Pretty Peas

Meatball Parmesan Subs

2012-01-23T04:46:00.000-08:00

Look at that. I mean, really look at it. Is your mouth watering yet? Pretzel sub rolls, crisp-sauteed mushrooms, juicy meatballs, and marinara, all smothered with a nice medium cheddar. The sandwich is one of those that is truly enormous, and it hurts you to eat it all, but you can't stop eating it because it's so good.

Want to know the surprising part?

There's no meat involved whatsoever.

Don't go away, meat lovers! I promise you, it's not just an illusion that those meatballs look like real meat. Gimme Lean Sausage is a truly delicious stand-in for the real thing. I'm pretty sure that if you didn't tell someone it was fake, they wouldn't know the difference. I also used this for a stuffing recipe on Thanksgiving and it was awesome. Did I mention how low in calories it is? 2 ounces for 60 calories. Good thing, too, because this sub involves 1/2 the package.

Anyway, back to the main point: You know you want it.

Vegetarian Meatball Parmesan Subs (from A Thought for Food)
-1 package of Gimme Lean “Ground Sausage Style”
-1/2 small yellow onion, minced
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-3 tbsp olive oil
-2 Sub rolls
-Cheddar cheese, approximately 10-12 thin slices
-1/2 cup jarred marinara sauce
-1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
-Fresh Parsley, chopped

1. In a bowl, mix the Gimme Lean, onion, and garlic with your hands, until combined. Roll out into 1 1/2 inch meatballs.

2. Add the oil to a large pan and set over a medium-high flame. Once heated, add the meatballs to the pan and cook until it has browned on one side. Using a spatula, flip over the meatballs and let the other side brown. Once this happens, gently toss the meatballs around in the pan until they get a little color on all sides. Turn off the burner and transfer the meatballs to a plate.

3. Add the mushrooms to the same pan that you used to cook the meatballs and set the burner to medium-high heat. Do not crowd the mushrooms. Cook them until they have gotten crispy on the outside, but not burnt. Transfer to a bowl.

4. To assemble the subs, cut the submarine bread almost completely in half, lengthwise. Line each side of the bread with 3 or 4 slices of cheddar cheese. Fill each one with 5 or 6 meatballs and top with the marinara sauce. Add another 2 or 3 slices of cheese on top of the meatballs.

5. Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and place the pan under the broiler in the oven until the cheese has melted, being careful not to burn the sandwich.

6. Take the pan out of the oven and top each with mushrooms and a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

-Makes 2 very large subs (and probably some extra meatballs)

Beer Ice Cream with Edible Lace Bowls

2012-01-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I've mentioned, but I hosted my family for Thanksgiving. Since I would be visiting Husband's family for Christmas, my family did Christmas on Thanksgiving. And since we're all gigantic lushes, we mainly decided to exchange various beers, wines, and liquors as gifts. If you can think of anything better than getting the gift of a variety of alcohol for Christmas before feasting on Thanksgiving, I'd like to hear it.

My brother's lovely girlfriend gave me a cookbook called "The Boozy Baker," by Lucy Baker. People. Come on. You KNOW how much I love cooking with alcohol--and baking? That's even better, because I'm always afraid that adding alcohol will ruin the science behind the baked good. And here are 75 vetted boozy recipes. Yes, please.

This recipe came as part of a larger recipe--"Beer Profiteroles with Chocolate Beer Sauce." Though I do desperately want the profiteroles and beer sauce, I was making this ice cream for my New Year's Eve celebration and that was too much effort. For photo presentation's sake (a week later), I thought I'd try making edible bowls to house the beery goodness. I'm glad I tested out the recipe, because I made some important notes that will improve your success with it. Huzzah!

Beer Ice Cream with Edible Lace Bowls
For the ice cream (recipe from "The Boozy Baker," by Lucy Baker):
-2 1/2 cups heavy cream
-1 1/2 cups whole milk
-5 large egg yolks
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-1 cup (8 ounces) chocolate stout, or other dark beer (**I used New Glarus' Chocolate Abbey. AMAZING.**)

1. To make the ice cream, combine the heavy cream and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is almost just barely simmering (you will see steam rising from the surface, and small bubbles at the edge of the pan). Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar and salt until thick and pale yellow. Very slowly, whisk a 1/4 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture to temper it. Then transfer the egg mixture to the saucepan with the rest of the cream mixture and return to medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon without running.Remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Add the vanilla extract and stout. Chill for at least four hours (preferably overnight) and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

**Note: I think the large amount of alcohol keeps this ice cream very soft right out of the ice cream maker. It was not even really reaching "soft serve" consistency. So, I put it in a long, rectangular tupperware container, put saran wrap directly on the ice cream (to prevent freezer burn!), and covered it. I let it freeze for 3+ hours and voila! Ice cream!

For the ice cream bowls (Recipe from the LA Daily News):
-1 1/4 cups sugar
-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
-1/3 cup water
-1 tablespoon vanilla

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. Have ready an offset spatula and several small overturned glasses. (**NOTE: I used a large offset spatula--the original recipe calls for a small one--and I found that overturned pint glasses worked great**)

2. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer with the whisk attachment to mix sugar and flour. Drizzle in butter and mix to fully incorporate. Slowly add water and vanilla while continuing to mix.

3. Scoop a tablespoon of batter onto prepared baking sheet and spread into a 4- to 5-inch circle. Leaving plenty of space between them, repeat with 2 more spoons of batter. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 10 minutes or until dark golden-brown all over. You may need to rotate the baking sheet halfway through to achieve this.

4. Remove from oven. Let baking sheet sit on counter 1-2 minutes, until you're able to very gently slide an offset spatula underneath and slowly lift up. It may help to loosen the edges a bit with the spatula first. If cookie sticks to spatula wait another 30 seconds. Drape each round over an overturned glass, immediately and gently pressing the sides down to form a bowl shape. Let cool on glass until firm. Very gently remove, always holding the bottom (not the sides! very fragile!) and set aside.

5. Repeat in batches with remaining batter. Once cooled, the bowls can be stored in an airtight container up to a week.

-Makes 15 bowls, 119 calories and 6 grams fat each.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

2012-01-01T19:58:00.001-08:00

Happy 2012, everybody!

I realize that my posting is not particularly timely, as these cheesecake bars would've made a lovely addition to your New Year's Eve parties. Well, what can I say? I am a pretty terrible, no good, awful, superbly horrible blogger.

Oh, Heather, don't be so hard on yourself, I'm sure you're all saying. How could you have known what we needed to whip up for New Year's Eve?

I can be hard on myself, because EVERYBODY needs these cheesecake bars. Yes--everyone. You, your thighs, everyone. Yeah, I said it.

These are little slices of heaven. Sweet, creamy, lightly bready, crunchy cinnamony, gloriously buttery heaven. They're the perfect way to ring in 2012 (especially if the Mayans are right and we're all going to die--you might as well indulge!), the perfect way to celebrate a special occasion, or the perfect way to spend a night of sobbing/eating your way through The Notebook. You know, whatever works best for you.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars (from Cookies & Cups, adapted from Pillsbury)
-2 cans Crescent Rolls (or the new canned Crescent Roll "Sheets," which have no seams to pinch together--perfect!)
-2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese (room temperature)
-1 cup sugar
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/2 cup butter, melted
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 tbsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Unroll 1 can of crescent rolls and lay flat in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Stretch the rolls to cover the bottom of the pan. Pinch any seams closed.

3. In a mixing bowl combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla until combined and smooth.

4. Spread this over top of the crescent roll.

5. Unroll your remaining can of crescent rolls and lay this on top of the cream cheese mixture, again, pinching closed any open seams.

6. Pour your melted butter on top of the crescent roll.

7. In a bowl mix the remaining sugar and tablespoon of cinnamon together and sprinkle that evenly on top of butter. (**NOTE: I found that I didn't need all of the cinnamon-sugar mixture, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to put it all on.**)

8. Bake for 30 minutes until top is golden brown.

9. Let cool for approximately 20 minutes and then put in refrigerator to completely chill before cutting into squares. I know it's difficult, but try.

P.S. Did I say how easy these are? I think I neglected to say that. They are SO EASY. You pretty much need to be able to melt, mix, and unroll things. What I'm saying is that there are no excuses--no barriers between you and sweet, tasty sin. So, do it now!

Deep Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

2011-12-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

Nothing says "the holidays" like chocolate ice cream.

.....Right? Isn't that the saying?

My brother gave me a Williams-Sonoma gift certificate for Christmas. Since I'm with the husband's family right now, my family used Thanksgiving as a chance to exchange gifts. While most of the gifts were booze (which prompted us to name the holiday "Boozeexchangegiving"), my bro gave me the opportunity to buy something frivolous at FancyPants-Sonoma. And while they have many frivolous things, an ice cream maker was at the top of my Frivolous Shit To Buy list.

So, I got this guy. His name is Frank. He is beautiful.

Frank gave me a scare while making my first batch of ice cream. I put Frank's freezer bowl in the freezer 24 hours in advance of when I wanted to churn out some creamy goodness. In the meantime, I made the 'batter.' This batter, by the way, is quite expensive if you make it with the good stuff. And you should definitely make it with the good stuff.

Anyway, 24 hours pass and I'm all excited to bust out some ice cream while hubs and I eat pizza and watch King Kong. .....aaaand the freezer bowl wasn't frozen. Cue abject misery. It ended up taking over 36 hours for the bowl to freeze. But it was worth the wait. This recipe is magnificent.

If you've been looking for ice cream that is so chocolatey that it's more chocolate than ice cream, this is your man. It's super thick, uber-custardy, and unbelievably rich. You will be tempted to dole out a big dish like I have in my photos. But you won't need it. A little bit of this goes a long way.
Deep Dark Chocolate Ice Cream (from Cuisinart)
-2 1/4 cups whole milk
-2 1/4 cups heavy cream
-1 vanilla bean
-1 1/8 cups granulated sugar
-1 1/8 cups Dutch process cocoa
-2 large eggs
-2 large egg yolks
-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
-12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1. In a large saucepan, combine the whole milk and heavy cream over medium-low heat. With a sharp knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise; use the blunt edge of the knife to scrape out the "seeds" of the vanilla bean. Stir the seeds and bean pod into the milk/cream mixture. Simmer the milk/cream mixture over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean pod and discard it or rinse and reserve for another use.

2. Combine the sugar, cocoa, eggs, and egg yolks in a medium bowl; using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat until thickened like mayonnaise. (**NOTE: It will NOT have a mayonnaise texture. It will be so thick that it will all stick to the beaters and barely be beat-able. Don't sweat it. Just proceed with the next step.**)

3. Measure out 1 cup of the hot milk/cream mixture. With the mixer on low speed, add the cup of hot milk/cream to the cocoa mixture in a slow, steady stream and mix until completely incorporated. Stir the chopped chocolate into the saucepan with the hot milk/cream. Stir the egg mixture into the hot milk/cream. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to resemble a chocolate pudding. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a bowl and stir in vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the chocolate mixture, and refrigerate until completely cooled.

4. Pour the chilled custard into the freezer bowl, turn the machine on and let mix until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

-Makes 14 1/2-cup servings

Note: My friend Julien tried out this recipe shortly after tasting my faboo results. He used 1% milk instead of whole milk and had less-than-satisfactory results, at least initially (I believe it wouldn't freeze very well). He popped it in the freezer for a few hours and it got more solid. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

Roasted Italian Vegetable Couscous

2011-12-17T14:09:00.001-08:00

This is my 200th post! That's pretty impressive for someone who doesn't actually have very much to say, don't you think?

I'm a little bummed that I don't have something more amazingly spectacular to share for my 200th post. School has had me so wiped that I didn't even remember to take photos of the Thanksgiving feast I made. Seriously. The only thing that I managed a photo of was the Pecan Cheesecake Pie--two days later. My super-awesome husband has been doing most of the cooking, and I've been doing most of the eating. Huzzah for 200 posts! Huzzah for laziness!

I imagine that if you've been around the cooking blogsphere for any amount of time, you've seen photos of the incredibly beautiful and super-weirdo-freaktastic Romanesco Broccoli. Half-broccoli, half-cauliflower, all-bizarro-vegetable-from-space. Personally, I'd seen photos many times, but had never seen them in person. The morning I went to pick up my T-Day turkey from the Farmer's Market, it was freezing cold--colder than it is today, over 1 1/2 months later. There were few vendors left at that last outdoor market, and who could blame them? Like a moron, I'd forgotten my gloves. Handling money was hard. The idea of holding a frozen turkey was harder.

As I bemoaned my idiocy, we passed several heads of Romanesco broccoli. My icy little foodie heart flip-flopped in my chest. I need it! But you don't know what it tastes like! But I NEED it! But you don't know how to cook it! BUT I NEED IT.

Husband ran back to get it for me, so that I could warm my hands in the car. Bless his big, non-icy heart.

It truly begs for photos to be taken. It has no bad angles. It is the Beyonce of vegetables.

Turns out, it tastes like a less-sulfury cauliflower. But it's more cauliflower than broccoli on the cauliflower-broccoli continuum. I roasted it. What do you do with yours?

Roasted Italian Vegetable Couscous (from me)
Vegetables:
-1 head Romanesco broccoli, florets separated
-2 large carrots, chopped
-1 yellow pepper, chopped
-1 green pepper, chopped
-3 small-to-medium sized tomatoes (the more flavorful, the better), chopped into large pieces
-4 cloves garlic, skin left on
-1/2 teaspoon dried basil
-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
-1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
-1/4 teaspoon dried savory
-1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-Approximately generous 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or more, to taste)
-Approximately 1 teaspoon salt (or less, to taste)
-2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

Couscous:
-1 1/2 cups uncooked plain couscous (cook according to package directions, including with amount of butter/oil given)
-1/2 teaspoon salt (or less, to taste)
-1/4 teaspoon black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-1/4 teaspoon basil
-1/4 teaspoon oregano
-Optional: More of the above seasonings, as you see fit

1. Preheat oven to 450. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with tin foil.

2. In a large bowl, mix all of the vegetables, spices, and oil together (including the garlic with the skins on, excluding the garbanzo beans). Pour out onto the baking sheet and spread them out evenly. Bake for ~20 minutes, or until desired degree of tenderness is reached.

3. In the meantime, prepare your couscous per the package directions. You can add the spices into the water/oil mix before boiling, or after the couscous is done--I do it before, but it's really your call. Couscous is very plain on its own, so it's hard to over-spice, even with spiced vegetables. Once the couscous is cooked, stir in the garbanzo beans and put on low heat to keep everything warm.

4. Once the vegetables are done to your liking, remove from the oven. Pick out the cloves of garlic and set aside until they're cool enough to handle (it should be just a few minutes). Smoosh those cloves so that the nummy garlic gushes out.

5. Use your big mixing bowl to mix both the couscous, garlic, and vegetables together (or use the couscous as a base and veggies as a topping--it doesn't matter). Serve immediately.

-Serves 6.

Turkey Vatapa

2011-11-27T17:03:00.000-08:00

By a show of hands, who ate too much on Thanksgiving?

ALL of you?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

I fixed: Butter-Herb Turkey, Tofurky Roast, Stuffing with Vegetarian Sausage, Smashed Potatoes with Roast-Garlic Gravy, Bourbon-Walnut Sweet Potato Mash, Tarragon Green Beans, Cheesemonger's Mac & Cheese, Cranberry Sauce, Pumpkin Pie, and Pecan Cheesecake Pie.

If you're like me, you went crazy with making this delicious food and a) ate too much, b) have continued to eat too much for the past 2 days, and c) have too much leftover turkey, despite loading your guests up with packed ziploc baggies. And if that's the case, you are probably rocking back and forth in your kitchen, holding your gut, and wishing for someone to fix your problems. Well, don't worry--I've got you covered.

Turkey Vatapa is a Brazilian soup that includes spicy jalapenos, coconut milk, peanuts, and, best of all, beer. That's right--beer. In soup. With coconut milk and peanuts! And leftover turkey! What's better? It's from those delightfully clever bastards at Cooking Light! I know, right? Sweet.

Turkey Vatapa (from Cooking Light)
-1 teaspoon peanut oil
-1/2 cup finely chopped onion
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
-1 jalapeño pepper, minced
-1 cup water
-1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
-1 (12-ounce) can light beer
-1/4 cup unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
-3 cups chopped skinned cooked turkey
-1/2 cup light coconut milk
-1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
-1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
-1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
-Cilantro sprigs (optional)

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add ginger and jalapeño; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in water, tomatoes, and beer; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

2. Place peanuts in a spice or coffee grinder (OR just chop really finely!); process until finely ground. Add ground peanuts, turkey, and coconut milk to pan, stirring to combine. Increase heat to medium. Bring mixture to a simmer; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in parsley, cilantro, juice, salt, and black pepper. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

-Serves 6
-Calories: 195, Fat: 6.4g, Carbs: 11.8g, Protein: 19.9g

Verdict: Totally delightful. This is just the thing I needed after three solid days of heavy, fatty foods. Husband loved it, too!

Peanut Butter Caramel Corn

2011-11-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

As we collectively emerge from a post-Halloween candy-coated daze and delve straight into the butter-laden, carb-and-meat fiesta that is Thanksgiving, it's important to remember that we CAN make healthy choices. Remember healthy choices? Yeah, me either.

So as not to shock your system as you wean yourself off of a month-long sugar high, maybe try a reduced-calorie treat like this peanut butter caramel corn from Cooking Light!

I was surprised that it's possible for caramel corn to be "light." And certainly, even if it wouldn't be light in the quantity you'd prefer to eat, it's so sweet and rich that you don't need more than a handful (or two).

Peanut Butter Caramel Corn (from Cooking Light)
-Cooking spray
-2 tablespoons canola oil
-1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
-1/2 cup sliced almonds
-2/3 cup packed brown sugar
-2/3 cup light-colored corn syrup
-2 1/2 tablespoons butter
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 250°.

2. Line a jelly-roll pan with parchment paper; coat paper with cooking spray.

3. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add popcorn; cover and cook 4 minutes, shaking pan frequently. When popping slows, remove pan from heat. Let stand until popping stops. Uncover; add almonds.

4. Combine sugar, syrup, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and vanilla; stir until smooth. Drizzle over popcorn; toss well. Spread mixture out onto prepared pan. Bake at 250° for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Serves 20 (serving size 3/4 cup)
Calories: 155
Fat: 7.4g, Protein: 2.6g, Carbs: 21.3g

Mile-High Carrot Cake

2011-11-05T06:22:00.000-07:00

So....yeah. Hi.

I may or may not have been too busy/lazy/tired to update this blog for the past month. To be honest, there has not been much in the way of inventive cooking going on, either. Apparently, my will to cook (or to put in any effort beyond keeping up basic hygiene) has been zapped by the evil overlord known as Library & Information Science Grad School.

When I say I've been lazy, I mean that I've intended to put up this post since the end of September. Which is when Husband's birthday was. And, here it is, the beginning of November. So pathetic, Heather. So pathetic.

In any case, let's start out by announcing the Pasta Alley Giveaway winner (who has already received her prize--I'm not THAT awful): Jen at The 3 Little Piglets! Jen received three bags of Chive & Onion pasta, as well as 1 bag of Rosemary Champagne pasta. While the contest was ongoing, I shot an email to Pasta Alley to let them know how awesome they are. I was very surprised when the owner, Jeremy Maupin, donated all four bags. How generous is that?? I was floored. So, in case you needed another reason to purchase delicious pasta from an organization that employs developmentally disabled individuals, there it is. Please give this wonderful business your hard earned money in exchange for a little dough (see what I did there?).

On to the cake.

Have you ever thought, "Gosh. I would really like to make carrot cake, but you know, it's just not fatty enough for me. I like my cake with a side of guaranteed heart attack, and carrot cake is just not delivering"?

Fear not.

I have the carrot cake for you.

Your husband might make your cake look like Pac Man.

Mile-High Carrot Cake (from Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats)
-1 cup macadamia nuts (toasted, then chopped up)
-3 cups all purpose flour
-3 cups sugar
-1 tbsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
-1 tbsp ground cinnamon
-1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
-1-1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
-4 large eggs
-2 tablespoons vanilla
-1-1/2 cups vegetable oil, such as canola or safflower
-1-1/2 cups shredded peeled carrots
-1-1/2 cups diced fresh pineapple or drained crush canned pineapple (this is one 20 oz. can)
-1 1/2 cups raisins (optional)
-1/2 cup sweetened cream of coconut, such as Coco Lopez

Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting
-4 (8 oz) packages Neufchatel cream cheese, at room temperate
-2 cups powdered sugar
-1/4 cup + 4 teaspoons heaving whipping cream
-1/4 cup + 4 teaspoons sweetened cream of coconut, such as Coco Lopez
-1/2 + 1/8 teaspoons salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Arrange the nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast them for 7 to 9 minutes, until golden and aromatic. Set aside to cool. Chop up when cool.

2. Place one oven rack one-third from the bottom of the oven and the second two-thirds from the bottom. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line three 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper rounds, grease with butter, and dust with flour (or spray with Baker's Joy).

3. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut, and nuts in a large bowl. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, oil, carrots, pineapple, and cream of coconut. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Stagger the cake layers on the oven racks so that no layer is directly over another. Set 2 layers on one rack and the third on the other. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The cakes are done when they are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on racks for 5 minutes, then invert them onto the racks and cool completely, about 15 to 20 minutes.

To Make the Frosting:
1. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed about 1 minute. Add the whipping cream, cream of coconut, and salt; beat until combined.

2. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate and spread a thick blanket of frosting on top. Add the second layer, spread thickly with frosting, and top with the third layer. Cover the top and sides of the cake with an even layer of frosting. If you're feeling energetic and there is frosting left over, use a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip to pipe a decoration around the top rim of the cake.

3. The cake can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 4 days. Let it cool in the refrigerator about 1 hour before covering, to ensure the frosting has hardened and will not stick to the plastic wrap.

Yield: 12-14 Hefty Servings

Verdict: I find cake making inexplicably frustrating. They are just so much work. They don't SEEM like they would be, right? But they are. And frosting them? ...infinitely worse. I remembered why I don't make complicated cakes when I made this cake. Despite parchment papering the bottom and hosing the pan and paper down with cooking spray, parts of the cake still stuck to the pan. That meant that I had chunks of cake missing that I had to try to fill in with frosting. The cakes took much longer to bake than indicated, and were very suddenly in danger of burning. This recipe has so much sugar involved that the tops caramelized, which is what made burning quickly a real possibility. Fortunately, none did....however, the caramelized tops made it impossible to level the cake layers. So, it was a vaguely....tower of pisa-ish cake. The tops were also problematic, because despite the fact that there is a metric ton of frosting in general, there was just not enough to mask the hardness that kept poking through.

NOW. All complaining aside: Was it good? YES. Did we eat way too much? YES. Did we have to give away at least 1/4 of this cake so we didn't end up in the hospital? YES. Should you make it. YES.

Two Year Blog-a-versary Review and Giveaway!

2011-10-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

I'm going to go ahead and pat myself on the back for sticking with something for two whole years. Something that I don't *have* to do. But it is a little something that I love to do. Taking photos after making dinner has become second nature. Plopping a bowl of soup down on my driveway and snapping away? Nope, nothing weird about that.

Let's go rehash some of my 2010-2011 favorites, shall we?

Dazzling Pomegranate Truffles

Salted Chocolate-Dipped Caramels

Tapas

Triple-Cheddar Crackers

Easy Wheat Bagels

Enchilada Pizza
Honey-Cashew Granola

Soft Pretzels

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

1554 Black Ale Truffles with Abbey Ale Peanut Brittle

Cinnamon Buns

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce with Beef Tenderloin

Apple Cider Doughnuts

Tofu Tikka Masala

Gyros

Fat Elvis Cupcakes

Hm. There is definitely a theme of "comforting" and "bad for you" in my favorites, isn't there? I am a carbaholic.

To celebrate my blog and its addiction to carbs, I'm giving one lucky reader delicious, carby treats! One of me and Hubster's favorite stands at the Urbana Farmer's Market is Pasta Alley. They offer a wide variety of cheap, fresh, homemade pastas. By variety, I don't just mean shape--I mean flavors. We've tried Sweet Basil, Habanero (VERY spicy!), Garlic Pepper, Lemon Pepper, Oregano Herb, and Rosemary Champagne. This pasta is so delicious. It cooks up in 3-4 minutes and adds depth to whatever pasta sauce you're making.

What's even better about Pasta Alley? Well, allow me to quote from their website:
"'We employ developmentally disabled people that currently they were worried about not having jobs and that, and that's why we developed the business. They're able to do our packaging and labeling for us and it's a win, win situation for everybody,' said Rae Anne Maupin, Mother of Pasta Alley owner. Pasta Alley employs up to 60 developmentally disabled adults, ranging in age from 21 to 78."

How great is that? I'm thrilled to know that my carbaholism is helping to support developmentally disabled people in my area!

SO. Here's the deal: I want to give you the chance to try some of this awesome pasta. I am giving away four bags of Pasta Alley pasta to one lucky winner. Four bags, people! You could eat like a king!

To enter my super-sweet Two Year Blog-a-versary Pasta Alley giveaway, you must do the following:
1) Be a resident of the U.S. No U.S. shipping address = no pasta for you. Sorry, beloved international readers!
2) Follow Pretty Peas via Google or Facebook or RSS feed (if you already do, you're good to go!).
3) Visit Pasta Alley's listing of products.
4) Leave me a comment letting me know a) How you're following my blog, and b) Which four pasta varieties you want if you win.

It's that simple!

The contest starts right now and ends at 5pm CST on Friday, October 7th. I will use a random number generator to pick the winner and will announce it ASAP. Good luck!

Smoky Corn, Shrimp, and Bacon Chowder

2011-10-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

The moment I saw this recipe, I knew I had to have it. It is literally the perfect time of year for this recipe. You can still get most of the core ingredients seasonally and only need to pick up a few things at the supermarket. As for me, I was able to get all the produce and the bacon at the Farmer's Market. I will say that getting your ingredients locally makes ALL the difference in this recipe. This chowder was elevated from good to divine with sweet, plump corn, tender potatoes, peppery arugula, and flavorful thick-cut bacon, all from the nation's heartland. Unbelievably delicious, ridiculously belly filling and soul warming.

This was so good that Greg was delighted about there being enough for a third night. Third night leftovers? Joy? THAT'S how you know it's good.

Smoky Corn, Shrimp, and Bacon Chowder (slightly modified from Relish.com)
-4 ears fresh sweet corn
-4 slices bacon
-1 medium white onion, chopped
-1 large clove garlic, minced
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon smoked paprika (do NOT use regular paprika...smoked paprika is WORTH IT)
-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-2 tablespoons flour
-2 medium baking potatoes, chopped
-5 cups 2-percent reduced-fat milk
-1 pound shrimp, peeled (deveined, if large)
-4 cups baby arugula or other peppery greens, such as mache or chopped and stemmed mustard or turnip greens

1. Cut corn kernels from cob. Scrape cobs with back of knife to release milk. Set aside.

2. Cook bacon in large Dutch oven. Remove from pan, drain and crumble.

3. Add onions, garlic, corn, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper to bacon drippings. Saute 10 minutes. Add flour, whisking well and cook 2 minutes. Add potatoes and milk. Cook 10 minutes or until thick and creamy. Add shrimp and cook until pink. Stir in arugula. Serve with crumbled bacon.

-Serves 6 generously

Slow-Cooked Chicken Enchiladas

2011-09-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just want some redonkulous enchiladas. That's all I'm sayin'.

Enchiladas that are spicy, gooey, and fat with sinfully tender meat. Meat that has simmered for 8 hours in a spicy stew of pure awesomeness.

Why bother trying to resist? It's futile. Give yourself over to them. You won't be sorry.

(P.S. Even if you're like, "Eeeew, enchilBARFas," you should still make this chicken. It would make *amazing* sandwiches.)

Slow-Cooked Chicken Enchiladas (by me, with the sauce adapted from Allrecipes.com)
For the Chicken:
-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-Chicken broth (1 can?) to mostly cover chicken
-8 oz can tomato sauce
-4 oz can diced green chiles
-1 packet Ortega taco seasoning (or your taco seasoning of choice)
-1 dried Guajillo chile

For the vegetable mixture:
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and diced
-1/2 red bell pepper, diced (**I would suggest using the whole red pepper if you want a better veggie-to-chicken ratio...same with the onion, or perhaps another half of a zucchini!**)
-1/2 large onion, diced
-2 large cloves garlic, minced
-1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
-1/4 teaspoon chili powder
-1/4 teaspoon black pepper
-1/4-1/3 teaspoon salt (to taste)
-1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-2-3 generous tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

For the Enchilada sauce (modified from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/ten-minute-enchilada-sauce/detail.aspx):
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-2 tablespoons self-rising flour
-1/4 cup chili powder (new mexico or california)
-8 oz can tomato sauce
-1 1/2 cups water
-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-1/2 teaspoon onion powder
-1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
-Approximately 1/4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (**start with 1/4 teaspoon, taste, and add more from there if you want**)

For assembly:
-8 flour tortillas, warmed in the microwave
-Approximately 1 cup shredded cheddar (really, can't go wrong with a 'more is better' attitude here..)
-Greek yogurt, for topping
-Chopped cilantro, for topping

1. Add chicken breasts to a slow-cooker. Add enough chicken broth to almost cover the chicken breasts. Add tomato sauce, green chiles, and taco seasoning, mixing to combine. Add the guajillo chile. Cover, set on high for about 30 minutes (this can probably be skipped if you're short on time in the morning), then change to low. Let cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until the meat falls apart when scraped with a fork. Shred the chicken in a large bowl and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic, saute for 3 minutes. Add zucchini and bell pepper, saute until slightly softened. Add cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper, mixing well. Remove from heat and place in a small mixing bowl. Add shredded cheddar and Greek yogurt, mixing thoroughly to combine. Set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 while you make the sauce.

4. Get all of your ingredients for the sauce prepped and have them at the ready--it's easy for the flour in the sauce to burn, so you need to be constantly stirring! In a saucepan, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add flour and chili powder, combining with a whisk or wooden spoon. Cook until lightly brown. Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Continue cooking over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.

5. Pour 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 13x9" pan, spreading it out equally.

6. Assemble each enchilada by putting down the desired amount of chicken and 1/8th of the vegetable mixture. Fold or roll up the enchilada and place seam-side down in the pan. When finished, pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle generously with shredded cheddar.

7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese begins to brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with Greek yogurt and cilantro as toppings.

-Serves 4 people with hearty appetites.

Note: This makes more chicken than you can probably fit in your enchiladas....that is a desirable outcome, because the chicken is so delicious! You'll eat it straight out of the bowl...I promise you. That is happening.

Fat Elvis Cupcakes

2011-09-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday was my 1-year anniversary! I find it unbelievable that it's already been a year. It feels like just yesterday that I got married and then immediately came down with some sort of crazy awful cold (thanks again, immune system, for not crashing before the wedding!). People asked, "Aren't you glad that you aren't planning a wedding right now??" And sure, I am glad, because it was hectic...but now I'm working full time and am in grad school, which I feel is exponentially worse, because there is no super-awesome party in the near future.

Us with a ugly statue we called "The Marital Horse."

While our wedding had a "Superheroes, Burritos, and Cupcakes"-theme (yes, it WAS awesome, thanks for asking), we later thought that maybe we should've had a "Ghostbusters, Thai Food, and Whiskey"-theme. Those were, after all, the things that we bonded over when we began dating. But, we shelved that for our 1-year anniversary. I have to tell you....we were looking forward to it for MONTHS. Is that crazy? I mean, we could've had all three of those things whenever we wanted. But sometimes, its the ordinary things that are best for a special occasion.

One of the best parts of the wedding (which I didn't get to have until the next day. Corsets....ugh) was the cupcakes! We had three varieties: Champagne cake with blackberry filling and walnut buttercream frosting, Chocolate cake with raspberry filling and mocha buttercream frosting, and.....wait for it....Banana cake with chocolate ganache filling and peanut butter cream cheese frosting. Yes. It WAS amazing, thanks. Since the latter cupcake flavor was descended from heaven, I thought it would be fun to re-create it for our anniversary. And so I did. And it was the best decision I've ever made, next to marrying Greg.

Fat Elvis Cupcakes (from Epicurious and Bakergirl)
Cupcakes:
-1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-2 very ripe large bananas, peeled
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-3/4 cup sugar
-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
-1 large egg
-1 large egg yolk

Ganache:
-2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
-1/4 cup heavy cream
-1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Frosting:
-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
-1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
-1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (**NOTE: The original recipe calls for an *entire stick.* Not. Necessary.**)
-1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or freshly ground)

For cupcakes:
 1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Mash bananas with fork in another medium bowl until smooth. Mix sour cream and vanilla into bananas.

2. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and beat until well blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with banana-sour cream mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until blended after each addition. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups (generous 1/4 cup for each).

3. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack and let cool completely.

For frosting and ganache:
 1. Place chocolate, cream, and confectioners' sugar in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high power until mixture is just warm to the touch, about 20-30 seconds. Whisk until smooth. Transfer to the refrigerator. Let stand until just chilled, no longer than 30 minutes.

2. While the ganache is chilling, start the frosting. Sift powdered sugar into large bowl. Add cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until smooth.

3. With a small, sharp knife (like a paring knife) pointing on a diagonal, cut a hole out of the center of each cupcake. Be sure not to cut too deeply, or you'll have a hole through the cupcake. Fill each hole about 90% full of the ganache. Place the cut-away piece of cake back on top of the hole and press down gently. It's okay if some oozes out--you'll just cover over it with frosting anyway. Repeat with the rest of the cupcakes.

4. Cover each cupcake generously with frosting, smoothing with a knife.

-Makes 12 cupcakes

Verdict: These cupcakes are insane. Insanely delicious! They have got to be one of the most comforting things I've ever tasted. Oddly, they're even MORE tasty once they've been refrigerated for several hours. How many cupcakes can make that claim? Anyway, I highly suggest you go make these now. Right now! Trust me.

Quick! Eat the cupcakes before that blinding nuclear explosion in the background reaches us!

Cucumber & Cannellini Bean Salad

2011-09-03T12:07:00.001-07:00

I may be slow on the uptake here, but have you ever tried a cucumber from your local farmer's market? If not, you should. You will never get a cucumber from the grocery store that has so much flavor. I'll bet you didn't even know that cucumbers could have much flavor--I sure didn't. I bought three truly enormous cucumbers for this recipe. I mean, wow. You could've beaten up an intruder with those things.

This salad was made to be enjoyed outdoors with your friends. We had it with grilled cheddar brats, sangria, and peach pie with homemade vanilla ice cream. You can't beat that (unless it's with a farmer's market cucumber...then you probably could).

Cucumber & Cannellini Bean Salad (modified just slightly from Eating Well)
-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-2 tablespoons lemon juice
-2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
-Freshly ground pepper to taste (**I used about 1/4 teaspoon**)
-4 cups peeled, seeded, and diced cucumbers
-1 14-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
-2/3 cup diced red bell pepper
-1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
-1/4 cup slivered red onion
-2 tablespoons chopped black olives

1. Whisk oil, lemon juice, oregano and pepper in a large bowl until combined.

2. Add cucumber, beans, bell pepper, feta, onion and olives; toss to coat.

3. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

-Makes about 8 side servings

120 calories, Fat: 7.5g, Carbs: 9g, Protein: 3.75g.

Minestrone Soup

2011-08-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

I truly wish it wasn't 88 degrees outside as I write this post. This photo would be far more effective if a chill was in the air....if the sky was grey and gloomy....if you were bundled up in a scarf. But, you'll have to take my word for it: Minestrone is good, no matter the season! In fact, it's a great soup for summertime, owing to all the fresh produce you can pour in. It's also a great soup for substitutions. The recipe is versatile and forgiving--and best of all, easy and healthy!

Minestrone (from a few different sources, combined into a new recipe)
-4 cups vegetable broth
-4 cups diced tomatoes (canned are fine, if you want to go that route)
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-2 cups carrots, chopped
-1/2 onion, diced
-1 tablespoon minced garlic
-2-3 stalks celery, chopped
-3 zucchini, chopped
-1/2 tablespoon dried basil
-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
-1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
-Large pinch of Italian Seasoning
-2 bay leaves
-1 14.5-ounce can Cannellini beans
-1 14.5-ounce can dark kidney beans
-1/2 small can tomato paste
-About 1-2 cups cooked short pasta (like Ditalini, Alphabet, or Orzo)

1. Saute carrots, onion, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven. Cook until tender.

2. Add tomatoes with juice, celery, zucchini, beans, seasoning, and tomato paste to the pot. Add broth. Stir well.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for at least 30 minutes.

4. When ready to serve, add the cooked pasta. Remove bay leaves and serve. Top with parmesan for a vegetarian option.

-Serves at least 8 generously as a main course.

Note: This makes a *lot* of soup. SO, another benefit of this tasty dish is that it's also economical! We froze our leftovers, which I think will work out fine. I'm looking forward to busting it out for an impromptu meal.

Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

2011-08-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

I am starting school again this week. A lot of the mommy bloggers are putting up posts about nice treats to give their kids on the first day of school, yummy lunch treats, etc. Sadly, my mommy is not here in IL to make me yummy first-day-of-school treats. So, I (albeit unconsciously) took it upon myself to make some serious noms for school/work/just because I really, really, really wanted them.

When I opened up this month's Cooking Light and saw the words "Peanut Butter Cup" and "Blondies" together in one recipe title, I had to jam a fist in my mouth to stop myself from screaming. A little known fact about Heather is that she loves her some cookie bars. I don't know why, but cookies in bar-form just taste better. Blondies are preferable to brownies in most cases. And if you throw peanut butter AND peanut butter cups up in that mix, I will be all over it. As in, I showed it to my husband and then went out to buy peanut butter cups. All over it like that.

Me, being "all over" the blondies. Sneakily.

My major beef with this recipe is that it's not TRULY Cooking Light. You're supposed to cut a 9" pan into 20 pieces. It's not fudge, Cooking Light. They're blondies. People don't want a dinky 1.5" square. That's just sad. And in looking at the recipe, the peanut butter isn't reduced-fat, the milk isn't skim or 1%, etc. It seems full-fat, just with reduced portions. So...just get used to the idea that this isn't really a "light" recipe unless you have the self-control to only eat 1 tiny portion per day.

Peanut Butter Cup Blondies (from Cooking Light)
-5 3/5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
-1 cup granulated sugar
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
-1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
-2 tablespoons 2% reduced-fat milk
-2 large eggs, lightly beaten
-1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (**I used dark chocolate chips. Sooooo good.**)
-Cooking spray
-4 (0.75-ounce) peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Combine peanut butter and next 4 ingredients (through eggs), stirring well. Add peanut butter mixture to flour mixture; stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Scrape the batter into a 9-inch square metal baking pan lightly coated with cooking spray, and arrange the peanut butter cups over batter. Bake at 350° for 19 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

-Serves "20," unless you love yourself enough to give yourself more than a 1.5" piece.

Quadruple Chocolate Lady Godiva

2011-08-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

I live for coffee. I honestly cannot imagine giving it up. It's an addiction I wear proudly on my sleeve. How do I take my coffee, you might ask? Black. I like mixing in flavored coffees, but I don't generally go in for diluting my caffeine while I'm mainlining it in the morning. SO, while I was super stoked about getting to try Godiva coffee (P.S. It is DELICIOUS taken black), I was worried about my aptitude for making an icy, flavored concoction with it.

Naturally, instead of keeping it clean for the kiddies, my mind turned straight to alcohol for the answer to my problem. Hubster suggested "Triple Chocolate"-something. And, as always, I took it overboard and made it "Quadruple Chocolate"-something (overboard, but in a good way). I made this for my lady friends Jessica and Rachel. It happened to be Rachel's birthday, so I bought her a chocolate cake. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I briefly wondered if I could puree a bit of the cake into the drink to make it "Quintuple Chocolate"-something. This was discarded on the grounds of lunacy. As it was, having 4x Chocolate, caffeine, and liquor washed down by a hearty helping of birthday cake was quite the experience.

I made this up as I went. I think some of the best things in life come out of improvisation, and this was no exception. 3 out of 3 girls on a drunken sugar high approve of this drink.

Quadruple Chocolate Lady Godiva (from me)
-8 ounces Godiva Chocolate Truffle coffee, brewed and chilled in the refrigerator
-4 ounces Baileys Irish Cream
-4 ounces Kahlua
-4 ounces Half 'n Half (**Note: Honestly, I didn't put this much in. I only did it here for ease of ounces per glass. So, if you want your drinks less dilute and more boozy--good for you!--just pare it down to 1.5-2 ounces.**)
-1.5 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and whisked smooth
-2-3 ice cubes per glass, plus a few for the martini shaker
-Chocolate whipped topping to garnish
-Chocolate shavings to garnish

1. In a martini shaker, mix cold Godiva Chocolate Truffle coffee, Bailey's, Kahlua, Half 'n Half, and melted chocolate over a few ice cubes. Shake well.

2. In each of 4 glasses, place 2-3 ice cubes. Pour the drinks out into equal portions, about 5 ounces each. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings and serve immediately.

-Serves 4

The birthday girl with a positively sinful combination.

I wish I'd had more time this month to experiment with other Godiva drinks. I received two bags from them--one was the Chocolate Truffle, the other French Vanilla. I'm envisioning something creamy, with more vanilla and rum for the French Vanilla....and something with Creme de Menthe for the Chocolate Truffle. SO, my suggestion to you, cordial lovers, is to go out, score some sweet Godiva coffee, and improvise! You won't be disappointed. Even if you're not into cordial drinks, I recommend the Chocolate Truffle coffee on its own--it is awesome!

I received Godiva coffee as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program.

Spicy Beef with Thai Basil

2011-08-10T05:17:00.000-07:00

Thai Basil might be one of my favorite herbs in the whole wide world. If you're unfamiliar with it, I can tell you only that it "smells like Thai food." Inhale deeply, and you might smell anise. Before it's incorporated into your food, while on the stalk, it has beautiful dark purple flowers that emanate the most intense aroma.

Thai Basil, photo from Mas Du Diable.

So, anywho, it never occurred to me that things like Thai basil and lemongrass were, y'know, growable in your own backyard. My friend Kathy began her own organic herb garden, and both of the aforementioned were part of this summer's bounty. While I got many great herbs from her this summer (things like chocolate mint and lemon verbena included!), these were by far my favorite as exotic items are not always easy to find here in Urbana-Champaign.

One of my very favorite dishes to order comes from Vientiane Palace in Madison--Fried Whole Basil with Beef (though I'm pretty sure it used to be called "Fried Holy Basil," and Thai Holy Basil is a different thing entirely). The dish came with entire bunches of thai basil--stalks and all--fried up and served in a spicy brown sauce with succulent slices of beef. It. is. so. good. This was my attempt at making something similar at home.

Spicy Beef with Thai Basil (from The Food Addicts)
-1 lb. stir fry beef, sliced thin
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-3 shallots, sliced thin
-2 red Thai chiles, minced (these can be dried and rehydrated in warm water)
-1-2 teaspoons lemongrass, minced (**this is optional, but oh-so-tasty!**)
-1/2-1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
-1/2-1 orange or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
-1 tablespoon brown sugar
-1 tablespoon mirin
-1 tablespoon cornstarch
-Cracked pepper to taste
-1 cup Thai basil leaves (leave whole or slice them chiffonade--it's up to you)

1. Saute beef over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Add garlic, shallots, lemongrass, and chiles. Saute for 1 minute more.

2. Add the bell peppers and mix in. Saute for a few minutes more, until beef and peppers are tender.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, mirin, and cornstarch. Pour over the beef-pepper mixture, stirring to coat. When sauce thickens, add a bit of cracked pepper to taste.

4. Remove pan from heat. Toss in the Thai basil. Don't cook the basil, or it will turn black. Serve immediately with rice.

-4 small-ish servings (to extend it a bit, add 2 whole bell peppers)

Note: This dish is delightful and tasty, but VERY spicy. If you want to dial the spicy down a notch, only put in 1 Thai chile, or use milder chiles.

Pasta with Brussels Sprouts and Gorgonzola

2011-08-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

I was that weird kid who didn't mind eating brussels sprouts. They just tasted like cabbage to me (and I loooove cabbage). I realize that most of people's disdain for brussels sprouts probably lies in the way they're prepared. They're often overcooked and mushy, slathered in butter and breadcrumbs. Who would like *anything* that tastes like cabbage-y baby food? The key to brussels sprouts is cooking them until they're just tender--preferably still a bit crisp. If you're looking for a way to ease yourself into brussels sprouts, this recipe--flavorful, a little spicy, studded with gorgonzola--is a great way to do it.

Pasta with Brussels Sprouts and Gorgonzola (modified from Food & Wine)
-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 small red onion, thinly sliced
-1 pound brussels sprouts, stem trimmed, and thinly sliced, loose outer leaves reserved (**Note: If you're not a brussels sprouts fan yet, you may want to put in less than a pound...there are a lot of sprouts in this dish!**)
-5 large white button mushrooms, sliced
-1/8 teaspoon cayenne
-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
-Salt and pepper to taste (**I think I did about 1/2 teaspoon and 1/4 teaspoon**)
-1/2 pound penne or other short pasta
-4 ounces Gorgonzola, crumbled

1. In a large, deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sliced brussels sprouts and mushrooms, cayenne, thyme, and salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until sprouts are just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the reserved brussels sprout leaves, cover and remove from heat.

2. In the meantime, boil a pot of salted water for the pasta. Cook pasta according to box instructions, reserving 3/4 of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the skillet along with the reserved pasta water. Cook over medium heat, stirring to coat pasta with vegetables. Season with more salt and pepper as necessary. Transfer to bowls to serve, top with Gorgonzola.

-Serves 4 very generously (I might even say 6)

Verdict: Tres tasty! Especially if you add more Gorgonzola (damn you and your addictive nature, cheese!). This looks like a fast recipe to make, but the reality is that prepping brussels sprouts is fairly time-intensive. Get a helper to cut them up and you'll be done in no time.

Nectarine and Dark Chocolate Cake

2011-07-31T06:26:00.000-07:00

I won't flatter myself by thinking that you've noticed that I've been AWOL for nearly a month now. But in case you did notice, and have been kept awake by thoughts of whether or not I've met an untimely demise, I'm here to reassure you that I have not. Instead, I was preparing for a 10-day stint in the University of Illinois' Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) "Bootcamp" for distance students.

I read ~1,100 pages--twice. Once in the month before bootcamp and again in those ten days while making notes for discussion section.

I went to 13 lectures and 6 discussion sections. Again--in 10 days.

I participated in a group presentation, pulled together in 5 days.

I wrote 3 papers and an essay-based final.

I met amazing people who helped me not throw myself off a bridge.

And suddenly, it was over.

And I'll tell you something: I really wish I'd had this cake to greet me and my classmates after the final. Instead, I just have fond memories of its light, meringue-like texture, the sweet and tart nectarines, and the bite of dark chocolate. It was awesome.

Nectarine and Dark Chocolate Cake (adapted from S mitten Kitchen)
-1 cup all-purpose flour 
-1 tablespoon baking powder 
-1/4 teaspoon salt
 -3 eggs, at room-temperature
 -4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
 -3/4 cup sugar 
-3 nectarines, peeled, in a small dice
 -3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate--your choice)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with flour or breadcrumbs, tapping out the excess. Set aside.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside.

3. Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs on high speed until pale and very thick. (In a professional Kitchen Aid, it takes at least five minutes; on a home machine, it will take nine minutes to get sufficient volume). This will mean that when you pull the whisk attachment up from the mix, you'll get a thick ribbon that drizzles slowly back into the bowl.

4. While the eggs are whipping, brown the butter. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan (because it will foam a lot) and cook it until the butter browns and smells nutty (about 6 to 8 minutes). It helps to frequently scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last couple minutes to ensure even browning. Remove from the flame but keep in a warm spot.

5. Add the sugar to the eggs and whip a few minutes more.

6. Just as the egg-sugar mixture is starting to lose volume, turn the mixer down to stir, and add the flour mixture and brown butter. Add one third of the flour mixture, then half of the butter, a third of the flour, the remaining butter, and the rest of flour. Whisk until just barely combined — no more than a minute from when the flour is first added — and then use a spatula to gently fold the batter until the ingredients are combined. It is very important not to over-whisk or fold the batter or it will lose volume.

7. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the nectarines and chocolate chips over the top, and bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back to the touch, about 40 to 50 minutes, or a tester comes out clean.

Gyros

2011-07-03T06:36:00.000-07:00

"This just tastes like normal gyro meat," my niece said.

Oh, thank god, I thought. I had been fretting more than usual about making gyros. Apparently, without the use of a rotisserie, gyros are a tricky wicket to make at home. So tricky, in fact, that Serious Eats has a whole scientific food lab entry about it. Since I was making these for company (naturally--when do I ever not try something complicated and potentially disastrous for company?), the stakes were high. And children really are the most honest and terrifying judges. So, it was with great relief that I accepted Sophie's commentary.

And then there was this....all that was left after we descended like locusts upon our dinner:

1 1/2 pieces of gyro meat. Out of two pounds. That's how you know it was good.

How could it not be good with three types of meat? All that fatty, salty, spiced meat, sprinkled with crisp onions, cucumbers and tomatoes, smothered in soothing tzatziki, and blanketed in soft, chewy homemade pita? It's impossible to not wolf it down like your life depends on it.

It was so good that my sister in law had to take her son's second gyro away from him, lest it come right back up.

These gyros are "I'm willing to upchuck to keep eating this"-good.

Gyros (modified from Serious Eats, who really did all the heavy lifting)
-1 lb. ground lamb
-1 lb. ground beef
-4 teaspoons kosher salt (or 2 teaspoons table salt)
-1 teaspoon black pepper
-4 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
-1/2 tablespoon paprika
-1/2 tablespoon dried marjoram
-1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
-1 onion, cut into 1" chunks
-2 cloves garlic, sliced
-10 slices good quality bacon, cut into 1" pieces

1. Combine lamb, beef, and all spices in a medium bowl. Mix with hands until homogeneous. Cover and refrigerate as long as possible, up to overnight. The longer you refrigerate it, the better it will stick together.

2. When ready, preheat oven to 300 with oven rack in the middle. You will need to divide the meat, onion, garlic, and bacon into fourths for a normal size food processor. Put 1/4 meat, onion, garlic, and bacon into the food processor at a time, and puree about 30-60 seconds until smooth. Scrape the sides and puree more if necessary. Put into a bowl and continue processing until all of the meat is done

3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil. Form the meat into two rectangles about 1 1/2" high, 8" long, and about 4-5" wide. The height is what matters most here, so the length and width can vary a bit, depending on what's necessary. Bake until the center of each registers 155 F. You may need to rotate the baking sheet occasionally to ensure even browning. If you're like me, you may also need to jack the temperature up to 350 to eat sooner.

4. Remove the meat from the oven, pour off any liquids, and let sit for 15 minutes. Preheat the broiler. Cut the meat crosswise into 4-5"x1/2" slices. Lay slices back on the foil-rimmed sheet. You will need to do this in 2 batches. Broil the slices for 2-3 minutes, until crispy on the edges. Serve as soon as possible with warm pita bread, tzatziki sauce, raw sliced onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

Tzatziki Sauce:
-1 cup greek yogurt
-1 cucumber, peeeled, seeded and finely chopped
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
-1 teaspoon lemon juice
-1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves (I used chocolate mint! Yum!)
-Salt to taste
-Black pepper to taste

1. Mix together, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

-Entire recipe serves 6-8 people. In our case, it was 6 very hungry people. :)

Lemon Meringue Pie

2011-06-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

I was totally not going to post this recipe.

It was, from one end to the other, a total disaster.

1) The crust, which was a fabulous recipe that my sister-in-law, Angela, used during Thanksgiving, shrunk in the pan. Not once, but twice. The second time was "less bad," being that I yanked the crust over the edges and smushed it to stick. But that meant it was hideously misshapen and uneven in thickness. I mean, what are you supposed to do when that happens?

2) The pie filling recipe is dumb. It tells you to boil the sugar, lemon, and water, and then add the egg yolks and cornstarch all at once. Even *I* know what happens then. The egg yolks curdle. Why did I do it anyway? I don't know. I thought maybe a giant book of desserts knew something I didn't (like that cornstarch would stop the curdling or something). SO not the case.

3) Bleary-eyed with frustration, I misread the instructions to make the meringue. I added the egg whites and sugar together, instead of one, then the other. For a good long while, I thought I would have to start all over again. Fortunately, after about 15 minutes, stiff peaks were achieved.

4) The meringue got not "golden" but "brown with burned tips." I had to surgically excise the burned tips.

5) Despite my best efforts to push the meringue all the way to the edge of the crust 'to seal,' it still managed to separate during refrigeration. You can see in the birds eye view photo at the very bottom, there is crust, an unattractive moat of shiny lemon, and then meringue. I do not even know what happened there.

Anyway, you can all thank Greg for keeping me faithful to this blog's mission. "You have to put it up!" he said, "Your blog SAYS, 'What works and what DOESN'T.'" So, here it is. It did not work on many levels.

The crust, despite it's ugly irregularities, was flaky and tender like I remembered from November. The curd was thick, tangy, and refreshing. The meringue, well, was meringue. I'd never had Lemon Meringue pie before that night, but Greg and his parents all had, and loved it. I suppose I am my own worst critic. The pie was pretty good.

Lemon Meringue Pie (crust from Good Housekeeping, pie from "The Complete Book of Desserts" by, Martha Day)
Crust (makes 3 crusts):
-3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
-1 tablespoon sugar
-1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1 3/4 cups cold, unsalted butter cut into chunks
-2/3 cup ice water
-2 tablespoons sour cream
-1 teaspoon vinegar

1. In a very large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into the flour, leaving pea-sized chunks.

2. Combine ice water, sour cream, and vinegar with a fork. Add to the flour all at once, quickly mixing to distribute. Don't overmix--the dough should be slightly crumbly and lumpy.

3. Wrap in plastic and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 and up to 24 hours. The finished dough should break, not stretch.

4. When you're ready, divide the dough into 3 portions. Roll each into a ball, then flatten with your palms into a disc. Wrap the unused discs in plastic and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Butter your pie plate.

5. Using a liberal amount of flour sprinkled on the counter, the rolling pin, and the dough, roll out the crust. It should be about 1/3" thick with enough for a 1/2" overhang. Don't stretch it over the pie plate. Fold the overhang under the crust and crimp the edges. Chill the pie shell for at least 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400.

6. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Line with tin foil and fill with baking beans or other weights. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and continue baking for 6-8 more minutes, or until golden.

For the Pie Filling:
-Grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
-1 cup sugar, divided
-2 tablespoons butter
-1 cup water
-3 tablespoons cornstarch
-3 eggs, separated
-Pinch of salt
-1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. In a saucepan, combine the lemon zest and juice, 1/2 cup of sugar, butter, and 1 cup water. Bring mixture to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tablespoon cold water. Add the egg yolks.

3. Add the egg yolks to the lemon mixture and return to a boil, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Cover the surface with waxed paper to prevent a skin from forming, and let cool. **NOTE: This will probably cause some of your egg yolk to curdle into little bits. You can remove these by pouring the mixture through a mesh strainer and tapping it with a spoon, occasionally scraping the bottom to help the process along.**

4. For the meringue, chill a metal bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes. Add the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until they hold stiff peaks. Add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until glossy.

5. Spoon the lemon mixture into the pie shell and spread level. Spoon the meringue on top, smoothing it up to the edge of the crust to seal. Bake until golden, 12-15 minutes.

-Serves 8 (with 2 reserve crusts)

French Chicken in Vinegar Sauce with Green Beans Amandine

2011-06-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

It is, and has been, disgustingly hot in Champaign. When I made this a few weeks back, it was also sticky like a warm bath in my house. I should've made gazpacho. Or a fresh strawberry salad with cold chicken. And I should've done it in a sundress with the A/C on, but I'm a glutton for punishment. There is just something about this recipe that screams "Summer!!" even though it is a bear to make on a hot day. The chicken is meltingly tender, the sauce tastes like vinegar-based BBQ sauce, and is so plentiful that you need freshly baked rolls to sop it up. Paired with fresh, lemony green beans and a glass of lemonade (or, y'know, a beer or gin & tonic or three), it is the perfect summer meal for company. It's well worth sweating over.

French Chicken in Vinegar Sauce (from Cooking Light)
-Olive oil flavored cooking spray (or a little olive oil)
-2 1/2 cups chopped onion
-8 (3-ounce) skinned, boned chicken thighs
-1/2 cup dry white wine
-1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
-3 tablespoons tomato paste
-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
-1 teaspoon minced fresh (or 1/2 teaspoon dried) tarragon
-1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon cayenne
-Dash of black pepper

1. Coat a large, nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove onion from pan. Increase heat to high. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

2. Combine wine and next 8 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add onion and wine mixture to chicken; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Serve with rolls (I suggest popovers, also from Cooking Light!), and green beans.

-4 servings (2 thighs, 1/2 cup sauce)

Green Beans Amandine (from Cooking Light)
-2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
-3 pounds green beans, trimmed
-3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
-3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-2 tablespoons cornstarch
-1/4 cup water
-2 tablespoons lemon juice
-1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beans; saute 5 minutes. Add broth, pepper, and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

2. Combine cornstarch and water; add to skillet. Bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in lemon juice. Sprinkle with almonds just before serving.

-Makes 8 1-cup servings
-Note: This recipe is REALLY easily halved. I bought green beans without reading the recipe and only had about 1/2 as much as necessary (3 pounds is a LOT!). So, all is well if you don't want a whole crap ton of beans. :)

Apricot Cherry Galette

2011-05-30T15:35:00.001-07:00

Today was my first-ever attempt at a galette. I've decided that galettes are perfect for my level of crust making ability (which, admittedly, is quite low). They are supposed to look "rustic," which, in my house, is just a Martha Stewart word for "half-assed." The dough can be rolled out in a lopsided oblong and not a circle? It doesn't need to have pretty, smooth edges? Perfect! I love doing things half-assed--I mean, rustic...ly!

I was jazzed about the apricot-cherry combination. Turns out, I'd never purchased an apricot in my life, and had no clue as to what a ripe apricot felt like. Sadly, mine were very underripe and extremely tart. I added the orange juice as a means of sweetening the overall product (originally it was going to be lemon juice....thank god I taste-test everything), which worked fairly well, but it still could've used more sugar. As tasty as the end product was (OMG, the crust!), I now know to pick only the ripest apricots, whatever they may look like.

Apricot Cherry Galette (adapted from Food Mayhem and Dorie Greenspan)
Crust:
-3 tablespoons sour cream
-1/2 cup ice water
-1 cup flour
-1/4 cup cornmeal
-1 teaspoon sugar
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-7 tablespoons cold, salted butter, cut into pieces
-Small amount of milk, for brushing
-1/2 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Filling:
-Approximately 3 cups peeled, pitted, and sliced apricots and pitted cherries, sliced in half
-1 tablespoon cornstarch
-1 tablespoon (or more, depending on your lust for sweetness) turbinado sugar
-1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
-1/2 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

1. Mix sour cream with ice water. Set aside.

2. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until it looks like coarse sand.

3. Add the water-sour cream mix to the dry mix 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork. Only add enough water to make the dough come together in large clumps. You will probably not need all of the water, or even anything resembling all of it.

4. Bring dough together into 2 separate balls. Flatten into discs with the palm of your hand and wrap up with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

5. Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or your handy dandy silpat mat.

6. Using a liberal amount of flour to prevent sticking, roll out each disc of dough to approximately 11". The dough will be thin, so you may want to hang it on your rolling pin to transfer to the baking sheet. I found that it helped to roll it out some on the counter, transfer it to the silpat mat, and then roll it out the rest of the way.

7. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients, stirring to dissolve the cornstarch. Arrange the fruit in the center of each circle of dough, leaving a 3" border on all sides. Place half the chopped butter across the top of each galette. To fold, just pick up one edge and bring it near the middle (not covering the center). Bring the low side next to the fold up and slightly over the last fold, and so on until all sides are brought up.

8. Lightly brush the dough with milk and sprinkle liberally with turbinado sugar (sprinkle some on the fruit, while you're at it).

-Makes two 8" galettes; approximately 4 healthy servings.

9. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until the crust is golden-brown and the fruit is bubbling. Let cool on a wire rack at least 10 minutes before serving.

Culinary Adventures in Spain: Alicante

2011-05-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, Alicante. You're so pretty.

After Barcelona, we took a train to the southeastern coastal town of Alicante. Alicante is a town of approximately 335,000, with an additional density of European tourists. Is it hard to see why people want to visit here from the picture above? Situated on the Mediterranean, the sea shines like a turquoise gem, the sand is warm and pale, the atmosphere genuinely relaxed, and the food high quality. After being in the thick of Spain's major metropolises for several days, Alicante was a welcome change of pace.

If none of that makes you want to come to Alicante, consider Castillo de Santa Barbara. There is a giant hill (Mount Benacantil)--technically a hill, I would say 'mountain'--with a castle on top situated directly in the middle of everything. It is the craziest thing you'll ever see. You'll be walking down some random street and look down an alley to your left--BAM! Castle on a mountain! The first picture on this post was taken from atop Castillo de Santa Barbara. The views are flawless, breathtaking, and utterly addictive. I have lots of pictures I could post of the views, but I won't. I will say that being in a castle whose origins date to the 9th century while looking out upon the glorious white and red expanse of Alicante and the sparkling Mediterranean is one of the coolest things I've done so far.

Of course, after traveling, walking a 3/4 of a mile with baggage, and settling into our super sexy hotel (Hotel Eurostars Mediterránea Plaza--big rooms, GIANT marble bathrooms, french door balconies, worthwhile breakfast buffet, friendly service, cheap rates, all on a beautiful plaza), we were starving. Fortunately, the hotel has a cafe that runs pretty much all day long and offered cheap breakfast, tapas, bocadillos, pizza, desserts, and alcohol while you got to sit out on the plaza looking at a great view of Castillo de Santa Barbara. Definitely not a bad deal. Greg had some sort of sandwich that turned out to be enormous, and I had a Tortilla Espanola--a thick potato-and-cheese 'omelet.'

I asked for an entire tapa instead of the smaller racion. It was only 5 or 6 euros and I was flippin' hungry. Our waiter made me feel very self-conscious about this decision, even going so far as to bring one out after I'd ordered and say, "You want THIS SIZE?" As I've mentioned before, my public speaking anxiety/spanish speaking anxiety kicked in and I got quite flustered. I stuck to my guns and got the whole thing. Even though it was not that big in theory, I'm thinking it probably was over 2 pounds of sheer potatoes and eggs. While it was very tasty, I needed Greg to pitch in and help me out to save face in front of the waiter. We got close, anyway. I won't lie to you...I avoided eye contact with the waiter the rest of the time we were there--which was often, since he worked right next to the entrance of the hotel, and always seemed to be there.

Can you guess what happened next? I bet you can. We went out for beer on a nearby plaza! Surprising, I know. But, we wanted to try Cruzcampo beer, and even though there were signs for it all around Madrid and Barcelona, we never had the opportunity to order it until Alicante.

Naturally, we were given some olives. I, of course, was taken with this adorable star-bellied olive.

In our wanderings around town, we found the most fabulous Gelato place--Livanti. So fabulous, in fact, that we returned there the next night.

Later on, we headed out to La Taberna Del Gourmet, which I'd read about in advance (and I read somewhere that it had won the distinction of "Best Tapas in Spain"--who knows how true that is), and was conveniently located around the corner from our hotel. What I did know is that you could purchase a variety of tapas menus (I'm talking like 10 fancy-ass tapas) for 50 euros per person. Not wanting to spend 100 euros on a dinner, we opted for less "fancy schmancy" and more "cheap, but still delicious."

Both salted nuts AND olives. This is how you know it's upscale.

I ordered a salad with rocket and parmesan. It was enormous. Big enough for Greg to eat some, too...which was good, because his 'entree' was not very filling on its own. Fortunately, in addition to the nuts/olives plate, they brought the obligatory bread basket AND the most amazing little oily, spicy sausages. The 'free' stuff was almost a meal on its own. ;)

Greg ordered yellowfin tuna in a citrus-soy sauce. The English menu gave no indication that it was sashimi. It's a good thing that Greg likes sashimi.....this would not have made me happy in the slightest. On a funny side note, I just checked their Spanish menu...it definitely notes "crudo"--or, raw. Funny trick to play on the English speakers. ;)

I was told by my friend Carol that I *had* to try Jamon Iberico. I believe it went along the lines of "PROMISE ME! PROMISE YOU WILL TRY JAMON IBERICO!!" So, I ordered a Pan de Cristal - Jamon Iberico con Tomate. It's an open-faced toasted sandwich with the most amazingly light, crisp bread. The name "Crystal Bread" is really fitting...it seems like the bread crumbs explode in your mouth like champagne bubbles. The Jamon Iberico was, of course, delicious...especially when paired with this bread, olive oil, and warm tomato.

The next day, prior to our epic travel up and around Castillo de Santa Barbara, we stopped by Alicante's absolutely amazing, two-story covered market. If you read my post about Barcelona, you'll know that I was disappointed about not finding animal heads as promised by others. WELL. Alicante did not disappoint in this regard. Their entire top floor is dedicated to meat, and the bulk of the lower level to seafood. Unlike Barcelona's market, they had all sorts of undesirables just hanging out for everyone to see. It was awesome and horrifying. One of the things that I did NOT take pictures of (luckily for you, and for my friends and family) were the many skinned rabbits. Some were whole and skinned, some were mostly skinned but with fuzzy feet still left on, and some were skinned and halved horizontally like a science project (and for what purpose, really??).

If you are squeamish about gross animal heads,
SCROLL PAST QUICKLY NOW!

Barracudas were pretty much exactly like the Heart song. At least, I think they're barracudas.

I walked around a corner and ran into this enormous swordfish head sitting next to its giant body. I may have yelled, "HOLY SHIT!" and grabbed my camera, attracting the attention of many a Spanish shopper.

This is the worst one, I promise. I took it solely because my brother-in-law told me to eat "Cap Xai" while in Spain--which are these lamb heads. Very ghoulish with the eyes and teeth still in there and all.

I don't know what kind of fish this is, but how gross is that eyeball?!

This has nothing to do with heads. It just made my little Wisconsin meat & cheese-heart go pitter-pat.

Thoroughly sated with our fill of market heads, we headed off for a tiring and sunburning climb up to Castillo de Santa Barbara. Because I already posted pictures above from that, let's take a brief break and see another pretty picture of the ocean. Ahhhh.....yeah....that's the stuff.

Upon our return from Mount Awesomeness, we had the Menu del Dia at an Italian restaurant, Sale y Pepe. We really shot ourselves in the foot during our trip by not eating the Menu del Dia at places more often. It was 10 euros for a pizza (and I'm not talking "individual sized" here, but a big pizza), salad, beverage, and coffee. It was soooo satisfying to pay so little and eat so much. The food was delicious--especially the pizza. We had the same meal... pizza bianca with roasted squash and onions. Oh, my god.

The sugar packet was punny....Espress Yourself. Hahaha!

Despite eating entire pizzas (albeit ones with very, very thin crusts), we ended up waddling out later for pre-dinner gelato again. Amaretto and Gianduja. Amazing. And so pretty!

Amaretto gelato.

Gianduja chocolate gelato.

Our dinner that night was not noteworthy, so no photos there. When we arrived in Madrid the first day, we had to buy train tickets from Alicante to Madrid while at the airport. The train ticket guy did not speak English, and Greg did an admirable job getting that taken care of despite the language barrier. One thing that was difficult to get across to us was that there was a sale on tickets the day we were returning to Madrid, and first class tickets cost the same as second class. SO, long story short, we got the fancy treatment on our 3 hour train ride back to Madrid. They give you so many beverages and snacks that 3 hours seemed like 1. It was great. Case in point, my own little bottle of 2007 Rioja that filled an airplane-sized glass twice. Spain likes you to get drunk, and I am okay with that.

She's my kind of town, Alicante is.

Culinary Adventures in Spain: Barcelona

2011-05-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

After a few days in Madrid, we headed off to Barcelona. I was looking forward to what I'd heard was a "all around better" city from multiple sources. Barcelona is smaller (a measly 1.5 million to Madrid's 3.6 million), and from what others said, prettier, more hip, cosmopolitan, and the streets on a grid system. I'd never really thought about Barcelona as a city to visit before (odd, I know), so it was good that Greg was really keen to visit and had figured out great places to see.

We took the high speed train to Barcelona. Outside of the El or subways, I'd never taken trains any appreciable distance before. While riding the train is fine in and of itself, I was disappointed to find that my ears blocked up like I was on an airplane. Except worse. I can always unblock my ears on a plane, but I could not do it on the train--or afterward. I think my troubles were compounded by the fact that I caught a cold from someone on my flight to Spain....it was a bad one, and it hit right about the time we were getting into Barcelona. I don't mind telling you that between one aching ear that I could barely hear out of, unstoppable amounts of nose goo, and the exhaustion that comes with a cold and traveling, I was not in great shape during my stay there. And nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the city. THAT should tell you something about Barcelona.

By the time we got in and checked into our hotel, we were starving. Very nearby was a restaurant called Organic. Organic can only be described as a warehouse of a restaurant. It is enormous. There are several options for meals, such as soup & salad, salad & entree, salad/entree/dessert, etc. All options are unbelievably cheap--I think our trip to the salad bar, entree and beverage cost us under 10 euros each. I believe that Organic changes its menu on a daily basis and purchases most of its ingredients from Mercat de la Boqueria. We made a trip to a highly stocked salad bar--whole hard-boiled eggs, sunflower seeds, fruit, cottage cheese....everything you could want, and however much you could pile on. Greg opted for a delicious looking pizza as his main course, and I got tubular pasta with what seemed like a creamy pesto and a vodka sauce on top, finished off with copious amounts of parmesan. P.S. I'll tell you right now that between the fog of my cold and perceived technical difficulties, I didn't get pictures of a lot of the food we ate here. Very sad.

Our meal at Organic was so large (and was eaten so late) that we didn't feel the need for dinner later. Instead, we made the healthy choice of going out for a beer. We headed to Manchester Bar in el Barri Gotic. This is one of the most fantastic bars I've ever been to. They played nothing but British rock, punk, and new wave music. It was like an all-Brit version of my iPod. The whole place was outfitted in a way that I might've decorated my parent's rec room at the age of 16. Broken-in red velvet arm chairs, caution tape on the walls, nail polish on television sets, Robert Smith's face on the coffee tables. Two pints cost 3 euros and came with free crunchy snack mix. I would live at Manchester if I could.

The next day was a day of standing in lines for cool tourist attractions. We went to La Sagrada Familia (awesome on a grand scale) and Meseu Picasso de Barcelona (also awesome, but much smaller). We also walked all the way to La Sagrada Familia from our hotel (2.1 miles), then to the Picasso museum from there (another 1.5 miles). Needless to say, after we got done with the museum, we were too pooped to think about eating anywhere except the museum cafe. Luckily, Cafe Museo had a great assortment of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, desserts, and even fancy coffee drinks. We shared a big salad that I don't remember too well, except that it had pineapple on it, and "nachos," which were really just tortilla chips accompanied by warm guacamole topped with salsa. It was delicious.

Greg with his BFF, Pablo the Bread-Fingered Man.

On our walk back to the hotel for a much needed-rest, we went to make reservations at Cafe L'Academia for that evening. L'Academia was recommended to us by a few friends, and was lauded highly online. Since they only have 28 small tables, reservations are a necessity. The good thing about having a tourist's tummy is that you can get reservations for 8:30pm at any restaurant with absolutely no problem. It's worth mentioning that we also got gelato on our way back to the hotel. There are no calories on vacation. Anyone who tells you differently is a damn liar.

Being that there is infinite amounts of time between all the day's activities and an 8:30 dinner time, we went to take a closer look at Mercat de la Boqueria. Only La Sagrada Familia trumped the market in terms of amount of photos taken. I am intensely jealous of the residents of Barcelona for having access to this spectacular local food source. You can get pretty much anything you need here. It's amazing. I can only do it justice with pictures, so here you go:

The nice thing is that you don't need to speak Spanish or Catalan to know what kind of animal is in that package.

Estació de Formatge. Now that's my kind of Estació.

Bountiful, colorful vegetables.

Couldn't you just bite into this photo? Num.

"It's like Willy Wonka threw up on the Mercat." - Greg

More candy and candied nuts. Mmm...candied...

Nuts of the un-candied variety.

I won't lie....I might've found the grand amounts of colorful, exotic spices the most alluring.

I didn't realize they were moving until I was too close. Scary. Also, duh.

Percebes (Goose Barnacles) are a Galician delight that are very expensive and hard to come by, thanks to the difficulty in harvesting them. I was tickled to see such a large mound of them, since I never expected to see them in person.

Yeah, I think I prefer them without eyes.

I just looked up "Escurpinas" yesterday and could find exactly nothing about them, except that they are a mollusk. Anybody else know about them?

Take a breather and enjoy one of many varieties of pure, blended fruit drinks for 1 euro or so. These were absolutely wonderful--very refreshing. And, frankly, we were sorely lacking in the fruit department during the trip, and these saved us.

Great gams. I thought the hooves at the top were a nice touch.

So many sausages.

This guy cracks me up. "Oooh, I wonder what I taste like? I think I'd be delicious!"

My brother-in-law insinuated that I would find many animal heads in this market. Sadly, I did not. Just this pig head, who, frankly, looks delighted to be there.

Cafe L'Academia was a delight. True to the "reservations required" bit we'd heard, we showed up to find a line of people waiting at the door. We'd requested an outside table (it had been lovely that day), but it was raining fairly heavily by the time we arrived that night. I was worried that we would be out of luck, but they let us right in and sat us down regardless. Hooray!

I had "Creamy Rice with Prawns, Squid, and Mushrooms." It was very much like a creamy paella--slightly tomato-y with tender chunks of seafood and mushrooms. Greg had a filet of salmon stuffed with mozzarella and tomatoes. What Cafe L'Academia drove home (but it was evident elsewhere) is that Barcelona's cuisine is more worldly--influenced not just by traditional Spanish fare, but by the flavors of Italy and nations around the Mediterranean. Like the little piggies we were turning out to be, we each ordered a dessert. I was dying to try Tarte Tatin, since I'd seen so much about it on various food blogs. It looks vaguely like a slab of raw meat in my photo (darn dim lighting), but it was glorious. Warm, spiced apples swimming in cream with a thin layer of light, flaky crust.

Greg had what amounted to cheesecake (but was not called that) with a ganache topping and an orange sauce. Both desserts were totally and utterly divine.

Our last day found us climbing to the tippy top of Parc Guell. We somehow managed to avoid all knowledge that this park was on top of a hill that puts hills in San Francisco to shame. Since we didn't know any better, it required us climbing a positively obscene number of stairs. The park, of course, is also filled with stairs to climb. It was exhausting, but it had great views. My first photo on this post is from there.

Given that we probably burned off all of our naughty foods with the unexpected hike, we rewarded ourselves with sangria and chocolate croissants at Cafe de L'Opera on La Rambla. It's a bustling cafe with pretty much any liquor, dessert, or tapas your little heart could desire. It's ALSO one of the only places that gave us our bill immediately. That reminds me of another traveling tip in Spain: Eating and drinking are done at a very leisurely pace. The wait staff does not rush you. In fact, they kind of abandon you. When you want to get your check, odds are you'll have to flag the waiter down and ask for it.

Anyway, back to L'Opera: I had Sangria Cava--sangria with champagne. It gave me quite the little buzz, so I "had" to wash it down with a chocolate croissant. The croissants I'd had in Spain to that point were okay, but nothing special. This croissant was a thing of beauty. As you can see, I was (somewhat frighteningly) excited.

The sad news is this is when I had my 'technical difficulties.' I put that in quotation marks, because I thought it was my batteries failing, but really, I think I hit a button that made it switch to the viewfinder mode instead of the LCD. VERY sad because we later had a totally incredible dinner at El Cafeti. This is when we really got our "straight up Spanish cuisine" fix. In a restaurant that was completely without any other people (save one guy who came and left before we were done), with white table cloths and white linen-covered chairs, candlelight, and romantic classical music, we had Paella Mixta and white wine, followed by Crema Catalana. The Paella was fabulous and unlike any paella I've ever had (perhaps it was of the Valencian variety, because the rice was not yellowed with saffron). There were succulent chicken thighs, tender pieces of squid, and mussels that were not brackish like the ones in America, but delicate and sweet. I feel deeply, madly in love with El Cafeti. Even if we were wildly under-dressed for the restaurant's unexpectedly fancy atmosphere.

Barcelona: I give you two thumbs up.

Huevos Rancheros Over Jalapeno-Cheddar Waffles

2011-05-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

When I arrived back from Spain, I had not one, but TWO packages from Foodbuzz. "OOOH! FREE STUFF!!!" I shouted at my poor cat sitter. "I LOVE food blogging!"

As it turns out, one of the two things I received was a coupon for a dozen of Eggland's Best eggs (which I received as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program). I'd purchased Eggland eggs before, but didn't realize that they were nutritionally enhanced. They have less fat, more Omega 3s, and more of Vitamins E, B12, and D than regular eggs. All I remembered was the cute little red stamps on each egg in the carton.

Awww. Precious.

We were challenged to come up with a new recipe using Eggland eggs. I don't think I'm a super creative person in general. There are people in the world who are creators...be it music, art, recipes, technology, etc. Then there are the rest of us who may be good at executing the creator's vision. I tend to think I'm the latter. I'm much better at following and/or adapting recipes. I say all this to explain why "my recipe" is not exactly brand new or exciting. I came up with it on my own, but it's not like either of the two things never existed before me. ;)

Anyway. That aside, I will say this: This meal is DELICIOUS. It is potently spicy, smokey, hearty, and comforting. The textures all work well together. It would be a very heavy brunch meal (which could be okay if you're really hungry, or if you downsized the portions), but it's perfect for a satisfying dinner. It doesn't take too much time to execute if you have help in the kitchen, or if you're good at multitasking. The tricky part, of course, is poaching the eggs in the ranchero sauce. I poached 8 eggs over the course of 2 nights for this meal, and only 1 had a runny yolk. D'oh!

Huevos Rancheros Over Jalapeno-Cheddar Waffles (By Heather....base cornmeal waffles recipe adapted from Paula Deen)
For the Waffles:
-1 3/4 cups flour
-1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
-1 tablespoon baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon cumin
-1/2 teaspoon chili powder
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-3 tablespoons jalapeno, minced
-2 cups buttermilk
-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
-2 large eggs
-1/2 cup shredded cheddar

1. Preheat waffle iron to manufacturer's directions.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. Add the jalapeno, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and eggs. Mix thoroughly. Stir in the cheddar.

3. Approximately a generous 1/2 cup of batter per waffle should do the trick in the waffle iron. Cook each until golden-brown. Set aside.

For the Huevos Rancheros:
-About 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
-2 small or 1 large chile in adobo sauce, chopped finely
-1/2 large onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice reserved
-15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
-2 ounces (roughly 1/2 a can) of diced green chiles
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon cumin
-1/2 teaspoon chili powder
-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
-1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
-2 tablespoons dark beer or ale (this is optional, but it adds a little smokiness...if you're drinking beer anyway, you may as well just add it in!)
-8 large eggs
-Shredded cheddar and cilantro to garnish

1. Preheat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, adobo chiles, and garlic. Saute about 5 minutes or until softened.

2. Add green chiles, tomatoes and their juice, beans, salt, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, cocoa and beer. Stir well, partially cover, and let thicken slightly for about 20 minutes at a simmer.

3. When you're ready, gently crack 4 eggs into the sauce. Cover completely and let simmer about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit another 2-3 minutes. The egg whites should be white, not translucent--I think that's probably the key in knowing whether they're "done" or not. Don't overcook them like I did! It's still good, but it was far tastier with a runny yolk. Remove those eggs and cook the next 4 in a similar fashion (OR, if you want, you can reheat the sauce the next day and cook 4 more then--you may need to add a little more beer or chicken stock to get enough sauce to poach on the second day).

-Makes 4-8 servings, depending on the size of your portions.

A big thank you to Foodbuzz and Eggland's Best for the opportunity to test drive these great eggs!

Tofu Tikka Masala

2011-05-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

Prior to going to Spain, I read about an Indian restaurant reputed to be the best in all of Madrid. I am all about Indian food at any given moment. Me and Indian Food can throw down any freakin' time--day or night. SO, I was excited to try the best Indian food that Spain was prepared to offer. I talked about how excited I was for days. DAYS. Ask Greg.

Naturally, the restaurant was nowhere to be found when we looked for it. I like to think that Greg and I are capable of looking at a map and finding our way to the destination, so, it's clear to me that the restaurant stood up and hid.

My stomach was deeply disappointed. So, I rectified the situation upon returning to my own kitchen (as an aside: It felt SO weird to cook after not doing so for over 2 weeks!). I'll tell you something else: This recipe is so creamy, so spicy, so satisfyingly rich, that you don't need no stinkin' restaurant.

Tofu Tikka Masala (modified from Food & Wine)
Marinade:
-1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
-1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
-1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
-1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
-Salt and freshly ground pepper

Tikka Sauce:
-16 ounces extra-firm tofu
-Salt and freshly ground pepper
-2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
-1/4 cup blanched whole almonds (or slivered almonds, for ease of purchasing)
-1 large onion, finely chopped
-1 large red bell pepper and 1 small orange bell pepper, chopped
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
-1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
-1 1/2 teaspoons pure chile powder
-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-One 35-ounce can peeled tomatoes, finely chopped, juices reserved
-Pinch of sugar
-1 cup heavy cream

1. First, make the marinade. In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne and turmeric. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Cut the tofu into large chunks. Gently fold into the marinade. Let sit 30 minutes (or as long as it takes you to prepare the rest of the meal). Preheat your oven's broiler.

3. In a small skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the almonds and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until golden, about 5 minutes. (**NOTE: If you use slivered almonds like I did, they will cook VERY quickly…1 minute or less.**) Transfer to a plate to let cool completely. When cool, grind finely in a food processor and set aside.

4. In a heavy casserole or dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the onion, bell peppers, garlic and ginger. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garam masala, chile powder, and cayenne, cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juices, sugar, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thicker, about 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with foil and lightly oil. Pick the tofu chunks out of the marinade (trying not to bring too much marinade with the chunks) and place on the foil. Bake 10 minutes on one side, turn them over to the other side, and bake about 10 more minutes. They will have dark spots on them, but avoid cooking too long! I have the feeling they could burn easily due to the yogurt. Set aside until ready to use.

6. After your 20 minutes of sauce-thickening, add cream and ground almonds to the dutch oven/casserole. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thicker, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tofu, simmer gently 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve hot with rice or naan.

-Serves 4 generously
-Tofu Tikka Masala can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat gently before serving.

P.S. I suggest making tofu like this completely separate from this recipe. It was AMAZING. The tofu on its own could be eaten on a sandwich or just straight. The spices and texture are just perfect.

Culinary Adventures in Spain: Madrid

2011-05-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

I finally made it out of the country for the second time--to Spain! I wanted to go to Spain ever since I sat down in my 9th grade Spanish class and called myself "Pilar." I'm not entirely sure why I wanted to go back then. Perhaps the churros? Perhaps it was just some vague theory that it would be cool; like how when I was in elementary and middle school, I just KNEW that I would move to Switzerland someday. Why Switzerland? Nobody knows. The point is that I wanted to go to Spain for almost exactly half of my life--14 years (soon, anyway...somewhat scarily).

As it turns out, Greg wanted to go to Spain for even longer (because he's older than me). Of course, he was motivated to go because of specific things like La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and not just because "it seems cool." When Greg and I travel together, approximately 75% of our goal in having a successful trip revolves around the food we eat. It doesn't matter where we go. Food is of paramount importance to "must see" sites. This is why we are married.

I am fortunate that Greg is a seasoned international traveler. My one resort-based trip to St. Lucia with a bunch of grown-ups hardly counts as being seasoned. He was totally calm in the face of many things that made me freak out. For instance, while I am able to understand a lot of Spanish when heard in America, I was completely unable to understand waiters 90% of the time in Spain. It sounds different, to be sure. But it made me seize up, panic, and consequently, not remember any Spanish. Stupid public speaking anxiety. Anyway, Greg usually didn't understand everything they said, either, but he just rolled with it and guessed at what they probably said--and you know what? It was fine. This is why I married him.

We went to three cities in Spain, and thus, there will be 3 installments written here. The first city was Madrid. I was entirely unprepared for Madrid. I am a "big city, but not metropolis-sized-city"-girl. I do not generally enjoy Chicago, because there are too many people (and thus too much traffic on the streets, on the the trains, on the sidewalks). You can imagine how I feel about NYC. I'm not sure why I didn't realize that Madrid is heavily populated (3.26 million in the city proper alone!), but there you have it. To make matters worse, the streets are laid out in a labyrinthine fashion. Constantly dodging people on narrow sidewalks while trying to find your way around while jet lagged could have stood to be more fun than it was.

This is not to say that Madrid was without its charms. In the Centro area, you can get food nearly 24/7--all sorts, all delicious. After dropping our bags off at the hotel, we headed straight to the nearby Chocolateria San Gines for churros y cafe con leche. This well-known establishment is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. You walk up, grab a table outside, and wait to tell the friendly waiter your order--which will, of course, include churros! We got an order for two, but that's a whole lot of churros (10, I think?). This was a pleasant way to recover a bit from the exhaustion of traveling for 14 hours and finding our hotel.

After taking a 4-5 hour long nap, we headed to Bar La Abuela in search of some hearty raciones (tapas). Actually, we're pretty sure we went to the wrong place, since we were looking for a place recommended in Lonely Planet. Bar La Abuela, however, did not disappoint. Looking very conspicuously like tourists, we made a meal out of tapas rather than ordering one dish and leaving. You should do it regardless of what people may think--tapas as a meal are awesome! We ordered Patatas Bravas, Gambas al Ajillo, and Champinones al Ajillo, as well as a glass of Sangria each.

There were also free olives pretty much every place we went.

The tapas were divine--probably some of the best food we had in Spain (and we had a lot of good food). The Champinones al Ajillo (mushrooms in garlic sauce) were perfectly cooked--tender and bathed in a light garlic sauce with a squeeze of fresh lemon. The Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce) sizzled in a bowl of olive oil, studded with chunks of garlic. The hot oil made the perfect accompaniment to crusty bread. The Patatas Bravas had an abundant and complex spicy sauce that blanketed the potatoes, making the whole thing melt in your mouth. When the whole thing is washed down with refreshing sangria, it makes you forget how long it took you to arrive to this place.

Greg with one of his treasured Gambas al Ajillo.

Immediately following our tapas gorging, we went to Plaza de Santa Ana. Reports vary on just how 'touristy' this area is, but I didn't feel that it was. It seemed like a healthy mix of locals and tourists, and a great place in general to meet up for some drinks. A chill was in the air, but that made it cozy to snuggle into my jacket and enjoy people watching as the sun set. We each had a beer to start, and then moved on to a glass of Fino sherry and Campari. This was accompanied by a complimentary plate of the mildest green olives known to man (I liked them, and I don't like green olives!), which also included tiny gherkins. Being here reminded me of being at the Union Terrace in Madison, WI. I loved it.

I am pretty sure all this alcohol did not help my jet lag situation. The next morning, I was so nauseous that we spent half the day in the hotel room. We made up for a profound lack of eating during the morning and afternoon that evening when we went to La Gloria de Montera. Gloria de Montera is highly recommended by a lot of people, and it's not hard to see why. They offer wonderful, upscale Mediterranean food in large portions at rock bottom prices. Additionally, the decor is beautiful and modern, the service prompt and polite.

Since everything was unbelievably inexpensive, we started out with salads. Greg ordered a "garden salad," which was enormous and lovely, but sadly, absolutely covered in oil. There was no flavor--just oil. He was actually given a cruet of more oil, just in case. Poor guy. I had much better luck with my salad, which included a baked round of goat cheese and honey-balsamic vinaigrette.

Greg fared better with his entree--Solomillo de Ternera con Salsa Roquefort (a filet of veal with roquefort sauce). It came with a mound of thin potato shavings. He was enamored of the Roquefort sauce (as was I).

I cannot speak highly enough of my entree--Duck Confit with Apple Compote. Oh, my god. Somehow they made duck taste like corned beef. It looked like corned beef, even. If it didn't come on a leg bone, I seriously would've thought that they accidentally gave me corned beef. It was AMAZING. I am drooling thinking about it. When combined with the apple compote, it gave me tingles.

Of course, where would we be without a dessert to top off our gluttony? I don't remember the exact name, but I think it included the words "Triple Chocolate." It was warm and thick and ridiculously comforting.

We also had a bottle of wine, because we weren't sure if the prices listed were per glass or per bottle. We ordered "x wine," and got a bottle. How much was this bottle? UNDER 8 EUROS. I know. I almost peed myself with delight. All told, this entire feast cost under 50 euros. That's insanity. Sweet, tasty insanity.

Something you will see signs for all over Spain are "Bocadillos." I assumed that bocadillos were little sandwiches, like the name (and price) implies. Greg and I were itching for a snack one day, and decided to get two Bocadillos de Calamares. For 5 euros total, we were expecting it to be a snack. Instead, we were handed two large hoagie rolls filled with fried squid rings. Like the glutton I am, I tucked right in....only managing to finish half of the roll, but eating all of the squid. I recommend this highly.

One of the very touristy culinary things that we did was visit Sobrino de Botin. Botin was established as a restaurant in 1725, thus making it the oldest restaurant in the world. Obviously, this is why it's a tourist attraction. But why wouldn't you go?? C'mon! Oldest restaurant in the world! Plus, they're known for their suckling pig which is roasted in a 200 year old Roman tile oven. That is just awesome. And you know my little foodie self was all over that.

This is the aftermath of my suckling pig. Unfortunately, it was a large hunk of meat that was nearly impossible to dissect. It would've been easier to use my hands, but it's kind of a nice restaurant, and I didn't want to go there. The sad part is that the hunk was 70% bone, gristle, and skin (with hair bristles on it...*shudder*). The meat itself was quite good. Greg got garlic shrimp, which cost an astounding 2 euro per shrimp (for 12 shrimp in a bowl of garlic oil). Unbelievable. But that's the kind of thing you get when you go to a touristy place.

We sat in the basement, next to this staircase leading to some other basement. Scary and awesome!

Since we flew out of Madrid, we returned for one last night after visiting Barcelona and Alicante. We stayed in the Malasana neighborhood, which was not our cup of tea. All we wanted to do was grab some tapas early-ish and head to bed at the hotel. Even though bars that served tapas were open, they wouldn't serve tapas until 8:30 or 9pm. This is very unlike the Centro area that happily served tapas at all hours (probably due to tourists). The few places that did open early were very expensive, with tapas in the neighborhood of 15-18 euros each. We killed some time at La Musa with mojitos. To La Musa's credit, the mojitos were fresh, delicious, and strong on the alcohol.

We finally did get to eat at Taberna de San Bernardo. There was much confusion with the ordering system (you had to order drinks at the bar and dinner at the kitchen window, then they called your name to get the food), but once we were settled, it was quite good. We had Albondigas de Ternera (veal meatballs), chickpeas and spinach, and an asparagus omlette. All of their food was perfectly on point taste-wise. Unfortunately, I was so hungry and cranky by the time we got to eat that I didn't take picture.

As I've been writing this, I've come up with some tips that I learned from my tenure in Spain:
1) They will bring you a basket of bread 99% of the time. Bread is not free. There is a nominal charge...usually about 1.50 euros per person. It's worth it. Don't be angry about unexpected charges, just eat it! Or, if you don't want it, refuse it outright.
2) Water is also an added cost. Unlike in the US, water glasses are not automatically filled. If you want water, you have to ask for it, and you will pay for it. You can get your water sin gas (flat) or con gas (bubbly). They tend to be about the same price.
3) 10% is a considered a good tip for restaurants. Apparently, though, taxi drivers don't expect tips. I gave our driver to the airport approximately 12% and he thought I did my math wrong.
4) In most cases, you can get food at any time you want. You don't need to worry about the "all restaurants open after 8pm"-thing. While it's true that some do, you can always get food somewhere (even if it is expensive), usually a taberna.
5) Unless you are fluent in Spanish and Catalan, it is helpful to look up the words for food you will not eat, write them down, and carry them with you. Of course, it may also be helpful for you to write down your favorite foods. Plus, then you'll know some words in another language. Hooray!

I am sure I will come up with other tips as I write the other entries, but for now, I have spent far too much time writing this entry. To sum it up: Madrid is not a city I particularly loved, but it sure does food and booze well!

Antipasto Salad with Pepperoncini Vinaigrette

2011-04-23T12:15:00.001-07:00

Greg and I have been into eating salads for dinner lately, and I think it's partially due to this one that I made two weeks ago. Entree salads are delicious! And they require so little effort that they practically make themselves.

This recipe drew me in like a moth to a flame. I'm sure I've shared my love of pickled, spicy, and spicy-pickled things with you before. What is not positively tantalizing about the sound of spicy, vinager-y salad dressing over cheese, beans, and vegetables? Hell, I'd just take the vinaigrette.

To get even more antipasto-y (and more entree salad-y), you could chop up some salami or pepperoni and sliced olives and toss them in there. My god. How good would that be?

Antipasto Salad with Pepperoncini Vinaigrette (from Vegetarian Times)
For the Dressing:
-1/4 cup olive oil
-3 pepperoncini peppers, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
-3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-1/4 cup red wine vinegar

For the Salad:
-8 cups mixed greens or romaine (about 7 ounces)
-1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced
-1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
-1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
-3 ounces (or more) smoked provolone, cubed

1. Heat oil in small skillet over medium-low heat. Add pepperoncini and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in oregano, and transfer mixture to bowl. Cool. Whisk in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

2. Toss mesclun and onion in large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide greens among bowls. Sprinkle tomatoes, chickpeas and cheese over salads, and serve.

-Serves 6 generously as a side, or 4 for a big entree salad

On a side note, The Mister and I will soon be heading out for a much anticipated trip to Spain! I am looking forward to eating and boozing my way across the country. Churros y chocolate come before culture. Museums? Pfft. Give me some Gambas al Ajillo, Paella y Sangria! Stay tuned...I'm sure there will be many cuisine-related photos to come.

Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cannoli

2011-04-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

Before I made these cannoli, I had never eaten a cannoli in my entire life. I know, right? How weird is that?

The problem with making things you've never tried any variation of is, of course, that you have no idea what it's supposed to be like. Is the shell too thick? Is the filling not thick enough? These are questions that will only be answered by me actually going out and purchasing several different cannoli (oh, the horror!) for comparison's sake.

Of course, my guests had no problem whatsoever with eating these. So, even if I find out someday that they weren't "right," they were still delicious! And you know what I did with the leftover pistachio-dark chocolate chip crumbles? Used them as a sweet 'n salty ice cream topping. You should do that regardless of if you ever make this recipe or not.

My problem with cannoli is that you need special "cannoli forms" to make them. Buying special hollow metal tubes just to complete part of my baking challenge was like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. BUT, I found them on eBay for something like $3 plus $3 shipping. Sweet. And then I got to use them to punch holes in the middle of my doughnuts! So, not all was lost.

I found making the shells to be very easy all around. The dough is a snap, rolling it out is no problem, deep frying was easy, and the shell came right off the form. Easy peasey. What should have been the 'easy' part (making the filling) actually proved quite difficult for me. Apparently, I didn't grind the chocolate and pistachios finely enough. That wouldn't be a problem in theory, but I didn't think about the fact that I would be squeezing them through a pastry tip, and um....well....big chunks don't fit through pastry tips. After much messing around and frustration (with the filling rapidly getting warmer and runnier), I finally dumped it all into a large baggie, cut off the corner, and made non-pretty filling of the tube (I had to upend the shell, since the filling just came running out. This was a mess, albeit a tasty one. But, this is the beauty of baking....you always learn new things.

Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cannoli (from Love With Food)
For the Shells:
-1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 tablespoon sugar
-1 egg, lightly beaten
-2 tablespoon firm cold butter, cut in small pieces
-1/4 cup white wine
-1 egg white, slightly beaten
-Canola oil (or any oil) for deep frying

1. Sift flour, salt and sugar. Attach dough hook onto electric mixer. Add butter and 1 egg. Mix at low speed. Then add flour. Beat at low speed. Add wine, 1 tablespoon at a time a dough starts to form into a ball.

2. Remove ball of dough and wrap it in plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for at least 30 mins.

3. Roll out dough on a floured surface to about 1/16" (0.2cm) thick. To make petite cannoli shells, cut into 2" circles. You can actually wrap 2 petite cannoli dough around 1 cannoli form (see photo). For regular size cannoli, use a 3.5" round cutter.

4. For each cut out dough, roll it out more till it becomes really thin. Thinner the better to prevent your cannoli shells from being too thick. Then wrap thin dough around each cannoli form. Seal the edges with the egg white and flair the ends slightly. Do not allow egg white to touch the cannoli form. This will cause the cannoli to stick to the form after frying.

5. Heat oil to 350F. If you do not have a cooking thermometer, dip one end of a wooden chopstick into hot oil. If the oil bubbles, then the oil is hot enough. Fry 2-3 cannoli form at a time till golden brown, about one minute. Remove with tongs and place on paper towel to cool. To remove cannoli shells from the form, use 2 pieces of paper towel to hold the form on each end. This will prevent you from being burnt from the hot cannoli. Then gently twist the cannoli and it should slide out. Let cannoli cool completely.

For the Filling:
-1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
-1 cup ricotta cheese (Note: It helps to drain the ricotta for a few hours beforehand. This is like it sounds... put it in a small-holed sieve or in cheese cloth and let drain into a bowl.)
-1 cup heavy whipping cream
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 tablespoon Kahlua (or Bailey's, or vanilla extract, or whatever floats your boat)

-1 cup unsalted pistachios

-Optional: Powdered sugar for garnishment

1. Add pistachios and chocolate chips into food processor. Grind till fine.

2. In another mixing bowl, beat whipping cream, sugar and vanilla (or baileys) till stiff and peaks form.

3. Gently fold the whipped cream with ricotta cheese. Add 2/3 of the pistachios and chocolate chips mixture. Put the other 1/3 in a bowl.

4. Add mixture into a piping bag or ziploc bag and it's ready to be piped into cannoli shells.

5. Pipe pistachio filling into cannoli. Dip each end of cannoli fillings into pistachios/chocolate chips mixture. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

-Makes about 15-20 cannoli, depending on their size

Apple Cider Doughnuts

2011-04-17T12:38:00.001-07:00

Doughnuts look impossible to make, don't they? I think it's because no one really thinks of them as anything other than a quick treat from the 7-11 or Dunkin Donuts or the grocery store (mmm, yeah, tubs of doughnut holes...). Until I started food blogging and obsessively perusing others' sites, I certainly didn't think of doughnuts as something you could make at home. And even when I found out you could, it involved deep frying--something which, until recently, terrified me deeply.

But, here they are. Homemade donuts. And *I* did it! And they were easy (no, really). And they were @$*#in' fantastic.

I know what you're thinking. Heather, apple cider? Really? It's Spring. First of all, this is clearly a Fall treat. Secondly, where do you expect me to find apple cider in April? Well, first--nuts to you! Fall-tastin' treats are good all year round! Secondly, I substituted Mott's Natural Apple Juice for the apple cider, and it worked fabulously. So, there you have it. You no longer have an excuse not to make them right this very minute.

Apple Cider Doughnuts (from Sweet Pea's Kitchen, who got it from the Washington Post)
For the Doughnuts:
-1 cup apple cider or Mott's Natural Apple Juice
-3 1/2 cups flour, plus additional for the work surface
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
-1 cup granulated sugar
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup buttermilk
-Vegetable oil for frying

For the Glaze:
-1 cup confectioners’ sugar
-2-4 tablespoons apple cider or Mott's Natural Apple Juice

1. For the doughnuts: In a saucepan over medium or medium-low heat, gently reduce the apple cider to about 1/4 cup, 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is smooth. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to beat until the eggs are completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the reduced apple cider and the buttermilk, mixing just until combined. Add the flour mixture and continue to mix just until the dough comes together.

4. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and sprinkle them generously with flour. Turn the dough onto 1 of the sheets and sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Flatten the dough with your hands until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Use more flour if the dough is still wet. Transfer the dough to the freezer until it is slightly hardened, about 20 minutes. Pull the dough out of the freezer. Using a 3-inch doughnut cutter or 3 inch biscuit cutter and a 1 inch biscuit cutter, cut out doughnut shapes. Place the cut doughnuts and doughnut holes onto the second sheet pan. Re-roll the scraps of dough and cut additional doughnuts from the dough. Refrigerate the doughnuts for 20 to 30 minutes. **NOTE: If you're making these for company, I think you would be safe to make them to this point the night before and remove them for a bit while your oil is heating up the next morning, to take a little chill out.**

5. Add enough oil to a deep-sided pan to measure a depth of about 3 inches. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and heat over medium heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees. Have ready a plate lined with several paper towels.

6. For the glaze: While the cut doughnut shapes are in the refrigerator, make the glaze by whisking together the confectioners’ sugar and the cider until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.

7. To fry and assemble: Carefully add a few doughnuts to the oil, being careful not to crowd the pan, and fry until golden brown, about 60 seconds. Turn the doughnuts over and fry until the other side is golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Drain on paper towels after the doughnuts are fried. Dip the top of the warm doughnuts into the glaze and serve immediately.

-Makes approximately 12 donuts and holes (though, since I didn't have a doughnut cutter, I had to use a cannoli tube for the center--which is a little too small width-wise. So, I combined doughnut holes to make them larger, leaving me slightly fewer).

Verdict: I think my feelings about these doughnuts were made perfectly clear above. I LOVE THEM. I am completely over storebought doughnuts. They do not even come close to the rich flavor and warmth of homemade ones. I think the word "perfect" was uttered with sugary crumbs spewing from our lips quite often while eating these little miracles.

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce Pasta with Beef Tenderloin

2011-04-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

I've been jonesing for beef lately. Greg and I don't eat a lot of meat in general, but we definitely don't buy beef very often. It's better for our arteries (and vegetarian food is cheaper to make), so I'm cool with it. But sometimes, I get the red meat itch. It's probably an iron deficiency or something, but I consider it divine intervention from the great cow in the sky.

Knowing my proclivities for all things cheese and pasta, you can imagine the way this recipe struck me last week. "MY GOD. OH, MY GOD. THERE IS BEEF TENDERLOIN AND PASTA AND GORGONZOLA CREAM SAUCE, GREG! GORGONZOLA CREAM SAUCE AND BEEF TENDERLOIIIIIIIN!" Greg was slightly less animated than me (it's hard to beat me in a test of food-related animatedness), but said something along the lines of "Ohhhh-h0-ho-ho, my god."

So, I ponied up an obscene amount of money for a beautiful 1 1/2 pound beef tenderloin. I think you could easily use a skirt steak to save money--and you should if you're not making this for company. I did make this for special guests, so they got the good stuff. And it was worth it. This pasta is magical.

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce Pasta with Beef Tenderloin (from Great Chicago Italian Recipes)
-1 pound of Farfalle pasta
-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-1 tablespoon butter
-1 bunch long green onions, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-8 baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
-1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips (**To stretch this a bit more, or to add a little more heft, you can put in 1 1/2 pounds of beef.**)
-1/2 cup black mission olives, pitted and sliced
-1/2 tsp of salt
-1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
-1/2 cup white wine
-1/2 cup beef broth
-1 cup of heavy whipping cream
-6 fresh sage leaves
-6 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
-1/4 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
-1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water cook the pasta until al dente. Around 10 to 12 minutes.

2. In the meantime, in a large frying pan heat the oil and garlic. Saute the onions, garlic and mushrooms for 2 minutes. Stir in the beef and cook until the outside surface no longer pink.
Stir in the olives and season with the salt and pepper.

3. Add the wine and the broth and reduce by half.

4. Add the cream and the sage and cook for about 5 minutes more. Add the gorgonzola cheese and stir until melted. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce.

5. Garnish with parsley and serve with Parmesan cheese.

-Serves 6 amply

Verdict: Incredible. The sauce was sharp with lovely gorgonzola flavor; rich, but not too heavy. I loved that it was studded with tender mushrooms and olives. The beef rounded out the pasta; tender and flavorful--the perfect understated complement to the powerhouse sauce. I would make this again in a heartbeat, whether for company or just us.

BBA: Cinnamon Buns

2011-04-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

I have a confession. I have a big problem. A compulsion.

When people come to visit us, I cook a lot of food. I mean, I really tend to go overboard. Yes, it's an act of love, and pure, tail-wagging excitement that they're visiting. But the problem is that I get a titch obsessed. There is always extensive planning that happens. For DAYS. And really, life needn't be that complex. I should really learn to simplify.

A simple joy in my life are cinnamon rolls. I think that's the case for most people. They're something that can really wow guests for any sort of breakfast or brunch. But these 'simple joys' become complicated if you try to make them the day of--they take at least 4 hours. And I dunno about you, but I sure as hell don't get up at 4am for any guests, no matter how much I love them.

The good news is that you can make these sweet beauties the night before (without baking) and then bake them up fresh in the morning. If you have even less time, you can bake them, glaze them, wrap with saran wrap and aluminum foil, and freeze them. This is what I'm doing for my guests who will be coming down on Friday night. My hope is to pull them out on Saturday morning, put them in a pan covered with foil, pop them in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes and have ooey gooey buns in no time flat. Simple!

Cinnamon Buns (slightly modified from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Peter Reinhart)
-6 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
-5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
-3 tablespoons powdered milk
-1 cup warm water (approximately 115 degrees)
-2 teaspoons active dry yeast
-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 large egg, lightly beaten
-1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
-1/2 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
-2 cups powdered sugar
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-Approximately 3 tablespoons warm milk
-Chopped pecans to top

1. Cream together sugar, salt, and butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or by hand).

2. Dissolve dry milk and yeast in 1 cup of warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes until bubbly. Add to the creamed mixture, along with the flour. Mix to combine. Whip in the egg and lemon zest. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. You may need to add more flour to make the dough form a ball--add a little (~1 tablespoon) at a time until this happens.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 12 minutes. The dough should be silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. Oil a mixing bowl and place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with saran wrap and ferment at room temperature for 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.

4. Mist the counter with spray oil, transfer dough to counter. Flour your rolling pin to prevent sticking. Roll the dough out into a rectangle that is 12" tall by 14" long. Pour the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture onto the dough, pressing in lightly. Roll the dough away from you, like you're rolling a cigarette. You may want to press the seam together. Place the log seam-side down on the counter and cut into pieces. For large rolls, you can cut into 8-10 pieces.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Put the pieces on the baking sheet, placing them 1/2" away from eachother (close, but not touching). Spray with spray oil, cover loosely with plastic wrap. Proof at room temperature 75-90 minutes, or until the pieces are or are nearly touching eachother. At this point, you can put them in the fridge for up to 2 days, pulling the pan out to proof 3-4 hours before baking.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 with rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until buns are golden-brown. Cool the buns on the pan for about 10 minutes. While they're cooling, mix up your fondant glaze icing by placing the powdered sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Add the warm milk 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until it reaches the right consistency--thick and smooth, but able to be dripped without too much effort. When the buns are warm, but not hot, sprinkle chopped pecans in the crevices of the rolls, then use a fork to drizzle the glaze across the tops.

-Makes 8-10 cinnamon buns

Verdict: Ridiculously amazing. Ridiculously easy to make. The buns are soft and tender all the way through, with just a hint of a crusty outside. The lemon zest adds a uniquely delightful twist to an otherwise ordinarily flavored dough. The sugary-cinnamony innards are not unlike what you find at Cinnabon. In short: Awesome. SO much better than my last attempt at cinnamon rolls.

Vegetable Manicotti alla Vodka

2011-04-01T06:24:00.000-07:00

Why is it that some of the world's tastiest foods are the ugliest to photograph? I don't see a way of making manicotti baked in chunky vodka sauce look anything but a gory crime scene (albeit a crime scene involving spinach and artichokes). It's really unfortunate, because, if I don't mind saying so myself, this recipe rocks.

I was having one of my typical fits of indecision while making the grocery list for the week. I kept waiting for one of the thousands of recipes at my disposal to jump up and slap me in the face with its awesomeness. But NOTHING was exactly what I wanted. What I wanted was this recipe....cheesy, creamy, spicy, comforting, and stuffed with vegetables. What's a girl to do? Well, make it up, of course.

I am extremely pleased with the outcome of this meal and would be remiss in not recommending it to you. Of course, if you want to save yourself extra dirty dishes, time and money, I'm sure you could buy a jar of vodka sauce and pour it on top of the manicotti. But if you have the time and/or mad phat multitasking skills, making your own sauce is definitely worth it.

One word of warning: Don't eat the filling before putting it in the pasta. It's delicious, but if you eat it, you may find yourself without enough stuffing for the manicotti.... hence my 11-12 manicotti shells directions below. Oops.

Vegetable Manicotti alla Vodka (from moi)
For the pasta and filling:
-11-12 manicotti shells, cooked, drained, and cooled
-8-10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1/2 large onion, chopped finely
-2 large cloves garlic, minced
-5 large mushrooms, chopped finely
-1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped finely
-2/3 cup ricotta
-2/3 cup shredded parmesan
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-Scant 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 13x9 pan with cooking spray.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes. Add artichoke hearts, and cook for a few more minutes. Set aside briefly and TRY not to eat it all. It'll be hard, but try. I know it's delicious, but you need it.

3. Put spinach and the cooked onion mixture into a large bowl. Add ricotta, parmesan, salt, pepper, and oregano. Mix until thoroughly combined.

4. Stuff the manicotti with the mixture. It is easiest to use your fingertips.

For sauce:
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-Approximately 1/3 of a large onion, chopped
-2 large cloves garlic, minced
-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
-2/3 cup heavy cream
-1/3 cup 2% milk
-1/3 cup vodka
-1 teaspoon flour
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon black pepper
-1/8 teaspoon cayenne
-1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, sautéing for 3-5 minutes or until softened.

2. Add crushed tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and you're left with thick crushed tomatoes, approximately 8 minutes. Add cream, milk, and vodka, stirring to combine. Add flour and whisk in. Let the mixture cook for 2-3 minutes, lowering the temperature to prevent scalding. Stir in the spices and remove from heat.

3. Pour the sauce over the manicotti. Spread evenly in the pan. Cover with tin foil and cook 20 minutes. Remove the foil and cook another 10 minutes

-Serves 4 (makes approximately 12 manicottis)

1554 Black Ale Truffles with Abbey Ale Peanut Brittle

2011-03-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

Every website you look at regarding tempering chocolate tells you that it's really not that hard. They don't lie and say it's EASY, but they're like, "Oh, it's not that bad, you can do it, it's not a big deal." Well, I kind of beg to differ. Allow me to be frank here: Tempering chocolate is big, honking pain in the ass. You can do it, sure. It only requires a candy thermometer and exacting patience. I find it nearly impossible to do any significant amount of dipping before the temperature drops too low to be in temper, then I heat it up, get it too hot, and have to wait and wait for the temperature to drop again. I completely lost it today when I had chocolate covering every inch of myself and my kitchen and realized I needed to temper MORE chocolate to finish up. "That's IT, Greg! I'm buying a @$*#ing tempering machine!!" I declared.

Everything turned out fine, obviously. The truffles are delicious, and the chocolate finely tempered.

The impetus for making these truffles (other than that Greg and I are truffle junkies) is because through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, New Belgium Brewing Company offered me $50 to buy their beer and make new recipes. Well. Like I'm gonna turn THAT down. I love me some beer, and New Belgium makes delicious brews! My first and only thought (at least so far) was to make truffles using their amazingly complex 1554 Black Ale. Then, I thought I'd use their Abbey Ale (a belgian brew) to make peanut brittle to put on top of each truffle. Beer and peanuts! Could you want anything more?

Of course, using the brittle as a topping didn't work, but putting the pieces inside works just as well.

1554 Black Ale Truffles with Abbey Ale Peanut Brittle (a Heather creation)
-8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped finely
-5 ounces whipping cream
-6 ounces New Belgium 1554 Black Ale
-2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chopped small
-Broken pieces of Abbey Ale Peanut Brittle (recipe to follow)
-12-16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely (for tempering)
-At least 2 chocolates molds

1. In a small, heavy saucepan, bring beer to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring often to prevent the beer from boiling over. Reduce to 4 ounces.

Important Note: A normal truffle recipe should be 6 ounces cream, 3 ounces other liquid (like fruit juice or beer). To get increased beer flavor, I changed the amounts. This resulted in a truffle that was too soft to stand up on its own in ball-form (impossible to roll!), and too soft to be covered with tempered chocolate. If you use these measurements, you will need chocolate molds to create a more structured candy with a soft filling. If you don't have chocolate molds (or don't have any desire to buy them), you should go with 6 ounces of cream, 3 ounces beer.

2. Add cream and butter to the saucepan. Whisk quickly until butter melts.

3. Put chopped chocolate in a bowl. Add the beer-cream mixture to the bowl and let sit for a few minutes so the heat helps melt the chocolate for you. Whisk until all melted. Pour into a 13x9" pan and refrigerate overnight.

4. Temper the bittersweet chocolate. You temper by putting water in a saucepan and bringing to a simmer. Put 3/4 of the chocolate in a glass or metal bowl that fits in the saucepan. Melt the chocolate, and using a candy thermometer, wait until it reaches 115 degrees. Remove the bowl from the pan, stir, and wipe the bottom of the bowl. Rest it on a towel. Using a rubber spatula, stir fast to make the chocolate shiny. Slowly add the remainder of the bittersweet chocolate, stirring to melt and bring the overall temperature down. When the temperature reaches 90-91 degrees, it is in temper. Keep it at this temperature as long as you are coating things. You may need to briefly place it back on the saucepan.

5. Dip a pastry brush into the tempered chocolate and brush the inside of each mold evenly. This creates the shell of the chocolate. Once all the molds are coated, place in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes. Remove and put approximately 1/2-1 teaspoon of the refrigerated filling in each mold. Place a piece of brittle in each mold, pushing down lightly. Pour tempered chocolate on the top of each filled mold and level with a bench scraper or similar. Put in freezer for another 10-15 minutes, or until hardened. Pop out of mold and enjoy!

Abbey Ale Peanut Brittle (recipe slightly adapted from the Los Angeles Times)
-1/2 cup New Belgium Abbey Ale
-1 cup sugar
-1 tablespoon light corn syrup
-1/4 teaspoon salt (sea salt could also be good!)
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla (you get more beer flavor if you omit this)
-1/2-3/4 cup chopped, unsalted peanuts

1. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil and grease lightly.

2. In a heavy pot or dutch oven, combine beer, sugar, and light corn syrup. Bring mix to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to maintain a good simmer. Stir occasionally to ensure that it doesn't boil over. Using a candy thermometer, cook until mixture reaches the "hard crack" stage of 310 degrees. Remove from heat.

3. Immediately stir in salt, vanilla, and nuts. The mixture may steam, so be careful to avoid steam burns. Quickly pour the mixture onto the cookie sheet and spread as thinly as possible. Cool completely (fortunately, it doesn't take too long!) and break into pieces.

Verdict: The flavor of these truffles (and the peanut brittle) is totally awesome. They are rich and deeply chocolatey, with a complex hit of the 1554 beer. The Abbey Ale brittle is the perfect complement, allowing for a salty, crunchy peanuts to ease the richness. Using these awesome New Belgium beers elevated ordinary truffles and peanut brittle to a very naughty place.

Mediterranean Barley Salad with Chickpeas and Arugula

2011-03-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for summer yet? It was in the mid-high 60's all week here--blue skies, warm breezes, pure happiness. Today, walking the 1 1/2 miles to work was suddenly a lot less pleasant. It was 31 degrees, overcast, and extremely windy. It felt even worse on the way home. It is officially Spring now, Mother Nature! Get with the freakin' program!

I picked out this recipe over the weekend, when it was lovely and springy outside. Of course, tonight would've been good for a hot recipe, but what can you do? This was still marvelous....a speedy little ditty for a hungry weeknight. It's best saved for summer, though--as an entree on your back porch, a small side to a grilled steak, or your contribution to a company picnic. It is a solid winner all around.

Mediterranean Barley Salad with Chickpeas and Arugula (from Cooking Light)
-1 cup uncooked pearl barley
-1 cup packed arugula leaves (**Or more! 1 cup is not very much.**)
-1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
-3 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
-1 (15 1/2-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
-Optional: 2 ounces of diced black olives
-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (**If you use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, you can cut down to 1 tablespoon or less of olive oil**)
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
-2 tablespoons chopped pistachios (**I might substitute a little crumbled feta in the future.**)

1. Cook barley according to package directions, omitting salt. Combine barley, arugula, bell pepper, tomatoes, and chickpeas in a large bowl.

2. Combine lemon juice, oil, salt, and crushed red pepper, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over barley mixture, and toss. Sprinkle with pistachios.

-Serves 4
-Calories: 360, Fat: 10.1g, Carbs: 59.9g, Protein: 10.1g

Chipotle Tortilla-Crusted Tilapia with Avocado Cream and Black Bean & Corn Salad

2011-03-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

In life, there are those with a mean sweet tooth (like my husband), and there are those who constantly crave salty snacks. Greg calls me a "halophile"--an organism that can survive in high concentrations of salt. It is an accurate nickname. There are few snacks I like more than tortilla chips...and (perhaps horrifyingly) the saltier the better. I take them salsa-less, so as to not interfere with the simple pleasure of baked corn and salt.

So, it was a great day when, as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I received two bags of Tostito's Artisan Recipes tortilla chips--Black Bean-Garlic and Fire-Roasted Chipotle. Greg and I tucked into the bags right away. I loved the simple flavor combinations that turned tortilla chips into a less scary, whole-grain (they have millet in them!) version of Doritos.

I once made a fabulous recipe for oven-baked chicken which utilized plain yogurt as a base and had a spiced bread crumb coating. The Fire-Roasted Chipotle chips made me remember that recipe and inspired me to try it anew with fish. I made the avocado cream as a dipping sauce, which also ended up working well as an accompaniment to the black bean-corn salad.

Chipotle Tortilla-Crusted Tilapia with Avocado Cream (by me)
For the Fish:
-4 tilapia fillets, approximately 1 pound
-Approximately 1/2 bag of Fire-Roasted Chipotle Tostito's tortilla chips
-1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons cup plain yogurt
-1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
-1/8 teaspoon cumin
-1/8 teaspoon cayenne
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon dried cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease a cooking sheet with spray oil.

2. Put tortilla chips in a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin. Pour out onto a plate. On a separate plate, combine the yogurt and spices, spreading out a bit.

3. Dredge both sides of each fillet in the yogurt, then the chips. Place finished fillets on the baking sheet. The chips may not stick to the fillet entirely, so don't be afraid to finish one side, put it on the baking sheet, and press extra chips on the top.

4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily. Serve with the avocado cream for dipping.

For the Avocado Cream:
-1/3 cup plain yogurt
-2 tablespoons sour cream
-1 ripe avocado
-1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
-1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

1. In a small bowl, mash up the avocado as finely as possible. Mix in the yogurt, sour cream, salt and pepper. Combine well and serve immediately.

Black Bean & Corn Salad (from Rachel Ray)
-1 can, 14 ounces, black beans, rinsed and drained
-2 cups frozen corn kernels
-1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
-1/2 red onion, chopped
-1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
-2 teaspoons Tabasco
-1 lime, juiced
-1 tablespoon vegetable oil
-Salt and pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors to combine, then toss and serve. The corn will also place a quick-chill on this easy side-salad as it defrosts -- no need to refrigerate!

-Serves 4-6

Verdict: This was a pretty delicious meal. The fish baked up wonderfully--silky soft inside with a tasty, crunchy crust. The avocado cream, though simple sounding, was both me and Greg's favorite part of the entire shebang. It really tied the meal together. The salad was spicy and cold, crisp and fresh. I loved it.

Hot Dog! Buns!

2011-03-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

Did you know that soft, fluffy-yet-sturdy, professional looking homemade hot dog buns are very easily within your reach? It's true. To this point, most of the bread products I've made have been vaguely the same... heavy, a little too dense, with the same small crumb. These beautiful buns are anything but. And let's not even begin to talk about the smell that made me unbearably hungry at 2:30pm.

We had these with locally made deli hot dogs, ketchup, and relish. This could be a tall order for your ordinary bun... lots of dense, wet fillings to make it fall apart. But these buns? They stood up admirably (and then asked for more).

I am not even done being impressed with myself yet. Is that bad?

Hot Dog! Buns! (recipe and method adapted a bit from the "Bread Baker's Apprentice," by Peter Reinhart)
-4 cups unbleached bread flour
-3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
-3 1/4 tablespoons sugar
-1/4 cup powdered milk
-1 large egg, lightly beaten
-3 1/4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
-2 teaspoons active dry yeast
-1 1/2 cups, plus 1-3 tablespoons water at approximately 115 degrees
-1 egg, whisked with 1 teaspoon water until frothy (for egg wash)
-Sesame or poppy seeds for garnish (optional)

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flours, sugar, and salt.

2. In another bowl, melt the butter. With a fork or whisk, beat in the egg. Add the dry milk and whisk until mostly smooth. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the yeast and the warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes or until bubbly.

4. Pour the butter mixture and the proofed yeast mixture into the flour. Mix with a wooden or metal spoon until a dough forms. You may need to mix with your hands to get it all incorporated. Add the extra 1-3 tablespoons at this time if necessary to make a dough that is soft, supple, and tacky, but not sticky.

5. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and knead for 6-8 minutes, until dough passes the windowpane test. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to it, rolling it to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Ferment at room temperature for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until dough doubles in size.

6. Remove dough from the bowl and divide into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Mist the tops with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let them rest for 20 minutes. .

7. Shape each ball into a hot dog bun. You can do this by flattening the ball with your palm, then bringing two edges in toward the center to form a square. Roll it up tightly, then rock it back and forth gently under your palms to make the bun longer. Don't pinch or taper the ends. Transfer the shaped buns to a sheet pan lined with a silpat mat or parchment paper. Mist the tops with spray oil, loosely cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise for 60-90 minutes, or until doubled in size.

8. Preheat the oven to 400. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and garnish with seeds if desired. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden-brown and the sides are golden. Let cool for at least 15 minutes on a rack before servings.

Chocolate-Guinness Cake Pops

2011-03-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

I'm about 3 years behind on the Cake Pop trend. I don't have kids, and I don't really go to many festive events requiring fancy dessert stuffs. So, making cake pops was a nice idea, but not one that struck me as particularly necessary. That said, they are on my 2011 Baking Challenge list, so I thought there would be no better time to make them than today, when Greg, Gus, Lisa, and I will be enjoying corned beef sandwiches in honor of St. Patty's.

Knowing that I am not too artistically inclined (like these fine folks), I stuck with the basics for my first cake pop experiment (though, I did make a cake from scratch, not from a box mix). I chose a super fat bastardy Chocolate-Guinness cake recipe from King Arthur. Seriously? 3 sticks of butter. 3 eggs. 3 cups of both flour and sugar. 1 1/2 cups of Guinness. And more. That is disgusting in theory, but wonderful in practice.

Chocolate Guinness Cake Pops (from King Arthur Flour and Bakerella)
For the cake:
-1 1/2 cups Guinness
-1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
-1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-3 cups flour
-3 cups sugar
-2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
-1 teaspoon salt
-3 large eggs
-2/3 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 13x9" pan. **Please note: This recipe makes far more than you'll need for the traditional cake pop recipe. This means, you should also prepare another 8 or 9" cake pan or a muffin tin.**

2. Place Guinness and diced butter in a large saucepan, heating until the butter melts. Remove pan from heat and add the cocoa powder. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and set aside to cool to room temperature.

3. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sour cream. Add the Guinness-cocoa mixture, mixing to combine. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined (the batter will be VERY thick).

5. Divide the batter equally among the prepared pans. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and cool completely before proceeding with the cake pop portion.

For the cake pops:
-1 can of dark chocolate frosting with about 1 teaspoon leftover Guinness whisked in for a little flavoring
-50 lollipop sticks
-2 packages melting candy wafers (**I only had one, and it was NOT enough for 50 of these balls.**)
-Green sugar crystals
-Styrofoam blocks

1. Cut about 2/3-3/4 of your 13x9" cake into fourths and rub two pieces together to easily crumble the cake into a bowl. You can also use your fingers to further crumble. Do not use the entire pan of cake, because it will make too much!

2. Using a wooden spoon, mix in most of the frosting until everything is well combined. You may use your fingers at the end to make sure it's all combined. Roll out 50 cake balls and place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat or parchment paper. Freeze for about 20 minutes to firm them up a bit.

3. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the candy wafers, stirring every 30 seconds. Dip the first 1/2" or so of a lollipop stick in the melted candy. Take a cake ball and insert the stick about 3/4 of the way into the ball. Gently dip into the candy melt and tip the bowl around the ball so that it's coated--do NOT try to rotate the pop! Lift the cake pop out and, holding it at a 90-degree angle, gently tap the stick on your wrist over the candy melt bowl, while rotating the pop. This will expedite the excess candy melt dripping off into the bowl. When it stops dripping freely, sprinkle with the sugar crystals and stick into the styrofoam block to dry.

-Makes 50 pops.

Verdict: As previously mentioned, the cake is ridiculous--both in flavor and calorie count. The cake pops are a fun novelty with the hard candy coating (plus, we in the Midwest love food on sticks--it's genetic). Cake pops, as you might assume, are very time consuming, and I am short on patience. So, I made about 15 pops and then froze the remaining cake balls for another go-round in the future.

Lentil Dal

2011-03-11T12:06:00.000-08:00

I was working an etiquette dinner for college girls last year, and the soup du jour was lentil. Inwardly, I clapped my hands with glee. Lentils, yay! When I tucked in, the soup was hearty, comforting, thick with lentils and minced veggies. I glanced around the table and found the five college girls pushing the lentils around with their spoons, noses crinkled. They saw me looking at them questioningly. Silence. Then, "....What IS this?"

"Lentil soup!" I said, cheerily, hoping I would encourage them to taste it.

They hesitated, dipped a small amount on to their spoons and sipped at it like birds.

"Ew."

"Yeah, gross."

Silence from me. Then, "....What?! How is it gross? They're LENTILS. And VEGETABLES. They don't even have a strong flavor! Eat it!" If you can't tell, I don't have much tolerance for picky eaters.

Anyway, I don't remember, but I probably went into some rambling diatribe about how lentils are so good for you, as they're packed with protein, iron, and fiber. I also probably mildly scolded them about how they weren't being very polite at an etiquette dinner. But that's neither here nor there.

Lentil Dal (from Cooking Light)
-1 cup chopped onion
-1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
-1 teaspoon cumin
-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
-1 teaspoon turmeric
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-2 cups chopped cauliflower florets
-Optional: 1-2 peeled, chopped carrots
-2 cups chopped tomato
-2 1/2 cups water
-1 cup dried lentils
-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
-1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
-3/4-1 teaspoon salt
-4-6 cups Hot cooked basmati or long grain rice

1. Heat a dutch oven (nonstick or with Pam or broth) over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (onion through garlic); saute 2 minutes. Add cauliflower and tomato; saute 1 minute. Stir in water and lentils; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 35 minutes or until lentils are tender.

2. Stir in lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Serve over rice.

-Serves 6

Verdict: A-OK. Not the most impressively flavored thing I've ever eaten, but hearty, simple fare all the same. I have a feeling that it will be even better as leftovers, once the flavors have gotten a chance to meld for 24 hours.

Chipotle-Black Bean Chili

2011-03-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

I love the smoky, spicy bite of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. I love that an entire can costs under $2, and that there are multiple whole chiles contained within. The problem is that 1 or 2 of these bad boys pack quite a punch--and then what are you to do with the extras? Freeze them! I found today that the chipotles freeze and defrost beautifully in a tupperware container (freezer burn affects them in no way whatsoever). I've now entered phase two of my experiment: Freezing them a second time.

To ramp up this chili's flavor, I added an extra chipotle chile, a teaspoon of cumin, a little extra salt, and shredded cheddar. It was really pretty spicy, which is the way we like it (but it's easily adjustable). It has great flavor, with that nice smoky aftertaste. I think a lager or dark beer (bock, maybe?) would make a wonderful addition.

Chipotle-Black Bean Chili (modified from Cooking Light)
-1 teaspoon olive oil
-1 cup onion, finely chopped
-6 garlic cloves, minced
-2 tablespoons chili powder
-1 teaspoon cumin
-2 smaller canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced (or 1, if you can't handle spice so well)
-1/4 teaspoon pepper
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained
-2 (14.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
-1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
-Cilantro sprigs (optional)
-Shredded Cheddar (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes or until tender.

2. Add chili powder and next 7 ingredients (chili powder through green chiles); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

3. Ladle chili into individual bowls, and garnish with cilantro sprigs and cheddar cheese, if desired.

-Serves 4
-Calories: 248, Fat: 2.7g, Carbs: 46.6g, Protein: 13.8g

Blueberry Crumb Bars

2011-03-06T15:04:00.001-08:00

During this time of intense political upheaval, peaceful protests, and solidarity among Wisconsinites, I have never missed living in Madison so much.

Without getting too politicky on my blog, I will say this: I've become emotional a few times looking at photos and videos over the past few weeks, and not just because I believe in the protesters' cause. To say that I feel a connection to the sight of the Capitol would be an understatement. I used to live two blocks from the Capitol building while attending college. I walked through the building nearly twice every day for two years. I laid on the lawn to look at the stars when I was blue. I could see it from my first post-college apartment kitchen window, just a mile down the road. And, Greg and I frequently visited the Farmer's Market (the USA's biggest!) that circles around it on Saturday mornings.

The Madison Farmer's Market is a glorious thing. Greg and I would go around 7am on Saturday mornings to beat the teeming throngs that show up by 8:30. While the produce is outstanding, we usually went for beef jerky and pastries. That's right--with coffee in hand, we'd eat salted meat and frosted, buttery pastries. Being bad never felt so good. My favorite pastry is from Oakhouse Bakery: Raspberry Scones. Greg favors Cress Spring Bakery, and usually gets a Chocolate Brioche or Blueberry-Oat Bars. Well, actually, he tends to buy a few of each and savors them over the week. :)

With Madison weighing heavily on my mind for awhile, I thought of those Blueberry-Oat Bars fondly. I remembered seeing this recipe on I'll Have What She's Having and being struck by the similarity. I stashed it away in my "recipes to make" file with a note that read, "Make this for Greg!!!!" And I finally did. And he loved it.

Blueberry Crumb Bars (modified slightly from I'll Have What She's Having)
Crust:
-1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
-1 1/4 cup quick oats
-3/4 packed brown sugar
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder (**I just realized I forgot this. Ah well. Still worked!**)
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (**could easily be omitted if you don't have it on hand**)
-3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Put all ingredients in a large bowl, mix with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until well combined and crumbly.

3. Press half crust mixture into an 11x7 baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.

Blueberry Filling:
-1/4 cup packed brown sugar
-Zest and juice of one lemon
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
-2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
-1 pound frozen blueberries, thawed (I'm sure fresh would be amazing, too...but it IS March..)
-2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. In a medium bowl, mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, and butter together.

2. Add blueberries to mixture, toss gently till all they are covered.

3. Once bottom crust has baked for 12 minutes, cover with blueberry mixture and then with remaining crumb mixture. Press the crumb down gently.

4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. You really do have to let them cool completely (sorry!), or they'll fall apart. No joke.

Do any other bloggers out there have cats that are just WAY too interested in you taking food photos? Such an adorable nuisance.

Kung Pao Tofu

2011-03-01T18:25:00.000-08:00

I love random bits of trivia. Here's your cool fact for the day: Szechuan (also spelled Sichuan) Peppercorns were banned from import into the United States from 1968 - 2005. The peppercorns were thought to be responsible for a blight on citrus trees, and the ban was only lifted after a change in the processing methods of the peppercorns. While that's interesting in and of itself (who knew??), this is how the westernized, Szechuan Peppercorn-less version of Kung Pao came about. These peppercorns are integral to the flavor of traditional Kung Pao, and here we in America were, for 37 years, not knowing the difference at all! Well. I know *I* feel smarter now.

Unfortunately, I didn't read about this until just now, post-cooking. Aaaand, naturally, I did not procure the peppercorns. But this was good, all the same.

Kung Pao Tofu (adapted from Fearless Homemaker)

For Marinade:
-1 package water-packed tofu, firm or extra-firm
-2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or Tamari
-2 tablespoons chinese rice wine
-1 tablespoon peanut oil
-1 tablespoon cornstarch

For Sauce:
-3 tablespoons dark soy sauce or regular soy sauce
-3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or Tamari
-3 tablespoons chinese rice wine
-2 tablespoons sugar (**I will do 1 tablespoon next time...I'm not too fond of the sweet notes.**)
-1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-8 dried chilies
-1 tablespoon sesame oil
-2 tablespoons peanut oil

For Dish:
-4 tablespoons oil (divided)
-1 yellow pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
-1 orange pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
-1 head bok choy, sliced
-1 onion, diced
-2 green onions greens
-1/2 cup peanuts

1. Remove tofu from packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Gently squeeze between your hands to try to get out any extra water. Pat again with paper towels.

2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together all marinade ingredients. Cut the tofu into 1/2" cubes and place into the bowl. Mix well and let marinate for a 1/2 hour.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

4. Heat a wok or pan to high heat. Add two tablespoons of oil with the peppers, onion, and bok choy, and stir fry (that is, cook over a very hot pan while moving the food quickly) until they start to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the wok.

5. Add the rest of the oil and the tofu. Stir fry for about 5 minutes, or more if you like it really well done. Do not let the tofu sit, as it will stick to the wok--keep stirring often!

6. Put the veggie mix back into the wok and toss until they are hot. Add the sauce and cook until it thickens, about 5-10 minutes (the longer you go, the more heat gets infused into the sauce from the dried chiles!). Garnish with green onion greens and peanuts. Serve over Jasmine rice.

-Serves 4

Verdict: A tasty dish that I would eat again. It was a little greasy and sweet for my tastes, but that's easily remedied by cutting down oil and sugar. The best part was how quickly and easily it all came together. It took just under an hour from start to finish.

Soft Pretzels

2011-02-27T15:29:00.000-08:00

When I was but a young punk, wasting my time in the malls of Milwaukee, WI, I ate lots of junk food. McDonald's fries aside, my two favorites were Cinnabon and Auntie Anne's original pretzels (interestingly, those are also the things with the strongest odors...another mystery solved). Oh, those pretzels. So salty and crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and oh-so-buttery. Even now, when I step foot in a mall just a few times a year, it's dangerous for me to go near Auntie Anne's. To a food junkie, that stuff is not unlike crack.

Well, the good news is that I can now make my OWN delicious pretzels, thankyouverymuchAuntieAnne's. And what's more, I can make them as big or as little as I see fit! I can also be as naughty as I want with them.....which I may have done when I made two big ones and stuffed them with sharp cheddar. :-/

Soft Pretzels (modified a bit from Paula Deen via The Village Cook)
-1/2 c warm water
-1 package active yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
-1/4 c melted butter (cooled)
-1 egg yolk (reserve the white)
-1/4 cup sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 cup milk
-5 cups flour
-3 tablespoons baking soda, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
-Salt and pepper, or other spices for topping (oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes, sugar-cinnamon, etc)
-Optional: Cheese for stuffing!

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand for 5 minutes until bubbly. To the bowl, add melted butter, egg yolk, sugar, salt, and milk. Stir well.

2. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add 1 cup of flour to the liquid, mix well, and add another cup. Keep doing this until you put in about 5 cups (or slightly less if the dough is getting too dry). Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead for 5 minutes. (**Note: My dough was VERY stiff. I tried kneading it by hand for awhile, but it was really difficult to do. I added more warm water to try to help the dough, but that just made a wet mess, so I ended up having to coat with more flour anyway. :p The moral of the story is that you will probably not end up with a silky smooth bread dough, and that is, apparently, OK.**)

3. Place dough in an oiled bowl with a cloth over the top. Let rise 1 hour. (**Note: Okay, so mine didn't "rise" at all. But, you do have over 6 cups worth of dough, so, it's not like you need it to.**)

4. Preheat oven to 425. Cut your dough into however many pretzels you want. I think I got about 15-18 of varying size. Roll each ball of dough out into a rope, of whatever thickness you want your pretzel to be (thinner ropes for thin, big pretzels, etc). Shape into a pretzel form.
--Note: If you want stuffed pretzels, form the ropes and then flatten them with your hand or a rolling pin. Put the stuffing down the center of the flattened rope, leaving room on the sides. Fold the edges over and then flatten again to make sure the filling is sealed in. Rub into rope shape again and form into pretzel shape. Whala! Cheesy pretzel!

5. In a smaller bowl, dissolve the baking soda and water by mixing well. Dunk each pretzel in the mixture after you're done shaping them (remembering to stir the mixture with a whisk before dunking). Place the finished pretzels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat.

6. Mix the reserved egg white with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the tops of the pretzels with the egg wash and sprinkle with whatever spices you want. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden-brown. I highly recommend eating them straight out of the oven.

Verdict: AWESOME. You should make these right now (so easy!) and enjoy them with a nice cold beer. These taste like soft pretzels that you get from Auntie Anne's or at stadiums...the bitter tang of baking soda mixed with sharp cubes of salt, and a buttery soft crumb make a truly great pretzel. Me? I'm imagining impressing my friends with these babies at our next get together. ;)

Greek Burger with Garlic-Oregano Fries

2011-02-25T16:05:00.000-08:00

I have SO slacked on putting up this post. I made this on Sunday! But this week has been flooded with all sorts of work stuff that has left me completely drained at the end of each day. And then all I want to do is put on my jammies and crawl into bed (something I was ready to do at 7:30 last night...because I'm not 90 years old or anything...).

This is an excellent healthy revamp of a classic bad-for-you meal. Who doesn't like a nice, juicy burger with a side of salty, crispy fries? Here, I've swapped beef for ground turkey, and deep-fried fries for baked. The result? No loss of flavor, and a big, full belly! This is a winner of a dinner all around.

Greek Burgers (from me)
-1 package (about 1.25 pounds) lean ground turkey
-8 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
-4 tablespoons crumbled feta (or more, or less, depending on the intensity of your feta-fetish)
-2 large cloves garlic, minced
-1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
-1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (or more, if you want a more lemony flavor)
-3/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat broiler on high.

2. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl, and incorporate thoroughly. Shape into 4 equally sized patties and place on a broiler pan coated lightly with cooking spray (optional).

3. Broil for 15 minutes or until cooked through. You may try flipping them over after 10 minutes and cooking for an additional 10 minutes to try to get patties browned on both sides. Serve immediately after they cool for a couple minutes.

-Serves 4

Garlic-Oregano Fries (also from me)
-3 baking potatoes (about 2 pounds), sliced into thin fry slices
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-2 cloves garlic, minced (or more! I always encourage upping garlic for an increased deliciousness quotient.)
-2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped finely
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/4-1/2 teaspoon pepper (I used 1/2 teaspoon, because I like things a little spicy)

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Put all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly so that the fries are coated.

3. Spray a baking sheet (with edges!) with cooking spray. Pour the fries out onto the pan and spread into one layer. Bake for 25 minutes or until crispy, turning over once for even browning. Serve immediately.

-Serves 4 or more

**NOTE: If you're making both things at once without a double oven, you might wonder how I worked this out logistically. I put the fries in first for about 15 minutes or so, while I was busy making the burgers. When I was ready to put the burgers in, I flipped the switch to "broil" and put the burgers on the middle rack, and the fries on the lower rack. When the burgers were done, I took them out and let them sit, but switched the fries to the middle rack again for a few minutes of direct broiler-crispiness. It worked great.

Sausage, Veggie & Goat Cheese Stuffed Shells

2011-02-20T06:25:00.000-08:00

If you're anything like me, you saw "goat cheese" in the title and said, "SOLD!"

I made up this recipe a year or so ago to dispose of a bunch of leftover ingredients in our fridge and pantry. So, if you go out and buy ingredients specifically for this recipe, know that the ingredients tend to be in lots of other family-friendly recipes. You can also mix up the ingredients however you'd like. In fact, I might suggest trying a different type of marinara sauce. Whatever works for you and yours! The only thing I find to be the crux of essentialness in this recipe is the goat cheese. Please leave that in there. It's so good and creamy.

Sausage, Veggie & Goat Cheese Stuffed Shells (by me)
-Olive oil for sauteeing (about 1 tablespoon)
-2 Sweet Italian Turkey Sausages, casings removed
-1/3 cup white onion, minced
-1/3 cup zucchini, finely chopped
-1/3 cup (or more) red pepper, finely chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-8 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon pepper
-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
-4 ounces goat cheese log, softened
-20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked to package specifications
-1 jar Sweet Basil Marinara sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 and get your pasta cooking.

2. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sausages, crumbling with spatula. When cooked through, add all vegetables and seasonings, mixing thoroughly. Saute for a few minutes, until vegetables are tender.

3. Place the mixture in a large mixing bowl. To the mixing bowl, add goat cheese log. Mix until everything is coated with the goat cheese.

4. Once the jumbo shells are cooked and cooled down with cold water, begin stuffing them. It's easiest to use a regular spoon to assist you in stuffing--but your hands will definitely get covered in delicious cheesy goodness anyway. You may want to be a little conservative when stuffing the shells, so that all 20 can be filled. You can always go back and add more to shells if needed.

5. Cover the bottom of a 13x9 pan with a thin layer of marinara sauce. Place the stuffed shells seam side down in the pan. Cover well with the remaining sauce.

6. Cook in oven, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes or so before serving.

-Serves 4

Satisfyingly Simple Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cupcakes

2011-02-19T08:43:00.000-08:00

Watch out...Badgers like cupcakes...

There are some days in a woman's life where all she wants is cupcakes and beer. Ladies, youknowwhatimsayin.

All week long, I pined for what would come on Friday night: Frosted cupcakes, beer, and Badger hockey.

You may remember how I love Badger hockey. Well, below is just one example of why--the 2006 NCAA Championship Games against Boston College. The video is extremely long and is partly made up of photo montages--but just click to about 4:58. We were in the last 15 seconds or so of a game in which we were only 1 point ahead. Our goalie, Brian Elliott, was amazing all night long, and continued to be so until the end. It's hard to tell from the video's vantage point, but in the last 2-3 seconds of the game (you can hear people counting down), Boston College shoots and hits the goal post, deflecting it back out onto the ice. You can see Brian Elliott fall down trying to get it. I was not at the game, but watching it with my fellow rabid hockey buddies at home. When the puck went "DING!" off the goal post, our hearts stopped collectively for 2 seconds. And then we went absolutely nuts (it sounded like the stadium did, actually). Brian Elliott stood there for a few seconds, seeming to not comprehend the fact that they had just won--until his teammates came streaming toward him. It was an exemplary moment in an otherwise spectacular 2 years of being a season ticket holder.

Anyhoo--you now might better understand my love of Badger hockey, and why I felt it necessary to commemorate it being aired in Illinois with cupcakes and beer.

Back to the cupcakes: These are the easiest cupcakes in the entire universe to make--and you probably have all (or most of) the stuff you need to make them in your pantry. They only require 1 bowl. To top it off (pun not intended), I got real lazy with the frosting and did a semi-homemade deal. It was awesome.

Satisfyingly Simple Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cupcakes (adapted from Martha Stewart)
-3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
-3/4 teaspoon baking powder
-3/4 teaspoon salt
-2 large eggs
-3/4 cup warm water
-3/4 cup buttermilk (**I used normal 2% milk out of sheer laziness. It worked great.**)
-3 tablespoons safflower oil (**I used vegetable oil.**)
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-1/2-3/4 cup peanut butter chips, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.

2. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

-Makes 18-24 cupcakes

Lazy Day Frosting
-1 can frosting
-1/2 cup powdered sugar (give or take)

1. Put ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high until ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and the frosting stands up on its own on the end of the whisk. Place bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes. Put in a pastry bag and start piping away!

You can also try doing fancy piping, if you're so moved.

Verdict: Laziness for the win! These cupcakes turned out great for how little work they entailed. The frosting is VERY sweet, of course (duh--obviously), but it just makes it seem like they came from the store. Except the cake is better than if it came from the store, so it's a win all around. By the way, I'm sad to report that the Badgers (who are not the same Badgers who so awesomely won the Championship game) had one hell of a crushing loss against the University of Minnesota (our arch nemeses!) last night. It was a good thing I had the cupcakes and beer after all, because that was depressing.

Daring Cooks: Cold Noodle Salad and Tempura

2011-02-14T07:53:00.001-08:00

Hi, I'm Heather, and I'm an amateur deep fryer.

(Hi, Heather.)

All my life, I've been intensely afraid of deep frying. All attempts to 'fry' things have resulted in burned/too oily/not crispy/downright scary items that get tossed in the garbage. Then there is the inevitable weeping and damning myself for not being better at life. If it weren't for the Daring Cooks, I might never have faced a vat of hot oil again and learned to embrace the fear.

(Applause.)

But seriously. Frying stuff is scary. But NOT scary if you have a simple candy/fry thermometer and good instructions! I really had low hopes for tempura because of my track record. Lo and behold, by following the instructions and monitoring the temperature, even *I* can make a crispy, deep fried vegetable.

Wanna know the best part? It was excellent practice for one of the scariest bits of my baking challenge: Doughnuts. Stay tuned for that!

Emeril's Cold Noodle Salad (Emeril Lagasse)
-1/4 cup honey
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-4 teaspoons sesame oil
-1 pound soba noodles, cooked until tender and refreshed in ice water
-1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, cut on the bias
-1/2 cup bean sprouts
-1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
-1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
-1 cup lightly crushed toasted cashews
-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
-2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

1. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce and sesame oil. To the noodles, add green onions, bean sprouts, carrots, cucumber, cashews, cilantro, sesame seeds, and the soy mixture and mix thoroughly.

Verdict: This recipe isn't new to me, but it hasn't stopped in the deliciousness department. It is the perfect no-cook recipe for summer bbq's. Fresh, tasty, and healthy to boot!

Tempura Vegetables (from pinkbites and itsybitsyfoodies)
-1 egg yolk from a large egg
-1 cup (240 ml) iced water
-½ cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2½ oz) plain (all purpose) flour, plus extra for dredging
-½ cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2½ oz) cornflour (also called cornstarch)
-½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (2½ gm) (0.09 oz) baking powder
-oil, for deep frying preferably vegetable
-ice water bath, for the tempura batter (a larger bowl than what will be used for the tempura should be used. Fill the large bowl with ice and some water, set aside)

Very cold vegetables and seafood of your choice ie:
* Sweet potato, peeled, thinly sliced, blanched
* Carrot, peeled, thinly sliced diagonally
* Pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, thinly sliced blanched
* Green beans, trimmed
* Green bell pepper/capsicum, seeds removed, cut into 2cm (¾ inch)-wide strips
* Assorted fresh mushrooms
* Eggplant cut into strips (traditionally it’s fanned)
* Onions sliced

1. Place the iced water into a mixing bowl. Lightly beat the egg yolk and gradually pour into the iced water, stirring (preferably with chopsticks) and blending well. Add flours and baking powder all at once, stroke a few times with chopsticks until the ingredients are loosely combined. The batter should be runny and lumpy. Place the bowl of batter in an ice water bath to keep it cold while you are frying the tempura. The batter as well as the vegetables and seafood have to be very cold. The temperature shock between the hot oil and the cold veggies help create a crispy tempura.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan or a wok. For vegetables, the oil should be 320°F/160°C; for seafood it should be 340°F/170°C. It is more difficult to maintain a steady temperature and produce consistent tempura if you don’t have a thermometer, but it can be done. You can test the oil by dropping a piece of batter into the hot oil. If it sinks a little bit and then immediately rises to the top, the oil is ready.

3. Start with the vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, that won’t leave a strong odor in the oil. Dip them in a shallow bowl of flour to lightly coat them and then dip them into the batter. Slide them into the hot oil, deep frying only a couple of pieces at a time so that the temperature of the oil does not drop.

4. Place finished tempura pieces on a wire rack so that excess oil can drip off. Continue frying the other items, frequently scooping out any bits of batter to keep the oil clean and prevent the oil (and the remaining tempura) from getting a burned flavor.

5. Serve immediately for the best flavor, but they can also be eaten cold.

Verdict: Awesome! I used two types of squash (summer and something like zucchini, but started with a 't'....damn my memory!), carrots, and sliced white onion. I won't lie--the onion was my favorite part. Mmm....tempura onion rings....

The February 2011 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl. She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi Soba and Tempura. She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com

Honey Cashew Granola

2011-02-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

Ever since I made Molasses-Almond Granola, I've been trying out new variations every week. You would think I'd get sick of granola, but you would be wrong. It's a snap to make during the weekend (less than 1 1/2 hours total), lasts all week long for 2 people eating it every morning, and it probably costs under $20 for 2-3 batches when you shop in the bulk bins. Buying high quality granola gets expensive. Why not make your own?

I got a little hankering for cashews instead of the standard almonds (which I do adore, don't get me wrong). Cashews are just so sweet and buttery, and I knew they would lend themselves well to granola. My standard liquid ratios for the past few weeks have been heavy on maple syrup, and Greg suggested upping the honey instead for this batch. The man is a genius. I don't mind telling you that this might be the best batch so far.

Honey Cashew Granola (by moi)
-3 1/2 cups rolled oats
-1 cup raw, hulled sunflower seeds
-1 1/2 cups cashew pieces (cheaper than whole! woohoo!0
-1/3 cup honey
-1/4 cup maple syrup
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon barley malt syrup
-1 generous teaspoon blackstrap molasses
-1/2-1 cup raisins, craisins, dried blueberries, or other dried fruit (here, I used a mixture of craisins and dried blueberries, which gives a nice tangy bite!)

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix oats, sunflower seeds and cashews thoroughly.

2. In smaller mixing bowl, whisk together honey, maple syrup, vegetable oil, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, barley malt syrup, and molasses. Combine well.

3. Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and combine well with a wooden spoon. It may take a few minutes of constant stirring to coat each bit evenly.

4. On an edged sheet pan lined with a silpat mat (or parchment paper), pour the granola out, evening it with the spoon. Bake in an oven preheated to 300 for 1 hour, taking care to stir the granola every 10 minutes to prevent burning.

5. Cool on the sheet pan on a cooling rack. When cool, stir in dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.

-Makes at least 14 1/2-cup servings.

West African Peanut Soup

2011-02-13T09:35:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned my wonderful husband who not only cooks for me, but actively enjoys cooking? He has an arsenal of tried and true recipes--both his own creations and recipes that he's modified over the years. One such modification (Gregification?) is this West African Peanut Soup, which comes from the "Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant" cookbook. This is unbelievably delicious. It's so hearty and nutritious and has a nice spicy kick to it. Also, I just realized that it's vegan! It's so rich, creamy, and flavorful that I would never have guessed.

The recipe below is typed up with commentary from Hubster. He is the best, dontcha think?

West African Peanut Soup (from "Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant")
Note: I definitely recommend all the changes I made to the recipe (noted below). Especially, add tofu to the onion when you sauté, and (unless you are wimpy) double the cayenne--it's a pretty mild recipe otherwise. Finally, I recommend not puréeing the whole thing--the texture is rather unpleasantly viscous, and you get more diverse flavors if you don't.

-2 c. chopped onions
-8 oz. extra firm tofu, cubed (not in original recipe)
-1 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil (definitely worth it to buy peanut!)
-1 tsp. cayenne or other ground dried chilies (original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp.)
-2 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger (original recipe calls for 1 tsp.)
-1 c. chopped and peeled carrots
-2 c. chopped and peeled sweet potatoes
-4 c. vegetable stock or water (I recommend the stock; you can buy it, or I have a recipe if you want it; can also substitute all or part chicken stock)
-2 c. tomato juice
-1 cup smooth peanut butter (I highly recommend old fashioned un-homogenized PB, with the oil and solid separate--otherwise, the soup is too sweet)
-1 cup scallions or chives (the recipe notes these are essential, not a garnish, and I agree!)

1. Sauté the onions (and tofu) in the oil until onions just translucent.

2. Stir in the cayenne and fresh ginger. Add the carrots and sauté a couple more minutes.

3. Mix in the potatoes and stock (or water), bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

NOTE: I skipped the puréeing the second time I made it, and liked it a lot more. Instead, I just added the tomato juice in, turned off the heat to prevent scorching, and then stirred in the peanut butter until smooth and well-mixed. If you want to purée, here's the original instructions:

4. In a blender or food processor, purée the vegetables and cooking liquid with the tomato juice. Return the purée to the soup pot. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth.

5. If necessary, reheat the soup gently to prevent scorching of the peanut butter (use a heat diffuser if you want). If you want a thinner soup, you can add more water or stock.

6. Serve topped with plenty of scallions (or chives).

-Serves 6-8

BBA: Light Wheat Bread

2011-02-12T14:32:00.000-08:00

The name of Peter Reinhart's "Light Wheat Bread" is probably a misnomer. I think he meant that it was "light on the wheat," instead of being a whole wheat bread. Of course, the name implies that it is light in calories--or is not heavy in density. While there is nothing offensive caloriewise in this recipe, I have no idea if it's actually healthy or not. And this bread is far from a light and flaky, namby pamby loaf. This is dense, chewy, crusty sandwich bread. I just sat down with a lightly buttered piece, but am already imagining a higher purpose....say, roast beef and horseradish. We'll be enjoying it with a bowl of Greg's marvelous "West African Peanut Stew" tonight, and I am sure it will be nothing short of spectacular.

It's probably worth mentioning that this recipe comes together really easily. I would definitely recommend it for the beginner bread maker.

Light Wheat Bread (from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" by, Peter Reinhart)
-2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour (**I accidentally used 1 cup of AP flour before I realized the mistake. I think it might've helped, since the dough was super stiff anyway.**)
-1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
-1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar or honey
-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
-3 tablespoons powdered milk
-1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
-2 tablespoons shortening or unsalted butter, at room temperature
-1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
**NOTE for a beginner bread maker: If you only have "active dry yeast" and not instant yeast, you must proof the yeast. This means putting warm water (approximately 115 degrees--not room temperature!), yeast (and sugar if you want) together in a bowl, mixing, and letting sit for 5 minutes until bubbly. This is very important. The recipe only uses instant yeast, which is quite different. IF you use this method, do as described above, and then add it to the dry ingredients with the shortening/butter and honey (if using).

1. Stir together the bread flour, whole wheat flour, sugar (if using instead of honey), salt, powdered milk, and yeast in a 4-quart mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer). Add the shortening/butter, honey (if using instead of sugar), and water. Stir (or mix on low speed with paddle attachment) until the ingredients form a ball. If there is still flour in the bottom of the bowl, dribble in additional water. The dough should feel soft and supple. It's better for it to be a little too soft than stiff and tough.

2. Sprinkle flour on the counter. Transfer dough and begin kneading (or mix on medium speed in the stand mixer with a dough hook). Add more flour if needed to make a firm, supple dough that is slightly tacky but not sticky. Kneading should take about 10 minutes (6 by machine). Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until doubled in size.

4. Remove the dough and press it by hand into a rectangle about 3/4" thick, 6" wide, and 8-10" long. From the short end, roll it up tightly, stopping to pinch the seams together with every revolution. Don't shape or taper the ends. Place in a lightly oiled 8.5x4.5" loaf pan. Mist the top of the loaf with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap.

5. Proof at room temperature for approximately 90 minutes, or until the dough crests above the top of the pan.

6. Preheat the oven to the 350 with the rack on the middle shelf.

7. Place the loaf pan on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking, and continue baking 15-30 more minutes, depending on your oven. The finished loaf should register 190-F degrees in the center, be golden brown on top and sides, and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

8. When the bread is finished baking, remove it immediately from the loaf pan and cool it on a rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2, before slicing and serving.

-Makes 1 loaf

Classic Mac & Cheese

2011-02-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

Is there anything better than creamy, full-fat, indulgent Macaroni & Cheese? No? I didn't think so.

Frankly, "real" Mac & Cheese is something I avoid making due to its insanely high calorie count. I usually get my jollies from a Cooking Light Chipotle Mac recipe. And while that's great, grand, and wonderful, there is an unparalleled level of joy that extra-sharp cheddar in a creamy, mustard sauce brings me.

I'd also like to throw this out there for your consideration: It's too damn cold to not eat fatty food. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.

Classic Mac & Cheese (from the incomparable Reeni, who got it from Betty Crocker)
-8 ounces uncooked Elbow Pasta
-1/4 cup Butter + 1 tablespoon
-1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
-3/4 teaspoon Sea or Kosher Salt
-1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
-1/2 teaspoon Ground Mustard
-1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
-1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard (**I used stone ground mustard...it was awesome.**)
-2 1/2 cups Milk
-3 cups Shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 1/2 cup set aside for topping (12 ounces)
-1/3 cup Cornflake crumbs

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart or 8x8-inch casserole pan.

2. Cook and drain elbows to al dente according to package directions. Pour into casserole pan and toss with a tablespoon of butter.

3. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan melt butter over low heat; whisk in flour, salt, pepper, both mustards, and Worcestershire. Cook over low heat, whisking
constantly until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Slowly whisk in milk and heat to boiling whisking continuously. Boil for one minute and stir in cheese. Stir
until all the cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

4. Pour evenly over the top of the elbows. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese set aside, and then with the crumbs.

5. Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes until bubbly and golden.

-Serve 4-6

Verdict: THIS is a Mac & Cheese recipe. It's what I want, but usually don't find, in restaurants. It's got a super creamy, luxuriously velveteen sauce, which has a nice-yet-understated flavor. I don't see a reason to experiment with other 'classic' Mac & Cheese recipes, because this has everything you could want in a traditional dish. Make your nagging conscience feel better, and toss some green veggies on the side.

BBA: Ciabatta (poolish version)

2011-02-08T06:31:00.000-08:00

In my post last night, I mentioned something about "Gus' 16-Hour Pulled Pork on Homemade Ciabatta" during the Super Bowl. There is something you should know about my friend Gus: He loves to make sandwiches. A lot. He is a true master of the art of sandwich building. Even though he's inches away from getting his PhD, I've told him to quit and become a full time sandwich-making-guy. That's how good the sandwiches are.

So, because I'm flogging myself over the head with a baking challenge this year, and because Gus loves sandwiches, we came up with pulled pork and ciabatta rolls. There was a lot of drooling for about a month until this actually came to fruition. Gus used a crockpot to cook a pork shoulder with onions and ginger ale for about 12 hours, and added Stadium Sauce for the last 4 hours. The pork literally melted in your mouth.

As for the ciabatta? Well... it was fine, but it was not ciabatta. I had many problems with Peter Reinhart's recipe. In trying to find an online version, it appears that a lot of people have problems with the poolish version. The most common complaint is one of my major issues--there are very few holes, and very small crumbs. That is just simply not ciabatta, no matter what the crust looks like. My other major problem was presumably my fault somehow (because no one else's dough looked like this), and that was my dough was in no way soft or sticky. It was super heavy and kind of hard. Obviously, there was too much flour. The end product was a really heavy, soft roll (which worked well for pulled pork, but it ain't ciabatta!). I know now by looking at other people's doughs online, that the dough should be wet, wet, wet. Really wet. Too wet to handle. Well, live and learn.

Mmm....sandwich....

Ciabatta - Poolish Version (from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Peter Reinhart)
Poolish:
-2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour (11.25 oz.)
-1 1/2 cups water (12 oz.) -- at room temperature
-1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

Dough:
-3 1/4 cups Poolish (essentially, all of it)
-3 cups unbleached bread flour (13.5 oz.) **NOTE: One site said to use AP flour here instead of bread flour, as it resulted in yielding larger holes in the bread. Something to consider!**
-1 3/4 teaspoons fine sea salt (preferred) -- or table salt
-1 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
-6 tablespoons - up to 3/4 cup buttermilk (milk or water can also be used)

1. In a medium bowl, combine all the poolish ingredients and mix well to be sure the flour is fully hydrated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 3-4 hours to ferment, or until the sponge becomes bubbly and foamy. Immediately refrigerate. Poolish will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

2. Remove the poolish from the refrigerator at least 1 hour prior to mixing up the dough to take off the chill.

3. Into the bowl of your mixer whisk together the flour, salt and yeast. Add the poolish and 6 tablespoons of the water. Using the paddle attachment with mixer on low speed, mix until ingredients begin to form a sticky ball, about 3-4 minutes. Switch to dough hook, increase speed to medium, and mix/knead for 2-3 additional minutes.. The dough should just clear the sides of the bowl and be very soft, wet and sticky, and stick to the bottom of the bowl.

4. Sprinkle enough flour onto the kneading surface to make a bed about 8 inches square. Using a bowl scraper or spatula dipped in water, transfer the sticky dough to the bed of flour and proceed with the stretch-and-fold method. Stretch the dough to twice its size, then fold the dough over itself like a business envelope. Mist the top of the dough with spray oil, again dust with flour, and loosely cover with plastic wrap or in a large food grade plastic bag.

5. Let dough rest 30 minutes, then repeat the stretch-and-fold process again. Mist with spray oil, dust with flour and re-cover. Allow dough to ferment on the counter for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. It should swell considerably but not necessarily doubled in size.

6. Carefully remove the plastic from the dough and shape the dough (**this is the point at which you would cut it into rectangular thirds for 3 loaves, or several pieces for rolls!**), placing the loaves into the troughs of the couche. Mist the dough with spray oil again and dust with more flour. Cover with a clean kitchen towel. Proof for 45 to 60 minutes at room temperature or until the dough has noticeably swelled.

7. While the loaves are proofing, prepare the oven for hearth baking by placing an empty sheet pan in the bottom of the oven, and preheat to 500 degrees.

8. Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina or cornmeal. VERY GENTLY transfer the dough pieces to the peel or pan, using a bench knife or pastry scraper to support. Lift the dough at each end and tug the dough out to lengths of 9-12 inches. If the dough bulges, dimple it down lightly with your fingertips.

9. Load the loaves into the oven---either directly onto the baking stone or tiles, or else bake the loaves directly on the sheet pan. Pour 1 cup of hot (simmering or boiling) water into the pan in the oven, taking care to avoid the steam. Shut the oven door immediately. After 30 seconds, spray the sides of the oven with water, then shut the door. Repeat two more times. Reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees and set timer for 15-20 minutes (depending on your oven and the way it bakes). Check half-way through the baking for uneven browning---if so, rotate the loaves 180 degrees and finish baking.

10. The bread should register 205 degrees in the center and should be golden in color---the flour streaks will also give it a dusty look. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool at least 45 minutes before serving.

There were some holes...but not enough to be ciabatta!

Yields: 2 large loaves, 3 small loaves, or 6-10 buns (depending on how big you want them to be)

Hot Cheesy Reuben Dip

2011-02-07T18:39:00.000-08:00

I will admit: I'm not a huge football fan. But it seems that after I moved to Illinois, my resolve to prove my love for all things Wisconsin heightened intensely. This included watching the last few Packers games, complete with much yelling and beer and chest-clutching excitement.

Naturally, being that I am married to a Packers fan, and my friend Gus is the biggest Packers fan ever, I watched the Super Bowl with them. And we didn't just watch the Super Bowl. We watched it Wisco-style. That means "Heart Attack Style." We had 4 dips (and there were only 4 people). We had 16-hour slow cooked pulled pork sandwiches on homemade Ciabatta. We had asiago-beer bread. We had a pound bacon as an appetizer. Excess, thy name is Wisconsin.

One such dip that we enjoyed while grabbing our cholesterol-clogged chests in fear and joy, was this Reuben Dip. Fortuitously, I saw this dip on Brown Eyed Baker's blog a day or two before the big game. I knew it would be perfect for us. And it was.

Hot Cheesy Reuben Dip (from Brown Eyed Baker)
-8 ounces cream cheese, softened
-6 ounces swiss cheese, shredded
-4 ounces deli sliced corned beef, diced small
-1/2 cup thousand island dressing
-1/2-3/4 cup sauerkraut with caraway seeds, drained and squeezed dry

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, 3 ounces of swiss cheese, corned beef, and thousand island dressing. Pour into the bottom of a pie plate and spread evenly. Place sauerkraut over the top. Top off with the rest of the swiss cheese.

3. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with pretzel crisps, beer bread, or cocktail rye squares.

Verdict: This was seriously fabulous. Everyone raved. And clutched their chests.

Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins

2011-02-02T07:16:00.001-08:00

Did you wake up this morning, see all the ice-packed snow on the ground, hear the wind howling, and think to yourself, "Holy crap. I want to put myself into a diabetic coma"? I know I did. And how fortunate that I just happened across this recipe for Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins on Baked Bree's blog yesterday! I had all the ingredients in my kitchen--and whenever that happens (which is rare), I take it as a sign. It's like when I find jeans that actually fit....must buy them immediately, regardless of the price. Of course, you might argue that if I continue eating these Pancake Muffins, I'll never be able to find jeans that fit again....and you'd be right.

Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins (from Bakerella originally, but I used Baked Bree's version)
-1 cup flour
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-2 tablespoons sugar
-2/3 cup buttermilk
-1 egg
-2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
-2 Tablespoons melted butter
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Glaze:
-1 cup powdered sugar
-2-3.5 Tablespoons pure maple syrup

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

2. In another small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, maple syrup, butter, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

3. Mix the muffin batter until just combined. Add the chocolate chips. Fold together.

4. Line a 24 cup mini muffin tin with paper liners OR use cooking spray to coat each cup, and put about a tablespoon of muffin batter in each one.

5. Bake the pancake muffins in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes.

6. While the muffins cool slightly, whisk together the powdered sugar and maple syrup. If it is too thick, add a little more syrup or water. Dip the top of the muffin into the maple syrup glaze. Let excess drip off, tapping your wrist with your other hand to expedite the process if necessary.

-Makes 24 delicious pancake muffins

Verdict: Very sweet due to the glaze, but not inedibly so. If you don't like too much sweetness, these would be excellent on their own, or with a little side of maple syrup for light dunking. Obviously, these would be super popular with children, or adults who are childish...like me!

Orecchiette with Kale, Bacon, and Sundried Tomatoes

2011-02-01T06:47:00.000-08:00

So, let me tell you what happened to ME last night.

I had tickets to see Snoop Dogg. That's right--THE Snoop Dogg, here in Urbana-Champaign, at a smallish venue. At $30/ticket, I thought it was the deal of the century (more or less). I was so excited, guys. It's a rare day when culture arrives in this city, and I was ready for it. I was a little peeved that the doors opened at 9 (because, c'mon...I'm an old lady at heart), but figured the show would start around 10 and I could be outta there by 12.

Did I mention that, like 3/4 of the country, we were hit with some pretty crapass weather last night (and today, and tomorrow)? This meant that we couldn't really drive to the venue, and instead had to haul ourselves over there on the bus in the icy, sleeting, freezing cold. Allllll of this would have been worth it, but...

Guess who didn't show?

That's right.

Mildly entertaining DJs spun while people filed in. Around 10:30, it finally looked like we were getting somewhere, when two people from Snoop's entourage started rapping onstage. I kept thinking, "Aaaany minute, now, Snoop will join them. Yes. Any minute now." But he didn't. Eventually, those two left the stage. An hour and a half elapsed, and still, no Snoop. Being that it was 12:30am on a MONDAY, I stormed out in a pissy huff. Obviously, I am thrilled about paying $70 for an empty stage. Thanks, Snoop, for a magical evening.

Before we had a maddeningly long and boring evening, I whipped up this Cooking Light pasta dish. After this weekend's fat-filled shenanigans, I figured a calorie-light supper was in order. The issue, of course, is that I still had a package of bacon in my fridge. Cooking Light loves using bacon in marginal doses, and I can definitely get behind that.

This meal is super-fast and easy to make, and has a sharp, unique flavor. It's not a meal for kids, to be sure, but grown ups will love it. Even grown ups who have been soured by an evening of no show big ticket acts. ;)

Orecchiette with Kale, Bacon, and Sundried Tomatoes (from Cooking Light)
-8 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta
-5 cups bagged prewashed kale
-2 slices center-cut bacon
-1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
-3 large garlic cloves, chopped
-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-3/8 teaspoon salt
-1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved
-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Cook pasta in boiling water 8 minutes or until almost tender. Add kale, and cook 2 minutes. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

2. While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon; crumble and set aside. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add sun-dried tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add pasta mixture, reserved 1/2 cup cooking liquid, black pepper, and salt to pan; toss to combine. Top pasta mixture evenly with bacon and cheese; drizzle evenly with lemon juice.

-Serves 4
-Calories: 350, Fat: 9.2, Protein: 14.7, Carbs: 53.7

Foodbuzz 24x24: Nighttime Fantasy Brunch

2011-01-30T14:56:00.000-08:00

"We take eighteen ounces of sizzling ground beef, and soak it in rich, creamery butter. Then, we top it off with bacon, ham, and a fried egg. We call it 'The Good Morning Burger.'"

--The Simpsons

I had this quote in mind when I began forming the idea for my "Nighttime Fantasy Brunch." I wanted foods that were over the top--fatty and sinfully rich. I wanted foods that your heart swells for when you go out for breakfast, but your conscience says to avoid. I wanted foods that appealed to the Id and the child in all of us.

My proposal for Foodbuzz's January 24x24 was to create the ultimate fantasy brunch, full of naughty foods you would dream to eat. To throw it over the top, I made it pajamas-optional for my guests, and showed discs of The Simpsons all night long. It was deliciously casual fun.

But what sets this apart from other dinner parties?

I recently got to thinking about my favorite charity, Camp Heartland. Have you heard of this? They are a summer camp for children with HIV/AIDS. Is there anything more heartwarming? In the spirit of Camp Heartland, which makes children with extraordinarily difficult lives feel like they're living in a normal kid's fantasy, I am made this breakfast-for-dinner themed meal. I decided to donate the majority of my $250 stipend from Foodbuzz to Camp Heartland after the meal, and also encouraged my guests to donate whatever they felt they "would pay for this meal in a restaurant."

Due to Foodbuzz granting me with this wonderful opportunity for a second time, and my extraordinarily generous guests, I will be sending a donation of $266 to Camp Heartland.

It should be noted that my coworker Kathy's 9-year-old daughter, Erin, sent along a $1 donation in this totally amazing homemade envelope. Are you tearing up yet?

So, what was on the docket for this fantasy brunch, you might wonder?

-Bloody Marys and Mimosas
-Baked Eggs with Kale, Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese
-Caramelized Bacon
-Cheddar-Garlic Biscuits
-Gingerbread Croissant French Toast with Homemade Lemon Curd
-Berry Parfaits with Orange Curacao Whipped Cream

I don't know about you, but my heart seized just reading that.

Bloody Mary (from Over the Hill and on a Roll--whose recipe I intended to make, but didn't get a chance to. Kathy brought over a jug of her amazing Bloody Mary mix. BUT, I believe that what Kathy made would be quite similar to this recipe.)
-1 quart tomato juice
-2 1/2 cups vodka
-1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon horseradish
-1/4 cup + tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
-1 teaspoon tabasco
-1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons lime juice
-1/4 teaspoon celery salt
-1 teaspoon grated fresh onion
**I know Kathy added some dijon mustard to hers, too, for a bit of extra kick!

Jug-O-Bloodys!

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large pitcher and pour over ice in a cocktail glass. Add a stick of celery, olives, dilled green beans, and/or pickles to garnish.

-Makes 8-10 cocktails

Bloody Mary taste testers, Greg and Kathy.

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits (modified slightly from Barefoot Contessa)
-2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
-1 tablespoon baking powder
-1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-12 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, diced
-1/2 cup cold buttermilk, shaken
-1 cold extra-large egg
-1 cup extra-sharp cheddar, grated
-1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water
-Sea salt to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Place 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. With mixer on low, add the butter and mix until butter is the size of peas.

3. Combine buttermilk and egg in a small bowl, and beat lightly with a fork. With the mixer still on low, quickly add the buttermilk until just moistened. Mix cheddar and a small handful of flour together in a separate bowl, then add to the dough with mixer still on low. Mix until just combined.

4. Dump dough onto a well-floured cutting board and knead lightly, about 6 times. Roll the dough out to a 10x5" rectangle. With a sharp, floured knife, cut the dough lengthwise in half, then across in quarters, making 8-10 rectangles. Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until browned on top. Serve hot or warm.

-Makes 8-10 generously sized biscuits

Verdict: Before last night, I'd never made biscuits before in my life. I *love* buttermilk biscuits, but I found them vaguely terrifying. What if they were too dry or not flaky enough? Well, let me lay all similar fears out there to rest. THIS is your biscuit recipe. They are tender, flaky, a little crunchy, and totally delectable. I honestly think this was the crowd favorite all night long. That really says something.

Baked Eggs (method from Seasaltwithfood.com)
-8 large eggs
-8 teaspoons heavy cream
-1 large tomato, seeded and diced
-1-2 tablespoons olive oil
-Approximately 1 head kale, leaves only, roughly chopped
-About 3 ounces soft goat cheese (or crumbles)
-Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder for sprinkling
-Unsalted butter to grease the dish

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. When hot, add freshly washed kale to pan and wilt. Remove from heat.

3. Grease a ramekin or custard cups with butter. Divide kale evenly among the cups. Crumble a bit of goat cheese on top of the kale. Crack 1 egg into each dish. Add chopped tomatoes, drizzle a bit of cream on top, season lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Top it off with a few more crumbles of goat cheese.

4. Bake in the oven tor 13-15 minutes, or until set. Serve hot.

-Serves 8
Verdict: Well, I overbaked mine a bit. One actually looked like a hard boiled egg's center! Whoops. So, as long as your eggs are still jiggly and not hard to the touch, you're good. :) This was a super tasty dish. It looks impressive and fancy to guests, but it's certainly not difficult. It's a keeper!

Caramelized Bacon (from Allrecipes)
-1 pound sliced bacon
-1/2 cup packed brown sugar
-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Cut each bacon strip in half widthwise. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a shallow plate or bowl. Dip bacon strips in the mixture and twist. Place on a broiler pan.

2. Bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes, or until as crispy as you like your bacon. Serve hot or cool/freeze in an air-tight container for up to 1 month.

Verdict: This was the OTHER crowd pleaser. As I was snapping admittedly crappy photos of the bacon, there were many groans of utter joy coming from the living room. Caramelized bacon is something everyone should have in their life.

Gingerbread Croissant French Toast with Lemon Curd (partially from me, Pepperidge Farm, and Epicurious)
For the French Toast:
-1 1/2 cups milk
-3 eggs
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
-1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-8 slightly stale croissants

1. Beat the milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg together in a bowl with a fork.

2. Heat a griddle to 350 degrees. Once hot, dredge the croissants in the milk mixture and place on the griddle. Cook until browned on each side. You may want to press the croissants firmly with your spatula to get more even browning.

3. Serve hot with fresh lemon curd.

For the lemon curd:
-1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (NOT from the bottle!!)
-2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
-1/2 cup sugar
-3 large eggs
-3/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into bits

1. Whisk together juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a double boiler over simmering water. Stir in butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of the whisk and first bubbles appear on surface (about 6 minutes).

2. Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and chill, covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 1 hour.

-Makes 1 1/3 cups.

Verdict: Amazing. Lemon curd is truly a thing of beauty. While the croissant french toast was good and all (kind of like a flaky sugar gingerbread donut), the lemon curd is what really made it shine. A tip for you: If you're like me (that is, totally incompetent at making custard) and end up with scrambled egg bits in your curd no matter what precautions you take, you can strain them out! Use a mesh sieve and pour a bit of the finished product in at a time. Use a spoon to tap the curd into the receiving bowl. It takes a while, but you won't have egg bits in your curd. :)

Berry Parfaits with Orange Curacao Whipped Cream (from me!)
-Approximately 3-4 cups mixed berries (it's really up to you to decide how many berries you want)
-1 pint heavy cream
-1/4 cup sugar
-2 tablespoons orange curacao

1. Put cream, sugar, and orange curacao in a frozen stand mixer bowl fitted with a balloon whisk attachment. On speed 4-5, whip until desired consistency, about 5 minutes.

2. Assemble parfaits as whipped cream, fruit, cream, and a garnishing fruit piece.

Verdict: Delicious, delicate, and the epitome of 'dessert for breakfast.' This was an excellent accompaniment to the french toast!

When all was said and done, we had a great and gastronomically delightful evening! Here are some of my guests, discussing the finer points of The Simpsons. :)

Thanks to Foodbuzz for allowing such a wonderful evening take place!

Vegetarian Carbonara

2011-01-23T17:26:00.000-08:00

A much less boring name for this would be "The Packers Are Going to the Super Bowl Victory Pasta!" Woooooo!

Still jazzed up (and a little tipsy) from watching the nervewracking NFC Championship game, I made up this celebratory vegetarian version of pasta carbonara. I wish I could say that because this has no bacon, it's a light dish--but I can't say that. It has positively sinful amounts of cream, eggs, and parmesan. But that's what makes it good! I once tried making a Cooking Light version of pasta carbonara and it was awful. Incredibly flavorless, and absolutely sauceless. Pasta carbonara needs fat to make it good. It is what it is. And what it is, is delicious....just like the Packers beating the Bears! ;)

Vegetarian Carbonara
-12 oz. whole grain spaghetti
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
-1 red pepper, thinly sliced
-2 cups broccoli florets
-3 large cloves garlic, minced
-3 egg yolks + 1 whole egg, beaten
-3/4 cup shredded parmesan
-1/3 cup heavy cream
-2 teaspoons salt
-3/4 teaspoon black pepper (or according to taste...I like mine a bit peppery!)
-1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Ensure that pasta is not done ahead of everything else, as it should be hot when added to the other ignredients.

2. While water is boiling/pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining vegetables, mixing thoroughly. Let cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring if necessary to prevent burning. Add 1/8 cup water to the dutch oven and cover. Let the vegetables cook until tender-crisp. Remove from heat if necessary.

3. Just before pasta is done, add cream to the vegetables, mixing thoroughly. Heat over medium-low heat until pasta can be added. Add the cooked pasta to the dutch oven and mix. Add the beaten eggs, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Be sure to mix very well! Let the mixture warm for a few minutes. Serve hot.

-At least 6 servings
-You don't want to know about the calories, and neither do I.

The Whole Enchilada Pizza

2011-01-20T17:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, that was corny. Sometimes I am corny. Let's move on, mmkay?

I still had a lump of bock beer pizza dough in my freezer, begging me to use it every time I reached in for coffee or a Lean Cuisine.

"Heatherrrrrrrr," it would call.

I would look suspiciously at my cats.

"Heatherrrrr....eat meeeee....."

"Oh, not now, Bocky," I would say, glancing at my watch. "It's only 7:30 in the morning!"

"Take me out and defrost meeee....load me with delicious toppings....maybe make me taste like something else you're craving? ....eeee...?"

You see what I was up against.

At the risk of needing to toss it out (or be committed to an institution), I decided to make up an Enchilada Pizza recipe. I loooves me some enchiladas. They are so very naughty...but I can't resist. It was much the same with this pizza when all was said and done. I can usually resist eating two portions. But not this time! This is a SERIOUSLY awesome pizza. It tastes like an enchilada. How can it be bad?

Enchilada Pizza (by moi)
-1 portion bock beer pizza dough
-Vegetable oil
-Salt, Pepper, Ground Cumin
-Approximately 1/4 can of Enchilada Sauce
-8 ounces shredded Chihuahua cheese
-2-3 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-Approximately 3.5 ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed
-1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
-1/2 small can black olives, sliced
-1-2 tablespoon(s) cilantro, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 500 with a baking stone on the lower rack for 30 minutes prior to baking.

2. Gently stretch the dough to the size you want and place it on a piece of parchment paper on the back of a baking sheet. Brush the dough with about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, and cumin. Bake for 2 minutes. Set aside and discard parchment paper.

3. Using a spoon (to help control the amount), apply some enchilada sauce to the dough. Use a pastry brush to spread the sauce evenly. Enchilada sauce is much thinner than pizza sauce, so you only want a thin layer (you should still be able to see the dough through the sauce).

4. Layer your ingredients: Chihuahua cheese (half the package), black beans (not too many or the pizza slices will be too heavy to lift!), garlic, cheddar, a couple splashes of enchilada sauce using the spoon, red peppers, olives, and the rest of the Chihuahua cheese.

5. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden-brown and the center is nicely melted.

Is it too much to reiterate how amazing a pizza this is? It is? Too bad!!

THIS PIZZA IS SO GOOD.

The end.

Sweet Sassy Molassey Granola

2011-01-18T04:56:00.000-08:00

There is an excellent co-op bakery in Madison, WI called Nature's Bakery. They make some of the best granola I've ever had. Greg and I are in the habit of buying a couple bags of their Molasses-Almond Granola every time we visit Madison. Since it's a long winter, and there tends to be a belt of bad weather perpetually lashed across the 4 hours between Madison and Champaign, the need to make our own granola was pressing. This was my attempt at making a Molasses-Almond Granola replica.

The result? Well, definitely not the same. For instance, it almost immediately discolored my milk (mmm, brown). That's not surprising, given how dark the granola itself is (yay, molasses!), but that's also different. I believe that the major difference is that Nature's Bakery must use a LOT less molasses in their recipe. This recipe is heavy on the molasses, which is a good thing if you like the flavor. If you're not as keen on molasses, I might suggest switching the measurements for the honey and molasses. As it stands, this may not be the prettiest dish, but it is a powerfully flavored, nutty, and intermittently sweet granola. And healthy, to boot!

Sweet Sassy Molassey Granola (by me!)
-3 cups rolled oats
-1 cup hulled sunflower seeds, unsalted
-1 1/2 cups raw whole almonds
-1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
-1/4 cup honey
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla
-1 tablespoon brown sugar (you can increase this if you like a sweeter granola)
-1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/2 cup raisins
-1/2 cup pitted dates, chopped

1. Mix the oats, sunflower seeds, and almonds together in a large bowl.

2. In a heavy saucepan, add molasses, honey, vegetable oil, cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar, and salt. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring continuously with a whisk. When all the sugar is dissolved and the oil is thoroughly combined, take off the heat.

3. Add the molasses mixture to the dry ingredients in 4 parts. Add some, mix well, then add some more. You're done once everything is very thoroughly combined.

4. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. On a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat or parchment paper, pour the granola out and spread in one even layer. Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes, removing the sheet to stir the granola every 10 minutes. This is very important so that it doesn't burn! Even after 50-60 minutes, it will still feel sticky while you're stirring it. However, the test that it's done is when you allow the residual granola on the mixing spoon to sit for 30 seconds or so. If the granola is dry and hard on the spoon, then it's done.

5. Let granola cool for about an hour. Stir in the raisins and dates. Place in an airtight container and store.

-14 1/2-cup servings
-267 calories per serving, 11.8g fat, 38g carbs, 5.5g protein. Bonus: 16% of your dietary fiber and 11% iron! Plus, think of all that Vitamin E and monounsaturated fats from those almonds. :)