Thai Style Mussels with Herbs

Source:  Sunset magazine

3 T canola oil
4 stalks of lemongrass, ends trimmed and stalks smashed
1 small yellow onion, sliced into rings
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 can coconut milk
1/2 c white wine
1 T fish sauce
2 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 each basil and mint sprigs (leaves and stem separated)

Heat a large pot over medium high-het.  Add oil and heat until shimmering.  cook lemongrass and onion, stirring frequently, until onion begins to caramelize and turn golden, about 8 minutes.  Stir in chiles, coconut milk, wine, fish sauce and her stems.  Bring mixture to a simmer.  Add mussels and cover pot.  Cook until mussels open wide (discard any unopened ones) 4-5 minutes.  Transfer to serving bowl.  sprinkle with herb leaves.  Serve with lime and rice.

I love mussels.  Love love love them.  I love weird and unusual ingredients, and have been toying with the idea of using fresh lemongrass.  So I decided to muster up my courage and try this recipe.  It just sounded so good.  I lined up my friends and intrepid cooks and tasters to join forces and make this a Sunday night meal.

Some ingredient notes.  Mussels.  They are not that expensive -- around  $5 a pound.  You get them alive, and you need to keep them alive until you cook them.  That means keeping them on ice, in the fridge and in a bag that's open and allows oxygen in.  You are supposed to debeard them -- the means pulling out the stiff threads that sometimes stick out of the shell before cooking.  Also, before you cook, make sure that all the mussels are closed.  That means they are alive.  If some shells are slightly open, tap them gently on the shell.  If they close, all is well.  If they don't change, throw them out, they are dead.

Lemongrass.  I got mine at Whole Foods.  Here is what it looks like.

It looks kind of like a bamboo stick.  Not your average herb for sure.  First remove the tough outer layers.  Then trim the ends.  Chop the long stalk into sections, and whack the sections a few times with a heavy knife to release the aromas as you cook it.  Before eating, remove the stalk from the dish -- it will remain tough and inedible.

Despite the exotic sounding ingredients, there is not much to putting this dish together, and it's remarkably fast.  If you are a mussel fan at all, you will love this dish.  The lemongrass perfumes the creamy rich broth.  The red pepper flakes provide just the right amount of heat.  We served the dish with fresh baked bread, to sop up the delicious juices.  It is a different twist on mussels, and a wonderful fragrant comfort food.

Apple Bacon Mac and Cheese

Source:  Better Homes and Gardens

In a skillet, cook 6 bacon slices.  Crumble, set aside.  Discard all but 1 T drippings, add three chopped apples and 1 chopped onion, and cook 3 minutes.  Set aside.  Melt 2 T butter in skillet.  Stir in 2 T flour and 1/2 t black pepper.  Add 2 cups of milk, 2 t Dijon mustard, 1 cup shredded white cheddar, and 1 cup shredded smoked Gouda until melted.  Stir in 8 oz.  cooked shell macaroni, apples and half the bacon.  Transfer to a baking dish.  Bake in a 350 degree oven 30 minutes.  Top with remaining bacon.

If you know me at all, you know that as soon as I saw this recipe, I had to make it.  It has unusual pairings of ingredients.  It has bacon.  My daughter loves macaroni and cheese.  And this dish will make good leftovers.  To top it all, it's almost fall, so a lovely apple dish was calling my name.

This is a fairly labor intensive dish to make.  You have to boil the pasta, fry the bacon, saute the onions/apples, make your bechamel sauce.  So it's not a quick and easy dish to make.  I was also too lazy to get the smoked gouda, and was using 2 cups of cheddar cheese.

This is a wonderful, wonderful twist on mac and cheese.  The sauce is surprisingly sweet -- I think the apples add a note of sweetness.  The bacon is a nice counter to the sweetness.  And don't fear the apples -- they are mostly there for texture, and a tiny burst of freshness to cut the heaviness of the dish.  I think the smoked gouda would have been a really nice touch, so if you can use it -- do.  But definitely try this dish, it's absolutely delightful.

Baked Artichoke Squares

Source:  Crisco Oil

Pastry:
1.5 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 c oil
1/4 c milk

Filling:
3 T oil
1 c chopped mushrooms
1/4 c thinly sliced celery
1 clove minced garlic
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hears -- drained and chopped
1/3 c chopped green onion
1/2 t marjoram
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t cayenne
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 eggs slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

For filling, heat oil in skillet.  Add mushrooms, celery and garlic.  Saute until celery is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in artichoke hearts, green onions and spices.  Add cheeses and eggs.

For pastry:  Combine flour and salt in medium bowl.  Blend oil and milk in separate bowl.  Add to flour mixture.  Stir with fork until mixture forms a ball.  Press into pen, and slightly up the sides.

Spread cheese mixture on crust.  Bake 30 minutes or until center is set.  Serve warm.

I don't have a good story of why I picked this recipe.  I am not even a huge fan of artichokes.  But for whatever reason, I picked this recipe.  Given my previously expressed views on artichokes, I used a slightly smaller, 10 ounce can.  And to make up for it, I pumped up the mushrooms (which I love).  I also used self rising flour (mostly b/c I ran out of all purpose flour).

This recipe comes together quickly.  It is a cross between a quiche and a pizza.  The topping is delicious, not to eggy, and with several assertive spices and flavor.  The crust is very crumbly, and I didn't care for its distinctive "oil" taste -- but that could probably be avoided by using a more neutral oil.   It is a fairly heavy dish, so you don't need a big piece.  A nice changeup to traditional brunch dishes, would be lovely with a fresh little salad.

Chicken Taco Cornbread Wedges with Ranchero Cilantro Drizzle

Dressing:
1/2 c ranch dressing
1/2 c salsa verde
1 c tightly packed cilantro leaves

Filling:
2 T olive oil
1/2 c chopped onion
1/4 c chopped red bell pepper
1 T chopped jalapeno pepper
2 c shredded rotisserie chicken
3 T chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t pepper
1 can 14.5 oz diced tomatoes

Crust:
1 egg
1 7 oz package of cornbread mix
1/2 c milk
3/4 c crushed tortilla chips

Toppings:
1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
3 c shredded romaine
1 c chopped tomatoes

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine ranch dressing, salsa and cilantro leaves in a blender.  Process until well blended.  Cover and refrigerate.

In 10 inch cast iron skillet heat oil.  Add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno pepper, cook 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently.  Stir in chicken, 3 T cilantro, salt, pepper, cumin and tomatoes.  Cook 5 minutes.  Remove from skillet.  Wipe out skillet.  In large bowl, beat egg.  Add cornbread mix and milk.  Place tortilla chips in skillet.  Pour cornbread mixture over chips.  Spoon chicken mixture over cornbread mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake 16-20 minutes.  Cut into wedges.  Drizzle with sauce.

This recipe is a great twist on a Mexican meets Southern meal.  It took every bit of 30 minutes to put together.  I used an entire (and large) jalapeno pepper, and it just gave a tiny bit of warmth to the dish, so don't be afraid to use it.  I also didn't use canned tomatoes.  It's summer time, and I am inundated with fresh tomatoes, so it seemed silly to use canned tomatoes.  Final confession:  I didn't make the dressing.  But I bet it would be really good.

This dish looks lovely.  The cast iron skillet makes a fun presentation.  The wedges come out nicely and are crispy on the bottom.  The cornbread crust fluffs up and envelopes the filling in a soft and almost sweet crust.  The bits of tortilla chips in the crust provides some texture and much needed salt.  This is a good dish, a fun dish, and lends itself to variations -- it would be good with ground beef, maybe add corn, or beans.  Nice addition to the repertoire.  Try it!

Baked Salmon with Tarragon-Glazed Cucumber

Source:  Sunset Magazine

8 oz thin skinned cucumber
1.5 lb salmon fillet cut into 4 pieces
5 T butter, divided
1 T lemon juice
salt, pepper
1/2 c minced shallots
1 T coarsely chopped fresh tarragon
1.5 c Champagne vinegar
2 T coarsely chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees . Dice enough cucumbers to make 3/4 cup.  Cut the remaining cucumbers in half lengthwise.  Thinly slice crosswise.

Set salmon skin side down in a 9x13 pan lined with tinfoil.  Melt 1 T butter and mix with lemon juice, 1/4 t salt and 1/4 t pepper.  Spoon over fish.  Bake salmon until barely opaque but still moist in the center -- 10-13 minutes.

While fish bakes,  combine shallots, chopped tarragon and vinegar in 10 inch frying pan.  Boil over high heat, stirring often until vinegar evaporates but shallots still look wet -- 4-5 minutes.  Add 1 T butter, remove from heat and stir until melts.  Stir in diced cucumbers.  Return cucumber mixture to high heat, and cook, stirring often, until slightly translucent, about 1-2 minutes.  Add remaining 3 T butter and 1/4 t salt.  Stir just until butter melts and sauce looks creamy.  Remove from heat and stir in sliced cucumber and parsley.

I get a lot of cucumbers in my CSA box each week.  And while I love a good cucumber salad, and most variations thereon, I was intrigued by a recipe that involved doing something completely different with the cucumber.  Then salmon was on sale at Whole Foods.  I am always looking to eat more fish, and salmon is on of the few types of fish (OK, maybe the only one) that I feel comfortable making.  So all the stars aligned.

I ended up using red wine vinegar instead of Champagne vinegar (don't ask -- kept forgetting ingredients, and having to go back to the store -- wasn't going to make yet another trip).  And I just used a regular old cucumber -- no fancy English cucumber. I did peel mine, b/c the recipe emphasized a think skinned variety.

There are a couple of steps to make this dish, but it comes together pretty quickly.  It looks beautiful, fresh and colorful.  And it's delicious.  The slightly cooked cucumber just provides a slightly different texture.   A great dish.  Not as light as you would think -- after all there are 5 tablespoons of butter involved.  Also, the cucumber concoction is very acidic, so I would recommend serving this dish with a starch -- some new potatoes would be delicious.  Wonderful meal.  I hope you all try it.

Buttered Peaches and Ravioli

Source:  Better Homes and Gardens

9 oz packaged cheese ravioli
1/4 butter
3 c sliced peaches
1/3 c hazelnuts
1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese
2 T chopped parsley
1 t lemon zest

Cook ravioli per package direction.  Drain, keep warm.  Heat butter in large pan until browned.  Add peaches, hazelnuts, parsley, lemon zest.  Add ravioli.  Toss to coat.  Season to taste with salt.

Did the name of this already freak you out?  Do you think it's an affront to pasta and peaches?  All reason enough for me to try this dish.

Easy to make, quick to put together.  And really really good.  It's not weird.  The brown butter sauce is creamy and just sweet enough to complement the peaches.  And honestly, the peaches are not a whole lot sweeter than a good summer tomato.  Hazelnuts provide a delicious crunch, and the fresh parsley and lemon zest are just enough of a counterpoint that the dish doesn't feel like dessert.  I will not substitute this dish for a good traditional Italian pasta dish, but this is a delicious and different summer alternative.  Try it out, you won't regret it.

Herb Scented Onions

Source:  unknown....

4 red onions, quartered
4 plum tomatoes, quarter
1/4 c chicken stock
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t dried thyme
1 T flour
1 clove minced garlic

Place flour in oven bag and shake to coat the bag.  Add onions and tomatoes.  Sprinkle garlic and herbs on vegetables, add stock, and close bag.  Place bag on a plate.  Make several slits in the oven bag, and microwave for 3 minutes.  Lift edges to rearrange vegetables and microwave again for 2 minutes.

This is an odd sounding dish, right?  I thought so.  That's why I had to make it, you know.  I've been getting a lot of onions in my CSA baskets each week, so I was excited to try an onion based dish.  Couldn't be easier to make.  I am going to be honest here -- after I made it, I looked at the dish, and was not excited to try it.  But it's a lot better tasting than it sounds.  It's nice and saucy, Italian notes of the herbs with onions and tomatoes.  This will not be the star of the table.  But if you think to yourself -- I need to make another side dish -- this would be the perfect one to whip up.  You will likely have all the ingredients at hand, it's quick, and would be a nice addition to a starch and a meat.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Nectarine Thyme Jam

Source:  Sunset Magazine

3 T lemon Juice
1/4 c olive oil
kosher salt
pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 T chopped fresh thyme
1 T whole thyme leaves
4 shoulder lamb chops (2.5 lb)
3 soft ripe nectarines (1.5 lb)
1/3 c sugar
1/2 t lemon zest
2 firm ripe nectarines (1 lb)

Whisk together 2 T lemon juice, 3 T oil, 3/4 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, the garlic, rosemary, and chopped thyme in a shallow dish.  Add lamb and turn to coat.  Chill, covered, 1-2 hours.  Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.  Meanwhile, make jam.  Coarsely chop soft-rip nectarines and put in a medium saucepan with 1 T lemon juice,  1 T water, the sugar and lemon zest.  Cook over medium heat, stirring and crushing with back of spoon, until fruit softens, 10-15 minutes.  Boil gently, stirring for about 10 minutes more.  Stir in whole thyme leaves and more lemon juice to taste.  Let cool. Heat a grill to medium high.  Cut firm ripe nectarines in half and pit, brush with 1 T olive oil, and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.  Grill chops (reserve marinade) turning once and basting with marines, 8-10 minutes total for medium rare.  During last few minutes, grill nectarines, cut side down, for about two minutes.  Serve with jam.

Summer is here.  That means grilling season, fresh produce, and fresh herbs.  My neighbors plant herbs every year, and I love just grabbing fresh herbs from their yard, as opposed to buying them in the grocery store where it's so expensive, and you never end up using the same package, which makes it all that much more expensive.  I love lamb -- I don't want to eat it very often due to its very distinct taste, but do love it occasionally.  I went to New Zealand on vacation a few years ago.  I ate a lot of lamb there (you know, when in Rome) -- and lamb reminds me of that wonderful trip and that gorgeous country.  Now add to that nectarine jam with fresh thyme, and you know that I had to try this recipe.

Lamb shoulder chops are not cheap.  This is a treat for dinner.  It's also not as simple as dumping a few cans of stuff into a pot.  With that said, the jam was pretty easy to make.  I just simmered it until it was soft and looked like jam.  I also used garlic scape in the marinade because I had some from my CSA box.  And off we were to a friends house with the marinating chops and the cooled jam.

We grilled the lamb chops on a grill pan inside.  There really wasn't much marinade left in the bag to baste the chops with.  I figured there was enough fat in the lamb to keep it moist.  The nectarines were kind of a disaster to take apart -- maybe they were too ripe.  And by then I just wanted to get done, so I just threw them on the grill pan for a few minutes.

This is an absolute rockstar recipe.  I would never have thought that sweet nectarines would pair so perfectly with lamb.  Wow.  So wonderful.  The dish was beautiful, delicious and unique.  If you want to impress company this summer, this is the dish to make.

As a closing note -- I am well aware that there are way more pictures than I normally take, but this dish just looked great and I had to share.

Berkeley Summer Kebabs

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

1 T olive oil
1 T soy sauce
8 oz tempeh
1/4 c BBQ sauce (plus more for dipping)
16 button mushrooms
1 large yellow pepper
16 grape tomatoes

Combine olive oil and soy sauce.  Add tempeh cut into 16 pieces.  Let stand for 20 minutes.  Add 1/4 c BBQ sauce, toss.  Thread tempeh, mushrooms, grape tomatoes and yellow pepper onto skewers.  Grill 9 minutes.  Serve with BBQ sauce.

You don't even have to ask why I picked this recipe for this week, right?  Tempeh -- that's why.  I have never used it before, and I don't think I've ever had it before.  I had to try.  And this looked like a super simple recipe for a weeknight, and one that would let the tempeh shine.

This is what tempeh looks like in its "natural form" -- straight out of the packaging.

What is tempeh?  It's an pressed soy bean .... log?  I would say "meat substitute" at the risk of offending those who enjoy it in its own right.  In any case -- tempeh is high protein, low sodium, low fat -- so it's very good for you.  I was able to buy it at my local grocery store, right where the tofu, and veggie burgers are.


Obviously, there is not much to this recipe -- just put on a skewer and grill.  Super healthy  and low cal -- 2 skewers are only 250 calories.  With that said, this recipe goes into the epic fail category.  I just did not care for the tempeh.  It has the consistency and taste of ... well compressed beans.  It soaked up the flavor and the soy sauce and BBQ sauce nicely, but there remained a bitterness that I didn't care for.  Also, the texture was a bit mealy in the middle, and with the bitterness it was just hard to take.  I might give tempeh another chance with a different recipe, but for now, I'll stick with tofu.  Or better yet, meat.

Rhubarb Chicken Salad

source:  Better Homes and Gardens

2 c cooked chicken
1 c thinly sliced rhubarb
1/3 c chopped celery
1/2 c mayonnaise
1 t Dijon mustard
2 T toasted sliced almonds
1 T chopped fresh tarragon

Mix mayonnaise and mustard in large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add remaining ingredients, with the exception of the almonds.  Cover and chill for 1-4 hours.  Top with almonds.

I love chicken salad.  And faithful readers of this blog know that this Spring I finally started working with rhubarb.  My first attempt, a delicious strawberry/rhubarb filling for a cake turned out fantastic.  It also involved cooking the rhubarb, and a familiar, dessert application; the classic strawberry-rhubarb combo.  I was ready to tackle a raw and savory application.

Obviously, there is not much to this recipe technique-wise.  Super easy to put together.  And it's a really great spin on a traditional chicken salad.  The rhubarb is tart and crunchy.  It's reminiscent of an apple --  adds a lovely burst of freshness that balances out the heaviness of the mayonnaise.   There is a lot of crunch going on this salad -- the almonds, the celery and the rhubarb all add crunch, yet they are all separate and different.  The tarragon adds a dimension on anise-y depth.  I probably skimped on the tarragon b/c I am not a huge fan of its flavor.

Like all chicken salads -- this one depends on the quality of the chicken you are using.  I grilled my chicken breasts, and my chopped chicken had flavor and texture.

This is a delicious and different spin on a chicken salad.  Would be great served in lettuce cups, or with crispy crackers.

Easy BLT Dip

Source:  Philadelphia cream cheese

8 oz cream cheese
1/2 c shredded lettuce
1 c diced tomatoes drained
1.5 c bacon bits

Place unwrapped cream cheese on microwaveable serving plate.  Microwave on high for 45 sec. to 1 minute.  Top with remaining ingredients.  Serve warm with crackers or cut up vegetables.

Honestly, what's not to like about these ingredients.  And can an appetizer get any easier to make?  So it's easy to see that I couldn't resist trying  it.  It's incredibly easy to put together, it looks very attractive (sorry, we devoured it before I thought of taking a picture), and it's very delicious.  Just a couple of suggestions -- make sure you chop the lettuce finely.  I was lazy and just rough chopped it, and it was hard to get a piece on the little crackers I was serving with the dip.  One thing I thought of before I made the dip -- use real bacon.  Bacon Bits are an atrocity as far as I am concerned, all artificial, terrible for you ingredients.  This recipe is so incredibly easy,  that you can go ahead and put in the extra work of frying up a few (or several) slices of bacon, and use that.  You will be rewarded by something so much better and so much better for you (relatively speaking, of course, we are still talking about bacon and cream cheese :).  In the same vein, use real tomatoes, especially in the summertime.  I wish I had done that, and will certainly do it next time.  Make sure you let the tomatoes drain for a while, so the dip doesn't get too wet.

Next time you need to whip up a quick and easy appetizer that is sure to please -- try this recipe.  You won't be disappointed.

Chipotle-turkey Chesseburgers

source: Kraft Food & Family

6 T mayonnaise
1 T lime juice
1.5 lb ground turkey
1/3 c breadcrumbs
2 green onions
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chopped finely

Sliced cheese
hamburgers buns
lettuce leaves
tomato slices

Heat greased grill to medium high heat.   Mix mayo and lime juice.  Reserve two T mayo for dressing the burger buns.  Mix the rest with the turkey, breadcrumbs, onions and peppers just until blended.  Shape into 6 patties.  Grill 4-5 minutes on each side.

Assemble your burgers as desired.

I love a good burger.  I especially love a good burger that I can feel good about eating.  The turkey burger is perfect for that -- but it can be so bland and so dry.  This recipe takes care of all those problems.  There are a couple of things to keep in mind -- first the chipotle in adobo sauce.  Comes in little cans and of course you don't use it up with one dish.  I keep the rest in the freezer -- that way it stays fresh, and I can just use it as I need it in recipes later.  Making a burger is easy -- it's important not to overmix it, especially with the turkey b/c it can make the meat tough.  These patties feel a little wet -- I was concerned about how they would hold up.  So I didn't use the grill.  I used a screaming hot cast iron skillet with a little olive oil - I felt that way I could get a good crust on the burgers, and it would help keep it together.  And it worked.

These are delicious turkey burgers.  Tender and juicy.  The mayo imparts some much needed moisture and fat to the patties.  Do NOT fear the chipotles.  They do not make these burgers hot or spicy at all -- they just take away the blandness of the turkey.

Highly recommend -- simple, relatively healthy and quick -- try it!

Kale and White Bean Soup

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

1 carrot chopped
1 celery stalk sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
4 c chicken broth
4 c kale, chopped
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1can diced tomatoes
1 c croutons

In large saucepan cook carrot, celery and onion in hot oil for about three minutes.  Add rest of the ingredients (tomatoes undrained!0, and bring to boiling.  Cover, reduce to heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  To serve, top with croutons.

First things first -- soup in May?  Well, it's probably the last time I will make hot soup for a few months, so there.  And we all know about kale -- superfood, right?  But so many people hate it.    I will admit, it can be a little tough, especially raw, but putting it in soup is a really good way to start enjoying kale.  It softens up nicely, loses any remnants of bitterness but keeps its body.  It's good, trust me.  And a very popular combination with cannellini beans.

Of course it couldn't be quicker or easier to make.  Little chopping, little dumping and a little seasoning.   This is a delicious and healthy soup.  Look, let's be real , this is a soup that's done in 10 minutes.  It's not going to have the depth of flavor of a slow simmered soup.  But it's delicious, it's satisfying and chock full of good for you things.  So go ahead, make this soup on a weeknight when you need a quick and healthy meal.

Pork Medallions with Belgian Endive

Source:  Sunset Magazine

1 lb whole pork tenderloin
2 T olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 thyme sprig
2 T butter
6 heads Belgian endive, halved
1/2 c orange juice
1 T maple syrup
1/2 c heavy cream
2 T chopped flat leaf parsley

Remove filmlike silverskin from surface of tenderloin.  Cut tenderloin crosswise into 12 medallions, each about 1 inch thick.  Season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a very large pan over medium high heat.  Add garlic and thyme, cook, stirring constantly , until garlic is browned all over, about 1 minute.  Transfer to a plate.  Add pork and cook until browned underneath, about 3 minutes.  Turn over and cook until barely pink in the center, about 2 minutes.  Transfer to the plate of garlic and thyme.  Put butter in pan and let melt.  Add endive,  cut sides down, and cook until browned underneath, about 2 minutes.  Turn over and cook one minute more.  Transfer to plate of pork.  Add orange juice and maple syrup to pan and cook, scraping up browned bits, until liquid is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.  Add heavy cream and boil, stirring, until thickened and reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.  Return garlic, thyme, pork, endive and any accumulated juices to pan and heat, gently stirring, until everything is warmed through, about 1 minutes.  Sauce should be reduced enough to thickly coat the back of a spoon.  Garnish with parsley.

I have never worked with endive before.  I have always heard of it being used raw, in a salad, or an appetizer.  So when I saw this recipe, with braised endives, of course I had to try it.  My regular grocery store doesn't always carry endives, so I had to get mine from Whole Foods.  As far as vegetables go, they weren't cheap.  For easy reference, here is what you are looking for:

Otherwise, the recipe is easy to make.  I used minced garlic, and dried thyme, and didn't remove them from the pan at all.  Also, they are not kidding when they tell you to use a very large pan.  My largest pan didn't hold all the endives and I had to cook them in two batches, which meant using a little extra butter.

Word to the wise -- endives are bitter.  Cooking them in butter, with the sweetish sauce does tame the bitterness a little bit, but not completely.  The more tender leaves were good, because the leaves soaked up the sauce and only a hint of the bitterness remained, but the majority of the endive was still too bitter for my taste.  The sauce is delicious, sweet, creamy with a slight hint of citrus, and goes perfectly with the pork.  I think if the endive were used as an accent in this dish -- maybe use one head instead of six, and serve the dish with rice, this would be a delicious and different pork dish.

Layered Wheat Germ Brownies

Source:  Hodgson Mill Wheat Germ

Botom Layer:
1 c wheat germ
1/2 c flour
1/2 brown sugar
6 T butter melted

Chocolate Layer:
1/3 c cocoa
1/3 c margarine
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
2/3 c wheat germ
1/2 c flour
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

Chocolate Icing:
2 T butter
3 T cocoa
1 c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix together bottom layer ingredients.  Lightly pat evenly in ungreased 9 inch square pan.  Set aside.  Melt cocoa and butter over low hear, stirring occasionally.  Beat in sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Stir in wheat germ , mixed with flour, baking powder and salt.  Spread over bottom layer in pan.  Bake 25-30 minutes.  Cool slightly -- spread with chocolate icing.

Icing:

Melt butter and cocoa.  Remove from heat and mix in one cup of powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 T of hot water.  Spread over brownies.

So wheat germ.....It's the reproductive part of the grain, and usually gets removed by the milling process that produces refined grain products.  It's high in all kinds of nutrients, like phosphorus, Vitamin A, folate.  It's also a good source of fiber.  So it's very, very healthy.  But it looks like sawdust, and kind of tastes like it.   I got a box of wheat germ for some recipe (maybe even the terrible mistake of the healthy muffins that I chronicled in this blog earlier).  Then you have a whole box of wheat germ, and what do you do with it.... I would mix it into yogurt, or smoothies -- it melts in and ups the nutritional content.  But it takes a long time to use up a box of wheat germ that way.  So i was excited to find this recipe, and try it.  In fact,  I made this for a co-worker's birthday, and took it to the office.  I wouldn't say that it got rave reviews, but I think most people enjoyed it, and the fact that it wasn't overly decadent, and was somewhat nutritious made it a popular choice.

It's fairly easy to make.  The only note I would make is that the icing was very thick.  I actually didn't read the part about adding the water, so I added a bit of milk to the icing.  It still is pretty thick, and not liquid.  I also used unsweetened cocoa, to cut down on the sweetness.  Now I know the recipe says -- ungreased pan -- but I felt that the bottom layer didn't come out easily from the pan, but was crumbly and stuck to the bottom.  Next time, I will grease the pan, or add a little extra butter to the bottom layer to make it more moist and stick together better.

The name "brownie" is misleading.  It's not a brownie.  It's most of a chocolate bar.  It's very good.  Do not fear the wheat germ. The bottom layer is crunchy and nutty -- reminiscent of an oatmeal layer.  In the chocolate filling, the wheat germ just serves to thicken the chocolate.  It's not overly sweet, but still tasted pretty rich  I would recommend this recipe if you are in the mood for a little dessert that's not overly decadent and that you can feel OK about eating.

Shrimp with Farro and Spring Vegetables

Source:
Bon Appetit Magazine

8 oz farro
2 T butter
2 T minced shallots
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 t fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/4 c white wine
20 large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 c sugarsnap peas cut into 1/2 inch pieces
10 thin asparagus spears, stems removed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 c heavy cream
1/2 c chicken broth
1 t fresh lemon juice

In a  large pot of generously salted boiling water, cook farro until firm tender, about 8 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  Over medium heat, melt butter in large pot.  Add shallots and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.  Add garlic and thyme and cook another minute.  Add wine, and increase heat to medium high.  Add shrimp, and cook until they just start to turn opaque.  Add peas, asparagus and reserved farro.  Add cream, broth, lemon juice.  Salt to taste.  Stir and cook for two more minutes -- or as long as it takes for sauce to thicken.

How is this for a Spring recipe?  This recipe appealed to me b/c I've never worked with farro before.  It's one of those "ancient grains" that are so popular these days. They are also really good for you and very filling.   I had to go Whole Foods to find farro -- in the bulk bins.

This is what farro looks like cooked.  It tastes pretty much like brown rice.  Maybe a little "toothier" if that makes sense.

The recipe is very easy to put together.  I loved the use of all the fresh spring vegetables.  Must confess that I used dried thyme instead of fresh.

This dish is delicious.  Fresh, yet feels rich and decadent from the use of the cream.  By the way, I think you can easily reduce the cream to half a cup -- it would still be rich and creamy and delicious, with far less fat.  And did I mention that it takes less than a half hour to put together.  Highly recommend.  Do yourself a favor and make this dish.

Asiago Meatball with Fiery Sweet Bell Peppers

Source:  Texas Pete Hot Sauce

3 c breadcrumbs
2/3 c milk
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
4 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 c grated Asiago cheese
2 eggs
1/2 c parsley chopped
1/2 t dried oregano
3/4 c olive oil
4 each of red and green pepper

hot sauce

Put breadcrumbs and milk in a bowl.  Add next seven ingredients in a separate bowl, and gently mix.  Add breadcrumbs.  Form meatballs and cook by your preferred method.

Slice peppers and saute in olive oil for about 9-10 minutes.   Serve with generous serving of hot sauce.

So by now you must have guessed that I've gotten some sort of a Texas Pete hot sauce with a recipe booklet.  True.  Hence all the recipes involving hot sauce.

A couple of things about this recipe -- it's missing instructions on how big your meatballs should be, and how to cook them.  I opted to bake mine on a sheet tray at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.  The second is that the amount of oil they suggest you saute the peppers in is ridiculous.  I used less then a tablespoon.

So this is an OK recipe.  The meatballs are fine -- I've made, and definitely eaten much better.  The sauteed peppers are nice, I actually chickened out from using the hot sauce.  So this was an acceptable dinner, but definitely not something you should write home about.

Fire Roasted Rib Eye Steak with Bacon and Chipotle Butter

Source:  Texas Pete Chipotle Sauce

1 1/2 inch thick rib-eye steak
olive oil
cracked black pepper

6 thick cut slab bacon slices
1/2 c of molasses
1/4 c Chipotle Sauce (any hot sauce you like)
salt and pepper
8 T butter

In oven cook bacon which has been brushed with 1/8 c of hot sauce and 1/4 c of molasses. Bake until cooked through -- not crispy.  Chop bacon and transfer to mixing bowl.  Mix in remaining molasses and hot sauce.  Mix in softened butter.  Refrigerate.

Season room temperature steak with olive oil and cracked pepper.  Place on hot grill for 3-4 minutes -- rotate 45 degrees and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.  Flip the steak and repeat!

Serve hot with the butter mixture.

This recipe grabbed my attention -- steak is not something I cook at home often.  But this compound butter sounded so exciting that I just had to try it.

Really very easy to make.  The bacon cooks up nicely in the oven, and with the moisture from the molasses and hot sauce  - it doesn't get crispy and doesn't splatter everywhere.  The only tricky thing about this recipe is getting the steak to your liking.  By the way, the compound butter is plenty salty, so don't use salt when seasoning the steak.

Delicious, unique, smoky, rich.  Just a tiny bit of heat from the hot sauce.  Look this is not a light delicate meal -- this is hearty, juicy steak.  I chose to serve it with simple sauteed broccoli raab, which was the perfect accompaniment.  The steak desperately needed the slight bitterness of the broccoli raab. Not a meal you should have every day, but for a special occasion, this is absolutely great.

Strawberry Rhubarb Layer Cake

Source:  Good Housekeeping

1 orange
3.5 c sugar
2 lb rhubarb trimmed and sliced
1 lb strawberries, trimmed and chopped
4 egg yolks room temperature
2 eggs room temperature
1 c whole milk
3 t vanilla extract
3 c cake flour
1T baking powder
12 T butter -- room temperature
1 1/4 c confectioners sugar
8 oz cream cheese -- softened
2 c heavy cream, chilled

Squeeze juice from orange into saucepan.  Stir in 2 c sugar.  Cook on med. high until sugar dissolves.  Add rhubarb, cook 5 minutes until tender.  Transfer to bowl and cool.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.  Add chopped strawberries, refrigerate.

Preheat over to 350.  Grease and line bottom of 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper.  Grease and flour parchment, and sides of pan.  In bowl, whisk egg yolks, whole eggs,  1/4 c milk and 2 t vanilla.  Mix flour, baking powder, 1.5 c sugar in separate mixing bowl.  Beat in butter, and remaining 3/4 c milk.  Add egg mixture in 3 batches, beating well between additions.  Divide batter evenly  between pans.  Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack 10 minutes.  Loosen sides with knife.  Invert cake onto rack.  Cool completely.

Place 1 cake on plate.  Strain liquid from rhubarb mixture.  Spread half of rhubarb on cake, leaving one inch border.  Repeat with second cake, and remaining rhubarb.  Top with third cake.  In large bowl, whisk confectioners sugar, cream cheese and remaining vanilla until fluffy.  Slowly drizzle in cream.  Whisk on high until stiff peaks form.  Cover cake with frosting.


I love dessert.  My daughter's 4th birthday was coming up.  I thought this would be perfect springtime cake for her.  Special, beautiful, interesting flavors, and lots of decorating options with the simple white frosting.  Then, I got lazy.  My daughter's birthday came, and we ended celebrating with a big pile of donuts in the shape of a cake (BTW -- so fabulous).  Then, it was my turn to host our monthly "team building luncheon" at work.  By then I had all the ingredients for the cake, so I went for it.

I am not going to lie.  This cake is a pain in the b***t to make.  Starting with the trimming of the fresh rhubarb,  the making of the jam, trying to find 3 8 inch cake pans -- there are no shortcuts.  This is definitely not the dessert you want to make for the neighborhood potluck.

I've never worked with fresh rhubarb before.  That was a treat -- such pretty color, the texture like a stringy celery.....  And I love the smell of a fluffy cake batter.  -- General rules of cake baking apply, of course,  And don't be fool by the paleness of the cake after 20-30 minutes.  It may be done, and be careful so that the bottom doesn't burn.  Definitely use the toothpick trick.

Before you assemble the cake, let the filling drain for a while -- it has a fairly liquid consistency, so if you don't drain it off, it'll run all over your cake.  By the way --  it tastes AWESOME.

I didn't have enough whipped cream for the 2 cups in the frosting.  Apparently after I bought the whipping cream, I decided to use it for other stuff too, and ended up putting a little over a cup in my frosting.  So maybe my frosting wasn't quite as fluffy as it could have been.  It tasted really good though.  And frankly, I may not have been able to handle a much looser consistency frosting.

I made an absolute mess of frosting the cake.  I know I suck at it, and today proved that again.  I managed to get the strawberry filling into the frosting, so instead of pristine white, my cake has a slight pink tint.  Instead of sloppy and messed up, I choose to call it rustic.

I thought the cake was a little -- could have been a touched overbaked, or the three layers were just too thick.  The ratio of the cake to the filling was a little off.  Or maybe I could have poured a little bit of the liquid that I drained from the filling to soak into the cake (as long as it didn't ruin its integrity).

This was a very labor intensive dessert.  I would highly recommend the filling.  It's so good.  And the frosting is a keeper.  The cake needs a little tinkering.  If you want to make a cake for someone you care about, or want to spend an afternoon baking, give this cake a try.  It'll be worth your while.

Chewy Chocolate Brownies

source:  Nestle baking bar

1 c flour
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
3/4 c granulated sugar
1/2 c butter
2 T water
2 chocolate baking bars (4 oz each)
2 eggs
2 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter and flour 13x9 baking pan.  Microwave butter, sugar and water in large bowl for 3 minutes on high.  Immediately add baking bars broken into small pieces and stir until melted.  Add eggs one by one.  Mix until well blended.  Add baking soda and salt.  Add flour.  Stir well.  Pour into pan, and bake 16 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

So you ask me -- why bother with a brownie recipe?  I love brownies. They are so delicious, chocolatey, cakey, chewy -- what more could you possibly want.  I am also a little bit of a brownie snob -- most people make brownies from a mix and while those brownies are fine, there is no comparison to a brownie from scratch.

This was a fun recipe to make.  There was something playful and fun in dropping the bits of the chocolate bar into the boiling sugar and butter mixture, and seeing them melt and transform the mixture into a glorious chocolatey mess.

The batter is relatively thin, and barely gets around in the pan.  But remember, these are meant to be chewy brownies.  They do rise a bit due to the baking soda, but they are not going to be fluffy and cakey.

Super delicious, not overly sweet, and really highlighting the chocolate flavor.  Use good quality chocolate bars for this, and enjoy a delicious version of a classic.

Smothered Swiss Turkey Burger

Source:  Good Housekeeping Magazine

2 shallots
10 oz sliced mushrooms
1 lb ground turkey
1 T olive oil
sliced swiss cheese
1 T flour
1 c beef broth
1 T butter
1 T cream

Pulse two shallots, quartered in food processor until chopped.  Put half of shallots in small bowl.  To food processor add half of sliced mushrooms, and pulse into bits.  Mix and form mushroom mixture, 1 lb ground turkey and 1/2 t salt into four patties.  Cook in skillet, in 1 T olive oil, on med. high 8-10 minutes, flipping once.  Transfer to plate.  Top each with 1 slice to Swiss cheese; keep warm.  Heat 1 T butter in skillet.  Add remaining shallot and mushrooms and cook 5 minutes.  Stir in 1 T flour, cook 30 seconds.  Add 1 c beef broth, cook 5 minutes or until thickened.  Add 1 T cream and 1/4 each salt and pepper.

I was looking for a simple weeknight recipe.  I like turkey burgers because they are a touch healthier than regular burgers.  The challenge is always how you cook the burgers through without drying them out completely.  This recipe uses the chopped mushrooms and shallots to impart moisture as well as flour to the turkey mixture.

There is not much to this recipe -- pretty standard burger.  I think that cooking the burgers in the skillet in olive oil adds a little more moisture to the burgers.  Plus the bits of the turkey left in the pan flavors the mushroom sauce nicely.  I actually had a 16 oz package of mushrooms, so I used extra mushrooms in the sauce -- I love mushrooms, so I didn't mind a little extra.

This a very solid turkey burger recipe -- the burgers are nice and moist, and have a good flavor, and the mushroom sauce is dynamite.  Give it a try if you like mushrooms.

No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

Source:  Nestle

1 premade chocolate crumb crust
2 chocolate baking bars (4 oz each) melted and cooled
2 8 oz packages of cream cheese -- softened
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c sugar
2 T milk
1 t vanilla
whipped cream (optional)

Beat cream cheese, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl for two minutes.  Add melted chocolate and beat for 2 minutes.
Spoon into crust.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.  Top with whipped cream if desired.

Back to desserts. Joyous.  But taking it easy with a super simple recipe.  I have been busy, and haven't been able to try the more elaborate and interesting recipes that I would like to experiment with.

If you have a stand alone mixer (by the way -- my favorite kitchen tool by far) -- there is really nothing to this recipe other than throwing ingredients in a bowl, and let it rip and then spoon into a crust.  Easy and quick.  Quality depends on the quality of the ingredients you are using.

I was disappointed in this.  It tasted like a very dense cheese pie.  It was super filling, and very sweet -- but didn't have any of the fluffiness of a real cheesecakes.  I guess some shortcuts don't work well.  Don't waste your time on this one.

Almond and Pistachio Brown Rice Pilaf

Source:  unknown

1 small onion finely chopped
2 t olive oil
1 t garam masala
1 c brown rice uncooked
2 cloves of garlic - -minced
2.5 c vegetable broth
1/2 t salt
1/3 c slivered almonds
1/3 c roasted salted pistachios
1/2 c currants
2 T fresh parsley

Saute onion in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat  for 3-4 minutes or until tender.  Stir in rice and garam masala, and cook stirring often, until rice is fragrant and lightly toasted.  Add garlic and cook one minute.  Add broth and salt, and bring to boil.  Cover and reduce heat to low and cook to 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.  Meanwhile, toast almonds.  Fluff rice mixture with fork.  Stir in almonds and remaining ingredients.

I don't usually bother with sophisticated side dishes.  I'd just as soon focus on the main event.  However, this recipe intrigued me -- loved the combination of the exotic ingredients.

Ingredient note -- Garam masala is a spice mixture used in Indian and South Asian cuisines.  It's a combination of peppercorn, cardamom, cumin, cloves and cinnamon.  You can buy it in a regular grocery store.

This recipe was easy to make -- not much more to it than making the rice.  The garam masala gave a rich, deep and exotic flavor to the rice.  The little gems of sweet currants, salty pistachios and crunchy toasted almonds were lovely with the freshness of the parsley.  If you are looking to jazz up brown rice -- try this recipe.  It would even be a nice, hearty vegetarian meal.  

Grilled Spareribs with Fennel Seeds and Herbs

Source: Sunset Magazine
1.5 T kosher salt
1 T each fennel seeds, chopped garlic and  chopped fresh rosemary
1 t chopped fresh sage
2 t each pepper and sweet paprika, chopped fresh thyme leaves and ground fennel seeds
2 racks of pork spareribs trimmed St. Louis style, membrane removed, cut into 8-9 inch portions
2 T olive oil

Combine all ingredients except ribs and oil in a bowl.  Rub ribs all over with oil, and smear with seasonings, putting most on meaty side.  Chill airtight at least 4 and up to 24 hours; let sit at room temperature during last hour.  Meanwhile, scrunch each of 5 (1.5 ft) sheets of foil into a log about 9 in long.  Prepare grill for low (250 to 300) with a burner turned off to make an indirect heat area.  Put a pan in the indirect heat area.  Set ribs with bone tips upright over drip pan, arranging foil logs  between ribs to hold them up.  Grill, covered, until meat is very tender and shrinks back from tips of bones, 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours.  Transfer ribs to a rimmed baking sheet and cover with foil.  Let rest about 10 minutes.

I don't eat ribs a lot.  In fact, I hardly ever eat them.  I know they are fatty, and not really good for you, so I might have them once every few years.  Plus, cooking them intimidates me a lot.  Finally, it's winter time, not exactly grilling season, and I don't have an outdoor grill.  This recipe had al kinds of complicated instructions ....so many reasons not to do it.  But, isn't it what this challenge is all about?  Doing things that are intimidating ... even if you fail occasionally?  So I clipped this recipe and waited for the right time to try it.  Then, when I was at Whole Foods yesterday, St. Louis style spare ribs were on sale.  I took that as I sign.

I forgot the garlic from the rub.  I used dried rosemary  (remember that dried herbs are more potent, so I used 1 teaspoon).  And finally, I omitted the ground fennel seeds.  I don't really care for fennel, so I didn't think it was a big issue -- frankly I was just too lazy to grind up the fennel seeds, and I didn't think I would miss it.

I made a big mess with rubbing the ribs with the seasonings, put them in two gallon sized zip lock bags, and put them in the fridge.  Then, I took the easy way out, and them them over to the neighbor's house, and let him deal with the grilling portion.  Then, another curveball -- neighbor's grill also not working -- we are left with out of town third neighbor's grill.....  at that point, we've made the decision to just use the oven.  Long story short -- we put the ribs on racks over a a sheet pan, covered with tinfoil, and baked at 300 degrees for   2 hours and 15 minutes, flipping them halfway through the cooking, and removing the tinfoil for the last 10 minutes.

These ribs were delicious -- fatty, tender, juicy, salty -- absolutely dynamite.  I will spare you all the nutritional info -- it't not pretty.  Suffice to say that this is a "sometimes" food.  Absolute hit.  Go ahead and follow the recipe directions if you want -- in fact, let me know how those work out.  But if you want to take it easy -- shove these guys in the oven like I did, and have a delicious dinner any time of the year.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Source:  Reader's Digest

1 lb strawberries
1 lb milk chocolate chips
2 T shortening

Pierce strawberries through the stem with toothpick.  Melt chocolate chips and shortening over a double boilers.  Dip strawberries and stick them upside down in a piece of styrofoam.  Let it harden up.

This is not the post I had planned for this week.  I had fettucini recipe planned -- and in fact, I made that for dinner tonight.  But then I looked back at my recent posts and noticed an abundance of pasta recipes (I make a lost of pasta these days b/c that is hands down my daughter's favorite food), so I thought I little change up would be welcome.

I made these chocolate covered strawberries for a Superbowl party.  I usually make desserts for parties, and I wanted to do something different.  Also, despite being winter, I found some delicious fragrant strawberries.

So there is not much to chocolate covered strawberries.  There is just a couple of things to make the perfect berry.  First of all, it's important to add the shortening to the chips -- makes the melted chocolate a looser consistency which makes dipping easier.  I also changed up the chocolate chips, and used 70% semi sweet to 30 % milk chocolate chips.  I don't care for sweet chocolate that much, but that's a matter of preference.  I loved the trick with the toothpick -- and the styrofoam.  It cut down on the mess significantly (although I did manage to get chocolate all over my stove), and letting the harden upside down in the styrofoam eliminated the flat part where you would lay the strawberry down, and made for (at least theoretically) a perfectly round, dipped berry.

So these were a huge hit.  Again, can't take credit for the flavors or the idea.  But I can tell you that I made two pounds of strawberries and every last one was gone before kick-off.

Chicken Breast and Thyme Cream Sauce

Source:  Package of Thyme

1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 c butter
2 cloves garlic
6 T sherry
3/4 c chicken broth
1 1/4 c cream
3 T fresh thyme, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Coat chicken breasts with flour.  Melt butter in large skillet/  Saute chicken and garlic over medium heat until golden brown and cooked through.  Add sherry and chicken broth.  Cook and stir until most of the  liquid has evaporated.  Add cream and fresh thyme.  Cook and stir over low heat until sauce thickens.

Yes, another chicken recipe.  But we all need tons, b/c I think chicken is the easiest protein for a home cook to prepare.  This is an easy recipe.  I did cut my chicken breasts in half so that they would cook through faster.

I wish I could adequately describe the decadence and richness of this dish.  So delightful.  Cream, garlic, sherry, butter -- what could be better.  Just be sure to season with plenty of salt and pepper.  I served the dish with egg noodles.  Definitely serve with a side that soaks up that glorious sauce.  A real winner.

Baked Ziti with Turkey and Pesto

Source:  All You Magazine

8 oz ziti
salt and pepper
3 T olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of minced garlic
4 oz ground turkey
2 c canned crushed tomatoes
1 c ricotta
2 c grated mozzarella
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c pesto


Preheat oven to 350.  Grease an 8 inch square dish.  Cook ziti in boiling water, just short of al dente.  Warm oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, saute until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic, saute 1 minute.  Stir in turkey and saute one minute.  Mix in tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer, stirring,  until thick, or about 10 minutes.   Combine ricotta,  1 c mozzarella, 1/4 c parmesan and pesto in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spread 1/2 of ziti in dish, top with 1/3 of sauce.  Spread with ricotta mixture and cover with remaining ziti and sauce.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese, drizzle with 1 T oil.  Bake until bubbly, about 10 minutes.

This recipe was in a section called "what to do with leftover turkey".  According to the article,  most ground turkey is packaged in 20 oz packaging, yet most recipes call for 1 lb -- and this recipe was one of the suggestions on what to do with the remaining 4 oz.  I don't know what any of that means -- I buy my turkey in 1 lb packaging, and froze 12 oz after making this recipe.  Otherwise, pretty easy to make.   My ziti was severely underdone with I put it in the oven, and after baking it was perfectly soft and delicious -- it makes me wonder if pre-cooking the ziti could be skipped altogether, making this an ever easier recipe to make.  The dish is delicious -- not too tomatoe-y, not too pesto-y but perfectly gooey and cheesy.  It's true that you don't miss more turkey -- the dish is delicious and flavorful.  You can skip the turkey altogether, and if you have more than 4 oz, the dish will be all that much better.

Excellent pasta dish!

Stuffed Chicken and Herb Gravy with Polenta

Source:  Coooklng Light Magazine

Chicken & Gravy:
4 6 oz chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 thin prosciutto slices halved
4 slices of provolone cheese
1 T canola oil
1/4 t pepper
2 T minced shallots
1 T chopped thyme
1.5 c chicken stock
1 T flour
1.5 T butter
1 T flatleaf parsley
1.5 t chopped tarragon

Polenta:
2 c milk
1/3 c water
1/2 c uncooked polenta
1/4 t salt

Cut each breast horizontally, but not through, to the other side to create a pocket.  Lift top flap of  chicken pocket, arrange 1/2 prosciutto slice in each pocket.  Top each slice with a cheese slice, press top flap of pocket down over filling.  Heat large skillet with oil.  Sprinkle chicken with pepper.  Add chicken to pan, saute 5 minutes or until deeply browned.  Turn and cook 4 minutes or until done.  Remove from pan, keep warm.  Add shallots and thyme to pan, saute 30 seconds stirring constantly.  In a small bowl mix 2 T stock and flour stirring with whisk.  Add flour mixture and remaining stock to pan.  Bring to boil, cook 3 minutes or until reduced to 3/4 c; scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Remove from heat, stir in butter, parsley and tarragon.
To prepare polenta, bring milk and 1/3 c water to a simmer.  Gradually add polenta, stirring constantly with whisk.  Cook 3 minutes or until thick stirring constantly.  Stir in 1/4 t salt.

I am sure I am not alone with eating a lot of chicken.  I am comfortable with chicken, chicken breast is relatively healthy etc. etc.  I actually think chicken breasts are hard to cook -- they tend to be large (I couldn't find a 6 oz breast) -- and it's hard to cook them through without drying them out.  And. of course, they don't have much taste.  So, I am always interested in finding new recipes.

This was a good one.  As I said earlier, my chicken breasts were much larger than 6 oz, which made it harder to cook them (certainly took longer than the recipe suggests), and the thin prosciutto/cheese filling wasn't really enough to flavor them.  I used thyme instead of the tarragon as well.  It's winter, and  herbs are expensive, so I wasn't about to buy a whole package of tarragon just for this one thing.  However, I did use up the entire package of thyme -- which was probably more than the recipe called for.  Oh, and I reduced the butter to 1 tablespoon.  I don't know if it was that, or the "gravy" is really more of a sauce.  Which is fine by me.  

This is a good dish.  A nice alternative to some other chicken options, and not too labor intensive.  I will say though that the true star was the polenta.  I have tried many polenta recipes, and this was by far the best.  It was creamy, and cooking in the milk softened the grittiness (no pun intended).

And another note -- I'll have to take a course on food photography.  This was a pretty dish, but all the pictures I took turned out like beige mush and beige sauce.  I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I didn't want to discourage anyone from trying the recipe :)

Whole Wheat Tortellini with Garlic Sauteed Vegetables

Source:  Buitoni

1 package (9 oz.) refrigerated whole wheat flour cheese tortellini prepared according to package directions
2 T olive oil
1/2 lb fresh green beans
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 yellow summer squash quartered and sliced
1/2 c halved grape or cherry tomatoes
1 T chopped fresh garlic
1/2 c parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add green beens and salt and pepper; cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add squash, stirring frequently for 3 minutes.  Add tomatoes and garlic and cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes.  Toss in prepared pasta, cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese.

I know what you are thinking -- weeks of absence, and now two posts in two days?  In my defense, we are snowed in.  It is impossible to go outside.  It's been snowing heavily since last night -- 10 inches or so.  It's bitterly cold.  There is not much left to do at home but cooking.  I also felt like eating some healthy yet comforting.

This was an easy dish to put together.  I had a little extra green beans, I threw that in there too.  And I had a little less cheese, so there was a little less of that.  This is the kind of meal that can change depending on the vegetables you have on hand -- or even the kind of tortellini you use.  The ratio of vegetables and pasta is also roughly equal -- more so than pasta with some vegetables.  It's a delicious meal all around.  It's a perfect meal for when you want to eat something healthy and fresh yet need the comfort and warmth of a pasta dish.  Good solid meatless weeknight dinner.

Biscuits

Source:  Oprah Magazine

1/2 c whipping cream
1 c self rising flour

Mix until crumbly mixture forms.  Roll out -- cut out biscuits.  Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

So I know I suck.  2013 is over and I wrote 38 blogposts instead of 47.  How about my assurance that I made plenty more new recipes?  No?  On the upside, I've decided to continue this blog, continue to push myself to try new recipes and fess up when things don't turn out well, look for suggestions on how to make things better and gloat when things turn out delicious.

As for the latest hiatus, I hope everyone can relate to the craziness of the holiday season.  I had family in from overseas, and not only did I not feel like blogging, but we went out most of the time.

So,  for my return, and start of the new year recipe, I chose this super simple two ingredient biscuit recipe.  Loyal readers of this blog are aware of my quest for a fluffy delicious biscuit.  Spoiler alert -- this recipe was a big fail.  First off, I had to get the self rising flour which is way more expensive than regular flour.  Then, I attempted making this recipe for my family, and with my brother, mother and daughter shouting questions at me all at the same time in two different languages -- well, I got confused, and dumped regular flour into the whipping cream.  I suppose I could have fixed it by adding some baking powder, but I didn't know how much, and just got frustrated and dumped the whole thing.  Then finally, I made the recipe.  I had some trouble getting the dough to stick together.  Then I finally managed to roll it out, and and bake it.  AND THEY DIDN'T RISE!!!  What is up with that?  Self rising flour -- fresh, and it still won't rise????  On the upside, the biscuits were tender and absolutely delicious.... little hockey pucks.  The quest for the fluffy biscuit continues.  Or, I should just take a job at a Cracker Barrel.  It might be an improvement on many fronts, but that's a whole different topic.