Butternut Squash Ravioli

This was truly a trip into the unknown for me. Never before have I attempted to make ravioli or gnocchi, and last night I ended up making both!  A few weeks ago I made shu mai, Japanese steamed dumplings.  Because of that, I had about twenty dumpling wrappers left over.  These are perfect for making ravioli.  I'd also been fortunate enough to receive a butternut squash from my friend S.  So, butternut squash ravioli seemed like the perfect idea!  I started by roasting my butternut squash:

• Cut the squash in half lengthwise.  
• Scoop out any seeds and innards.
• Sprinkle with pepper, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Not much nutmeg!  Just a sprinkle.
• Drizzle the squash with olive oil.
• Place the two halves of the squash cut side (pulp side) down on aluminum foil, on a baking sheet.  Roast for 1 hour at 425.  
• This is the beautiful result:

Next we'll make the filling for our ravioli.  In a bowl mix the pulp from one side of the squash (make sure to remove any stringy bits) with about 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese.  Add a little more salt and pepper and about 2-3 tbsp of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Mix together. 

Next, crack 1 egg into a bowl and scramble.  This is the egg wash we will use to brush on the dumpling wrappers.  You can find both square and round wonton or dumpling wrappers.  Either is fine to use.  You can also make smaller ravioli by folding 1 dumpling wrapper in half.  I chose to make larger ones because I thought they would look pretty.




Take 1 dumpling wrapper and lightly brush it with egg wash.  Next, put about 1 tbsp filling in the middle of the wrapper.

Place another wrapper on top and press closed.  The important things are to 1. get all the air out.  You don't want any air bubbles in your ravioli or they will come unglued.  2. Make sure to press the wrappers closed from right around the filling all the way out to the edge.  Don't try to flatten the filling.  Leave it plumped up in the center.


This ravioli (left) is almost finished.  I still have some little air pockets to get out.  Continue this way until all of your raviolis are done.  I like to place them in a single layer on parchment paper; you can then stack another piece of parchment, then another layer of raviolis.







I had leftover filling, so I decided to attempt gnocchi.  I think these were a little doughy, but hey, it was a first attempt!  For the gnocchi, just mix in flour (start with 1/2 cup) with your filling until it forms a dough that you can work with without it being too sticky.  Flatten out the dough and cut it into strips.  Then cut each strip into about 1 inch pieces.

  

Next, roll each piece down the back of a fork to form grooves.  Add the gnocchi to the tray with your raviolis.

In a pot of boiling water, add the gnocchi a few at a time.  When they float to the top, they're done.  This will only take a few minutes.  Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and allow to rest on a plate.  Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese.  Next, swirl the water with your spoon and then carefully slide in about 4 raviolis (if you're making big ones) or 8 little raviolis.  Stir again to make sure they aren't sticking to the bottom, but be very gentle.  When the raviolis start to float to the top, remove them one by one to a lightly greased large pan ( you don't want to stack them on top of each other).  When all of your ravioli are done, you can make a sauce:

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a sauce pan.  Add in about 1 1/2 tbsp flour and whisk, allowing to cook.  You don't want this to be thick.  You want it to be foamy.  If it's thick, add more butter.  Once the flour and butter have cooked a few minutes, add about 2 cups of milk.  Sprinkle in about 1/8 tsp nutmeg, salt, and pepper.  Allow the mixture to start to boil slightly.  Whisk in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.  This is not supposed to be a thick sauce, so it's fine if it's still thin.  If you want it a little thicker you can add in a little corn starch.  Serve the raviolis and gnocchi on a plate and top with parmesan cream sauce.  I don't have any pictures of the finished product because we ate it all!

Meatless Mondays, Holidays, etc.

I was reading this article today and it got me to thinking about all those wonderful side dishes we have for holidays.  In fact, last year the BF and I seriously debated not having turkey this year at Thanksgiving.  The cornbread dressing, brussels sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes, and other goodies were so wonderful that honestly the turkey was just kind of that-thing-you-have-to-cook.  Then we decided that we definitely wanted the turkey for sandwiches the day after, so we nixed ditching the turkey all together.

However, I think our favorite meatless side dish has to be the roasted brussels sprouts.  I buy them fresh and halve the medium-sized ones (walnut sized) and then quarter any bigger than that.  I toss them in olive oil and sea salt and then roast them on a pan for about 20 minutes at 425.  It could take longer than 20 minutes...but I keep them in there until they start to get crispy.  Even if you hated brussels sprouts when you were younger, I encourage you to try this, or some variation perhaps with broccoli or cauliflower.

While our Thanksgiving will not be meatless, we do have meatless meals quite often.  Some of our favorites are various veggie pizzas--mushroom and artichoke, pesto and roasted tomato, and one with goat cheese, walnut pesto, and artichokes made by our favorite pizza place.  Pizza is SO easy to make great and vegetarian at the same time!  You never even miss the meat!

Risottos are also a great way to skip the meat.  They are so hearty and warm and cozy on their own!  Yes, risotto takes a little effort, but it's not particularly hard--it's just time consuming.  Still, since all you really have to do for the most part is stir and add broth, stir and add broth, repeat...it's pretty mindless.  Here is a great butternut squash risotto recipe courtesy of the Food Network.  Butternut squash is slightly sweet and while fresh is best, using the frozen butternut squash does make this much simpler.  But this recipe, a salad, and some french bread will fill you up in no time!

Of course, a last way to have a meatless meal is just to make a fabulous pot of potato soup.  What are your favorite "meatless" meals or side dishes?

Mac-N-Cheese perfection

For years I have been trying to perfect my homemade macaroni and cheese.  Often it was much easier to just stick with the old standby:  Kraft.  But since I am trying to stay away from more processed foods, I really wanted to work on homemade mac and cheese with sharp cheddar cheese sauce.   About a month ago I followed Alton Brown's recipe and that was pretty good; it seemed a little dry, but I liked the mix of ingredients.  Tonight I followed my instincts and came up with something like this:

I boiled about half a box of rigatoni pasta (it captures the sauce really well).  While that was working I melted 2 tbsp of butter in a sauce pan and added 2 tbsp of flour.  I cooked that for a few minutes and then added a full tbsp of dijon mustard (if using yellow mustard maybe use 1/2 a tbsp).  After whisking that around I poured in probably 2.5 cups of 2% milk.  (I say probably because I am honestly not sure.  I know it was at least 2 cups.  I added some crushed red pepper (just a sprinkle) and some cracked black pepper.  I let it barely barely come to a boil--as soon as I saw movement I took it off the heat--and added 1 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese and about 1/4 cup of swiss cheese.  I whisked it in and then added about 1 tsp salt (to taste).  This sat until the pasta was ready.  I drained the pasta, mixed the two together and then in a separate bowl beat 1 egg.  I mixed a little of the cheese sauce in with the egg and then poured it back in with the pasta and cheese mix. 

I poured all of this into a greased 9" cast iron skillet.  I topped this with a mixture of 1 tbsp oil with 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (or enough crumbs and cheese to still be moist, but not wet when mixed with the oil). 

FINALLY I baked the mac and cheese for about 20 minutes at 425--until everything was brown and bubbly.  This was the best mac and cheese I've ever made!  So good in fact that I went back for seconds...

Pesto is definitely the best-o!

Tonight I made my very own pesto...sans recipe!  The one little plant in my window garden is a basil plant.  Tonight I blended about a cup of those leaves, along with 4 cloves of garlic (3 might have been a little better), 1/4 cup of feta cheese.  Once all this was pureed and crumbly, I turned the food processor on full power and streamed in what was somewhere between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup olive oil--just enough to bind everything together and make it creamy.

Next I cooked a pot of about 8 oz of pasta, drained it (except for 1/4 cup of pasta water) and then put it back in the pot.  I added in the pesto and bit of water and mixed.  Top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

A Love of Potatoes

I have to confess, I LOVE potatoes.  For a long time I really didn't think much about them.  I occasionally ate a baked potato and at Thanksgiving always made baked sweet potatoes, but that was about it.  Then, in my Gourmet Today cookbook, I found a recipe for olive oil glazed potatoes.  They were amazing!  After that I started cooking potatoes once a week at least.  Roasted potatoes, baked potatoes, homemade french fries...the BF's potato hash...  It's not just the potatoes that are fabulous; the combination of spices, potatoes and dipping sauces are what make potato dishes fabulous.

The roasted potatoes are my favorite and I have been trying to perfect them for some time.  Finally, with a little help from Tyler Florence (for cooking temp and time) I think I have my recipe down.  You can use any combination of spices that you want, but this is what I did tonight:

Cut one potato in half lengthwise, then cut each half into quarters.  You should have 8 pieces.  Put some (a few tablespoons) of olive oil on a plate or in a large bowl and toss the potatoes in it.  On a plate, mix 1 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp chili powder and 1/8 tsp cayenne (or more if you like things spicy).  Mix the spices well, then lightly dip each side of each potato wedge in the mixture.  Rub it on so that it gets all over.  Line a toaster oven pan (or regular oven pan if you don't have a toaster oven) with aluminum foil and place the wedges so that they are sitting up on the pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for at least 30 minutes.  Check them every 10 or so, especially if you are cooking them in a regular oven.  Don't take them out until you see the outsides of the potatoes start to get brown and a little bubbly.

I like to dip mine in homemade ranch dressing...but use whatever you like!  They are fabulous!

And if you haven't checked it out yet, be sure to visit A Farmer in the Dell--a blog of life on Ralph Waldo Emerson's Farm

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup--penny's version

I'm making this this weekend...not sure why I'm craving soup in August, but I am, so I'm making it. I actually leave the noodles out completely, but it's good either way.

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
Ingredients
2-3 chicken breasts or hindquarter pieces (or a combo)
2 quarts water
1 bunch spinach (optional)
3 jalapenos, sliced
1-1/2 c chopped purple cabbage
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1-2 c sliced mushrooms
juice of 1 lime
1 or 2 cans of coconut milk (I use light coconut milk)
1 heaping tsp of curry powder
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp coriander
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1/2 lb fettucini or Phad Thai noodles

Instructions
Boil the chicken in a big pot in 2 quarts water until done. When done, take the meat out, keep the stock. Strain the fat off the top if there is any. Cook the noodles in the stock, but get them out of the pot with a slotted spoon when done. Add to the stock pot the mushrooms, jalapenos, cabbage, and spices (including fish sauce) and bring to a boil. Shred the chicken and add to the soup mixture. Add coconut milk, lime juice, noodles, spinach and cilantro. Heat until hot, but don't boil forever or the spinach will turn to mush.

You can really do anything you want with this...just chicken and noodle, just chicken, add different veggies...add shrimp...it has lots of possibilities!

Plagued by pain and frustration

First, let's get one thing straight: Mountain biking is my favorite sport. I love the challenge of it, I love how easy it is to see success and I love how, this year, I'm not crashing! Still...running has become my second favorite sport. I love to run alone on long runs, and I love running trails with Lynn and Elissa. There's something about just running and meeting each and every goal along the way that gets in your blood...the endorphins kick in, the adrenaline gets going, and you just feel so ecstatic...it's crazy and it feels wonderful.

It feels wonderful until, like me, you wake up the day after a long run with aching hips or shin splints...you get a sore knees 2/3 of the way through a run, or and this is the most bizarre, you wake up in the middle of the night with pain from a strained PELVIC JOINT. Yes. It's happened to me. Right now I'm dealing with some sort of tendonitis on the outside of my left ankle. It was getting better after 3 days of rest and then, like any runner, I went running. Let me stress that while running, my ankle did not hurt. I thought well great! It's getting better! Oh no. It was just toying with me. I woke up this morning and the pain was back, just as bad as Monday. Ibuprofen, ice, elevation...all seem to help a little, but MAN walking is painful. This is my foot, at my desk, in a slightly awkward position with a giant piece of ice under my ankle.



Look I understand that in running injuries are going to happen. I get that. It's a lot of pounding and blah blah blah. But do I have to get EVERY injury? Granted I only get them very briefly (the issue with my IT band lasted 2 runs), but still. It's frustrating when I want to train for the half-marathons and I can't.

On the other hand, it's a good excuse to go for some long bike rides! Maybe this weekend I'll bike here:


(Thanks for posing Tomas :))

I guess I just needed to rant. I've got a big bike trip coming up and more than anything I do not want this ankle to still be hurting. So I'll be good and I'll rest it and I'll sit at my desk in bizarre positions so I can ice it. Better to take a few days off now than a month off later.

Strawberry-Apricot Margaritas & Mahi-Mahi Lettuce Wraps

**I did not follow this recipe exactly. My substitutions are in italics! So this is my half-empty glass of strawberry-apricot margarita. It is refreshing and wonderfully cold in this 101 degree heat!

Strawberry-Apricot margaritas (originally just apricot margaritas)

1 & 1/2 cups of fresh apricots halved and pitted (or strawberries, or peaches, or any mix of these)
1/2 cup of tequila (or a little more)
2 tbsp of triple sec
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of apricot nectar (what I did as a sort of substitution for both of these was combine about 3 tbsp of sugar and 1/2 cup of water. I heated it on the stove until the sugar melted and then let it cool. I then added this to the blender.)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice or margarita mix
Fill the blender the rest of the way with ice. Blend until smooth. Of course you may need to adjust this to your taste with added sugar, tequila or fruit.

Mahi-Mahi Lettuce Wraps

For the fish: You can use Mahi-Mahi, Salmon, or even Tuna. Marinate the fish in a teriyaki marinade for about an hour. Grill over direct heat for approximately 5 minutes on each side or until it flakes easily. Flake it all apart on a plate or at least chop it up some so it's easy to put on your lettuce leaves.

For the condiments: You'll need easily wrappable lettuce leaves like the upper half of romaine leaves, butter or Bibb lettuce. Green leaf will work too.

Then create a plate of toppings like thinly sliced snow or sugar snap peas, cole slaw mix, onion, cilantro, and/or jalapeno.

If you can find it, mix some spicy peanut sauce with soy sauce for a great dipping sauce. Just plain soy will work too, or you can make your own mix with soy sauce, a little peanut butter thinned with water, and some cayenne pepper for spice.

Then you just assemble everything in a lettuce leaf and enjoy!

Apricot "wontons"

I chose this picture because I really think the rectangular "wontons" worked better than the triangles. This was a super simple recipe that could be adapted to any fruit in any season and probably could be done with several different types of pastry/crust/dough.

Ingredients:

eggroll wrappers (or wonton wrappers, or probably thinly rolled raw flour tortillas...)
about 1 cup of chopped fruit (peaches, apricots, cherries, apples, etc)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
Powdered Sugar
Oil

Put the tbsp sugar in a small mixing bowl.

Heat a pan over medium high heat with the butter. When the butter starts to melt, add the fruit and cook just until the fruit starts to soften a little. Once this happens, pour the fruit and butter into the mixing bowl with the sugar. This might be a little soupy, but that's fine.

Rinse out your skillet, then heat oil in the skillet--maybe 1 1/2 inches deep? Not a full deep-fry, but not a pan fry...somewhere in between.

Lay an eggroll wrapper on a cutting board or hard surface. Place 1 1/2 tbsp of filling in the center of the wrapper. Fold one side just over the filling, then fold in the ends and fold up the last side. Place the wontons in the pan, folded side down and cook for about 5 minutes or until brown on the bottom. Carefully flip over and cook a few more minutes until the other side browns.

Take out and drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream if you like.

I didn't measure and didn't write anything down, but I think this one will be easy to follow/figure out/re-invent!

Maki-zushi / Futomaki

Tonight I made maki-zushi, futomaki to be exact, which is basically sushi with veggies instead of raw fish. Not that i don't like sushi, but when making it at home I don't really want to deal with the raw fish. I found some interesting ideas for veggies from this article on the NYTimes website. So off to the store I went!

I decided not to spend too much money because a few ingredients can go a long way with maki-zushi and sushi rolls. I got asparagus, cucumber, avocado and white mushrooms. I like creminis but for this I figured a lighter taste was better.

I cooked my rice:
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup rice
Boil 1 minute, reduce heat and simmer with a lid on for 15-20 minutes. Pour out of pan onto a plate or something to cool.

Mix 1/4 cup rice vinegar and 1/4 cup sugar and microwave for about 30 seconds to help dissolve the sugar. When the rice has cooled, mix about half of this vinegar/sugar mixture into the rice. Let set.

I cut off the bottom 1/3 of the asparagus stems and discarded. Then I cut the remainder of the asparagus into thirds and chopped the mushrooms into strips. I sauteed these together with some sesame oil.

I didn't do anything to the avocado and cucumber. I tried several different styles of rolls but I decided the basic, rolled with the bamboo mat rolls still worked best. You can usually find sushi kits in bookstores or kitchen stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Of course I dipped my rolls in a mixture of low-sodium soy sauce and wasabi! Have fun!

Our "go to" meals

I'm here and I"m still eating! Life has been hectic lately what with it being spring and bike season! Also I'm in the early stages of training for a half-marathon so dinner has been pretty simple lately...so I thought a good post for today would be "go to" meals. You know, those meals you always have all the ingredients for...the ones you have probably at least once a week when you know you should stay in but you have no idea what to make!

Meal #1: Homemade pizza We almost always have a pizza crust or a pizza crust mix. And there's always mozzarella cheese and some assortment of sausage, artichokes, peppers, onions, basil, parmesan...well, there's always something suitable for a pizza!

Meal #2: Grilled chicken, tuna steaks, or pork, baked potatoes and salad. Come on...you know you always have potatoes at home. Some nights there's nothing better than pure simple baked potatoes. AND potatoes have lots of potassium!

Meal #3: Pasta and anything There are few things that don't go with pasta. It's rare that we don't have spaghetti sauce or at least the stuff to make our own spaghetti sauce, pesto sauce, or something to make a cheese or olive oil sauce. Then it can be as simple as adding toasted bread crumbs and green peas, shrimp, or even just broccoli.

Meal #4: Black bean quesadillas When all else fails, mix some salsa into drained and rinsed black beans, add cheese, place in a tortilla and get it all crispy and brown in a pan. Who needs Qdoba?

2 for 1!

Double Double Butter Cake
This past week I got the chance to go back to my hometown and see my family. My dad's birthday was Sunday so I helped my Mom bake Dad's cake while my sister was busy prepping for the rest of dinner--making salads! Mom read her recipe and mixed in the shortening and flour, and I cracked the 5 eggs (each one in the bowl, then in the mixing bowl...wouldn't want to have a bad egg!) After the 1 hr and 20 minutes that the cake was supposed to cook it was still soupy...hmmmm..."What did we do wrong?" Neither of us could figure it out, so we set the timer for another 30 minutes and went to the store. When we came back the cake had fallen--instead of being puffy and fluffy, it was sunken and lumpy. So Mom took it out and tried to flip the cake over onto a plate. It fell everywhere! The entire kitchen counter was covered with cake! Here's what you do when that happens:


So, we tasted the cake--it was still really good! We made the brown sugar glaze and poured it over the crumbled cake in the dish. It may not have been pretty but it tastes good. So what did we do wrong? Well, this sort of thing is what happens when you accidentally use TWICE the amount of shortening that you need. Lesson learned (MOM).

Going meatless

I like to have vegetarian days. I don't know if I could ever be a vegetarian 100% of the time, but I like to find other ways to get protein that just eating meat. Some days I do better than others. Yesterday at the airport I managed to find a great little sandwich shop with a fabulous "Colorado Sunshine" sandwich. Avocado, sprouts, cucumber, pickles, tomato, cheese, and lettuce make a great vegetarian sandwich! Today I wanted to continue the theme so for dinner I made mushroom and roasted artichoke pizza. It's not hard and it tastes great! Roasting is a fabulously easy way to cook veggies. All I did was drain about 5 artichoke hearts, cut them in half, drizzle olive oil on them, add salt and pepper and roast them at 450 for about 10 minutes. If you're cooking something tougher, like brussels sprouts, you'd want to use a bit of a lower temp for a longer period of time.

Anyway, we had some new store-bought pizza crusts that weren't fabulous...but they held the toppings :) Pizza is an awesomely easy way to go--you can put almost anything on a pizza crust and it will most likely taste great!

To Dine out, or not to Dine out?

Recently, after a bad experience at a new Chinese restaurant, I struggled again with a theory...food cooked at home (unless you're a really bad cook) is almost always better tasting and better for you than food cooked elsewhere. Now, I'll be the first to admit that's not true 100% of the time (hence the reason for the "almost" in my hypothesis). When it comes to pizza, Pablo's and the Hot Tomato here in Grand Junction and Fruita respectively will beat me every time at pizza. But Dominos? Pizza Hut? No. Mine tastes like I want it to and has probably pretty natural ingredients on it.

Chinese? Well, I haven't found a place that I just love for chinese here...Sushi, yes. Chinese--well, I think the Lemon Chicken I make at home is better! I know I can make crab rangoon, and I"m pretty damn sure I can make spring rolls and egg rolls. I make a tasty sesame noodle dish too--with WHOLE WHEAT noodles!

Still struggling with bbq, but this summer we'll perfect ribs for sure! All I'm saying is that sometimes, when you want some particular type of food-whether it's Italian, Mexican, or Thai, find a recipe online and try to make something yourself!

Here's a simple sort-of Thai recipe:

Cook any type of basic pasta (whole wheat is best): penne, spaghetti noodles, or rigatoni are best. Then chop and saute a chicken breast (free range or organic if you can get it) and veggies like snow peas, broccoli, pepper, onion...until done with some olive oil, a chopped clove of garlic and salt and pepper. Mix it with the pasta when everything is done and the pasta is drained. On the Asian food aisle of most grocery stores you can find Spicy Peanut Sauce. Shake it alllll over the noodles and mix it up! The more you add, the spicier it'll be! Sprinkle a little cilantro on top and you're good to go without the take out!

Baked Chicken Meatballs with Peperonata

Excuse the lack of pictures...sometimes I just plain forget!

Peperonata is roasted red bell peppers with a caper viniagrette...for lack of a better way to describe it. It is so simple and yet so flavorful!

For the Peperonata:
*3 red bell peppers cut into wide strips
*1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tbsp drained capers
1 tsp red-wine vinegar (white wine works too)
1/8 tsp hot red pepper flakes

For the Meatballs
*3 slices italian bread, torn into pieces (I used french bread from Albertson's and it worked just fine)
*1/3 cup milk
*3 oz sliced pancetta, finely chopped (splurge and get it--it's worth it)
*1 small onion, finely chopped
*1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large egg
1 lb ground chicken
3 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley (I did leave this out but used some extra italian seasoning in the sauce)
1 tbsp tomato paste

Accompaniment: garlic bread made from remainder of Italian loaf.

Make peperonata: Preheat oven to 400 F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Toss bell peppers with 1 tbsp oil, then roast in a 4 sided sheet pan in lower third of oven, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 35 minutes.

Stir together capers, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and remaining 1/2 tbsp oil in a medium bowl and set aside.

Make meatballs while peppers roast:
Soak bread in milk in a small bowl until softened, about 4 minutes.

Cook pancetta, onion, and garlic in 1 tbsp oil with 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until onion is softened, about 6 minutes. Cool slightly.

Squeeze bread to remove excess milk, then discard milk. Lightly beat egg in a large bowl, then combine with chicken, pancetta mixture, bread, and parsley. Form 12 meatballs and arrange in another 4-sided sheet pan. (Chicken is harder to form into an actual ball than beef. I just kind of molded a handful and didn't try to make them pretty).

Stir together tomato paste and remaining tbsp oil. I added about 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning and 1/8 tsp garlic salt. Brush over meatballs, then bake in upper third of oven until meatballs are just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. If you like, top with mozarella cheese and broil for just 30 seconds or so until the cheese is brown.

Toss peppers with caper mixture. Serve meatballs with peperonata.

This recipe was taken from the August 2009 issue of Gourmet magazine. Page 55.

What to make for dinner?

All day I pondered this. For lunch I knew I was having ooey gooey deep dish pizza with Daniel and Richie. It was fabulous! And so was the company ;) Still, after that I decided I wanted something light for dinner. At first I was thinking soup...it was kind of gross outside and soup seemed like a good idea. But I couldn't decide what kind. I wanted a vegetarian meal too...So as I was walking into the store to get lettuce, because I knew I wanted salad, my Mom suggested just making a big salad and getting french bread. Perfect! So I headed to the produce section to see what might catch my eye for the salad: I got red leaf lettuce and romaine to go with some things I already had at home. Then some portabellini mushrooms caught my eye! Perfect size for stuffing and there were 6 of them. Perfect for 2!

Here are the mushrooms before baking:


You can stuff these with anything. Bacon and cream cheese, crab meat and bread crumbs...anything. Tonight I used: 2 marinated pieces of artichoke heart, about 2 tbsp of finely chopped onion, 1/2 tbsp of cream cheese, 4 tbsp of parmesan cheese, and about 4 tbsp of bread crumbs. I mixed and mashed everything together in a bowl and added just a drop or two of olive oil for moisture. I scooped out the "gills" of the mushrooms and brushed the tops off with a damp paper towel then filled each one with the cheese mixture. With the oven heating to 450 I popped them in for about 15 minutes. The finished product, as you can see below, will be a little wrinkly, with nicely browning tops. They might even be bubbling.


My salad had a creamy cheddar cheese in it, roasted red pepper, marinated artichoke, cucumber, carrots...but hey, it's a salad, throw in whatever you want!

Recipes are nothing but outlines

Here's one thing to remember: following a recipe exactly is only necessary when baking. If you're making an italian dish or even just a family favorite main course, be inventive! Don't have green olives? Use some capers! Out of noodles? Try rice! No cream of mushroom? What about cream of chicken or celery?

Today I had no idea what to make. I remembered I had some polenta (the kind already molded into a roll) in the refrigerator and so I looked on my favorite website Food Network and found a great one. It was basically fried polenta rounds with a cream cheese mixture and a red sauce on top.

I had to go to the store anyway so I grabbed some basil and cream cheese while I was there. The recipe called for Mascarpone cheese which is pretty expensive, so I kind of made my own with cream cheese, sour cream, and a little drop of milk. When I got home I:

1. Sliced the polenta into rounds--maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick? And basically fried them in olive oil and butter. About 1 tbsp of each, mixed together.
2. I mixed 1/2 a block of cream cheese with 2 spoonfuls of sour cream and 1 tbsp of milk. Then I added 2 tbsp of capers and about 1 tbsp of lemon juice. This I set aside.
3. I chopped up 1/2 a jar of roasted red peppers, 4 roma tomatoes and 1 clove of garlic. Once all the polenta rounds were browned all over I removed them from the pan and threw in the garlic. As soon as it sizzled I added the tomatoes and roasted red pepper.
4. I was hesitant to add much salt as that can draw out the water from the tomatoes and make the sauce watery. I added about a tbsp more olive oil and let everything cook and soften. Then I added a sprinkle of salt and about 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce, just to add a deeper flavor.
5. Finally I tore up 4 large leaves of basil and added that to the sauce.

To assemble: Place 4 or 5 polenta rounds on a plate. Top with 1/2 cup of the cheese mix and then cover with 1/2 to 2/3 cup of the red sauce.

This recipe can be adapted to whatever you have: black olives, onion, bell pepper, just garlic and tomato sauce...you can do anything with this!

Thai Peanut Sauce and Wasabi-They'll cure what ails you!

For the past few weeks I thought I had really dodged the cold bullet that brought down the BF, my boss and several other people at work. Friday night I started to feel that scratchy feeling in the back of my throat...Saturday I was stuffy. Sunday I was miserable. I ate Tabasco on everything Sunday. On my cheese omelet and grits (Hey, I'm from Georgia, deal with it!), had Rotel and Velveeta for a snack with chips--plenty of heat there, and had fajitas for dinner with Tabasco on every bite. Still stuffy. Today I pulled this out:


Wasabi paste is easily found on the Asian food aisle in most grocery stores. I find it easier to use than wasabi powder and it keeps in the fridge for at least a month. So I decided on a two-part meal: Pasta and Stir-Fry Veggies with Thai Peanut Sauce and sauteed shrimp with Wasabi Mayo. This is a meal that can be made with so many improvisations...I'll give you the basic method with a few ideas for how to make it your own:

I chop (approximately) 1/2 of a large onion, 1 cup of carrots, sliced on a diagonal, 1 large bell pepper (yellow or red is best), and I wash 1 1/2 cups of sugar snap peas. This is what I had on hand. You could add green peas, snow peas, asparagus, broccoli, a hot pepper like a thai chili pepper or serrano, even water chestnuts or bamboo shoots which are commonly found canned on the Asian food aisle. Start by sauteeing (I'm not fast enough to really be stir frying) the food that will take the longest: the carrots. Start them in the pan with about 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil. Use vegetable oil because it doesn't get quite as hot as Olive oil and is less likely to burn things. Add 1 clove of crushed garlic if you want. Let this cook for 3-4 minutes and then add the middle veggies: peppers, onions, asparagus, broccoli. Stir fry for 3-4 more minutes or until things are getting more tender. Then add the snow or sugar snap peas or green peas. This is also when you'd add the bamboo shoots or water chestnuts. Cook for about 3 more minutes or until everything is tender, but still with a bite and still colorful.

In the meantime, heat water in a large pot for pasta. Use about half a box of penne or, if you prefer, spaghetti noodles. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta and pour it back in the pot along with the vegetables. Add THAI PEANUT SAUCE. This stuff is amazing. Peanutty, spicy, sweet...start with a few tablespoons and then add to taste.

THEN: Make the Wasabi Mayo: 1 cup mayo, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar, and 1 tbsp (or to taste) Wasabi paste. Mix everything together and refrigerate.

NEXT: Shell, devein, clean whatever, about 20 shrimp. Place them directly into the saute pan from earlier over medium heat. As soon as the bottom turns pink, flip them over. Cook for about another minute. AS SOON as they are pink take them off the heat.

Serve the veggies and pasta along side the shrimp with Wasabi Mayo for dipping. It'll clear your sinus and fill your tummy all at the same time!

British Flapjacks

I got this from this month's Bon Appetit magazine in an article by Molly Wizenberg.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup (apparently found in some supermarkets and specialty stores...I used regular syrup because it's what I had.)
2 1/3 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant or old fashioned) (or if you're me, you have 1 1/2 cups of oats and you substitute in like 3/4 cup of granola cereal).

Prehead oven to 350. Butter an 8x8x2 pan. Combine the butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan and cook stirring constantly over medium-low heat until everything is dissolved, melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Add oats and a pinch of salt. Stir until coated. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and spread out in an even layer.

Bake for 25 minutes until top is golden (edges will be darker). Remove and let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Cut into 4 squares then cut each square into 2 triangles. It will still be a little soft. Let cool completely in pan before serving.

Enjoy!

Why I love risotto

I discovered risotto only about a year ago. The BF was making dinner and he made an asparagus risotto that was unbelievable. So creamy, so comforting...I couldn't believe it was rice! Don't get me wrong, I like rice pudding, but this was a savory dish, and it was better than any pasta I'd ever had. Since then I've made it myself-once. It was great then too, and tonight I decided to make a very simple risotto almost without a recipe. I knew that for 3 cups of Arborio rice I'd need 6 cups of chicken stock (I used about a cup and a half of water and 4 and a half of stock). I chopped about 3/4 cup of onion and one large clove of garlic and sauteed it with 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil while the broth came to a simmer. I poured in a dash of white wine with the onions--just about 1/4 cup for flavor, if that much. I added in the rice and stirred the onions, garlic and rice for a few minutes, then started adding the broth one ladle full at a time. I set the timer for 22 minutes so I would make sure to cook it long enough.

In the meantime, between ladling in broth, stirring, letting it absorb the liquid and adding another ladle full I: defrosted about 1 cup of green peas to add at the end of the cooking time. I also got out some asparagus, cut off the bottom 1/3 of the spears, drizzled them with olive oil, added salt and stuck them in a 400 degree oven for about 23 minutes (longer if the stems are thick).

The risotto started to get a little thicker and I could tell it was growing in the pan. I was halfway through and did a taste test: good, but it needed salt and certainly wasn't tender enough yet. I added about 1/4 tsp salt. (I was using unsalted chicken broth). I also added about 1/2 tsp coarse ground pepper.

The broth was nearing its end...I added one more ladle full and stirred. As the liquid started to absorb, I added in the green peas and let the risotto cook for another minute or two before adding one last bit of liquid (like a quarter of a ladle full). I stirred again and measured out 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. As I turned off the heat I added in the cheese. As I stirred you could see the whole dish come together--the creamy consistency formed and it seemed to be calling to me!

My asparagus spears were crunchy at the tip and sweetly salty through and through. And, as you can tell from the picture, I really really enjoyed my risotto tonight. I finished this bowl too!

Really? This is a recipe?

While eating dinner tonight I noticed the recipe below on the back of the crouton box. Since my phone was closer than the digital camera I snapped a quick photo so I could share the ridiculousness that is this recipe. For real.


Now I know not everyone knows how to cook. I realize that. But who doesn't know how to throw some lettuce and carrots in a bowl and put dressing and croutons on it? Who needs a recipe for THAT?

What are your favorite salad ingredients? We like green leaf lettuce or baby spinach, carrots, sugar snap peas, frozen corn (defrosted of course) and walnuts. Sometimes I throw on avocado or marinated artichokes. Once in a while I'll add egg and maybe some ham or chicken. I make ranch dressing using a packet, light mayo and 2% milk. We LOVE salad, and never once have I used a recipe to make a BASIC green salad. Ever.

Book Blog Mondays

I read this blog by John Douglas Marshall the other day: Three Overlooked Gems and decided I needed some new reading material. For a while now I've been wading through Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and Pete Dexter's Spooner. Still, I found myself losing interest. There's only so much cattle feed lot, corn fed everything I can take before I have to move on...don't get me wrong, I like what Pollan has to say, but I have to take it in small doses so as not to throw out everything in my cabinets and go digging in the dirt for food.

Spooner is a great book. It's got quirky characters, great southern charm at the beginning, and some interesting conflicts...but about 2/3 of the way through I start to wonder where it's going and why I'm going there with it. The story seems to come to a stand still and just doesn't move anymore.

SO, after reading Marshall's blog, I ordered 2 of the 3 books: A Sudden Country and Trauma Farm. I like the sound of the first one because it seems to be more of a young-adult novel and I can always use those for my work over at Gourmet Learning, Inc.. I like history and the ideas in this novel fit what I was looking for. The second one sounds like a great, down-to-earth, honest look at farm life. That sounds more entertaining than a lot of fiction I read! So I'm continuing to wade through my other two choices while i wait, not so patiently, for these new ones to arrive!

Grilled Cumin Chicken Breasts with Avocado and Corn Salsa

Ok, I took this recipe from the Gourmet Today cookbook, page 524. I have a hard time following recipes exactly so this one has been altered a little based on what I had at home. To me, cumin has kind of a musty smell to it. It's smokey and savory, but it's a little musty...still, I do enjoy cooking with it when I'm aiming for southwest or Mexican flavors. Tonight I was looking for something a little lighter and lower in calories...and I came across this recipe (this is basically it).

Chicken:
Defrost 2 chicken breasts (boneless skinless is what I use)
Whisk together 1/2 tablespoon cumin and 1/2 tbsp + a little more olive oil
Rub this mixture all over your chicken breasts and let them chill in the fridge while you work on everything else. If you have a charcoal grill, light it now!

Salad
I start with a basic big green salad: 1 head green leaf lettuce (or your favorite kind), 1/2 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas, 3 oz carrots, a boiled egg.

Take 1 bell pepper and slice it in half from top to bottom. Clean out the seeds and spray both sides of the pepper with olive oil spray. Set aside.

Light the grill if you haven't already and let it heat for about 10 minutes. Place the chicken and the bell pepper on the grill over moderately high heat. In 5 minutes turn everything. Set the timer for another 5 minutes.

The Avocado Salsa

While everything is grilling, chop half an avocado and put it in a bowl. Add about a tablespoon of fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup chopped onion and 1/2 cup of corn kernels (I use frozen corn that I've defrosted). Mix this together and add 1/8 tsp lemon juice or orange juice to keep the avocado from turning brown. Mix again. Add a little salt and pepper and mix one more time. It should be chunky and creamy.

The Salad Dressing
I make my own ranch dressing using light mayo, low fat milk and a packet of ranch dressing mix. If you have bottled ranch that is fine too, it all tastes good! Mix 4 tablespoons of ranch dressing with 1/4 cup of your favorite salsa until combined.

The chicken is done, of course, when the juices run clear and nothing is pink. The bell pepper should be soft and a little charred. Chop up the pepper and slice the chicken to put over the salad. Put dollops of the salsa all over the salad and drizzle with dressing. ENJOY!

P.S. I did grill a piece of italian bread with olive oil to go with my salad. Grilled bread is AMAZING! Try it!

Turkey and Friday Venting

I'm not sure I understand the big deal about turkey. Last night I made turkey scallopini from my new favorite cookbook:


The recipe was very simple and the sauce was great! I can imagine that this would be very good with chicken or even eggplant...but turkey? Meh. It was alright. What was really good was the bread that I dipped in the sauce and the roasted brussels sprouts i made along with it. This year for Thanksgiving instead of a yummy roasted turkey with brown crispy skin we'll probably have a ham. Or no meat at all...really why do you even need it when you've got cornbread dressing, roasted vegetables, baked sweet potatoes...who needs meat?

Why I don't eat mega burgers

It is 2:12 p.m. I have 2 hours and 48 minutes of work time left. My eyes are heavy, my fingers feel fat and sluggish and seem to be rebelling when I force them to use energy to punch keys on the keyboard. This is what they do when I don't use the backspace: See, I an sit here and type but they just seem to have a moind of their own. It's hard to yp and not correct yourself with the bacpace key too, butheway.

The reason for my food coma is this:

Oh yes, you recognize it don't you? You know the restaurant it came from. You know, like I do, that in this one burger is an entire day's worth of fat, calories, sodium...and you know you've had the craving and eaten your fair share. The food coma is exactly why I so rarely eat these burgers. I love the burger and yet I end up miserable all afternoon. In fact, I've taken to eating only at restaurants that do not cause me to experience the food coma.

It's burgers like this that contribute to childhood obesity! Ok, it's the parents who let their kids eat burgers like this every day of the week...or most days of the week. Burgers like this should be treats! For special occasions! Treat the mega burger like the giant piece of bacony, meaty goodness it is and use it sparingly.

Speaking of awesome treats, we just got these at work today:


According to the boss man they are: made of
recycled plastic, they are recyclable, and are BPA-free. Perhaps if I drink enough water I can flush the yummy but deadly burger toxins from my body!

Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Shrimp Teriyaki

I made this tonight in about 30 minutes. Pretty simple dish, even though it does have a lot of ingredients! Don't be intimidated and feel free to improvise!

First: Gather the ingredients for the Sesame Noodle sauce.

You'll need 3 tbsp of sugar, 6 tbsp of rice vinegar, 6 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of sesame oil, and 3 large cloves of garlic. Of course, you'll also need 16 oz of either rice noodles or angel hair pasta.

Next, gather the ingredients for the chicken and shrimp teriyaki. (Minus the chicken and shrimp which are not shown).

You will need one cup of each of the following: chopped bell pepper (any color), chopped onion, chopped snow peas, frozen green peas (thawed), 1 chicken breast (large) and 24 raw, easy peel large shrimp, thawed. You'll also need about 2 tbsp of cilantro, which you can tear by hand (just the leaves, not the stems)

The easiest way to thaw the shrimp is to put them in a plastic bowl and run cold water over them. Let them sit for a few minutes while you work on other ingredients. If they are going to sit for more than 15 minutes, you'll need to change out the water.

Prepare the Sesame noodle sauce:

Peel the garlic by placing 1 clove under the flat part of a wide knife. Hit the flat part of the knife with the heel of your hand, smashing the garlic. Peel of the skin and chop finely.


Mix the rest of the sesame noodle sauce ingredients with the garlic in a small pan and set aside.

Cook the chicken and shrimp teriyaki:

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add in the chopped chicken breast and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Let the chicken begin to brown on one side. Add in the pepper and onion and continue cooking for about 3 minutes. Add in the snow peas. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are slightly soft. Turn heat to low.

In the mean time, follow the directions on the rice noodles or pasta and cook until soft. While the noodles are cooking, heat the sesame noodle sauce over medium heat until it comes to a boil.



When the noodles are done, pour 2/3 of the sauce over the noodles and mix thoroughly to coat the noodles.


Finally, peel and chop the shrimp in half. Add them and the green peas to the chicken mixture with 1/4 tsp ginger and 1 tbsp teriyaki. Cook until the shrimp turns pink then immediately remove from heat. Add the last bit of sauce to the chicken and shrimp mixture.

I like to serve it with a mound of noodles on the plate and the chicken/shrimp mixture over the top. If you dare, eat with chopsticks!

Remember Me

So I'm lying on the couch last night watching "Rules of Engagement" when I think to myself,  who's going to remember me?  I say to the BF, "you know...this is one reason to have kids.  Who's going to remember us when we die?"  The BF's very practical response?  "We won't care, we'll be dead."

He has a point.  Once we're dead we won't care who remembers us or if anyone ever says to themselves, "I wonder what Jewels would have thought about that?"  Maybe someone will say, "Remember that time Jewels painted the dog when she was a kid?"  Ha!  But probably not.  In reality, if we did have kids, they'd probably say things like, "Remember that time Mom and Dad tried to ride their mountain bikes with us strapped to their chests?"  Because that's what we'd try to do.