Cooking from College, Cooking at Home

Wordpress

2011-07-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Incredible and Wonderful Followers,

We are moving to Wordpress for a new look and a new format. We are hoping our makeover will convince us to write more recipes and take better photos.

We hope you will still continue to follow us in our new chapter of blogging.

Love,

Peggy + Alyssa

http://peggyandalyssacook.wordpress.com/

Farfalle Pasta with with White Beans and Spinach

2011-05-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

Alyssa knows how much I love recipes with white beans, so she sent me one to try. I adjusted some of the ingredients to my liking, substituting roasted red peppers for sundried tomatoes, adding more spinach and using less pasta. I hadn't noticed that the recipe called for roasted garlic, which would have added another layer of flavor.

Dressing

4 whole garlic cloves (recipe called for 10 roasted cloves, which would make a more garlicky dish, but I used fresh garlic)

6 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Dash of red pepper flakes, or more if you like more heat

Salad

14.5 ounces whole wheat farfalle pasta, cooked and drained ( I used about half, use as much as you like)

2 Cans white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

14 Ounce jar of artichoke heats packed in oil, drained and chopped

6 Ounces baby spinach (I used a pre-washed bag)

7 Ounces roasted red peppers, drained and sliced (or 3 0z. sliced sundried tomatoes/dry pack)

Shavings of parmesan reggiano

1. Set pasta to cook according to package directions.

2. Make dressing by placing all ingredients in a small food processor and blending.

3. Prepare beans, artichoke hears, peppers and spinach and place in large bowl.

4. Add drained pasta while still warm.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss salad.

6. Shave parmesan-reggiano on top.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Kinga's Chicken Paprikash

2011-04-06T20:56:00.001-07:00

My friend Peggy and I went grocery shopping Sunday afternoon. After a year in Hungary, and a year of cooking with my mom in Budapest, we thought that "csirke paprikás" was most appropriate for our first dinner together. Here are the ingredients we used: 2 medium chopped yellow onions 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cut in cubes 1 can chopped tomatoes Hungarian paprika, salt and pepper to taste 3/4 cup sour cream 1 tbsp flour cooked noodles Sauté chopped onion, then add the chicken pieces with the spices. Slowly pour tomatoes over chicken. Cook until chicken is tender, about 30 min. on medium. Add broth or water, if more liquid is needed. While waiting for the chicken, mix the sour cream and flour till smooth. When chicken is to your taste, slowly blend in the mix. Stir until the lumps vanish. Serve over cooked noodles. Enjoy. Jó étvágyat. Bon appetite. Kinga

Lemon Pudding Pound Cake

2011-03-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

My mother loved sharing recipes with her friends. This was one of her favorites. With Alyssa coming home for spring break, I decided to greet her with a little tea and served this lemony delight. I added two small cans of blueberries I purchased in Maine a few years ago. The blueberries are optional. I don't know who thought of mixing dry instant pudding with cake mix, but it's yummy.

1 package 2-layer yellow or lemon flavored cake mix

1 4 1/2 ounce package instant lemon pudding

4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup water

8 ounces canned or fresh blueberries (optional)

Glaze: 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar and 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice. Combine and boil.

Beat eggs until thick and lemon colored. Add cake mix, water, pudding (dry) and oil. Beat at medium speed for 10 minutes. Carefully fold in blueberries. If using canned blueberries, rinse, drain, dry and roll in flour to prevent dough from turning blue. Pour batter into ungreased 10-inch tube pan with removable bottom or 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350° for about 50 minutes (45 minutes for loaves) or until toothpick comes out clean. While baking, prepare glaze.

Cool 5 minutes and take out of pan. Re-heat glaze, if cooled. Prick holes in top of cake with a fork. Drizzle glaze over the top. Use a pastry brush to glaze the sides of the cake.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

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Chicken with Artichoke Hearts and Feta

2011-03-11T22:34:00.000-08:00

An easy and delicious way to dress-up everyday chicken breasts. I bought the thin chicken breast slices, which sometimes dry-out when cooked, so I created a simple sauce with white wine.

1 1/2 lbs. Thin-sliced chicken breasts

8 oz. Frozen artichoke hearts

1/3 cup frozen peas

6 oz . feta cheese

1/2 tsp. each oregano and basil

white pepper

white wine

cooking oil

Thaw artichoke hearts and peas. Season chicken slices with white pepper, basil and oregano. Heat oil in pan and add in chicken slices. Cook on one side for about 2-3 minutes. Turn and add artichoke hearts and peas. Cook another 2-3 minutes. De-glaze pan with white wine. Scrape bits off of bottom of pan. Crumble feta on top, cover and cook until heated through and feta begins to melt.

Spicy Mustard Salmon Fillets

2011-03-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

I love watching Aarti Sequiera cook with various seeds on Aarti Party. I modified this recipe which caught my eye due to the mustard, fennel and cumin seeds. While cooking, a mustard seed popped out of the pan and hit me in the face. It was hot. Be careful. Alyssa suggested that I should have had a lid ready, but the seed cooking is very quick and I might not have had time for the lid. Maybe I could have used it like a shield?

2 Skinless salmon fillets, about 3/4 lb. total

for Rub: 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

for Sauce: 1 Tablespoon dry mustard, 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how much heat is desired), 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes (optional) and 7 Tablespoons water

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon each brown mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds

Rinse salmon and pat dry. Remove any skin with a sharp knife. Combine ingredients for rub and rub evenly over salmon pieces. Place fillets on a plate and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine mustard, cayenne, turmeric and salt. Add 1 Tablespoon water and mix well. Add 6 more tablespoons water and set aside. Add in pepper flakes, if desired.

Heat oil in pan over medium hot heat. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. Once they start to pop, which will just be a few seconds, add the cumin and fennel seeds. Stir once and add in the sauce. Lower heat to simmer. Add in fish fillets and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Spoon sauce over the fish while cooking.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Shrimp Grilled on Himalayan Salt Plate

2011-02-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

Our son gave us a pink Himalayan Salt Plate for the holidays and told us that it is fantastic. His favorite grill so far was shrimp, so I decided to try it out. A very simple process ensued.

1 Pound peeled and deveined shrimp with tails left on

2 Teaspoons lemon-flavored olive oil

Pinch of your favorite salt

Heat salt plate according to instructions. If you don't know what this is, you'll have to look into it, but basically it's a block of salt carved out of the Himalayas. I heated mine, low temperature at first, right on the gas burner. After about 10 minutes, I turned the heat up a bit until the block was sizzling hot.

Dry raw shrimp on paper towel. Place shrimp in a bowl, add oil and mix. I didn't have a lemon, but had some wonderful lemon oil from DaVero in Sonoma.

Place shrimp on salt plate. You can skewer them if you wish. Turn after a few minutes.

When shrimp is pink on both sides, place on serving dish and sprinkle with a little salt. I used a Thai salt. I wish that I hadn't added the salt until after tasting the shrimp so I could taste how the salt plate seasoned the shrimp. The shrimp was delicious. My husband said it was the best grilled shrimp he had in a long time.

I'm looking forward to future experiments with this fun plate. Easy to clean, just scrub with a brush and wipe with a damp cloth.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Sunday Brunch Vegetable Frittata

2011-01-30T13:32:00.000-08:00

With a couple of guests coming for Sunday brunch, I decided to dress up the usual egg breakfast and make a frittata. There's a very basic process of steps: sautéing vegetables, adding eggs, cheese, and baking it to perfection.

Sunday Vegetable Frittata

10 Eggs (or you can use five eggs and some Egg Beaters if preferred)

Splash of milk

Salt and pepper

Dash of onion powder, to suit

Dash of garlic powder, to suit

Touch of herbs du provence

Sliced mushroom (as much as desired)

Sliced zucchini (as much as desired)

Spinach leaves (as much as desired)

Butter

Shredded cheese(s) of choice, I used a blend of three cheeses

Sauté the sliced mushrooms and zucchini in butter in a large oven-safe frying pan. When they're nearing tenderness, add the spinach leaves and allow them to wilt.

Add egg mixture (eggs, milk, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, and some herbs for flavor (herbs de provence)). On a low flame let the eggs cook half-way through -- until the edges are firm but the center still uncooked. Add cheese on top.

Put pan in a 350º oven and bake for 10 minutes until the eggs are cooked through. Slide onto a plate to serve, cut and enjoy.

Dan

Make The Box Better: Matzo Ball Soup

2011-01-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

Today I am sick. This is really an unfortunate thing, but it's timely since both of my roommates were just sick. Even though I feel like burying my head in the sand, the last thing I want to do is open up a can of chicken noodle soup and eat it. My problem with any pre-prepared soup in a can is that even though it may taste great, there's always too much extra fat and sodium, and who needs it? So even though I'm not feeling well, I'm gonna give you a really basic MatzoBall Soup to make. It's mostly basic because I use the box.

My mom always made this for us when we were sick, she even made it for my dad! If you'd like to add protein to the soup, you can boil chicken strips and add them in (You can put some fresh herbs in the water with the chicken to make them taste better). I didn't feel like dealing with meat today, so I decided against that. If you're a vegetarian, you can use vegetable broth, and if you'd like, I'm sure tofu would be great in this soup!

Matzo Balls

1 Box matzo ball mix (you'll only need to use one package)

2 Eggs

2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

2 1/2 Quarts water

4 Quart pot

The box tells you basically everything you need to know. You mix together the eggs and oil, and then you add in one packet of the mbm. You refrigerate the mixture for 15 minutes, and boil your water in the meantime. With wet hands, you form the matzo balls into 1-inch rounds (one packet will usually produce 9-12 matzo balls). Drop them in the boiling water, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

The Rest

1/4 Package thin egg noodles (can be found in the Kosher section

4 Medium-sized carrots, or 1/4 bag of baby carrots

32 oz. Chicken Broth

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 garlic clove.

cooking twine/string

Boil water for the egg noodles, and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Peel the carrots, and then cut down into bite-sized pieces. You can cut them into coins or strips. I cut the whole carrot into thirds widthwise and then quarters lengthwise. Put your broth into a separate pot from the noodles and the matzo balls. Drop the carrots in the cold broth, and then turn on the heat, medium-low. Wash your rosemary and thyme sprigs, and then with an 8" piece of string, tie the sprigs together. Drop your herb bundle into the broth while the carrots are cooking. Clean your garlic clove, and without cutting it, add it to the broth as well.

When the carrots are cooked, the matzo balls are tender, and the pasta is drained, you can put everything together. I start with a small nest of pasta on the bottom. Then I add my matzo balls, and then pour the carrots and broth on top.

If you're serving it to someone else, feel free to add a tiny sprig of thyme for decoration, or you can sprinkle the soup with chopped up thyme leaves.

Enjoy, feel better, love and happy spatulas,

Alyssa

Snow Peas and Pea Shoots

2011-01-27T20:59:00.000-08:00

Pea shoots are one of our favorite Chinese vegetables and we are quite disappointed when they are not available at our local Chinese restaurant. I was surprised to see a package at Trader Joe's the other day, so I decided to make my own. As is my usual custom, I scanned the Internet for recipes and combined a few simple ones.

Since pea shoots cook down to almost nothing, not unlike spinach, I decided to combine my pea shoots with snow peas to give the vegetable dish some heft.

For Two Servings:

4 Ounces Pea shoots

4 Ounces Snow peas

2 Tablespoons peanut or canola oil

1 Clove garlic, minced

2 Teaspoons rice wine or cooking sherry

1 Teaspoon soy sauce

Sugar

Salt

Sesame seeds

Rinse pea shoots and dry in a lettuce spinner or kitchen towel. String snow peas and slice in half, lengthwise. Ingredients in a Chinese dish should all be cut in the same shape, so I mimicked the long shape of the pea shoots with sliced snow peas.

Heat oil in wok. Add garlic and cook for about 15 seconds. Add the snow peas and cook for a few minutes. Add the pea shoots, rice wine and soy sauce. Cook for a few more minutes until pea shoots are wilted. A pair of tongs makes tossing easy.

If you like a little sweetness, or used cooking sherry, add a bit of sugar. Add a pinch of salt, if desired.

Serve and sprinkle a few sesame seeds on top.

Make The Box Better: Mac And Cheese

2011-01-26T22:31:00.000-08:00

As a kid, mom and dad didn't let me eat Mac and Cheese out of the box. Or if they did, it was so infrequent that I don't remember eating it when I was young.

There's this really interesting thing that happens when you gain independence, especially with food. You either progress with what you eat, and eat things you've never had before, or you regress, and go back to eating things you ate as a child. I sort of landed somewhere between the two, but for what I feel is a different reason than everyone else.

I started to eat new things because I wanted to expand my palate (especially when it comes to food and cooking), but I also ate a lot of things that people ate in their childhoods just so I could experience the comfort.

I really like Mac and Cheese, but I prefer it homemade anyday. I know not all kids in college have an oven to bake Mac and Cheese, so I figured out how to make the box better by adding a couple simple spices and ingredients.

Mac and Cheese and Green Peas

1 Box Mac and Cheese (any brand/flavor works)

(You'll also need milk and butter if you want to make it according to the box)

1/4 Cup frozen green peas

1/8 Teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (this may seem like a hard ingredient to get, but you can get it for free in packets from most pizza places)

1/4- 1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder (just buy a small bottle, it's great for a lot of things)

Cook the Macaroni according to the instructions on the box, and in the last minute, add the peas to the water. In the meantime, Mix as much of the cheese sauce that you'd like to use (I use about half of the packet) with the milk, and add in the garlic powder and crushed red pepper flakes. Drain the macaroni when it is cooked through (with the peas) and return to the pot. Melt the butter (as much as you'd like, I do about half of what any box says) with the noodles and peas, and then add the cheese sauce. Let sit for a couple of minutes while the sauce settles. Serve and enjoy!

This isn't just a great thing for students on a tight budget, it's also a great way to get your kids to eat vegetables. You can put practically any vegetable in Mac and Cheese, even Spinach would work, and because it's covered in cheese sauce, your kids are more likely to eat it. And students, if you hate peas, you can use a variety of frozen vegetables, just check your frozen food aisle. I would personally avoid things like carrots and corn (easily found frozen vegetables) because I like the way the green looks, and they don't have as much nutritional value as green vegetables do.

This is going to be a recurring sub-section of the blog. I figured I'd post some box-altering recipes to help my fellow students out.

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Italian Chicken Sausage Soup

2011-01-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make a simple soup, so I looked through lots of recipes and found two similar recipes that used chicken sausage as the main ingredient along with chicken broth and some vegetables. In one recipe the chicken sausage was cooked and crumbled and in the other, the sausage was taken out of the casing and made into meatballs. The meatball recipe added spinach and the other added kale and artichoke hearts. I couldn't find kale at either of my local stores so I decided to use spinach and artichoke hearts. I used Trader Joe's uncooked Chicken Sicilian Sausage with Fresh Tomatoes and Romano Cheese, which added lots of flavor. It was also a bit spicy, so if you don't want a lot of heat, use a sweet Italian sausage (usually they have fruit, so you could also use a savory one that isn't spicy). You can also add one cup of cooked orzo or rice or serve with bread, but we're watching our carbs, especially for dinner.

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 Pound uncooked Italian chicken sausage

1 Large garlic clove, peeled

48 Ounces low-sodium chicken broth

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 -12 Ounce bag of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

1 - 6 Ounce bag of fresh baby spinach

Squeeze the sausage out of the casings and make into about 20 small meatballs.

Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pot. Lightly brown the meatballs in the pot at medium-high heat, about 3-4 minutes. This is easier to do in two batches. Use a little less oil for the first batch and add in some more before starting the next batch. Don't worry about all the little bits that fall off of the meatballs and stick to the pot. I'll get back to them soon.

Remove the cooked meatballs with a slotted spoon and place on a plate. I used a paper towel to absorb some of the oil.

Add the clove of garlic and cook for about one minute on medium heat until lightly golden. (I was able to skip this step by using garlic olive oil that Alyssa made for another recipe.)

Add a bit of the broth to de-glaze and scrape all of the bits from the bottom of the pot. Add in the rest of the broth and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the meatballs to the broth and cook for about two minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high to get the soup hot.

Add the artichoke hearts and cook one minute. Add the baby spinach (and cooked rice or orzo, if desired) and serve when spinach is wilted, about one minute.

The sausages as meatballs were quite tasty. The dinner was filling, even without the orzo/rice or bread.

Makes four servings.

---

I was intrigued by this recipe because I'm always a bit disgusted by sausage casings. When should you remove them? Can you eat them? I don't understand why most chicken sausages are in pork casings. Doesn't this defeat the goal of not eating meat, let alone pork, for those who do not eat one or the other? I read about casings a bit and don't feel any better about the options.

I did make my own chicken sausage once in my pasta maker and it was the best sausage I ever tasted. I used a synthetic casing that came with the pasta maker. I hope to explore more with sausage in the future and maybe make my own sausage again.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Pumpkin Oatmeal

2011-01-06T18:28:00.000-08:00

I don't like oatmeal, even if it is smothered in brown sugar. I was raised on the white bread equivalent, Cream of Wheat, and prefer it's taste and texture. However, I have found that steel-cut oatmeal is tasty. Alyssa and I are big fans of the new Food Network star, Aarti Sequeira, and her show Aarti Party. Recently she made oatmeal with Indian spices and pumpkin puree. It sounded good enough for even me to try. I had a little leftover pumpkin puree, so I down-sized all of the other ingredients accordingly and made about three servings. Here is Aarti's recipe:

1 14 ounce can unseasoned pumpkin puree

2 Cups water

2 Cups unsweetened almond milk or milk or water

2 Tablespoons golden or regular raisins

1/4 Teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice OR 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 Cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Honey or maple sugar, for serving

Heavy cream, for serving

Combine pumpkin puree, water, milk, raisins, salt and spices in a large saucepan. Cook over high heat until it comes to a boil.

Add the oatmeal. Turn the heat down and cook according to package directions, about 15 minutes.

Toast the pepitas in a small cast iron skillet over medium heat until they are fragrant and a gentle golden brown for about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the toasted pepitas on top and serve the cooked oatmeal with honey or sugar and cream, if desired.

Due to what was in my kitchen, I had to make a few adjustments. Lacking almond milk, I added some almond extract to non-fat milk for flavor. The pepitas I had on hand were already toasted, so I just re-heated them a bit in a small non-stick pan. I didn't add any sugar and used non-fat milk instead of cream.

It was tasty, but I wasn't sold. It was still oatmeal. If I had used almond milk it would have probably been tastier and sugar might have helped too. Also, I'm not sure I got the spices correct when I downsized. They could have jumped out a bit more.

Dan thought the oatmeal was delicious. He didn't even add any sugar. Guess we'll have to try it again and maybe I'll get used to oatmeal.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Warm Sticky Toffee Cakes and Cardamom Ice Cream

2010-12-28T21:28:00.000-08:00

Every year for Christmas Eve, for as long as I can remember, we have been eating pirog (savory russian pie... we have two kinds, meat and cabbage) and broth at my grandmother's house, with no fewer than three desserts... just the five of us. Well, my grandmother is getting pretty old, and she always used to add a dish to our Christmas Eve menu, like game hens, or duck... and all we ever really wanted was the pirog.

Well the past three or so years, we have been having Christmas Eve dinner at my parent's house, and still haven't managed to just have pirog. One year I made ravioli (which wasn't as blog worthy as the ravioli I just posted about (but it was delicious)) in addition to the Pirog, and of course we couldn't escape from less than three desserts.

This year we finally got a grip on ourselves, and made nothing besides a salad, the broth, and just one dessert (with a delicious component), and let my grandmother bring the component.

For dessert, we decided to attempt our own sticky toffee cakes, and as an added bonus, home-made cardamom ice-cream.

Warm Sticky Toffee Cakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup rum

8 ounces dates

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

Pre-heat the oven to 350º.

Cut the dates in half, and take out the pits. Drop them into a small saucepan with the rum and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes until soft.

Pour date mixture in a food processor and purée. Transfer the purée to a bowl, and allow to cool completely.

In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt and ground cinnamon.

In a larger bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a hand-held mixture or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer. When light and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time. Alternate adding the flour and date mixture, but be careful not to overmix.

Spray a regular-sized muffin pan, and evenly distribute the mixture amongst 12 spaces. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

When they are done baking, carefully lift each cake and pour two teaspoons of pre-prepared toffee sauce (recipe below). Let the cakes sit in their toffee sauce for 10 minutes, then flip them onto a cooling rack over a wax paper covered baking sheet.

Pour, or drench each cake in extra toffee sauce, and serve warm with cardamom ice cream (recipe also below).

Toffee Sauce

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup rum

Combine the heavy cream, dark brown sugar, and unsalted butter. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the temperature to medium. Continue cooking the mixture for about four minutes or so. Stir the mixture occasionally. add the rum, and continue cooking for about three minutes.

(Special thanks to Martha Stewart and Lindsey from Gingerbread Bagels for this recipe).

Cardamom Ice Cream

2 cups whole milk

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

8 whole green cardamom pods, lightly crushed*

3/4 cup sugar

4 egg yolks

3/4 cups whipping cream

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

(makes a little under two pints according to our ice cream maker)

Combine the milk, vanilla bean and crushed cardamom pods into a saucepan, and bring slowly to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let sit and infuse for 20 minutes. Take out the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the liquid. Also remove the crushed cardamom pods.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale. Slowly re-heat the milk mixture, and pour a little into the egg mixture, then add the egg mixture to the milk mixture and stir on a low heat. DO NOT BOIL, the eggs will scramble :(.

Remove from the heat and cool. Whip the whipping cream with a hand-mixer, not quite to soft peaks. Add the ground cardamom, and freeze in your ice cream maker. We have a hand-crank ice-cream maker, so we had to hand-crank it for 15-20 minutes, and then freeze it the rest of the way.

Recipe courtesy of The Spice House.

If you can find green cardamom pods in bulk, buy them that way, and only a few more than you need. They are a very expensive spice, like vanilla beans and saffron. $38/pound (I believe). They are easy to crush with the back of a spoon, or the side of a knife.

Caramelized Leek and Ricotta Ravioli with Broccoli Pesto

2010-12-28T20:59:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

So we've found out that we have a lot more fun making our zine instead of actually writing blogs... it's only $5, and we did a lot of work on it so please consider purchasing it through paypal, etsy, or directly from us... if you know us :).

Now to the recipes...

Caramelized Leek and Ricotta Ravioli

1 leek

4 cloves garlic

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Sugar

1 Egg

15 oz. Ricotta cheese

1/2 cup frozen shelled english peas, defrosted

Couple of packages of fresh lasagna sheets (or make your own thin pasta dough)

Cut off the ends of the leek, and cut into quarters lengthwise. Cut each quarter into thin slices, and float in a bowl of water. This is how you clean the leeks from the dirt. When the leek slices are in the water, separate the layers from one another. When all the dirt has sunk to the bottom, take out the leek slices and dry them on a towel.

Heat a medium-sized pan and then add the leeks. Begin to wilt them and as they start to break down, add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of sugar. Then add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and cook down the leeks until they look like caramelized onions. Allow the leeks to cool.

In the meantime, combine the ricotta, egg, and four cloves of garlic (minced) in a bowl. When the leeks have cooled, add them to the ricotta mixture, and then add the peas.

I used fresh lasagna sheets from Whole Foods, if you live in the Bay Area, Berkeley Bowl also carries fresh lasagna noodles. To make the same kind of raviolis that I made, you'll need half of a lasagna sheet (for a 2/5" x 1.5" ravioli).

Put a generous teaspoon in the center of a pasta sheet, and brush the edges with water, fold the pasta sheet in half, and press down to seal, try to get out any air bubbles.

Cook in well-salted boiling water until the ravioli float to the top and are al dente (5-7 minutes).

Serve with broccoli pesto and parmesan cheese.

Broccoli Pesto

4-5 Pieces of par-cooked broccoli

8+ leaves of fresh basil

5 leaves of fresh sage

1 clove of garlic

1/8 cup parmesan cheese

1 Tablespoon butter

Olive oil (roughly 3-5 tablespoons)

Combine all ingredients (except the olive oil), make sure the basil and sage do not have stems, in a food processor, and blend while adding olive oil. Serve on a melting pat of butter on top of the ravioli (or other pasta).

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

To the lovely people who read our blog:

2010-12-06T21:39:00.001-08:00

We've just published our first zine of recipes. Very few of the recipes are on the actual blog. You can buy them directly from this page through paypal, just look at the top of the column on the right side of this page!

We hope to hear from you soon!

Love,

Peggy and Alyssa

Acorn Squash Pureé with Feta Cheese

2010-12-06T16:59:00.001-08:00

You're probably looking at the photo on the right here, and thinking "has she gone completely mad?" Or "That looks absolutely disgusting." Well here's the thing about food... it doesn't always look appetizing. When I have a new food in front of me, I always smell it before I judge it by the way it looks. So this heaping pile of orange glub with white flecks on it... it smells amazing, so why should I be scared to eat it.

I sort of adapted this recipe from two different sources, the first being a Butternut Squash Purée recipe from the food network website, and the second being a menu item I had on my recent trip to Seattle, another Butternut Squash Purée.

Well a while back when my roommates and I were doing the CSA Farm Box program continually, we ended up with two Acorn Squash, which we had no idea what to do with. Two of my roommates were so confused, that they cut one open (or at least attempted to) to find out what it even was.

So we let the squash sit, and then it struck me... a recipe we may all like. So today I went for it... in stages, but all in all (not including cooking time) it takes only 30 minutes to make.

Acorn Squash Purée with Feta

2 Acorn Squash, cut in half or in quarters

4-6 Tablespoons Butter

Salt and Pepper

1 Orange Zested

3 Tablespoons Honey

Pinch of Cinnamon

4 ounces Feta Cheese

So let me start off by saying, Acorn squash is extremely difficult to work with, and if you wanted to use butternut squash instead, feel free... but it may not be much easier. Cutting and peeling it are the worst, but once it's actually cooked, it's easy to purée.

Cut the Acorn squash in half, or in quarters if you'd prefer and put all of the pieces on a pan or in a baking dish skin-side down. Scrape out the seeds and any stringy bits, and then rub down the insides of the squash with butter, reserving roughly one Tablespoon of butter for later. Leave any pieces of butter on the squash to melt while they're cooking. Sprinkle just a bit of salt and pepper on each piece, and put into a 350º oven to bake/roast for 30-40 minutes (or until a fork easily pierces the pulp). It took mine 40 minutes.

Once the squash are done, let cool, and then with a knife peel off the skin and drop the pieces into a bowl (or a food processor if you have one). Once all of your pieces are peeled, zest the orange over your squash pieces, and add the honey, cinnamon, a little bit more salt and pepper, and remaining butter. At this time you can also add three of the four ounces of feta cheese.

With a knife, try your best to chop up the bigger pieces into little pieces (or if you have a potato masher or a dough knife, those would work as well). Then with a hand mixer (as I do not have a food processor) beat the squash and ingredients together until they form a beautiful purée.

When to your desired smoothness (and acorn squash is kind of stringy so don't overwork it) transfer to a bowl or serving plate and sprinkle with the remaining feta cheese, serve with toasted pita triangles or crostini.

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Stuffed Peppers

2010-12-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

I grew up with my mom's stuffed peppers, cooked in a sweet and sour tomato sauce. Scanning the Internet for recipes, I noticed that in most recipes the meat was cooked before stuffing, whereas my mother stuffed the peppers with raw meat and cooked them in a stew of sauce along with extra meatballs since although we loved the flavor of green peppers, we wouldn't eat them. So, I decided to try the pre-cooked meat. My husband requested that I serve rice with the peppers rather than mixing cooked rice into the cooked meat. I read somewhere that peppers with four points on the bottom are best for cooking; three points for eating raw. I'm not sold on this recipe, one I created based upon several others plus my own ideas, but it was fun to experiment. If you make it, you should experiment too.

large pot of boiling water

6 medium to large bell peppers, any color

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground turkey

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce, separated

1. Cut the tops off of the peppers and clean out the seeds inner white spongy core. Cut the stem away from the tops and chop up the pepper tops to use in the recipe. Parboil the peppers in a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes, until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a towel.

2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onions and chopped pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes until tender.

3. Add the garlic, beef and turkey. Stir the meat until crumbled and nearly browned. Take the pan off of the heat and tip the pan over the sink so that you can spoon out most of the liquid.

4. Return the pan to the heat and add the parsley, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Mix in and then add 1 cup of the tomato sauce.

At this point I left the mixture to sit for awhile so as to avoid working with the hot meat.

5. Pre-heat oven to 350° Pour the remaining tomato sauce into a baking dish. Fill the peppers with the mixture and bake for 30 minutes until heated through. Serve with rice. Scoop a little of the sauce on the top of the pepper.

For the filling, you could use any ground meat (chicken, turkey, beef, pork...even tofu) solo or in any combination. I was pleased with the result of the parboiling of the peppers and it was nice not to worry if the meat was cooked all the way through, but I'm used to a saucier stuffed pepper. Next time I think I'll add some some lemon juice and brown sugar to the tomato sauce in the baking dish to make that piquant flavor I remember from my youth. Then I'll pour more than just a dab over the top. I can also imagine sprinkling cheese or bread crumbs on the top of the pepper before baking. Some of the recipes recommended baking the peppers in a dish with water, but I had a half can of tomato sauce, so I just used it up as the base.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Oatmeal Cookies with Caramel and Apples

2010-12-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

A different twist on the oatmeal cookie from Cooking Light magazine. This recipe is quite labor intensive due to the chopping of the dried apples and the caramels. It seemed a bit dry during the preparation so I splashed in a bit of milk. I made a batch for Alyssa's latest care package and she seemed to like them -- especially the oozing caramel.

Preheat oven to 350°.
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
3/4 cup finely chopped dried apple slices
3/4 cup caramel candies, chopped
1. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients in a bowl; stir well.
2. Cream sugars and butter in a large bowl with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add vanilla and egg; beat well.
4. Gradually add flour mixture. Beat at low speed until just combined. Fold in apple and caramel bits. If mixture seems dry, add a few tablespoons of milk.
5. Drop dough by 2 teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Flatten balls slightly with hand. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes. Cool on pans 3 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

I gently shaped the dough into rough balls. It is important to let the cookies cool before removing them from the cookie sheet and before removing them from the cooling racks. If you like caramel, you'll love these.

Happy Cooking

Peggy

Pomegranate and Avocado Salad

2010-11-29T19:10:00.001-08:00

This is a beautiful and refreshing simple side salad to go along with your meal. Avocados have healthy fats and oils that we all need to keep a balanced diet.

Enjoy.

Pomegranate and Avocado Salad

1 Avocado

1/4 Pomegranate, seeds taken out

1 Teaspoon sugar

1/2 Teaspoon olive oil

1 Teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Cut the avocado in half and remove it from it's skin in one piece (a spoon is the best implement for this). Place in a bowl or on a plate. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the avocado halves. Pour the sugar, oil and vinegar over the halves, and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Roasted Curried Pumpkin Seeds

2010-10-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

So even though I dislike Halloween, I went to a pumpkin carving party last night, to be with friends and have a good time, and also carve pumpkins... and collect pumpkin seeds.

If there's anything I like about Halloween, it's eating roasted pumpkin seeds.

After scraping the seeds out of my pumpkin, I washed them and separated them from their pumpkin guck, and then let them dry overnight on a sheet pan.

The best thing about roasting pumpkin seeds is you can put whatever spices you want on them and you are more than likely to achieve the flavors you want.

I used the following:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

I had roughly a cup and a quarter to a cup and a half of pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle your spices over the seeds, and drizzle the oil (you can use vegetable oil or melted butter if you would prefer), then coat the seeds in the spices and oil using your hands.

In an oven that has been preheated to 250º, place the coated seeds (on a baking sheet) for roughly 30 minutes to one hour, depending on your oven and how well you like the seeds to be cooked. Every ten to fifteen minutes, open the oven and toss the seeds around so that they do not burn to one place on the pan.

They should have a sort of dry feel to them when they are done.

Let cool and enjoy!

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Quick Quinoa

2010-10-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

I was talking with a friend in New York and she was telling me how she cooks quinoa in water for only five minutes, sautes some vegetables, adds spice and black beans and combines the ingredients with the quinoa.

I had just a small amount of red quinoa left in a bag, so I decided to try and make a quick side dish.

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1/3 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup roasted red pepper, chopped

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

Boil the water and add the quinoa and celery. I cooked it for longer than 5 minutes, more like 7 or 8. Cook until the water is absorbed and the grains seems softened. Add in the red pepper, salt, turmeric and cumin. Heat a minute on the stove and serve.

You can use any vegetables and any spices -- whatever goes with your main dish.

Rosemary Chocolate Chip Shortbread

2010-10-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Shortbread is one of the easiest things to make. It basically has four ingredients: butter, sugar, flour, salt. Once you have that down, with the ratios and all, you can add whatever you want to your shortbread.

Food Network chef Melissa d'Arabian made this shortbread recipe on her show "Ten Dollar Dinners," which is actually a pretty good show. She has many nice recipes, and I love making this one when I am having guests over, or even to take with me to social gatherings.

My only change to her original recipe is that I use fresh rosemary instead of dried rosemary. You can see her recipe here.

Rosemary Chocolate Chip Shortbread

(Makes roughly 12 2" round cookies)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

a handful of large, bittersweet, chocolate chips, cut into smaller pieces

Preheat the oven to 300º F. Put your baking sheet in the freezer, ungreased and uncovered.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar using a handheld mixer. You can also use a stand mixer if you are lucky enough to own one. Add in the rosemary, salt, and flour, 1/4 cup at a time. When they are all mixed together, your dough should have the consistency of wet sand. Turn off the mixer, and add in the chocolate chips, gently mixing them together with the dough. Bring the dough into a ball, and take it out of the bowl. If your dough begins to soften or feel too greasy, chill it for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Roll out your dough to 1/2-inch thickness. You can either cut it into rectangles with a knife (that are two inches long and 1/2 inch high) or you can use any shaped cookie cutter that is no more than two inches long. When all of your cookies are ready, take your baking sheet out of the freezer, and put the cut cookies on. Prick the top with a fork once (For rectangles) or twice (in a t) for circles. Bake for 25-27 minutes or until the dough starts to turn a golden color.

Cool on a wire rack, and enjoy (with a cold glass of milk).

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Rosemary Turkey Breast

2010-10-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

I love turkey, although no one else seems to, but from time to time, between Thanksgivings, I buy a turkey breast to roast. We have a rosemary bush in the backyard, so I looked on the Internet for Rosemary Turkey recipes and came up with the following:

1 turkey breast

4 sprigs rosemary

2 tablespoons butter, softened (I used soft butter substitute)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 can chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. This was my own addition. When we roast our Thanksgiving turkey, we roast it for awhile on a high heat, then lower the heat for the rest of the roasting. This gives a nice golden and crisp outer layer.

Lift the skin off of the breast, leaving one side attached. Spread the butter under the skin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and rub it it. Lay the sprigs of rosemary on the breast and place the skin back over the breast. Rub some more butter over the breast and sprinkle a little more salt and pepper. Sprinkle paprika lightly over the entire breast to give it some color. Turkey is so bland looking. The spice measurements are estimates. You may use a bit more. I didn't measure, just sprinkled like on all the cooking shows.

Place on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Pour the chicken broth in the pan.

Cook for 15 minutes at 425. Then, reduce heat to 325 and cook another 20 -30 minutes until temperature reaches 170 with a meat thermometer or the juices run clear. You can cover the breast with foil shortly after turning down the heat if it looks browned enough.

Let the turkey sit for 5-10 minutes before carving. The rosemary flavor penetrates the turkey and it is delicious!

Half and Half Meatballs

2010-10-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Hi all readers!

Tonight I am making a childhood favorite of mine, half and half meatballs. There are so many great things about these meatballs, I could write a love song about them. Let's start with the history and move into the recipe.

When we were kids, my mother used to make these meatballs to cut down on our beef intake, but still give us the iron we need growing up. The best part is, we could make it with half ground beef, half ground turkey, or chicken, or turkey and chicken with no beef, or just one type of meat.

Today I decided to spruce up these meaty surprises, and make them more adult-friendly, but you can cut out the chili pepper flakes if you're making them for kids.

This is one of three or four meatball recipes that I have invented/adapted!

Half and Half Meatballs

(Makes 25 meatballs)

1/2 Pound ground turkey

1/2 Pound ground beef (as lean as you'd like)

1 large egg

1/3 cup minced shallot

1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes (or 1/4 if you don't want it too spicy)

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp salt (I forgot this ingredient, but I'm sure they'll be great without it)

1 tsp dried basil (I use whole basil leaves that have been dried, and I crush them with my hands)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste (IMPORTANT, always have two cans of tomato paste in your house)

1/3 cup panko (or regular) breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 325º F. Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl, when the meats and egg are at room temperature. Mix the ingredients using your well-washed hands. Roll out roughly 25 meatballs, about an inch and a quarter in diameter. Place on a baking sheet covered in foil (if you don't have non-stick, I would suggest spraying your foil with cooking spray). When the oven is ready, bake the meatballs for about 24 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. The best way to check is by cutting one open and making sure it isn't pink inside, and then you get first taste.

Sometimes the juices from the meat will settle on the tray around the meatballs, this is why you cook on foil. The meatballs should easily detach from these juices (which are mostly just fat), so don't be too concerned about scraping them away.

These meatballs can be refrigerated for up to two weeks, or frozen for a longer period of time. To re-heat, you can put them in some broth in a saucepan on a stove, or with some broth in the microwave. You can also re-bake them in the oven, again using broth. Of course if you're serving them with gravy or marinara sauce, feel free to re-heat them along with the sauce!

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Sage Spiced Rice

2010-10-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

Last night my lovely roommate made a delicious Enchilada dinner for all of us, and some of our friends, so I decided to add my two cents with a couple of side dishes, the first of which is this delicious rice recipe which I invented. I'm so sorry about the day old photos. I swear I took one last night when it was cooking in the pot, but it didn't show up on my upload this morning, so I took a couple snapshots of the leftovers (which are almost gone since two of us ate some for breakfast)!

Sage Spiced Rice

1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 small shallot, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Bay Leaf

1 tsp Dried basil

1 tsp Dried dill

2-3 tsp Paprika

2-3 tsp Turmeric

1 Russet Potato, Peeled and Diced

1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice

6 or 7 fresh sage leaves, chopped

2 pre-boiled ears of corn, de-cobbed

Water

Start by heating the oil in a small-medium sized saucepan. Begin to wilt the shallots in the oil, and then add the garlic and the potatoes. Sprinkle all of the spices over the potatoes, starting with a bay leaf on the side, and mix the potatoes and spices together so that the potatoes are covered and colorful (I really wish I had taken a photo of this step). Add the rice to the potatoes and toast it a little bit, then cover the ingredients in water and let cook, covered, on a low heat, for 30 minutes or so. When the water is gone, make sure the rice is cooked, if it isn't, add more water (not all the way up, but just enough to cook it). If you do this step, add the corn, and sprinkle about a teaspoon of kosher salt over the corn before mixing it in the rice and potatoes. Also add the sage to the pot, then mix together and let cook until the rice is tender.

Easy and delicious!

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Tahini Chicken

2010-10-16T21:29:00.000-07:00

Having made the roasted red pepper hummus, I had quite a bit of tahini left over. I didn't feel like rustling up some falafel to drizzle it over, so I thought about coating some chicken with it. After all, yogurt chicken is delicious, so why not tahini?

I surfed the Internet and found a few recipes for tahini chicken, some simple, some more complex.

Tahini Chicken

2 Large chicken breasts

Tahini, enough to cover the breasts

1-2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375º. Baste the chicken breasts with a mixture of tahini and chopped rosemary, and transfer to a baking dish (if you want you can spray the dish with cooking spray so the chicken doesn't stick).

Put the chicken in the oven and bake for roughly 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. It should be very moist, as the tahini helps keep in all of the juices. And trust me when I say, this chicken looks bland, but tastes wonderful.

Happy Cooking,

Peggy

Hi everyone! I'm Hijacking this post (so to speak) to tell you that I surprised my family by showing up last weekend. My mom made this delicious chicken for dinner, and so I decided to make a side dish to go with it!

I made spiced zucchini, the recipe is as follows.

1 tsp Fennel Seeds

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

1 tsp Cumin

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2-3 Zucchinis, sliced into coins

Heat the oil in a medium-large frying pan, and then add the two types of seeds and let them sizzle in the pan (but don't let them burn). Once you start to smell them, add the ground cumin, and let it bloom with the seeds. Then add the zucchini, and cook until tender.

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Beautiful Simple Beet Salad

2010-10-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

Even though I have three roommates, most nights I am left to cook for myself. This is something new for me. I am quite used to living with my parents (and my brother) and having enough food for four for dinner and two for lunch leftovers the next day. Sometimes this wasn't the case, and we've definitely cleaned every pan before getting near full, but now I am mostly cooking for myself which is difficult.

The other day I went to the farmer's market, something I love to do as often as possible, and I bought a bunch of Yellow Beets and a bunch of Red Beets. Usually (depending on the size of beets) the bunches come with three to four beets. Mine both had three beets in them. Six beets for $2.50, worthy of about three meals (with other ingredients), that's a pretty good deal. I used two right off the bat (shared them with my boyfriend for dinner one night). Then, later, I roasted the other four for later use.

Tonight I felt like eating something pretty, the recipe that follows is below.

Beautiful Simple Beet Salad

2 Beets, 1 red and 1 gold

6-7 Chive Sprigs, sliced

1 Teaspoon fresh Dill, Minced

1-2 Tablespoons Goat Cheese

Optional

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Follow roasting ingredients in our previous Tri-Color Beet Salad recipe. Slice beets (or dice them) and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle the chives and dill over the beets, and crumble as much or as little goat cheese as you like. If you would like, you may drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over your salad. I ate mine dry this evening, and it was just delicious.

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

2010-10-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

Lucky for me, Alyssa's subscription to Cooking Light comes to the house and I get to read it first. This reader recipe caught my eye. It's very easy, if you have a food processor, has no oil and has a nice red pepper flavor. Traditional hummus is served with olive oil drizzled on top. You could serve it with olive oil, but I didn't and it was delicious. All credit should go to Mary Pellum. Serve with pita or veggies.

1/3 cup tahini - I bought mine fresh at at Trader Joes

1/4 c. water

1/4 cup roasted red pepper, rinsed and drained if from a jar

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 minced garlic clove

1 15 1/2 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Put all ingredients into a food processor. Mix until smooth. Yields 2 cups.

Spicy Sesame Noodle Salad

2010-10-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovely Readers,

The New York Times recently had a recipe contest where readers were asked to submit their favorite potluck recipes. I have mixed feelings about potlucks, because it's hard pressure to make something that you think everyone will eat. They had an array of recipes posted at the end of the contest, which I think is great, but not all of them are 100% perfect. Here are the recipes that they chose, some beautiful food photography, and delicious anticipatory food combinations.

When looking through the recipes, there were a few that caught my eye to want to make, but one in particular had my mouth watering, the Sesame Noodles submitted by Veronica from Newport Beach. She said she found the recipe on Foodgawker, and adapted it to her tastebuds. This is what I love about sharing recipes, especially flexible ones, everyone can adapt it to what they have in their pantry, or what they would like to add to it for themselves. I think it's a beautiful thing, and I wish a requirement of potlucks was to include recipe cards.

So to my version of the recipe is the following, because there are certain things I like, and certain things I had at the time, and it turned out tasting delicious.

Spicy Sesame Noodles

10 oz Noodles,

->I used "Chinese Noodles" they were kind of like soba noodles, but you can use whole wheat or regular angel hair, or any dry asian noodles that you prefer. I don't think Ramen packages will work for this recipe.

2 1/2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar, I used Seasoned Rice Vinegar

1 teaspoon Sriracha

1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1 Shallot, Minced

1 teaspoon Ginger, Grated

1 Small Red Bell Pepper, Diced

2 Green Onions, Thinly Sliced

Any vegetables of your choice:

I used Water Chestnuts and Baby Corn because I had both of those, but I would have also added Sugar Snap Peas and Carrots

You can also use protein, turkey or chicken cut into strips and cooked beforehand, or tofu strips if you're a vegetarian

Vegetable Oil

Follow the package instructions to cook your noodles, and when they are done, drain them and run them under cold water. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sriracha (you can use less if you don't like it spicy, but try and use at least 1/4 teaspoon), garlic and ginger. Once the noodles are drained out of the pot, heat some vegetable oil in the same pot (fewer dishes to clean!), and then add the shallots, green onions and bell peppers and cook for just a couple of minutes, then add any vegetables or meats that you would like, and heat with the first three ingredients. Then add the noodles and the sauce and mix everything together. Serve warm or chilled.

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Raspberry Pocket Biscuits

2010-10-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Care package time! I decided to bake some filled biscuits that I saw on Melissa d'Arabian's Ten Dollar Dinners. The first challenge was that Melissa filled her 'petite nutella pochettes' with nutella, of course. However, Alyssa does not eat nuts, so I looked at the Food Network website for the recipe and read through many of the suggestions. Several people used jam instead so I decided go that route. The next challenge was that I only had white wheat flour and was concerned that white flour might be a better fit. Some of the other suggestions were to add 1/4 cup of sugar to the dough or to sprinkle in confectioner's sugar while flouring and rolling-out the dough. The results -- well, some of the jam escaped from the pouches, the pastry wasn't sweet enough even though I blended in some powdered sugar while rolling-out the dough and the wheat flour gave the biscuits sort of a wheaty taste - like a health food cookie. My husband helped with all the work, but didn't bother to eat more than one or two biscuits. Alyssa said they were okay, but a little strange. Oh well. Next time sugar, white flour and make my own chocolate sauce, maybe. This recipe has an hour of refrigeration time and labor-intensive preparation.

2 sticks butter

8 ounces cream cheese

2 cups flour

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons filling - nutella or jam

egg wash - 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon of water

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Bring the butter and cream cheese to room temperature. Mix the cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer until creamy. Slowly add in the flour and mix until the dough forms. Do not to over-mix. Roll the dough into a ball, cover and refrigerate for an hour. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Flour a working surface and flour your rolling pin. Put about half of the dough back in the refrigerator and roll-out the rest to 1/8-inch thickness. Use a 3-inch fluted cooke cutter and cut-out circles. Form the scraps into a ball and re-roll to make more circles. Rotate the dough from the refrigerator and the cutting board. The dough is easier to work with when chilled.

Fill each dough circle with a small spoonful of the filling. Fold the dough over to make a half moon. Gently squeeze the edges together to seal in the filling. Melissa says to use water on the edge, but I didn't find it necessary. Dip your finger in tap water and spread on the edge of half the circle to help create a seal. Lightly brush the top of the biscuit with the egg wash. Bake about 15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack and sprinkle sifted confectioner's sugar before serving.

Quick Qunice

2010-09-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

I so enjoyed learning about quince and eating the delicious fruit Alyssa cooked with her Aunt Tania. We just got some more quince from Tania and Alyssa mentioned that I could microwave it without any sugar and use it as a savory fruit with meat. I looked on the Internet for recipes, but couldn't find any. I decided to just go for it.

quince

water

Peel and core the quince, cut them into wedges and place them in a pyrex dish with enough water to cover the bottom of the dish. Microwave covered on high for 8-10 minutes. I used only two quince and my dish was on the small size. Quince creates a gelatin-like liquid, which splattered all over my microwave, so I'd suggest using a large dish, even for a few fruits. Ten minutes of cooking time was probably too much. Try eight and see if it is enough. The quince was delicious, even without sugar and we enjoyed it with our dinner.

Right now I'm making Alyssa's quince recipe, although I cut the sugar in half. I've boiled it three times, but it's not red yet. Maybe I have to boil it longer. It seems sweet even with less sugar.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Italian-Spiced Breaded Chicken, Sage Butter and Avocado Salad

2010-09-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the pleasure of making dinner for a very lovely friend of mine. As far as eating goes, she's not too picky, and so I made her a medley of food that really surprised both of our palates.

First off, let me apologize for not blogging the entire summer. Instead of making a million excuses, I will just say this, I have been in Occupational Therapy for an extremely injured hand since June, and I am still healing, so cooking (and typing about cooking) has not been my priority. Also I'd like to say that cookbooks aren't written in a day, and everyone needs a vacation.

On that note, let's have a delicious meal together.

Sage Butter

This is an extremely simple recipe. Sometimes when you have pasta, the last thing you need is sauce. Alfredo, Tomato, Pesto.. there are too many options, and they all seem to end in "o" (except maybe puttanesca.. still a vowel). Plus if you want to make them from scratch, those all take more than two ingredients, which brings me to my recipe. Yes, it only has two ingredients.

The other great thing about this sauce, is that it takes less than two minutes to make.

Two ingredients in two minutes, beat that Claire Robinson.

2 Tablespoons butter

Handful of fresh sage leaves (can be bought in almost any grocery store)

Now if you really love sage, and I mean really love biting into it, you can leave the leaves whole or halve them. If you're not used to biting into them, you can mince the leaves as small as you'd like. I usually make this quick sauce for ravioli or tortellini, after I drain the pasta, I put the warm pot back on the stove and drop in the butter. Let it melt, and then add the sage. When the sage starts to sizzle with the butter (roughly 30 seconds to one minute) add the pasta that is draining in the sink, and try and get a fair coat over all of the pieces, then serve. It's as simple as that!

Try it, I'm sure you'll like it. The ravioli in the picture is spinach and Ricotta Ravioli from Trader Joe's. I also recommend their Portobello Mushroom Ravioli for this recipe.

Avocado Salad

Serves One

1 whole avocado

1-2 teaspoons sugar

Rice Vinegar

Olive Oil

Cut the avocado in half and peel off the skin. Place both halves in a small bowl. Sprinkle as much sugar as you would like (at least one teaspoon) on both halves. Drizzle an inch of olive oil on each half. Add as much vinegar as you would like, I wouldn't go over a Tablespoon. You can then cut or mash the avocado to make a sort of pseudo-guacamole/avocado salad (delicious with the chicken recipe below).

Inspired by how Brazilians eat avocados (a delicious fruit).

Italian-Spiced Breaded Chicken

Serves four, or two with leftovers for two

3/4 Pound of chicken (breasts or tenders are best)

1 Cup buttermilk

1 1/4 Cups panko breadcrumbs

All-purpose flour

1 large egg

Oregano

White pepper

Kosher salt

Crushed red pepper flakes

1 Shallot, sliced (optional)

Olive oil, for cooking

Clean the fat off of your chicken pieces, and soak them in buttermilk (in the fridge) in a ziploc bag for at least 2 hours, 24 is better than two, of course.

Before preparing the chicken, you need to prepare everything it gets to swim in:

1. A shallow bowl with flour

2. A shallow bowl with one egg, beaten

3. A shallow bowl with the panko, and as much of each of the spices as you'd like, I recommend the following:

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp white pepper

1 1/2 tsps oregano

1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you want it spicier)

4. Sliced shallots (do not mince! slice!) (optional)

5. A well-heated non-stick frying pan with enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, and cook the amount of chicken you are using.

Follow the steps below, and if you would like to use shallots, put them in the pan before the chicken and cook them a little bit, and then cook them the rest of the way as the chicken is cooking in the pan. They add another layer of flavor.

Sorry about the poor attempt at a photoshop drawing of how to bread and pan-fry chicken. But basically that's how you do it. Make sure you remember to wash your hands after handling raw chicken and raw egg. Just because you covered it and most likely your hands in breadcrumbs does not mean it's not there anymore. Salmonella is very dangerous, and clean hands is the best way to be healthy in the kitchen!

And now for the final image:

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Asian One-Pot Soup

2010-06-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

I've had this recipe for many years and tend to add what I have in the kitchen to the standard recipe. You need to use a wide pot or the ingredients will all just mix together. For the broth I just use canned chicken broth or a mix of chicken and beef broth. I always use low sodium broth, espcially when using soy sauce (also low-sodium) in a recipe.

3 oz. dried bean-thread noodles, saifun

5 cups. low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup mirin or cream sherry

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 T. sugar

3-5 slices peeled fresh ginger

12 0z. chicken, boned and skinless

1 small red bell pepper

4 oz. snow peas or sugar snap peas

4 oz. fresh mushrooms

8 oz. firm tofu

8 oz. bean sprouts

3 green onions

1/4 t. red pepper flakes

Soak bean thread in boiling water until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain and cut.

Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes. Cook in pot of water. Drain to remove most of scum.

Cut tofu into cubes and lay out on a cooking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes at 300°

In a 5-6 Qt pot or 12 inch frying pan with high sides, mix broth, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes and ginger and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes, covered.

Place noodles, tofu, chicken, mushrooms, bean sprouts, bell pepper, peas and onion around the pot. Cook about 5 minutes.

Put pot on table so guests may serve themselves. Or, invite them into the kitchen to dish into their bowls.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Sunomono

2010-06-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

For a cool refresher to go with the one-pot soup. I quickly threw together a Japanese cucumber salad. I combined several different recipes and came up with the following:

6 Persian or 1 English cucumber (seedless)

1/2 t. salt (optional)
2 T rice wine vinegar

1 T sugar
1 t. soy sauce
1 t. sesame oil

1 T sesame seeds

Slice the cucumbers thinly. You can sprinkle them with salt and let them sit for a few minutes before the next step, depending on your salt preferences. This helps to draw out the liquid. Wrap the slices in a towel and gently squeeze out the water. Put cucumbers in a bowl.

Mix the vinegar, sugar and soy sauce until the sugar dissolves.

Pour mixture over the cucumbers and sprinkle sesame seeds on the top. Ready to serve.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Spices

2010-05-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

Being in college, it's hard to budget for spices. I use many dried herbs and spices when I cook, and I'm so used to having a drawer full of them at home, that I found myself going to the store just to buy ground mustard for one recipe, and then it would sit around and spill when I knocked it over, anyway so I was getting sick of not having spices, and not having places to put spices.

This is when I discovered Purpose Design, a lovely woman in Montreal named Julie who makes magnetic spice kits and sells them on Etsy.

These are really great. I keep them on my fridge and just grab what I need. The nice thing about them is that they are wide, so it's not hard to stick a whole tablespoon measure in there. Of course they are also small... so it's only a few tablespoons until you have to re-stock.

What I've found is that it's easier for me to want to buy spices in bulk at the grocery store, since I don't have to figure out how to get them into those ungodly little jars they usually come in.

This is a great innovative thing for a kitchen running out of space!

Thanks Julie!

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Delicious Rice Cooker Potatoes

2010-05-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Here's a quick and easy way to enjoy some boiled potatoes!

Rice Cooker Potatoes

1 Pound Red Potatoes

1 Clove Garlic, sliced

1 Bay Leaf

3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt

3 black peppercorns (whole)

1 dried sliced shallot

Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

Pinch of Dried Thyme

Water

Butter

Start by washing your potatoes and cut off any stem bits or bruises, DO NOT PEEL, anything healthy in a potato is in the skin, so leave it on. I use red potatoes because the skin is delicious, if you use russet potatoes, peel them and dice them. You want all of your potatoes to be roughly the same size, so cut any large ones in half, but leave them as whole as possible. Drop the potatoes in your rice cooker and cover them with water. Add all of the ingredients except for the butter, put the lid on, and turn on the cooker. After about 20 minutes the water should start to boil, and you can start checking your potatoes with a fork to see if they are tender or al dente.

Drain your potatoes from the liquid, and then fish them out from between the garlic pieces and black peppercorns (you probably don't want to bite into one of those). At this point you can leave them whole or dice them up and serve them with butter (don't add salt, it will just ruin the flavor). Enjoy!

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

PS, Want to know how a college student keeps all of her spices in a row? Read this.

Pasta with Cannellini Beans and Spinach

2010-05-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

I threw together this dish with some leftover penne and some fresh spinach and basil from our garden.

Cooked pasta

Garlic - minced

Bunch or bag of spinach

Can of cannellini beans -rinsed and drained

Slices of roasted red peppers

Salt and pepper

Red pepper flakes

Olive oil

Grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil in skillet, cook garlic until lightly browned. Add in the cooked pasta and beans and heat through. Add the spinach until it starts to wilt, then add in the basil. Salt and pepper to taste along with some red pepper flakes. Serve with shredded cheese.

Sorry I don't have any amounts listed. This is just one dish you just have to make to your taste -- and with whatever you have in the kitchen.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Egg Frittata with Mushroom Medley

2010-05-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

Looking for a brunch recipe for Mother's Day I found a few nice egg frittatas and took ideas from two recipes to make a yummy mushroom egg bake.

Serves 8

One of the recipes used a combination of egg whites and eggs, so I used 1 c. of egg whites and 8 eggs. I also used 50-50 butter and both light and regular harvarti cheese in my attempt to lighten-up the frittata. One recipe called for oyster or morel mushrooms and the other a package of exotic mushroom blend. I used mostly crimini, but also some oyster and some maitake (which cost $29.99 a pound at Whole Foods - fortunately I only bought $1.80 worth. The wild mushrooms gave the frittata a woodsy taste, but I'm glad I used mostly crimini or the dish might have been too much like a forest. I'm also glad that I toned down the fat a bit as the frittata was rich enough.

4 T. butter

1 lb. mushrooms - mixed

8 oz. shredded havarti or jack cheese

1 oz. shredded pecorino or parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1 c. whipping cream

1 t. dry mustard

2 t. fresh thyme, minced

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

12 eggs, lightly beaten

Pre-heat oven to 325°. Coat casserole dish with cooking spray.

Clean and slice the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Cook for five minutes over high heat until lightly browned.

Sprinkle the cheese on the bottom of the dish. The baked cheese creates a nice crust.

In a small bowl mix together the cream, thyme, mustard, salt and pepper.

Pour half of the cream mixture over the cheese. Top with eggs and mushrooms. Pour the remaining cream mixture over the top. This layering makes the dish creamy.

Bake until the eggs are set, about 55-60 minutes. The top should be golden brown. Stick a knife in the center of the frittata to make sure the eggs aren't runny or too loose.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Oven-Roasted Caprese

2010-04-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Do I love Ina Garten? Yes, I think I do. She's amazing, and her recipes are to die for, mostly.

After watching her make this Oven-Roasted Deliciousness, I decided to do it for myself, but with a few adjustments.

Oven Roasted Caprese

(Serves 6-8)

14 cherry or plum tomatoes, halved and seeded

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons sugar

1 ½ t Kosher salt, ½ t freshly ground black pepper

16 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced in thin rounds

14-28 fresh basil leaves

When removing the seeds, be sure to keep the cores intact. Preheat the oven to 275ºF. Cover a sheet pan with foil, and place the tomato halves cut side up on the pan. Drizzle with oil and vinegar, a little goes a long way, but use no more than ¼ cup oil and no more than 1 ½ tablespoons balsamic. Use your hands to evenly distribute the liquids over the tomatoes.

If you’re concerned about the amount of oil, use a pastry brush to coat all sides. Evenly sprinkle the garlic, sugar, salt and pepper (to your liking), over the tomatoes.

Roast the tomatoes for two hours until they begin to caramelize, then take them out and let cool to room temperature. Once they have cooled, layer the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil on a platter.

Love and Happy Spatulas.

Alyssa

Salads

2010-04-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

Hey there,

I love to make summer-y salads all year long. Living in California, we get heat in all of the seasons, whether it's Christmas Day, or mid-March, there's bound to be some kind of heat afoot. Salads are great for hot weather, and here is a simple green salad with some delicious tid bits, and a dressing you'll absolutely love!

Avocado Salad

(Serves 6)

1 head red leaf lettuce

1 medium-sized ripe avocado

2-3 Persian cucumbers

1-2 spring onions (scallions)

Handful of fresh dill

4-5 radishes (optional)

1-2 teaspoons sugar

1-1 ½ teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

Begin by washing your lettuce and tearing the larger leaves into bite-sized pieces. Dice the avocado, slice the cucumbers into thin coins, thinly slice the onions (white and green parts), slice the radishes into thin half-moons, and finely chop the dill. Add all ingredients to a bowl, and refrigerate until 10 minutes before serving.

The dressing is made on top of the salad, and may need to be adjusted. It is best to use less, so you can alter it to your liking, plus these ingredients distribute quite well. Start by sprinkling the sugar over the salad, and then drizzle an equal or less amount of vinegar over the sugar. Let these flavors meld and then add the oil. If dressing is too sweet or vinegary, add more oil.

What really makes this salad is the dressing. Try this dressing with just some lettuce and sliced apples.

Love and Happy Spatulas.

Grapefruit Risotto

2010-04-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

I kind of made this recipe up myself (woo-hoo!). I took a simple risotto recipe (like saffron risotto, or parmesan risotto), and decided to add some delicious and aromatic grapefruit zest.

When I made this, however, I decided to taste the difference between Arborio and Carnaroli rices, so I made two risottos. We did a taste taste, and the Carnaroli won. It seems to hold up to all of the flavors well, and it is less likely to turn mushy. Try it! Tell me what you think.

Grapefruit Risotto

(Serves 4-6)

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 ¼ cups carnaroli rice

½ cup dry white wine

32 ounces vegetable broth (or Chicken)

Pinch of saffron

½ teaspoon grapefruit zest, plus more for serving

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 large shallot, minced

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Start by heating up the broth in a saucepan at a low temperature. If you would like to add some water to the broth (if you think you’ll need more for the risotto) do this before you begin adding broth to the risotto). Heat the oil in a large frying pan, preferably one with high edges. Add the shallot and the garlic cloves and cook until soft, do not burn the garlic. Once the shallot and garlic begin to turn golden, add the rice, and toast it, stirring for about 2 to 3 minutes. Once the rice has toasted, but not browned, add the wine and let it deglaze and cook into the rice. Once the wine has disappeared, add the broth 1 cup at a time. At this point you can add the saffron and grapefruit zest. Continue to add the broth one cup at a time, waiting each time until the broth has almost cooked away. Do this for roughly 18 minutes, and check the rice to see if it is tender, but not mushy. Once the risotto is cooked, remove from the heat and add in the Parmesan cheese, combining it with the rice. Serve with a bit of Parmesan and zest on top.

This risotto is great with pan-seared scallops and roasted zucchini. Try marinating the scallops in grapefruit juice, grapefruit zest, and garlic cloves before searing them in a bit of olive oil. Delicious.

The Carnaroli rice has the green in it.

Love and Happy Spatulas

Grilled Yogurt Chicken with Quinoa and Cucumber Salad

2010-04-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

2 boned and skinned chicken breasts

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. lemon juice

1/4 t. salt

1/8 t. red chile flakes

1/8 t. ground turmeric

vegetable oil

for salad: cucumber, radish, plain yogurt, salt and white pepper

Prepare hot grill or barbecue at hight heat. The recipe calls for pounding the chicken to 1/4 inch, but I sliced it thin and didn't have much luck pounding it with a rolling pin between two sheets of waxed paper. I have a metal mallet which I have used before, but it just destroyed the chicken, so I thought I'd try the rolling pin suggested in the recipe. Oh well. Mix yogurt, cumin, lemon juice, salt, chile flakes and turmeric and coat pieces of chicken. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Wipe off excess marinade and rub lightly with oil on both sides. Oil grill with some vegetable oil on a paper towel.

I made a little cucumber, radish, dill and yogurt salad to serve with the chicken, assuming it would be a little dry. I chopped up 1 persian cucumber and 1 radish along with some chopped dill and enough plain yogurt to coat the ingredients. You can add salt, black pepper shallots and mint, but I just added a bit of salt and white pepper.

I had some leftover cooked red quinoa and found a recipe that dressed up quinoa with toasted pine nuts, garlic, parsley and raisins which I cooked in a little olive oil and added to the already cooked quinoa and added a little salt and pepper.

Cook the chicken about three minutes on each side. Serve chicken with a spoonful of the cucumber salad.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Scallops with Asparagus and Linguini

2010-04-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

Wild caught, fresh bay scallops were on sale along with thin asparagus, so I decided to throw together a simple linguini dish for dinner along with a salad. Serves two.

linguini - 6 oz. uncooked

10 oz. bay scallops

1 bunch asparagus

1 T olive oil

1 T butter

salt and pepper

1 t. parsley

1/4 c. white wine

Fill large pot with water, add 2 tsp. salt and bring to a boil. Scallops cook quickly, so while the water is coming to a boil, prepare all of the other ingredients. Snap off woody stems at the base of the asparagus and cut into three pieces. Salt and pepper scallops. Chop parsley. Cook the linguini according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large frying pan and then heat the olive oil in the pan. Add the asparagus and cook until it just starts to get tender, but is still crisp. Don't let it get soft. Set aside and heat the pan to a high heat. Don't start cooking the scallops until the pasta is almost done. Add the butter to the hot pan and quickly sear the scallops. Remove them from the pan. Add the wine to the pan along with some pasta water and scrape any bits off of the bottom of the pan. For some zing you can add lemon juice and/or zest either at this point or marinate the scallops in the lemon at the beginning. I didn't do this because I'm avoiding citrus due to its acidity, but Alyssa has done this before with scallops and it was very tasty. Drain the pasta and place on a plate. Add the asparagus and scallops back into the pan and quickly re-heat. Serve the scallops and asparagus over the pasta. Pour the remaining sauce over the pasta and decorate with parsley.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Grilled Eggplant Wrap with Tahini-Yogurt Dressing

2010-04-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

I absolutely LOVE eggplant and grilling it on my kitchen griller uses less oil than frying. This recipe caught my eye in Sunset magazine and I decided to give it a try, making a few adjustments, as usual.

Tahini-Yogurt Dressing

1 T. minced garlic

3 T. fresh lemon juice

1 c. plain low-fat Greek yogurt - I used non-fat

1/4 c. tahini (sesame paste)

1 T. kosher salt - I used more like 1 t.

1 lb. eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds

2 large tomatoes, thickly sliced

olive oil

4 pieces naan bread or flatbred

2-3 cups baby spinach loose, not packed (I added some basil because my plant is alive)

If you are using a large eggplant, rather than the smaller japanese eggplant, peel some of the skin away. Place eggplant slices in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let it sit for about one hour. This purges the eggplant of its bitterness. Rinse the eggplant to remove the salt and squeeze the pieces, a few at a time to squeeze out the moisture. Pat the slices dry.

Brush the eggplant slices lightly with oil. Cook until they are tender and creamy. Brush the tomato slices with oil and grill carefully. Warm bread in oven or on grill.

Lay out piece of bread and top with spinach, slices of eggplant and tomato. Spoon on the dressing. Fold or wrap and enjoy!

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Chicken and Papaya Spring Roll

2010-04-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

Two wrap-type recipes caught my eye in Sunset magazine. I adapted each of them a bit to suit my taste and available ingredients.

First, a chicken and papaya spring roll, which turned out to be a surprisingly filling meal, even though I used small rice papers and didn't include rice noodles in the rolls. Here is my recipe for 8 rolls:

3 oz thin rice noodles - I omitted these

butter lettuce leaves - I used this strange, soft lettuce that is growing in the vegetable box in our garden

8-16 oz. roasted chicken - I bought already cooked, grilled chicken strips from Trader Joe' s

1 medium papaya - you have to buy this in advance or luck into a ripe one as I did

mint leaves - having none, I used basil, or it could be omitted

spicy peanut or satay sauce - prepared and sold in jars or bottles

1/2 c. roasted and salted peanuts, chopped

2-3 green onions, sliced into this strips

lime wedges

8 rice paper sheets

If you are going to use the noodles, cook according to the package and drain.

Chop and prepare all of the ingredients so you can create an production line.

Set out a large bowl with boiling water and drop the rice paper sheet in for about 1 minute to soften. This was very easy with the corn-tortilla sized round that I had. I used a shallow bowl and dropped in one rice sheet at a time. I had to add or replace more boiling water as I went along.

Shake off the water and lay the rice paper on a plate. Be sure that it is soft around the edges. Place the ingredients, one by one, on the rice paper and squeeze some lime juice over the array. Then, fold the rice paper. The fold will depend on what shape and size you have. The rice wrapper sticks easily to itself and can even be unwrapped if you forgot to add something.

The original recipe suggests setting out all the ingredients and having your family or guests make their own. This way it's easy for everyone to use the ingredients and amounts they prefer. I've made these twice now. Once I heated up the chicken and the other time, served it cold. They are quite yummy, no doubt due to the peanut sauce, but I guess you could put most anything in rice paper.

Tomorrow, Eggplant and Tahini Dressing in Flatbread

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Spring Risotto with Asparagus Pesto Salmon

2010-03-20T00:17:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I sort of made this up as I went along. I've made many risottos before, so I've gotten then hang of them after a while, there's a simpleness to the process that you'll discover after making risottos a few times. Risottos are a great accent to a dish where you may have a piece of fish or chicken, or if you're a vegetarian, incorporate some vegetables, like this recipe.

Spring Risotto

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

3 Cloves Garlic, finely minced, or grated into a sort of garlic paste

1 Cup Carnaroli Rice

2/3 Cup Dry White Wine (or broth, or water if you don't want to use wine)

4 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth

1 Cup Frozen Peas (immerse in boiling water, and then drain)

1 Bunch Thin Asparagus, Roasted with Lime Juice, Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, at 475º for 5 minutes, and then cut into 1 inch pieces

1.5 Tablespoons Mascarpone

1 Tablespoon Freshly Grated Parmesan, and some extra for decoration

2 Tablespoons Freshly Chopped Dill

1 Tablespoon Freshly Chopped Mint Leaves

Start by pouring the chicken or vegetable broth in a saucepan, and set aside at a low heat. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large frying pan (preferably one with taller sides), then add the garlic paste to the pan. Break up the garlic, and when it starts to turn golden brown, add the rice to the pan. Start to toast the rice in the pan, and when it is coated with the oil and butter and starts to turn golden brown, add the wine, and let it reduce. When the wine starts to disappear, add a ladle of the broth, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the broth reduces, then add another ladle all over again for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, the rice should be almost cooked, and it is okay to add the vegetables. Mix them in with the rice and add one last ladle of broth. When the broth reduces, add the mascarpone, and the parmesan. Let the cheeses melt and test the rice to see if it is chewy, and not mushy, then your risotto is done. Turn off the heat and add in the herbs, serve and sprinkle with parmesan.

Minty Asparagus Pesto

3 Stalks Steamed Asparagus

2 Mint Leaves

1 Garlic Clove

1 Teaspoon Grated Parmesan

Handful of Basil Leaves

1-2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Put all ingredients in a food processor, and slowly add the olive oil slowly until all of the ingredients turn into a pesto.

I put the Salmon skin side down in a pan with heated olive oil, sprinkled a little salt on it, and then spread the pesto on top. I cooked the fish with a top on the pan for four to five minutes, then I flipped over the fish, and cooked it for another two to three minutes, flipped it back, and collected some of the pesto to spread on top, and voilà!

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Braised Endive Crostini

2010-03-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I had this delicacy at an Italian restaurant and it was good, but I think mine is better. You can control how sweet you want it to be, because this can be a lovely appetizer, or a delectable dessert.

Braised Endive Crostini

3 Endives

3 Slices of whole grain/wheat bread, you might want to buy a loaf of fresh bread instead of sandwich bread

2 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 cup water

Honey

Pepper

Start by cleaning the endives, first wash them, and then cut off the ends, and if there is any browning on the tips remove it. Then cut the endives in half lengthwise.

In a large frying pan, heat 2 Tablespoons of butter until it is melted, then place the endives in a single layer on their backsides. Pour enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and put a lid on the pan and put on the lowest heat for 15-20 minutes.

After this time, remove the lid, and turn the spears over. Let the liquid reduce a bit and the spears will start to brown. At this point, you can choose whether or not you want them to cook more, they should already be tender so if you don't want them to be too crispy than feel free to start to add honey. At this point you should just drizzle a bit of honey on both sides of each spear. Then let the honey melt into endive, and then remove from the pan. Do not clean the pan!

Place the slices of bread in the same pan where you cooked the endives, if you need to, add a little more butter. Once the slices have soaked up butter and honey flavor on one side, flip them over and let them soak up the other side. After this, remove the slices from the pan, and put the endive spears on the bread slices (two spears per slice). Then put the crostini in a toaster or oven to toast up the bread a bit.

Serve warm with freshly cracked pepper and a simple side salad (dressing recipe below image).

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

1 Part Honey

2 Parts Dijon Mustard

3 Parts Olive Oil

1/2 Part Balsamic Vinegar

The sweetness of the honey really balances out the spicy tang of the mustard. If it's too spicy, add more oil.

Love and Happy Spatulas!

Alyssa

Roasted Pork Loin with Farro and Apsaragus

2010-03-10T21:55:00.000-08:00

Roasted Pork Loin

I bought a pork loin at the store and went in search of a recipe. After looking through all of our recipes I decided to look on the Internet and selected this one because it was simple and used rosemary, which I have growing in the garden. The recipe is from allrecipes.com

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T rosemary minced

salt and pepper

2 pounds boneless pork roast

1/4 c. olive oil

1/2 c. white wine

Heat oven to 350°

Crush garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper into a paste. Cut slits into pork loin and press the paste into the openings. Add olive oil to remaining paste and rub pork loin with mixture. Place on roasting pan and cook in oven for about 2 hours, basting and turning. Remove roast from pan. Add wine to pan, heat and stir to loosen the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. This is de-glazing. I think I'm finally getting the hang of it and learning to stop fearing all those crusty bits at the bottom of my pan. Instead, with a little wine, it can make a delicious and quick sauce. Slice the pork and drizzle sauce over the cut pieces.

Farro

After reading several recipes on the Internet I decided to soak the farro overnight and cook it in my rice cooker. The proportion is 1 cup farro to 3 cups water. My farro was from Italy, but there were no instructions on the package. This is a sturdy grain which tastes a bit nutty and chewy when cooked. I added a bit of cumin before cooking and garnished it with parsley, but it tasted rather plain. The rice cooker seemed to cook on and on, so I finally took a peek after about 45 minutes. All of the water was gone and the bottom was beginning to burn, so I stopped the cooking. There are stovetop recipes available and lots of recipes for pilafs and salads, which would have been more interesting, but not what I was looking for that night. I had a little leftover farro and added it to a salad.

I added some steamed asparagus spears to the plate. My husband and son (who was home to have dinner with us) enjoyed the meal. Alyssa doesn't eat pork, so it's a good thing she was away at college for this meal.

Simple Leek Soup

2010-03-08T23:54:00.000-08:00

As you know, my Aunt Tania is one of my favorite cooks. She makes the most decadent food, and she tries her best to make it look effortless. When she served me this leek soup, I was astounded at the flavor that could come out of a simple 7 ingredients (including water).

The most difficult thing about this recipe is the Roux.

Simple Leek Soup

4 Leeks

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1- 1.5 Cups Water

2-3 Tablespoons Vegetable or Chicken Bouillon (I use the Better than Bouillon jar)

3-4 Cups Milk, I use Non-fat milk, but 2% is fine.

White Pepper, to your liking

For the Roux:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 Tablespoons Flour

Start by cleaning the leeks, cut them into very thin half moons, and float them in a bowl of water. This lets the dirt sink below the sliced leeks, and is the easiest way to clean leeks if you are cutting them small. Once the leeks are clean, dry them with a tea cloth, dish towel or paper towel, then heat up some olive oil in a large soup pot, and begin to wilt the leeks. If it helps, you can wilt them a little at a time, and add more leeks as they cook down. Once all of the leeks have wilted and softened, add as much water as you see fit, the flavor will come with the Bouillon, so don't worry about putting in too much water, but stay between 1 cup and 1.5 cups. Once you've added the water cook on a low heat until you have a mixture that measures about an inch and a half high. Then you can add the Bouillon to your taste, and 3-4 cups of milk. Bring the ingredients to a boil, and when it comes close, make the roux in a small frying pan (see recipe below). When the soup has boiled, add the roux, and season it with white pepper. Salt is unnecessary, since there is plenty in the Bouillon flavor.

Roux

Start by pouring the oil into the pan over a medium-low heat. Before the oil gets hot, slowly add the flower and mix with a spoon until the two blend and thicken. The roux will gradually begin to golden, and at this stage, you may add it to the soup. Most recipes say that the longer you cook it, the more flavor it adds, so you should trial some roux and find out how you like it.

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Angel Hair Frittata

2010-03-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

If you don't have enough time to make a decadent brunch, it only takes a few minutes to put together this delicious frittata.

The best thing about a frittata is that you can use as many or as few vegetables as you like, and you can choose the vegetables that you want to use. I wanted to keep this frittata simple, but flavorful, but you can use anything from artichokes to mushrooms!

Angel Hair Frittata

1/4 Package Angel Hair Pasta (normal or wheat)

3 Medium Sized Zucchini

1 Red Bell Pepper

2-3 Cloves Garlic

10 Medium Eggs

Splash of Milk

White Pepper

Kosher Salt

Olive Oil

A Few Sprigs of Parsley

Cheese-- Optional, your choice.

Large Frying pan that is Oven Safe

Preheat the oven to 350º F, or turn on your broiler.

In order to prepare this dish, it's important to get everything ready in advance. The preparation takes more time than the cooking, but it's worth it in the end.

1. Start with the zucchini, these directions may look familiar, since they are the same from the "sauce-less pasta that will blow your mind." If you don't have a mandoline or a "thin french fry cutter" just use a plain old knife to cut your zucchini. You want your slices to be as thin as possible and as long as possible. Start by cutting the zucchini into "spaghetti" shapes, toss it in a bowl with a little salt and pepper and set aside After the Zucchini, slice the red bell pepper as thinly as possible in long strips.*If you prefer diced vegetables, you may also choose that path, but I find with long pasta-based frittatas it's nice to have the vegetables cut in a similar shape. When you have finished cutting your veggies, you're ready to start your frittata.

2. Cook angel hair according to package directions. Normal pasta usually takes two minutes, wheat usually takes 5. Once pasta is cooked, drain and mix with a little olive oil so it doesn't stick together.

3. Beat the eggs with a splash of milk, a dash of white pepper, and a few garlic cloves that have been finely minced.

4. Heat up the frying pan with a bit of olive oil, and add the veggies and the cooked angel hair. Let the vegetables cook a bit before adding the egg mixture. When you are pleased with the way in which the veggies and pasta have been mixed around, pour the egg mixture all around the pan, evenly spreading it over the colorful veggies.

5. Once you have fully cooked the bottom of the egg mixture, bring the pan over to the oven, and slide it under your broiler for 15-20 minutes, or until the top has fully cooked. You can test this by running a toothpick or a knife through the center of the mixture to see if it has cooked through. At this stage you can sprinkle cheese on top, an optional step. Let the cheese melt, and then remove the frittata from the oven. Be careful! The pan may not look hot since you're used to taking it off of the stove, but I have burned myself one too many times in this stage.

6. Here you have the option of flipping your frittata twice, first you flip it out of the pan onto one plate, and then flip it over to another plate. If you have used cheese this may not be the best option.

7. Decorate! Slice up an avocado and lay the slices around the frittata, then sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley, and voilá! You have a frittata!

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Pasta with Cannellini Beans and Arugula

2010-03-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

My husband recently went through the mountain of recipes that Alyssa and I had clipped from magazines. We enjoy Cooking Light, Sunset and occasionally Food & Wine. We also clip from the LA Times food section. I have hundreds of recipes that I have collected over the years, plus hundreds more from my mother. However, many times when I want to make something, I just Google the main ingredients or type of dish, read several entries and make my own version. Sometimes it's nice to go through recipes for inspiration, and that is what my husband did after he organized the recipes. This is one he selected.

This vegetarian pasta dish uses spaghetti (more about that later), cannellini beans (which I love), arugula and tomatoes (which I try to avoid due to the acid). So, I decided to use red peppers instead of tomatoes -- and it came out quite nicely. The original recipe was in Sunset magazine.

1/2 lb. spaghetti

3/4 t. kosher salt

3 T extra-virgin olive oil

2 T minced fresh garlic (I used less, but the original recipe is garlicky)

1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes

2 red peppers cut in small chunks or 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1 can(15-16 oz.) cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

7 oz. arugula leaves

2 T fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup (2 oz.) grated parmesean cheese

Microwave the red pepper chunks for 2 minutes, until slightly tender. Drain. Cook pasta without salt or oil. Ladle 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and place pasta in a small bowl. Add 1/4 t. salt and toss gently. Set aside and cover to keep warm. Using the same pot, place on medium heat. Add oil, garlic and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes or until garlic is lightly browned. Stir occasionally. Stir in remaining salt, peppers or tomatoes and beans. Add pasta and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. (When using the red peppers cooking time can be reduced.) Add pasta water and arugula and toss gently. Stir in lemon juice and cheese. Makes six 1 1/2 cup servings.

The lemon juice is what gives this dish its tangy flavor and we enjoyed the dish. One concern is that I always have a problem with pasta dishes that call for spaghetti without a sauce. The long strands build nests and don't mix well with the other ingredients. I made this situation worse by using thin spaghetti. Maybe with tomatoes the mixture would have been more slippery. Next time I think I'll try a small penne.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Apologies!

2010-02-22T20:24:00.000-08:00

Hello Faithful Readers!

I am so sorry that I have not been posting. My mother and I really did a lot of cooking while I was home in December/January, but we did so much cooking that we didn't have time to blog.

I have been extremely sidetracked with schoolwork, this is by far my busiest semester as of yet, and I haven't been cooking as often as you would like to read about. I did make a somewhat delicious vegetarian lasagna for a dinner party a few weeks ago, but neglected to take any photographs of it.

I have some new tips that I'd love to write about dealing with cooked tomatoes, raw tofu, marinating beef/red meat, and of course a delicious leek soup that takes less than 20 minutes to throw together (and is absolutely the most delicious soup I've had in a while).

Please keep checking back here, and I will do my best to update you with tips and recipes as they come up.

And I'll try to remember that camera!!

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Care Package Cookies: Zucchini! Banana!

2010-01-31T20:34:00.000-08:00

Alyssa wants to eat more healthfully (is that a word?) this semester, so I decided to look-up healthy cookies on the Internet. I found two recipes, neither of which used sugar. One uses honey and the other, just t

he sweetness of the bananas and dates. I spent the afternoon baking and was pleased to end up with once soft cookie any one more on the crunchy side. The care package goes in the mail tomorrow. I'm posting now so she knows what she's getting and can look forward to their arrival.

From AllHomemadeCookies.com

Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup honey
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and honey. Then add the egg and beat well. Stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add this mixture alternately with the zucchini to the egg mixture. Stir in the oatmeal and raisins. Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 5 dozen cookies.

These came out very nice and tasty. They are soft and a great way to get some zucchini into a cookie!

From allrecipes.com

Healthy Banana Cookies

These cookies are quite simple and use no sugar or honey -- just the natural sweetness of bananas and dates. I think 1 cup of chopped dates was a bit much, so I'd suggest maybe 3/4 cup or so.

3 ripe bananas
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dates, pitted and chopped (or less)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°
In a medium bowl, mash the bananas. (I keep overripe bananas in the freezer, so I just pulled out three and let them defrost.) Stir in oats, dates, oil, and vanilla. Mix well. It was difficult to get the date pieces separated from one another as they just wanted to stick together. Allow mixture to sit for 15 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Makes 3 dozen cookies.
Bake for 20 minutes until lightly brown. Mine took a little longer. They came out nice and crisp and taste yummy -- although a bit too datey.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Colorful Beef Stew (without tomatoes or onions)

2010-01-31T19:34:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to make some beef stew with the leftover beef stew meat that was in the freezer from when Alyssa made Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon recipe earlier in the month when she was home for winter break. This recipe should be called Alyssa meets Julia. I wasn't going to make the stew as rich or as

complicated as Julia's, but I wanted to have a hint of butter and to layer the flavors to give the stew some depth. I also wanted to make the stew without onions or tomatoes, so I

referred to Alyssa's roasted pepper sauce recipe.

Recipe serves only about three people. Double or triple for a larger amount.

1 lb. beef stew meat, trim and cut into evenly-sized pieces

pinch of kosher salt

1 T olive oil

1 T butter

1 jar roasted red peppers

2 cloves garlic

2 bell peppers, one red, 1 yellow

6 small or 2 large carrots

3 sticks celery

1/2 t. paprika

1 bay leaf

2 T flour, separated

The beef had thawed in the refrigerator overnight. I trimmed the pieces and dredged them in a bit of flour. I added a pinch of kosher salt, now conveniently located in a bowl on

the stovetop thanks to Alyssa. So here's the recipe:

Melt the oil and butter in a Dutch oven. (I bought myself one on sale over the holidays.) Add the beef in, a few pieces at a time. After they are browned on all sides take them out and put

them in a bowl for awhile. Add a little red wine to deglaze the pan and scrape up all the little brown bits. Drain the jar of roasted peppers and puree the pieces along with the garlic in a

small food processor. Chop the peppers, carrots and celery into bite-sized pieces and add to the pot along with the beef broth. Sprinkle with paprika and saute for a few minutes. Add beef back in and simmer on very low heat for about two hours. Check every once in awhile to make sure it is not burning on the bottom. If the sauce is too liquid, take some of the liquid out and mix with 1 T flour and return to stew. If you don't mind tomato, a teaspoon or two of tomato paste will also do nicely. Add a bit more salt, if desired.

Serve over noodles or eat with a nice, crusty bread. if you add chunks of potato it should

make a thicker stew. The sauce was a little thin, but it came out pretty well. Very flavorful.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Moroccan Feast

2010-01-29T15:32:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Finally I have an afternoon to myself, and am able to update our blog, so make sure you hang tight, because there's gonna be a lot of great food coming your way. Believe it, or not, at the end of my winter break I was so busy cooking that I didn't have time to write blogs, and we barely got by with photographs. We mostly just have memories of the delicious food that was so easy to cook, anyone can do it, guaranteed.

As you know, I really love the Food Network, and I watch many of the cooking shows, and even some of the other (more "reality-based") shows. I'm not a big fan of shows like The Worst Chefs In America, but last year, when I was home, I decided to watch The Next Food Network Star, because it would determine the new personality that I would be able to watch. I wasn't extremely invested in the drama of it all, I just wanted to see who would win, so I watched the show, and in the end, Chef Melissa D'Arabian won! Melissa started her Food Network Career, and frankly I was excited. This woman is filled with great tips, and recipes, and I have enjoyed trying a few of her recipes that have now been posted on the Food Network website.

Moroccan Feast, with help from Melissa D'Arabian

Now I can't take credit for the original idea, but I have altered the recipe slightly so that (in my opinion) it comes out just a little bit better.

Melissa's recipe for the meatballs and couscous can be found here, and her carrots, here.

Sauce

1.5 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 Small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lemon, zested

1/2 cup pitted, drained and chopped kalamata olives

1/8 cup chopped capers

1/2 cup white wine (any kind you prefer)

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 cups freshly crushed tomatoes (Peel the tomatoes by dropping them into a pot or bowl of boiling water, and then after a minute or so, the skin should come right off, then crush the tomatoes with your hand)

1 teaspoon light brown sugar

1/2 or 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and Pepper

1 can of tomato paste, minus 2 tablespoons (for the meatballs)

The easiest way to make this sauce is to make sure you have all of your ingredients ready before you start cooking. Zest the lemon, dice the onion, etc. Then start by heating the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and add the onion and garlic until they are soft. Then add the lemon zest, olives, and capers. After about a minute, add the white wine to deglaze the pan, and let the mixture reduce for 1-2 minutes. When your kitchen begins to smell delicious, add the stock, tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, cinnamon and cumin, and season with salt and pepper. If the sauce looks a little thin, begin to add the tomato paste, a spoonful at a time. Whenever you're working with a tomato based sauce, soup or dish, it is important to have tomato paste on hand, in case your mixture is too thin. I found that the juice from the tomatoes really thin the sauce out, and it's much better thick. After this, your sauce is done, so set it aside, and concentrate on those meatballs!

Meatballs

1 egg

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (plus more for decoration)

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4-1 pound ground beef

1/3 cup panko (or breadcrumbs if you prefer)

Salt and Pepper

Mix all of the ingredients together, this is easy to do with your hands, since you're going to use them to roll the meatballs anyway. Once the ingredients are incorporated with one another, roll out meatballs, no larger than 1-inch in diameter, and keep them all relatively the same size. Melissa uses vegetable oil to do the preliminary meatball cooking, but I prefer olive oil, you can use whatever oil you like. The idea is to brown the meatballs, and then let them cook the rest of the way in the sauce at a slow simmer, but meatballs wont brown if you put 30 in a pan, so it's easiest to cook them in small batches, of whatever size you can handle. Once they have browned, try and drip off some of the excess oil on a paper towel, and then add them to the sauce. When all of the meatballs have been browned and are put in the sauce, leave them in the pan with the sauce on a low heat for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, you can try Melissa's glazed carrot recipe, I had no luck with it, but it was still delicious. You can also make the accompanying couscous recipe, which is absolutely delicious.

Couscous

1 cup water

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dates (I like them better than dried dates)

1 cup quick-cooking couscous (you can also find whole wheat couscous at some stores)

Boil the water, stock and oil, then add the couscous and dates. Cover the pan and let it sit for 5 minutes off of the heat. Fluff and serve!

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Beef Brisket With Chili Sauce

2009-12-27T17:53:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite beef dishes is brisket. My mother used to make a wonderful brisket with onion soup mix and curry powder. Several years ago one of my cousins made a fabulous bbq flavored brisket and my family fell in love. I made this brisket to celebrate Alyssa's return home for winter break and the last night of Hanukah.

1 large (3-4 lbs.) or 2 small (1-2 lbs. each) brisket

1 jar chili sauce

1 onion soup packet, dry

2 cups red wine

1 can ginger ale

Heat oven (regular, not convection) to 350°. I sometimes have a problem getting brisket cooked to the tender stage. Although I'm not sure, it may be because I have used the convection setting. With this setting you aren't supposed to cover the pan. I consulted several recipes and some say to cover, others, not. You need to add enough sauce to cover the meat. Sometimes I have put carrots and potatoes alongside the brisket after about an hour of cooking. I think this may have crowded the meat and robbed it of its ability to cook to the tender stage. This time we weren't using potatoes as we were making latkes (potato pancakes) and I decided to roast the carrots separately.

Mix chili sauce, onion soup packet and wine in a bowl. Place brisket in roasting pan. I spray the pan first with a cooking spray, so it will be easier to clean. Pour mixture over brisket. Add can of ginger ale. Cover with foil and bake for 3 - 4 hours, until tender when piercing with a large fork.

It's best to make brisket a day or two ahead. When it is cooked, take the brisket out of the pan and place on a plate or cutting board. After it cools a bit, cut while it is still warm. My husband says it's easier to cut warm than cold. Brisket needs to be cut in moderately thin slices, against the grain. Place covered or wrapped-up in the refrigerator. Once the leftover sauce cools, pour it into a saucepan. Place this pan in the refrigerator. You

have to make some room in your fridge for these bulky items. The next day you can skim off the fat that rises to the top of the sauce and re-heat the sauce, now gravy, to serve with the brisket. You can re-heat the slices and gravy in a pan in the oven, place the slices in a glass or ceramic roasting pan, pour over the gravy, cover with waxed paper or plastic wrap and heat in the microwave or pour the gravy into a large frying pan, add the slices and heat on the stove. Yum! Mine came out nice and tender this time. It was a bit salty, however. Maybe I'll try using sliced onions instead of the onion packet next time.

Happy Cooking

Peggy

Blackberry Tofu Stir Fry with Vegetables

2009-12-21T22:45:00.000-08:00

Hello!

When my mother told me that there were a few blackberries left in the fridge the other day, I was trying to think of something interesting to do with them. We were already planning on having tofu stir fry, but I'm always trying to come up with different ways to prepare tofu so that it tastes delicious, and I think I found the solution with this stir fry.

I started by taking out all of the asian sauces in our fridge: soy, teriyaki, oyster, hoisin, black bean, and I broke up a blackberry on a dish, and tried a dab of each sauce with a tiny bite of blackberry to test the flavor combinations to see what works best. Soy was too salty, and oyster would have gone nicely in moderation, but I wanted to try and keep this vegan (for fun). Hoisin was too sweet, and black bean was too garlicky, and I was already going to add garlic to my vegetables. I ended up using teriyaki, the perfect combination of sweet and salty to go with my sweet blackberries, and more readily available than most of those other sauces.

Blackberry Tofu Stir Fry

1 Package of Extra Firm, or Firm Tofu

Small Handful of Blackberries

About 1 Tablespoon Teriyaki Sauce (but don't overdo it!)

Canola Oil

3/4 of a Head of Broccoli, or 3/4 of a Bag of Pre-Cut Broccoli, cut into florets

2 Pieces of Zucchini Cut into thirds, then quartered lengthwise

10 Baby Carrots, or 1 Large Carrot, halved or quartered lengthwise

1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips, then halved

2 Cloves of Garlic, minced

3/4 can of Bamboo Shoots (optional)

Start by steaming the broccoli a little bit so it cooks at the same rate as the rest of the vegetables, I usually do this by putting the broccoli in a microwave-safe dish, and drizzling a little water over it, and the microwaving it for a couple of minutes. If you do this, make sure you drain the water from the broccoli before adding it to the rest of the vegetables.

Pour some canola oil (or vegetable/mushroom/chicken/beef broth if you prefer) into a wok (or frying pan) and let heat, then add the garlic. Soon after, add the carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, bamboo shoots, and broccoli. My broccoli ended up a bit overcooked, and so it was broken up into little broccoli bits, which added nice color, but not the exact texture I was looking for. Cover the vegetables with whatever kind of cover you have, and turn the heat to low while you steam them briefly.

Use the steaming time to dice the tofu (or cut in strips if you prefer) and separate the blackberries. Now blackberries grow around this kind of seed/pit thing, that is perfectly fine to eat, but when you cook them, all of the "black" falls off, and these weird green things are left in the pan. What I did was I just pulled the little black "seeds" off of the bigger green seed, and put them aside until I was ready to use them.

Once the vegetables have steamed, feel free to toss them around a bit, and then take them out of the wok (or frying pan) and put them aside. Do not add any oil to the pan. Put the tofu in the pan on medium-low heat, and as the pieces cook, add the blackberries. Toss the tofu with the blackberries until the pieces are all dyed purple/pink. Then add the teriyaki, however little or much you want really, but you're going to want the flavor to transfer to the vegetables, so a little more than just for the tofu. Once you've mixed the tofu with the teriyaki and the blackberries, and the tofu has cooked a bit, add the vegetables back in and mix well.

After that, you're ready to serve. I cooked up a package of yaki-soba noodles, they aren't easy to find, but they're my favorite even though they are really bad for me. You could also serve this with rice, or any other noodles you like. It can also be a stand alone dish without a starch, but I like to balance out my meals.

Photos to come soon!

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Sage Roasted Carrots

2009-12-18T19:49:00.000-08:00

Hello All!

You probably already know how much I love to roast vegetables, but do you know why? Roasting vegetables is absolutely marvelous. It's quick, easy, mess-free and delicious. When you roast vegetables, you aren't using a ton of water that will just soak up all of the flavor, you're condensing the flavors of the vegetables by using a minimal amount of liquid. Although roasting isn't as healthy as steaming, it's definitely more interesting, and you can do so many different things when you roast vegetables. This won't be the last blog I write about roasting vegetables, in fact I have a completely different roasted carrot recipe that I will write about at another time, but for now:

Sage Roasted Carrots

1 Bunch of Nantes Sweet Carrots (or any carrot you'd like)

5-6 Leaves Fresh Sage, Washed and Chopped

No More Than 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Baking Sheet

Foil

Preheat your oven to 400º and line your baking sheet with foil. Slice your carrots in half lengthwise, and if you would like, you can quarter them as well. For this particular recipe, strips are better than coins. Spread your carrot quarters out on the baking sheet and sprinkle the sage, salt and pepper over them, then add your oil and mix together with your hands. Once all of the oil is mixed well over the carrots, and you have sage throughout the sheet, spread out the carrots and put in the oven for about 10 minutes, if the carrots are not done, then check on them every two minutes afterwards until they are cooked to your desired tenderness. I like mine a bit al dente.

If you don't like sage, or don't have it readily available, try this same recipe with parsely, dill, chives, rosemary, tarragon, oregano, thyme, or any other herb that tickles your fancy.

Photos to come soon.

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

PS. I mentioned "mess-free" earlier, when you're done, just throw the tin foil in the recycling, and your pan is clean!

Stir-Fried Eggplant with Tofu

2009-12-14T19:28:00.000-08:00

I love eggplant! Anytime I see a dish in a restaurant with eggplant in it, it's almost a sure bet that I will order it. I found this recipe for a stir-fried eggplant with tofu in myrecipes.com. One problem with frying eggplant is its need for lots of oil. The recipe calls for three tablespoons of oil, but I used only one tablespoon of oil and about a half cup of beef broth (you can also use vegetable broth, or chicken broth). I also used only about one tablespoon of sugar instead of two. After I cut-up the eggplant I put it in a large bowl and added salt. After stirring the eggplant around I filled the bowl with water, let it sit for a few minutes and then drained the water out. This is a quick-method for drawing out some of the eggplant's bitterness. You can also salt the pieces, let them sit and then pat the pieces with a paper towel.

3 T. vegetable oil (or less if you use broth)

1 package firm tofu, drained, cut into 1 1/2 by 2 inch chunks

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound eggplant, cut into 1 by 3 inch strips

1 small red or green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

2 T sugar (or less)

2 T oyster sauce

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

Heat 1 T oil and/or 2-3 T broth in a wok or large pan. A non-stick wok or pan is nice because you can use less oil. Add tofu and cook over high heat. Be gentle so you don't crumble up the tofu. Cook until browned slightly. It takes longer to brown in broth. Use a slotted spoon and transfer to a dish.

Cook garlic, eggplant and bell pepper in oil or broth until tender. Stir occasionally for about 8-10 minutes. Mix soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar (can reduce to 1 T). Add sauce to mixture and cook another 2 minutes. Add tofu and stir in gently. Remove from heat and stir in basil leaves. I chopped mine up a bit. Can be served over rice.

This dish tasted quite authentic and was easy -- maybe a half-hour to prepare.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2009-12-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago, Alyssa started roasting asparagus. We all fell in love with this wonderful creation. The roasting process draws out and concentrates the flavor of the asparagus and they are just DELICIOUS! We used to steam our asparagus, which is a bit healthier, but the roasted variety is so yummy and uses just a bit of oil. The vitamins probably stay intact as well. After treating us to roasted asparagus, Alyssa moved on and roasted broccoli florets -- also delicious although a bit tricky as the pieces are uneven sizes and some get a little crisp. Recently Dan and I discussed roasting brussels sprouts. We like them and Alyssa does not, so since she will be home for winter break soon, I decided I better make them so we could enjoy them before she gets home.

I figured that it was best to cut the brussels sprouts in half. I trimmed off the ends and cut each in half. I even quartered some of the larger pieces. I spread the sprouts on a baking sheet covered with foil. Then I drizzled a little light olive oil, sprinkled a bit of kosher salt and ground some fresh pepper over the sprouts. Next, you have to just use your hands and mix the ingredients. As Alyssa would say, "don't be shy, just dig in and do it". It does not coat well enough if you move it around with a spoon or spatula, so just use your hands.

Roast in a pre-heated oven at 475° for 10 minutes.

Now there was a problem I anticipated, but didn't act to prevent. When you cut the brussels sprouts in half, some of the leaves fall off. These stragglers started to crisp and burn in about 5 minutes. I rescued them, placed them in a bowl and returned the baking sheet to the oven for the remaining 5 minutes. They were actually quite good. That concentrated flavor is just irresistible. What I should have done is to hold back those loose leaves and just added them in after about 7 minutes of cooking.

Even if you don't like brussels sprouts, give these a try. The flavor is sooooo good!

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Our Favorite Pumpkin Pie

2009-12-09T19:20:00.001-08:00

Years ago we discovered this wonderful pumpkin pie recipe in one of Mollie Katzen's Moosewood cookbooks. My husband, Dan, makes this pie for our family Thanksgiving every year.

The recipe is a bit sweet, so we've cut down on the sweetener. It uses honey instead of sugar and this year Dan used some maple syrup along with the honey. I heard from a friend, who also loves Mollie K., that there is a new Moosewood recipe on the Internet with brown and white sugar and a pinch of white pepper. She used to make the same pie as ours and says this new one is quite terrific. Maybe we'll try it next year.

You can make this pie in an unbaked pie shell (Mollie suggests whole wheat, of course) or in a baking dish without a crust. We always increase the recipe either by 1/2 or double and end up with both. Without the shell it's pumpkin pudding!

3 cups pumpkin puree

3/4 cup honey (or less)

2 T molasses

1/4 t. powdered cloves

3 t. cinnamon

1 1/2 t. ground ginger (fresh might be too overpowering)

1 t. salt

4 eggs

1 can evaporated milk

Put the pumpkin puree in a large bowl. We used canned, but you can use freshly baked and pureed pumpkin. Add the honey, molasses, powdered cloves, cinnamon, powdered ginger, salt and eggs. The eggs should be slightly beaten -- but more than Dan did so you won't get those lumps you see on the top of the pie. Add the can of evaporated milk and stir with a spatula. Mollie says you can substitute 2 cups of scalded milk if you don't have evaporated milk.

Bake for 10 minutes at 450° and then 40 minutes at 350° or until set. It usually takes a bit longer -- maybe because we have 2-3 pies in the oven.

Serve with whipped cream.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Caramelized Onion and Cornbread Stuffing

2009-12-07T11:29:00.000-08:00

Hellooooo!

A dilemma:

Most Stuffing recipes have meat or nuts in them, and I don't eat nuts, and there's already going to be turkey on the table, or you have a vegetarian present, so finding a stuffing recipe that suits everyone's taste buds is quite difficult. One thing you can do if you find a recipe you like that has one ingredient you don't like, is just cut out that ingredient! I do it all the time. I also substitute a lot, for example I don't eat pork, but sometimes I really like a recipe that calls for pork, so I'll just use chicken or beef instead.

---

Last year I believe we made some kind of artichoke stuffing that, if I recall, was absolutely divine, but my wonderful boyfriend doesn't like artichokes, so we couldn't repeat that (I'm working on him, I think he'll come around soon).

I hadn't recalled us ever making a cornbread stuffing before, and so when I came across this recipe on foodnetwork.com I decided it would be perfect. In the process of finding recipes I found out that my grandmother almost always made a cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving, and we like to have some kind of "tribute" to her each year, so this was the dish. I think she would have loved it.

This stuffing can begin to be made one day in advance, it is easy to reheat in the oven right before the meal, and I'll give you a couple tips about that.

Caramelized Onion and Cornbread Stuffing

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Onions, Sliced

2 loaves cornbread (we made ours from two Trader Joe's Brand boxes which called for 1 egg, 1/2 cup oil and 3/4 cup milk each)

Handful of Fresh Sage Leaves, Chopped (Do not chop until you are ready to use)

1 Egg

1/4 Cup Heavy Cream

1/4 Cup Chicken Stock (or Vegetable Stock)

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

The cornbread mix from Trader Joe's came out extremely sweet, so if you don't want a sweet cornbread, you may want to try another brand. This mix also came with dehydrated corn in it, so you can either pick them out, leave them in, or get another kind. We left them in, and they added a nice texture to the stuffing, they weren't abundant, so it was nice. Make your cornbread the day before thanksgiving, and let it sit out overnight with foil covering it until the next morning. The mix that we had took a lot longer to cook through than the box said, it could have just been our oven, but keep a watchful eye on your cornbread, you don't want it to burn!

I decided to use olive oil instead of butter because it's slightly healthier and it adds a better flavor to the stuffing than butter would have.

I caramelized my onions this way:

Heat up your pan on a medium heat, with no oil yet! and put in your sliced onions, let them "sweat" a little and then if they start to burn or change color, then you add the oil. Contrary to Tyler's recipe, it does not take 10 minutes to caramelize onions. It takes longer if you want more flavor. When they become translucent and start to appear "caramelized" you can add in salt and pepper for flavor, and stir them well. Then add your sage in the last minutes of caramelizing your onions, and mix together to let the flavors meld.

In the meantime, break up your cornbread loaves (or muffins) into a large bowl, and when the onions are done, add them to the cornbread. You can also add salt and pepper to the cornbread if you wish, but I feel it's better to let people add more at the table if they want it salty or peppery. You will also need to whisk together the egg, cream and stock and pour it over the cornbread and onions.

Use your hands to mix everything together, it is easier to control than a spoon (because of the density of the ingredients), and it's also fun! Get your kids involved in this step.

Once it's all mixed together, spoon the mixture into a well-greased baking dish, or you can cook it in the cavity of the turkey if you prefer.

Bake at 375º for about 30 minutes, or until the top turns golden-brown.

To reheat, pour a little bit of chicken or vegetable stock over the baked mixture, just so it doesn't dry out, then put in a 300º oven until you're ready to serve it.

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Cranberries

2009-12-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Cranberries are a great dish to make the night before thanksgiving, I'll let you know at the end of the recipe what to do when they're cooked.

Don't be fooled by the name of these cranberries, they aren't as sweet as you would imagine, in fact they are actually quite tart, but if you want, you can add more sugar to the mix to make them sweeter! Although these may be tart, everyone at our table seemed to enjoy them.

I like to just throw everything in the pot with my cranberries, although it may not be the "proper" way to cook them, it's the "easiest" way for me.

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Cranberries

2 Bags Cranberries

1 Medium Sized Quince (or green apple) Finely Chopped (not minced, not diced)

1-2 Cinnamon Sticks (depending on how much you want, I used one)

1 Cup Light Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Freshly Grated Orange Zest

2-2.5 Cups Water (Depends on if you feel like adding a few extra cranberries or not)

You'll need a medium-large sized pot, and you should start by putting in the cranberries and quince. Then you can stick the cinnamon stick in, and pour the sugar on top with the orange zest. That should look a little like this:

Once all of these ingredients are in the pot, all you need to do is pour in the water, turn the heat on a medium heat, stir everything together, cover your pot and step aside for 10-15 minutes.

Keep your eye on the pot, but don't hover over it. You should hear the cranberries bursting, you should smell the flavors melding, but make sure you're letting it do it's own thing. Check after about 10 minutes, make sure things are mixing well (e.g. the quince and the cranberries). We don't have the lightest picture of the cranberries when they're done, but it should look a bit like jam.

When the cranberries are done, let the mixture cool on the countertop, this will give them time to set, and then they'll start to really look like cranberries. When they are cool, store the cranberries in a plastic or glass storage container.

I believe we used a jar this year. No one really enjoys "hot" cranberries, so it really is best to make them the night before so they can be served cold, or room temperature if you prefer.

If you like your cranberries sweeter, you can add another half cup of sugar, but they shouldn't be too sweet or else they will overpower the other flavors on your Thanksgiving table. Also if they look done in the pan, taste them to make sure they are the right flavors, you can always melt a little more sugar in the mixture if they aren't sweet enough.

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Chicken Tagine with Butternut Squash

2009-12-05T21:06:00.000-08:00

This is a quick and easy recipe from Cooking Light magazine. I made it according to instructions and found it a bit light - no pun intended. The spices were too mild and the sauce not thick enough. I did use only about 1 cup of onions, so maybe that made a difference. Next time I'll add more of the spices, or maybe look through some other recipes for ideas.

In a large pot, cook 2 cups chopped onion in 1 tablespoon oil until golden brown - about 8 minutes.

Add:

2 t. ground cumin

1 t. paprika

1 t. ground tumeric

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ground ginger -- fresh would be better

2 minced cloves of garlic

1 pound skinless chicken breast cut into small pieces

Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. This is where the flavors adhere to the chicken.

Add 2 cups chicken broth (fat-free, less salt), 8 ounces cubed butternut squash (conveniently available in a plastic bag at Trader Joes), 1/3 cup (or 3 ounces) halved pitted picholine olives and 8 pitted prunes. Bring to a boil and cook, covered for 10 minutes on medium-low. Simmer until squash is tender.

Garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley. Serve with couscous.

If you're a vegetarian, this recipe can easily be substituted with firm tofu and vegetable broth, but since I found it a bit bland, I would kick up more of the spices.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Garlic Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Hazelnuts

2009-12-04T20:46:00.000-08:00

A nice twist on a Thanksgiving favorite. We made ours with almonds instead of hazelnuts.

My son made this dish, he was originally going to barbeque some onions, but decided that it wouldn't go well with the rest of the meal, and so he produced this green bean recipe from the Food Network website.

2 pounds green beans, trimmed (we lucked into stringless beans at the farmer's market)

2 shallots thinly sliced

8 cloves garlic, crushed

6 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Toss together green beans, shallots, garlic, oil and salt and pepper in a medium roasting pan. Michael "eyeballed" the olive oil, because in most roasting recipes, a little oil goes a long way, and six tablespoons is a lot.

Remember that your hands are your best tools for tossing! Don't be afraid to get in there and mix things around, just remember to wash them beforehand, and it's easy to get oil off your hands, you just need soap and hot water.

Roast in the oven until the beans are cooked through and light golden brown. Depending on your oven, this time could range anywhere from 10 minutes to 25 minutes

Remove from the oven and stir in the lemon zest and hazelnuts.

It's a garlicky dish, but I think the lemon zest makes it special.

Happy cooking!

Peggy

Carrot Ginger Soup

2009-12-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

Here's a festive soup that can be prepared a few days ahead. We made ours the Monday before Thanksgiving. Soups always tastes better the next day or so because the flavors meld together.

Carrot Ginger Soup

In a large stock pot sweat 4 sliced shallots and 6 tablespoons minced ginger in butter.

Sweating means to cook over a low heat in a small amount of butter so as not to caramelize the onions.

You can cover the pot, but be careful to keep an eye on the cooking. Cook until the shallots become translucent.

Fresh ginger is wonderful and should be used for this recipe. I keep my fresh ginger roots frozen, which may sound weird, but it actually keeps the flavor strong, and is much easier to grate. When you bring home your fresh ginger root from the store, peel it with a paring knife or a vegetable peeler, wrap it in saran wrap, and then put it in a plastic bag in the freezer. When you're ready to use it, take it out, grate or slice it (I prefer grating it with a Microplane grater). This soup is indeed very gingery, but that's the kick it needs.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add two pounds of sliced carrots. We used purple, white and orange carrots fresh from the farmer's market. The soup came out a little gray, so maybe it's best to stick with just purple or just orange for a brighter color. Add four tablespoons uncooked rice and 4 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you prefer) and 6 cups of water. Simmer until the rice is tender. Let it cool (this takes a few hours) and then puree in a blender or food processor. This recipe makes a lot of soup, so you should cut it in half if you aren't serving a dozen people, unless, of course, you want delicious leftovers!

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

Tri-Color Beet Salad

2009-12-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

Beets, although they seem impossible, are actually rather easy to prepare. It's always nice to have a few roasted beets on hand. They are great for salads, or just by themselves, and they can add color to any plate.

For Thanksgiving, we usually start with a soup and salad course, this year we had a Tri-Color Beet Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing, Goat Cheese and Pecans.

Roasting Beets

4 Medium sized red beets

4 Medium sized golden beets

4 Medium sized candied beets

Water

Three medium sized pans for roasting, we use glass loaf pans, they seem to work best

Foil

An oven, preheated to 400º, if you have a roast setting, 400º on roast, and if you have a convection oven 375º

Cut the greens off of the top of the beets, and save them for a recipe using beet greens! Rinse the dirt off of the beets, but do not peel them. Put each kind of beet in separate pans, with a half-inch to an inch of water in the bottom. Cover each pan with foil loosely, and leave in oven for 45 minutes to an hour, check with a fork to see if they are tender.

Once they are cooked through, take them out and let them sit until they cool, then with a little cold water on your hands, the skins should easily peel right off.

For the salad, it is easiest to dice the beets separately, and then only put them together when they are on the plate. Unless you do not care about the separation of color, then you may dice them and mix them together.

Beets should last in the refrigerator after being roasted for a couple of weeks, so enjoy!

We served our beets with a leaf or two of butter lettuce, some lettuce from our own garden, and candied pecans/goat cheese on the side.

My parents were kind enough to make our own raspberry vinaigrette dressing from scratch, which can be done ahead of time and stored in a jar. This way it is easy to shake up before serving. We got this very simple recipe from Cooks.com.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

1 Cup Raspberry Vinegar

1 Cup Olive Oil

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Pure Maple Syrup

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Tarragon

1 Teaspoon Salt

The directions say: Combine all ingredients and mix well in mixer or food processor. Mix until dressing thickens and is well blended.

Chicken with Apricots and Couscous with Dates

2009-11-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

Still craving Middle Eastern flavors after my recent trip to Egypt, I decided to throw together a few dishes for dinner tonight. I don't have any recipes - there are plenty on the Internet. I just seasoned them to taste and met my goal by using apricots and dates.

Couscous is so easy to make, just boil 1 cup of water or broth in a small saucepan with a little olive oil and salt. Take the pan off of the stove and add 1 cup of couscous. Cover and let it sit for five minutes, then fluff with a fork. I seasoned mine with a little cinnamon and added in three chopped dates. Most recipes call for chopped onion and garlic, but I omitted them due to my personal dietary restrictions.

I cut 1 pound of chicken tenders into chunks and cooked them in some broth. I added whole, dried apricots, cumin, dry mustard, 1 tablespoon apricot jam and cinnamon. Everything cooked up quickly. Some recipes call for sugar, onion and garlic. The jam thickened the chicken sauce, which was nice over the dry couscous.

Happy Cooking!

Peggy

P.S. I sent Alyssa a care package of cookies -- chocolate chunk and oatmeal chocolate chip. It's getting to the busy time of the semester when everything is due at once.

Curried Apple Chicken Salad with Dates

2009-11-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Today was the kind of day where everything came together for the rest of the week. I figured out what I have to do, and how much time I have to do everything, and in celebration I decided that I should get to work right away, which means not going up the hill to dinner.

Instead I stopped by our little "Tea Shop" on campus and picked up a bagel in hopes of making a sandwich, but the chicken salad I made is too good for the bagel, so I guess I'll have breakfast in the morning.

Curried Apple Chicken Salad with Dates

1 Can White Meat Chicken in Water

1 Fuji Apple

1-2 Medjool Dates or 1/4 cup golden raisins (or normal raisins if you prefer)

1- 1 1/2 Tablespoon Light Mayonaise

1/2 Tablespoon Pickle Relish

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Paprika

1 teaspoon Yellow Curry Powder (I know that Curry Powder isn't used in Indian cooking, but I really love to have it in the kitchen. I use it in my eggs, and of course my chicken salads!)

I whipped this together in less than 5 minutes. There is no cooking involved, and the only things you have to chop is an apple and a date or two.

Start by opening and draining your can of chicken, you want to get as much of the liquid out, because the salad tastes better with newer flavors. Plus you need to see how much chicken there is in the can, that will tell you how much of the other ingredients you need. I used a 12.5 oz can, which looks like enough for three or four sandwiches (depending on how much salad you like, and how big your bread is).

Most fuji apples are delicious, however there is the occasional bitter apple, so it's good to test a small slice of your apple to make sure it's sweet. If you prefer another apple, use that kind, any apple will go with this salad, with maybe the exception of a red delicious. I just peeled my apple (the skin was a little waxy) and then diced it up and put it in a bowl with the drained chicken. Some of the chicken is usually stuck together in large chunks, but they can easily be broken up with a fork.

After that add all of the ingredients except for the dates or raisins. Mix together the mayo, spices and relish with the chicken and apples. It may not seem like a lot of Mayo, but in this case a little goes a long way. Once all the ingredients are mixed together, roughly chop your dates, and add them to the mixture.

Eat the salad on bread with lettuce, in lettuce or just on it's own.

Love and Happy Spatulas!

Alyssa

My Favorite Cole Slaw

2009-11-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

Cole slaw is okay, but I don't really like salads thick in mayonnaise. I found this slaw in Sunset magazine a few years ago and have enjoyed it's Asian zip, even though it is made with mayo. Napa cabbage is used instead of green and red cabbage and snow peas instead of carrots. Almonds add an extra crunch and the dressing zips with sesame oil and soy sauce. We invited some friends over to watch a football game (which was a disaster for our team) and I decided to make this slaw to accompany pulled pork sandwiches -- I bought the pork already pulled and seasoned, so I can't claim any cooking or preparation for that item.

Crunchy Napa Cabbage Slaw

Prep and cook time: 1 hour (lots of chopping -very Asian)

Makes: About 14 cups; 14 -16 servings -- (I halved the recipe as we only expected five people and ended up with leftovers)

2/3 cup slivered almonds - I used sliced and pre-toasted. Slivered might hold up better, but sliced was fine.

8 cups (about 1 lb.) coarsely shredded napa cabbage. (This is an Asian cabbage, lighter than green cabbage. If not found in your regular grocery store, an Asian grocery should have it.) Just slice the leaves in half lengthwise, then chop thin slices. I washed and drained the leaves in a salad spinner.

12 ounces snow peas, strings removed, rinsed and thinly sliced (this is where the labor intensive time creeps in)

1 1/3 cups thinly sliced radishes (thank goodness for a Cuisinart -- took seconds to slice)

1 1/3 cups thinly sliced green onions, including green tops

1 1/3 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, rinsed (alas, my garden cilantro had gone to seed, so I bought a bunch at the store and chopped it up)

1. Place almonds in a baking pan and bake at 350° until golden, shaking pan once, 6-9 minutes

2. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, snow peas, radishes, green onions and cilantro.

3. Add dressing and almonds. Mix gently. Pour into serving bowl. Decorate with sprigs of cilantro if you like.

Creamy soy dressing

In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 clove garlic peeled and minced, 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne red pepper. Stir until sugar dissolves. Gradually whisk in 1 cup mayonnaise, stir until blended.

Enjoy!

Peggy

Sauce-Less Pasta That Will Blow Your Tastebuds Out of the Water

2009-11-15T18:38:00.000-08:00

On rare occasions I take the time to sit in the recreation room in my dorm and watch the Food Network. I really love most of the chefs and the shows that are on in the daytime: 30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray, Paula's Best Dishes, Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello, Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller, Giada at Home, and Barefoot Contessa. It's these thirty-minute TV spots that really get me cooking, and also I just like to curl up on the couch and watch people make great food... what could be better?

This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of when my boyfriend and I first met (our actual relationship anniversary is next month), and I wanted to cook a delicious meal for him. Well Michael Chiarello was quick to the punch, and I got a great recipe from his show on Friday. He calls it "Spaghettini Squared: Pasta with Olive Oil, Garlic and Zucchini."

As per usual, I decided to change around some things in the recipe, because of time and of course not being able to find all of the ingredients. This recipe is really simple, so if you want you can substitute whatever long pasta you like!

Pasta with Zucchini

Ingredients:

3/4 pound of linguini (whole wheat or regular)

3/4 pound zucchini (Buy it long so you can get long pieces)

Salt and Pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used a little less)

2 Tablespoons minced garlic (or more if you'd like)

1 Small Shallot

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (1/4 will not make this spicy, my boyfriend hates spicy and he couldn't taste them at all)

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped basil leaves (make sure to take off all of the stems)

2 tablespoons finely chopped italian or flat leaf parsley

1/2 cup grated parmesano reggiano

In his recipe, he calls for basil oil. I've never made basil oil, and I'm sure it's great and I encourage you to try it, but I didn't have time (or enough basil) to make it. Michael includes his recipe for basil oil in the link.

You will also need a good knife; a big bowl; a pot of boiling, well-salted water, a cutting board or other cutting surface, and all the appropriate stirring, serving and mixing utensils.

If you don't have a mandoline or a "thin french fry cutter" just use a plain old knife to cut your zucchini. You want your slices to be as thin as possible and as long as possible. I started by cutting my 3/4 pound zucchini in half and then cutting fat strips into thin strips. It took a little while, but it's worth it. Once you've cut the zucchini into "spaghetti" shapes, toss it in a bowl with a little salt and pepper and set aside.

If you can't cut your zucchini thin, then steam it or microwave it briefly.

Chop up everything. Mince your garlic and your shallot; wash, dry and chop your basil and your parsley; and get your red pepper flakes ready. I did the next step by having my garlic, shallot, basil, parsley and pepper on one cutting board that I could carry over to the stove.

Start to cook your pasta when all of these ingredients are chopped up.

Heat up the olive oil in a frying pain (it doesn't have to be huge). When the oil is just hot enough, throw in the onion and the garlic. You're basically "deep-frying" it, but you still want to make sure you do not burn the garlic, or else you have to start over! When the onion and garlic start to turn golden brown, add the RPF's and the basil and parsley, and remove from the heat. Mix everything together until the herbs wilt.

Drain your pasta and pour it in the same bowl as the zucchini slices, then pour your "sauce" or oil mixture over the pasta, and mix together. You may need a 1/4- 1/2 cup of pasta water to break up the herbs in the oil.

Once you have mixed everything together, grate the cheese on top, and mix that in as well. Serve with a leaf of basil, and some more freshly grated parmesan.

You can't go wrong with this dish, it's vegetarian, and could be vegan without the cheese, and it's absolutely delicious. If you're worried about your oil intake, then cut the amount in half. You really only need it to cook those few ingredients and lightly coat your dish.

Enjoy with a side dish of roasted broccoli or cauliflower and a nice glass of non-alcoholic ginger beer. I recommend Bundaberg.

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Perfect Potato Salad

2009-11-09T20:19:00.001-08:00

Hello!

I think that everyone has their own "potato salad" that they love, some like it super creamy with a ton of mayonnaise, other people like it with mustard, but I like my potato salad with freshly chopped bell pepper, oil and vinegar.

This is an extremely simple potato salad, it's also healthy and can sit outside without spoiling for some time. I'll just cut to the chase.

Perfect Potato Salad

1 Pound Red Potatoes

1 Red, Orange or Yellow Bell Pepper (Medium Sized)

1 Medium Sized Leek (Optional)

1/2 Cup Chopped Parsley

1/4 Cup Chopped Dill

1-2 Tablespoons Chopped Chives

Olive Oil

Rice Vinegar, or White Vinegar, or Red Wine Vinegar (whichever you prefer)

Salt and Pepper

1. Boil the potatoes whole with the skins on in the water. Depending on the size of your potatoes, this could take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. Check your potatoes with a fork to see if they have cooked through. When they are soft enough (but not too soft so they turn to mush) drain them and let them cool on the counter.

2. Once your potatoes are cooled, you can just peel off the skin with your hands, it should come right off, and you don't have to fuss with a vegetable peeler! Then cut the potatoes in similar-sized small cubes.

3. Dice up your pepper, I think that red peppers are best for this salad because they really pop out, and chop up your herbs. You don't have to use all of these herbs, in fact I would really only use parsley and dill, but feel free to use all three, or only one if you prefer.

4. The best way to clean a leek is to chop it up beforehand. Cut off the root, and some of the greens at the head, and then slice it down lengthwise. Then Slice each part into half moons, float the half moons in a bowl of water to let the dirt fall out of the layers of the leek and sink to the bottom. You may also need to peel the layers from each other to get all of the dirt out. When the leeks are clean, dry them on a kitchen towel or a paper cloth, and then wilt them in a little bit of olive oil in a frying pan. Then add the wilted leeks to the potatoes, peppers and herbs in a large bowl.

5. Lastly, make the dressing on top of the salad. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 3/4 of a tablespoon of vinegar, a dash of salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. If you want your salad to be a bit more sweet add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Mix it all together and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

This salad is great for barbecues, football parties, and other family events. Or just enjoy it with your sandwich for lunch, your soup for dinner, or your eggs for breakfast.

Love and Happy Spatulas,

Alyssa

Meatballs: Old Standby with a Kick

2009-11-01T15:23:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a trip to Egypt where one of the delights was the seasoning in the foods. In the markets there are wonderful spice stores with heaping piles of all sorts of inspiring smells. So tonight I decided to make an old standby, meatballs, with some of those tantalizing flavors. I looked-up a recipe for kofta kebab with the plan of just using the spices and not making the meatballs on a stick recipe.

The following ingredients were in a Food Network recipe:

4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus a pinch
1 pound ground beef chuck or lamb
3 tablespoons grated onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Freshly ground black pepper
To be served with tzatziki (yogurt, spices and cucumbers) and pita bread

I like to make meatballs with a mixture of ground turkey and ground meat. I try to stay away from onions so I just put in a little onion powder. I don't have any allspice and thought that it had anise, which I don't like, so I just skipped it. Afterwards I looked it up and found that I could have substituted a little more cinnamon and some ground cloves (which I do like) , but alas, that's what happens when you're too lazy or in a hurry. I did have fresh parsley - seemingly the only herb that lives in my garden. I also added in some bread crumbs and an egg for binding.

Kofta kebab is to be grilled, but I just baked my little meatballs for 15 minutes at 350°. I made my own tzatziki and served it with a rice pilaf (flavored with some saffron that I bought in Egypt).

Next, dried apricots with chicken.

Happy Cooking

Peggy