilantro leaves

1. Sort and wash beans, and place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water; cover and let stand for 8 hours. Drain beans.

2. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; cook 4 minutes, stirring often. Add 5 garlic cloves; cook 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beans, broth, and next 7 ingredients (through chiles); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until beans are tender. Let stand 10 minutes.

3. Place half of bean mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid; secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid. Process until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining mixture. Return soup to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring often.

4. Finely chop 1 cup cilantro and jalapeño. Combine 2 tablespoons oil, 2 garlic cloves, cilantro, jalapeño, and crema. Ladle 1 1/4 cups soup into each of 4 bowls; top each with 2 tablespoons crema. Sprinkle soup with eggs. Garnish with cilantro leaves, if desired.

Servings: 4

For Future Reference

2011-11-13T16:54:00.000-05:00

First of all, I just got a tattoo on my right shoulder and my right (dominant) arm is killing me so my guess is I will be eating leftovers tonight. Hell no am I going to cut up butternut squash to make a very involved lasagna that I'd had planned. I'll go for something easy instead. Sorry.

I felt it was important though to post an addendum to yesterday's Ancho-Coffee Chili. I wanted to eat a hearty breakfast before going for the tattoo because otherwise I'd get light-headed and no one needs that. Feeling somewhat inspired, I warmed up the chili from last night, topped with a fried egg, and served myself with toast and coffee. It was The Best Breakfast. And I am about 99.9% certain it would be massively amazing after a night of heavy drinking. This automatically bumps the recipe from a "maybe" to a "make again." And this, my friends, is one of the reasons why I do the lunchbox test. Sometimes things work out better the next day.

Ancho-Coffee Red Bean Chili

2011-11-12T21:46:00.000-05:00

When I mentioned this on twitter, a few people reacted with a "ew, coffee? in chili?" type of response. Just like how sometimes chocolate is a secret ingredient in Mexican food, so too is coffee. I promise, you don't even notice it. It makes the chili have a stronger, deeper flavor but not in a coffee-like way. This was very simple but was really good. I enjoyed it. I would keep the recipe around, though I don't know if I'll make it again. I saved some in tupperware so we'll have to see how it does tomorrow. If it passes the lunchbox test, it may turn out to be a make-again after all!

Ancho-Coffee Red Bean Chili
VeggieMealPlans.com

Recipe loosely adapted from "Red Bean Chili with Ancho Chiles and Coffee" from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop, p. 368. Measurements are approximate.

This chili always brings me nice memories of our trip to Alaska last year. I made a double batch the week before we drove up and froze it in two-serving portions to pack along for a couple of dinners around the campfire at night. It was such a warm and comforting meal, and even though everything seems to taste good when you're camping and you're cold, damp and hungry, I can assure you this chili tastes just as good when we're in the comfort of our cozy home - and it's even tastier leftover.

1 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cups of diced canned tomatoes, including the juice
3/4 cup brewed coffee
1 1/2 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon minced chipotle in adobo, or to taste (optional)
2 1/2 cups cooked red beans, drained
Handful of chopped, fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onion until softened and lightly browned. Stir in garlic, chile and cumin and cook one minute. Add the tomatoes, coffee, water, bay leaf, chipotle (if using) and beans. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take off the lid and simmer chili to desired thickness. Remove and discard bay leaf. Stir in cilantro.

Yield: 3-4 servings

Fudge Brownies

2011-11-12T21:40:00.000-05:00

I jinxed myself. When I started making this, I was SURE that it was going to be The Perfect Brownie Recipe. But I was wrong! It was really good, but I think it hyped itself up too much. I suppose I'm still on the quest for the perfect brownie. Good thing I have a bazillion recipes to try!

Fudge Brownies
King Arthur Flour

Fudgy, cakey, fudgy, cakey... can't make up your mind? If you're looking for a brownie that's right in between those two styles, you've found it. These brownies combine a fudge brownie's ultra-moist texture with a subtle cake-like rise, for the best of both worlds.

Our guarantee: These brownies, deep chocolate brown inside with a lighter-colored top crust, will be about 3/4" to 1" tall when cut. They'll be ultra-moist without crossing the line into gooey/underbaked.

8 ounces unsalted butter -- (2 sticks)
15 3/4 ounces sugar
4 large eggs
3 3/4 ounces Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa or Dutch-Process Cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 1/4 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
12 ounces chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan

2. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it's hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

3. While the sugar heats a second time, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth.

4. Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.

5. Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips.

6. Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan.

7. Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

Spicy Korean Tofu with Pear Slaw

2011-11-11T20:47:00.000-05:00

I could not freaking find gochugaru. But I did find a sauce in the Asian aisle of the grocery store that had gochugaru in it. So I used that instead and just reduced the amount of soy sauce to balance it out. This turned out pretty well. The pear slaw was a little pointless and meh, but the tofu was very good. I don't think I would make it again though, since I have a better Korean Tofu recipe already. Oh well!

Spicy Korean Tofu with Pear Slaw
Vegetarian Times, September 2011

Gochugaru, a Korean red pepper powder with a distinctly sweet heat, is used to season this braised tofu dish. It’s worth seeking out and having in your spice pantry, but if you can’t find it, you can substitute red pepper flakes.

1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil
1 14 oz package firm tofu, drained, patted dry, and cut into 8 rectangular slices
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon gochugaru or 11/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 green onions, thinly sliced (1/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

Pear Slaw
1 Bartlett pear, sliced into matchsticks (11/2 cups)
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted black sesame seeds

1. To make Tofu: Heat sesame oil in large skillet over medium heat. ?Add tofu, and cook 7 to 9 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together soy sauce, gochugaru, maple syrup, vinegar, and 3 Tbs. water in small bowl. Stir in green onions and garlic.

3. Pour sauce around tofu, reduce heat to medium-low, cover skillet, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until most of sauce is absorbed. Flip tofu halfway through cooking.

4. To make Pear Slaw: toss pear matchsticks with vinegar and sesame seeds.

5. Arrange 2 Tofu rectangles on each of 4 plates, and top each with Pear Slaw.

Servings: 4

Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries

2011-11-09T21:15:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is a coworker's baby shower and I signed up to bring something "magical and delicious," and I forgot to plan ahead. Luckily I had everything on hand to make White Chocolate-Cashew Coffee Biscotti. Except the cashews. I substituted some toffee bits for the cashews, which I think was genius. Hopefully they go over well at the 8am baby shower.

Last night for dinner I made this couscous dish. I swear, couscous is one of the best things in the whole world. Boil some water, pour it on top, wait five minutes. How is that not amazing? And then with this, you pour the water over the couscous and rehydrate some cranberries in the process. It's insane.

So how was the food? Fantastic. I've made a lot of things like this before but I think this one is my favorite! It's wonderful. I did change the dressing a little bit - I used some regular orange juice in place of the orange zest and concentrate, which I think was a great idea. I ate it for lunch today (it passes the lunchbox test!), and for dinner tonight (and it was still amazing). I'm glad I made the full recipe. It's great left over. I would definitely make this again.

Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries
Cooking Light, July 2001

Salad:
1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous -- (about 1 [10-ounce] box)
1 cup dried cranberries -- (about 4 ounces)
1 cup frozen green peas -- thawed
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
15 1/2 ounces chickpeas -- (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained

Dressing:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon thawed orange juice concentrate
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves -- crushed

1. To prepare salad, combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Pour 2 cups boiling water over the couscous mixture; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; cool. Stir in onions, basil, and chickpeas.

2. To prepare dressing, combine lemon juice and the remaining ingredients in a jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously. Pour over couscous mixture, and toss well to combine. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Servings: 8

Mediterranean Pitas with Muffaletta Relish

2011-11-07T20:24:00.000-05:00

Last week I DID cook, despite what the blog implies. I just didn't make recipe type stuff. Well, Wednesday night I made my best Spinach-Artichoke Dip and then I ate that again on Thursday, and then Friday through last night I was in Florida for my uncle's wedding. So that's that. Here we go though as I attempt to cook most days this week. Hooray!

Tonight I made this little sandwich that has a quick hummus-like spread (it IS NOT hummus despite calling itself that) and olive spread. I may have cheated there - I used a pre-made olive relish from the olive bar at Wegmans. I'm sorry but it was SO MUCH cheaper just to buy a scoop full of that than all the different ingredients for the relish. So... keep that in mind. Also I added feta to the sandwich because I think everything is delicious with feta. I really liked this a lot. It's simple and filling. It kind of made me wish I'd made Greek Paninis, but I was still very happy. I'm not sure if I would make this again. I probably would. Yum!

Mediterranean Pitas with Muffaletta Relish
Vegetarian Times, June 2011

Julie DeMatteo, a retired school teacher from Clementon, N.J., modeled the relish in her colorful pita pocket after that from muffaletta—a classic New Orleans sandwich piled high with a marinated olive salad. She added a sprinkling of wheat germ for “nutrition and crunch.”

Relish:
1 6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped, marinade reserved
1/2 cup diced plum tomato
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced roasted red pepper
1/4 cup chopped black olives
1/4 cup chopped stuffed green olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Hummus:
1 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pitas:
4 6-inch pita rounds, cut in half crosswise
1/2 cup wheat germ

1. To make Relish: combine all ingredients, including reserved marinade, in medium bowl.

2. To make Hummus: blend all ingredients and 2 Tbs. water in blender until smooth.

3. To assemble Pitas: Spread 3 Tbs. Hummus into each pita half, and sprinkle with 1 Tbs. wheat germ. Top with Relish, dividing evenly among Pitas. Serve immediately.

Servings: 8

Curried Lentil Soup

2011-10-31T21:16:00.001-04:00

I decided it's time to revisit some of the recipes that I loved but Gibby did not, just to see if I still like them. Tonight I made Curried Lentil Soup. I forgot my addition of potatoes but it still worked out very well. I added a little bit too much curry powder so it was really hot, but it was still very good. Verdict: still delicious.

Sugar Cream Pie

2011-10-31T21:13:00.000-04:00

Last Friday someone asked me: what pie are you craving? For some bizarre reason, all I could think about was sugar cream pie. I'd never even had it before. I'd seen it at the farmer's market at the Mennonite stand, but I've never actually bought it. But I decided I MUST HAVE IT. Thus, I found Martha Stewart's recipe and made some.

I thought it was excellent. My taste-testers thought it was good and meh, respectively. I didn't make the raspberry whipped cream because I am lazy, but I did throw some raspberries on the plate with it. But I really liked it. It cuts beautifully, too. I don't think I would make it again but I did really enjoy it.

If anything, I did learn that Martha's pate brisee recipe is phenomenal and I plan to use it forever whenever any flaky pie crust is needed. I made an extra disc of dough to freeze, which is very exciting to me. It's just so easy and delicious. Yum!

Sugar Cream Pie
Martha Stewart Living

1/2 recipe Pate Brisee (see below)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Raspberries, for serving
Raspberry Whipped Cream, for serving (recipe follows)

1. Roll out dough to an 11-inch circle (1/8 inch thick). Fit into a 9-inch pie plate; crimp edges. Refrigerate. Preheat oven to 425°. Sift sugar, flour, and salt together into a stainless-steel bowl; set aside.

2. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until hot but not boiling. Whisk into sugar mixture; whisk until sugar is dissolved. Stir in vanilla. Set in an ice-water bath; let cool completely.

3. Pour filling into pie shell. Dot with butter; sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°. Cover edges of crust with a foil band. Bake until a thin knife inserted in center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes more. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with berries and raspberry whipped cream.

Raspberry Whipped Cream:
2 tsp sugar
1 cup raspberries
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

Sprinkle sugar over raspberries in a bowl. Let stand until juices are released, about 30 minutes. Mash gently with a fork until saucy but still chunky. Beat cream until stiff peaks form. Fold raspberry mixture into whipped cream, leaving it slightly swirled.

************

Pate Brisee (Pie Dough)
The Complete Martha Stewart Living Cookbook (2000), p.12

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup unsalted butter -- (2 sticks) chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water -- (1/4 to 1/2)

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Yield: 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pie

Spaghetti with Savoy Cabbage and Breadcrumbs

2011-10-29T10:20:00.001-04:00

You guys, you're so sweet. A lot of times when I post I don't think about the fact that people actually read this. So on my last post I was surprised - well, shocked actually - by the number of people who commented or emailed me who've been reading from the sidelines. You guys kick ass.

So last night at like 8:00 I finally decided to make dinner. I had found this recipe in Martha Stewart and decided to try it out since it combines aspects of a couple of my favorite dishes: Halushki, and Creamed Leeks, as well as a recent recipe I tried, Garlic & Leek Ditalini. It was really very tasty. I cheated and just used panko instead of making my own bread crumbs, but I can see how homemade bread crumbs would make it even more tasty. I also discovered mid-cooking that I didn't have any more Parmesan, so I subbed in Asiago (who has shredded asiago but no Parmesan? Me, apparently). It was absolutely wonderful. I really liked this. I will definitely keep this around, though I think I will still usually default to the halushki. Loved this though! And I am intrigued by the bizarre idea of a fried egg on top. I love eggs. I might try that out sometime.

Spaghetti with Savoy Cabbage and Breadcrumbs
Martha Stewart Living

The butter does a nice job of coaxing the sweetness from the cabbage. Serve a platter of this pasta family-style, with grated cheese; top with poached or fried eggs; or scatter with crumbled bacon.

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
8 ounces spaghetti or angel hair pasta
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 garlic clove -- very thinly sliced or minced
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs -- (not dried) (from a rustic loaf)
9 cups thinly sliced savoy cabbage -- (from 1 medium head)
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese -- (1 ounce) plus more for garnish

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 11 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

2. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in breadcrumbs. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, until breadcrumbs are golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat. Cook, stirring, until slightly wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water. Cook, covered, until tender, about 4 minutes. Uncover, and let any water in the skillet evaporate. Stir in cream. Cook until sauce is reduced and thick enough to coat cabbage, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add pasta and reserved 1/2 cup cooking liquid to cabbage. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in cheese. Transfer to a platter. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over top, and garnish with more cheese.

Servings: 4

My Food Blog: A Retrospective

2011-10-26T21:48:00.000-04:00

So the situation is this: Gibby & I filed for divorce and now it's just been me reviewing the food. Hence the terrible terrible phone pictures. I have had my share of nights lately where my dinner consisted of coffee and cheesy poufs, and I'm sure I will have more nights like that, but I'm really going to be trying hard to get back into the swing of cooking things regularly. I have a lot of parties coming up and holidays and events and times to cook food, so hopefully that will help things out.

The crazy thing about nearly hitting this food blog's 6th birthday is that this blog has followed me through some seriously pivotal times in my life. I started this when I was 21 years old! I was still in an apartment in Boston in college! This blog has been with me through a broken engagement, a marriage (and now divorce), graduation of college, graduation from graduate school, in vitro fertilization, and living in three different states (MA, MD, PA). We'll be hitting our sixth Thanksgiving post, our sixth Christmas post. You've followed me on vacations to Sweden and to St. Lucia and to Texas. And at almost 1800 posts, we've certainly traveled through the world of food together.

When I look back at the posts from 2005, it astounds me, my lack of cooking ability and the crappy food I ate that I thought was rockin' at the time. I've gone from eating fish sticks wrapped in a tortilla and calling it a fish taco to making my own pate brisee! Not only have I grown as a person throughout this time, I have grown as an amateur chef.

So while I wish this new life event was not occurring, it is, and we have to deal with it. There will be minor changes to the blog simply because everything will be a biased opinion (my own) and everything will have terrible pictures (thanks, Droid), but it makes sense. Food is such an important part of my life, and therefore it makes sense that my life would be reflected in my food. So. Welcome to the new leg of my journey!

Chorizo y Papas Breakfast Burritos

2011-10-26T21:38:00.002-04:00

For reasons I will explain in another post, it took me a huge amount of effort to make this dinner. It's actually really easy, I just lacked the motivation. I used that grain sausage I've used before in "chorizo" recipes, and it was good but I honestly think this would have been a much stronger recipe without the fake chorizo. I added cheese because I'm Lauren and I love cheese, and if I'd had sour cream I would have added that too. But the chorizo just was a little too much. I would have liked just the potatoes and egg.

Chorizo y Papas Breakfast Burritos
Vegetarian Times, June 2011

3 teaspoons canola oil
1 medium russet potato, diced
1 8-ounce package soy chorizo
4 extra-large eggs
4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas, warmed
2 green onions, thinly sliced (1/4 cup)

1. Heat 2 tsp. oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange diced potato in single layer in pan. Cook 7 minutes, or until golden, turning once. Move potato to side of pan. Add remaining 1 tsp. oil to opposite side of pan, then add soy chorizo; cook 1 minute, crumbling with spatula. Stir potato and chorizo together; cook 2 minutes more, or until potato is tender. Transfer to bowl, and cover.

2. Wipe out skillet, spray with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Crack eggs in pan, and cook 2 minutes, or until whites are set, turning once for over easy.

3. Lay eggs in centers of warmed tortillas. Divide potato mixture among tortillas, and top with green onions. Roll up tortillas, leaving one end open.

Servings: 4

Artichokes, Mushrooms, and Potatoes with Whole Wheat Pasta

2011-10-24T21:15:00.000-04:00

Boooo. I thought this was going to be great so I made the full recipe so I'd have leftovers. It was not great. It was pretty boring. I feel like it was a waste of time. It was an okay dinner but definitely nothing special. I'm glad I used canned artichoke hearts so I at least didn't waste time on that step. I would not make this again.

Artichokes, Mushrooms, and Potatoes with Whole Wheat Pasta
Essential Vegetarian Cookbook by Diana Shaw, p. 288

4 medium artichokes, trimmed, quartered, and pared; or 1 10oz package frozen artichokes, thawed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, minced
4 scallions, white part plus 2 inches of greens, chopped
2 cups loosely packed sliced white button, cremini, or portobello mushrooms
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cups canned chopped tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoons capers
2 medium potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold, peeled and sliced 1/3 inch thick
12 ounces dried whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1. If you're using fresh artichokes, bring enough water to cover the artichokes to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the artichokes, and let the water return to a boil. Cver the saucepan, reduce the heat to medium0low, and simmer until the artichokes are tender enough to pieces with a fork, about 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the shallots and scallions. Reduce the heat to medium and saute, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft, about 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until they color and begin to give up liquid, about 6 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, tomatoes, capers, potatoes, and cooked fresh or thawed frozen artichokes, and bring to a simmer.

3. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring often, until the potatoes have cooked through, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain.

4. Serve the sauce over the hot whole-wheat spaghetti, sprinkled with the cheese.

Servings: 4

Baba Ghanoush

2011-10-24T21:11:00.000-04:00

Our CSA is over for the year. Sadface :-( I really liked the surprise of getting new vegetables every week. This past week, in the last bounty of vegetables, I got two medium eggplants. I decided that was a sign that I should try out some baba ghanoush. Now, I love middle eastern food. Love love love. And I've found my perfect hummus recipe. So now it's time to explore and search for the perfect baba ghanoush recipe.

This, unfortunately, was not it. It was very good, yes. It was not perfect though, which was sad. I had high hopes for it. Oh well. It was tasty with some pita bread, olives, couscous, and dolmades. I had myself a little feast from the olive bar at Wegmans! Woo woo.

Baba Ghanoush
Vegetarian Times, July/August 2011

This version of baba ghanoush is blended to creamy smoothness so that it can be served like hummus, for dipping pita, veggies, and crackers.

4 medium eggplants (2 1/2 lb.)
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil, for drizzling
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to broil. Prick eggplants all over with fork. Place on baking sheet, and broil 15 to 20 minutes, or until skin is blistered and eggplants feel soft to the touch, turning occasionally. Transfer to large bowl, cover with lid; cool 1 hour.

2. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, and scoop out flesh with spoon into bowl of food processor, adding any juice that accumulated at bottom of large bowl. Add tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin, and purée 2 minutes, or until very smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Chill 2 hours, or up to 3 days.

3. To serve: Spread Baba Ghanoush onto shallow plate. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with parsley.

Servings: 8

Cheesy Stuffed Peppers

2011-10-21T19:45:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to pretend this was the most delicious meal of all time, because it wasn't. But there's something to be appreciated about a recipe that includes a main dish, side dish, sauce, and wine (for 1 serving!) all in one simple little set of ingredients and directions. It was easy to make, done in 20 minutes, and definitely tasty. I don't think I would make it again, but it was perfect for my Friday night!

Cheesy Stuffed Peppers
Self, August 2011

1 large poblano pepper -- seeded
2 teaspoons olive oil -- divided
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican-blend cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 teaspoons chopped garlic -- divided
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons marinara sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 ounce chopped dark chocolate
Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 cups baby spinach
3/4 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup sliced portobellos
1/2 cup black beans -- rinsed and drained
4 ounces red wine

Heat oven to 375°F. Brush poblano with 1 teaspoon oil. Mix quinoa with cheese; stuff inside poblano; cook in a baking dish 20 minutes. In a pan, sauté chopped onion, 2 teaspoons garlic, remaining 1 teaspoon oil, cinnamon and cumin over medium heat 5 minutes. Stir in broth, marinara and chili powder; bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add chocolate; stir until melted, 2 minutes. In a second pan coated with cooking spray, sauté spinach, sliced onion, portobellos, beans and remaining 1 teaspoon garlic. Pour sauce over poblano; serve with spinach and glass of wine.

Servings: 1

Banana Cream Pie

2011-10-19T20:40:00.001-04:00

One of my coworkers is pregnant and was craving pie, so we all made her pie. Today was pie day. There also were two cakes and some ice cream. SO MANY PIES. It was glorious. My contribution was a banana cream pie. Similar to my favorite Banana Pudding, this was a super-easy pie and was WONDERFUL. Don't cheat and use a premade pie crust - the homemade crust is what really makes it fantastic. The whole pie was gone by the end of the day and several people told me it was their favorite. YAY! I'd still stick with the banana pudding as a basic banana dessert, but if I need to make a pie, this will certainly be my go-to recipe.

No photo! It was gone too quickly!

Banana Cream Pie
Food Network: Throwdown With Bobby Flay

Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine -- melted

Filling:
1 (4 serving size) package vanilla pudding mix -- prepared
3 medium bananas -- sliced

To serve: Whipped cream or whipped topping

1. For the crust: Mix all the ingredients well and press firmly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate . Chill 1 hour.

2. For the filling: Prepare the pudding mix as directed on the package. Place the sliced bananas over the entire bottom of the crust. Pour the pudding over the bananas. Refrigerate for 4 hours or more. When ready to serve, top with whipped cream or whipped topping. Serve chilled.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Leaves Over Quinoa

2011-10-19T20:34:00.000-04:00

Another pretentious recipe title for something super-simple.

I LOVE BRUSSELS SPROUTS. I don't know why they get such a bad rap. They're delicious and wonderful. They're like tiny cabbages. They go really well with the quinoa and feta and made me super happy. I used a red quinoa because that's what I had in my house. This was very good and very simple. I would make this again!

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Leaves over Quinoa
Vegetarian Times

Separating Brussels sprouts leaves from the heads, then lightly sautéing the leaves in a little oil eliminates any risk of overcooking the sprouts.

2 tablespoons blanched hazelnuts, chopped
3/4 cup quinoa
8 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 teaspoons)
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese, optional
2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast hazelnuts 5 to 6 minutes, or until light brown, shaking pan occasionally. Set aside.

2. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add quinoa and salt, if desired; cover; and cook 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, peel leaves off Brussels sprouts halves, and discard inner core.

4. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté Brussels sprouts leaves 5 minutes. Add 3 Tbs. water, cover, and cook 1 minute more, or until leaves are tender. Stir in garlic. Toss with quinoa; hazelnuts; feta, if using; and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Servings: 2

Waldorf Blue Cheese Cascadian Couscous Salad

2011-10-18T21:40:00.000-04:00

What a pretentious title for such a simple recipe! It's just a bunch of ingredients typically found in a Waldorf salad, tossed in with some couscous with a little vinaigrette. It's the kind of recipe where the quality of the ingredients really matters because it's so simple that you taste all of it. I had some local blue cheese, local apples, and local celery, so that was nice. This wasn't particularly great, though. I wouldn't make it again.

Waldorf Blue Cheese Cascadian Couscous Salad
Vegetarian Times, July 2011

1 cup whole-wheat or plain couscous
1/4 cup toasted hazelnut oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup diced Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup dried tart cherries or dried sweetened cranberries
1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

1. Bring 1 cup water to a boil in medium saucepan. Stir in couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 8 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Fluff with fork, and transfer to large bowl to cool.

2. Whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in small bowl.

3. Stir apples, celery, cherries, hazelnuts, and dressing into couscous. Top with blue cheese.

Servings: 6

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Spicy Feta Salad

2011-10-16T19:31:00.002-04:00

Yay! Fall! A nice cool day today warrants a nice sweet potato dinner. I am excited to break out the recipe for Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Spicy Feta Salad for the first time this season. My sweet potato took FOREVER to cook, and I wish I had just microwaved it, but whatever. I'm still so happy!

Black Bean Nacho Pizza

2011-10-11T20:42:00.002-04:00

Is it a nacho? Is it a pizza? No, it's Nacho Pizza! I have no idea where my black beans went so I just used a storebought pizza crust, and refried beans. Still very tasty! A good and quick dinner on a day where all I ate otherwise were donuts.

Frosted Apple-Cinnamon Bars

2011-10-09T20:43:00.000-04:00

Today I spent a huge amount of time simmering and jarring my favorite marinara sauce. I have two jars for the pantry, and five smaller freezer-jars for the chest freezer in the basement. I'm set for awhile!

Then I made these apple-cinnamon bars. I love cinnamon chips. I loved using them in the sassy cinnamon cookies I made last year. I love that we have them here, since I could never find them in Maryland. So with some fresh local apples, I went ahead and made these.

Per the Land O' Lakes website, the cream cheese frosting isn't necessary, and you could just do a dusting of powdered sugar instead. BUT, the cream cheese frosting is so freaking good, you might as well make it! These bars are wonderful and bring me great joy. They are so good for the autumn. I am so happy with them. Yay!

Frosted Apple Cinnamon Bars
Land O' Lakes

Bars
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup butter -- softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 ounces cinnamon-flavored baking chips
1 medium apple -- (1 cup) chopped

Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Ground cinnamon, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in medium bowl; stir in oats.

2. Combine butter, brown sugar and sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture. Beat until well mixed. Stir in cinnamon chips and apple.

3. Spread batter into greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake for 33 to 38 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

4. Combine all frosting ingredients in small bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Spread over cooled bars. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

Baeckeoffe

2011-10-08T20:30:00.000-04:00

It is fall. I love that can make all my favorite cold-weather recipes (even though it's still in the 70s outside, but shhh). So tonight I made Potato, Turnip, & Spinach Baeckeoffe. Yum yum. Local ingredients: potatoes, turnips, spinach. Hoorah!

Sorry I've been slacking on the posting. I've been slacking on the cooking, too. There are some major changes afoot in this household, and I haven't exactly been interested in cooking at the moment. I am hoping it will pick up again soon! I would like to get back into cooking/posting every night like I used to do!

Eggplant and Roasted Red Pepper Lasagna

2011-10-02T20:48:00.000-04:00

I had planned to make some apple-cinnamon bars today but I discovered my Quaker Oats expired in JANUARY. Normally I would ignore the expiration for a little while because it's just oats, but that's like... almost a year ago. Oops. So hopefully sometime this week I'll make them.

For dinner tonight I made this lasagna filled with vegetables from the farmer's market, ricotta from the dairy, and fresh sheets of lasagna (from the store - I still do not know how to make pasta). It was wonderful! I mean, nothing special or new, but definitely comforting and tasty. It was a good way to use up some of the last of the dwindling summer produce. I'm going to take this all week for lunch.

I'm sorry about the photo. We're back to my photos, not fancy-camera photos, so nothing is going to look good anymore. Just prepare yourself.

Eggplant and Roasted Red Pepper Lasagna
Vegetarian and More! (2000) by Linda Rosensweig, p. 228

After baking, this dish can be frozen up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

1 small eggplant, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 zucchini and/or yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 container (16 oz) reduced-fat ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped jarred roasted red peppers
1 jar (25 1/2 oz) basil-flavored spaghetti sauce
6 oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 cup (4 oz) shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Coat a roasting pan with nonstick spray.

2. Combine the eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini or yellow squash, oil and garlic in the roasting pan. Season with the salt and black pepper. Toss to combine. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once, or just until the vegetables are tender.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the ricotta and roasted red peppers. Spread 1/4 cup of the spaghetti sauce in a 13x9" baking dish .Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Layer half of the vegetable mixture and half the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with 1 cup of the sauce. Repeat the layering with the 3 remaining noodles, vegetables, ricotta, and sauce.

4. Reduce the oven temperature to 375. Cover the lasagna with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with the mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes longer, or until the cheese melts. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Servings: 8

Blue Cheese-Topped Mushroom Steaks over Arugula

2011-10-01T20:40:00.001-04:00

Hey! Today was another food festival at the Farmer's Market! It was a huge Garlic Festival. It was the BEST. So many people were there selling their special varieties of garlic. Everyone had tastings. I ate - get this - a chocolate-covered roasted garlic clove. I can't say it was delicious, but it wasn't bad. I also got to do this tasting of a bunch of dishes from local restaurants. For my "winner" I chose a chipotle-caramel-garlic ice cream from Porter's Pub. Seriously, it was amazing and sweet and not even a little bit what you would expect. I absolutely loved it. No eating contests today :) I learned my lesson last week!

I should also note that as I write this, I am eating pumpkin ice cream from the dairy - amazing - with some crushed up gingersnaps. I am very happy.

For dinner tonight, I made these super-easy mushroom "steaks." Now, I get a lot of crap from people for being a vegetarian, but I can assure you - this is pure, vegetarian deliciousness that is not even remotely trying to be a meat product. It is the kind of recipe where you need good-quality ingredients. I had some fresh arugula/spinach blend from the farmer's market, fresh tomatoes, aged balsamic, fresh spicy garlic from the garlic festival, and this amazing ferale cheese from Keepsake Dairy. I know I know, the ferale is not a blue cheese, but it was perfect. I did not use the grill and instead used my grill pan, but it had the same effect. It was delicious! I would definitely make this again.

Blue Cheese-Topped Mushroom Steaks over Arugula
Vegetarian Times, July/August 2011

Vegetable oil, for brushing grill
3 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
4 large portobello mushroom caps
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 ounces crumbled blue cheese (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
8 cups baby arugula
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1. Brush grill grates with oil, and preheat grill to medium.

2. Whisk together olive oil and vinegar in bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and brush all over mushroom caps. Place caps on grill, and cook 15 to 18 minutes, turning once, or until tender. Transfer to cutting board to cool slightly before slicing.

3. Process garlic in food processor until minced. Add buttermilk, blue cheese, and mayonnaise; process until creamy. Stir in chives.

4. Divide arugula among plates. Top with portobellos, tomatoes, and sauce.

Servings: 4

Indian-Spiced Lentils with Spinach and Rhubarb

2011-09-29T20:12:00.000-04:00

Well, count this among one of the weirder recipes I've made (and I've made some weird things). I have tons of lentils so I wanted to use those up, and I kept seeing rhubarb at the markets... so I thought I'd try this out. With the raisins and rhubarb, there's a sweet fruity element. Then the spices are just enough to add some Indian flavor but not too much to actually count it as a curry. It really is just.... weird. It was good. I ate all of it. But I would never make it again. Didn't do it for me.

I also randomly made some Roasted Broccoli because I got some from the farm yesterday and decided I wanted to eat it today. It didn't really go with the lentils, but the rhubarb didn't either so whatever.

Indian-Spiced Lentils with Spinach and Rhubarb
Vegetarian Times, June 2011

Rhubarb’s fruity flavor complements the Indian spices, sweet raisins, and velvety spinach in this dish. For a more complete dinner, serve over a cooked whole grain, such as quinoa or brown rice.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
2 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon)
1 medium red onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and drained
3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 pound fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/4-inch slices, or 1/2 pound frozen sliced rhubarb, thawed
6 cups baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Cover skillet, and cook 2 minutes, or until seeds begin to pop. Cook 1 to 2 minutes more, or until popping stops, shaking skillet often. Remove from heat, stir in ginger and garlic, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover, and set aside.

2. Heat remaining 1 Tbs. oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and raisins; sauté 10 minutes, or until onions begin to brown. Stir in lentils and 3 cups broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 25 minutes. Stir in rhubarb and remaining 1/2 cup broth; cook 6 minutes. Add spinach, cover, and cook mixture 6 minutes more. Stir mixture to incorporate rhubarb and spinach leaves, then stir in spice mixture. Serve garnished with cilantro.

Servings: 6

Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash

2011-09-26T20:41:00.001-04:00

I guess I'm crazy, because I made chili only days after the chile pepper festival debacle. I did take it easy and didn't add the chipotle - just some chipotle powder. That's better, right? Right. I added a LOT of bulgur because I forgot how much it expands, and it was a pretty great mistake. It tasted a lot like this casserole. Make sure you put the toppings on it, because without the cheese and sour cream (and green onions, in my case) it wouldn't even be as good. I doubt I'll make this again because I've made so many things similar to it, but I'd consider it.

Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash
Bon Appetit, February 2011

In health-conscious California, chili is as likely to be made without meat as it is with it. No self-respecting Texan would sign off on chili with beans, squash, and bulgur—but this lean, mean dish is as delicious as it is healthful.

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions -- chopped
8 garlic cloves -- chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground coriander
29 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes
1 pound dried black beans -- rinsed
2 chipotle chiles from canned chipotle chiles in adobo -- minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano -- (preferably Mexican)
Coarse kosher salt
1 2 1/4-pound butternut squash -- peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup quick-cooking bulgur
Sour cream
Coarsely grated hot pepper
Monterey jack cheese
Diced red onion chopped
Fresh cilantro
Pickled jalapeño rings

1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft and beginning to brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Sprinkle chili powder and coriander over; stir 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes with juice, beans, chipotles, and oregano. Add 10 cups water. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar, and simmer until beans are tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours (time will vary depending on freshness of beans). Season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. DO AHEAD: Chili can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm chili before continuing.

2. Stir squash and bulgur into chili. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat until squash and bulgur are tender, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide chili among bowls. Serve with sour cream, cheese, red onion, cilantro, and pickled jalapeño rings. add your own note

Servings: 10

Fettuccine with Spinach, Ricotta, and Grilled Eggplant

2011-09-26T20:31:00.000-04:00

I'm in love. The ricotta cheese from Keepsake Dairy is just so wonderful, I can't even handle it. I wanted to make a recipe that showcased it (and hopefully will eventually make lemon ricotta muffins in the near future), and this also gave me the opportunity to use up the ginormous eggplant from the farm. I didn't cook it on the grill, just on my grill pan. This was pretty good. It could do with a little more seasoning - the red pepper really helped. And just as I hoped, the ricotta was wonderful with it.

I used a spinach pasta shaped like olive leaves because it was on sale at Wegmans and seemed appropriate to the dish, and I did not have fettuccine. Fair enough, right? Anyway, I don't think I would make this again, but I would eat it again.

Fettuccine with Spinach, Ricotta, and Grilled Eggplant
Real Simple, July 2011

2 small eggplants -- (1 1/2 pounds total) sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil -- plus more for serving
kosher salt and black pepper
16 ounces fresh fettuccine -- (16 to 18)
5 ounces baby spinach -- (6 cups)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 cup ricotta
crushed red pepper -- (optional)

1. Heat grill to medium. Brush the eggplant with the oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Grill until tender, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into bite-size pieces.

2. Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water; drain the fettuccine and return it to the pot.

3. Add the eggplant, spinach, vinegar, 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to the fettuccine and toss to combine. (Add more cooking water if the fettuccine seems dry.) Serve topped with the ricotta and, if desired, red pepper, and additional oil.

Servings: 4

Chili Pepper Festival

2011-09-25T15:00:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was the Easton Farmer's Market Chile Pepper Festival. As you know, I go to the farmers market every Saturday morning. I love it. AND I love chili peppers. I saw on Facebook that there would be a chili pepper eating contest, so I decided to sign up. Mostly because I am crazy. And I'm wicked competitive. And I love spicy food. And I'm crazy.

A lot of people came to watch! I guess there were 15 of us competing? Someone told me 25, but the event's Facebook photo album indicates that there were 15. Regardless, I came in 7th. Here was the format:

We had 7 peppers lined up in front of us from least hot to most hot. At the bullhorn, we had to all eat the first pepper, all the way to the stem. If you throw up, you lose. You can tap out at any time. And volunteers were there with milk and ice to help soothe those who dropped out.

The peppers we had to eat were, in order:
Banana pepper (500 Scoville units), hot banana pepper (5000-15,000 Scoville), Thai chili (50,000-100,000 Scoville), cayenne chili ("ring of fire") (30,000-50,000 Scoville), small lemon drop (30,000 Scoville), white habanero (300,000 Scoville), orange habanero (350,000 Scoville).

I powered through all 7 of those. My face was red, my eyes were watering, my mouth and throat felt like I was on fire. There were still 7 of us left (according to observer reports - I was too delirious to count) and we moved on to the tie-breaker round: a LARGE lemon drop. So I ate that, and no joke- I started to hallucinate. I was seeing spots and everything was swirling around me and I was pretty sure I was dying. It reminded me of the Simpsons.

So I tapped out. They gave me three glasses of milk and I stopped seeing spots, but I felt sooooooooooooo awful. Oh my gosh. But I came in 7th!! It was a miracle! And let me tell you, I paid for it the whole rest of the day yesterday. And if I ever taste a lemon drop pepper again, I'm going to vomit. They are NOT GOOD.

But it was worth it because I had super a lot of fun. I wish I'd won, but there's just no way any of us could have beat this dude.

He's a pro who carries around ghost pepper powder (over 1 million Scoville) in his pocket to sprinkle at restaurants. Oh well. Good for him.

And that was my chili pepper adventure.

Garlic and Leek Ditalini

2011-09-23T23:51:00.000-04:00

I didn't use ditalini. I'm a rebel. And I tweaked this recipe a lot. It was sent to me on recommendation by a friend, and I had a whole bunch of lovely leeks from the farmer's market last weekend. I did not, however, have ditalini - so I used tagliatelle. I did not have heavy cream so.... you'll love this: I used cream cheese. And I splashed in some white wine just for good measure. It was pretty good. It made an enjoyable dinner. I like some of our other pasta-leek recipes a little more, but this one was good. Thumbs up.

Garlic and Leek Ditalini
AllRecipes.com

"While the small tubular Ditalini pasta isn't usually eaten on its own, it works well here with a number of strong flavors and a creamy sauce."

8 ounces ditalini pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped leek
1 clove garlic -- minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
1 pinch black pepper -- (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat. Saute leeks and garlic until tender and translucent. Stir in cream, and simmer until thickened. Toss with pasta and cheese until evenly coated and cheese is melted. Season with pepper.

Servings: 4

Butternut Squash & Caramelized Onion Galette

2011-09-23T23:44:00.000-04:00

Oh my gosh, I didn't realize I never posted about this. I don't even think I have a photo. I made this like last weekend. I cheated and used frozen pie dough. Don't think less of me. It was alright. I probably didn't have enough onions or enough cheese. I'd add more of them. It wasn't amazing but it was okay. I wouldn't make it again.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette
Smitten Kitchen

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water

1 small butternut squash (about 1 lb)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced in half-moons
1 tsp salt
1 pinch sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste
3/4 cup fontina (about 2 1/2 oz), grated or cut into small bits
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh sage leaves

1. Make pastry: In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Place the butter in another bowl. Place both bowls in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove the bowls from the freezer and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the butter to the well and, using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make another well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this mixture to the well. With your fingertips, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Remove the large lumps and repeat with the remaining liquid and flour-butter mixture. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Prepare squash: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Peel squash, then halve and scoop out seeds. Cut into a 1/2-inch dice. Toss pieces with olive oil and a half-teaspoon of the salt and roast on foil lined (for neatness sake) sheet for 30 minutes or until pieces are tender, turning it midway if your oven bakes unevenly. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Caramelize onions: While squash is roasting, melt butter in a heavy skillet and cook onion over low heat with the remaining half-teaspoon of salt and pinch of sugar, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in cayenne.

4. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Mix squash, caramelized onions, cheese and herbs together in a bowl.

5. Assemble galette: On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Spread squash, onions, cheese and herb mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold the border over the squash, onion and cheese mixture, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open.

6. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Servings: 6

Fall Is Here

2011-09-20T19:13:00.000-04:00

For dinner tonight I made Autumn Wild Rice Rissoles, which I just love. They're seriously like little patties of Thanksgiving. They make me so happy.

I also have an enormous amount of acorn squash so I re-tried a recipe for Maple-Roasted Acorn Squash. We got this locally-made hickory syrup at the wine festival a few months ago and I thought it would be amazing in this recipe so I thought I'd try it out. I really had high expectations and even had the blog post planned out to talk about it. Turns out, the hickory flavor totally disappeared. It was just eh. Absolutely nothing special at all. Sad face.

Side note: It's so funny to look back at that post - I mean, shoot, that was 4 1/2 years ago - since I was still learning to cook. Mrs. Butterworths? Not in this house anymore! I'm way too much of a food snob now! Oh well. I'll embrace it. It also makes me want to re-try those cabbage bundles. Hmm.

Can I also tell you how much I love apple cider from Beechwood Orchards from the farmer's market? A lot. The answer is a lot. Did you know it mixes well with whiskey? It's a true statement.

Spice Market Sweet Potato & Lentil Packets

2011-09-19T22:44:00.000-04:00

OK, so this is cool. Cut stuff up, wrap it up in foil, cook it. Makes a nice little spicy fall stew that is wonderful over couscous. I definitely added too much chutney to mine so if you choose to use that, go lightly! It became way too cloyingly sweet. But the whole thing itself was so good and wonderful! I used canned lentils to make it super-easy. Local sweet potatoes, red peppers, and garlic. I didn't use green beans. I was going to substitute broccoli but I found a caterpillar in my broccoli and it freaked me out (did it lay eggs?! Would I eat the eggs?!) so I changed my mind about the broccoli. The woes of buying locally.

So this was wonderful and I would definitely make it again. It was ridiculously easy with a super-fast cleanup. Hoorah!

More cell phone photos!
Here are the packets when they came out of the oven.

This is what they look like when they're opened up.

And this is what it looked like before it went into my tummy.

Spice Market Sweet Potato and Lentil Packets
Vegetarian Times

Sweet potatoes and lentils get cooked in a curried broth inside packets for a lightly spicy dish. Serve with quinoa.

2 cups finely diced sweet potato
1 large red bell pepper, diced (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup fresh green beans, thinly sliced
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons hot sesame oil
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 cups cooked lentils or 1 15-oz. can lentils, rinsed and drained
4 tablespoons prepared mango chutney, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place 4 16-inch lengths of foil on work surface. Fold foil in half from short side. Unfold. Shape corners and edges of one half into semicircular "bowl" with 1/2-inch sides. Coat insides of foil with cooking spray.

2. Combine sweet potato, bell pepper, green beans, and raisins in medium bowl. Add oil, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Whisk together broth, ginger, garlic, and curry powder in small bowl.

4. Divide sweet potato mixture among packets; top with 1/3 cup lentils. Pour 1/4 cup broth mixture over lentils, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Fold other half of foil over ingredients, and crimp edges in overlapping folds until packets are sealed. Transfer packets to baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes.

5. Transfer to plates. Let each person open packet carefully—escaping air will be hot. Top with chutney, if using.

Servings: 4

Chickpea, Apple, and Beet Panini

2011-09-18T21:18:00.000-04:00

First of all, Friday I made Butter Paneer Masala. I could just eat that forever. It is so good.

This weekend at the farmer's market, I found some lovely golden beets and apples, and it reminded me I had this recipe. I picked up some bread and voila! Dinner. (I already had everything else.) I've made a lot of unique vegetarian sandwiches lately and this was definitely one of the most bizarre since it has like a zillion different flavors, but it was REALLY good! I would definitely make it again when I find pretty golden beets.

I'm going to miss the farmer's market so much when the season is over :(

Sorry, this is a cellphone photo.

Chickpea, Beet, and Apple Panini
Vegetarian Times, July 2011

Never had raw beet in a sandwich? This panini will have you hooked.

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas -- or 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise (I DID NOT USE VEGAN)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
8 slices sesame semolina bread (8 oz)
1 medium golden beet, peeled and sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
1/4 cup broccoli or radish sprouts
4 tablespoons prepared black olive tapenade

1. Pulse chickpeas, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and tarragon in food processor until chunky.

2. Spread chickpea mixture on 4 bread slices. Top with beet and apple slices, and sprouts. Spread remaining 4 bread slices with tapenade; close sandwiches.

3. Coat skillet or grill pan with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Place panini in pan; weight with smaller-diameter saucepan weighted with 1 or 2 cans. Cook 2 minutes, remove weight, flip panini, replace weight, and cook 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more (or cook 4 minutes in panini maker).

Servings: 4

Apple-Blackberry Pie with "Fall Leaves" Pate Brisee

2011-09-12T20:34:00.000-04:00

I've made pie crusts many times in the past, but this was the most ambitious one I have taken on. In fact, Miss Martha has this listed as being an "advanced" recipe, which totally pumped me up. I had some beautiful fruit from the farmer's market, including three different kinds of apples. And I had a little leaf-shaped cookie cutter. And thus I made this pie.

This is what it looked like after I had layered all the leaves in a pseudo-lattice top, but before I baked it:

This is what it looked like when it came out of the oven:

So what's the verdict? The verdict is that this is an amazing pie. Absolutely amazing. I am so happy with it. It tastes pretty wonderful the next day but it was fantastically amazing when it came out of the oven. Love love love, so much love. I would make this again. I would even go through the hassle of creating all of the leaves and getting frustrated with the pate brisee again (it wouldn't roll out, so I just smushed it with my hands - don't judge me). I would even consider this for Thanksgiving. It is a wonderful pie.

Apple-Blackberry Pie with "Fall Leaves"
Martha Stewart Living, November 2009

An all-butter pate brisee is the pinnacle of pie-making, rewarding bakers with a golden and delicately tender crust. Filled with sweet, jammy blackberries and tart apples, and then topped with a forest of pastry leaves, the piecrust is an impressive accomplishment worthy of the season's most important meal. This is an advanced-level recipe.

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 pounds assorted apples -- (such as Cortland, Empire, Granny Smith, Jonagold, and Macoun) peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
10 ounces fresh or frozen blackberries -- (2 1/4 cups) thawed
"Fall Leaves" Pate Brisee (See Below)
1 ounce cold unsalted butter -- (2 tablespoons) cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk -- lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Sanding sugar -- for sprinkling

1. Whisk together granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add apples and blackberries, and toss to coat. Pour filling into prepared piecrust, and dot with butter.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in lowest position. Meanwhile, brush rim of piecrust with egg wash. Arrange dough leaves over filling, creating a spiral from the edge into the center, overlapping leaves slightly to cover pie but leaving some openings. Lightly brush tops of leaves with egg wash as you work, to help them adhere. Once filling is covered with leaves, lightly brush top of entire pie with egg wash. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Freeze for 30 minutes.

3. Place pie on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake pie, rotating sheet halfway through, until juices are bubbling in the center and crust is golden brown, 1 hour and 45 minutes to 1 hour and 55 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. (Pie can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)

Yield: 1 pie

"Fall Leaves" Pate Brisee

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour -- plus more for surface
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
8 ounces cold unsalted butter -- (2 sticks) cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water -- (1/4 to 1/2)

1. Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.

2. Evenly drizzle 1/4 cup water over mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together (it should not be wet or sticky). If dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse. Divide dough in half. Place each half on a piece of plastic wrap, and wrap. Press dough into 2 disks using a rolling pin. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight. (Dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw before using.)

3. Roll 1 disk of dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Trim edge flush with rim. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Roll remaining disk to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Transfer to a piece of parchment. Cut out 18 leaves, rerolling scraps if needed, using 3 1/2-inch leaf-shaped cutters ( sugarcraft.com ). Transfer leaves to another piece of parchment; chill if needed. Gently press the dull edge of a paring knife into leaves to create veins. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Blueberry-Filled Pancakes

2011-09-11T15:43:00.000-04:00

Since our basement flooded from the hurricane, I had to move all kinds of stuff around and out of our basement so we could WetVac the carpet and salvage our stuff. In the process, I came across my ebelskiver pan, which was being stored in one of the closets downstairs. Remembering how neat ebelskivers are, I planned to make some for dinner last week.

I bought some blueberries but they were not good by the time I got around to making the pancakes on Saturday night, so I had a brief moment of panic until I remembered I had frozen blueberries in the stand freezer downstairs. "Hoorah!" I said, and I used those instead. Ebelskivers are just so neat. I feel so fancy flipping them around. I'm awful awful awful at making regular pancakes, but these are so much easier (to me). That being said, I did burn a whole batch. HAHAHA. But most of them turned out really great. And they were very yummy, kind of like blueberry muffins. I love trying out the recipes for the filled pancakes. I would make these again.

Blueberry-Filled Pancakes
Williams-Sonoma

Known as ebelskiver in Denmark, these light, fluffy pancakes filled with fresh blueberries make a delicious breakfast treat.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs -- separated
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter -- (1/2 stick) melted
1 pint fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Maple syrup for serving

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt.

2. In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg yolks and buttermilk. Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy.

3. In another bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.

4. Put 1/2 tsp. butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan. Place over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 Tbs. batter into each well and cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Put 5 or 6 blueberries in the center of each pancake and top with 1 Tbs. batter. Using 2 wooden skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and blueberries.

5. Dust the pancakes with confectioners' sugar and serve warm with maple syrup.

Makes about 40.

Creamed Spinach

2011-09-11T15:32:00.000-04:00

Sometime last week (I know, I know, I'm still being terrible at being timely on my blogging) I made this creamed spinach to go along with some microwave fake 'pulled pork' sandwiches.

Super easy. Very, very yummy. The leeks and the cream cheese added a nice little boost to what is often just a flavorless mushy side dish. We both really liked this a lot. I would make it again.

Creamed Spinach
Cooking Light, November 2005

This lightened version of the popular steak house side dish still delivers full flavor.

1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
Cooking spray
1 cup thinly sliced leek -- (about 1 large)
2 garlic cloves -- minced
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach -- thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1/4 cup 1/3-less-fat cream cheese -- (2 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine milk and flour, stirring well with a whisk; set aside.

2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add leek and garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until tender. Add spinach, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in milk mixture; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until smooth; cook 1 minute.

Servings: 4

The Long-Awaited Raw Milk Post

2011-09-06T22:06:00.001-04:00

In the six-year history of this blog, I have never, ever had a "guest post." However, I am fascinated with raw milk but couldn't seem to express myself well with it - you know I've mentioned it a bazillion times - and that made me angry and frustrated. So I asked my coworker/friend Kevin to write about it for you because I think it's important to share, and he is the one who has introduced most of our department to the wonders of the dairy farm. So, without further ado...

Oh Baby, I Like It Raw
By Kevin F.

Lauren asked me to write a blog entry, or whatever it’s called, on raw milk. I’m not sure why someone who has documented every step of her life can’t seem to formulate a coherent stream of thoughts regarding this topic. So I will be stepping in to explain this new step in her gastronomic path.

When you think about the concept of milk, the romanticized image of a glass of milk (if one actually exists): cold and frothy, condensation running down the glass, some apple-cheeked farm kid picking it up and enjoying the satisfying goodness…that is how I see raw milk. It tastes and feels and smells and looks like milk should. Probably because that’s what it is. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, raw milk is exactly that: milk in an unpasteurized form. Straight from the teat, so to speak. It’s rich and creamy. It’s full of nutrients. It’s delicious. It's also not legal in every state. There are arguments for and against the production, sale, and consumption of raw milk. I have included links at the end of this to sites about raw milk for those interested in educating themselves further. This way I can let experts make the case with research. I figured I would just tell my own raw milk story since that’s what I know.

Growing up in the suburbs of New York City, my parents had us drink 2% milk. In college I made the switch to skim milk when I learned in a nutrition class that it had all the same nutrients as 2%, just without the fat. That seemed like a reasonable trade to balance out my beer and pizza diet. That’s how things stayed for the next 10 years. About a year and a half ago my wife’s coworker, someone very much in touch with the concept of organic, locally grown and processed food and a strong supporter of raw milk, suggested we give the raw stuff a try.

I wasn’t immediately swayed by the thought of drinking unpasteurized milk. This brings me to my first “things to consider when trying raw milk:” it’s thick. Like, really thick. For someone who had previously been drinking skim milk, the leap was huge. Do you think drinking whole milk is like drinking cream? Then this would be like drinking melted ice cream. Ok, that is a bit of an exaggeration. However, the texture of raw milk is much thicker, due in part to a higher fat content; 4% and above vs. about 3.25% for whole. This fat content will further vary between breed of dairy cow and season. The texture of the milk was a change for me. But I adjusted, like I did when I had made the switch to skim.

The next step in my process was the taste.
“Things to consider #2:” not all raw milk tastes the same. Believe it or not, the diet of the cows affects the taste of the milk (and the meat, but that’s a different subject). Grass, hay, “feed,” and so on all give the milk a slightly different taste. The first farm we bought milk from tasted, well, farmy, for lack of a better term. So we tried others and found a local farm whose milk we love the taste of. It really is your reaction to the taste and texture of raw milk that support whether or not you will become an active drinker.

“Things to consider #3:” the cost. We pay $6/gallon for our milk, though I have seen it for slightly less at other farms. In reality, we are also lucky enough to have a farm within 10 minutes from our house. I have spoken to customers at the farm who have driven over an hour to get there. For some, $6 for a gallon of milk is a deal breaker. However, I factor more into that cost than just the milk.

“Things to consider #4:” are the overall health benefits that you receive from raw milk and the idea that if you spend more to put better things in your body up front, you spend less on medical problems down the road. I am supporting a local business, which I try to do whenever realistically possible. I also like the concept that I can walk into the farm and watch the cows get milked with their calves laying nearby, then return two hours later and buy that milk. I know exactly where my milk comes from. I can talk to the dairy farmer who knows exactly what is going on which each one of his cows. Having that connection with the farmer overrides any concerns I have about safety. Yes, there is an exaggerated threat of bad bacteria present in raw milk (Oh you don’t think that corporate dairy farming has an interest in undermining the small family dairy that produces raw milk? What world do you live in?). Keep in mind, though, that not all bacteria are bad. And apparently you can also get e. coli from everything…so I think the odds are in my favor when it comes to a raw milk from a trusted source.

Raw milk isn’t for everyone, I understand that. It isn’t something you happen to drive out of your way and pick up on a whim every once in a while. I think in some ways it becomes a lifestyle. If you meet someone who drinks raw milk, talk to them about it. I think you will find them passionate about the subject; I have been told to get off my soapbox more than once while at work. So if you are on the fence and have the option available to you, try it. If you are lactose intolerant, try it (you will actually be able to drink it). And if you decide raw milk isn’t for you, then try to buy your milk from a local dairy that pasteurizes its milk. Just don’t drink that soy milk crap.

Resources for those interested in research data, more passionate arguments, and more information in general:
http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/index.html
http://www.realmilk.com/
http://www.westonaprice.org/

Pasta & Squash with Tomatoes, Basil, and Pine Nuts

2011-09-05T20:40:00.002-04:00

Tonight I made a super-old favorite, Pasta & Squash with Tomatoes, Basil, and Pine Nuts. Local ingredients: zucchini, squash, cherry tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Hoorah!

Monkey Bars

2011-09-04T21:04:00.000-04:00

This recipe was super-highly rated on the Cooking Light website, and it sounded delicious so I decided to make some. It's true that they do taste kind of like banana bread, but not as dense. And the raisins are yummy. Haha. I used some golden raisins because that's what I had, and some rum extract because I couldn't get to the liquor store (a shame). I should have cooked it a little longer because the middle was still a little mushy when I took it out, but that's ok. I would make this again! And with real rum next time!

Monkey Bars
Cooking Light, October 2001

1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum or apple juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter -- softened
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
3 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine the raisins and rum in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high for 1 minute, and set aside. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 3 ingredients (flour through salt) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Set aside.

3. Combine brown sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add banana and next 3 ingredients (banana through egg whites), beating well. Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in raisin mixture and walnuts.

4. Spread the batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden. Cool the bars completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Servings: 16

Chickpea and Leek Soup

2011-09-04T20:58:00.000-04:00

Do you know how much I love Jamie Oliver? I really do. He's one of my favorite celebrity chefs. I love that he uses fresh, simple ingredients to make delicious, healthy food. He uses full-fat cream and olive oil and butter and phyllo and whatever he wants, but it's still super healthy just because it's not overly processed with preservatives or milked of all of its vitamins. And portion sizes! He loves portion sizes! And therefore, I love him.

I've really been making stuff with produce mostly from the farmer's market and our CSA - not as much from the grocery store, finally. This soup has a bunch of local food in it too - potatoes, leeks, garlic. Love love love. I used canned chickpeas because I'm lazy. I know, I know.

So this was simple and quick. I served it with some thick whole-grain bread from The Flour Shop in Bethlehem. I am a fan. I thought it was delicious. Like I said, it was super-simple. The bread is delicious. Gibby did not really like either of them. I don't know how he could not like the bread, that's like impossible to do, but he didn't. He thought the soup was TOO simple as well. Too bad. I might make this again to freeze or for lunches.

Chickpea and Leek Soup
"The Naked Chef" by Jamie Oliver, p.21

"This is a recipe that my Aussie friend Bender found in some old recipe book. It is quick and easy to make and it tastes fantastic. The chickpeas go really creamy and the leeks go silky and sweet. These are just two simple flavors, and even though I'm a bit of a fresh herbs boy, this lovely light soup is very tasty."

12 ounces chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 medium potato, peeled
5 medium leeks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
Salt and pepper
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Parmesan cheese, grated
Extra-virgin olive oil

Rinse the soaked chickpeas, cover with water, and cook with the potato until tender. Remove the outer skin of the leeks, slice lengthwise from the root up, wash carefully, and slice finely.

Warm a thick-bottomed pan, and add the oil and the butter. Add the leeks and garlic to the pan, and cook gently with a good pinch of salt until tender and sweet. Add the drained chickpeas and potato and cook for 1 minute. Add about two-thirds of the stock and simmer for 15 minutes.

Now decide if you want to puree the soup in some sort of processor, or leave it chunky and brothy, or do what I do which is puree half and leave the other half whole- this gives a lovely smooth comforting feel but also keeps a bit of texture. Now add enough of the remaining stock to achieve the consistency you like. Check for seasoning, and add Parmesan to taste to round off the flavors.

This is classy enough for a starter, but I like it best for lunch in a big bowl, with a good drizzle of my best peppery extra-virgin olive oil, a grinding of black pepper, and an extra sprinkling of Parmesan.

Servings: 6

Grilled Corn & Potato Chowder

2011-09-04T20:45:00.001-04:00

Oh! First I want to tell you that I made Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches with Red Onion and Aioli Saturday night, a favorite that we hadn't had in quite awhile. Delicious! I missed it. On to Sunday's dinner:

So. Our go-to corn & potato chowder is definitely THIS ONE, but I thought we'd try a new one just because it's grilled and doesn't have the poblanos. I really like grilled corn and potatoes, so it was a nice change. I don't think I would make it again because we're so addicted to the other one, but this was definitely a nice summer soup. Yum!

Grilled Corn and Potato Chowder
Cooking Light, September 2009

1 pound small red potatoes -- quartered
1 tablespoon salt -- divided
3 tablespoons softened butter -- divided
4 ears shucked corn
Cooking spray
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 thyme sprigs
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

2. Place a grill basket on grill.

3. Place potatoes and 2 teaspoons salt in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let potatoes stand in hot water 5 minutes. Drain; cut into 1/4-inch cubes.

4. Melt 1 tablespoon butter; brush evenly over corn. Place corn on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Place potatoes in grill basket coated with cooking spray. Grill corn and potatoes 15 minutes or until slightly charred, turning occasionally. Cool corn slightly; cut kernels from cobs. Place 1 cup corn kernels in a food processor; process until smooth.

5. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining 1 teaspoon salt and red pepper; cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Stir in potatoes, remaining corn kernels, pureed corn, milk, half-and-half, and thyme sprigs; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard thyme sprigs. Stir in chives and remaining ingredients.

Servings: 6

Broccoli & Pasta Casseroles

2011-09-02T22:25:00.000-04:00

I had high hopes for this since it sounds delicious, and we had a whole big bunch of beautiful fresh broccoli from the farm. And fresh ricotta from the dairy farm. The ricotta was so good, by the way. OK but. The whole thing was just meh. Pretty bland, even though I added garlic. I like my mom's broccoli parmesan casserole a lot better. I would not make this again.

Broccoli and Pasta Casseroles
Whole Living // Martha Stewart, February 2010

Using whole-wheat pasta and breadcrumbs boosts the fiber content of this crowd-pleaser and gives it an appealing nuttiness. Fat-free milk, part-skim ricotta, and a touch of sharp Parmesan lighten the casserole without sacrificing the taste or texture.

2 slices whole-wheat bread -- (1 ounce)
1 head broccoli -- (1 pound) cut into florets, stems peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 ounces whole-wheat fusilli pasta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion -- (5 ounces) (about 1 cup) finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground mustard
4 cups skim milk
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese -- pureed
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese -- (1 cup)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Process bread in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Toast for 8 minutes.

2. Cook broccoli in a large pot of boiling water until slightly tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon, reserving water in pot. Add pasta to water, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain.

3. Add oil and onion to clean pot over medium heat. Saute, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Add flour and ground mustard. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk in a slow, steady stream. Bring to a boil. Cook, whisking, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheeses and 1 teaspoon salt. Season with pepper.

4. Stir in broccoli and pasta. Transfer to six 1 1/2-cup ramekins or an 8 1/2-by-11-inch baking dish; top with breadcrumbs. Bake until bubbling and tops are browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

Servings: 6

Beer-Cheddar Soup

2011-08-30T21:46:00.000-04:00

OK. Onions. Beer. Cheese.

Any questions? Make again.

[Oh and obviously I used Sam Adams because it's my favorite.]

Beer-Cheddar Soup
Cooking Light, November 2007

Avoid using dark beer, which could make the soup too bitter. Toast the bread cubes a day ahead, cool, and store at room temperature. Serve the soup in a tureen with the toasted bread cubes and chives on the side, and let guests help themselves.

10 ounces sourdough bread -- cut into 1-inch cubes
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion -- (about 2 medium)
2 garlic cloves -- minced
12 ounces beer
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth -- divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour -- (about 2 1/4 ounces)
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk -- divided
1 1/4 cups shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese -- (5 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan; coat bread cubes with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until toasted. Set aside.

3. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in beer; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes or until onion is very tender.

4. Place beer mixture and 1 cup broth in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pan. Stir in remaining 3 cups broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

5. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1 cup milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and remaining 1 cup milk to pan; cook 12 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove pan from heat. Gradually add cheese, stirring until smooth. Stir in pepper. Serve with bread cubes and chives.

Servings: 12

Tips
Reviewers suggest using extra-sharp cheddar and Yuengling

Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes

2011-08-30T21:39:00.000-04:00

I like to bake for work sometimes, and we found this recipe a couple of weeks ago and it sounded delicious. You KNOW how much I love Nutella! This really disappointed me though! Personally, I thought they were very tasty. They were overcooked because my timer didn't go off (boooo!) but they weren't burned, just a little dry. The buttercream was heavy but delicious. SO I brought them to work and.... only two got eaten. TWO! I was really disappointed! They certainly weren't my crowning achievement but they were still very good nonetheless. Booo.

Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes
52 Kitchen Adventures

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Nutella Buttercream:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup Nutella
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat butter until softened and smooth. Add sugar and beat for a few minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each until well combined.

3. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. In a separate small bowl, combine milk and vanilla.

4. Add about 1/3 of dry ingredients to butter and sugar and mix until combined. Add about 1/2 of wet ingredients to mixture and mix until combined. Continue alternating dry and wet, mixing in between (finish with the remaining dry ingredients).

5. Fill cupcake tins about 1/2 full (don’t overfill – you only need 1/2) and bake for around 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. They will come out flat.

Nutella Buttercream:

Beat butter until smooth. Add Nutella and beat together until thoroughly combined. Slowly add powdered sugar, mixing until combined. Add 1 tablespoon of milk. Add additional milk or powdered sugar as needed to reach desired consistency.

Yield: 15-16 cupcakes

Eggplant Sandwich with Black Olive Pesto

2011-08-30T21:28:00.000-04:00

We've had so much delicious produce lately, between the farm and the farmer's market, that I was excited to make this sandwich to showcase it. I even got some fresh focaccia from the farmer's market, with rosemary and olive oil on top. Yum! Really, this sandwich was delicious. Absolutely wonderful. A little bit salty but I think that's from the bread in addition to the olives. Doesn't matter, still delicious. Much more filling than you would expect, so be prepared! Yum. I would consider making this again.

Eggplant Sandwich with Black Olive Pesto
Food Network: The Cookworks

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium Italian eggplant -- cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup olive oil
1 loaf focaccia
1 cup Black Olive Pesto -- recipe follows
4 tomatoes -- thinly sliced
2 roasted red peppers -- peeled and seeded
1 1/2 cups grated Asiago
Special equipment: food processor and pastry brush

For the Pesto:
1 cup black olives, pitted
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Coat each eggplant slice with the seasoned flour.

3. In a large skillet heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil over medium-high heat and fry the eggplant slices until golden brown on both sides, adding more oil as needed. Remove the eggplant from the skillet and blot lightly on paper towels.

4. Cut the focaccia in 1/2 horizontally and spread the Black Olive Pesto on the inside of both halves. Arrange the eggplant slices on 1 half of the focaccia. Layer the tomatoes and roasted peppers on top and sprinkle with cheese. Cover with the other half of the focaccia, pressing firmly to join.

5. Cut the sandwich in 2 pieces. Brush each side of the focaccia with olive oil. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and grill both sides until golden and crispy. Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and gooey.

6. Cut each sandwich into 3 and serve warm.

For the Pesto:

1. In a food processor puree the olives, Parmesan, olive oil, and garlic until smooth.

2. Can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks in an air tight container.

3. Yield: 1 cup

Servings: 6