The Rustic Chef

Baked Tomatoes Stuffed with Fennel and Gorgonzola

2011-11-15T12:49:00.000-06:00

So it has been awhile. A long while. That's what happens when you take a seasonal job that requires you to work six days a week for pratically the entire summer. Things that you actually like to do go by the wayside because you've been slaving and breaking your back in the hot sun all day, and all you want to do is come home, close the blinds and watch some mindless television. And so my summer is gone without having even enjoyed it and i'm posting a recipe I came up with last Christmas. Baked tomato halves that become slightly softened and juicy in the oven, stuffed with lots of garlic, sweet fennel and salty gorgonzola cheese. Just in time for this Christmas.

Baked Tomatoes Stuffed with Fennel and Gorgonzola

Serves 10; 2 tomato halves per person

1 fennel bulb
3 large or 5-6 small garlic cloves, minced (about 1 ½ Tbsp)
Pinch of salt
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
10 Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
¾ cup gorgonzola cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. To prepare the fennel bulb, cut off the stems. Cut the bulb in half and remove any parts of the outer leaves of the bulb that are tough or damaged. Cut each half into thin slices. Put the sliced fennel and minced garlic in a metal saucepan, toss with the 3 Tbsp olive oil, lemon juice and pinch of salt. Bake for about 30 minutes, until soft and caramelized. (Check after 20 minutes of so to make sure it doesn’t burn.) When the fennel is done, scrape into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley and 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Place the seeded tomato halves in a 9x13” baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Stuff some of the fennel mixture into each tomato half. Bake in the oven (still at 400) for 15-20 minutes until the tomatoes are slightly softened but still holding their shape and the cheese is melted. Serve warm or at room temperature; plain or with slices of toasted bread.

Cheese Souffle

2011-04-04T12:13:00.000-05:00

Obviously I'm a little behind on posting things when I'm just posting this cheese souffle that my sister Mary and I whipped up for Christmas Day brunch. Of course, at our family get togethers there is never a shortage of food, so there was also plates of cookies, muffins, doughnuts, a baked ham, omelet station, smoothies, waffle station with whipped cream and berries, tarts and fresh fruit. However, it would be quite nice for an Easter or spring brunch as well, or any day for that matter. It does work well for a buffet-style meal, as it can be prepared slightly ahead of time, and may rest after it has baked for 45 minutes before serving. It is a recipe I jotted down after watching some Julia Child segments on PBS.com. It is a light and airy egg dish, with just the right seasoning and a creamy, tangy bite from a generous helping of swiss cheese. The presentation is beautiful as well, and very different from your typical quiche or scrambled eggs.

Cheese Souffle

Julia Child
Serves 8

3 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup milk
6 egg yolks
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
8 egg whites
1 cup grated Swiss cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, whisk in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly to cook out some of the flour taste. Whisk in the milk, whisking out any lumps. Stir in the salt, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. This simple white sauce will be the base of the soufflé. Remove from the heat, cool slightly. Whisk the 6 yolks together in a small bowl. Whisk in a small amount of the white sauce to temper the eggs, slowly drizzle in the egg yolks while whisking. Set the white sauce aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and glossy. Gently fold the whites into the white sauce. Fold in the grated cheese. For the baking pan, I used a simple 9” spring form pan, but something similar would also work I think. Grease the pan with butter, and gently pour in the batter. (In the cooking segment, she wrapped foil around the outside of the pan to it went a little above to hold in the soufflé when it puffs up in the oven. I did this also, but the pan I used must have been larger than the one she used because it rose just to the top of the pan and no more, so I didn’t really need the foil, but a smaller pan my need it.) At this point, the soufflé may rest for up to an hour before baking if you would like to prepare it ahead of time. Place the soufflé in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. It should be puffed and just slightly golden on top. The soufflé may rest for 45 minutes out of the oven before serving, or can be eaten right away. To serve, use two large spoons, scooping them together gently on the top of the soufflé to cut out a neat portion. Don’t cut all the way to the bottom right away or the soufflé with deflate.

Spicy Ginger Cake with Milk Chocolate Chunks

2011-03-24T11:30:00.000-05:00

This, my friends, is not your typical ginger cake. It's like gingerbread on steroids. It's spicy. Real spicy. Absolutely need that dollop of whip cream, spicy. It's from a book called Chocolate Holidays, by Alice Medrich. I have to admit, some of her recipes that I've tried have been good, others are just plain bad. And at first bite, I kind of thought this might be a bad one. But the more I ate, the better I liked it. There's a half cup of fresh grated ginger in this bad boy, so you can guess that it's got some heat. But it's an extremely moist cake, and scooped up with a little sweetened whipped cream, combined with chunks of smooth milk chocolate sitting at the bottom, it all really works together. For the faint of heart, I might suggest halving the amount of ginger. It will still be plenty spicy, I think.

Spicy Ginger Cake with Milk Chocolate Chunks
From Alice Medrich’s Chocolate Holidays
Serves 8

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup light unsulfured molasses
¼ cup honey
1 egg
½ cup very finely minced or grated peeled fresh ginger
6 Tbsp butter, melted with ½ cup water
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces, or milk chocolate chips
Whipped cream for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare and 9” square or round pan with parchment paper or butter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, molasses and honey. Whisk in the egg and ginger. Whisk in the hot butter and water mixture. Add the flour mixture and stir until smooth. Stir in the chocolate. Scrape the batter into the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes for a square pan, a few more minutes for a round. Cool on a rack. Serve warm or room temperature, topped with whipped cream.

Italian Pastry Ring

2011-02-02T15:36:00.000-06:00

This is something I made sometime last spring and has been patiently waiting in my inbox to be posted. It's a rather simple and unassuming breakfast pastry, served with milk or coffee to dip in. It can also serve as a light evening dessert, served with a chilled glass of wine for dipping. It turned out completely different from what I was expecting. I thought it might be something more of, well, pastry-like texture, but it is more like a large shortbread cookie. In fact, to me it was like eating a giant animal cracker. It would be a very nice thing to keep in the freezer to have on hand for unexpected guests. It would also be easy to make fresh for a party or get-together, as you could make it a day ahead, then simply slice and serve with good coffee or wine for an elegant finish to a meal.

Italian Pastry Ring

From Essentials of Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter

4 cups unbleached flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

Salt

Zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup lukewarm milk

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375. Put the butter in a saucepan and melt. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, melted butter, cream of tartar, baking powder, a tiny pinch of salt, zest and the lukewarm milk. Add 1 whole egg and the white of the second egg. Add the yolk of the second egg, less 1 teaspoonful of it, which you will set aside for "painting" the ring later. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients, then turn them out onto a work surface and knead the mixture for a few minutes. Shape the dough into a large sausage roll about 2 inches thick, and make it into a ring. Pinch the ends together to close the ring. Brush the surface with the reserved yolk and 1 teaspoon of water, score with a few diaganol cuts. Place the ring onto a flat baking sheet that has been buttered and floured. Bake for 35 minutes. It will nearly double in size. Place on a cooling rack. Wrap in foil when cool, do not refrigerate. It is best served the following day.

Italian Grilled Cheese Salad

2010-12-14T00:25:00.000-06:00

I recently dined at a little coffeeshop with my mom and sisters after a concert and had the kind of sandwich I love seeing on a menu. They called it an Italian grilled cheese; a medley of a tangy pesto sauce, fresh tomato and swiss cheese sandwiched between crisp sourdough. I made my own version at home, with a rustic bread and the addition of some peppery arugala, thus making what is by far my all-time favorite sandwich. The only problem I have with it is that I tend to fill the sandwich way too full and it's ridiculously sloppy, falling apart, juice running down my hands. So the only logical thing was to turn it into a salad with all the same components, eatable with a fork. I also added a little fresh rosemary to the croutons which, by the way, smelled amazing baking in the oven. It's my perfect blend of flavors; fresh, clean herbs, crispy bread soaked with fruity olive oil, lemon and basil topped with juicy tomatoes and creamy swiss cheese, all tossed with a nice bite of peppery arugala.

Italian Grilled Cheese Salad

For the Croutons:

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp chopped rosemary

2 thick slices (about 2 cups) of a hearty bread, stale works well

Pinch of salt

Stir the rosemary, olive oil and salt together; toss the croutons in the oil. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, but still slightly soft as you press on them. Watch them carefully as they can quickly go from undone to burnt.

For the Dressing and Salad:
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp prepared pesto, I use this
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup swiss cheese, chopped or grated

Whisk lemon juice, oil and pesto together. Stir in tomatoes and swiss cheese. Allow flavors to meld while the croutons bake. When the croutons come out of the oven, toss them still a bit warm with the dressing mixture, add the arugala and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Cornmeal and Olive Oil Cake

2010-12-11T13:19:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm back again after another long hiatus. We just returned from a nice 2 1/2 week vacation to Richmond, Va. Eric's dad and sister and her family live there, and due to the fact that we both have some down time now it seemed like a good opportunity to go visiting. It was a trip of firsts; first time flying, first time going anywhere farther east than Chicago and first time seeing the ocean. Aside from Rylan's accidental swim in the ocean, all of the above went quite well. The weather was beautiful; I was a little confused as to weather it was really November and not September, since back here in Minnesota it was a good 30 degrees colder, blowing up snow and blizzards. We visited Washington DC and several historical sites around Virginia and had a great time. Thus, the blog has been neglected yet again. I did make this cornmeal cake, however, sometime in the weeks before we left and was thinking it would be an excellent addition to any holiday dessert table. It's made with olive oil and has a very tender, moist crumb, but also a tiny bit of crunch from the cornmeal. I think you could add any kind of fruit or combination of fruits to this cake; I happened to have some rhubarb in the freezer and it was quite tasty in this, adding a nice tart burst in between the sweet cornmeal and fruity olive oil flavors. I am thinking of making this for Christmas with some cranberries tossed in. Not only is it a perfect breakfast cake for Christmas morning, but a light, palatte cleansing cake to finish a holiday meal would be a welcome change from the typical gut-busting fare.

Cornmeal and Olive Oil Cake with Rhubarb

By Lauren Chattman from “Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes…”
I found this recipe in a magazine for Lunds and Byerly’s, and Minnesota-based grocer. It was originally called red grape, polenta and olive oil cake. I didn’t have grapes, and I also thought it sounded a little odd. The rhubarb was an excellent substitute, and I also think cranberries would be fantastic, and perfect for a holiday dessert table, or wrapped and packed in a tin for a hostess gift, or for those hard to buy for people in your life. Who doesn't like cake?

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon zest
1 ¾ cup rhubarb
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 inch round spring form pan and line bottom with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until light in color and increased in volume, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the oil in a slow, steady stream. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for 1 minute. Stir in the milk, vanilla and lemon zest on low speed. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time until just incorporated. Stir in half of the rhubarb. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes. Scatter the remaining rhubarb over the top of the partially baked cake and continue to bake for 10 minutes. Scatter the remaining rhubarb over the top of the partially baked cake and continue to bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes longer. Transfer the pan to a wire and rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Release the sides from the side of the pan and let the cake cool completely before dusting with confectioner’s sugar. Cut into wedges and serve. Store in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese

2010-10-12T15:10:00.000-05:00

If you have bushel baskets of apples to use this fall as I do, you are quite possibly looking for something to make with them other than apple pie and applesauce and apple butter. I have a million apples to use in the fall because my dad has his own mini apple orchard, so I have as many delicious fresh apples as I want. There is a bagel shop here in Brainerd that I love, called Boardwalk Bread and Bagel. Among many tasty menu items, they sell big, fat, chewy bagels and cream cheese in fabulous flavors. I used to be obsessed with the blueberry cream cheese, but then I tried the apple cinnamon. I didn't expect it to be that good, I'm mean, it's just apples, right? Quite often things that are apple flavored can be bland and ho-hum. So I was surprised to find it bursting with flavor, bright and tangy with a nice spicy bite to it. Of course I had to make my own at home, and I have to admit I might not need to back to the bagel shop to get my fix anymore. My first attempt was, quite honestly, disgusting. I tried simply mixing homemade applesauce and spices into cream cheese and ended up with a watery mess. Then I realized how foolish that idea was; applesauce is very liquid so obviously the end product would be the same. So my next attempt I made what my dad likes to call "drunken apples." It's very simple, and I'm sure many of you had made some version of it before. Just melted butter, brown sugar and apples cooked down until carmelized, then spiced up with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Salivating yet? Me too. Stirred into cream cheese and slathered on a bagel, I can't think of a better way to use up that bucket of crisp, fall apples.

Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese

In the pictures you will see that I dumped the apple mixture right in with the cream cheese without whipping the cheese first. I realized afterwards that it would have been much smoother if it was whipped first by itself, then had the apples added. Not the end of the world if you don't, but you can avoid having lumps.

2 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp brown sugar

3 medium to large tart apples, diced

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

8 ounces cream cheese

Melt the butter with the brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stir in the apples, lemon juice and vanilla. Stir until the apples and coated and start to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, stir to evenly coat the apples. Cook for about 10 minutes more, until the apples are soft and caramelized and a thick sauce has formed. Watch it carefully, because it could burn quickly. Take it off the heat and allow to cool, at least 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, whip the cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in the apple mixture. You can use it immediately or refrigerate for an hour to allow it to firm up.

Scratch Lasagna

2010-10-04T14:54:00.000-05:00

Lasagna, completely from scratch. Yep, I went there. I really didn’t even intend to, it kind of came out of me cleaning out leftover this and that in the refrigerator. As I was summing up what I had, I realized I could make a nice Bolognese-type sauce. I also had a lump of frozen spinach, a nice little helping of pesto and a partial carton of ricotta nearing expiration. Why, what else but lasagna? The only thing I didn’t have was the noodles, of which I decided it would be an excellent time to try a hand-made noodle recipe from my Essentials of Pasta Cookbook. This definitely takes a few hours, but it is well worth it.

Scratch Lasagna

Makes one 9x13 inch pan

Egg Spinach Noodles (recipe below)
Tomato Meat Sauce (recipe below)
Pesto Ricotta Cheese (recipe below)
1 ½ -2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Roll out the noodle dough into a large rectangle, about twice as long and three times as wide as your baking pan. The dough should be quite thin, so you can nearly see through it. Place the pan on one side of the dough and cut a strip the same width but twice as long as your pan. Sprinkle with flour so it won’t stick together and fold it in half, set aside. Lay the other piece of dough into the pan, letting the extra hang over the edges. Spread 1/3 of the sauce into the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the pesto ricotta over the sauce. Lay the noodle dough that you set aside into the pan, and unfold so the extra hangs over one side of the pan. Spread more sauce and ricotta onto the noodle, fold the other half of the noodle over the filling. Spread the remaining sauce and ricotta into the pan, and fold all of the edges of the first piece of dough into the pan so all the filling is covered. Sprinkle the top with the shredded mozzarella and parmesan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the filling is hot and bubbly and the cheese has melted and lightly browned.

Spinach Noodles
Based on the recipe from The Essential Pasta Cookbook by Giulianno Hazan

2 Eggs
¼ cup packed spinach, squeezed dry if it was frozen
1 ½ cups flour

Pour the flour onto the counter in a pile and make a well in the center. Place the eggs and spinach in a food processor or blender and puree. Pour the egg mixture slowly into the well of the flour. With a fork, slowly mix the flour into the egg, being careful not to break the well. If it does, no big deal, just keep mixing until all the egg and flour is combined. Once it is all mixed, form it into a ball and knead it a few times until it forms a smooth dough. It should be soft, but not sticky, you may need to add a tish more flour. Wrap in plastic and put it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.

Tomato Meat Sauce

1 pound ground beef
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tsbp butter
2 medium carrots, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 large onion, finely diced
½ small zucchini, finely diced
½ cup diced artichoke hearts, frozen or jarred
½ of a Pablano pepper, finely diced
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
¼ red wine (or whatever you have open)
½ cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef, drain and set aside. Melt the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a saucepot, add the carrots, celery, onions, artichokes and zucchini. Cook until the vegetables have softened and are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the ground beef back in. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine and milk. Simmer for about 1 hour, until thickened, and the meat and vegetables have cooked down. Stir it occasionally and add more milk or wine if necessary. (Or drink the leftover wine if necessary.)

Pesto Ricotta Cheese

½ pound ricotta cheese
¼ cup basil pesto (make your own with this recipe)

Whip ingredients together until smooth and combined.

Caramelized Onion, Olive and Feta Pizza

2010-09-28T10:39:00.000-05:00

Well, there's no good excuse that I can give for the long absence of posts. I've been galavanting off on weekends to Duluth, helping my dad at a BBQ contest, taking shopping excursions with my sisters and helping the youngest move off for her first year of college. And my poor little blog just plain got neglected. Yes, I got lazy. There, I said it. So now that that awkward conversation is out of the way, we can move on to something tasty that I made this summer. And am just now posting. It turned out better than I expected, basically a light pizza with no sauce and a couple simple ingredients; onion, olives and cheese. It's amazing really how much you actually taste the flavor of the crust and each ingredient when there is no tomato sauce. I've experiemented with adding everything from cracked eggs to sliced zucchini. And it's never been bad, because honestly, caramelized onions just plain cannot be bad. They're delicious, soft little sweet nothings that melt in your mouth, and I'm pretty sure even people who turn up their noses at onions on pizza could be pursuaded. Add a little salty with the olives and feta and it's that classic salty-sweet combination.

Carmelized Onion, Olive and Feta Pizza

Makes 1 8-10 inch pizza

After making this, I realized it might also be delicious to use basil pesto as a sauce, instead of having just torn basil on the top of the pizza. I have also made this and added sliced potatoes for a more substantial supper. In some of the photos you'll see above, I added some homemade dried venison lunchmeat that my dad made. While my husband loved it, I prefered without as the olives and feta are already quite salty, it was a little much for me. So yes, lots of possibilities, feel free to experiment.

1 unbaked pizza crust ( I use this and it has never failed me, but you can use whatever you like)
1 small-medium onion, chopped or thinly sliced

2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling

6-8 kalamata olives, chopped

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

4-5 torn basil leaves

Cook the onions with the 2 Tbsp olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, until the onions are translucent and a lovely caramel color. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Grease a pizza pan or baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Spread out the pizza dough to your prefered thickness. Arrange the onions, olives and cheese over the dough. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and done underneath. Sprinkle the torn basil over the top. Drizzle with olive oil.

Fresh Peach Pie

2010-08-09T15:45:00.000-05:00

I recently happened upon a truckload sale of peaches, and on a whim decided to buy an entire box. They were absolutely fabulous, perfectly ripe and sweet, with piles of juice running down your chin at the first bite. Although I would have prefered to eat the entire box as is, there was obviously no way I could finish them all before they went bad. I made 6 jars of jam, three pints of canned peaches, and this fresh peach pie. When strawberries were in season, I used this recipe to make a strawberry pie and ate it in one day. By myself. You could say it was good, I suppose. I liked that I could leave the fruit unbaked, because not only does it allow the fruit to be firm and juicy, but it also allowed me to use my oven for 15 minutes instead of 45 in the insane humidity we've had this week. This pie is single crust, with a simple glaze made of pureed peaches and a dash of sugar and cornstarch poured over the fresh fruit. Quite excellent with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Fresh Peach Pie

From the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

For the Glaze

1 cup fresh peaches

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp Cornstarch

Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan, whisk in the peaches. Cook over medium heat until for about 10 minutes, until thickened and bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes without stirring.

For the Crust

1 1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup lard

dash of salt

4-5 Tbsp cold water

With and electric mixer, beat the flour and lard until combined. Add the salt. Add the water, 1-2 Tbsp at a time, beating until it sticks together in pea-sized pieces. Press into a ball and roll out on a floured surface. Place into pie pan, forming and trimming the edges. Prick a few holes with a fork to prevent puffing. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool.

For the Fillilng

5 cups cut up or sliced fresh peaches

To Assemble

Into the cooled crust, spread 3-4 Tbsp of the glaze over the bottom. Add half of the fresh peaches, top with half of the remaining glaze. Add the rest of the peaches, top with the last of the glaze. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight until set.

Pasta Primavera

2010-08-05T12:16:00.000-05:00

Pasta Primavera means pasta with spring vegetables. Sounds a little dull, right? I thought so too, but for some reason I still wanted to try it. It is the second recipe I have tried from my Giuliano Hazan's Classic Pasta Cookbook, and like the basil pesto I can't wait to make it again. It was the perfect recipe to use the bag of vegetables I picked up at the farmer's market. Onions, carrots, celery and zucchini are added slowly and cooked until tender, building the flavor and giving it a full, sweet, slow cooked taste in a light cream sauce that is well worth the wait. I substituted sugar snap peas for the asparagus the original recipe called for as I had none, adding them right at the end before the cream so they had a nice fresh, finishing crunch.

Pasta Primavera

Based on the recipe by Giuliano Hazan from the the Classic Pasta Cookbook

I used red pepper flakes instead of fresh chopped red pepper as I had none, so if you would like to use fresh add about 1/4 cup when you add the zucchini and omit the pepper flakes.

2 Tbsp butter

3 spring onions with the green tops, finely chopped

2 small to medium carrots, finely chopped

1 stalk cellery, finely chopped

1 small zucchini, finely chopped

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, diced into thirds

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

1/2 pound pasta

Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the onions and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes. Add the carrot and celery, cook another 5- 10 minutes until tender, stirring occassionally. Begin cooking the pasta. Add the zucchini and red pepper flakes, cook for another 5 minutes. Add the peas, cook one minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the cream, reduce by half. Watch it carefully as this happens fairly quickly. Spoon the hot pasta into the pan with the sauce, adding a couple tablespoons of the pasta water. Add the cheese and toss to combine. Sprinkle with parsley, serve immediately.

My Favorite Caesar Salad

2010-07-20T12:41:00.000-05:00

Among my many food obsessions is the Caesar salad. But I suppose I have somewhat unrefined taste here, since I can't say I care too much for an "authentic" dressing, made with olive oil, egg, anchovies and such. Nope I make mine with good ole' mayonnaise, vinegar, powdered garlic and grated parmesan. You know, the kind that comes in a can in powder form. I've adjusted a few recipes here and there, combined them and added my own touches for the perfect dressing that's creamy, tangy, and a little thick so as it coats the salad nicely. And, of course, it's incredibly easy to make, just dump it all in a bowl and stir, no emulsifying here.

Caesar Salad

Serves 4

For the Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

4 Tbsp milk

4 tsp vinegar

6 tsp grated parmesan

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 Dashes onion powder

10-12 drops worcestershire sauce

For the Salad

2 bone-in chicken breasts, grilled

1-2 bunches of lettuce, leaf or romaine

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 cup croutons

Mix dressing ingredients together, assemble salads with your preferred ratio of chicken, lettuce and croutons. Drizzle with dressing, sprinkle with shredded parmesan.

Rhubarb Muffins

2010-06-22T12:01:00.001-05:00

Along with spring and summer comes the inevitable question, what to do with all that rhubarb? It gets a little out of control at times, kind of like a weed. This got my mom and I to thinking, what is rhubarb, anyway? Well, we did a little googling and it turns out that rhubarb is classified as a vegetable. But not the leaves, because those are toxic. (Which also gets me thinking, who was the lucky guy who figured that one out?) Anyway, it's a member of the family Polygonacea, which also includes things like smartweed and knotweed. So ya, basically it's a weed. So anyway, what to do with that rhubarb. Well, I made muffins. I suppose it's not the most original, but very tasty nonetheless. And it's a simple way to use rhubarb, as it requires no cooking into a jam, boiling for hours, etc. I just cut it up and tossed it into the batter raw. I have had excellent luck with muffin recipes that include the use of yogurt as this one does, and it didn't disappoint. These are very fluffy, yet moist muffins with a crunchy little top, and I love the tart bites of rhubarb mixed throughout. I didn't have any nuts on hand to add, but I suppose that walnuts or the like would be very nice in these as well.

Rhubarb Muffins

Borrowed from Smitten Kitchen, who borrowed from King Arthur Flour

Makes 12 regular, or 9 large muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 stick room temperature butter

1/2 granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup yogurt

2 cups fine chopped rhubarb

Preheat oven to 450. Grease or line your muffin tin. Cream the butter and sugar, and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Add the egg until combined. Stir together the dry ingredients, and add alternately with the yogurt. Just until combined. Fold in the rhubarb. Put into your prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining brown sugar. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn down to 400 degrees. Bake for 5-10 more minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. (For my large muffin tin, it was about 15, just keep an eye on them) Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn out on a wire rack to cool.

Fresh Fruit Tart

2010-06-14T14:32:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago I made a strawberry tart, took pictures and ate the entire thing myself in a matter of two days. You might say I liked it. I used a tart crust recipe from a lemon tart I made for Easter (which I still have to write about) and an Italian crema, or pastry cream from “The Essentials of Italian Cooking” by Marcella Hazan. As much as I liked it, there were a couple of problems. The crust turned out to be a little hard, not quite as crumbly as I’d like. Second, I had omitted the zest of half a lemon the pastry cream recipe called for and added a ½ teaspoon vanilla instead, and it just felt a little too, well, vanilla. That weekend Eric and I went to a wedding in northwest Minnesota and dropped Rylan off at my parent’s on the way for his first overnight stay without us. The night went well for all and Sunday afternoon we went back to pick him up and had a barbeque. My dad and I made a tart with cream cheese and blueberries for dessert. We used a tart crust recipe from a baking book my sister Mary has that has all kinds of recipes from the Culinary Arts Institute’s repertoire. It’s pretty much the most amazing book ever. Really. This crust kicked my previous crust’s butt. A few days later both my sisters and I had a shopping road trip to Fargo. The older of them, Samantha, recently moved from there after college, so she’s knows the area well. We went to quite possibly the cutest pastry shop ever, called Nichole’s Fine Pastry in downtown Fargo. They have coffee, sandwiches, ice cream and obviously, fine pastries. From the selection of towering chocolate peanut butter pie, French napoleons and imported chocolates, we chose a chocolate mousse tower, a fresh fruit tartlet and three glasses of milk. The mousse tower was to die for, but I actually liked the fruit tartlet better. It had a crust that tasted just like the one in Mary’s book, and a pastry cream very much like the one I’d made for the strawberry tart. It was topped with slices of kiwi, strawberry, mandarin orange, blueberries, blackberries and bits of mango. Kiwi wouldn’t have been my first thought in a tart, but it was delicious. So after all that, I made my own fresh fruit tart and I must say, it was every bit as good as the one at the pastry shop.

Fresh Fruit Tart

Crust
From the Culinary Arts Institute Baking Book
8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, room temperature
¼ cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1½ cups flour
½ tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolk and vanilla, incorporate thoroughly. Stir in the flour half cup at a time. Mixture will be crumbly. The recipe states to shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, then roll out and place in the tin. This all seemed like a lot of work when I could just as easily press it into the tart pan straight away, (the dough is similar to that of sugar cookie dough) so do whichever you prefer. When the crust is in the pan, poke a few holes in the bottom with a fork. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes, until just slightly browned, it should not get overbaked or it will be too crunchy and fall apart. Allow to cool while you make the pastry cream.

Pastry Cream Filling
From Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking

2 cups milk
4 egg yolks
¾ cup confectioner’s sugar
¼ cup flour
Zest of half a lemon

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a medium saucepan until smooth. Whisk in the flour, one tablespoon at a time. Heat the milk over medium heat in a small saucepan just until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, be careful that it does not boil. Remove from the heat and very slowly pour into the egg mixture while whisking briskly. Return to the heat for another 5 minutes or so, stirring constantly until thickened. It is alright for the occasional bubble to break the surface occasionally, but do not let it boil. Stir in the lemon zest.

Assembly

Slice the fruit you will use, I used 2 kiwis, about ¼ pint of strawberries, ¼ pint blueberries, ½ of a mango and ½ of a nectarine. Pour the pastry cream, slightly cooled into the crust. Arrange the fruit on top and refrigerate for 2 hours, until the pastry cream is cooled and set.

Chocolate Babka

2010-06-04T14:12:00.000-05:00

The younger of my two sisters, Mary, graduated from high school this past weekend, so I was there all weekend for the festiviites; the ceremony and of course helping my mom with the party on Sunday afternoon. I hate to admit it, but I got a little choked up at the ceremony. She's nine years younger than me, so I spent a lot of time taking care of her as a baby, but now we hang out just like any siblings do. Her and I both love to cook, and she is fabulous with desserts. So along with her gift I wanted to throw in a little something sweet. She had told me about some delicious chocolate babka rolls that she had at a bakery in Minneapolis while doing a college visit. I was flipping through a cookbook I have called "Chocolate Holidays" when I spotted this recipe. I made it in two loaf pans, so I'd have one loaf to test before giving her the other. Let's just say I'm glad I had the extra loaf. This is like the most buttery, flaky cinnamon roll ever, but with a gooey chocolate filling. Seriously. Amazing. And addicting. Before tasting it I thought it might need a glaze, like a regular cinnamon roll. Silly me, there is absolutely no glaze needed here.

Chocolate Babka
From Chocolate Holidays, by Alice Medrich
Makes 2 loaves
The original recipe says to slice the rolled dough into 18 pieces and scatter in a 10" tube pan. If you do it like this, the baking time will be 50-60 minutes.

Dough
3 cups bread (I used all-purpose) flour
20 Tbsp butter, cold
1 envelope active dry yeast (1 scant Tbsp)
1 tsp plus 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup warm water
5 eggs, cold
1 tsp salt

Filling
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup semisweet (I used milk) chocolate chips
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp instant coffee or espresso powder

Beat the butter until creamy and smooth, refrigerate while you make the rest of the dough. Dissolve the yeast and 1 tsp of sugar in the warm water. Pour the dissolved yeast in the mixer bowl. Attach the dough hook. Add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, salt and flour and mix until blended. Knead the dough on medium speed for 5 minutes. After kneading period the dough will be very soft, sticky and elastic. It will be wrapped around the dough hook. Add the cold creamed butter in several pieces, pushing it into the dough and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Stop several times to scrape the bowl. Refrigerate overnight.
Mix the filling ingredients and cover.
Up to 24 hours later, scrape the cold dough out onto a floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 x 18". Scatter the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1 inch margin on 1 long edge. Moisten the margin with water. Beginning at the long edge opposite the margin, roll the dough up like a jelly roll. Press firmly to seal the roll. Cut the roll in half. Place each half into a greased bread pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hrs. (Mine took 3) Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until the top is deeply browned (but not burned, obviously).

Strawberry Lemonade

2010-06-02T10:19:00.000-05:00

So I don't get to my blog very often right now, since I don't actually own a computer and can only work on it when I have time to go to the library. It had been about a week since I had looked at it, but when I checked it yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to see I had a comment on my last post, about the basil pesto. I read it and was a little confused, then looked at the sign in name and it said Guiliano Hazan. So I'm thinking, this has to be a joke, right? Then I realized today that I could just click on the name to check it out (I know, I'm a little slow), and low and behold, the link went to his website/blog. Which is pretty much the most amazing thing ever to have the actual author of a recipe look at my piddly little site and say he liked my post. So thank you for making my day Mr. Hazan. Oh, and here's some strawberry lemonade.

Strawberry Lemonade
Makes about 1/2 pitcher

2 cups strawberry puree, strained (I used a 12 oz frozen package)
2 cups water
10 Tbsp simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar, heated to dissolve the sugar, then cooled)
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
Ice
Fresh strawberries and lemon slices for garnish

Mix the puree, water, simple syrup and lemon juice together in a pitcher. Add the lemon slices. Pour into iced serving glasses, garnish with fresh strawberries.

Genoese Basil Pesto

2010-05-22T13:23:00.000-05:00

Nothing says summer like a light pasta dish and a good glass of wine. After going to the grocery store in town, which is about 5 times the size of the one where we used to live, I discovered that I could buy basil in huge 4 ounce tubs, instead of the usually piddly .75 ounce. Of course, I couldn't resist, there's just so many things I could use it for. Like a homemade pesto sauce. I recently ordered a couple of used books online, both for about 5 dollars, one of which was Marcella Hazan's "Essentials of Italian Cooking" (excellent book, I definately recommend it) and a book by her son, Giuliano Hazan, called "The Classic Pasta Cookbook." As someone who could eat pasta everyday, it couldn't be more perfect. It gives step by step instructions on making homemade pasta, descriptions of every type you could think of and loads of authentic Italian sauce recipes. This is the first recipe I've tried from the book and I will definately be making this again in the near future. It's very light and fresh, a traditional pesto, simple and to the point. There's no cooking of the sauce, just blend the ingredients together, stir in the cheese, then add the hot pasta and a little butter and let it melt together as you toss it. Perhaps next time I'll try making my own pasta as well.

Genoese Basil Pesto
From The Classic Pasta Cookbook, by Giuliano Hazan

1 lb dried pasta, or homemade pasta made with 3 eggs
2 oz fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp pine nuts
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1/2 + 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
3 Tbsp butter, room temperature

Cook the pasta, according to package directions, until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, blend the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and salt together in a blender or food processor, until almost creamy. Put in a large bowl and stir in the cheese. Add the hot cooked pasta, 2 tablespoons of the pasta water and the butter. Toss. Sprinkle with a little cheese, serve immediately.

Basic Awesome Pancakes

2010-05-21T10:03:00.000-05:00

This is a recipe that my family has used for pancakes for as long as I can remember. It came from a cookbook my mom bought years ago from a local Finnish museum, along with a slew of other great recipes. I have adjusted the recipe a little here and there and have finally found my perfect pancake. I added some vanilla and lemon, which in my humble opinion adds a lightly sweet, bright flavor. I also adjusted the milk to make it slightly thinner, I'm not fond of thick robust pancakes, so these are very light and delicate. And they only take about 5 minutes to whip up from start to finish.

Basic Awesome Pancakes

Makes 8 small Pancakes, but this recipe could very easily be doubled, tripled or more.

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp baking powder

1 room temperature egg (or let it sit in hot water for a few minutes)

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Tish of salt

Whisk everything together. Heat a frying pan or griddle, I usually set my griddle for 325. These cook very quickly, so it usually only takes 1-2 minutes on each side, or when the batter gets nice and bubble, as in the photo above. Serve with warm butter, jam or syrup.

Chocolate Meringues

2010-05-15T09:56:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been awhile since my last post, I've been busy with moving, tying up loose ends and unpacking. These meringues are actually something I made for Easter dinner. I hadn't made meringues before, but had a bowl-full of leftover egg whites from previous puddings, custards and ice creams, so it seemed like a perfect way to use them up. These particular meringues differ slightly from other recipes I've read, in that they are not left in the oven for long periods of time to dry out. They are baked less than 20 minutes and ready to eat. They are quite impressive looking when they come out of the oven, all puffed up with little cracks around the sides where chocolate peeks through. They have a crispy shell on the outside, and a soft, chocolatey-marshmellow inside and are amazingly delicious when still just slightly warm. I didn't think to get a picture as soon as they came out of the oven, and should have, because the tops collapsed as they cooled but I think you get the idea.

Chocolate Meringues

By Michelle Gayer, from the March 29 Minneapolis Star Tribune

Makes 12 large or 24 small meringues; I made 12

It should also be said that these need to be eaten the day they are made. They are still tasty the next day, but are very brittle and almost impossible to pick up.

1/2 c. egg whites (from about 4 eggs)

1 c. superfine sugar (or you can run granulated sugar through a blender)
2 1/2 tbsp. sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. chopped chocolate chips, any assortment of bittersweet, milk, dark or white chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a double boiler over gently boiling water, combine egg whites and sugar and simmer, whisking occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture into bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip egg-white mixture on medium speed for 5 minutes, then increase to medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until mixture is stiff but not dry. Using a rubber spatula, fold cocoa into egg-white mixture until well incorporated, then fold in chocolate chips. Place heaping tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 18 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time. Remove from oven and cool cookies on baking sheets until ready to serve. Store in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 1 day.

Carrot and Walnut Bran Muffins

2010-04-12T13:25:00.000-05:00

I struggled writing about this recipe. Which is curious because I love it. I just don't have much to say except that I will never, ever have to search for a bran muffin recipe again. Seriously, this is the one. I have made several attempts to create my own recipe, all ending in a sad, dense mass that tasted like cardboard. But these, they're magical, I tell you. Perfection in a muffin. They are light, moist, slightly crackly on top with the warm flavors of ginger and cinnamon and molasses. A nice little package of energy in the morning, loaded with bran and nuts and freshly grated carrot. Well, what are you waiting for? Go, make these!

Carrot and Walnut Bran Muffins
From Gourmet, October 1991 (Epicurious.com) with slight changes

(I have thought of trying it with a little less butter, but can't bring myself to mess with it. If anyone tries this and it works, let me know.)

6 Tbsp butter, softened
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup light sour cream or plain yogurt
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup miller's bran

Mix butter, sugar, egg, sour cream and molasses together until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt, bran, carrot and walnuts until combined. Spoon into muffin tin. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

Grilled Caprese Bruschetta

2010-04-06T08:22:00.000-05:00

My love of tomatoes began before I can remember. Eating sandwiches with just fresh juicy tomatoes and a swipe of miracle whip between toast with my dad on a hot summer day was pretty much the best thing ever. Although I do still love that sandwich, the miracle whip has taken a back seat to olive oil and basil. I first had something like this at a lakeside restaurant called Ernies on Gull in Brainerd, MN about 5 or 6 years ago. It was called Bruschetta on the menu and consisted of toasted bread topped with tomatoes and olive oil. Of course my dad and I had to order it and found it to be quite tasty. I can't remember exactly what was in their's anymore, but I think it was the tomato mixed with olive oil and basil and had a drizzling of reduced balsamic vingegar over the top. Whatever was in it was delicious. I believe that was the last time I ate there, as I moved shortly after. Coincidently, Eric, Rylan and I will be moving back there in a few weeks as Eric has taken a job at a local resort there and I couldn't be more excited. Of the towns I've lived in, it's the only one I'd actually want to move back too. There are loads of local restaurants, resorts and quaint shops, along with hiking and biking trails, beautiful wooded areas and lakes and beaches around every corner. Jealous? Can't say I blame you. Well, thinking about the move and the bruschetta and that restaurant, I checked out their website and sadly it is no longer on the menu. Not that this is really a problem for me, since I have been perfecting my own version since the day after we ate there. Originally, I chopped the tomatoes and mixed them with dried basil and oregano, garlic, olive oil, balsamic and red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. It was pretty good, always a hit at dinner get-togethers and I made it this way up until last summer. That's when I used thickly sliced, fresh tomatoes and basil from my garden (the first I've been able to plant in about 7 years!) and took it up a notch with some fresh mozzarella. And oh, my, words cannot express how amazingly awesome it was. I might even go so far as to say it was the best thing I've ever eaten. Seriously, don't skimp on fresh basil, it will change your life.

Grilled Caprese Bruschetta

Makes 4 open-faced sandwiches

I recently discovered that authentic bruschetta in Italy is actually just grilled bread, rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper despite most of us in the US knowing it as grilled bread with tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and sometimes onion. This is a mash-up of brushetta and an the Italian Insalata Caprese salad; a simple dish of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper.

4 slices Italian or French bread

Olive oil

2 medium tomatoes, each sliced into 4 pieces

Small handful of fresh basil leaves, about 10-12 leaves, chopped

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp Balsamic or red wine vinegar, regular is fine too

1 slice of lemon

3-4 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh sliced mozzarella

Drizzle the bread with olive oil on both sides. Grill one side until slightly charred, the time will depend on your grill, mine was about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the tomates, basil, parsley, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper in a bowl. Squeeze in the juice of the lemon slice. Remove the bread from the grill, arrange 2 slices of tomato on each slice on bread, grilled side up. Scrape any remaining basil, garlic and parsley from the bowl and divide between each sandwich. You may drizzle a little of the juice, but not much as it will get soggy, especially if it will be sitting out awhile. Top with sliced mozzarella, the amount is up to you. Return to the grill for about 5 minutes, until bread is grilled on the underside and cheese is melted.

Vanilla Bean and Poppyseed Yogurt Cake

2010-04-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

Cake that can be eaten for breakfast. That's what this is. Or after dinner. Or as a midnight snack. It's lightly sweet and delightfully vanilla, with a texture similar to something like that of a banana bread. I've modified it ever so slightly from the original recipe, by just adding a pile of poppyseeds I had in the cupboard, a vanilla bean I'd had for too long and a tish of lemon zest to give it that little something extra. I ground the poppyseeds in hopes that it would bring out the actual flavor of the seeds, which I've never really noticed before. I think it worked; I detected a slight nuttiness and enjoyed a light crunch of seeds here and there that had escaped being ground to a pulp. This cake lasted exactly one day in our house, I dare say we liked it.

Vanilla Bean and Poppyseed Yogurt Cake

Serves 8

From Everyday Yogurt Cake by Lauren Chattman in Lund's and Byerly's Real Food Magazine, Winter 2009 edition

The recipe states to bake for 40 minutes, but mine actually took about 70, so I'd set it for 40, then keep adding 5-10 minutes and checking it.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 /14 cups sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup plain yogurt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

Seeds of 1 vanilla bean

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of 1 small lemon

1/3 cup poppyseeds, crushed or ground

Powdered sugar, optional

Fresh fruit and yogurt, optional

Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, turn into a greased and floured 8 or 9" round cake pan. (I used a springform pan) Bake at 375 for 40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar, serve with fresh fruit and yogurt.

Easiest Dumplings Ever

2010-04-01T15:11:00.000-05:00

Some kids live off ramen in college. I lived off dumplings. I had a taste of ramen noodles at a friend's house once in junior high, and haven't touched it since. The smell, the texture, the loads of salt that burned my mouth...I'm getting a little nauseous as I type this. It's really nothing but empty calories, no nutritional value and I can't see as how a bowl of mostly liquid with a few floppy noodles in it would sustain my appetite. Dumplings, on the other hand, are filling and pretty good for you. I don't even remember when I learned to make these, my mom or dad taught me when I was really young and they've served me well. Besides the fact that they are really tasty and an extremely inexpensive meal loaded with protein and carbohydrates, (no matter what any of those quacks say, I will never accept that carbs or eggs are bad for you) they literally take about 5 minutes to make. Mix eggs and flour together until if forms a soft dough, drop into boiling water for about 2 minutes, eat. Basically an unshaped noodle. See? College friendly, indeed. But they're more than just college food, they can be dressed up a hundred different ways, I've tried them with some squash puree or herbs stirred into the dough, topped with parmesan cheese, tossed with fresh tomato sauce and vegetables or added to chicken soup. Personally, my favorite way to eat them is with just a little melted butter and a dash of salt, perfection in simplicity.

Dumplings

I've never actually measured amounts for these, but I normally use 2 eggs if I'm just making them for myself, and I'm guessing about 1 cup of flour, but start with 1/2 cup and slowly add in more until it forms a soft dough that holds together. Drop into boiling water by the forkful, boil for about 3-5 mintues and drain.

If adding to soups, the dough can be dropped directly into the soup.

Roasted Tomato and Vegetable Sauce

2010-03-31T08:13:00.000-05:00

This sauce turned out very lovely, indeed. There's something about roasting vegetables that yields a flavor completely different from those cooked on the stovetop. It's brighter, more intense and definately worth the extra time. I wasn't really sure where I was going with this, but I tossed a big pan of vegetables with garlic and olive oil and figured I would make some kind of pasta. I then decided to puree them and upon finding a package of mushrooms in the freezer and a lemon close to it's expiration date in the fridge, mixed it all together with a couple of herbs and let it simmer and glop away in a saucepan while we enjoyed some sun in the backyard. We had this over pasta and a healthy serving of shaved parmesan, along with some sliced french bread and olive oil. All in all, a nice end to a lazy, sunny Sunday.

Roasted Tomato and Vegetable Sauce

This made a ton, I'd estimate it would feed about 4-6 people.

6 Roma Tomatoes, halved
Half of a head of garlic, about 6 cloves, peeled
1 small zucchini, rough chopped
2 cups onions, chopped or sliced; about 2 medium onions
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp brown sugar
1/3 cup or 1 big handful roughly chopped basil leaves
1 Tbsp thyme leaves, removed from stems
1 8 oz. package mushrooms, sliced or chopped
1 cup water
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 lb cooked pasta
Parmesan cheese

Arrange the tomatoes, garlic, zucchini and onions on a baking sheet with edges. Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper over the vegetables and toss to coat. Roast at 375 for about 45 minutes, until vegetables are tender and carmelized. Mash or puree the vegetables, being sure to collect all juices and pan scrapings, transfer puree to a large saucepan. Add lemon juice, brown sugar, basil, thyme, mushrooms, water and tomato paste, stir to combine. Simmer on medium-low heat for 30-45 minutes, until slightly reduced. Serve with pasta, top with parmesan cheese.

Chocolate Souffles

2010-03-29T08:17:00.000-05:00

Ah, the souffle. Dainty, fancy, difficult to master, out of the reach of the everyday, not-professionally-trained cook. This was my previous view on this much talked about dessert. Horror stories of flat, soggy piles of goo flashed through my head. Until I realized how ridiculous I was being. Afterall, I'd never even eaten a souffle much less made one. Why would I judge it so? I wanted a small, light dessert to top off my beef stew dinner, just a sweet finishing touch, not one that would make everyone groan upon seeing it. (You know, like when you're at Thanksgiving dinner and everyone's eyes are rolling back in their head as they loosen their belts, then someone yells, "who wants pie?" Ya, like that.) Then I remembered the set of 6 small ramekins I had recently purchased and not yet used and instantly thought souffle. Full of light, airy whipped egg whites, it could be just the ticket. I quickly flipped through my cookbooks, and low and behold found a simple recipe for Chocolate Souffles, of which I had all the ingredients on hand. To my surprise, it was really quite easy. I made a rue of butter and flour, adding milk and chocolate, stirred in egg yolks, whipped the whites with sugar and folded it together. Aside from a couple of them over-flowing in the oven, they turned out quite nice, puffing up beautifully with a light chocolate flavor and airy texture. Topped with a spoonful of vanilla icecream it was a simple and elegant end to a delicious meal.

Chocolate Souffles

From Better Homes and Garden New Edition Cookbook

Makes 6 servings

*This can be made ahead, and kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours before baking. I added a little whiskey to mine, you can omit that and use all milk if you prefer.

2 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

3/4 cup milk or 2 Tbsp whiskey + enough milk to make 3/4 cup

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

4 beaten egg yolks

4 egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

Whipped cream or ice cream for topping, optional

Butter the sides of a 1 1/2 quart souffle dish. (I used 6 small ramekins) In a small saucepan melt the butter. Stir in flour. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add chocolate; stir until melted. Remove from heat. Gradually stir chocolate mixture into beaten egg yolks, set aside. Beat egg whites and vanilla until soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add the sugar, beating until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Fold about 1 cup of the beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture. Fold chocolate mixture into remaining beaten egg whites. Transfer to prepared dish(es). Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes (with the small ramekins mine took about 30 minutes) or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve immediately.

Black Pepper and Caraway Bread

2010-03-26T08:21:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love when you pick out a recipe spur-of-the-moment, find that you have all the basic ingredients to make it, toss in a couple of spices you have on hand and it magically turns out, baked in perfect timing and just warm enough still to melt your guest's butter? I do. I think that's what is most satisfying to me about cooking; finding delicious things and sharing them with other people so they, too, can eat delicious things. To me cooking is not difficult, if you can read and follow a recipe you can cook. For anyone who thinks they can't bake homemade bread, this recipe is for you. Seriously, I forgot to add the egg it called for, barely kneaded it and only let it rise once instead of twice as the recipe requested. And still it produced a chewy, golden crust with a fluffy, but yet firm texture inside. This was perfect for dipping in the Beef and Guinness Stew we ate it with and would be great for sandwiches the next day. That is, if you actually have any leftover.

Black Pepper and Caraway Bread

Based on Walnut and Rosemary Loaves from Cooking Light, November 2009 issue

Makes 2 loaves

I added black pepper and caraway to this, as you can see from the title, but the original recipe calls for walnuts and rosemary; you could change this up with pretty much any spices, herbs or nuts you have handy.

2 cups warm low-fat milk

1/4 cup warm water

3 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp butter, melted

2 tsp salt

2 packages dry yeast

5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 tsp black peppercorns, ground

1 tsp caraway seeds, ground (I ground the pepper and caraway seeds together with my magic bullet, worked nicely.)

Whisk first five ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk in yeast, let stand 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups flour with the whisk, cover and let rise for 15 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups flour, ground pepper and caraway seeds, stirring with a whisk. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, slowly adding enough of remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time to keep dough from sticking to your hands. Divide dough and place into 2 buttered bread pans or 8" baking rounds. Place a lightly buttered plastic bag or damp towel over the loaves, allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 for 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Beef and Guinness Stew

2010-03-24T10:04:00.001-05:00

Well, this past weekend was very nice. Sunny weather, walks outside, some worthwhile time in the kitchen and dinner guests. Dinner guests! So exciting since we pretty much never have people over. My sister Samantha and her husband came over Friday night for dinner and drinks as she was on spring break and I had the day off to cook. Being it was St. Patty's Day weekend and all, I decided to make an Irish Beef and Guiness Stew. This was a tall order for me, as every other attempt of mine to make beef stew has ended in lackluster flavor and tough, chewy beef. But not this time! Oh, this turned out just as I'd hoped. Rich, flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth beef and vegetables. I owe it all to a long, low simmer that allowed everything to meld together, and the bottle of Guinness that definately added some depth. I served it with fresh Black Pepper and Caraway Bread, Honey Weiss beers and a Chocolate Souffle spiked with whiskey to top it off. Yes, I'd say it was pretty perfect.

Beef and Guinness Stew

Changed just slightly from Cooking Light Magazine, March 2010 issue

Makes 8 1 cup servings

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tsp salt

5 cups chopped onions, about 3 medium onions

2 Tbsp tomato paste

4 cups water

1 (11.2 oz) bottle Guinness Draught

1 Tbsp raisins, finely chopped

1 tsp caraway seeds

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 cups carrots, rough chopped

1 1/2 cups parsnips, rough chopped

1 cup cubed potato or turnip

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 tablespoon butter in a large saucepot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Dredge beef cubes in flour, then add 1/2 the beef to the hot pan, turning to cook on all sides, about 5 minutes. Repeat with other half of the beef and remaining oil and butter, set aside. Turn heat down to medium, add onions to the pan and cook 5 minutes, until tender. Stir in tomato paste. Stir in beer and water, scraping pan to loosed any browned bits. Add cooked beef. Stir in raisins, caraway seeds, pepper, salt and vegetables. Cover and let simmer over medium-low heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until meat is very tender. Serve with chopped parsley.

Nutella S'mores

2010-03-23T09:32:00.000-05:00

If there's one thing us Minnesotans love, it's a good bonfire. And it wouldn't be a good and proper bonfire without s'mores. (and beer, dangerously high flames and a rousing game of spin-the-broom, but that goes without saying. Boy, we know how to live don't we?) In the spirit of the fabulous sunny days and light jacket weather we've been having, I made Rylan and I s'mores. Under the broiler in the oven, but they were delicious nonetheless. Last year at this time I was sent a post by a friend about making s'mores with the marshmallow Easter candy, Peeps. You better believe I tried these straight-away because I have a major weakness for Peeps. (especially when they've sat out for about a week and are chewy and crusty, but that's a whole other discussion) I decided to try another version of s'mores, with one of my new loves, Nutella. Never tried Nutella? Well, you better just run right out and get yourself some (right next to the peanut butter, your welcome) because up until about a month ago neither had I, and I deeply regret this. Nutella is a smooth spread made of hazelnuts, cocoa powder and sugar and is quite possibly one of the tastiest things ever made. I feel it's redundant to tell you, then, that a Nutella s'more was of course, magnificent. It was Rylan's very first s'more and like any other kid, he thoroughly enjoyed it with a lot of lip-smacking, finger-licking and more please.

Potato, Leek and Parsnip Soup

2010-03-22T10:20:00.000-05:00

What are you making? Soup. What kind? Potato and Leek. What kind of meat, I mean? No meat. Oh, well, don't bother making any for me. An excerpt from the conversation Eric and I had while I made dinner the other night. Ever the ravenous carnivore, it is beyond his mind's reach to imagine that a meal can be delicious and satisfying and yet, (gasp!) contain not a bite of beef, pork or chicken. He is quite satisfied (and prefers) to have the meal cosist of an entire plateful of protein, with nary a vegetable or grain in site. I, on the other hand, could easily go for weeks living on pasta and rice with butter, baked potatoes, tomato sauce and sliced fruit. But, I have to give him credit for the fact that he is always willing to try something new or strange (even one instance I'd like to forget in which he tried ketchup on pancakes. ok, maybe we'd both like to forget) and so, after digging into the small bowl he'd dished himself, he ladled in another helping and had to admit it was pretty good. My little guy thought so as well, as he is up for anything with starch or grains, so wheat toast dipped (or "booped" as he pronounces it, such cuteness, I know) in potato soup produced a silent kitchen, if only for a few minutes.

Potato, Leek and Parsnip Soup

Serves 4

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 medium red potatoes, peeled

1 leek, washed and chopped

1 Parsnip, peeled and chopped

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 can reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth

2 1/2 cups water

3 Tbsp sour cream

4 oz parmesan cheese, shredded or shaved

1 Tbsp rosemary, finely chopped

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tsp black pepper

Salt to taste, if needed

In a large saucepot, saute the leeks, parsnips and potatoes in the olive oil until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add the chicken broth, water, sour cream, parmesan cheese, rosemary, pepper and cayenne and simmer for about 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Rustic Chocolate Pie

2010-03-20T13:31:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid, we ate a lot of apple pie. My dad is an apple tree connoisseur of sorts, having about 60 or 70 planted in the back yard right now. My mom and I would devote an entire day every fall to apple pie making, one of us peeling and cutting apples; the other making and filling crust. (by the way, my mom makes THE best pie crust, perfectly flaky and delicate and though I have the exact recipe, mine never turns out the same) We cranked out a lot of pie, I think one year it was close to 30. We would freeze all these pies, unbaked and when we had sunday night supper or company came over Mom would take out a pie and pop it in the oven and have fresh apple pie in about an hour. I'm not sure why, but the cold slice that I snuck and ate in-hand on my way out to the barn to do chores the next morning was much better than the warm slice with ice cream the night before. I suppose I enjoyed breaking the rules and having pie for breakfast. When I saw this recipe, it instantly reminded me of this memory, as the author specifies that she likes to eat it by slicing it into small pieces, then picking it up and eating it like pizza. It is the second in a series of chocolate and vanilla dessert recipes I'm am going to be trying by Alice Medrich from an article in Better Homes and Gardens. It was described as a flaky buttery crust with an airy brownie filling...drooling yet? Yes, me too. The crust if very simple, just flour, butter, water and salt. Mine didn't exactly turn out flaky, but definately buttery and tasty. This was probably due to the fact that I didn't let it chill after mixing and pressing it together as the recipe states and instead just mixed, rolled and put in the oven before thoroughly reading the directions. ( what is it with me and not reading directions; I'm beginning to think this is a pattern) Well, the crust was delicious anyway, very soft, melt in your mouth. The filling is basically just whipped egg whites, melted chocolate and walnuts, which was fun because I love whipping egg whites. (And eating the raw egg whites whipped with sugar; maybe not considered safe or sanitary, but so tasty, like soft melted marshmallow.) Believe it or not though, I found this to be just a touch too chocolate-y. I know, I know, I sound crazy right now, but I think I would've cut down the amount of bittersweet chocolate by a couple of ounces and maybe increased the amount of wanuts. Because the walnuts, oh they were spectacular, just a subtle crunch and slightly bitter taste to contrast the sweet and salty of the filling and crust. And it's funny how I much prefered it the second day, cold and eaten out of hand on my way to work.

Rustic Chocolate Pie

By Alice Medrich from February 2010 issue of BH&G

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter
1-1/2 to 2 Tbsp. cold water
6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (not to exceed 62 percent cacao), coarsely chopped
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
Chocolate shavings (optional)

To make crust, in bowl thoroughly mix flour and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cut butter in chunks and add to bowl. With a fork or pastry blender, cut butter into flour, tossing to coat with flour until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Do not let butter melt or blend completely into flour. Drizzle 1-1/2 Tbsp. cold water over flour mixture while tossing and mixing, until just moist enough to hold together when pressed. Add remaining water if needed. Turn out on plastic wrap. Gather into flank disk, pressing in any loose pieces. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Let dough stand 30 minutes at room temperature, or until pliable enough to roll without cracking. On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 14x9-inch oval, about 1/8 inch thick, rotating and dusting with flour to prevent sticking. Brush excess flour from dough; fold in half to transfer to a piece of parchment slightly larger than dough. Unfold dough. Loosely fold and roll edge, without pressing, to form rimmed crust. Place parchment with pastry on baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until light golden brown (crust edge will be a little raw inside).
Meanwhile for filling, melt chocolate in microwave for 20-30 seconds at a time, stirring between each time until chocolate is almost completely melted. Remove from microwave. Stir until melted; set aside.
In bowl beat egg whites with cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and 1/8 tsp. salt. Beat until whites are stiff but not dry. Pour pecans and melted chocolate over whites; fold with spatula until batter is uniform color.
Remove crust from oven. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F. Dollop filling on crust. Spread to 1/2 inch thick. Bake 10 minutes, or until surface looks dry and slightly cracked (fudgy inside). Cool on baking sheet on rack. Serve warm or cool. Cover and refrigerate after 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Makes 10 servings.

Banana Pudding

2010-03-17T08:21:00.000-05:00

Do you know how hard it is to find a recipe for banana pudding made with real bananas? Well, if you haven't already looked, don't bother. Everything listed as banana pudding is actually just vanilla pudding with sliced bananas on top. Or if it is banana flavored it uses extract. (Which I don't actually mind, I kind of like the fake banana flavor of candy and jell-o pudding.) Of course this was really not a big deal, as I was able to whip something up on my own. In a previous attempt to make banana cream pie with real bananas mixed in the pudding, I made the mistake of adding a pureed banana to the recipe and not increasing the cornstarch or cutting some of the milk. Let's just say the pie didn't set at all, and after a failed attempt to add whipping cream and whip it stiff I resorted to freezing it in the icecream maker and dumping it back into the pie shell for a frozen banana cream pie. (A pretty good mistake actually though, I wouldn't mind a piece of that pie right now.) In light of my new knowledge, I instead replaced some of the milk with pureed banana instead of adding it to the original pudding recipe. It turned out brilliantly, like a little puddle of creamed banana bread.

Banana Pudding

Based on the Vanilla Pudding recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

I used a vanilla pudding recipe and exchanged 1 cup of milk for 1 cup of pureed bananas, which for me was two large bananas. If you would like a little less intense banana flavor I'd say cut that in half, just make sure the total liquid is 3 cups. I would suggest letting it cool completely as it was much better cold and it was even better the next day.

3/4 cup sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

2 cups milk

1 cup banana puree, about 2 large bananas

4 beaten egg yolks

1 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

In a medium saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in milk and banana puree. Cook and stir mixture over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove pan from the heat. Gradually stir hot milk mixture into egg yolks to temper, add egg mixture to milk mixture. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into 6 small ramekins and cool in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, until cold and pudding is set.

Maple Oatmeal Bread

2010-03-15T08:16:00.000-05:00

Maple syrup is one of those perplexing ingredients for me. Alone on pancakes or french toast as most people eat it repulses me. It's so sweet and almost a little metallic tasting it makes my mouth burn. I'd much prefer fresh berries and whipped cream, or a slather of butter and a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon. Of course when people hear this they are astounded; you don't like maple syrup? but how is that possible, everyone likes maple syrup! Well, no, they don't. Just deal with it. But just because I can't stand the taste of maple syrup by itself doesn't mean I won't give it a second chance to win me over, which is why I made this bread that is laden with a considerable amount of the stuff. And I must say, well played maple syrup. Well played.

Maple Oatmeal Bread

from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Makes 2 loaves

The maple flavor is definately distinguishable, but it's very faint and light and gives nice maple tones without the burn of sugar overload. It also contains rolled oats and coffee. If you didn't know the oats were in it, you'd never be able to tell. They just blend right in, but give it a nice crunch to the crust, while the inside is very soft, almost like a biscuit. The coffee I couldn't taste at all, I think perhaps it just enhanced the maple a little. I cut this recipe in half and made one loaf as we'd never eat two before they went bad. I exchanged one of the three cups of all-purpose flour for whole wheat which seemed to work well. It was very good fresh out of the oven, or toasted the next day with some butter and peach jam.

6 cups all-purpose flour

2 packages active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups prepared coffee

1 cup quick cooking rolled oats

3/4 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup butter

2 tsp salt

2 eggs

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the coffee, maple syrup, oats, butter and salt until butter is almost melted. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup flour and yeast. Stir syrup mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. Beat in eggs with an electric mixer. Stir in remaining flour, and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bread pan and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch down the dough and allow to rise again until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

2010-03-11T08:14:00.000-06:00

Sodium has been plaguing me this week. Last weekend Eric, Rylan and I went to visit my family. My dad had just gone to get a physical at the doctor's office and was immediately put on low blood pressure medication. He is also suppose to increase excercise and change his eating habits a bit. Well, a lot actually. Cutting down on pop, sugar and fat is a must, but most importantly, cutting sodium. This got me trying to find low-sodium recipes and foods for him and also got me thinking about my own eating habits. Although I try to keep the salt to a minimum when I'm cooking at home for Rylan, it's insane how much sodium there is in things I never even thought twice about. Or I knew it was there, just no that much. My mom and I went grocery shopping for supper on Friday and found ourselves putting several things back after checking the sodium. We ended up making vegetarian pizzas with home made pizza dough, one of which was a potato pizza. It was actually really good, with potatoes, onions, rosemary and olive oil and no cheese or sauce, so sodium is kept to a minimum. You can find the recipe here. I also used the dough recipe from this pizza, but used 1/3 of the salt and it was fluffy and crispy and tasted great. So in keeping up with my low sodium theme this week, I made a sweet potato chili last night from a recipe on eatingwell.com. The recipe was already classified as "low sodium," but by making some of my own changes, I was able to add ground beef (the original is vegetarian) and still cut the sodium from 699mg per serving to just 250mg. I used no-salt added ground ancho chilis instead of chili powder, fresh tomatoes instead of canned and reduced sodium black beans. (you could also use dry beans which have no sodium at all) While reading about sodium, I found an article that said you can fool your tastebuds into thinking food is more salty than it is by increasing sour tasting ingredients, so I cut out the 1/8 tsp salt it called for altogether and instead increased the lime juice and added 2 Tbsp sour cream to each serving, which cuts about 70 mg. And I didn't miss it one bit.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Based on the recipe from eatingwell.com
Serves 3, 2 cups per serving

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 pound ground beef
2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp ground chiles; no salt added, such as ancho chile powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles (or 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder)
1 1/3 cup water
1 15 oz can reduced sodium black beans
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp chopped fresh ciliantro
Sour Cream

Saute ground beef and sweet potatoes in a stew pot over medium heat until meat is browned. Drain. Add chopped onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until onions are tender; add garlic, chili powder, cumin, adobo sauce, tomatoes and water. Simmer for 10 minutes until thick and bubbly. Add black beans, lime juice and cilantro. Simmer 1-2 more minutes. Serve with 2 Tbsp sour cream.

Berry Gelato

2010-03-10T08:20:00.000-06:00

I think I'm beginning to thaw out, finally. We've seen several thirty degree temperature days here recently and I couldn't be more relieved. (Of course I could eat my words and there could be a white-out blizzard next week, you just never know) The winters can be unbelievably long here, so even though spring is cool, sloppy and muddy, it is also sunny and refreshing. Suddenly the harsh wind that burned my face just weeks ago is now light and soft with the promise of melting snow, buds and blossoms to come. It's only fitting then, that I should break out my ice cream maker and make something to coordinate with my mood. I decided on a simple custard gelato, an italian version of ice cream that has a lower fat content and higher sugar content than traditional american ice cream; the custard version having an egg yolk base. The addition of tart strawberries, raspberries and blackberries seemed obvious to give it the perfect color and flavor for spring.

Berry Gelato

From Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Unless you are leaving the berries whole in the ice cream, be sure to strain out the seeds before freezing because there will be a ton of them. This recipe also explained about "ripening," which is allowing the ice cream to harden in the freezer. This gives it better texture and helps to keep it from melting too quickly while you eat it. I cut this recipe in half as I couldn't bear to use an entire dozen of eggs for one recipe and it's a good thing I did because the half batch fit perfectly in my 1 gallon ice cream maker. I realize now as I'm typing this that I still used the full amount of berries, however. Feel free to do the same, as it had great flavor, if you like a little less tart use the suggested amount.

4 cups whole milk

1 1/3 cups sugar

12 beaten egg yolks

3 cups mixed fresh berries, such as raspberries, strawberries and blackberries; or 1 12 oz pkg frozen mixed berries

Combine milk, sugar and yolks in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until mixture just coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in the berries and puree the mixture in batches. I used my magic bullet and it worked great, a blender would also work. Strain the mixture to remove the seeds. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator until completely cool, about 2 hours. Process in an icecream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Allow to ripen in the freezer for about 4 hours.

Spinach and Cheese Ravioli with Lemon

2010-03-06T11:38:00.000-06:00

There aren't many things I like to watch on TV, but I'm kind of a Food Network junkie. I'm always irritated when I turn it on, though, and it's a show about some stupid contest or the next star or the horrible Ace of Cakes. (Um, could they have found more boring monotone sounding people to work there?) I want shows that give great recipes or inspire me to make my own version of what I see. Ina Garten, Alton Brown, Bobby Flay and Giada de Laurentis are my favorites. (I could use a little less Rachel Ray.) And I love Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Awesome inspiration. I know a lot of people complain that Giada's easy italian recipes aren't "authentic." But authentic or not, all of her recipes that I've tried tasted really good and that's what ultimately makes good food good, right? She does use shortcuts with pre-made ingredients, but you could easily substitute and make your own marinara, cookie dough, bread, or whatever she's using if you don't like using the pre-made stuff. These ravioli from her recipe collection have never disappointed me and they are incredible easy to make. A simple flour and water dough filled with mixed cheeses and whatever else you'd like. No heavy sauces to prepare, just olive oil, lemon zest and fresh basil. No need for special equipment, just roll out the dough, fold it over, seal and cut. Boil for a few minutes and you have fresh, homeade ravioli. Simple and totally do-able, even on a weeknight.

Spinach and Cheese Ravioli with Lemon
Altered slightly from Giada De Laurentis' "Caprese Ravioli" recipe
The original recipe calls for chopped cooked chicken instead of spinach, and I also throw in some mozzarella for good measure. You could add in anything you want, really. I added lemon juice to the sauce, the original just calls for zest so if you don't like that much lemon, just do the zest.
Dough:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup hot water
Filling:
8 oz ricotta cheese
2 cups fresh spinach, wilted and chopped; or 1/2 package frozen spinach, rinsed and squeezed dry
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 cup chopped or shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1 egg
Pinch of salt and pepper
Sauce:
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
Zest and juice of half a lemon
Pinch of salt and pepper

Mix together the flour and hot water until just combined, allow to rest, covered for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix all the filling ingredients together in a medium bowl. Using half of the dough first, sprinkle a bit of flour on a counter and roll the dough out, about 6" by as long as it will stretch. It should be fairly thin, but not so it will break. Place teaspoon-fulls of the filling along one of the long sides of the dough, leaving about an inch between each and enough room on the edge to pinch dough together. Fold the other side of the dough over the filling, and press down between each spoonful of filling and along the edges. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the ravioli apart. Press the edges again to be sure they are firmly sealed, if not they will break open in the water. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Boil the ravioli in batches, about 3 minutes each, remove from the water with a slotted spoon. Place the cooked ravioli in a large bowl with a tight lid to keep warm while the rest are cooked. Whisk together the olive oil, basil, lemon juice and zest and salt and pepper, drizzle over the ravioli and toss to coat. I like to also squeeze more lemon juice on top with more grated parmesan.

Chocolate Fudge Stack Cake

2010-03-04T11:06:00.000-06:00

I picked up the February issue of Better Homes and Garden Magazine from the used bin at the library this past weekend, and as luck would have it there was a special article on decadent chocolate and vanilla desserts. I'm talkin' ridiculously fabulous chocolate and vanilla desserts. There are eight recipes, one of each flavor in cakes, tarts, pudding and cookies. And my god, I have a feeling I'm going to end up making them all in the near future as my mouth was watering just looking at the photos. They are a collection of recipes by Alice Medrich, who is apparently an authority on desserts in the cooking world and it's really not hard to see why after making this cake. It is made with cocoa powder, deeply chocolate, moist and tender with a rich fudge frosting all stacked up into unassuming sliced layers. And the fact that the cake bakes in about 20 minutes and you can have the entire cake assembled from start to finish in just over an hour is pretty nice too. So Monday night after supper when Eric was rummaging through the cupboards complaining that we didn't have any sweets in the house, that was all the excuse I needed to make this cake. I had thought about it this weekend, but after getting a little crazy on Saturday and Sunday making home made bread, gelato, pudding (which I'll be posting about in the near future) and the roasted strawberries and cream I posted about yesterday, I would've felt a little glutenous making chocolate cake. But it was perfect for Monday night.

Chocolate Fudge Stack Cake

by Alice Medrich From Better Homes and Garden Magazine, February 2010 issue

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 3ggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup hot tap water

Easy Fudge Frosting (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x9 inch cake pan. In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add butter, eggs and vanilla. Whisk gently until dry ingredients are moist and mixture resembles a thick paste. Add the hot tap water and whisk until smooth. The recipe states to bake for 14 to 16 minutes, but mine took about 20. A wooden skewer should come out clean. Allow the cake to cool, then loosen the sides and bottom and remove from pan, allow to finish cooling on a rack. (The recipe states to use parchment paper on the bottom to allow it to release easier, but I didn't have any) Meanwhile begin making the fudge frosting.

Easy Fudge Frosting

I'm not usually a huge fan of frosting, but chocolate fudge...well now that's something I can work with. This frosting is thick and creamy and has a very deep chocolate flavor thanks to lots of cocoa powder. I didn't have any whipping cream as I had used mine up making creme fraiche, so I used 1 cup of creme fraiche in place of the whipping cream. It had a slightly tangy flavor, but if the recipe is followed exactly it would probably be a little more sweet. Also, I halved this recipe and I still had plenty of frosting.

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

1 cup whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix everything together in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until butter is melted and frosting is smooth and hot but not boiling. Be sure to whisk thoroughly, as the cocoa may clump a bit. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool in the refrigerator until completely cold, about 45 minutes.

Assemble the Cake

Frost the top of the cooled cake, (you may place the cake in the refrigerator to speed the process if you're in a hurry) saving some frosting for the sides after it is stacked. Divide the cake into three pieces; stack the pieces on top of each other to make three layers. Frost the sides of the cake, dust with cocoa powder. This will keep for about two days, but after that it gets a little dry and stale.

Balsamic Roasted Strawberries with Creme Fraiche

2010-03-03T08:36:00.002-06:00

Of all the shows on Food Network, Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa is definately my favorite. I love her premise of taking classic dishes and "turning up the volume" to make the boring everyday into something fabulous. So I decided to turn up the volume on one of my all-time favorite desserts, berries n' cream. I had found a recipe a while ago for "mock" creme fraich that could be made at home. Now, I've never had any other creme fraiche before, and I've never seen it in the grocery store, so I'm not sure how it compares to something you would buy in a shop or restaurant. But I've seen it on several cooking shows, especially Martha Stewart, who mentions it so often I think she just might bathe in the stuff. From what I gather, it's a soured version of regular whipping cream. (If anyone out there has more knowledge on this subject, feel free to fill me in) The home made version is incredibly simple, just mix cream and sour cream together and let it set out on the counter for a day. So I had made my little bowl of creme fraiche, not quite sure what I was going to do with it yet. The next day I went to the grocery store to pick up some milk and they had some gigantic rosy strawberries for half the price of what they've been all winter. Which couldn't be more perfect, as I have been seeing a lot of recipes lately that involve balsamic vinegar and strawberries and I've been dying to try it. So in the spirit of Ina and her love of roasting, I thought I would roast the berries in the oven with some vanilla, balsamic and a dash of sugar, then top with whipped creme fraiche sweetened with more sugar and vanilla. The smell alone was amazing. But the taste, that was incredible. The balsamic intensifies the flavor of the berry, while the vanilla softened the sharpness of the vinegar, the sugar smoothing it together and adding a gentle sweetness. The creme fraiche was a perfect match, the tart and sweet notes echoed in those of the berries. This is definately not your everyday berries n' cream.

Balsamic Roasted Strawberries with Creme Fraiche

10 medium or large strawberries, sliced in half

1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp sugar

Toss ingredients together and roast in a 400 degree F oven for 15 minutes, until juices run and carmelize on the pan. Serve warm or cold, topped with whipped creme fraiche. (recipe below)

Homemade Vanilla Creme Fraiche

from whatscookingamerica.net

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp sugar or powdered sugar

Mix ingredients together and allow to sit out on the counter in a warm place for 24 hours. Whip until soft peaks form. (Mixture will not become stiff like regualr whip cream.) Refrigerate for at least six hours before serving. Will keep, covered in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Onion and Butter Tomato Sauce

2010-03-01T13:10:00.000-06:00

This is a recipe I tried after seeing rave reviews about it on several other sites and blogs. I love pasta and tomatoes and prefer my spaghetti sauce to be meatless, so this sounded perfect. And it was. Soft. Buttery. Intense flavor reminiscent of fresh tomatoes juicy and warmed by the sun from my summer garden. In fact, I've made this twice in the last week and wouldn't mind of bowl of it right now. So you would think something this good would require effort, right? But it doesn't, which makes me love it even more. Throw three ingredients in a pot and leave it simmer for 45 minutes, you don't even really have to stir if you don't want to. Boil some dried pasta when you've got about 10 minutes left and dinner is served.

Onion and Butter Tomato Sauce
From Marcela Hazan's Essentials of Italian Cooking
(I made about a half pound of pasta and was happy with the sauce to noodle ratio)
1 yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes, juice included
5 Tbsp. butter
Salt to taste
Put all three ingredients in a medium saucepot and simmer on medium-low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occassionally and breaking up the tomatoes. Discard the onion, add salt if neccessary. Serve over pasta.

Sour Cream Thyme Chicken with Rice and Lentils

2010-02-24T08:43:00.000-06:00

It's interesting how there are so many foods I've never tried, even though I cook all the time. Or foods that I thought I didn't like, but really I do like, they were just cooked in a way I didn't like the first time. Or I knew I liked them, but didn't realize just how good they were until I ate them a certain way. Recently I've been into experimenting with these unfamiliar foods. It's nice to have variation in my usual rotation and I'm finding quite a few items being added to my pantry, like chorizo, garbanzo beans, mangoes, fresh herbs and, most recently, lentils. (And just for the record, I gave brussel sprouts their fair shot as well; sauteed with butter and bacon and they looked tasty but they tasted horrid. I do get a little nauseous at the smell of cooking cabbage though, i.e. cabbage rolls, sauerkraut; so I can't place all the blame on them.) This was my first foray into lentils, and I must say it went rather well. They're a very nice side dish, (or could be a main dish too, actually with some sauteed vegetables) creamy with a slightly nutty flavor and as an added bonus, extremely inexpensive. They pair nicely with rice and for flavor I tossed in lots of chopped onions and garlic. The chicken is a variation of a cooking method I recently discovered. I could never get my chicken to be tender, juicy and flavorful without basically boiling it in a covered stockpot with seasonings sprinkled on the skin for hours on low heat. After doing some chicken roasting research, I had an epiphany. Put the seasonings and liquid under the skin, not just on top, then roast undercoved in high heat, blackening the skin a little to seal in the juice. The first time I did this was with a whole chicken; I rubbed a mixture of butter, fresh thyme and onion powder under and on the skin, and the results were amazing. Eric actually did a double take and I believe an "oh my god" was uttered after taking his first bite, and between me, him and Rylan we devoured the entire bird. I used that same method this time, but had a little sour cream to use up, so I used that in place of the butter. It was just as good, roasting and sizzling away, becoming delightfully browned, crispy and tangy.

Sour Cream Thyme Chicken with Rice and Lentils
Serves 4

1 cup lentils
1 cup long grain brown rice
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups chicken broth (about 1 small can)
2 1/2 cups water
4 bone-in chicken breasts (or you could use one whole chicken, cut up)
3 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
4 chicken breasts, bone in

Toss together the lentils, rice, onions, garlic, chicken broth, water, salt and pepper in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and thyme. Run your fingers underneath the skin of each chicken breast to pull it away from the flesh. Rub the sour cream and thyme mixture under and on top of the skin. Place the chicken in the pan with the lentil mixture, tuck it into the rice and vegetables. Bake at 425 degrees F for 1 hour, or until rice is tender. Allow chicken to rest 3-4 minutes befor cutting to avoid losing all the juice. Add salt and pepper to taste at the table, if neccessary.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

2010-02-18T09:44:00.001-06:00

Cream Cheese? Awesome. Raspberries? Awesome. Together? Well, I think you get the point. I haven't made a coffee cake in an absurdly long time, and I had a bag full of raspberries from last summer in the freezer that stare at me expectantly everytime I open the door. I was looking through my cooking bible, the ginormous Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I recieved as a gift at my wedding shower a few years ago when I spied this recipe and thought it would be perfect for my breakfast the next morning. None of the recipes are what I'd call earth shattering, they're just simple everyday recipes. It even has a full section on the basics of canning, which is how I learned everything I know about canning. Which I guess isn't a lot; I've only done pickles, pickled beans, tomatoes and applesauce; but really, what else is there? Lord knows I'm not canning any vegetables, I'll have mine fresh or frozen, thank you. But I'm getting sidetracked. At any rate, this cookbook is great if I'm looking for instructions on how to cook something I know nothing about. But it also has classic kinds of recipes for good old fashioned home cooking. This coffee cake was in the "Eating for Life" section as it is apparently a trimmed down version and the raspberries of course add fiber and vitamins and such, so I guess it's kind of healthy if you're into sort kind of thing. But it also tastes pretty good. Not too heavy, the faint perfume of lemon zest, topped off with red raspberries that get slightly crusty on top, tender and gooey underneath where they meet the cake batter for little bursts of intense tart flavor mixed with the soft vanilla cake. I couldn't resist tweeking it a bit with a bottle of raspberry wine I had sitting on the counter. I let the raspberries mascerate in the wine, softening and soaking for a good half hour. I think it added some depth of flavor to the berries, without being to alcohol-y. It was also a good excuse to have a glass while I baked.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Serves 10
Adjusted a bit from my Better Homes and Garden cookbook
I should probably read the instructions before I just start mixing, but apparently your supposed to save 1/4 cup of the sugar, mix it with the cream cheese, then mix everything else together. You put the batter in the pan, put the raspberries on top, then top with the cream cheese mixture. Since I didn't read before dumping things together, I just mixed the cream cheese right in and it still turned out just fine. Next time I might try adding more of the raspberry/wine liquid to the batter and stirring it all together for a little more punch of raspberry.

1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 oz cream cheese or Neufchatel
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used 1/2 cup milk mixed with the juice of 1/4 lemon)
1 tsp lemon zest
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
3 Tbsp raspberry wine, optional

In a small bowl combine the raspberries and wine, allow to mascerate 15-20 minutes or longer. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar; add the egg and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the cream cheese, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt until creamy. Dump in the flour and buttermilk and mix with a spoon until just combined. Pour into a greased 9" cake or pie pan. Arrange the raspberries on top and drizzle a little bit of the juice, gently push them down into the batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees F. Mine took about 33 minutes.

Chicken and Lime Soup...or Dip? I'm Not Quite Sure

2010-02-15T08:34:00.000-06:00

I made this the other day for supper as a way to use up a couple of tomatillos that have been staring at me for over a week. I'd never used them before and had bought them for a specific recipe, then never got around to making it. They don't have a distinctive flavor, so I decided to use them as a bit of a filler for soup, tossing them in the crockpot with some other things that have been lying around for too long. I'm usually not a crockpot-cooking kind of person, but the beans I had were dry and uncooked, so I figured that would eliminate some of the work. However, it turned into a bit of a project despite it's residence in the crockpot. Before I left for a dentist appointment at noon I put in beans, green chiles, tomatillos, garlic, onion and chicken breast; (it was basically a chicken chili, I guess) covered with water and turned it on low thinking it would be good to go when I got home later that evening. I got back around six and discovered that the beans were still a little hard and the soup had not reduced much and was a little watery. So, I strained off a little of the liquid, shredded the chicken, pureed the rest of the pot's contents and mixed it back together. We topped it with cilantro and sour cream and scooped it up with tortilla chips...which got me thinking that maybe it's not a soup at all, but a dip. I'll let you decide.

Chicken and Lime Dip

We actually really liked this, (Rylan, however, did not and promptly spit it out) and the sour cream on top is an absolute must, although I wouldn't completely mix it in, just a dollop on top and scoop a little of each in every bite. We did find that it could have used a little heat, though, so next time I will definately be adding some jalapeno or serrano peppers.

2 bone-in chicken breasts

1 cup uncooked cannelini beans (you could use canned; about 2 cups and add them at the end)

2 medium tomatillos

1/2 can green chiles

1 medium onion

4 cloves of garlic

2 Tbsp ancho chile powder (or regular chile powder if that's what you have on hand)

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

Salt to taste

1/2 lime, sliced

Fresh cilantro, sour cream and tortilla chips for topping

Put all ingredients except the toppings into a medium (I think I used a 5 qt?) crockpot and cover with water. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours until beans are tender. Remove the chicken and shred. Remove the lime slices, squeezing out the remaining juice and discard. Puree the rest of the mixture (I used my magic bullet, but I think an immersion blender would also work, probably even better) and return everything to the pot. Cook until mixture is hot again, serve with fresh cilantro, sour cream and tortilla chips.

Fresh Mango and Lime Salsa

2010-02-10T08:20:00.001-06:00

Fresh salsa is one of my favorite things in the summer. Simple and bright, a great topper for burgers or fish or just scooped up on tortilla chips. I first made this when I had my family over for a barbeque and I needed a couple of appetizers. I went out to the garden and grabbed everything that was ready; tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro and onions. It was pretty obvious what I should make, but when they were all chopped up together in the bowl it just seemed like something was missing. So I rummaged through the fridge and found a few slices of mango and half a lime and the salsa was just perfect. Now, I know what you're thinking; it's the middle of winter. And yes, I do realize this, but sometimes I like to sit in front of the heater, eating my salsa, drinking a beer and pretending its summer again. While the tomatoes and mangoes don't quite compare to the ones in the summer, it's a welcome change in the dreary days of winter.

Fresh Mango and Lime Salsa

3 medium tomatoes

1 medium onion

1 medium or 2-3 small jalapenos, depending on how hot you like it

1/2 mango

Juice of 1/2 of a lime, or about 2 Tbsp

Handful of cilantro

Pinch of salt if you find it neccessary

Chop the tomatoes, onions, jalapeno and mango into small, equal pieces and mix together. Remove half of the mixture and place in a blender with the cilantro and lime juice. Puree. Mix back into the chopped mixture and serve.

Cocoa Fudge Cookies

2010-02-08T09:55:00.001-06:00

I am totally losing my mind over these cookies. Absolutely bananas. They're like a fudgy, chewy brownie, but in a bite-size cookie. Amazing, right? Now there are probably people out there that prefer those cakey brownies with frosting and don't fully appreciate the fudge brownie that is so gooey it borders on un-baked batter. I, however, prefer the latter. If I wanted cake, I'd make cake. And a brownie should in no way need frosting to prop it up. I have searched endlessly for that perfect brownie recipe, only to have tried dozens that left me with an unsatisfied mouthful of cake, or even worse, a bland taste and barely-there chocolate flavor. Well! Those days are over, because these are just what I was looking for. Soft like pudding when straight from the oven; dense, chewy and insanely chocolate-y when cooled. This is a one-bowl-batter with tons of cocoa powder, no eggs and plain yogurt that gives them a faint tangy flavor. I made these on Saturday and they were gone by Sunday morning, so I of course had to make another batch on Sunday. Don't judge me.

The first half of the dough I just plopped on the pan by the spoonful and while it worked just fine, they didn't look very nice. The dough is quite thick, so for the second batch I put the dough in the refrigerator for a few minutes and it was very easy to roll into balls for perfectly round little cookies.

Cocoa Fudge Cookies

From Cooking Light Magazine, January 2002 issue

Makes approximately 2 dozen bite-size cookies

When the cookies are done they are still very soft so be careful not to overbake them, they will firm up as they cool. The recipe states 8-10 minutes, but at 8 they were still completely raw and I ended up baking them for 11 minutes and they were perfect. It is important to let them cool on the sheet for about two minutes, then onto a paper bag or cooling rack as they will fall apart if you try to take them off right away. I think you could also try making these in a pan like brownies and they'd probably work fine, although I haven't tried this yet. Just be sure to have plenty of milk on hand to wash them down.

5 Tbsp butter

7 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

Melt the butter, stir in cocoa and sugars. (Mixture will resemble coarse sand.) Stir in yogurt and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking soda and salt, mix until just combined. Spoon level tablespoons onto a baking sheet, or place in the refrigerator for 5 minutes and roll into balls. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.

Lemon Cupcakes and Lemon Pudding

2010-02-03T08:11:00.000-06:00

Ah, lemon. I'd have to say it's my favorite flavor, hands down. Sure, I also have a soft spot for tomatoes and basil and all three of these together can be something transcendent. And strawberries and vanilla and cinnamon and well, a lot of things. But lemon? There's nothing it can't do. Salad? Meat? Vegetables? Dessert? All fabulous. Even left to its own devices, juiced into a glass of ice with a pinch of sugar it's classic refreshment. My dad shares this love of lemon, so every year for his birthday my mom makes him a lemon cake with fluffy lemon frosting. (Which, one year may or may not have caught on fire and ended up getting tossed in the sink and drenched with water. Trick candles and seven minute frosting apparently don't get along well.) This year, I knew she'd be having a busy weekend and might not get to the cake so I decided to make some for him as part of my gift to be sure he wouldn't miss out. And as much fun as a good old-fashioned birthday cake fire is, I decided to stick with some candle-less and frosting-less cupcakes. Of course I also had to make myself a little something and I had just enough lemons and eggs to make the cupcakes and a batch of lemon pudding. It was only logical that I did just that.

Lemon Cakes

Ina Garten

This recipe is as it is on the Food Network website, but I made a few changes when I made it. I didn't use the glaze at all, because I don't think they really need any frosting. The first time I made these I did use the lemon syrup on top as directed, but (by accident!) this time I put the extra sugar and lemon for the syrup right into the batter and it still turned out. It was even lemony-er and was more like a pound cake. The recipe is for two cakes made in loaf pans, but I found that a half batch is the perfect amount to make 12 cupcakes. For cupcakes the baking time is about 30 minutes.

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar , divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest lightly packed (6 to 8 large lemons - Use only fresh lemon juice and zest)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans.
Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, the key to great cakes is beating the butter and sugar until the mixture's until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Separately, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cook 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, cool for 10 minutes, invert them onto a rack set over a tray and spoon the lemon syrup over the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Lemon Pudding

Lori Longbotham

This is just a classic lemon pudding, also from the Food Network site. It's very smooth with bright lemon flavor and I like it because you don't have to temper the eggs, you just whisk them right into the milk mixture before it gets hot. I forgot to add the butter at the end and now I'm not sure you even need the butter because it didn't taste much different without, so add it at your own discretion.

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 1/2 cups milk

3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

Pinch salt

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Whisk the sugar and the cornstarch together in a medium saucepan. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the egg yolks, zest, and salt and cook, stirring frequently at first and constantly towards the end, over medium heat until thickened enough to thickly coat the back of a spoon.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter. Pour through a strainer into a large serving bowl or 4 individual serving dishes.

Let cool to room temperature. Chill, loosely covered, for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days, or until set and thoroughly chilled. Serve chilled.

Paella de Cerdo con Chorizo y Espinaca

2010-02-01T13:02:00.021-06:00

Where I live, there isn't much opportunity to get a taste of other cuisines (or anything other than pizza, burgers and maybe some Italian if you're lucky) if your eating out at a restaurant. It's basically non-existent. Now, don't get me wrong, there are a few decent restaurants in the area. But more often than not, I am disappointed when I go out to eat by unimaginative menus and the lack of fresh and flavorful dishes. It's such a let down to order something that boasts spice and flavor and you get a soggy mass with a few sliced pickled jalapenos on top and you feel a little icky afterwards. I don't eat out that often, so when I do I want it to be better than what I would cook at home; something really amazing, you know? While I wait for that fabulous restaurant to open, I'll settle for making this recipe. Although, I'm actually not settling, because this recipe is something great. A spicy Spanish dish with fresh vegetables, rice, chorizo, tender pork and fresh lemon. Just bursting at the seams with flavor, really.

Paella de Cerdo con Chorizo Y Espinaca

Serves 4

Changed a bit from the original by Tamasin Day-Lewis

It should be noted that this recipe takes at least an hour to make, so it may be better suited for a weekend supper. Although we made it on a Wednesday night because, well, we have that kind of time I guess. I should also say that the original recipe also called for two dried nora peppers to be added with the paprika, but we found it to be plenty spicy without, especially if you have a little shrimp eating with you like we do. If you, however feel it's lacking you could add those back in. It also called for paella rice, which I couldn't find but regular long grain worked just fine. And lastly, it's an absolute must that, when eating, you dish up each serving with a lemon slice and mash it down on your plate to squeeze out the juice and mix in with everything else. It gives it a whole other layer of sweet and sour on top of the spicy and salty. Even Eric, who thinks I have an unhealthy obsession with putting lemon on everything had to admit that this step definately makes the dish.

2 Tbsp olive oil

12 oz. pork tenderloin, cut into 1/4 inch strips (Tip: cutting against the grain results in more tender meat)

salt and black pepper

1 cup chorizo

2 onions, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup uncooked rice

1 tsp. paprika

3 cups chicken stock

9 oz. spinach

1 lemon, cut into slices

Fry the pork seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper in the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat until cooked through, set aside. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the chorizo for a minute, then add the onion and green pepper and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occassionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Add the rice and stir until coated with the chorizo mixture. Add the paprika and chicken stock, simmer for 15 minutes until the rice is tender and there is only a thin layer of liquid around the rice. Meanwhile, wilt the spinach in a pan with a pinch of salt of medium-low heat. When the rice mixture is done simmering, scatter the pork and spinach over the top. Gently push them down into the mixture. Push the lemon wedges in randomly around the pan and tuck them into the mixture. Cover the pan with a lid or foil for five minutes before serving.

Baked Tilapia and Citrus Salad

2010-01-29T08:29:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I impress myself by putting together a nice meal without planning to do so. I've tried doing the planning-a-week's-worth-of-meals-idea, and it worked out terribly. Because how am I suppose to know when I'm shopping on Sunday what I'm going to feel like eating on Wednesday? (I have a similar problem packing clothes for a weekend away. What if I only pack two shirts and don't want to wear either? I just can't take that risk.) Plus, that means I have to decide on several recipes and write down all their ingredients. I inevitably went back to my old ways and couldn't be happier. It consists of me walking through the store grabbing all my typical staple items that enable me to whip up an assortment of quick somethings when I'm uninspired and lazy; canned beans, eggs, milk, cheese, onions, flour, spinach, herbs, canned and pureed tomatoes, bread, assorted pasta noodles. Then I grab anything else that intrigues me at the moment which, on my last outing was the large box of navel oranges on sale that were so fragrant a bright citrus aroma filled the entire produce section. And a fennel bulb (an anice or black licorice flavored vegetable) that looked very lonely by itself in its little basket so I decided to take it home. I had never tried it and don't even like black licorice, but have seen several recipes where it is paired with citrus. Which I just happened to have in my cart. So earlier this week when Eric pulled out two stray Tilapia fillets from the freezer and suggested them for supper I knew just what to make. Turns out I do like black licorice flavor, just not in the form of Good n' Plentys. And some juicy oranges tossed in doesn't hurt either.

Baked Tilapia and Citrus Salad

Serves 2

In hindsight, I would have chopped the fennel very finely instead of large strips, as it is a fairly hard and crunchy vegetable. You might want to do the same.

2 Tilapia (or any whitefish) fillets

1 tbsp olive oil

Pinch each of coarse salt and pepper

2 oranges, peeled and sliced

1/2 fennel bulb

Small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Two big handfuls spinach

1/8 cup orange juice

1 tsp. sugar

Rub the Tilapia with the olive oil, salt and pepper in a stainless steel frying pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes, until oil is bubbling and fish is no longer pink. Meanwhile, mix the orange juice and sugar together in a medium bowl. Add the oranges, fennel, cilantro and spinach and toss.

Vanilla Almond Steamer

2010-01-28T10:23:00.001-06:00

Well folks, it's below zero again. And if you live with a man who prefers to keep the thermostat set at 61 as I do, you nearly freeze to death every night. A good, hot drink is absolutely necessary on nights like this, if only to warm one hand while you turn the pages of your book with the other. While I rather enjoy the smell of coffee, I've never grown accustomed to the bitter taste. I add so much cream and sugar to make it drinkable that I wind up with a syrupy drink that's too sweet and still tastes like nasty coffee. You see my problem. So hot chocolate it was for me. That is, until I discovered the steamer. The years I have wasted not drinking steamers! Creamy frothy milk, not too sweet with faint hints of cinnamon and almond. While Christmas shopping with my mom this year, I had a fabulous vanilla steamer at a little shop in Pillager, MN called The Shanti. And thus, my obsession was born.

Vanilla Almond Steamer

Makes one large or two regular coffee cups.

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. brown sugar

Pinch of nutmeg, optional (As you can see, I actually have an adorable spoon measuring set labled with things like "smidgen" "dash" and "pinch"; a gift from my aunt Karen.)

2 cups milk

Pour all ingredients except the milk into the bottom of your cup. Pour in the milk while stirring. Heat in the microwave 3 minutes for a large cup, 2 minutes for regular cups until hot and foamy. You could make this in a saucepan on the stove top for larger batches, but for one or two servings it's really not worth the extra dishes.

Whole Wheat Bread

2010-01-27T08:11:00.004-06:00

I was in need of a new cookbook. In fact, I couldn't remember the last time I had bought one. Oh sure, I could find recipes galore on the internet. But it was that kind of day, when I wanted a whole book, with great photos and writing that I could cuddle up on the couch with. I had a few criteria; $10-20, include main courses, desserts and a recipe for homemade wheat bread along with some appetizing photography. I first tried the bookstore in town that I had never been to in the almost two years we've lived here, and quite honestly didn't know existed until a couple months ago. With only five cookbooks on the shelf, none of which peaked my interest, I decided I hadn't missed much. So I headed across the street to a drugstore that is crammed so tight with goods I fugured there had to be a cookbook in there somewhere. And though there weren't many, one was exactly what I was looking for.

It's called "Good Tempered Food" by Tamasin Day-Lewis, and it's full of slow-roasting, make-ahead, low-maintinance good-for-you food, with a little ribbon bookmark attached so you don't lose your page. And it had a recipe for whole grain bread that I just had to try right away.

I admit I may have cheated on the kneading and utilized the bread machine that's been sitting un-used in my cupboard for over 2 years. It won't be another two years before I use it again, as it was quite handy.

This recipe makes 3 loaves, but I cut it to 2/3 to make 2 loaves so the dough would fit in my bread machine. It called for malted grain flour and whole wheat, but I used only regular whole wheat flour, as that's all I had and it turned out very nice indeed. Firm texture for toasting and sandwiches, chewy crust and soft on the inside. The recipe stated that you should wait until it cools for 40 minutes to slice it, but if you ask me it's best straight out of the oven, piping hot with butter. (I may or may not have eaten half of a loaf like this.) We ate this on the side of grilled (yes, grilling in January! It's fantastic!) porkchops, oven roasted potatoes and cold beer while watching the Vikings lose pitifully to the Saints. The dinner, unlike the game, did not disappoint.

Whole Wheat Bread

Adapted slightly from Good Tempered Food by Tamasin Day-Lewis

Makes 3 loaves

12 cups whole wheat flour

1 tbsp. salt

1 1/2 oz fresh yeast or 3 packages active dry yeast

3 heaped tsp dark brown sugar

4 cups hot tap water

3 tbsp olive oil

sesame, sunflower or poppy seeds and a little milk to top the loaves

Mix together 3 cups of the water, brown sugar and yeast, whisk together and allow to sit for 15 minutes. It should bubble and be very foamy. In a large bowl or bread machine measure out the flour and sugar. Mix in the yeast mixture, olive oil and remaining water and stir to combine. Knead for 10-15 minutes until very well combined. Divide between greased baking pans and cover with a damp towel. Allow to rise in a warm place until double in size, about 30 minutes. Bake at 450 for 30 to 35 minutes. The bread should have a hollow sound when you tap on the top of it and be golden brown. Turn the bread out of the pan and allow to cool on a rack.

Welcome and Granola

2010-01-26T09:28:00.004-06:00

Hello, and Welcome to the Rustic Chef! I'm pretty excited about my first post. It's a little something I threw together with ingredients I already had, and it turned out quite good. While doing some shopping around town this past weekend, I ended at the grocery store. I have to say, I love my granola. But after reading the ingredients lists on some of the packages, I was convinced that it really wasn't healthy at all. Hydrogenated oils, corn syrup and things I couldn't pronounce...well, why don't I just make my own? Couldn't be that hard, could it? I'm happy to say it was indeed easy, and I doubt I will ever buy packaged granola again.

Start off with some simple ingredients from the pantry;

a little toasting

melting

mixing

and I had fresh, warm granola in a little over 20 minutes.

I ate it on top of plain yogurt and mixed berries, but it's also good straight out of the pan by the handful, just ask my husband. And while my toddler can't eat the almonds for obvious reasons, he found the toasted oats to be quite tasty.

Homeade Granola
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 1/2 cups almonds; sliced, chopped, whole, whatever you have
3/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup corn meal
Toss together in a shallow baking pan and toast at 400 F for about 8-10 minutes, until very lightly browned and fragrant. Be careful to watch it as it could burn quickly.
While that is toasting, in a small saucepan over med heat mix together:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 pinches cardamom
2 tbsp. butter
Heat until just combined and melted. Pour the toasted grains into a medium size bowl and turn the oven down to 350 degrees F. Slowly pour the brown sugar mixture into the grains while stirring until completely coated. Pour the mixture back onto the baking pan and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes. It will be very sticky at first, but will quickly become delightfully crunchy. Enjoy!