Teamwork Yields a Succulent, Savory Midweek Meal

It's getting to be end-of-the-semester/end-of-the-year crunch time at school, and I don't want to fall into the bad habit of just picking up takeout on the way home from work. So for dinner tonight, I enlisted my roommate's help to cobble together some sort of shepherd's pie for dinner. While I was still at work, I had her make the topping--a carrot and potato mash with buttermilk, ricotta (goat cheese would have been even better!), and a touch of garlic. Then when I got home,  I fashioned a base of ground beef and spicy pork with veggies (a mix of asparagus, sugar snaps, red peppers, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and squash that I unearthed from the freezer) in a savory gravy. I think it turned out delicious and took care of the cooking for two nights! YAY!

Shepherd's Pie with Carrot-Potato-Goat Cheese Mash
(Source: adapted from A Cozy Kitchen)

4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into small dice
4 oz. goat cheese (or any soft cheese you have on hand, like ricotta, farmer's or cream cheese)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
splash of buttermilk, to desired consistency
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt, to taste

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. Italian sausage (hot or mild, as you prefer)
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lb. asparagus stir fry mix (frozen), or cut veggies of your choice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
splash of red wine (a tablespoon or two)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup beef broth

1. Peel and cut the potatoes and carrots. Place them in a large saucepan and cover with cold water and a good pinch of salt. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 15 to 17 minutes. Drain the carrots and potatoes in a colander and then return to the warm saucepan. Mash the carrots and potatoes, then add the butter, milk, goat cheese and mash until smooth. Add the granulated garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. In a large saute pan, brown the ground beef and sausage with the onions. In the last couple of minutes before the meat is fully browned, add the minced garlic and continue to cook. Drain the excess fat. Add the frozen veggies and cook for another five minutes or so until tender enough to suit you. Stir in the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, red wine, and pepper. Sprinkle the meat and vegestable mixture with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for about another minute. Add the beef broth and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for another five minutes or so, or until the sauce is thickened slightly.
3. Spread the meat and vegetable mixture evenly in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Top with the carrot-potato-goat cheese mash, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling u,p and then smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Bitchin' Brownies!

I am a recent convert to Bitchin' Kitchen on the Cooking Channel. Nadia G is HI-larious, and her recipes always look amazing! Yesterday, my roomie helped me make Nadia G's Dark Chocolate and Goat Cheese Brownies. The recipe calls for refrigerating them after baking and cooling, so I just tried one today, and they ROCK! They have a dense texture, deep, fudgy flavor with notes of caramel (due to lots of brown sugar), and the goat cheese swirl is much like cream cheese, but with more tang. The only changes that I made to the recipe were to make half again as much of the goat cheese topping (to use the whole 6 oz. roll), and I sweetened it with white sugar so that it didn't turn the topping brown. Oh, and I added a teaspoon of vanilla, so maybe it was off-white. Anyway, they are DELISH!

Dark Chocolate and Goat Cheese Brownies
(Source: adapted from Bitchin' Kitchen)

BROWNIE BATTER:
1 cup chopped unsweetened dark chocolate
2 sticks butter
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour (or pecans, if you prefer)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

GOAT CHEESE MIXTURE:
3/4 cup fresh creamy goat cheese, at room temperature
5 tablespoons (white) sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Making the batter: Place a double boiler over medium heat. Add the dark chocolate and butter to the top pan and stir until the chocolate has melted. (I did this in the microwave.) Once melted, remove the pan from the heat and let the chocolate cool slightly. Whisk in the brown sugar and eggs. With a wooden spoon, fold in the walnuts, flour and sea salt.

Making the goat cheese mixture: In a large mixing bowl, combine the goat cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Blend using an electric beater set to low speed.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Making the brownies: Line a baking dish with parchment paper and grease with the butter. (I just sprayed the pan.) Pour the brownie batter into the baking dish, then evenly scatter spoonfuls of the goat cheese mixture over the batter. With a knife, score the surface into a pattern.

Bake the brownies for 40 minutes. (I would say mine took 50 minutes or a bit longer.) When done, remove to a wire rack to cool. Once cool, cut the brownies into bars, remove them from the baking pan and refrigerate.

Like it or not, it's still soup season.

It snowed yesterday...on April 20th. *sigh* Since winter refuses to give up its icy grip on spring completely, I am forced to continue to produce bubbling cauldrons of soup. The first was a quick accompaniment to Reuben sandwiches that turned out really delicious, and I admit, was a throw-together from random pantry items. To recreate my tomato, succotash, and spinach soup, combine one can of Campbell's Tomato Bisque, one can of Campbell's Harvest Orange Tomato Soup, two cans of Margaret Holmes' Triple Succotash (undrained), a cup of half-and-half, a teaspoon of granulated garlic, lots of black pepper, and a few shakes of hot sauce. Once the soup is hot, throw in a cup of chopped fresh spinach leaves. Garnish with grated Parmesan.

Then today's very tasty creation was devised of odds and ends from the fridge that needed to be used up, and as I had a matinee theatre performance at Plattsburgh State to attend, I employed my trust crock pot. Thus, I give you...drumroll, please...sauerkraut soup! Savory and hearty stuff, and it made so much, that I will have plenty to take into work and share with my co-workers tomorrow...if the idea of sauerkraut soup doesn't frighten them away. Tee hee.

Crock Pot Sauerkraut Soup

3 tablespoons bacon drippings, divided

1 pound mushrooms, sliced
2 medium onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 large red pepper, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 large carrots, large dice
2 parsnips, diced (optional)
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 lbs. sauerkraut, squeezed and drained (rinse it first, if you prefer)
2 quarts beef stock (or enough to fill your crock pot)
bunch of thyme, tied with kitchen twine
1 teaspoon pepper
salt, to taste
1 pound smoked kielbasa, sliced

In a large skillet, melt one tablespoon of bacon fat and cook the sliced mushrooms until tender and somewhat browned. Strain and add the cooked mushrooms to the crock pot. Melt the other two tablespoons of bacon fat, and saute the chopped onions, celery, and red pepper until tender. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add all of these veggies to the crock pot. Then throw in the carrots, parsnips (if using), potatoes, sauerkraut, beef stock, thyme bundle, pepper and salt. Stir to combine, cover, and cook for 4-5 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low.

When the soup is almost done, brown the sliced kielbasa in the skillet, then stir into the soup. Remove the thyme bundle, then serve the soup with an extra grinding of pepper, and a piece of buttered rye bread on the side.

Never too much bacon...

Here's one that has been tearing up Pinterest and Facebook lately (sorry, but I have no idea of the original source to give proper credit). Having made it for our dinner tonight, I can see why it's all the rage at the moment. This one's a keeper and destined to go in the regular rotation around here!

 

Loaded Potato and Chicken Casserole

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1" cubes (I used 2 3/4 pounds)
8-10 medium potatoes, cut in 1" cubes (skins left on)
1/3 cup olive oil (1/4 cup would have been enough, I think--esp. as I used extra chicken and had plenty of marinade)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons granulated garlic (you read that right, but feel free to use just 1 T if you're scared)
6 tablespoons hot sauce (we used 3, and it was perfectly spicy for us)

Topping:
2 cups shredded fiesta blend cheese (I used Colby jack mixed with 1 tablespoon dark chili powder)
1 cup crumbled bacon--12 thick slices (but 1/2 cup, or 6 slices, would have been plenty)
1 cup sliced green onion (I used 6 green onions which was less than a cup, but that was enough for me)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spray a 9X13" baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot sauce. Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat. Carefully scoop/strain the potatoes into the prepared baking dish, leaving behind as much of the olive oil/hot sauce mixture as possible in the bowl. Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy and browned on the outside.

While the potatoes are cooking, add the cubed chicken to the bowl with the leftover olive oil/hot sauce mixture and stir to coat. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Top the cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 

In a bowl, mix together the cheese, bacon and green onion. When the chicken is just about done, sprinkle the cheese mixture on top of the casserole and bake for another five minutes, just until melted and gooey!

 

*This is supposed to be served with sour cream or ranch dressing, but I think it is plenty decadent and flavorful without that. However, a green salad on the side with some ranch or blue cheese dressing is the perfect complement to this dish.

HOT POT!

For the past several year, I have had students recruited from Chongqing, China in my public speaking classes, and they often give speeches on where they are from and their culture. In these speeches, mention is often made of Chongqing's spicy Yu cuisine, and its most famous dish, hot pot. In the seventies, when fondue-ing was all the rage, my mother and I often made a meal of a variety of meats cooked in hot oil in the fondue pot, dipped in soy sauce, and eaten with rice and vegetables. Hot pot is the same sort of deal, but guests around the table cook various meats, vegetables, and dumplings in a fiery, bubbling broth, then dunk each piece into a special dipping sauce before eating. Afterwards, you might throw some noodles in the remaining broth and eat the rest as a soup.

I was teasing my students in class recently about having never been invited to share a hot pot with them, and next thing I know, one of the gals brought in this ginormous package of hot pot seasoning mix for me to try. Wasn't that lovely? (She also brought me some green and black tea. "A" in the class for that student! Tee hee.) So tonight for dinner, I thought I'd create my inaugural batch of hot pot. Now my roommate and I enjoy spicy food, and my student recommended using a quarter of the package, but I quite wisely, as it turns out, only used an eighth of the package, and it still cleared out our sinuses and made our eyes tear!

Instead of sitting around the hot pot and dipping individual pieces in ("Ain't nobody got time for that!"), I made it on the stove top, boiling each kind of food--Asian vegetables, pork pot stickers, skirt steak, and shrimp--and then throwing some softened rice noodles in at the end, and garnishing the whole dish with sliced scallions and chopped fresh cilantro. For the dipping sauce, I used soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, mustard, Hoisin sauce, and garlic, just eyeballing the amounts and tasting it until it suited me.

The verdict on hot pot? Fiery but FABULOUS! However, I did not care for the industrial lubricant quality of the pre-fab hot pot seasoning, so next time, I would just fashion my own hot pot mixture, and in doing so, I will be able to take the heat level down to wimpy American standards. ;-)

This sh-- is bananas....B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

I hate bananas and banana-flavored things, but I LOVE banana nut bread! So every time my roomie's bananas start to turn brown, I rescue them by chucking them (skin on, just as they are) right into the freezer. Then when I am ready to make banana bread, I thaw them in the sink or in a bowl for just a little bit (as they thaw, they release a lot of moisture), and then they peel easily to throw the fruity innards into the batter. Recently, every time I open the freezer door, a couple of frozen black bananas jump out at me and fall on the floor. I took this a sign that it was time to bake with them.

However, I decided to try to make banana cookies instead, and I don't know why this didn't occur to me before! These cookies are soft and cakey like banana bread (in fact, the batter is nearly identical to my favorite banana bread recipe), but they are browned and crispy all over, like the best part of banana nut bread--the edges! And they keep for a long time, staying soft and not going stale, if you can avoid gobbling them all up in the first day or two, that is!

Banana Nut Cookies
(Source: adapted from Simply Recipes and Vanilla Garlic)

1/2 cup (one stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar (I used half white/half brown)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 1/2 large bananas)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
pinch of salt (1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter, 1/2 teaspoon if using unsalted)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives--I used 1 1/2 cups toasted and chopped walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for two minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and cinnamon and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.

Fold into the batter the pecans, walnuts and/or chocolate chips. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until nicely golden brown all over. Let cool on wire racks.

Yield: Makes about 30 cookies (I got 31 using a regular cookie scoop and having added an extra half cup of nuts)

HAPPY EASTER 2013!

It's a low-key holiday around here, but just because it's only me and the roomie, that doesn't mean we shouldn't have a proper Easter feast! First, I colored some eggs...because that's what you do.

Then I tried to make Polish Easter Bread, but I'm sad to report that it did not turn out well. The dough was WAY too soft, even when I kneaded an extra cup of flour into it. So I'm wondering if something was wrong with the recipe? Also, the heat from the oven cracked the eggshells and the colors bled, and it was just a big old mess. Oh well. Win some, lose some.

I also made a ham based on The Pioneer Woman's recipe, but with MUCH less brown sugar (one cup), and I used a bottle of root beer instead of Coke or Dr. Pepper. Also, I didn't pre-cook the glaze. I just whisked together the brown sugar, mustard, and apple cider vinegar, then glazed the ham with it right from the beginning, poured the root beer in the bottom of the pan, covered the whole thing with foil, and cooked it for two hours. Then I uncovered it and basted it with the glaze frequently until it was cooked through. Easy and DELISH!

Root Beer-Glazed Easter Ham
(Source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

1 whole fully cooked bone-in ham (15-18 pounds--mine was about 10 lbs.)
whole cloves (I skipped these--the root beer has a similar spicy flavor)
3 cups brown sugar (I used only one cup)
1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
1 can Dr Pepper or Coke (or root beer!)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Score the surface of the ham in a diamond pattern about 1/8-inch deep. Place cloves in the middle of each diamond. Place the ham in a large roasting pan with a rack, tent it with foil, and bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours---or longer, depending on the package directions. (Some hams may require 3 to 3 1/2 hours at a lower temp; just check the package.)

Heat the brown sugar, mustard, vinegar and soda in a small saucepan until bubbly. Cook until reduced and a bit thicker, about 15 minutes. (I didn't cook the glaze ahead of time. It turned out fine even with skipping this step!)

After about two hours of baking time, remove the foil and brush the glaze on the ham in 20 minutes intervals (put the ham back in the oven, uncovered, in between) until it's nice and glossy. Remove from the oven and allow to rest 15-20 minutes before carving.

To go with the ham, I made another classic PW recipe, the same Spanish-style green beans I made at Thanksgiving (a new favorite around here!), and to complete the motif, a recipe for Potatoes Romanoff from a reader posting to PW's Tasty Kitchen site. I'm not sure how these potatoes are much different from twice-baked, just without the skins, but who cares? They are YUMMY! The main thing I did differently was to nuke the potatoes in the microwave, and then I sliced them in half and grated the flesh. So much easier than peeling potatoes!

Potatoes Romanoff
(Source: adapted from Tasty Kitchen)
 

3 whole large russet potatoes, unpeeled (I used six medium Yukon Golds)
2 large minced shallots
2 1/2 cups grated white cheddar cheese, divided (I used an aged Swiss)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups sour cream

Preheat oven to 425 F. Wrap potatoes in aluminum foil. Bake potatoes on a pan in the oven until done, about an hour. Remove foil and let potatoes cool to room temperature. Put potatoes on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. (I nuked mine, then grated them as soon as they were cool enough to handle.)

Grate the chilled potatoes including skins (I grated the flesh only.) You can use a large box grater or a food processor. Transfer grated potatoes to a bowl and sprinkle in the shallots, 1 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and pepper.

Use your hands to gently toss together. Then fold in sour cream.Transfer mixture to a 1 1/2 quart gratin dish, making sure that you don’t compress it. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. (I covered mine as I don't like browned cheese.)

Bake at 350 F until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Serves 6.

Lastly, for dessert I made a poppyseed version--adding 1/4 cup of poppy seeds--of my favorite Austrian tea cake with a simple almond-flavored glaze on top. DELISH!

Vanilla Almond Glaze
(Source: Food.com)

2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a medium sized bowl mix all ingredients together until smooth. Add more milk for desired consistency. You may also use regular milk, but I must say that evaporated milk gives a WAY better taste!

Drizzle over desired desserts.

A Yummy Trip to Florida for Spring Break

My amazingly generous friends, the Padulas, let me invite myself along on their vacay to sunny Florida for Spring Break last week. We flew out of little old Plattsburgh (first time I've done this--so convenient!) to Orlando where we hit most of the theme parks--Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Universal and Islands of Adventure, including Harry Potter! We split our time between the madness of Orlando and the serenity of Port Richey, where my friends recently bought a mobile home in a retirement village. We shopped, we ate, we swam, we hit the flea market and farm stands, we visited with Padula relatives, I read two novels, and we all tried just to chill out and hide from reality for a week. It was very enjoyable and over far too quickly, as is always the way.

When we got to Florida, we had just missed some big strawberry festival (boo hiss), but the fruit was still abundant and at its peak of deliciousness at all of the local farm stands. Janice and I are probably the only two people in the world who think canning is a fun thing to do while on vacation, but that's what we did! We made one batch which yielded eleven luscious half-pint jars (that we mailed home to ourselves so as not to overburden our suitcases and incur extra luggage fees).  We used a simple recipe that was basically straight from the pink box of No Sugar Needed Sure-Jell, and I swear that it was the best strawberry jam I've ever made: tender, ripe red in color, and the perfect blend of sweet and slightly tart. Edible souvenirs are the best!

Reduced-Sugar Strawberry Jam
(Source: adapted from House Beautiful)

6 pints freshly picked strawberries
4 cups sugar
1.75 ounce box No Sugar Needed Sure-Jell (pink box)
1 to 2 teaspoons butter
8 8-ounce glass canning jars (We got 11 plus!)
Regular jar lids
Regular jar rings


1. Place 8 8-ounce size jars in the rack of a canner two-thirds full of water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Fill a saucepan wth hot water and add the lids and rings. Keep warm until needed.
2. Avoid fruit with insect marks or over ripe spots. Carefully inspect fruit. Remove any stems, soft spots, insect marks. Rinse well in metal collander.
3. Move strawberries to a large bowl and use a potato masher to crush the berries. Do not puree, as you want some chunks of strawberry in the jam.
5. Measure exactly 4 cups of sugar into a separate bowl, set aside. Inaccurate measuring will make the jam fail to set.
6. Place the crushed berries into an eight quart stock pot and place on medium heat. In a small bowl, measure 1/4 cup of sugar from your premeasured sugar and mix with the 1.75 ounce box of No Sugar Needed Sure-Jell. Stir this sugar and Sure-Jell mixture into the strawberries. Mix with a wooden spoon, increase heat to high and allow mixture to reach a full rolling boil. If there is a lot of foam, on top of the berries add up to two teaspoons of butter. (Any amount of foam less than half the surface could suffice with 1 teaspoon of butter.)  When a full rolling boil is reached, add the remaining sugar and stir constantly until the mixture again reaches a full rolling boil. When a full rolling boil (constant bubbles) is reached allow the mixture to continue for 3-4 minutes. Remember you must stir vigorously the whole time. Remove the pot from heat. Skim off any foam at the top of the pot.
7. Immediately, ladle the jam into the hot jars. Work carefully as you pour the hot jam into the jars and carefully wipe the rims. Place warm canning lids onto the jars and secure the lids in place with a jar ring (fingertip tighten only).
8. Place the jars into canning rack, ensure that jars are not touching each other. Lower the canning rack into the boiling water. Be sure the jars are at least 1 1/2 inches submerged under water. Cover with the lid to the canner. Allow the jars to boil for ten minutes. Pull the whole canning rack out of the canner. Using jar tongs, place the jars onto a folded tea towel (soft surface). Listen for the ping sound as the cool air creates a vacuum and pulls the jar lid into place creating the seal.
9. After 24 hours, check the jars. You can usually see a slight indentation in jars that have sealed. You can also check by pushing down on the jar lid, movement indicates a seal did not form, refrigerate and jars that did not seal immediately.

As Janice put it, we "ate like we were going to the chair" while in Florida (tee hee), but walking five miles a day at each theme park helped keep our waistlines in check. My big splurge meal was at Emeril's at Universal where I had the chef's tasting menu, including some pan-seared scallops that nearly made me weep in ecstasy. The last night before we flew home, we finished our Grand Floridian Seafood Tour with a truly fabulous feast at the Bonefish Grill. The highlights included their signature appetizer, Bang Bang Shrimp, and this Chilean sea bass with a chimichurri sauce. SO GOOD! Most of their entrees come with one side dish that you choose and one daily special. The night we were there, the special garnish was this delicious chickpea dish with spicy chicken sausage and fresh spinach. It was savory, colorful, and quite healthful to boot! And it also seemed like the sort of thing that I could recreate when I got home as a quick-fix, midweek meal. So I did...

Chickpeas with Spicy Chicken Sausage and Spinach
(Source: adapted from Blue Kitchen)

1/4 cup olive oil
4 links spicy chicken sausage, casings removed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon sweet paprika plus 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
5 to 6 ounces baby spinach, chopped
juice and zest of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium flame. Add oil. When it starts to shimmer, add chicken sausage and sauté until lightly brown, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and continue to cook until fragrant, about another minute. Add chickpeas and paprika. Stir to coat chickpeas with oil and paprika and cook until chickpeas are just heated through, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach (in batches, if necessary), tossing to coat it with oil and wilt it. When the spinach is just wilted, remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and zest. Serve immediately or let cool to room temperature to serve.

Book Club Gathering with a Spanish Flair

Several months ago, my friend Domenica told me that she and some friends from work had discovered that they were all reading Gone Girl at the same time, so they decided to form a book club to discuss it...and also to drink wine and eat good food together. Tee hee. I am sad that I missed the first meeting--especially as I have read all of Gillian Flynn's books and enjoyed them. But she invited me for the second book, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, another book I read and enjoyed very much; in fact, I use a quote from it as a heading to this blog!

Because the book is Spanish, Domenica decided on a tapas theme for the book club meeting. And the membership did not disappoint! The sangria flowed freely, as did an odd drink of red wine and Coke called kalimotxo. For the savory nibbles, there were stuffed mushrooms, little cheeseballs rolled in nuts and skewered, crackers and hummus, olive and cheese bread with tomato sauce to dip into, and a beautiful Spanish tortilla (like an Italian frittata).


For the dessert course, our lovely hostess made churros and a thick, decadent chocolate sauce to dunk them into. Another gal made some gluten-free lemon bars that were nutty and tangy, but the real showstopper was this gorgeous dulce de leche flan cake atop a brownie-like base. YUM!

As for my contribution, I am still without a range in my kitchen, so I wanted to make something simple, something that I could cook quickly at the party, right before serving. What could be more perfect than some spicy, garlicky shrimp and a crusty baguette to sop up the yummy juices? Easy, delicious, and you will always bring home a clean plate if you serve this dish at a party!

Gambas al Ajillo (Spicy Garlic Shrimp)
(Source: adapted from Lisa and Tony Sierra)

1 1/2 lbs. shrimp, 25 count to a pound (I used frozen, ez-peels)
6 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika, plus 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 (up to one whole) teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
2 tablespoons (up to 1/4 cup) cognac or brandy
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon for juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 fresh baguette, toasted and sliced

Mix the shrimp with the garlic, all the seasonings, cognac, and olive oil. Saute in a large skillet in a single layer, just a couple/few minutes each side, until they are pink throughout and just starting to curl a bit (not all the way to a "c" shape). Transfer to a serving dish along with the seasoned oil, squeeze the lemon over the top, and garnish with the fresh parsley. Serve with slices of crusty bread to soak up the yummy juice!

I'm a WIZARD, a GENIUS, with an electric skillet!

I am still doing a lot of pondering and debating and comparison shopping for a new range, but in the meantime, I am still making do with a microwave, crock pot and electric skillet. So imagine how pleased I was with myself when I managed to make THIS fabulously tasty (and quite healthful) dinner tonight, all in the electric skillet!

First, I bought a package of 10 or 12 chicken thighs (the leftovers make an awesome chicken salad!), and I marinated them overnight with enough olive oil to coat, the juice of a whole lemon (I threw the rinds in, too, for good measure), a few cracked garlic cloves, and two tablespoons of an Ethiopian berbere spice mix that I found at my local co-op. Then I just sauteed them in the electric skillet until the skin was browned all over and the juices ran clear. Easy-peasy!

Next, I made a wonderful wild rice, walnut and broccoli salad from a recipe in The New York Times by Martha Rose Shulman, originally from her cookbook, The Very Best of Recipes for Health. This is a perfect recipe for winter--it's nutty, lemony, delicious, and so good for you to boot! The leftovers are yummy cold, but the flavors really stand out if you serve it warm.

Skillet Wild Rice, Walnut, and Broccoli Salad
(Source: Martha Rose Shulman via The New York Times)
Yield: Serves 6

3 1/2 cups water, vegetable stock or chicken stock

salt to taste

1 cup wild rice

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 small garlic clove, finely minced or puréed

1/4 cup walnut oil (I just used 1/2 cup EVOO total, as I did not have walnut oil) 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 pound broccoli crowns, broken into small florets

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as chives, dill, tarragon, marjoram

1/4 cup shelled walnuts (I doubled this!)      

Freshly ground pepper to taste

 

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 1/2 cups stock or water to boil. Add salt to taste and the wild rice. When the water returns to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 40 to 45 minutes, until the rice is tender and has begun to splay. Drain and transfer to a wide, heavy skillet.

2. Make the dressing while the rice is cooking. Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, mustard, and the garlic. Whisk in the oils, taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside.

3. Steam the broccoli until just tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer to the pan with the rice. Add the dressing and the nuts and heat through, stirring. Add freshly ground pepper and just before serving stir in the parsley and other chopped herbs. Serve warm.

       

Advance preparation: Both the cooked wild rice and the steamed broccoli will keep for three days in the refrigerator. But combine everything with the dressing right before serving, or the broccoli's bright green color will fade.      

       

We'll miss you, Grandma May...

At least four of my friends have lost beloved family members over the past couple of weeks, and I have been feeling very sad for their grief and loss. It's hard to know how to console people during such a difficult time, but I usually bring gifts of comfort food. When you're mourning the loss of a loved one, you often don't think about taking care of yourself, and cooking is probably the last thing on your mind or that you have the energy to do.

Last week, my colleague and dear friend, Janice's 82-year-old mother-in law, Domenica (who we called May or Grandma), passed away from acute leukemia. It was very fast, so maybe that was a blessing, but it was also so unexpected that it was quite a shock. Grandma lived with Janice and her family for half the year, and the other half in Florida. Since she lived in Plattsburgh half the time, I was friends with May, too, and she and I bonded, especially over cooking and reading. She loved the Twilight books, and she went with us to the midnight premiere of each of the films. She was also a fan of the Fifty Shades of Grey series--tee hee! She was a dear, dear lady, and she was very loved and will be missed very much.

As much as the Padulas have done for me over the years, truly welcoming me into their family, I really wanted to do more than just send some flowers. What I wanted to do was to cook a huge meal for the whole extended family that came into town and take it over to their house, but I am still cooking in a very limited kitchen without a stove top or oven. So I turned, as I often do, to my trusty crock pot and whipped up a big batch of hearty, comforting soup. Cooking for the Padulas is sometimes a challenge, because two of them are avoiding wheat and processed foods, one can't have MSG, and one is allergic to pork. So I decided to make an Italian-style soup with whole grains and beans (starting with a mix from Bob's Red Mill), a flavorful chicken sausage instead of pork, and some winter kale for color and texture and extra nutrients.

Whole Grains and Beans Soup with Spicy Chicken Sausage and Kale

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup red onion, chopped
1 medium leek (white and pale green part), rinsed well and sliced
1 cup celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced (or four!)

14 oz chopped tomatoes (I used Italian-style)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika, plus 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional--you can use all sweet)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 cups (2 quarts) vegetable stock or broth (up to 10 cups, if needed)
1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill Whole Grains and Beans Soup Mix (half the package)
1/2 bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
1 lb. spicy chicken sausage, casings removed

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, then saute the onion, leek, and celery until tender. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Scrape the veggies into a crock pot and add the tomatoes (with juice), all of the seasonings, the vegetable stock, and the grains and beans. Cook on low for about eight hours or high for four hours--or until the beans are tender. (Add another couple cups of stock if the soup is too thick.)

When the soup is almost done, remove the bay leaf, add the chopped kale and continue to cook until sufficiently wilted. Meanwhile, crumble up the chicken sausage in a skillet and brown. Add the cooked sausage to the soup, stir to combine, then serve piping hot, perhaps with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Canine Good Citizens and Chicken Velvet Soup

WHEW! This weekend has been busier and more stressful than the work week! Though I am exhausted and can hardly face the idea of Monday, I am thrilled to report that, not only did my literacy team make it to the finals at the mall yesterday (YAY!), but after FOUR LONG HOURS of testing today, nearly 12-year-old Prunelle and 9-year-old Grady BOTH earned their Canine Good Citizen titles, and Grady also passed his Therapy Dog exam! It's a MIRACLE! (Paw-note: Prunelle passed both the TDI and the CGC back in 2007, but the AKC lost their record of the latter, and Grady completed all of the exercises on the CGC last summer, but failed the test because he peed on some weeds during his loose lead walking. So HUZZAH to my little hounds!)

Because I was so busy this weekend, I could not make my usual Sunday evening culinary fanfare. So I needed something easy to prepare that I could leave simmering in the crock pot while I was off doing the dog testing. Somewhere online recently, I was reading about this tea room in Indianapolis (later identified as The L.S. Ayres Tea Room by my friend, Phillip, who himself hails from Indiana) that is no longer in existence, and the person posting was grieving the loss of their delicious Chicken Velvet Soup. I was intrigued by the name of the dish, though have no idea how it's any different from cream of chicken soup. Nevertheless, that's what I had crockin' today. Now, I do realize that this would be quick and easy to make on the stove top, but tragically, my range died an electrical death right after I finished browning my braciole on Sunday. So until we get a new stove, we are making do with a microwave, an electric skillet, and my trusty crock pot. Ugh.

Crock Pot Chicken Velvet Soup

(Source: adapted from L.S. Ayres Tea Room Recipes & Recollections)

 

6 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup flour
1 cup warm milk
2 cups hot chicken stock
1 cup warm cream
1 quart chicken stock
1 tablespoon chicken soup base
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped, cooked chicken

Melt the butter in a glass measuring cup in the microwave and then whisk in the flour until smooth. Pour into the crock pot. Add a cup of warm milk, two cups of hot chicken stock, and a cup of warm cream. Whisk until smooth, and cook on high for about two hours, stirring every so often when you happen to wander through the kitchen. Then whisk in another quart of chicken stock, the chicken soup base, and the pepper. Stir in the chicken and cook for another couple of hours on high. Garnish with chopped fresh chives.

 

 

A casual Oscar night gathering...

My sweet friend, Janice, is having a serious case of Empty Nest Syndrome right now. Her kids have all moved out, her mother-in-law, who lives with her for half the year, has gone back to Florida, and her husband got a job in Pennsylvania, and only gets to come home every other weekend, I believe. Thus, the poor dear is rattling around her big, beautiful house all alone. So when she asked me to come over and watch the Oscars with her and her daughter, how could I refuse? And I'm very glad I didn't, as it was a very cozy vibe (as evidenced in picture, left), enhanced by witty banter, catty criticism, and hearty laughs.

Most importantly, we had a wonderful spread of movie-themed eats. There were rice crackers for Life of Pi and hummus to dip them into and also samosas, hush puppies and crawfish dip for Beasts of the Southern Wild, gingerbread (reported to be Lincoln's favorite dessert), Canadian maple cookies for Argo, white coconut cake for Django Unchained, spanakopita (vaguely Middle Eastern tie-in) for Zero Dark Thirty, French bread for Les Miz and baked Brie and macarons for Amour, and even some cookies called Sarah Bernhardts, named after the famous French stage and film actress.

As for my contributions, you have to know that I made "crabby snacks and homemades!" Well, I did make crabby snacks, and I also made braciole (as the mother did every Sunday in Silver Linings Playbook), but my "homemades" were Reame's Noodles. Ha ha. OH! I need to share an anecdote here, if I may. Recently, I noticed that I had had some spikes in page views on this blog, so I went to my statistics program to see where the hits came from. Most of them seemed to be coming from Huffington Post, which was confusing to me. So I clicked on the link and found THIS: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/academy-awards-food-silver-linings_n_2553131.html

A shout-out from HuffPo! I'm FAMOUS! Can my cookbook deal and Food Network show be far behind? Tee hee. Ok, ok. I'll try to get my over-inflated ego under control and just share how I made the braciole. This is a great weekend project, as I used my slow cooker in a two-day process. Don't freak out! It's mostly passive time, and the flavorful results are worth the wait. Start on Saturday night for a great slow-cooked meal on Sunday, preferably while watching the Eagles game or the Oscars.

Crock Pot Braciole

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 large bay leaf
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 - 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes (with basil)
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar, optional

For the braciole:
1 small onion plus 1 large shallot, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (or Fontina)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 eggs
half a bunch of Italian parsley (mostly leaves)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
16 oz. sliced Baby Bella mushrooms

 

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter, and then saute the onions until tender. Add the garlic, red peppers, and dried herbs and pepper flakes and cook for a few minutes more. Pour in the red wine and balsamic vinegar, and cook for a few more minutes until the wine is reduced. Place this mixture into the crock pot and stir in the canned tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar (if using). Cook the sauce on low overnight or on high for about four hours.

 

When the sauce is close to the end of its cooking time, prepare the braciole filling. In a food processor, mix the onion, shallot, garlic, bread crumbs, Parmesan, mozzarella, two tablespoons of olive oil, eggs, parsley, and black pepper until almost smooth. Spread about one tablespoon of the filling in each piece of meat (leaving some space around the edges) and roll up from the longest side. Tie in several places with kitchen twine. In a large skillet, heat two tablespoons of olive oil and brown the braciole on all sides.

 

Remove the bay leaf, then submerge all of the browned braciole in the prepared sauce in the crock pot. Add another couple of tablespoons of olive oil (if needed) to the skillet, and saute the mushrooms until tender. Place the mushrooms on top of everything in the crock pot, and cook on low for six to eight hours (or high for three to four hours) until the meat is tender. Remember to remove the strings before serving over noodles. (You can make "homemades," but I prefer Reame's Frozen Noodles.) Garnish with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Lasagna Fit for Cattle Ranchers, or Never Too Much Meat!

So...I was watching The Pioneer Woman on Food Network on Saturday morning, as is my way, and she made a fabulous-looking lasagna. Now, I already had a plan to make posole yesterday, but I figured I could assemble the lasagna, pop it in the fridge, and then my roomie could just bake it off for dinner tonight. I love it when I'm proactive with my cooking! YAY, me!

Reading through the comments on Ree's website, I ran across this review from a dude named Ryan: "I’ll have you know I made a giant batch of this lasagna for my men’s bible study group and it was an absolute disaster! There were dead bodies everywhere! We were supposed to be studying a book but, we couldn’t get anything done because everyone was is a food coma. I had about 12 guys there so I made enough lasagna for 20 thinking I would have plenty of leftovers. There were no leftovers to be found! Thanks a lot peedub. You ruined a perfectly good evening. p.s. Thank you Lord God for this lasagna."

How could I resist making PW's lasagna after reading this? However, I did make a few changes to her boilerplate recipe. First of all, it should be noted that there is a 2007 version of this lasagna with CANNED Parmesan--blech--dried herbs, and iodized salt), and then there's the one from her show on Food Network (fresh herbs, real Parm, and kosher salt). I suppose mine was a hybrid, based on what I had on hand. I only used one pound each of ground beef and Italian (not breakfast) sausage. I mean, how much meat do you really need?? Sheesh.

Moreover, I doubled the garlic, as I usually do on principle. I didn't use fresh basil in the meat sauce because I didn't have any; I used a tablespoon of dried Italian herbs plus a teaspoon of dried basil and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, because I used sweet, not hot, sausage. But I did use fresh parsley in the cottage cheese mixture. I also would have added mushrooms to the meat sauce if I had had them, and next time, I will add some red wine to the meat sauce as my foodie friend, Sheri, who often makes this recipe, wisely recommends!

Lastly, I assembled it a bit differently. It seemed odd to only use eight lasagna noodles and end with a thick layer of meat sauce. So I split the meat sauce into thirds (well, one of the "thirds" was skimpier), added one last layer of noodles (=12 total) and the lesser portion of sauce on top with the last bit of Parmesan, just so the noodles wouldn't dry out. Then I wrapped it with parchment and heavy duty foil and popped it in the fridge to bake later, and that worked perfecty. This is a hearty, flavorful, American-style lasagna that everyone (except vegetarians) will love. Give it a try!

The Pioneer Woman's Lasagna
(Source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman, via Food Network)

2 pounds hamburger (I only used one pound)

1 pound hot breakfast sausage (I used sweet Italian sausage plus a pinch of red pepper flakes)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I used six cloves!)

one 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

one 6-ounce can tomato paste

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil (I omitted this)

salt

10 ounces lasagna noodles (I used twelve noodles in three layers)

1 pound mozzarella, sliced

10 to 12 fresh basil leaves (I swapped out one tablespoon of dried Italian herbs plus one teaspoon dried basil)

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

3 cups low-fat cottage cheese

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

2 eggs, beaten

 

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the hamburger, sausage and garlic until brown. Drain off the excess fat. Add the tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Stir together well. Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the olive oil (if using) and a dash of salt. Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions until al dente. Drain the noodles and lay them flat on a piece of aluminium foil to keep their shape.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the fresh basil (if using) into a chiffonade by stacking the leaves on top of one another, rolling them tightly and then cutting across. Finely chop the parsley. Add half the herbs to the meat mixture and stir together. In a medium bowl, combine the other half of the herbs, the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and the eggs, and stir together well. (I added the dried herbs to the meat sauce, and the chopped fresh parsley to the cottage cheese mixture.)

To assemble, begin by laying four lasagna noodles in the bottom of a deep rectangular baking pan; the noodles should slightly overlap. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture onto the noodles; spread to distribute evenly. Lay half of the mozzarella slices on top of the cottage cheese mixture. Spoon just under half (I did about a third) of the meat mixture on top of the mozzarella, and spread evenly, being careful not to disrupt the layers below. Now repeat the process, beginning with a layer of lasagna noodles, followed by the cottage cheese mixture, followed by the mozzarella slices, and ending with a thick layer of the meat mixture. (I split the sauce into thirds, made an additional layer of four noodles on top and another third of the meat sauce.)

Sprinkle the remaining half cup of Parmesan over the top. Bake until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, 35 to 45 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares. (I baked mine cover with parchment and foil. I prefer it to be tender on top.)
 

Helpful Hint: Lasagna can be fully assembled and refrigerated or frozen, unbaked. But then the cooking time may have to be extended. (Mine took closer to an hour cold from the refrigerator.)