Winter Tomatoes

A couple years ago I read a book (sorry, don't remember the name) that had a recipe for roasted tomatoes. I photocopied it and put it in my file and there it sat.  Like most things in my file, it sat there for a long time.  For no good reason in particular, but it sat.

So, when I saw another version of roasted tomatoes, I knew it was a sign that the time had come for me to roast tomatoes for the first time.  I think what really convinced me was that the second time I read about them it was advertised in a "make sucky winter tomatoes taste good" sort of a way and that made me really happy.

The end result was a fantastic pasta dish.  Caramelized from the roasting, the tomatoes were excellent, even though it is December.

Roasted Tomato Pasta
Serves about 6

3 lb. Roma tomatoes
olive oil
seasonings of choice
12 oz. penne pasta
1 pkg. Johnsonville fully cooked Italian sausage
Parmesan

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Cut the top off each tomato and slice lengthwise.  Place tomatoes in bowl.  Pour in some olive oil, just enough to coat, with seasonings of choice.  I used coriander because that was what the original recipe called for, but you could use anything that you think would taste good.  Place on baking sheet with enough room to breath and pop in the oven.  Let them cook undisturbed for at least 4 hours, probably more like 5 or 6.

When the tomatoes are about done, cook pasta according to package directions.

Slice sausage into 1/4-1/2 in. pieces.  Heat a large sauce pan, add a olive oil to coat, add sausage and cook until heated through and browning in places.

When the tomatoes are done, let them cool slightly and then take a knife through them once or twice.  You really can cut them up as much as you want, but they are so cooked down that you really don't need much.  Add tomatoes and pasta to sausage, adding a drizzle of olive oil if necessary, then add a generous serving of Parmesan.

A Good Decision

For almost a year a scone recipe sat on my food pin board and taunted me.  Whenever I looked through my list I told myself, "just wait til the fall, then you can make it."  Yesterday I made them and it was a good decision.  It will be happening again.

Pears. Goat cheese.  Black pepper.  Apparently they were meant to be together.  The pears become silky smooth.  The cheese melts into the dough, making it more moist and flaky.  The pepper adds a kick that lends these scones for savory and sweet applications alike.

I'm definitely wishing I made more.  But those would probably be gone too.

Pear, Goat Cheese, Black Pepper Scones
Makes 6-8
For the original, gluten free version visit Girl Cooks World

1 C. + 2 T. All-purpose flour
1 T. Sugar
3/4 T. Baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. Freshly ground black pepper- more or less to taste (I ground mine right into the bowl until it looked             right)
4 T. butter- cold and cut into chunks
1/2 Pear- peeled, cored, cut into pieces
1.5 oz. Goat cheese, like Chavrie, crumbled
Half n' Half

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.

Add butter and with hands separate into about pea sized pieces.  Add pears and goat cheese.  While lightly stirring, pour in half n' half until a wet dough forms. (about 1/2 cup- sorry, I didn't measure)

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet.  Bake 15-20 minutes, until lightly brown.  Let cool slightly before eating.

Note: I baked 7 scones at 400 for 17 minutes.  The next time I make these I'll probably up the temp to 425.

Camping Food

After over 4 years of absence I slept in a tent again.  That's right, we went camping.  This time was a little different than previous trips, mostly because we went with a toddler.  It went well.  We stayed 2 nights, which turned out to be the perfect amount of time.  We put in a little hiking, saw some pretty sights, got our fill of s'mores, and C actually slept through the night, so bonus.

I did a fair amount of research into camping food before we left.  This was the one area that I felt stewardship over, so I wanted to make sure it was good and easy.  My favorite ideas that I found online were precooked dinners that could be warmed- little work, dishes, and no raw meat.

My favorite dinner that we put together was chicken burritos.  Here's how it went down

Camping Chicken Burritos

Canola Oil
Chopped Onion
Chopped Red Bell Pepper
Leftover White Rice
Canned Corn
Shredded Chicken Breast
Picante Sauce
Seasonings- salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano

Saute onion and pepper in a little bit of canola oil.  Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add leftover rice with some water- just enough for the rice to soak up while it heats.  Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the corn, chicken, picante sauce, and seasonings.  Season to taste.

At this point, I stored the mixture in a plastic container until we reheated it in a frying pan on the camp fire.  You could also freeze if you need it to keep for longer.  I also packed avocado, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and salsa.

Fill a tortilla with chicken mixture and top as desired.

Hello Autumn Chicken Sliders

To go along with my post from earlier this week, I thought it appropriate to share one of my first "Autumn" dishes.  I made these for a church pot luck, so there are way more than you would normally need, so adjust as needed.

First of all, I made my mom's famous dinner rolls for the sliders.  C was a huge help.  You could use any store bought variety and that would be fine.

Autumn Chicken Sliders

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
Chinese Five Spice
Ground Ginger
Salt/Pepper
Slider Rolls
Cheddar Cheese, sliced thinly
Apples, sliced thinly- Gala or Granny Smith would be good.

Cut chicken into roll size pieces.  Combine 5 spice with ginger.  I used a 2:1 ratio.  Rub seasonings onto chicken then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Let sit for 10 minutes or so.

My pieces are a little big

Preheat skillet or indoor grill to medium high.  Lightly oil surface.  Cook chicken, turning once, until done- about 4 minutes each side.

Cut rolls in half.  At this point you can do one of two things.

1. Place a cheese slice on the bottom portion of each roll.  Top with a piece of chicken.  Place on cookie sheet and cover with aluminum foil.  Warm in oven preheated to 350 until cheese is melted.  Then, top with apple slice and top of roll.

2. Arrange bottom half of roll on tray.  Layer a piece of chicken, cheese, and apple and then the top of the roll.

I warmed mine in the oven

You will probably want to secure these with a toothpick.  I really liked the Chinese 5 spice combined with the apple and cheese.  I think it had nice Autumn notes without being over the top.

Goodbye Summer Blueberry Braid

I really mostly don't like the end of summer.  It always surprises me.  You think by now in subconscious clock would have aligned itself, but no.  The first streak of cool weather always sends me into an anxious mood, with thoughts like, "I didn't make all the food I wanted to this summer," and "I'm not prepared for Autumn." (Whatever that means)

But, this year I'm trying to be a little bit more rational about the whole thing because, of course, Autumn is coming, and is mostly here.  I decided I need to be okay with using that last of the summer finds along with the first of the Autumn.

I've had some frozen blueberries in my freezer for awhile and have been craving this favorite bread of mine.  I thought this is a perfect way to say a goodbye to summer.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Braid

Sponge
1/2 T. Instant Yeast
1/2 T. Sugar
3/4 C. Warm Milk
1 C. All Purpose Flour

Dough
1 Egg
3/4 t. Salt
1/6 C. Sugar (eyeball it)
Up to 1 1/2 C. All Purpose Flour
1/4 C. Butter- cut into chunks, slightly softened

Blueberry Filling
1 C. Blueberries
2 T. Sugar
2 T. Cornstarch
1 T. Lemon Juice

Egg Glaze
1 Egg
1 T. Milk

Cream Cheese Filling
3/8 C. Cream Cheese- softened
1 T. Sugar
1/4 t. vanilla extract
1/2 T. Egg Glaze

Sponge: In a stand mixer, mix the sugar, yeast, and flour.  Pour in the warm milk and beat until smooth.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.

Dough: Add to the sponge the egg, salt, sugar, and 1 C. of flour.  Beat until smooth.  Add the butter, one chunk at a time.  Add the remaining flour, a little at a time, until the dough is workable and the butter is fully incorporated. (I used the entire 1 1/2 cups)

Switch to the dough hook and knead until smooth and satiny, about 5 minutes.

Place into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit until doubled, 1 1/2-2 hours.  Deflate dough, recover, and place in refrigerator overnight.

Blueberry Filling: Combine all ingredients in saucepan.  Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stir constantly.  Cook until blueberries have released their juices and it's thickened. Cool before using.

Egg Glaze: Beat egg and milk until combined

Cream Cheese Filling: Combine ingredients and mix until smooth

Assembly: Have fillings made before you roll out your dough.  Take dough out of the refrigerator, reflate, then roll it out to a thin rectangle (about 1 cm, thick)

Spread the fillings into the center of the dough.  Leave a 1 in. gap at the top and bottom and about 2 in. on the sides (just depends on the size of the rectangle).  Cut 1 in. thick tabs along each side of the dough.  Fold the top over the dough, and alternating each side, fold the side tabs over the filling to create a braid.  Gently press to seal when you can.  Finish by folding the bottom up.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 while it rises.

With the remaining egg glaze, brush over the top of the braid.  Bake for about 35 minutes, until it's a deep golden brown.  Let cool 30 minutes before slicing.

This recipe comes from the wonderful Peabody over at Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Danish

I've been craving Danish.  Sweet dough in general, but I kept coming back to Danish.  Danish is one of those fabulous things that is simply better homemade.  Don't get me wrong, it takes time and practice, but it's so good.  Soooo good!

Although I've done other laminated doughs, this was my first time to tackle Danish.  So, instead of making things my own, I used this is the recipe from On Baking, textbook of baking fundamentals. The results were good.  Practice will make them better.

Just for some background, Danish is different from other laminated doughs because it has butter in the dough, not just rolled into the layers.

Danish
Yields 16 

.25 oz Instant yeast
5 oz. Bread flour
5 oz. All-purpose flour
2 oz. Granulated sugar
2 fl. oz. Lukewarm water
2 fl. oz. Lukewarm milk
1 Egg
1/2 t. Salt
1/2 t. Vanilla extract
1/4 t. Ground cinnamon
.75 oz. Melted butter
1/2 lb. Butter

Combine the two flours.  In bowl of stand mixer, add 6 oz. of combined flour, sugar, water, milk egg, salt,vanilla, cinnamon, and melted butter.  With paddle attachment mix until combined.

Add remaining flour gradually.  Switch to dough hook and knead for 3 minutes.  Place dough in bowl lightly dusted with flour.  Cover and refrigerate 1-1/2 hours.

While the dough is chilling prepare the lock-in butter.  Place the butter between sheets of plastic wrap.  with rolling pin, shape the butter to about 5 in. by 4 in. What I like to do is hit it a few times to get it moving and then roll it out.  Make sure the butter stays in the plastic and that it stays cool.  Keep in refrigerator until ready to use.

Here's where the fun begins.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 10 in by 5 in.

Place butter on one half, with a border of dough all the way around.

Fold the other side of dough on top of the butter and press edges together to seal.

Again, roll out the dough to about 10 in by 5 in.  Fold the dough into thirds.  Place into refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.  This step completes one turn.  You need to do six turns.  Get excited.  You want the dough to be pliable but not too soft.  About 66 degrees.  But, if you do one turn and have to go away for a couple of hours it's okay just let the dough rest at room temp before you roll in out for the second turn.

Some things to remember while completing the turns.  You don't want the butter to peek through.  If some does, cover with some flour and move on.  Also, before you fold the dough into thirds, you want all flour removed from the dough.  Use a pastry brush and brush it away.  All of it.

After the six turns the dough has to rest again in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.  You could also freeze the dough for later, or half of it for later and then let bring it out to thaw a couple days before you're ready to bake.  

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the dough in half, keeping one half in refrigerator and working with the other.  Roll out dough on slightly floured surface to 10 in by 6 in.  Mark every 3/4 on the dough 

Then, with a pizza butter slice the dough into eight strips.

Twist the strip.

Then, coil into a snail shape.

Place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Fill with some jam or sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for five minutes then lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake until deep golden brown.  For me it was 13 minutes.  While still hot pipe on some glaze and enjoy!

Grilled Peach Sandwiches

I don't know how many times I start eating something and think, "I should have taken a picture of this and blogged about it."  Maybe one day when I get serious about this I'll be a better planner, but until then you get a great recipe without any pictures because it was too good not to share.

S said he thought they were more of a lunch thing, but I thought they were fine for dinner.  I adapted this recipe from one I found on tartlette, but it was a couple of years ago and I couldn't find it again.

Grilled Peach Sandwiches
Makes 2 really big sandwiches


Baguette or other thin loaf sliced in half lengthwise
4 oz Cream cheese
Herbs/spices (I used salt, pepper, tarragon, and rosemary.  Thyme would also be good)
3 Peaches
1-2 T. Honey

Lightly toast the bread under a broiler.  I like it so that it has a crunch but doesn't brown.  Mix the herbs into the cream cheese to flavor as desired.

Heat a grill pan over pretty high heat.  I think I did mine on 7.5 for an electric stove.  Slice the flesh of the peaches away from the pit.  If you can do it in half great, if not slice off in four pieces.  Grill until dark brown.  The high heat helps to brown fast so they don't get too mushy.

Pour the honey onto a plate.  When the peaches are done place into honey, grill side down to coat.  Roughly chop or slice the peaches.

Spread cream cheese on one side of bread, top with peaches and other side of bread.  Enjoy!

Chipotle Peppers in Adobe Sauce

If you don't know what these are you seriously need to go to your grocery store and find out.  The flavor of these peppers is smoky and spicy.  It craves a creamy addition and makes you want to come back for more.    It's perfect for Mexican cuisine, but can be used in lots of other applications.  The one problem is the can size.  Sure, the can looks really small. But, after you use the 1t. necessary for the recipe you realize that you could feed a whole lot of hungry Mexicans with this can of peppers.

The good news is that it keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.  I'm thinking about trying to freeze it as well.  Whenever there's a leftover can I keep my eye out for an new recipes to use it up.  This week I found a star.  Bonus, you'll never have to buy the expensive bottled version of this sauce ever again.

Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Adapted from here and here

(Sorry for the awful pic- Have I mentioned recently that I'm not a photographer?)

1 Bone in, skin on chicken breast- poached
2 Heaping T. of mayo
2.5 oz. Cream Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
6 Slices bread
1/4 C. Raspberry chipotle sauce (recipe to follow)
Spinach leaves

To poach chicken, put chicken in saucepan and fill with water to cover.  Add bay leaves, salt, onion, celery, carrots, etc. to add flavor.  Bring to simmer then reduce heat.  You want it to cook slowly in order to keep it tender.  About 45 minutes.  Cool and shred.

Soften cream cheese and mix with mayo and salt/pepper to salt.  Mix in chicken to coat.

To assemble sandwich, spread chicken on one piece of bread, pour on 1-2T. of sauce.  Top with spinach and other piece of bread.


Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

1 T. Olive oil
2 T. Diced onion
1 Clove garlic, minced
1 T. Chipotle peppers- I used the sauce in the can with a little bit of the pepper.  Use more pepper for a hotter sauce
1 Pint raspberries
1/6 C. Apple cider vinegar
1/4 t. salt
1/6 C. Brown sugar
1/6 C. White sugar

Heat oil in small sauce pan.  Sweat the onions and garlic until soft and translucent.  Add pepper, sauce, and raspberries.  Cook until raspberries are soft, about 3 minutes.  Add vinegar, salt, and sugars.  Simmer on medium low until reduced by a third.

Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth.  Press the sauce through a mesh sieve to remove seeds.  Cool before using.  Makes about 1 cup.

The Oven

When Steve and I moved to Fort Worth we lived in a Duplex that didn't have central air.  The months of May-September were mostly miserable.  The living room and bedrooms did have window units, and this worked fine while we were sleeping or watching TV, but meals in general didn't really work very well.  The kitchen had zero ventilation and I'm positive I was cooking in 100 + temps some days.  The dining room was pretty blocked from the living room air, so eating warm foods wasn't really appealing.

During those two summers I forced myself to leave the oven off.  This effort was mostly futile because I was drenched in sweat most days, but for some reason I felt better about it.

I realized this week that I'm still cooking in the oven, a lot.  Part of me feels guilty about this.  It's June after all, so shouldn't I be oven free, eating fresher foods, more salads and sandwiches.  But, then the other part of me thinks, "I'm not sweating, so who cares?"  Plus, when I use the oven for food that screams summer, it just seems right.

I feel like drumsticks are very summer; I'm not sure why.  Maybe because I can eat them with my fingers and that somehow feels summery to me.  In any case, I'm kind of having a love affair with them.

They, like so many things I cook, have a lot of room when cooking times are concerned.  You don't want to leave them in the oven forever, but you have some leeway and security to know that your product not only is done but still moist.

Italian Grilled Drumsticks


Chicken drumsticks
Garlic cloves
Dried basil
Kosher salt/pepper
Olive oil- not extra virgin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees or higher.

Mince the garlic and add basil, salt, pepper, and oil.  Spread over drumsticks so all areas are covered in oil.

Preheat grill to medium-medium high.  I use an indoor non stick grill pan, but use whatever you have.  You could also do a regular saute pan.  Add drumsticks.  Make sure they aren't too close or they won't brown well.

Cook to deep brown on all sides, about 20 minutes.  Place in glass baking dish and bake until done, about 30 minutes in 375.

How to: Yogurt

Recently I was shopping with a friend and she asked if I liked Greek yogurt.  "No," I replied.  Maybe I would like it if I tried the blueberry or chocolate or whatever else, but I've only had the plain and it's a little too tart for my taste.  I felt like my answer needed some explanation, so I explained to her that I make my own yogurt and mostly I just prefer the stuff that I make.  "You make," she commented, "your own yogurt."   I could feel her slightly rolling her eyes in a "of course you do" kind of sarcastic way.

Sometimes I feel bad for making things that most people purchase but then I remember that it's more delicious from my kitchen so... oh, well.

My yogurt making days began after I was married.  Steve wanted to register for a yogurt making machine.  I agreed because I loved him.  I honestly never thought we would use it, but we received one and we made it and I didn't really like it.  A couple years went by and it turned from a slightly inconvenient gift to a money saving tool to a regular thing because I love fresh yogurt.

I got good at turning the plain yogurt into gourmet treats, like strawberry banana and pina colada.  But I realized that sometimes I didn't want to make exactly 7 1/2 cup servings.  I new there was a way to make it sans machine.  So, this week I figured it out.

I based my method off of this website: make your own yogurt

How to: Yogurt

1. The milk

What I really do love about this method is that I can use whatever milk I have on hand.  All of my leftovers.

2. Heat it

Pour milk into saucepan.  (You'll notice in the next picture that I moved to a larger pot.)  Heat on medium until it's 185 degrees.  I don't use a thermometer.  Just, watch it.  Stir frequently.  The milk will get frothy and steam a little.  The important things are that it doesn't scald or boil.  Don't let it boil.

3. Cool it

Cool the milk to lukewarm, about 110 degrees.  In the website I read it suggested using a water bath in the sink.  This took about 5 minutes because the water was really cold.  Again, you want to stir frequently.  You can also stick the pot into the refrigerator.  This takes about 20 minutes, stir every 5 minutes or so.  Again, I don't use a thermometer, just feel it with my finger- you want it slightly warmer than the hot tub :)

4. Yogurt Starter
Sorry, no picture.  Take a container of yogurt, a use Yoplait french vanilla low fat.  If you have plain, please use it.  Stir it in slowly to the milk.  You want it well distributed.  

5. Leave it Alone

Cover with a dishcloth.  Place in a corner and don't touch for at least 7 hours.  You want it to be warm.  I used a homemade heating pack- dried corn sewn into some cotton fabric- and then I made some cookies and had the oven on and then I turned the air off and it was like 95 that day.  Later, I reheated the hot pack. So, you know, be creative.  If you have an electic heat pad, use that.  Or, if you have a gas stove, put it close to the pilot.

6. Chill

Stir the yogurt a little bit and pour into whatever containers you have.  It will seem a little runny.  Chilling will thicken it a little bit, but remember that store bought yogurt usually has some sort of thickener.  The recipe with our machine makes a thicker yogurt and it includes some dry milk powder, maybe that does something?  Chill for at least a couple hours.

7. Eat

Enjoy a bowl of fabulous yogurt! 

First Meals and More

We have moved!  It was a crazy two day drive here,  but we made it safely.  And, since S drove ahead of me I came home to a box packed house.  Very cool.  It's still crazy to think that we bought a house, but here we are.

In the first couple of days I rearranged the kitchen about three times.  Then a couple days later I moved a couple more things around.  After a shopping trip today and C discovering not only how to open the lazy susan but also that it contains things like sprinkles, cookies, and cocoa I think I may need to find a new home for some items.  But, it's coming together.  I like the flow of the kitchen more than our last place.  I never really thought about it before.  But, it works here and it made me realize that it really didn't before.  Don't be afraid to pull everything out of your cabinets and move them around.

For my first meal in my new kitchen I pulled out the tenderloin.  If any of you haven't used pork tenderloin you should start.  It's about as versatile as boneless, skinless chicken breast, and, bonus, is almost fool proof against drying out.

What I'm realizing more and more is that most foods just taste good.  It doesn't take much, just proper cooking technique and flavor enhancement, to make a beautiful meal.  With the tenderloin I rubbed on a seasoning mix- rosemary, sea salt, oregano, basil.  Not too much, just enough to add some flavor.

Heat an oven proof pan- like cast iron or stainless steel, over medium heat. Lightly grease and add the tenderloin. Notice that the pork isn't completely covered with seasoning.

Brown on all sides.  If your pan in smaller than the pork, you can do like me and cook like a "J", or cut it in half and cook side by side.










Place in an oven preheated to 375 or so and bake until done, about 20-25 minutes.

Some other favorites this week have been grilled asparagus, grilled veggie pizza, and peach and chicken salad.

The Graduate

Saturday May 19, 2012 marked the beginning of a new era in my household.  I'm now married to a doctor! 

 (Insert happy dance here.)  

We had a wonderful weekend full of ceremonies, family, good conversation, and excellent food.  One of the things S and I were most excited to share with our family is basil lemonade.  We haven't been able to get enough of it these last few weeks.


Basil Lemonade 
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma


8 oz. simple syrup, cooled
6 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 basil leaves
12 oz. water or sparkling water

In a blender add syrup, juice, and basil.  Blend 30 seconds  on high.

Let sit in refrigerator until chilled, about 1 hour.

Add some ice to a pitcher.  Pour mixture through a mesh sieve to remove basil leaves.  Add water.

Notes:
You can drink immediately, but you may want to keep the leaves in order to have a stronger basil flavor.
Simple syrup is equal parts water and sugar brought to a boil.  About 6 oz. each to make 8 oz.
Sorry there aren't any pictures, it doesn't stay around for long!

What to Get Rid of

I was so excited about these muffins when I saw them on Food Gawker.  Not only did they look delicious, they helped me finish off some crystallized ginger, chocolate, and frozen bananas. They were excellent.  Sorry I don't have a picture of the finished product, we ate them too fast!

Chocolate Ginger Banana Muffins

Adapted from Some the Wiser

1 C. all purpose flour
1 C. oat flour
2/3 C. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 T. baking powder
3 T. canola oil
1 egg
1/4 C. plain yogurt
1 C. mashed bananas
1/3 C. crystallized ginger
3.5 oz. bar dark chocolate, chopped- I used a mixture of dark and milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease 12 muffin cups and set aside.

In medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.  In separate bowl mix the oil, egg, yogurt, and bananas.

Pour wet ingredients in dry ingredients.  Mix just until combined.  Fold in ginger and chocolate.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake until lightly golden and center is done, about 20 minutes.

Cheese Take Two

First of all, let me say Happy Mother's Day to all mothers, with or without children of their own.  I know I felt every blessed to be a mother today.

So, back on Friday mine and S's cheese adventure ended in a curdled mess.  I pushed back pizza a day on our menu and figured we would buy some mozzarella.  S, in proving that he is in fact the greatest husband in the world tells me to buy more milk, not cheese.  So, now mozzarella is in my refrigerator not in my fears.  Besides feeling like a way awesome person who is resourceful and handy in the kitchen, making cheese was a great date for us.  Do something different.  That's our motto!

Here are some pictures from the adventure.  Sorry, they're just some snapshots.

S checking the temp of the milk

S and C checking out the curdled milk.  She was so excited that we were making cheese!

Curds waiting to be stretched.  

Stretching the cheese

Logs of mozzarella with oregano, basil, and crushed red peppers

Pizza!  There is no better way to eat mozzarella!

Cheese

Today I attempted to make cheese.  Approximately 10 minutes ago I realized that I had probably failed.  The difference one word makes.  Dip the curds, not place the curds.  We're having pizza for dinner.  Should I go to the store or make S...

A Little Bit of Nostalgia

First off let me get on a soap box for one minute.  I am the kind of person who eats, for the most part, full fat dairy products.  The exclusion is milk: 2% milk. But, I make whole milk yogurt; I eat full fat sour cream, cream cheese, and cheese.  Low fat versions taste funny.  Go low fat somewhere else.  Let's keep the dairy pure.  I remember working with a lady who was talking about how she only uses low fat cheese and that her husband probably doesn't even know what real cheese tastes like.  I sat in disbelieving shock.  How sad that life must be.

So imagine my disappointment when a fat free cream cheese ended up in my shopping bag.  I shook my head.  I knew the color wasn't right when I picked it up, but instead of thinking that I had made a mistake I thought they must have changed their coloring system.  Really...

The problem is what to do with it.  I didn't buy it for a specific purpose; I was just in the mood. But, I didn't want to just throw it away.  I tried it one some toast with strawberries.  The grainy almost chemically taste was still too strong.

Enter casserole.  I grew up on a wide range of casseroles.  S doesn't like them, mostly as a rule.  But, this is one of my favorites.  I make him eat it about one a year when I'm in the mood.  He even said he liked it this time.  Maybe he forgot.  Bonus: there isn't any cream of anything and it uses cream cheese.

Pearl's Casserole

1/2 lb. Ground beef
2 t. Garlic powder
8 oz. Tomato sauce
1 t. Sugar
1 t. Salt
6 oz. Egg Noodles
4 oz. Sour Cream- full fat!
1 1/2 oz. Cream Cheese- get rid of your fat free!
1/2 C. Grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

There are three parts of the casserole

1. Brown the ground beef with the garlic.  Drain fat.  Add tomato sauce, sugar, and salt.  Simmer until thick.

2. Boil noodles according to package directions.

3. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in small bowl.

Take a 9 in. Pyrex dish and spray lightly with spray oil.  Layer like this: noodles, cream cheese stuff, beef mixture and then again.  Top with the grated cheese.  Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.

What to Get Rid of

Apricot jam, that's what.  One more thing out of my fridge.  The problem with being so proactive about emptying our food stores is that I just finished our mayo.  Do I get a new one with only 5 weeks til the move?  Will I want mayo?  If I don't buy it will I be forced to use something else, or will I just be frustrated?  Who know, but it it exciting knowing that the food won't be wasted.  Also that all of my condiments now fit on my refrigerator door.

This week I made seared chicken with a lemony sauce, finished with apricot jam.  It's topped with sliced almonds and makes for a really nice dish.  This is a recipe I found when S and I were first married.  I worked at a really slow desk job and spent a good majority of my time browsing allrecipes.com.  I actually looked through their entire database of quick and easy recipes.  Yep.

This recipe isn't necessarily quick quick and easy, but it's not bad.  I usually have the ingredients on hand so it's nice when I haven't planned anything but have a little time.

Apricot Lemon Chicken


For 6 Servings

5 T. Lemon juice
3 T. Dijon mustard
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t. black pepper
5 T. olive oil- not extra virgin
6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 C. Sliced almonds
2 C. Chicken broth
1 t. Cornstarch- dissolved into 1 T. water
2 T. Apricot jam- you could sub peach or orange
2 T. Butter
1 T. Dried parsley
1/4 t. Crushed red pepper flakes

Combine lemon juice, mustard, garlic, pepper, and oil.  Place chicken in shallow container and pour marinade on top.  Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.

Toast sliced almonds in skillet.  Remove and set aside.

 Remove chicken from marinade.  Pat dry and reserve liquid.  To prepare pan to sear chicken, heat on moderate heat.  Pour a little vegetable oil on a paper towel and grease hot pan. Add chicken and cook, turning once, about 7-10 minutes per side, depending on thickness.  Remove chicken to plate and cover with foil.

Strain marinade into skillet.  Boil one minute.  Add chicken broth and cornstarch mixture.  Cook over high until sauce has reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Add jam and cook until it dissolves.  Stir in butter and them parsley and red pepper flakes.  You can return chicken to pan and top with almonds or pour sauce over chicken on plate and top with almonds.

Notes
* You want to make sure you remove as much of the marinade as possible from the chicken.  The marinade burns easily.
* You don't want to burn the chicken, so you can finish the chicken in the oven if the sear is getting too dark.

Veggie Dip

Last week I made this dip/spread.  I wasn't originally planning on blogging about it, but it was so good I needed to share.  I made it first for some opened faced sandwiches.  I spread it on some toasted French bread and topped with radishes, spinach, carrots, and tomatoes.  Later that week I used it as a dip for some vegetables.

I didn't write down my method, so sorry for the lack of a real recipe, but it went something like this:

Equal parts ricotta and cream cheese
1/4 part mayo
Seasoned with dried tarragon, rosemary, dill, and garlic powder.

I really like the sweetness of the ricotta and tarragon mixed with the mayo.  The cream cheese made it creamy with just enough texture from the ricotta. I was out of parsley, but it would also be a great addition, as would a sprinkle of some lemon zest.

Sorry I didn't get a closer picture of the dip.  C was very excited about the vegetables, as you can see from the little feet in the corner, so the photo shoot didn't last very long.

So no "What to Get Rid  of Wednesday" this week.  We're heading to Virginia to look for and hopefully find a house.  Wish us luck!

What to Get Rid of Wednesday

I really should change the name of this series with how well I'm doing.

But, I do have pictures this week.  Well, one picture

I really love quick breads.  I love them for many reasons, but high on the list is freeze ability.  We had no need for a loaf of bread the day I baked this, so it went into the freezer, cut in half so we can just pull it out and thaw when needed.

This loaf is called Aloha Quick Bread, named after the coconut, banana, and pineapple baked inside.  It also has almonds.  I used slivered almonds to finish my bag, but I would recommend sliced.

Aloha Quick Bread

1/2 C. Butter
1 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 C. Mashed bananas
1/4. C. milk
1 T. Orange peel
1 t. Vanilla
1/2 t. Almond extract
2 C. Flour- all purpose
1 t. Baking soda
1/2 t. Salt
1 C. Sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
1/2 C. Sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 C. crushed pineapple

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a bread pan.

Cream together butter and sugar.  Add in eggs and then banana, milk, orange peel, and extracts.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda.  Add to creamed mixture and mix just until combined.

Fold in coconut, almonds, and pineapple.  Pour into bread pan.

The original instructions I have say to bake for 1-1 1/2 hours at 350.  I did mine 1 1/4 hours and it was a little underdone but pretty dark on the outside.  I think you would have better luck at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.  Or, tent the bread with aluminum foil so it doesn't burn.
  

Strawberries, Figs, and Balsamic

Spring is still hanging on in Fort Worth, but it's never too early to enjoy some strawberries.  As I've already mentioned here, I have a slight crush on this summer fruit.  While in Arizona last month S and I stumbled on an olive mill.  While it may sound completely crazy to grow olives in Arizona, it is apparently the perfect climate.  Lucky us.  They have a restaurant and store set up with an olive tasting bar.  We tried the lot of them.  As fantastic as their oil was what really got us was their imported balsamic vinegar.  It was enough to convince us to buy a bottle.  They had plain, strawberry, and fig.  For fear of being too cliche I chose the fig.  We haven't been disappointed.

The fabulous thing we've discovered, though, is that fig and strawberry are fabulous compliments to each other.  For some recipe some time I bought a bag of dried figs and haven't had a need for them since.  In my constant effort to empty my pantry I pondered what I could do with them and voila, this salad was born.

This isn't really a recipe, but here's how it goes:

Place some spinach in a bowl,
Slice some strawberries,
Chop some figs,
Toast some almonds,
Top the spinach,
Drizzle on some fig balsamic or your favorite balsamic vinaigrette
Enjoy!

What to Get Rid of Wednesday

It's amazing how a screaming one year old pretty much makes you forget everything.  I remember reading a blog post I think is was about cooking with small children, like babies.  I didn't have a child at the time so obviously couldn't relate. She made a comment like "of course you can stick your kid in a high chair and cook your meal, but who can work under the conditions of a screaming child."   Of course I was judgmental, and now it's coming back to bite me in the butt.   

C pretty much threw a tantrum from 3:45 until we ate dinner at 6:00.  Don't worry, I wasn't starving her.  I even gave in at 5:30 and offered a snack of mini wheats.  When she refused I lost all compassion and let her cry it out.  Anyways, the whole point of this story is to say that I didn't take one picture of me meal yesterday.  Not one.  It wasn't until I was going to bed that I realized I forgot.  Oh, well.

It was actually a little disappointing of a week anyways.  I was trying to finish a jar of olives and some quinoa.  The jar is still half full and there's 3 T. of quinoia left.  Oh, well.  It was delicious and healthy and made you feel good.

My main dish was open-faced hummus sandwiches.  Like so many things I make, I got the recipe from Cooking Light.  Please see the recipe here.  This was so quick to put together and would make a great lunch.  The only changes I made were using a mixture of olives and ricotta instead of goat cheese.

I paired them with a quiona pilaf from Savoring the Tyme.  The amazing this was C ate the pilaf.  She really not a picky eater, but can be a little questioning of new food, but she loved it.

So, here's to all the moms who make dinner despite the craziness behind them, or under them, or pulling on their leg, or screaming their name.

Sushi Night

Hopefully later tonight I'll write my "What to Get Rid of Wednesday" post, but I've been wanting to write this post for several days and have never seemed to find the time to do it, until now.  So, here goes.

Last week I made sushi for dinner.  California rolls.  My mother-in-law bought us the ingredients and rolling mat for Christmas.  She gave us a 30 minute lesson based on the hour lesson she attended.  So, I'm obviously mostly still clueless.  S loves sushi.  I've eaten it a total of three times.  I can handle California rolls.  Small steps.  Make sushi one night; try something new another time.

S was of course very glad to have sushi.  He "loves the way I feel after eating it."  I wasn't exactly sure how to serve it to C.  Most normal people would have just made her a PB&J and called it even.  Nope, I had to do things the hard way.  I gave her a couple hunks of cucumber and avocado (which she hates and won't eat) and then I sliced her a couple pieces of sushi.  That's when the fun started.

She picked it up and really had no idea what to do with it.  She tried it but didn't like the flavor of the seaweed. I doubt she could have bitten through it anyways.  Then, she tried to get the rice off but it was too sticky.  At this point the sushi was completely unwrapped and rice it all over the carpet and C is frustrated, especially when she put the crab in her mouth and again found an unpalatable flavor.  She ate a quesadilla.

What was more amusing was the end of dinner.  We all finished and were sitting around because we didn't want to get up and S decides to give C a taste of wasabi.  Not wasabi mixed in soy, but straight wasabi.  I think C was intrigued by the bright green color because when the chop stick came up to her mouth there was zero hesitation.

I honestly think my daughter is the only one year old alive that could eat wasabi, be completely disgusted by the flavor and then eagerly open her mouth for more.  This continued a couple more times until I decided her mouth was burning enough.  I'm not sure how I feel about this character trait, especially how it could translate later in life, but that night it got us laughing enough to forget about the rice smooched into the carpet.  And, enough to give me a little bit of hope that she will like sushi...one day.

What to Get Rid of Wednesday: Pumpkin Scones with Berry Butter

This week's venture took me back to the flavors of fall: pumpkin, cranberry, and pecans.

I love scones.  For whatever reason I'm drawn to them.  Ginger and lemon, bacon and cheese, blueberry, or, in this case, pumpkin.  I can never look over a scone recipe.  I always want to make them.  But, my lovely husband has a distaste for anything dry, and scones, being traditionally dry, fit into that category.  So, I usually read a recipe, think about it long and hard and then decide no, I don't think it would be a good decision to make all those scones and then consume them.  I really need to work on getting some food dumping friends.

On another note I try to be frugal where possible and after last October's festivities I baked down a small pumpkin, smashed it, divided it into baggies and stuck it in the freezer.  And there is has remained.  As much pumpkin as I cook each year I never eat through what we have on hand.  Until now.

This recipe was fabulous because I finished a bag of dried cranberries, a container of pecan halves, and the rest of my frozen pumpkin.  It was hard to use the rest of the pecans.  I'm sure I can buy them just as readily in Richmond, but I have an attachment to Texas through them.  They are one of my loves in this state.  They're one of the reasons I learned to love Texas.  Oh, pecans...

Save this one for later or pull out your fall leftovers, this scone is fabulous.  This is adapted from a recipe in Taste of Home.

Pumpkin Scones with Berry Butter


Butter
2 T. Dried cranberries
1/2 C. Boiling water
1/2 C. Butter, softened
3 T. Powdered sugar

Place cranberries in bowl, add water and let re-hydrate 5 minutes.  Drain.  Chop berries.  In small mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy then add the sugar and berries.  Cover and refrigerate.

Scones
2 1/4 C. All purpose flour
1/4 C. Packed brown sugar
2 t. Baking powder
1 1/2 t. Pumpkin pie spice (I used combo of 3/4 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. nutmeg, cloves, and ginger)
1/2 C. Cold butter
1/4 t. Salt
1/4 t. Baking soda
1 Egg
3/4 C. Pureed pumpkin
1/3 C. Milk
2 T. Chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, salt, and baking soda.  Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.  (I did this in a food processor.  About 10-12 pulses to cut in butter.)

In a small bowl, whisk the egg with pumpkin and milk.  Add to the dry mixture and pecans if using, and mix just until moistened.  If you used the food processor, dump dry ingredients into another bowl for this step.

Scoop dough onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet (I cut into wedges, but the dough was too moist and made it difficult). This makes 8 scones, about 1/2 C. each.  Bake 15-18 minutes, until deep golden brown.  Serve warm with butter.

What to Get Rid of Wednesday

I know it's Thursday,  and no I'm not trying to trick you.  I would have posted this yesterday but our computer was a little bit on the fritz.  It's decided: June 4th is moving day!  It's all very exciting and exhausting.  We have lots of fun things planned for the next few weeks we're in Fort Worth, but they will be in the midst of a thousand decisions and obligations.

One of my tasks is to reduce the amount of stored food.  I know we can move it, and I'm sure we'll end up moving quite a few items.  But, I'd like to get rid of as many things as possible, particularly partially used items like the three packages of Asian noodles that are all only 1/4 full.

I decided running a series called "What to Get Rid of Wednesdays" would at least give me some focus once a week to finish a product.

This week I finished a box of orzo pasta and a jar of sun dried tomatoes.  I had the idea of some sort of noodle dish and ended up with a cold pasta salad of sorts.  The thing was everything in the dish minus the tomatoes and cheese needed to be cooked before being added to the salad.  I have some variation ideas at the end of the recipe in case you don't have time to prep the salad and chill before dinner.  

We really liked this idea, but while cleaning up I pretty much vowed never to use orzo pasta again.  It was everywhere: the dining room and kitchen floor, all over the table, my daughter's chair, my hair, and the bottom of my foot.  Oh, well!

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad  

1 Chicken breast

6-8 oz. Orzo pasta

1 Small zucchini- thickly sliced into half moons

5 Button mushrooms- quartered

1 Small yellow onion, chopped

2 oz. Mozzarella- cubed

3 Slices sun dried tomatoes- chopped

1/4 Bottle Italian Dressing

Season chicken breast with salt and pepper.  Heat saute pan over medium heat, lightly coat with oil, and sear chicken, flipping once, until done.  This takes about 12-18 minutes depending on size.  If the breast is really thick I like to cut in half to reduce cooking time.  Remove from heat and let cool, then cut into bit sized pieces.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions.

Using the same of a different pan, saute zucchini and mushrooms in 1 T. olive oil just until starting to brown and become tender, about 3 minutes.  Heat another saute pan over medium low heat, add about 1 T. olive oil, coat the pan, and add the onions.  Cover pan to allow the onions to release some moisture, about 2 minutes.  Continue to cook until lightly caramelized.  

In medium bowl combine all ingredients.  Let cool in refrigerator until serving, at least one hour.  

Notes

This dish can of course be made with any pasta or vegetables you prefer.  

While I was cooking I thought that a hot pasta may have been better.  You could marinade the chicken in the dressing, and then use some olive oil and fresh herbs to bring it together.  Grade the cheese to top or use some Parmesan.  

I Finally Did It!

I finally found cinnamon chips.  After looking in three super markets I started calling around and found them at AJ's Fine Foods.  Now that I'm back in Fort Worth I'll have to track them down again, but I did get to make the cinnamon chip bread.

What to say about this loaf?  I should have looked harder in my friend's house for loaf pans.  The recipe made two loaves, but I piled mine high in a round Pyrex dish.  As cool as it looked coming out of the oven it definitely had some flaws.  The biggest flaw being that the bottom burned and the middle was not quite done.  Day one the freshness let it slide a little bit by the next day the wonderful cinnamon flavor couldn't make up for the fact that some bites were bitter and others doughy.

So, if you want to make this from the original please don't be lazy like me.  Make two loaves.  It will be better. I promise.  But, I also think adding about 1/2-2/3 C. cinnamon chips to any white bread would work just as well as the one Marissa shared.

For all of you Great Harvest fans I say you need to try this out.