My FIANCE! Likes It, So It MUST Be Good.

Latkes a.ka. the Potato Pancake

2012-01-13T16:38:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was our first culinary lab of the quarter. My group was assigned to do a Greek Salad and some Latkes (or fried potato pancakes). And for this quarter, our lab is not only responsible for feeding ourselves, but also a few other labs (so about 60-80 people).

Our group of three was already one short, so there was just the two us. We decided to each tackle one recipe and help eachother out in between. I ended up with the latkes. Now, any time you make something fried, ideally, it's best to serve right away. Well, remember that whole 60-80 people that we were serving? Practically impossible to fry up about 60 people's worth of latkes and keep them all perfect. I know there are probably people that CAN do this, but for a second quarter culinary student? I'm good, but not THAT good... yet.

What I'm getting at is, I got some voiced criticism from someone in one of the other labs that we were feeding. "Those just don't look appetizing" was the comment, I believe. You're going to get criticized no matter what setting you're in, so I take things like that with a grain of salt and learn from them. I was really surprised when a couple of my classmates stepped up and said that the girl was really rude in the way she said it and stood up for me. It was good to know that they had my back, and most of them even told me the latkes were great and that girl didn't know what she was talking about. Either way, it felt good to be supported.

But after getting home, it really struck a nerve with me. Maybe she was right, maybe they didn't look appetizing. I was determined to come up with a latke that looked and tasted amazing. And so, this trio of tuna dinner was born.

I must warn you, there are A LOT of pictures in this post. But I figure, if I'm not posting as often, I might as well give you guys ample eye candy, right?

Ingredients:

Latkes

1-2 New Potatoes
1/2 small onion
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon flour
salt and pepper, to taste
vegetable oil, for frying

Tuna-Wrapped Asparagus

2 stalks of asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 one inch piece of sushi-grade Ahi Tuna
1 tablespoon lime juice

Sesame-Encrusted Ahi Tuna

2 6 oz. pieces of sushi-grade Ahi Tuna
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 asparagus stalks, shaved thinly with a mandolin
1/2 large zucchini (or 1 small zucchini), shaved thinly
1 tablespoon lime juice

Strawberry Soy Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 teaspoon sugar

Spicy Tuna Tartare

4 oz. sushi-grade Ahi Tuna, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 tablespoons Sriracha, or to taste
Sesame oil, to taste

There seems to be a lot of ingredients up there, but I promise as long as you have everything in place and ready (a.k.a. mis en place), then it will come together in no time. And it's an elegant meal, that is just too simple that it's fool proof!

So let's start with the latkes. Make sure you have a bowl of salted cold water for your potatoes so that they don't oxidize and turn brown on you.

Then you'll take your star ingredients, the potato and the onion.

Peel your potato (or potatoes if you're using more than 1) and have a grater ready.

Shred that potato and immediately put into the bowl/container with cold salted water. Set aside.

Then quickly small dice your onion and set that aside, as well.

Moving on to the tuna... make sure to whip out a separate cutting board - we don't want any cross-contamination here! And I can't stress this enough, make sure you get SUSHI-GRADE Tuna! It's been processed in a way that it is "safe" from parasites and bacteria - however, you eat raw fish at your own risk. If it's not labelled as "Sushi-Grade", then double check with your fish monger for sure!

Ain't she a beauty?!

Get a large bowl and fill it with ice. Then you'll want to cut the skin off of the Ahi. With a boning knife, carefully cut away the outer skin. Then from the wider side (the left in the picture), but out two 1 to 1 & 1/2 inch wide portions for your Sesame Encrusted Ahi. Wrap in plastic wrap and place over ice.

Then cut two 1-inch cubes from the remaining Ahi. Place the cubes between plastic wrap and using the flat side of a mallet (or bottom of a small saute pan, hehe) and gently pound the cubes flat. Wrap in plastic wrap and put over ice.

Then with remaining Ahi, dice into small 1/4 inch cubes. Place in a small bowl and drizzle with Sriracha and a dash of sesame oil. You can make it as spicy as you like, so be liberal with the Sriracha. Mix well and chill until ready to use.

Let's move on to our vegetables.

Fill a medium pot half way with water and bring to a rolling simmer. Have a medium bowl of ice water ready as well.

Blanch the asparagus in the water for about a minute and quickly shock in the ice water (to stop the cooking process). This will give the asparagus a vibrant green color, as well as keeping it's tender crunch. Don't worry about blanching your zucchini (unless you really want to)... I rather like the taste of raw zucchini, just make sure you wash it well before you slice it. Your vegetables should look like this.

Then go ahead and get your breading for your ahi portions ready. In a small container, combine the breadcrumbs and black sesame seeds. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Now let's make our sauce for the Ahi. Place the soy sauce, sliced strawberries, water, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the mixture by half, or until thickened to desired consistency. Puree mixture then strain through a fine mesh strainer or chinoise. Set aside.

Unwrap Ahi portions and roll in the breading until fully coated.

In a medium heavy-bottomed pan, add enough vegetable oil to cover the pan by 1/2 an inch and heat under medium high heat.

Drain potatoes from water and squeeze out and excess water retained by the potatoes. Pat dry with paper towels.

In a small bowl, combine the shredded potatoes, onions, egg, baking powder, and flour. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Honestly, I probably could have used a little more potato or a little less egg - it was very egg-y. But tasty, nonetheless.

Fry the latkes in the oil until crispy and golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Let drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Then, using the open end of a drinking class (or the reasonable option would be to use a cookie cutter), cut a nice even circle out of the latke. Then eat the edges, because they're delicious. But don't spoil your dinner.

Let's saute our Ahi portions now. Heat a medium skillet under medium high heat and add about a tablespoon of olive oil.

Add Ahi and cook each side for about 30-45 seconds, just to sear slightly and get a nice golden brown crust. Place on cutting board and slice into 1/4 inch pieces.

Remember those pounded out tuna cubes? Unwrap them and get one of your blanched pieces of asparagus. Wrap the asaragus with the tuna and place them seam side down on the plate. Drizzle with a little bit of lime juice and lightly sprinkle some salt over top.

Then we'll plate the sliced Ahi. Place a few pieces of the thinly shaves asparagus and zucchini the plate. You can be playful with it, they're flexible, but just make a little "nest" if you can. Drizzle the vegetables with some lime juice and sprinkle with a tiny pinch of salt. Place the slices Ahi over top and drizzle with Strawberry Soy Sauce.

Then get your tartare from the fridge. Place the crisp latke on the plate as your final component. Top with a heaping mound of spicy tuna tartare. Garnish with a couple pieces of sliced scallion.

And voila! An elegant dish, but after broken down into steps, really isn't that complicated! And although the latke wasn't the star, it was definitely a unique component to the dish. And if I didn't make it look appealing in this, then I might as well give up! But I think I did a pretty good job, don't you think? =)

Well, I know this was a long post, but I'm glad you stuck around to read it (or skim it - I don't care, as long as you're still with me!). Have a great weekend guys, and I'll be back sometime next week =)

Bacon-Wrapped Brown Sugar Pork Loin

2012-01-02T16:47:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm still alive. I may look like a zombie, but I'm still here!

The two week break between quarters was seriously just what this girl needed. I thought I would have a post up before the new year, but I took time to relax instead. Priorities, I tell ya.

And I'm proud to report that after the first quarter of culinary school, this girl has a solid 4.0. Woop woop! Right?!

Anyway, next quarter starts tomorrow and I'm ready for it. Purchasing, Sanitation, and Culinary Theory Lab Part 2 here I come!

I thought I'd start 2012 off with a bang and give ya something juicy, mouth-watering, and simple as can be. Pork-wrapped pork. Mmmm hmmm.

Ingredients:
Adapted from The Comfort of Cooking's Recipe

3 lb. bone-in pork loin
5-6 pieces of bacon
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon hot Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze:

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

Why bone-in? Honestly, I think more flavor develops with a bone-in anything. Yeah, it may have to cook a tad bit longer, but flavor outweighs times in my book (this coming from a girl who swears she has no time to spare!).

So let's line a roasting pan with aluminum foil and place your big hunk of pork on that sucker. Preheat your oven to 375F.

In a small bowl, make your spice rub. Combine the salt, black pepper, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and chili powder.

And give that pork a good rub down.

Then we'll wrap the whole thing in some bacon. P.S. - the technical term for wrapping something in fat (in this case, bacon) is "barding."

Place the roast in the oven and roast for about 50-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan under medium heat, combine the ingredients for the glaze - the brown sugar, flour, cider vinegar, and mustard powder.

Simmer until the sugar is dissolved.

Drizzle glaze over top of pork roast and continue to roast for about 25-35 minutes longer, or until internal temperature has reached 160F.

The bacon will be nice and crispy!

Let rest for about 10 minutes and then slice into 1 inch thick portions. Serve with your starch of choice and enjoy!

I want to thank you guys for sticking with me, even though I've been M.I.A. I do my best to balance everything, but certain things take precedence before the blog. I appreciate you all, and again, thank you so much!

Until next time...

Rice Pilaf

2011-12-14T06:05:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! Hope everyone is doing well. I know I've still been a busy bee, but after Friday, I'll have a little bit more time on my hands because it's my last final of the quarter. So I'll have a two week break before having to go at it all over again.

And I tell ya, it's going to be a much needed break. I might even find myself sleeping more (right now I'm averaging about 5 hours a night, if I'm lucky!).

Anyway, I thought I'd post an easy side dish that any one can make. It's a versatile dish where you can really add practically anything to, and keeps really well if you have leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 oz. clarified butter
2 oz. onion, small diced
1 oz. celery, small diced
1 oz. carrot, small diced
1 cup white rice
2 cups stock (chicken, beef, fish, vegetable - I happened to only have beef in the fridge so I used that)
1/2 bay leaf
salt and pepper, to taste

our mise en place

Heat a medium saucepan under medium high heat and add your butter. When your butter is heated up, add your vegetables and sweat (cook without browning) them, about 3-5 minutes.

Once the vegetables are slightly softened, add the rice. Stir until lightly toasted, about 1-2 minutes.

Then slowly incorporate your stock of choice.

Then add your half of a bay leaf.

Bring mixture to a boil.

Then lower to a simmer and cover.

Let cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until about 95% of stock is absorbed into rice.

Serve as is or use as a side dish for a main course. We ended up sauteing a few shrimp, putting them on top of the pilaf, and calling it dinner!

Hope everyone is doing well and surviving the holiday season (once again, I've completed all of my Christmas shopping online, avoiding the malls like the plague!).

Until next time...

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap: Corn Cookies

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the horrible picture, didn't dawn on me to take pictures with my actual camera, and not my phone!

This year, I was part of something amazing. The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap! Hundreds of other bloggers joined in all of the fun and cookies were sent all over the country. It was so amazing to find a couple boxes on my doorstep when I came home from work of a variety of different cookies! And it was even better to discover new blogs in the process!

I received Dark & Stormy Cookies from Kathy Can Cook, Toffee Cookies from Anna from Girls Can Tell, and Lime Cookies from Creative Crops. I'd never been do any of those blogs before, but I'm now a regular because they're all so sweet and have great blogs!

It was definitely hard to choose a cookie to send to my lucky recipients as well. I didn't want to send a "normal" cookie, but something different. So I turned to one of my favorite cookbooks of the moment - Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi. I made the Corn Cookies, which are my absolute favorite out of everything I've made out of the book so far. They're different, like a cross between a butter and a sugar cookie, with that slight hint of corn in the background. Definitely amazing.

Ingredients:
From Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi

2 sticks of butter, at room temperature
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 & 1/3 cups flour
1/4 cup corn flour
2/3 cup freeze-dried corn powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 & 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat for an additional 7 to 8 minutes.

Add flour, corn flour, corn powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until dough just comes together, no more than 1 minute.

Portion the dough into 1 inch diameter balls and place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350F.

Arrange the chilled dough 4 inches apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 18 minutes, or until faintly browned on the edges and bright yellow in the center.

Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans and store in an airtight container for 5 days at room temperature, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

I hope my lucky recipients enjoyed their cookies as much as we did!

And I can't wait for this fun event to happen next year too!

Secret Recipe Club: Fall-Inspired Chicken Salad

2011-12-05T11:00:00.006-05:00

It's that time of the month. Secret Recipe Club reveal day! (It's basically the only day I can consistently keep up with this blog, too!)

I was real excited this month because I got Isabelle from Crumb: A Food Blog. I've been reading her blog for quite a while, even when it was still called Good Food, Good Wine, and a Bad Girl. She always has interesting blog posts - and there's always a point where I leave with my mouth watering. You know that's a good sign!

As always, it's hard to pick what recipe to choose, but since Andy and I are on a bit of a healthy-eating food kick right now, I picked one of Isabelle's delicious looking salads - The Fall-Inspired Grilled Chicken Salad. Isabelle had a fancy Cuisinart Griddler to do her grilling for her, but since I don't have one of those, and refuse to bust out the George Foreman - I simply sauteed my chicken breasts over the stove. Besides that minor detail, I pretty much stuck to the recipe as is because it was just that good!

Ingredients:
Adapted Recipe from Crumb

1 large chicken breast, butterflied
2 tablespoons cajun seasoning (I made my own mix from this recipe)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
1 small shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
mixed salad greens
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced
1/4 cup mixed fruit and nut trail mix

Season each side of the chicken breast with the cajun seasoning mix.

Heat a large saute pan under medium high heat and add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Add chicken breast and cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until browned. Flip over and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly. Set chicken aside on cutting board to rest.

Make vinaigrette by combining olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, spicy brown mustard, shallot, and garlic in a small bowl. Whisk until mixture is emulsified (no separation of acid and oil). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

In a large bowl, toss the greens with about 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and divide among two plates. Top greens with trail mix and sliced apples. Then top with sliced chicken breasts. Serve with additional dressing, if desired.

Like I said, this was an amazing meal - and I would expect nothing less from something on Isabelle's blog! Feel like being adventurous? Join the SRC today!

Beef Tenderloin w/ Espagnole Sauce

2011-11-27T13:45:00.000-05:00

Wow... I've been M.I.A. for quite some time! It's been even busier around here, and it's hard to even wrap my head around what I've gotten myself into!

The restaurant is going quite well. I was on the pantry line (salads & desserts, a few cold and hot appetizers) for a bit of time, and last week I started training at the grill station. I'm having tons of fun, and learning a hell of a lot! Which is the whole point of all of this!

Did everyone (who celebrated) have a good Thanksgiving?! I know we did. My whole family went down to Andy's family's Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and it went quite well. I'm glad that our families could get together on a day like that and get along so well.

Anyway, I know everyone still might have turkey on the brain, but in honor of me training on the grill station, I thought a nice, juicy steak felt like just the thing to post. Hopefully I'll be back sooner next time, instead of going on a three week hiatus, but who knows what the next week of life has in store for me!

Ingredients:

2 6-8 oz. cuts of beef tenderloin
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut medium dice
spinach, optional
Espagnole sauce, recipe here
salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for rubbing and drizzling

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Rub each steak with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Season your steaks with salt and pepper, on both sides.

Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss well and spread into one even layer. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Heat a large skillet under medium high heat. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and heat until shimmering.

Add steaks and cook until desired doneness (I think a medium rare is perfect, about 6-8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your cut). Let rest on a cutting board for about 5 minutes.

Warm up Espagnole Sauce, if needed.

To plate, place a good amount of sweet potatoes on the center of the plate. Top with steak and drizzle Espagnole sauce over top. Serve with a side salad of spinach and some fresh bread.

This brings "meat & potatoes" to a whole new level. It was a simple enough dinner to be ready in no time, but also one that is sure to impress dinner guests, as well!

And on a side note, a reader had asked in the comment section of the Espagnole Sauce recipe about a proper way to make a Demi Glace.

By definition, a demi glace is half brown sauce (Espagnole), half brown stock (beef stock), reduced by half. Easy enough right? So for 1 cup of demi glace, use 1/2 cup of Espagnole Sauce, 1/2 cup of beef stock... bring to a boil, then let reduce until the whole mixture is 1/2 cup, or until desires consistency.

Hope to see you guys sooner than later! And thanks for sticking around with me =)

Secret Recipe Club: Creamy Mac n' Cheese

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

With all of the craziness of my schedule, it's nice to still be able to do Secret Recipe Club. To not think about school, or work, or anything. Anything except exploring another blogger's site and making something delicious!

This was just the case with my assignment this month. I got to explore Crystal from Mrs. Happy Homemaker's blog and was definitely impressed! I found meals that were just the epitome of comfort foods and lots of things that made me smile. It was a hard decision, with things like Deviled Egg Spiders to Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Cream Cheese Icing! She even has updates on good deals and coupons, as well as DIY craft ideas (quite kid friendly!). There's lots to explore over there, and I could definitely get lost for hours on her site.

Ultimately, I chose something that has always been comforting to me - Mac n' cheese. Crystal's quest for the ultimate mac had me quite intrigued and I decided to give it a try (especially since we just learned about bechamel and this had a bechamel base!). So I used what I had on hand - I replaced the 3 cups of cheddar with a nice block of gouda and gave it a little kick with some cayenne because I dig a spicy mac!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Mrs. Happy Homemaker's Recipe

1 lb. fusilli pasta
1 oz. flour
1 oz. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon hot Spanish paprika
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups milk (I used 2% so it took a little longer to thicken)
3 cups gouda, shredded
6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup garlic bread crumbs
1 cup grated sharp cheddar for topping
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Boil pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Preheat oven to broil.

Meanwhile, in a large, nonstick pot over medium high heat, add butter. Let it warm up and then whisk in flour, paprika, mustard powder, cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook for 1-2 minutes until it starts to turn a pale white. You've got the start of a white roux (except it'll be a tad red because of the paprika and the cayenne)!

Slowly add little increments of the milk so the roux doesn't get lumpy, and once you have a smooth mixture, add the rest of the milk. Bring mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly. Cook until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and whisk in cream cheese and the gouda. It will melt without being on the burner.

Mix cooked pasta with sauce and place into a greased baking dish. Top with the shredded cheddar cheese, breadcrumbs and parmesan. Broil until brown and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes.

This was some great mac! It was definitely creamy and full of tons of flavor. I'll be making this again, that's for sure! Hope everyone has a great start to their week - I know I did!

Espagnole Sauce

2011-11-02T16:45:00.000-04:00

It's been a bit hasn't it?! I've been running around like a mad woman. I'm surprised I'm even able to stand right now, let alone stay awake long enough to type this. I've got long days, getting up at 5 am and working and then turning around and going to school at night (or going to the restaurant to work job #2!). But success doesn't come easy. It's a long, hard road. But winning the lottery would help out just a little bit... anybody willing to share the winning numbers? I'll split it with ya!

Anyway, we've been learning about mother sauces in my Theory class. What are the mother sauces, you ask? Well, there are 5 of them. And they're pretty much the base for hundreds of other sauces. They include Espagnole (which I'm going to show you today!), Veloute, Bechamel, Tomato, and Hollandaise.

Espagnole (pronounced es-pan-yole) is also called "brown sauce," but if you want to stick to being fancy, we can continue calling it Espagnole. It's pretty simple and is basically a gravy. So when we know the basics, we can improvise and add other ingredients to make even fancier-named sauces - but we'll get into that later on. Let's get saucin'.

Ingredients:

1 oz. clarified butter
1 oz. flour
2 oz. onion, minced or brunois (a knife cut that is a 1/8" perfect cube)
1 oz. carrot, minced or brunois
1 oz. celery, minced or brunois
1 teaspoon tomato puree (good ol' ketchup works fine here!)
2 cups beef/veal stock
salt and pepper, to taste

Now, first thing's first. We start this sauce with a roux. You know fat + flour = roux. But wait! You'll want a digital scale (or old fashioned kitchen scale) for this, because a proper roux is equal parts fat (in this case, clarified butter) and flour, by weight. This way, enough butter can absorb and take in enough flour to properly thicken.

And another thing about a roux. There are 3 stages of a roux. White. Blonde. And brown. Each stage depends on how long you cook the roux for. Obviously, we're making "brown sauce" so we want a brown roux. One key thing about the color of a roux. The darker the roux, the less thickening power it has. So basically, it'll just take a little bit longer for your sauce to thicken up if you're going with a dark sauce!

Okay, so I'll stop babbling school talk.

Heat a medium saucepan under moderate heat and add your butter.

Let the butter warm up in the pan for just a minute, then add your flour.

Stir the flour until it's incorporated with the butter. You'll want to heat your roux until it's almost the color of peanut butter.

Then you'll want to add your onions, carrots, and celery.

Give it a good stir to incorporate the vegetables in with the roux.

Cook the mixture until your vegetables start to caramelize, about 3-5 minutes. Then add your tomato puree, aka ketchup.

Give it a good stir to incorporate the ketchup into the vegetable/roux mixture.

Then slowly add in your cold beef stock, while stirring. You want to do it slowly so that you don't get any lumps.

Once you have all your stock in the saucepan, bring mixture to a boil for about 3-5 minutes. This is to ensure that you cook out your starch in your flour.

Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until mixture is thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

If you can make a line on the back of your spoon and the top doesn't move, you know you've got the right thickness!

Then you'll want to strain your mixture.

And season it to taste with salt and pepper.

And voila! You have espagnole sauce. You can use it as is and put it on steaks, or as a gravy for mashed potatoes. Or you can use it as a base for other sauces like a Perigueux (just add demiglace and truffles!), or a Cherveuil (just add demiglace, red wine, and a dash of cayenne). The possibilities are really endless!

Hopefully I'll get some time to post within a couple of days to show you what I did with my espagnole sauce - because it sure was delicious! Have a great week guys!

How-To: Dice an Onion

2011-10-28T11:06:00.000-04:00

So I asked if you guys wanted some knife skills posts and there was a resounding yes! I'm glad you guys are excited - because I love having an excuse to bust out my knife set!

Anyway, this may seem like a roll-your-eyes kind of post because I'm sure many of you know how to cut up an onion. But if maybe you're like me (before culinary school), you may just roughly chop and not try to get it too precise. I've noticed that since I've been in school (5 weeks already and I feel like I've learned such a vast array of tasks!), I find myself wanting perfect and symmetric everything. It's getting to be a little OCD almost.

So I chose to show how to dice up an onion because I practically use an onion for almost every dish I cook. It's crazy when you think about it, you know? So we'll ease into something easy, and then I'm open to taking suggestions for future knife-cut how to's (anything in particular you guys want to learn how to do? If I don't already know how to do it, we'll learn together!).

You won't need anything fancy. Just an onion, a (really sharp) chef's knife, and a cutting board.

Honestly, you want to have a really sharp knife. You're more apt to cut yourself with a dull knife than a sharp one. So invest in a whetstone if you don't already have one (they average about $10 and last a really long time, so there's no reason to not have one).

And another thing, don't "saw" at anything. You want to strive for one fluid motion through whatever you're cutting. No back and forth action.

So you'll want to take your whole onion and before you peel it, cut it in half, from the root to the top. Then peel your onion. Set the onion flat and make a diagonal cut to trim off the top.

So now you're left with the top (which you can just pitch) and the rest of the onion.

You'll want to put the heel of your palm on the top of the onion (or make a fist and put the tops of your knuckles on the top of the onion) to hold it in place. Starting with the bottom edge of your knife, you want to make one fluid horizontal slice (about 1/4 inch from the bottom of the onion), pulling the knife closer to you as you cut and ending just before the root - no sawing motions, so this is why it's very important you have a really sharp knife! You want to keep your onion in tact, so make sure not to cut through the root!

You'll just want to slide your knife through, and if you don't make it close enough to the root, it's okay - no biggie

Then you'll go up about 1/4 inch from your first cut and make another horizontal cut the same way.

Depending on how big your onion half is, you might be able to get one or two more 1/4 inch-spaced horizontal slices. I think I did one more with this one.

Next you'll want to turn the onion 90 degrees (so that the root end is at the north end). Then you'll make a vertical cut (about 1/4 inch from the left or right, it doesn't matter which end you start). Remember, you don't want to go all the way through, cut before the root so your onion still stays in tact.

If you want, you can hold the sides of the onion together so it's easier to cut, just watch your fingers and be careful! Space the vertical cuts about 1/4 inch apart (we're going for consistency here, right?) I think I got about 5 or 6 vertical cuts.

After you make your vertical cuts, you'll want to turn the onion back 90 degrees (whether you're left or right handed, it doesn't matter, my root end was to the right because I'm left handed).

The key to an even chop is to have a stable, sharp knife. Make one fluid cut. No sawing. I know I've said that a million times, but seriously. Having my chef say it over and over made a difference with me and a lot of the other of the students. I used to be a "sawer". I'll admit it. But I can't go cutting anything like that any more, regardless of what it is!

Anyway, make sure the tip of your knife is on the cutting board (in front of the onion, and just bring your knife down to make a vertical cut - 1/4 inch spacing!).

Stragglers are okay - no biggie

Continue to make 1/4 inch-spaced vertical cuts until you get to the root.

Don't hold the onion or knife like I did (I have no idea why I'm doing that lol) - you're apt to cut yourself

And voila - you've small diced (1/4 x 1/4 x 1/4) an onion. Of course, an onion is round and layered and you can't really get a perfect 1/4 inch perfect cube, but it's close enough!

I'll hopefully pop in during the weekend (can't make promises!), but if not, we've got Espagnole sauce next sometime next week! And if you have any knife cuts you want to learn - let me know and I'll try to feature them next!

Have a great weekend guys =)

Fried Chicken & Waffles

2011-10-21T13:06:00.000-04:00

I've always been intrigued by fried chicken and waffles. I know it's wildly popular down South, but after doing a quick poll amongst co-workers, 90% of them looked at me like I was crazy, having never heard of such a blasphemous thing.

But I tell you what. It's far from blasphemous. It's the perfect combination of salty and sweet. Breakfast and dinner wrapped into one. And you better bet your ass that if I ever open up a restaurant one day, it'll be on the menu. This was awesome. And is the perfect use for the remaining parts of your broken down chicken.

Ingredients:

Fried Chicken:

2 lb. Mixture of chicken parts - thighs, drumsticks, wings, tenderloins, drummettes
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
Vegetable shortening, for frying

Waffles:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 & 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
maple syrup, optional (but not really, it's necessary, hehe)

Place the chicken pieces in a large plastic Ziploc bag and cover with the buttermilk. Seal bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. This will help to tenderize the chicken.

Remove chicken from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat about 1 cup of vegetable shortening. You want to get about an inch or so layer once it's melted (or at least be able to cover the chicken pieces by half). Heat until between 325 - 375 F.

In a medium shallow dish, combine the flour, cornstarch, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning.

Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture and shake off any excess.

Working in batches (I did about 4-5 pieces per batch), fry the chicken until cooked throughout, about 4-7 minutes per side (depending on the type of pieces you used, some cook faster than others).

While the chicken is frying, you can prepare your waffles.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Then whisk in the melted butter until just incorporated.

Grease your waffle maker with non-stick spray or butter and add about 1/2 cup of batter per waffle. Cook per machine instructions and waffles are browned and crisp.

Serve fried chicken atop one large waffle and drizzle maple syrup around waffle. Enjoy absolute bliss.

If you've never heard of chicken and waffles, I highly recommend you try this very soon. You won't be sorry.

Have a great weekend guys! That's it (for now) with the chicken posts - I used the carcass for a stock, Alton Brown's recipe. I'll have a knife cut how-to up next and then we've got Espagnole Sauce (a mother sauce that's the base for fancy sauces like a Bordelaise, Chasseur, Chateaubriand, Cherveuil, Madeira, Marchand de vin, Perigueux, Piquant, Poivrade, and Robert). So lot's of learning opportunities to come - for both of us!

Buffalo Chicken Breast Sandwiches

2011-10-19T05:37:00.000-04:00

One of the first things we ended up making in class were Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches. I guess they want to start us off with something easy before working our way up to something more skillful.

I didn't mind because buffalo chicken sandwiches are actually one of my favorites.

So the first installment of "What to do with your broken down chicken" is making use of the chicken breasts. A simple sandwich that is as easy to put together as it is to eat!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, skin removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
lettuce
1/4 cup of your favorite hot sauce (I used Frank's Wing Sauce - it's thicker and coats the chicken perfectly)
bacon
2 whole wheat buns
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a large skillet under medium high heat and add oil. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. When oil is shimmering, add chicken to pan.

When the bottom side is a nice golden brown (about 4-6 minutes), flip the breast over.

Finish cooking the chicken until white throughout, an additional 5-7 minutes. Transfer chicken breasts to a plate and let rest.

Assemble your sandwiches by placing lettuce on the bottom half of the bun.

Then you'll want to place your hot sauce in a medium stainless steel bowl. Add chicken breasts, one at a time, swirling them around to coat well with sauce - kind of like you're saucin' some wings, ya know?

Then place your sauced chicken breast on top of the lettuce.

Then add a little bacon if you're feelin' frisky.

And close that sucker up with the top bun, and voila! A buffalo chicken sandwich that'll be gone in less time than it took to put together!

Serve with fries if you'd like (I got to practice my battonet knife cuts in making them so I was all about it - speaking of, would you guys like some how-to knife cut posts?)

Next up we've got a sweet and salty treat to use up the other edible parts of our chicken (those of you who are friends with me on Facebook probably have an idea of what's to come!). Have a great Wednesday guys!

How-To: Break Down a Chicken

2011-10-16T16:47:00.000-04:00

It's been almost a week, but I'm back with my first how-to post! There are probably just as many ways to break down a chicken as there are ways to fix eggs, but the way I was taught in our second week of classes is by far the easiest way I've come across!

I did a Google search on "how to break down a chicken" and found video after video tutorial. But I don't think I found a single post (or maybe Google just didn't recognize any) with a picture-by-picture tutorial. I don't know about you, but I learn better with still images. Videos are great, but I don't want to have to watch a whole video or pause every 5 seconds while I'm trying to learn how to do something.

So I can use the excuse that because there were so many pictures in this post, that that is the reason it took me so long to get another post up! But we all know that isn't the case. I'm just a busy bee - I had my first day in a restaurant kitchen last Thursday - It was definitely a LOT to take in, and a completely different scenario than cooking in my own kitchen (duh!). So I'm excited about going back this upcoming Thursday and learning more!

Anyway, this post is going to be long enough, so I'm sure you want me to stop yapping! Let's get to breaking down this chicken!

So let's see what we need...

You want a bowl of ice so that you can keep your chicken at a cool temperature. If you just set it out on the cutting board, 1. you'll run out of room quick, and 2. the warmer your chicken gets, the more it's prone to grow bacteria (and that's a bit gross, now don't you think?) After each piece is cut off the chicken, you'll put it in this bowl.

And I didn't label it, but it should be obvious... you'll also need a cutting board.

So the first thing we do is cut off the wing. You'll want to spread the arm out and look for the ligament between the wing and the drummette. Most important part here is to cut through the cartilage (the soft cushioning between bones)... NOT through a bone.

Use the dotted line as a guide

Right through the cartilage - if you have any resistance, you're cutting through bone, not cartilage. Cartilage should be as easy as cutting through butter.

And you'll want to do the same thing with the other arm/wing area. (Every step will be done twice, obviously - so I won't restate the obvious from here on out.)

Next we'll take off the thigh and the leg. It's easier to see what you're working with if you grab the chicken by both legs and sort of bend them down - this pulls the meat away the carcass and allows you to better see the "hip knuckle" that you cut behind next.

The knuckle should be in the crease between the thigh and the carcass. Once you find it, you'll make your cut behind it, cutting the leg from the carcass.

Follow the line, not my knife

Cut off any excess fat, as desired

So if you like having the whole leg quarter then you don't need to go any further. But if you want to break this down even more and end up with a thigh and a drumstick, then we make this cut...

You'll want to find the natural fat seam between where the drumstick and thigh meet.

Then score against the fat seam until you can find the cartilage between the bones. Remember, we cut through cartilage, NOT bones!

Then you can make a clean cut to have that leg separated into two pieces - the thigh and the drumstick.

And the final components to remove from the chicken are the breast and the drummette.

You'll want to score the middle of the chicken until you find the Keel Bone. (It's a small flat bone that divides the chicken. And technically, it's more cartilage than bone, but we won't get into specifics).

Once you find the Keel, you'll want to make long strokes along the side of it, running your knife along the outside of the ribs, as well. You can pull gently on the breast to peel it away from the middle, but a good 4-5 strokes of your knife (if it's properly sharpened, that is) should do it.

When you're close to having the breast almost removed, grab the drummette and breast in one hand.

Find the cartilage in between the carcass and breast and make a clean cut through that cartilage to release the breast and drummette.

To remove the drummette from the breast, find the cartilage in between the breast and the drummette. Cut behind that to remove the drummette from the breast.

Remove the skin from the breast, if you'd like, and remove any excess fat.

There should be a small flap-like piece of meat on the breast, which is the tenderloin. Just lift it up and make a clean cut to remove it from the breast.

And you've got yourself a breast and a tender.

And now all you should be left with is a carcass!

So I know this was long, but I hope it was helpful! If not, it at least helped me "study"! Knowing how to break down a chicken saves you money in the long run! A whole chicken costs way less than the already cut up parts - and is an invaluable skill to possess!

In the next couple of posts, I'll be doing recipes with what to do with all that cut up chicken - so the only waste we will have had is the excess fat. And honestly, if you wanted to, you could use it, but we don't want to be too glutinous over here!

See you guys in a couple of days!

How do you break down a chicken? Was this helpful to you? Do you like these "How-To" posts?

Secret Recipe Club: World Peace Cookies

2011-10-10T07:00:00.004-04:00

Hello. It's me guys! I know I was a little sporadic last week, but I warned you, remember? Life is crazy. Life is about to get really crazy. I start at Jack Fry's on Thursday. And I still have my other job. And I still have to go to school. So yeah, this blog is looking like it's coming in 4th place. So if I go missing for a little while, know that I'm just busily trying to make something of myself. And I will try my best to at least post once a week!

Anyway, that brings me to today's post. It's Secret Recipe Club time! It's where all of the bloggers in my designated group get shuffled around and get assigned another blogger's recipe to remake on our own blog.

I was assigned Beantown Baker. Jen is such a super fun gal. She creates the most amazing baked goods - with her other half being her guinea pig, as well! She's an engineer by trade and she still makes time to blog some goods! I definitely must learn her secret of balancing a busy life!

I don't know if my choice was "legal" - I chose to do Jen's September SRC choice - World Peace Cookies. Technically, it is a recipe on her blog, so I guess it's still fair game. I was in the mood for some chocolate and these just kept calling my name.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Beantown Baker

1 & 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup 72% dark chocolate (I used some Ghirardelli squares), chopped

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, and baking soda together.

Beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla and beat for 2 minutes more.

Pour in the dry ingredients, and mix on low speed for about 5 times, or until flour is incorporated and looks somewhat crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Shape each half of the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days. (I think mine were in there for about 2 days - I ended up getting busy (surprise surprise)).

When you are Ready to Bake:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you're cutting them — don't be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won't look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

And voila! World Peace Cookies. They really do make all of your troubles disappear - even if just for the 5 seconds it takes to devour one of them. They're also perfect with a cold glass of milk!

So thanks Jen for letting me peruse your lovely blog, and I'll be back to test out some more treats - don't you worry!

Interested in the Secret Recipe Club? Check it out and find out how to join here!

Indian-Spiced Lentils

2011-10-06T08:22:00.000-04:00

This fall weather is a bit crazy. It was a nice fall chill all last week, and now we're back to being in the 80's this week. I just want my nice fall weather!

My half marathon is going to be here before I know it, and I've been a bad trainee. I did something to my shoulder last weekend and it's ached all week, but starting to feel better. So hopefully I can get back to running this upcoming weekend because I'm not going to have a very good time come October 30th if I don't!

Anyway, it's another soup-type recipe. I've been working on slowly cleaning out my pantry for the past couple of weeks (it's nuts in there!) and noticed I had an abundance of lentils - so what better to do than make a quick curry or soup! So I did a quick Google search and I was led to an Honest Cooking recipe that helped use up some of my CSA vegetables too!

Ingredients:
Adapted from an Honest Cooking recipe

1/2 cup french green lentils, washed
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
juice from 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 white/yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup chicken stock

In a medium pot, add lentils and cover with water. Stir in tomatoes and tumeric. Bring to a rolling boil and simmer until the lentils are soft and cooked, about 30 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet under medium high heat until hot. Add bell peppers and onions. Cook until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garam masala and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice. Add lentil mixture and chicken stock. Bring to a slow boil and simmer for about 10 mins.

Serve with steamed rice.

Have a great Thursday guys!

Fall Hash

2011-10-04T07:02:00.000-04:00

Ahhh, did you miss me yesterday?

I'm here this morning, so that should make up for it right? I'm hoping that I can at least get you guys 3 posts a week, but we'll see. I don't want to make promises I can't keep!

Anyway, first week of culinary school was awesome! We got our whites on Saturday - check me out!

A natural, right?! C'mon, just entertain me for a minute.

I spent the first week basically feeling everything out. Seeing who was similar to me. Seeing who was not similar to me. It's definitely a lot to take in. But I'm jumping into it with both feet and absorbing all that is thrown at me! Next week, we get our knife kits (they're pretty bad ass if you ask me - I can practice "packing my knives and going" as if Padma, herself, was telling me. Okay, now I'm getting really dorky!)

Anyway, I figure since I'm posting in the morning, I might as well give you a solid breakfast dish! This is the second hash I've posted in the past couple weeks, so can you tell it's one of my favorite things to make? They're easy. They're versatile. They're darn delicious!

Ingredients:

1 medium acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 small onion, diced
salt & pepper, to taste

3 main ingredients? How could you not make this?!

Set a salted pot of water to boil under medium heat. Add acorn squash and boil just for a few minutes (maybe 4-5) to parboil. Drain and set aside.

Heat a large cast iron skillet under medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes or so. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Remove all the bacon grease, except for about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Add onions to skillet and cook under medium heat until starting to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Add in acorn squash and cook until browned, about 5 minutes or so, and stirring occasionally. Stir in bacon and season with salt and pepper, if needed.

You could serve this as a side dish, or you can eat a whole plateful like I did! It's fall on a plate - I swear!

It'll probably be another day or so before I'm back, so until next time guys!

Whole Wheat Scallion Pancakes

2011-09-30T12:01:00.000-04:00

I grew onions in my garden this year. Well... let me rephrase that. I tried to grow onions in my garden this year. They never really "grew". And then I lost interest, or got busy... or honestly, got fed up with the squirrels terrorizing and feeding off of my garden. I just don't think I was born with a green thumb whatsoever.

The only thing I managed to snag from the garden this year, besides an ongoing supply of lettuce, were some early green onions.

When I buy them from the store, I can never use up the entire bunch. I'll use a couple for garnish and then forget about the rest of them. And the same thing was starting to happen with the ones I picked from the garden. So instead of letting them go to waste, I decided to use a whole bunch in some scallion pancakes. Something I've always wanted to try to make, but always put on the back burner.

And I don't know why, because they're so easy and they make a great little snack when paired with a spicy soy sauce!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Kirbie's Craving's Recipe

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups boiling water
olive oil, for brushing
sesame oil, for brushing
salt, to taste
about 8-12 scallions, chopped

In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat and all purpose flour with the boiling water. Knead until a pliable dough is formed, adding more flour or water if necessary.

Since I used whole wheat flour, I had to knead for a little bit for my dough to become elastic enough to use - maybe 10-15 minutes? Of course, a mixer with a dough hook would be useful here, but I keep it old school because I don't have one of those fancy schmancy mixers (until Christmas! My mom spilled the beans and said she was getting us/me one!).

Divide the dough into 8 equal sized pieces. Roll the dough as thin as you can, without it breaking.

Spread about a tablespoon of olive oil on top of each circle, and then drizzle with a very small amount of sesame oil (a little goes a long way!). Mix oils together and massage into the dough until covered. Sprinkle with salt and a good amount of the scallions (remember, you have to do this 7 more times, so don't go too crazy with it!).

Roll the dough into a long rope (Kirbie's Cravings does a great photo tutorial on this, so check it out if you have questions) and then coil the rope into a circle. Flatting with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thickness - this ensures that the scallions get evenly distributed throughout the pancake.

Repeat this process with remaining pieces of dough.

Heat a nonstick skillet under medium heat and add one pancake. Cook until golden brown, about 1 & 1/2 to 2 minutes. Flip over, and cook an additional minute or so.

Repeat with remaining pancakes.

Cut into triangles and serve with a spicy soy sauce (simple soy sauce with red pepper flakes and some grated ginger).

These make a great snack that feed a decent amount of people! I've even used them as a wrap for Asian-inspired wraps (Bulgogi wraps?!).

Have a great Friday guys! I've got my first Culinary Theory class tonight and the lab tomorrow - I'll have a chef's uniform by tomorrow morning! So exciting!!

Cilantro-Lime Peanuts

2011-09-29T12:02:00.000-04:00

With all of the junk food available today, it's hard to say no. Or at least it is for us. But lately, we've been trying to cut down on the potato chips, popcorn, and cookies. It's tough, but we've also got some figures to look out for and a budget to keep up with.

I was in the mood for a snack for Sunday's football games and was limited with what I had to work with. Luckily, I had some raw peanuts in the pantry and a few spices that I thought would make an interesting peanut combo! I haven't been able to stop snacking on them since!

Ingredients:

2 cups raw peanuts
juice from 1 lime
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large shallot, sliced thinly
salt, to taste
small handful of cilantro, chopped

In a medium bowl, combine the peanuts and lime juice. Toss well and let sit for about 30 minutes.

Drain the peanuts and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Heat a large skillet under medium high heat. Add olive oil and cook until shimmering. Add the shallots and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes or so. Remove shallots from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Add about half of the peanuts to the oil and cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer cooked nuts to another paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. Repeat with remaining half of peanuts.

Stir in cilantro and crisped shallots and toss well.

Keep the peanuts in an airtight container for no more than 1 week. But then again, they won't last that long!

One of my favorite things about these peanuts is that they're so crunchy and perfectly seasoned. There's nothing like frying up your own peanuts - haven't done it? Try it today!

Potato & Red Pepper Hash

2011-09-28T11:43:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my first day. First day stepping foot inside of a restaurant to see about a job in the kitchen. The first day stepping foot on campus for culinary school classes. It was the first day that I've been completely confident doing what I'm doing. And it was great. It was a great feeling to be pleasantly nervous.

I was a bundle of nerves stepping foot into Jack Fry's. It was thanks to a good friend of ours, Terry, that I even got this opportunity. While our meeting was a quick one, I appreciated the fact that the chef took time out of his busy day to meet with me and give me this chance. I have to call back Friday to see when he can fit me in, but it would be at least a 12-week internship-type deal. I'm truly grateful for the chance to gain some restaurant experience.

Walking into the classroom for the first time, was much of the same. A bundle of nervousness. It was a Basic Nutrition class, so there were a mixture of upper-level students. And turns out, I was the only first quarter culinary student in there. The only person not wearing a uniform. So I kind of felt a little out of place - but after Saturday (my culinary lab), I'll have my uniform, and I won't feel like such an outcast. Besides my initial fear, the nutrition class is pretty much a science class, so I felt comfortable with most of the material, being a former Biology major. There's some fun projects coming up - including a recipe book (which I'm most excited about), so I'm excited to learn. Friday and Saturday are the classes I'm most looking forward to though - Basic Culinary Theory and the Lab to go with it. So I'll be sure to do a full report next week on those two!

Anyway, you came here for the food right? We've been eating a lot of breakfast-for-dinner type meals lately. I don't know why, but I don't see any complaints from Andy - seeing as he'll usually have two platefuls when I decide to do this!

I love making hashes or potato-type dishes for breakfast. They're easy, filling, and so versatile. I had some sweet peppers from our CSA that needed to be used up, and so I thought this was a perfect fit!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Seasaltwithfood's Recipe

about 5 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until almost fork tender. You want them to disintegrate when you touch them! Drain.

Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until starting to soften. Add garlic and stir for another minute or so, until fragrant. Transfer the onion mixture to small bowl and set aside.

Add butter to the skilled with the remaining oil and heat over medium-high heat until butter foams. Add potatoes and make sure they are in an even layer on the skillet. Cook without stirring until potatoes are golden brown on bottom, about 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully turn the potatoes and repeat until browning until all sides are golden brown and crisp.

Stir in the onion-pepper mixture and carefully toss until all is combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some sausage and eggs for a complete breakfast!

Garlic-Infused Olive Oil

2011-09-27T11:29:00.000-04:00

Today is the day. Today is the day.

If you've been reading for a while, you know that I start culinary school today. I start a new journey in my life - one of many.

I also have a big interview with a local chef today (and if all goes well, by the end of the day, I'll be sharing my good news! - so cross your fingers that it is good news).

My nerves are shot. My stomach has been full of butterflies all day. But I know when the hour comes, I'll need to face my nervous fears, and just do it. I need to be myself. Be true to what I believe is the right path for me.

So anyway, now that I've gotten that out of the way. I want to share something so simple, that I can't believe I don't do it all the time.

Ingredients:

1 head of garlic
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
salt, to taste
1 & 1/2 cups olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place garlic in a make-shift aluminum foil bowl

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive over garlic head and sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Roast for about 45 minutes, or until nice and golden brown.

Let cool until safe enough to handle.

Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and add to olive oil. Throw in a bay leaf and some freshly ground pepper. Swirl to mix liquid and let sit for about 30 minutes before using.

This was gone in no time. We used it to dip freshly made bread which was delicious, but it can also be used to add a little oomph of flavor to every day cooking. Keep in the fridge for no more than 1 week (if it even lasts that long!).

Happy Tuesday guys! May all your dreams come true - we're definitely working on ours!

Baked Caramel Apples

2011-09-26T10:51:00.000-04:00

Can we see a theme developing here?

I had extra apples and caramels from these so I thought I'd make good use of the extra in some more caramel apple-themed treats!

These are super easy, somewhat messy, but oh so delicious! The Cheesecake Factory used to have this apple dumpling-type dessert that I loved. It was a warm apple wrapped in pastry and filled with caramel. I haven't seen it there in forever (maybe they've discontinued it? I don't know), so this is my take on it... sans pastry of course.

Ingredients:
Adapted from a Taste of Home recipe

4 Granny Smith Apples, cored
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
8 caramels
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
whipped cream

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Place apples in a square baking dish. Pour apple juice over top of apples. Divide brown sugar, butter, and caramels between each apple. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of apples.

Bake for about 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours, or until apples are softened and caramel is melted. (As you can see, my caramels could have gone for a little bit longer, but I was getting antsy!)

Top with fresh whipped cream (and snap your pictures fast, because it obviously melts quickly!).

While this isn't the pretties dessert ever, it's quite messy really. It sure does have all of the flavors of fall that I really enjoy - and it's so simple to put together! The waiting is the hardest part!

What's your favorite fall treat?

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

2011-09-23T12:03:00.000-04:00

Hello Fall! And hello Friday!

I just have to make it until the end of my shift tonight and I've got one sweet week of vacation. It's another stay-cation, but there's loads of things planned next week!

First off, it'll be my first week of Culinary School, which I've already told you has me in an emotional rollercoaster - but it's for the best! And then there's my big meeting with the executive chef at a local restaurant - another thing to make me a nervous nelly! And then there's a haircut - a much needed haircut.

Maybe in the midst of all of that I can get myself to do some wedding planning! We'll see...

I made these last week for a co-worker's birthday. She loved them and I hope you guys will too!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Zoom Yummy's Recipe

Crust:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly chilled and cubed

Filling:

16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:

1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly chilled and cubed
1 cup flour
about 10-15 caramels
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350F.

To make the crust, combine flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the mixture with your fingers or a fork until the mixture is crumbly.

Press the dough into a 9x13 inch pan in an even and flat layer. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside.

Make the filling by beating cream cheese and 1/2 cup of sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated. Stir in vanilla until just combined.

In a small bowl, combine the apples with the cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Let sit for about 1-2 minutes, then gently fold into cream cheese mixture.

Pour the batter over top of the warm crust.

Make the topping by combining the oats, flour, and brown sugar. Cut the butter into the mixture until it is chunky and crumbly.

Top the cream cheese mixture with an even layer of the topping. There's a lot of it (which I love!) so don't be afraid to go crazy.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until cream cheese mixture is set and topping is a nice golden brown.

Make your caramel topping by combing the caramels with heavy cream in a thick microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 20-30 second increments, stirring really well after each time. Be careful because it can go from nice and creamy to burnt in a matter of seconds. I don't think I heated mine up for any more than 45-60 seconds. Just keep stirring and the residual heat will melt the unmelted caramels!

Drizzle caramel topping over cheesecake.

I found that the bars were easier to cut after being refrigerated for a little bit, about an hour or so. Cut into desired sized bars and be prepared to watch these disappear quickly!

All the flavor of a caramel apple in a nice convenient fall-inspired bar!

Happy weekend guys!

Spicy Garlic Green Beans

2011-09-22T18:06:00.000-04:00

I'm literally on Cloud 9 right now.

I got a text from Andy during my lunch break today that said something along the lines that one of his good friends got me an "in" at a local fine dining restaurant and that he would explain more when he got home.

So on his way home, he called me and said that the executive chef at said restaurant said I could swing by sometime next week to talk with him. They didn't have any openings for help in the kitchen, but I could help part-time and work directly with him - kind of like having a mentor. I mean, it doesn't get any better than that - a young chef's dream!

I don't want to divulge any real details yet... mainly because I'm nervous as hell and don't even have anything set in stone. So once I actually meet with the chef next week, I'm sure I'll have more to tell you guys! But seriously, I'm stoked!

Anyway, by now, you can probably tell I like green beans. I mean, with recipes likes this one, and this one... I'm a green bean gal. So playing around with some green beans we recently got in our CSA, I kind of melded the above two recipes into one tasty little side perfect all by itself, or alongside a main dish!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Sunny Side Up in San Diego's Recipe

1 lb. green beans, trimmed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large bowl, combine green beans, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Drizzle about 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil over and toss to coat well. Season mixture with salt and pepper.

Grease a baking sheet and spread green beans onto sheet in an even layer.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until green beans are crisp, yet tender.

This was seriously one tasty green bean! It was garlicky, and had a punch of heat added in to wake up the senses!

I'm in an exclamation type of mood, so you'll have to bear with me! I'm one excited girl right now - and I can't wait to update you guys! Have a great Thursday and I'll see you tomorrow for a sweet treat to end the week!

When life gives you lemons...

2011-09-21T21:23:00.000-04:00

... you take pictures of them.

Yeah, taking the night off from a recipe post. Just thought I'd share with you some citrus!

Be back tomorrow for regularly scheduled programming...

Scallops with Honeydew-Avocado Salsa

2011-09-20T12:22:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been overwhelmed with emotions. I mean, in exactly one week, I'll be an official student in Sullivan University's Culinary Arts program. I'm scared. Scared that I won't be good enough. Excited. Excited that I'm taking a leap of faith. And ready. Ready for anything that's thrown at me.

It will be a big change. One of the biggest decisions I've made in my life to just jump into something new. Something that I'm passionate about. Something that won't make me a lot of money. But you know what. I don't care about money, never did. As long as I have a roof over my head, food in my belly, and my bills are paid - I'm content. I want to do something that will truly make me happy at the end of the day. And I feel that taking this leap of faith and starting into a career that I truly feel that I can succeed in - will keep me happy at the end of every day.

So I wanted to let you know that starting next week, I may not be as present in the blogosphere. I'm going to see how my new schedule affects my day-to-day and then revamp my blogging schedule accordingly. Maybe I'll even do a new post series of "what-I've-learned-in-culinary-school-this-week". Who knows. But bear with me. Stay with me. I promise I won't disappear. And hell, who knows - maybe I'll still be able to post daily like I try to do now.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's recipe

Zest of 1 lime
juice from 1 lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small honeydew melon, rind removed and diced
1 avocado, diced
salt and pepper, to taste
16 sea scallops
Black beans, optional

In a medium bowl, combine the lime zest, lime juice, and olive oil. Toss in the melon and avocado and coat well with lime-olive oil mixture. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Brush the scallops with olive and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet under medium high heat. Sear scallops for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown.

Serve the scallops with the honeydew salsa and black beans.

This dish was simple and made us feel real good after eating it. And not to mention it's just darn pretty to look at!

Speaking of pretty to look at, we recently had one of Andy's friends over for dinner. His girlfriend happens to be the pastry chef for the restaurant Proof On Main, here in Louisville. She brought dessert - a corn gelato (Oh. my. god. was it good!) and chocolate cake. Just look at how awesome this looks!

And talking with her really excited me for the upcoming weeks. They both loved the dinner I cooked them, which I was nervous about because I've never had a true culinary professional eat something I've made. And she told me about her journey to becoming the pastry chef she is today which was definitely inspiring, as well. She's even trying to start her own business - Sugar Monster Sweets
I mean, just checking out those cakes makes me jealous of her mad skills! Anybody in Louisville or the surrounding areas in need of a cake or sweet treat of any kind should definitely look into her!

Hope you guys have a great Tuesday!

Cream Cheese-Stuffed Poached Pears & Chocolate

2011-09-19T10:11:00.000-04:00

Oh we're getting fancy up in here! Well, as fancy as I know how to be right now.

I recently got the chance to sample some Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolates through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's program. So I decided to whip up something simple and elegant - and honestly, I just wanted to play around in the kitchen!

Ingredients:

Peaches:

4 pears, peeled, cored, and quartered
1 liter water
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling:

1 cup cream cheese
1/8 cup brown sugar

Chocolate Sauce:

12 oz. can evaporated milk
12 oz. Ghirardelli 72% Cacao Twilight Delight, chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Place pears in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a low boil under medium heat. Stir in honey and cinnamon. Poach the pears for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure that the pears don't float up above the water or they will cook unevenly and brown from being exposed to the air. Remove pears from liquid and place on a paper towel-lined plate to dry.

To make the filling, combine cream cheese and brown sugar in small bowl until smooth. Match pear halves by size. Spread about 1 rounded tablespoon cream cheese mixture on cut side of one pear half; press cut side of second pear half into cream cheese. Repeat with remaining pears.

For the chocolate sauce, heat evaporated milk to boiling in a medium saucepan. Stir in chocolate. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is slightly thickened and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar, vanilla, and salt.

Playfully arrange the stuffed pears, as well as some without any stuffing, on a plate.

The chocolate was absolutely delicious. I'm not really that big of a fan of dark chocolate, but combined with the refreshing pears and rich cream cheese filling, it really hit the spot. It was a simple after-dinner dessert that really impressed both Andy and I!

Hope you guys have a great Monday!

*I was provided free samples of Ghirardelli's new line of Intense Dark Chocolates through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's Program, but all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Grilled Grilled Ham & Cheese

2011-09-16T21:46:00.000-04:00

For some reason I wanted some grilled corn too...

Happy Friday! It's been an extremely long day and I'm ready to kick my feet up and put in a Netflix movie. And I might just be in a cruel enough mood to make Andy watch a chick flick with me. Yes, the perks of domestic bliss.

I grew up eating grilled cheese, but never understood why it was called "grilled" cheese. I mean, I only knew of it being cooked in a frying pan - never a grill. Then I saw Nick from Macheesmo do this. And I was instantly inspired to do the same!

Ingredients:

Bread
Cheddar cheese
Spinach
Ham slices
Softened butter

There's not really much to this. And you don't necessarily have to use the ingredients I did - it's just the sandwich I was feeling at the time.

Light a charcoal grill.

Butter one side of two slices of bread. Place one slice on the grill, butter-side down, over moderate heat and top with cheese, spinach, ham, and another slice of cheese. Then top with remaining piece of bread, butter-side up.

Grill for about 2-3 minutes, or until grill marks appear and side is golden brown. Flip over and grill for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Slice in half and enjoy!

Seriously, this was awesome. Even better than actual grilled cheese. Don't believe me? Try it out and let me know!

Have a great weekend guys! I'm super pumped because we're getting a new couch! Yeah, you know you're getting old when you can be excited about furniture!

Strawberry-Cucumber Salsa

2011-09-15T19:37:00.000-04:00

It's almost Friday! Woohoo!

I have to work on Saturday, so I still have 2 more days to go, as opposed to most of you who just have 1, but that's fine with me! A weekend is a weekend.

I've discovered a new route to work, which involves taking the scenic route downtown, but it avoids the congested highway and gets me to work on time - without me having to leave any earlier than normal. So score one for me!

I know this is late in the season, fresh strawberries are hard to come by - but that doesn't necessarily stop me from making this. It's a great condiment for tacos or fish, and even better as a replacement for tomato-based salsa as a dip for tortilla chips! I've been in a real dippy mood the past couple of days, haven't I? Sorry, can't help it!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Perry's Plate's recipe

10 strawberries, diced
1/2 English cucumber, diced
1 scallion, thinly sliced
small handful of cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

In a medium bowl, combine strawberries, cucumber, scallion, cilantro, and jalapeno. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with tortilla chips or as a topping for fish or tacos!

Well, I'm off to enjoy a nice bowl of some carrot-ginger soup and some of Andy's famous grilled cheese! Have a great night guys!

Chunky Eggplant Dip

2011-09-14T18:38:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday guys!

I feel so worn out, I have no idea what's up with me! But don't fret - I'm still busy in the kitchen!

Andy's work had a dip contest today and he asked me to make something for him. So I made some more pretzel bites with beer cheese. And you know what?! It got 2nd place!

Even better... Andy's chocolate concoction of a dip won 1st place. So really - we both won - and I don't even work there!

So because I'm in a "dippy" sort of mood, I figured I'd post another good one. This is practically one of the only dishes I can solidly eat eggplant in. It's goes good with tortilla chips, toasted bread, and even all by itself!

What's your favorite dip?

Ingredients:
Adapted from Pennies on a Platter's Recipe

1 large eggplant
juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tahini
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
small handful parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
tortilla chips
toasted baguette slices

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Pierce the eggplant all over with a fork. Drizzle with some olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes.

Unwrap eggplant and allow to cool until safe enough to handle.

Set a colander over a bowl. Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the pulp from both halves. Place in colander and allow to drain for about 5 minutes.

Transfer pulp to a food processor and pulse a few times. Add lemon juice, garlic, tahini, Parmesan, and cayenne pepper (if desired). Pulse until you reach your desired texture (I like mine on the chunky side!). Season with salt and pepper.

Place filling into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes, to allow flavors to meld.

Stir in fresh parsley and drizzle olive oil over top (if desired) before serving. Serve alongside toasted baguette slices and homemade tortilla chips.

This is quite tasty - and if you're looking for something on the healthy side for game day - this might be it! Have a great rest of your day guys!

Tomato & Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

2011-09-13T19:49:00.000-04:00

"Carmageddon" has officially hit Louisville. While probably not as drastic as the major traffic that was caused in Los Angeles - but definitely something that perturbs me. I love Louisville for the fact that it doesn't have 'major city traffic'. Sure, we have crazy rush hour, but nothing compared to cities like LA, New York, or even Nashville.

Until last Friday. The Sherman-Minton bridge was closed "indefinitely" due to some cracks found in some foundation beams. While yes, safety is priority - it has put Louisville (and most parts of Southern Indiana - as the bridge connects New Albany, IN to Louisville) in a traffic tizzy, because now everything has to filter through to the other bridge (The Kennedy) - adding about 76,000 more cars that way. And don't even get me started on the stupid detours. My normal 20-25 minutes commute to work took a little over an hour today. Yeah, I wasn't in a good mood. But surprisingly enough, my commute home was more of normal pace, about 30 minutes. I'll just have to think smarter for tomorrow's drive in.

Now that I've got my rant out of the way (I'm sure you all just wanted to hear about my traffic annoyances, right?) - let me tell you about something that calms me down... soup. Yes, soup. Now that fall has set in, soup will be a regular occurrence in our house - at least weekly. And this week's soup? This wonderful tomato and roasted red pepper soup. Perfect for dipping grilled cheese!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Sea Salt With Food's recipe

2 Red Bell Peppers
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Onion, peeled and diced 
3 Cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped 
2 Heirloom Tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 tablespoons Tomato Paste
small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 & 1/2 teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sour Cream
Croutons

Broil red peppers under a broiler or open flame on gas stove until charred on all sides. Place red peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel, remove seeds, and roughly chop.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Add onion and garlic. Cook until soft and translucent but not brown in color, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then turn the heat on high and mix in the tomatoes, tomato paste, peppers, cilantro, cumin, and paprika. Sauté the mixture for a minute or 2, and add the chicken stock. Bring mixture to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes.

Allow the soup mixture to cool slightly, then puree it with an immersion blender. Bring the soup back to the boil and season with some salt and pepper. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, some croutons, and a grilled cheese sandwich (if you're the dipping kind of gal like me!)

This was super tasty, made great use of our CSA tomatoes, and will be a soup that paired perfectly with a simple grilled cheese!

Hope you guys have a great Tuesday! See you tomorrow night!

Secret Recipe Club: Beef & Pork Keema

2011-09-12T07:00:00.001-04:00

It's Secret Recipe Club time again! What is Secret Recipe Club? Well, it's the coolest thing to hit the internet since Google originated, that's what! It's basically a monthly "secret santa" among food bloggers. You get assigned a food blogger, and you get to tackle one (or more!) of their recipes to post on reveal day (which is, of course, TODAY!)

I was really excited to be assigned Dana from Dana's Food For Thought. Why?! Well, Dana was assigned my blog for the first Secret Recipe Club that I participated in! So it was so great to return the favor!

Dana's blog is full of amazing recipes, it was definitely hard to choose. Recently engaged herself, Dana and I are very similar (as she said in her post when she was assigned my blog!). She's got everything from Morel Mushroom and Brie Tart to Lime Chicken Empanadas with Ranchero Ranch Dressing! Do I have your mouth watering yet?!

As I was perusing through Dana's blog, something really caught my eye - the Turkey Keema. It had all of the Indian flavors that Andy and I both love, but still remained somewhat "normal" when in comes to "Americanized-Ethnic" food. Andy was definitely surprised at how much he liked it - because looking at the ingredients, he was definitely weary... but I told him to trust me. And I'm glad he did! Because this was awesome - and I definitely will be taking Dana's suggestion of putting the filling into sandwiches, because I'm sure it'll be incredible!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Dana's Food For Thought's recipe

1 & 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
2 & 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 & 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
about 5 red potatoes, diced
6 oz plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup 2% milk
3/4 cup frozen vegetables medley (peas, corn, carrots, green beans)
juice from 1 lemon
small handful cilantro, chopped

In a cast iron skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute longer. Add the ground beef and pork and cook until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Remove any extra fat.

Stir in the coriander, cumin, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of the salt to the pan. Cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the potatoes, yogurt, and milk. Bring just to a boil. Cover the pan. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Uncover the pan and simmer for 5 minutes longer.

Stir in the frozen vegetable medley and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer until the vegetables are just done, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Serve with warm naan bread.

This was absolutely amazing. It definitely exceeded every expectation and I can totally understand why Dana included it in her 7 Links Challenge as the 'Post That Didn't Get The Attention It Deserved'.

So I'm glad I got a chance to see why Dana thought this!

I'm glad I got a chance at one of Dana's recipes, and I can't wait to experiment with others!

If you want to join in on the fun of the Secret Recipe Club - feel free to check it out here!

Pretzel Bites with Beer Cheese

2011-09-10T01:14:00.000-04:00

It's late. As usual. I might as well just start posting late at night instead of trying to get a post done during the day.

Anyway, excuses aside - I think I've finally done it. I've successfully made a beer cheese that resembles a local favorite.

Andy and I grew up in southern Indiana (of course in different eras - we do have a 7 year gap between us!), but we both loved Sportstime Pizza - now under the name The New Albanian Brewery. They, of course, have beer - great microbrews (one should definitely check them out during 'Gravity Head' where they feature high-alcohol content and special season beers). But the main reason we frequented the place was for their beer cheese. It's one of a kind - spicy, cheesy, and absolutely perfect with some breadsticks.

So when I told Andy last week that I was making some pretzel bites to snack on while watching a pre-season football game, he eagerly suggested I make a beer cheese to go with them. Always up for a challenge, I accepted, and boy am I glad I did. I think I came pretty close (dare I say, maybe even better??) to our old time favorite from The New Albanian.

So if you're looking for a great Sunday snack - football lovers and non-football lovers alike - this is it!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Sunny Side Up in San Diego's Recipe

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 & 1/4 cups warm water
5 cups flour
1/4 cup white sugar, plus 1 teaspoon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 & 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
1/2 cup baking soda
2 egg whites
Kosher salt, for topping
cooking spray

Beer Cheese:

1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup Indian Pale Ale (or whatever favorite beer you might have)
1 tablespoon horseradish sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup Velveeta, cut into small cubes (I swear I wanted to use some Chipotle Cheddar Cheese, but I'd run out, and this was all I had - but it worked out so well!)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper

In a measuring cup dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Set aside for 10 minutes. If the mixture is foamy, you're good to go - if not, start over with new yeast.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, white and brown sugars, and salt. Pour the water/yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons melted butter into the bowl. Knead for 6-8 minutes until the dough is smooth. Add extra water if dough is too dry, until you get your desired texture.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Shape dough into a ball. Place the dough ball in the bowl, cover with a clean towel, and allow to rise for one hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine 4 cups of hot water and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites and remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

After the dough has risen, punch down the dough and then knead with hands for one minute. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and break off small chunks of dough - Roll the chunks into 1 inch diameter balls (I got about 20-25).

Dip the pieces in the baking soda water and place on the baking sheet. Gently drying with a paper towel if they become too wet. Brush each pretzel ball with egg whites/melted butter then sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 7-8 minutes, until browned.

To make beer cheese, place cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and heat for about 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Stir in beer, horseradish sauce, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Heat for another 30 seconds in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Add in Velveeta. Heat another 30 seconds, and stir until cheese is melted and smooth.

Pretzels and beer cheese. Success at last! And this beer cheese was so easy to whip up, that I will definitely be finding myself making it many many times over! Even with Velveeta - I'm not ashamed!

Have a great weekend guys! I just have to get through one more late shift at work and I've got 2 days of relaxation ahead of me!

Peanut Butter Quick Bread

2011-09-08T20:10:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday guys! I'm absolutely exhausted from this week already! And I've got to work through Saturday before I get to have my "weekend"! Hopefully I'll make it.

I'm pretty stoked that tonight - in about 30 minutes, the official NFL regular season starts! Football season is probably my favorite time of year. Go Eagles! And as an avid Peyton Manning-hater... I'm glad the sad little puppy dog is sitting out for a couple of months, but I digress.

Let's talk peanut butter. I've found a new love. Move over JIF (I keep it old school), I've got a new favorite. And I'm pretty sure I'm late on this bandwagon, too. But better late than never! Peanut Butter & Co. Bee's Knees is the SHIZ! I find myself just eating spoonfuls throughout the day because it's so good. So I knew that using up the last bit of it in this bread was bittersweet because I'd be using up the last of it (I can always restock right?!), but also genius, because when you use good ingredients, good things happen right? Right!

Ingredients:
Adapted from the 1945 Edition of The Boston Cooking School Cook Book

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup peanut butter (I highly recommend using PB&Co!)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk

Glaze:

1 tablespoon heavy cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a fork, incorporate peanut butter and beaten egg. Stir in milk until a smooth batter is formed.

Grease a loaf pan and pour in batter. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let rest on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.

To make glaze, combine cream, powdered sugar, and peanut butter until smooth.

Remove bread from pan and pour glaze over top.

This was pretty tasty. If you're a peanut butter lover, you'd definitely love this! It's something I don't see a lot of - especially when zucchini breads are so popular right now! Hey... zucchini peanut butter bread - I think I may be on to something. I'll experiment and get back to you guys!

See you guys tomorrow! It's TGIF!

Grilled NY Strip w/ Vegetables & Olivada

2011-09-07T19:13:00.001-04:00

Can you believe that before this meal, I haven't had a bit of red meat in over 2 months? And you know what? It made this meal all the better!

It was simple, but elegant. We had our friend Terry over and he straight cleaned his plate. That's always a sign that the meal is good, right?!

While I'm not usually a big fan of olives, this olivada (very similar to a tapenade - but easier!) was a winner in my book. Intermingled with the vegetables and on top of the steak, it was a great condiment and rounded out the dish well.

So the next time your in the mood for a steak dinner - this is where it's at!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's recipe

1 red onion, cut into thick slices
1/2 cauliflower, cut into 2-inch florets
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed
1 yellow bell pepper, cored and cut into strips
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
salt and pepper, to taste
3 12 oz. New York Strip Steaks

Olivada:

1 cup green olives, pitted and chopped
1 tablespoon capers
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

To make olivada, combine olives, capers, garlic, red pepper flakes, vinegar, and olive oil in a small bowl. Let sit for about 20 minutes for flavors to meld.

Meanwhile, combine onion, cauliflower, asparagus, and bell pepper in a grill pan Toss with 1/4 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill under direct heat until vegetables start to char - about 10 minutes or so. Toss vegetables with about half of the olivada. Set aside.

Brush the steaks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill steaks on direct heat, turning once, about 8-10 minutes for a medium rare. Cook a little bit longer if you want them more done. Let rest on carving board for about 5 minutes.

Serve steaks alongside the vegetables and top steaks with additional olivada, if desired.

Seriously, if you're a carnivore, this is sure to please ya! I don't know if it was because I hadn't had meat in so long or what, but this meal is definitely a keeper! See you guys tomorrow - have a great rest of your Wednesday!

Good-bye Summer!

2011-09-06T11:19:00.000-04:00

The temperature has literally dropped like 40 degrees since Saturday. It's a beautiful 58 F outside right now. It's the first morning I've had to actually put on a sweatshirt to walk around the house. And it feels amazing!

I'm still dreading going back to work after a nice and relaxing long weekend, but the bills gots to be paid, right?! Anyway, in honor of letting summer go, I'm leaving you with a bowl of summer. Because from here on out, the food is gonna get "comfy" and hearty... just like fall intended it to be!

No real recipe here. Just combine your favorite fruits of summer (in my case, just simply green grapes and chunks of watermelon), and get your snack on!

I'll be back tomorrow with something less-lazy... I promise!

Peach & Clove Ice Cream

2011-09-05T13:12:00.000-04:00

Happy Labor Day guys!

I always joke that this is my day... well, because my last name is "Labor". I know, I'm a dork.

I thought I'd celebrate the day by sharing a special treat with you guys!

This was the first time I had busted out my ice cream maker all season long. And I had to make it perfect if I was going to get Andy to like it - he's got this crazy belief that "dessert should not include fruit" - so if I was going to make this, and make him like it - it had to be incredible.

And you know what? He LOVED it! Albeit... he did mix it with a crumbled up brownie and drizzle it with chocolate syrup - but hey, I'll still take it as a win! Me? I enjoy the simple flavors of the peaches, and interesting addition of the cloves. I like to savor every bite of this one, because it truly is one of my favorites!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Oklahoma Peach Fuzz's recipe

1-1/3 lbs ripe peaches (about 6), peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon Triple Sec
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
juice from 1 lime
Combine peaches, water, cloves, and Triple Sec in medium nonreactive saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until peaches are soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Mix in sugar, and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Add peach mixture to food processor with Greek yogurt, heavy cream, milk, vanilla, and lime juice. Process until smooth. Chill thoroughly in refrigerator, about 6-8 hours. Once chilled, transfer to ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Happy Labor Day guys - I'll be spending the day relaxing and not thinking about having to return to work tomorrow!

Steamed Salmon w/ Greens, Corn, & Pickled Vegetables

2011-09-02T10:40:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday guys!

We've got a big Labor Day weekend planned, too! Our great friends Ike & Becca are getting married tomorrow - so congrats to the future Lehrs!

Sunday, we'll probably head out to World Fest - which showcases the cultural diversity of Louisville by food, music, and shops! We went last year and had a great time, so looking forward to that one!

Still don't have any Labor Day plans, but if all else fails, I know we'll be lounging around - which is good enough for me! Anyway, let's get to today's dish!

We haven't been eating a lot of red meat around these parts. I don't know why, we've just been opting for lighter meals. Salmon is always a favorite of ours, and when I saw this simple dish over at Joanne's Eats Well With Others, I knew I had to try it out!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Eats Well With Others' Recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1-inch thick slice of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 cup kale, chopped
1/2 cup spinach
1/2 cup mizuna greens
1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus extra for drizzling
2 6 oz. salmon fillets
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups fresh corn
pickled vegetables

In a large skillet under medium high heat, add both oils. Add the ginger and garlic powder. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add kale, spinach, mizuna, soy sauce, and 3 tablespoons of water. Saute until the greens start to wilt, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Spread the greens in an even layer in the skillet. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place the fillets on top of the greens in the skillet. Cover pan and lower heat to medium. Steam fish for about 5-7 minutes, or until just cooked through.

You can choose to cook your corn if you'd like, but I'm weird and I like the taste of raw corn. Divide corn among two plates and top with salmon fillets. Serve alongside the greens and pickled vegetables. Drizzle additional sesame oil, soy sauce, and/or remaining steam liquid in pan (it was infused with the garlic and ginger, so it's tasty!).

This was a great meal. Andy and I both had our plates cleaned on this one. That's a sure sign of a winner there!

Hope you guys have a great holiday weekend and I'll be back Monday!

Danville, KY - A Hidden Gem

2011-09-01T23:00:00.000-04:00

You might have remembered last week, when I said I was meeting up with a few other Kentucky Food Bloggers. I had such an amazing time, and thanks to Adam from the Danville Boyle Co Convention & Visitors Bureau, we were set up with a culinary tour of Danville, KY.

Now let's get one thing straight. Before this planned meet-up, I'd honestly never heard of Danville, KY. Well, I only know of one story that Andy has told me about how, when he was in a band in his early 20's, they played a show at a Centre College (which is in Danville) frat house. They were-in turn banned from Centre due to leaving a few prohibited things around - a.k.a. kegs of beer/beer bottles. Why such a harsh punishment? Well, up until May 2010, Danville was a "dry" city - meaning no purchasing of alcohol (which is a little crazy right?) So since the law was passed to declare Danville "wet", the city has blossomed with a few new restaurants and pubs - something us foodies were ready and willing to explore!

Our first stop? V the Market. It was a quaint little shop full of wine bottles, loads of different kinds of beer (many sold by the bottle, not the 6-pack - which is a sure sign you'll find great beer), bourbons, hand-picked cheeses, chocolates, and other gourmet treats.

Next was Mermaids where we enjoyed sipping on two different types of signature cocktails - the Porch Punch & Mermaid Punch. Both were delicious and unique! Definitely made me want to lounge around on a beach somewhere with one of those in hand! We were also served a small plate of 3 different appetizer-type dishes: prosciutto-wrapped prawn, slice of local beef, and a cucumber-wrapped slice of ahi tuna with a wasabi sauce. All three of which were mighty tasty!

Then we headed to 303W where we were greeted with a table full of appetizer selections. It was an old-fashioned pool hall (pool tables were in the back) and definitely had the feel of a laid back, sit down and have a beer-type bar. The appetizer selections were tasty, especially the soft pretzel breadsticks - yummo!

Next we dove into the local pizza joint, Bluegrass Pizza & Pub - which definitely had similarities to Louisville's own Wick's Pizza (which isn't my favorite because I'm a New York, thin slice-pizza kinda gal) - but Bluegrass was definitely spot-on with their traditional-style pizza and I would prefer them to Wick's any day. Sorry Wick's!

Then came my personal favorite stop of the night, The Beer Engine. I mean, the location of this place says it all - if you didn't know it was there, you'd be sorry because you'd be missing out! It's kind of secluded in the back area of a parking lot, with just an emblem of a skull and "hops"-bones marking the door. The logo is sheer awesomeness in my opinion. We got to do a tasting of a few beers that they had on tap (and they had quite a selection!), and all were mighty tasty. This is definitely the kind of place you can find yourself hanging out with friends over a few beers on a regular basis!

We ended the night at The Hub Coffee House & Cafe. While I didn't indulge in any coffee, we winded down, ate cupcakes from The Twisted Sifter and chatted with eachother about our night. We were given goodie bags from Karamel Kreations & Burke's Bakery Delicatessen - and I'm sorry that I don't have any pictures of the contents of the bags - I snacked on the goodies during my hour and a half trip home! I couldn't resist!

For our first meet-up, I thought this was successful night! I got to meet an amazing group of people - all unique in their own ways - and we all got to share in a tour of one of Kentucky's hidden gems of a city - Danville. Seriously, if you're in Kentucky, or driving through Kentucky - Danville is well worth a visit! I know I'll be back!

And I want to take a moment to thank Mindy from The World in My Kitchen (who has a great review up on her blog, as well!) and Adam from the Danville Boyle Co Convention & Visitors Bureau for setting this whole evening up and letting us experience Danville!

Mixed Greens w/ Apples & Smoked Gouda

2011-08-31T18:06:00.000-04:00

I know I've been posting a lot of simple salads over the past few months - but I can't help it! I love lunchin' on salads!

One of my favorite additions to salads are julienned apples - Granny Smiths to be exact. Raise your hand if you agree! They just give a welcomed and refreshing sour bite in the midst of some semi-bitter greens.

Happy mid-week to ya guys and just remember - 2 more days and it's a 3 day weekend (for those of us in the US that is!).

Ingredients:

Mixed greens
1/2 cup Smoked gouda, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Granny Smith apple, peeled and julienned
1/4 cup deli turkey, chopped

In a large bowl combine greens, gouda, apple, and turkey. Serve plain or dressed with your favorite dressing!

Simple right? Right.

I promise I'll start posting "harder" recipes soon! Stay tuned tomorrow for my review of our Danville, KY tasting and a meet-up with other KY Food Bloggers! Have a great rest of your Wednesday guys!

Black Bean Salad

2011-08-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone is having a good week so far! I'm already ready for our three-day weekend!

I've got to head out to work tonight, but I just wanted to do a quick post first.

This black bean salad is quick, easy, and practically goes with any summer meal! You could even eat it all by itself (I know, because I did for lunch a couple times!)

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can seasoned black beans, drained
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
3 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
small handful fresh Basil, chopped
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium sized bowl, toss together black beans, cucumber, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, basil, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Let marinate in the fridge for at least 45 minutes for flavors to meld. Serve as a side dish for practically anything!

Don't you just love easy, throw together dishes like this? I know I do! Have a great Tuesday guys!

Secret Recipe Club: Fish Tacos

2011-08-29T07:00:00.002-04:00

I know what you're thinking. I already had my turn. I was in Group A that posted earlier this month for The Secret Recipe Club. Now I'm just being greedy.

But no, I'm actually being helpful! I got an e-mail at the beginning of the month, that somebody from Group C had backed out, leaving a blogger without a "Secret" partner. And being that last month, I happened to be a blogger that had someone back out on me (and thank goodness Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen stepped up to volunteer to do another post - she's awesome!), I knew I had to step up and pay it forward!

And it turns out I got one of my favorite blogs - Kelly from Eat Yourself Skinny! Everything always looks good on Kelly's blog, whether it be her Grilled Chicken Thighs with Pineapple, Corn, and Bell Pepper Salsa or her Watermelon Martinis - there's something for everyone there. And you know what the best part is? Most, if not all, of Kelly's recipes are absolutely figure friendly and healthy for you! You know how I know? She includes all of the nutritional info with all of her posts, which is always helpful!

With so many choices, it was hard to pick what to make - but I eventually settled on her Sauteed Tilapia Tacos w/ Grilled Peppers & Onions. Fish tacos are my absolute fave, and I believe it is essential that they grace everyone's table at least once during the summer! I made a couple small changes, just based on things that I already had on hand - I used flounder as my fish and utilized my purple peppers from our CSA, as well as adding a little Asian flare with the Ginger Miso dressing (I'm obsessed right now!).

Ingredients:
Adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny's recipe

1 small onion, sliced
2 purple bell peppers, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 large flounder fillets (about 1/2 lb.)
6 corn tortillas
Ginger Miso Dressing (I bought some from a local sushi joint - but you could easily make your own!)

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet under medium high heat. Add onions and bell pepper and cook until starting to soften, about 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Season flounder on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet used for onions and bell pepper (if needed) under medium high heat. Add flounder and cook for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until fish is white throughout.

Place tortillas on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a semi-damp paper towel. Microwave for about 15 seconds, or until warm.

Flake off the flounder and divide amongst the tortillas. Top with onion and bell pepper mixture. Then add a little bit of ginger miso dressing on top, if desired. Fold up and enjoy!

These were seriously delicious! And I felt good eating them! Although, my changes probably made them a little less healthy than Kelly's.

And funny story about these tacos. I had eaten 2 out of the 3 when I had to get up from the table and get something from another room. When I came back, my last taco was gone. I looked at Andy and said "where's my taco?!" He shrugged his shoulders, and then we both saw Zappa (one of our dogs), licking his chops on his bed, and a little piece of corn tortilla by his paw - the dog stole my taco! And apparently he liked it too!

Anyway, these were tasty, and I can't wait to try more goodies from Kelly's blog!

Want to join in all the fun? To find out how, check out The Secret Recipe Club!

S'Mores Pie

2011-08-26T23:25:00.000-04:00

Ahh sweet Friday.

I always love when this part of the week comes. Especially when we have a full weekend planned. Well, half of a weekend, anyway. Tomorrow is the annual Brew At The Zoo.

I did a review of last year's festivities and it was a blast... and this time Andy gets to join. So it's bound to be tons of brilliant fun. So stay tuned for that.

And yesterday, I drove down to Danville, KY. I met up with a few other food bloggers from the state (including Mindy from The World In My Kitchen, Lori from Fake Food Free, Fiona from Crazy Englishwoman Cooks, Beth from The Goodness of the Garden, Rona from Savoring Kentucky, Deanna from Mirabelle Creations, and Carolyn & Erin from Bourbon & Beans). More on that next week, of course! But it was so fun to finally meet in person - everyone was so friendly and warm, just like they are on all of their blogs!

Anyway, let's talk about everyone's favorite campfire treat. I'll be the first to tell you that I am not a camping person. AT ALL. Bugs. Nature. No running water. Yeah... I can't handle that very well. But s'mores. Those I can do. And thank goodness I don't have to be in the middle of a forest to indulge in them!

But actual s'mores can be somewhat messy (but I'm sure that's half the fun, right?) - so as soon as I saw this neat little pie over at The Pastry Affair, I knew I had to try it. Andy said this was THE best dessert I've made ever. EVER. Personally, I don't think so - it was really rich, but I think chocolate ice cream is rich, so don't take my word. Take Andy's. After all... he knows best.

Ingredients:
Adapted from The Pastry Affair's Recipe

Graham Cracker Crust

2 cups honey graham crackers, about one sleeve
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
2 teaspoon cinnamon

Chocolate Filling

3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Pinch of salt
2 eggs, whisked
1 bag of large marshmallows
Chocolate sauce (I used a bottled kind, but you could easily make your own), optional

Preheat oven to 325 F.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until finely crumbled.

Add cinnamon and melted butter and pulse until combined and the mixture resembles wet sand. Press mixture into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant.

Keep oven running.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together cream and milk. Warm over medium-low heat. Add in chocolate and salt. Stir until chocolate has melted and is smooth. Slowly add whisked eggs and mix until smooth and slightly thickened.

Pour chocolate filling into baked pie crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until chocolate filling is set and does not move when pie is lightly shaken. Remove from oven.

Cut marshmallows in half and place on top of the pie until covered.

Set oven to broil. Place pie under the broiler and lightly toast the marshmallows, about 2 minutes - but watch the marshmallows carefully because everybody's oven is different and you could go from toasted to crazy, nasty burned in a matter of seconds.

Drizzle with chocolate sauce, if desired. Chill pie in the refrigerator to set for 2-3 hours.

Cut into slices and enjoy!

So yeah, I let Andy have half of the pie and took the other half to work. Needless to say, it was a winner all around. If you're a chocolate lover - you have got to try this!

Have a great weekend everybody!

Zucchini Frittata

2011-08-25T12:07:00.000-04:00

Good morning!

I woke up with a killer cramp in my calf this morning, so I'm slowly limping around the house. As time passes, it seems to be getting better... but it doesn't look like I'll be getting my run in today. I figure I better let it rest up and I'll get back at it Saturday.

I'm pretty stoked today because I get to take a little roadtrip to Danville, KY to meet up with a few other Kentucky Food Bloggers. We're doing a tasting of a few restaurants tonight and I'm really excited to actually meet these awesome bloggers in person. I'll definitely post pictures and a review of the experience next week!

I made this frittata when we had tons of zucchini from our CSA. It was quick, easy, and my only complaint... I used too big of a pan, so it looks rather thin (and more like an omelette) than an actual frittata. Oh well, it still tasted mighty good!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 zucchini, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
6 eggs
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup milk

In a medium skillet under medium high heat, add about 1 & 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Add zucchini and saute until starting to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove zucchini and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick skillet under medium low heat and add remaining 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil. Coat pan with oil.

Pour the egg mixture into the pan and let cook until the egg starts to solidify, about 2-3 minutes. Spread the zucchini over top of the eggs and top with cheddar cheese. Cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until egg is cooked through and cheese is melted.

Slice and serve right away.

This was simple, delicious, and easy. You could have it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's perfect for any time of day! Feel free to swap out the ingredients for what you have, and add whatever you like! Frittatas are versatile like that =)

Have a great Thursday guys!

Spicy Pickled Carrots & Asparagus

2011-08-24T19:12:00.000-04:00

I've been dying to pickle something ever since the summer began. Cucumbers, Okra, Radishes... you name it, I wanted to pickle it. Did I ever get around to pickling those things? Well, no. Life got in the way.

But I did manage to do a quick pickle on some leftover carrots and asparagus that turned out great! We used these on tacos, as accompaniment to salmon, and even ate them straight out of the jar. Not bad for a first timer, if I do say so myself.

What's your favorite vegetable to pickle?

Ingredients:
Adapted from Apt. 2B Baking Co.'s Recipe

1 lb. carrots, peeled and julienned
about 10 asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
10 Thai chiles, split in half
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 & 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup warm water

In a medium bowl, combine carrots, asparagus, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and salt. Massage sugar and salt into vegetables until they because somewhat flexible. Transfer to a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain.

In another bowl, combine the remaining sugar, rice wine vinegar, and warm water. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Tightly pack the drained carrots, asparagus, and chile peppers into pint-sized mason jars (I did 2 jam-packed jars). Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables until about 1/2 inch from the top. Seal jars and place in refrigerator overnight.

These were a quick pickle, so I'd say they would last no more than 3 weeks in the fridge. Ours didn't last that long, since I pretty much served them with everything we ate!

I'm off to go play a night volleyball game and tomorrow I'm down for a road trip to Danville, KY where I'll be meeting up with a few other KY Food Bloggers. Pictures to come!

Sausage & Peppers

2011-08-23T22:12:00.000-04:00

Phew what a busy day it has been!

I know it's crazy late, but you know me... had to get a post in.

After work today, I headed over to register for classes. CULINARY SCHOOL CLASSES. Oh yeah. I don't think I've ever been so excited to receive a stack of textbooks and binders. I think today it's really starting to sink in. I'm actually going to culinary school. I'm following a dream. And it is awesome.

So now that I've gotten my excitement out of the way, let's talk food.

I recently received a package in the mail from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's program to try a sample of an upcoming line of Birdseye Chef's Favorites. They're a variety of side dishes that include Mushroom & Green Bean Risotto, Creamy Primavera Risotto, and Lightly Sauced Creamed Spinach.

I paired the Mushroom & Green Bean Risotto with this sausage and peppers meal and it was okay. It was a tad bit "mushroomy" for my taste - but I mean, it was Mushroom and Green Bean Risotto after all. I tried the Creamy Primavera Risotto as well and I found it more appetizing. My only real complaint was that the packaging said there were 2 servings per package. Now, I don't know if Andy and I just expect big servings of things or what, but there was definitely only 1 feasible serving on the package. But other than that, if you're looking for a quick side without the hours of labor - then this might be for you, so look out for it!

Now, these sausage and peppers are a different story. Quick, easy, and tasty. No complaints on this one!

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 purple bell pepper, sliced
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 mild italian sausages, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet under medium to medium high heat. Add onions, jalapeño, and bell pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until starting to soften. Season with salt.

Add sausage slices and cook until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and mozzarella cheese until heated through and cheese is melted.

This was definitely a winner in my book. Almost doesn't even need a side dish accompanied with it.

Well, I'm off to bed. Have an early morning at work again tomorrow! See you all in the afternoon!

*I received a free sample of Birdseye Chef's Favorites through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's Program. All opinions shared in this post are my own.

Duck Breasts w/ Panzanella

2011-08-22T10:43:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday everybody!

How was your weekend? Ours was pretty relaxed, nothing new right?

We had our first Fantasy Football draft of the season (we're in 3 leagues!) yesterday and I ended up with a pretty solid team. I'm just so happy that #1. NFL Football is actually happening this year. & #2. That the season is actually here! Sundays = Football in our house! And I can't help but laugh when I think about when I first met Andy, he didn't like any sports whatsoever. I guess we do rub off on eachother.

Anyway...

I usually don't post something I've made right away. I usually wait a day or two most of the time. I've just got tons of things in my Lightroom gallery that it's hard picking what to do next. However, we had this for dinner last night, and it was so amazing that I couldn't wait to share it. Seriously, if you like duck (it's probably my favorite protein) and want something special and elegant - this is it. Trust me.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's recipe

2 boneless duck breasts
4 ears of corn
2 potatoes, scrubbed and diced
15 asparagus spears, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4 slices of bacon, chopped
5 slices of bread (we used a local bakery's Cereal Loaf), cut into 1 inch cubes
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

I'm so glad I decided to buy a whole duck instead of just the breasts. It's a lot cheaper, plus I have the rest of the duck to use to make a confit (which is actually in the works as we speak! The house smells so good right now!).

Food & Wine recommends aging the breasts for 4 days - but I didn't have 4 days. So I quickly aged the duck breasts for about 2 hours. Just place the duck breasts in a glass dish, skin side up. Season with salt and pepper and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, and up to 7 days.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line up corn, asparagus, and potatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown, stirring occasionally. You'll want to flip around your corn every once in a while too. Let vegetables cool slightly, then cut off kernels from corn cob.

While the vegetables are roasting, heat a large cast iron skillet under medium heat and add bacon. Cook until bacon is crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel-lined plate.

Add the bread cubes to the bacon fat (this was genius!) and coat well. Transfer skillet to the oven (on a rack underneath the vegetables) and bake until crisp, about 13-15 minutes. Season croutons with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet under medium high heat. Add duck breasts, skin side down, and cook until skin is golden and crisp - about 12-14 minutes. Turn duck over and cook until medium-rare (if you're not comfortable with that, cook it a little longer) about 4-6 minutes.

Transfer duck to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice thinly.

While the duck is resting, you can prepare your panzanella. In a large bowl, combine the corn, potatoes, asparagus, bacon, croutons, tomatoes, scallions, and oregano. Toss well.

In a small bowl, combine the red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper and drizzle over vegetables and croutons in bowl. Toss to mix well.

Divide the panzanella among plates and top with slices of duck.

Seriously, this was absolutely amazing. I think it took Andy all of 5 minutes to clear his plate. He said it was so good he couldn't help but keep shoving it in his mouth. Me, I took it slow. So I could enjoy every bite because it was really the perfect meal!

Have a great Monday guys!

Chef Salad w/ Honey Mustard Dressing

2011-08-19T10:56:00.000-04:00

Boy am I glad it's Friday! I don't really have big plans for the weekend (possibly the KY State Fair?), but the usual - relaxing.

Andy is going to be out tonight for a bachelor party, so that leaves me to fend for myself tonight for dinner. I work late, so I might just throw together some CSA vegetables and see what I come up with!

Salads are always my go-to lunch during the week, but every now and then you'll see them appear for dinner. I made this a while back, but it's still been in the back of my mind because it was one of the best and most filling salads I've ever had. The easy honey mustard dressing really makes this something special!

Ingredients:

Dressing:

1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped dill

Salad:

Romaine Lettuce
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and julienned
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
3 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped
shredded cheddar cheese
sliced turkey, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped

I love the "Mason Jar" method when making salad dressings. What is that? Well, basically, throw in all of the ingredients for the dressing into a Mason Jar. Shake until mixed. Pour on top of salad. Easy? Hell yeah it is.

To assemble the salad, wash the lettuce and shake dry. Divide among plates and top with apple, eggs, bacon, cheese, turkey, and carrots. Drizzle on dressing.

And bam! Lunch or dinner is ready in no time.

I don't usually like honey mustard as anything other than a dipping sauce for chicken, but on top of this salad... it was amazing.

What's your favorite salad & dressing combo?

Have a great weekend guys!

Guest Post: Golden Beet Off!

2011-08-18T10:00:00.074-04:00

Now... before you start laughing profusely at the name of this post - I didn't realize that it was a hidden innuendo at first. But really, there's nothing else we could call it - so we kept it!

Oh, and who is this "we" I talk about? Well me, of course. And Kristy from Gastronomical Sovereignty! Who is Kristy? Well, for one, she's awesome! She writes an amazing blog that talks about food, wine, and everything under the sun. And not to mention she's absolutely gorgeous!

Kristy approached me not too long ago in an e-mail after noticing we both got our fair share of golden beets in our CSA shares. So she came up with the fun idea of a little friendly competition. A "Beet Off," if you will. Yeah, the immature person in me just can't help but laugh at that name. But I digress.

Anyway, of course I was game! And we're leaving it up to you to decide who's is "better"! Of course, in a perfect world, and in my own humble opinion, we both win. But Kristy especially wins because she actually used golden beets! I had used up all of mine by the time I got her e-mail, and for some reason I couldn't find any in town when I needed them! So I picked up some red beets and ran with it. Be sure to check out Kristy's blog today for my guest post, and to see what I came up with! And don't forget to let us know which you like better - we definitely encourage you to get your beet-on and try the recipes out for yourself!

So now, without further ado (I know I've babbled on way too long), here's Kristy!

Hello lovely Peggy viewers! My name's Kristy and I live at Gastronomical Sovereignty - a space where I navigate and share my ethical adventures in culinary deliciousness... with wine, of course!

After realizing Peggy and I shared a love affair with the golden beets that were coming in our CSA boxes, I was so very pumped when Peggy and I decided to exchange guest posts in a "Golden Beet Off". Your challenge, dear reader, is to try both and delve into the absolute deliciousness that are golden beets.

Beets to me are the spirit of the Earth. They embody the richness, the sweetness, and the dirtness of everything that is right with the world. Dirtness? Really? They do taste a bit like dirt. But in a good way. A seriously good way. And they really are low maintenance vegetables - before they are harvested and after! You don't even need to cook them! Just julienne and tuck into some goat cheese goodness!

For today though, I decided to do something special with the little guys. Or gals, if you prefer. This recipe is simple, delicious, seasonal, local, small scale, organic perfection. It was so simple in fact, I asked my partner (John) if maybe it was too simple to be worthy as a guest post! However, after a few bites I was smitten - and I'm sure you will be too. All of the vegetables either came in our CSA or from our very own front yard garden. Serve as a vegetarian friendly main or a meat friendly side. The cooking time is minimal here so you can spend more time out on the deck (with a big fat glass of vino) and less time hovering over a hot stove in the middle of a balmy August, while the measurements are approximate. Add more or less of whatever you like - make it your own! It just doesn't get any fresher than this!

"Golden Beet Off" Quinoa Salad

feeds approximately 4 hungry people.

Ingredients for Salad:

1 C Quinoa, soaked and rinsed.

10 Medium Sized Golden Beets, rinsed and dried.

4 Garlic Cloves, peeled.

1 Large Handful Sugar Snap Peas, strings removed.

2 Handfuls Fresh Arugula, washed.

1 C Toasted Walnuts.

One Palm Fresh Goats Cheese.

Bunch of Fresh Herbs (i.e. Basil, Parsley, Chives).

1 Tbsp Ground Cumin.

Juice of Half a Lemon.

1 C Chicken Stock + 1 C Water.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

Ingredients for Dressing:

1 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

1/3 C Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar.

Juice of Half a Lemon.

1-2 Garlic Cloves, minced.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F. While it heats up, throw the beets, peeled garlic cloves, a generous helping of salt and pepper, and a few good glugs of olive oil into a large roasting pan. Toss well to combine. Cover. Roast for 30 - 45 minutes or until fork tender.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Cut off their bums and peel using your thumb and forefinger. But be gentle, new beets are very tender and if you push too hard you may mangle them - but whatevs, they'll still taste great! Besides, if the beets are still quite warm, they should peel easily. If not, use a pairing knife or potato peeler. Cut into halves and/or quarters and set aside. Discard the garlic - it will likely be burnt. It was more there to give an essence of garlic flavor rather than a punch in the face. Or, munch along as you prepare the rest of the meal.

While the beets are a'roastin, chuck all the dressing ingredients into a mason jar. Close and shake well. Season to taste. Set aside. If you don't have a mason jar, a whisk and bowl will work to the same effect.

While your beets cool, heat a medium sized sauce pan over high heat with the chicken stock, water, cumin, and the juice of half a lemon. Once it's at a rolling boil, toss in the quinoa, stir, and bring back to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low to simmer for 13 - 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10. Fluff with a fork.

Holy multi-tasking batman! As the quinoa sits, heat only about a tbsp of oil in a small pan and quickly flash sautee the peas for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Assembly time!

Throw all of the salad ingredients into a bowl and toss well. Drizzle in about half the dressing and stir to combine. You may want to add more salt and pepper at this time - it's up to you. Taste it. Yum? No? Add more salt and pepper and/or dressing to suit your liking.

Serve with some toasted flatbread (I usually pour some of the dressing onto a side plate to dip it in).

Eat. A lot. It's healthy and super duper good for you.

There it is! I hope you like it!! I sure do! Come by and say hello over at my site (http://gastronomicalsovereignty.blogspot.com) if you have the time - Peggy will be there. Food block party pot luck?! Heck yes! Nice to meet all of you - hope to be seeing you soon!

Kristy Gardner
Lascivious lover of good, "ethical" food & wine.

http://gastronomicalsovereignty.blogspot.com

Email: onewomansadventures@gmail.com
Facebook: Gastronomical Sovereignty
Twitter: gsonblogger

Stewed Tomatoes & Okra

2011-08-17T21:35:00.000-04:00

Okra is one of those things that I don't cook enough of. Actually... this would be the first dish I ever used okra in. And after eating it for lunch for the past two days, I think I can pat myself on the back because it was pretty darn good! And it definitely won't be the last time I make it either!

What's your favorite way to use okra?

Ingredients:

15 oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 cups sliced okra
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups cooked rice

Place the okra in a medium-sized pot and add enough water to cover the okra. Add diced tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, or until okra is softened and the majority of liquid is gone.

I've noticed that different people like okra at different consistencies. I'm not a fan of crunchy okra, so I cooked my okra until it took on the texture it has in gumbo - soft, but not gummy.

When the liquid is almost gone, add in the rice and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

This was really easy and tasty! I mean, 4 ingredients, how can you beat that?! This would make a great side, or even a delicious vegetarian lunch or dinner.

I know I'm my usual late self, but like I said last week - sporting events prevail!

And as of tomorrow's post, I won't have the usual CSA round-up - but something really special is lined up - so be sure to check back!

Tapioca & Cantaloupe

2011-08-16T12:40:00.000-04:00

I've had a clumsy start to the week. I'm not even usually a clumsy person, but this week, it's like accident after accident seems to be happening!

Sunday, while making dinner, I made the stupidest mistake ever. I had cooked some salmon in the oven (in an oven-proof skillet). After removing the skillet from the oven, getting side-tracked into a conversation of some sort with Andy, I go to grab the skillet. Yeah, I think I may have yelled out some expletives with that one. A quick lathering of aloe did the trick, and my hand seems to be just fine - so no worries!

And then yesterday, I was being extra productive and tried to tackle the cleaning of my pantry. I bumped into a shelf and knocked over a jar of tomato sauce (which happened to be $8!). So yeah, jar broke, tomato sauce everywhere.

Just not my week, I tell ya.

So times like these, simple things make me happy. Like this tapioca, cantaloupe, and coconut milk dessert. It's very reminiscent of something my mom used to make when I was a kid. I'm pretty sure she put sweet potatoes and bananas in hers, but when I asked her how she made it - she couldn't even remember that it was something she made. But I swear she made something like this!

I was on a search for tapioca pearls a couple weeks ago, and being too lazy to drive to the other side of the city to an Asian Market, I settled on granules from Whole Foods - there was an empty spot where the pearls were that said "discontinued item". I guess tapioca isn't that popular anymore!

Ingredients:
Adapted from New Asian Cuisine's Recipe

1 & 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup tapioca granules (or pearls)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups cantaloupe, cubed

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and stir in the whole milk. Return mixture to a boil, then turn off the heat. Stir in the coconut milk. Let mixture cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Cook the tapioca according to the package directions and then drain. Stir tapioca into coconut milk mixture. Add in chopped cantaloupe.

When I was a kid, I remember this being a little bit thicker, but this version was more like a soup. I actually liked it this way. It was the perfect treat to sit on the back porch and read a book with. I even brought some into work for some co-workers to try and they said it reminded them of pina coladas! If only I lived near a beach!

Oh, and one other note. Through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's Program, I was able to make a Kodak Photo Book. I got the e-mail right after we received our engagement pictures back and thought it would be the perfect way to get them printed! I made a little "story book" of Andy and I!

Making the photobook couldn't have been easier! Most of the photos I uploaded from Facebook, and then the engagement pictures I just uploaded straight from my computer! It didn't take long either.

And the process is pretty self-explanatory, as well. The Kodak website pretty much walks you through the whole thing. It even lets you know if the picture you chose isn't of good enough resolution for print - nothing more frustrating than seeing a picture that looks perfect on a computer screen, but then crappy when you print it off!

So as my readers, Kodak is offering you 40% off the cost of a Medium Hard Cover Or Large Photobook. Just check out the website here!

Have a great rest of your day guys!

*As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's Program, I was given the opportunity to make a free Kodak Photobook.

Secret Recipe Club: Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies

2011-08-15T07:00:00.003-04:00

Happy Monday! It's that time again, Secret Recipe Club reveal!

What is Secret Recipe Club? Well, it's the brainchild of Amanda from Amanda's Cookin'. You are assigned a "secret" blog to cook one dish from and post on the given reveal date.

I love how the group has just grown so much since I first joined! This will be my third SRC post and definitely not my last! I just love discovering new blogs to ogle over!

This month, I received Edesia's Notebook. This blog was new to me, but as soon as I was assigned this blog, I knew I would be a regular! With things like Slow Cooker Garlic Soy Drumsticks to Ginger Scallion Rice, it was hard to choose! It all looks delicious!

Andy was being especially good, so I thought I'd treat him to a special treat. I picked Edesia's Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies a.k.a. Better Than Crack Brownies. I mean, chocolate & Reese Cups? Two of Andy's favorite things combined into one stellar brownie. And it couldn't be easier to put together either! Let's get to it!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Edesia's Notebook's recipe

1 box brownie mix (I used Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate)
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
about 8 Reese's peanut butter cups, roughly chopped
1/2 cup salted peanuts, chopped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp butter
1 & 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter (I used PB & Co.'s Bees Knees)
1 & 1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Make the brownies as directed on the box in a 9x13” pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the brownies from the oven and top with the peanut butter cups and peanuts. Place the brownies back into the oven and bake an additional 6 to 10 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and comes out clean. Remove the brownies from the oven.

In a microwave safe dish, melt the chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter for about 45 seconds. Stir until smooth. Then stir in the Rice Krispies.

Pour the Rice Krispies mixture over the brownies and let cool. Refrigerate for at least two hours until serving. This was definitely the hardest part because I totally wanted to dig straight into them! But trust me, well worth the wait!

Okay, these were seriously one of the best brownies ever. I even tried to take some leftovers to work and Andy practically held them hostage. So yeah, they were THAT good.

I had a friend over for dinner that night and gave him a couple to take home for his roommates - Andy didn't see me do this and when he noticed a couple brownie slices were missing, he definitely interrogated me until I confessed. I didn't know he was keeping track - duly noted for next time.

I got a text later on in the week that read "umm, (roommate's name) says that brownie was better than crack". I don't want to know how they know this, but hey - I take it as a compliment.

So yeah, trust me - you want to make yourself a batch of these babies. But I can't promise that you'll want to share them. Ask Andy.

Sweet Chili Green Beans

2011-08-12T10:51:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday everybody!

I'm so ready for the weekend (I've got to work Saturday morning, but it ain't no thang!). We've got a couples bridal shower to go to, so that should be fun. And then some major relaxation is in the works for Sunday and Monday!

Now I used to think I had a favorite green bean recipe. I mean, it's all the rage on Food52, too. But my friends, I think there's a new contender in town. This was so good I ate it with my hands. Yeah... that good. So good, if I ever do open up my own restaurant - this will be an appetizer for sure.

Ingredients:

1 lb. green beans, trimmed
4 strips of bacon, chopped
1 onion, thinly sliced
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
3 thai chiles, minced
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/4 c. water
sesame oil, optional
toasted black sesame seeds, optional

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook for about 3 minutes, or until beans are a bright green. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium to medium high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the pan and add onion. Cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in the ginger, Thai chiles, sweet chili sauce, fish sauce, and water. Add green beans and toss to coat. Saute for 5-10 minutes, until water evaporates, the sauce thickens, and the beans become tender.

Stir in bacon and sprinkle with sesame oil and sesame seeds.

Seriously, I couldn't stop eating this. I'd walk by and grab a bean. Then come back 2 seconds later and grab another couple. Be prepared to have an addiction to these!

Have a great weekend guys!

CSA Week #15

2011-08-11T18:18:00.000-04:00

It's that time again, CSA showcase! We're really starting to get some tomatoes - both heirloom and cherry tomatoes this week! Definitely thinking about making a tomato tart of some sort =)

Pepper mix
Okra
Watermelon
Cherry tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes
Swiss chard
Garlic
Hot peppers
Basil

Now let's check out what some other bloggers received!

Lyn from Life Lyn Style:


Cherry tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, peaches, beets, green peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, yellow squash, cucumber, lettuce, yellow wax beans, parsley, watermelon

Lyn had quite the load, didn't she?!

And Sam from Cooking My Way Through My CSA:

1 lb cucumbers, 1 head celery, 1 pint orange cherry tomatoes, 0.5 lb salad mix, 2 candy onions, 1 bunch basil, 0.5 lb green beans, 1 lb Zucchini/Squash, 2 Tigerella heirloom tomatoes, 3 lbs donut peaches,

Plus 3 pints of blackberries and an extra heirloom tomato from the farmer's market

Looks like Sam was loaded down with goodies too!

Glad that everyone could share their veggies! This is the last week that I'm doing a round-up for CSA's. I've got a lot of posts that I need to get up, but I still encourage everyone to share their CSA with others on their own blogs!

It's a beautiful day in Louisville, so I'm actually getting a chance to run in the evening (it's not sweltering hot!), so I'm going to head out! See you guys tomorrow! Remember, it's TGIF!

Corn & Purple Pepper Fritters

2011-08-10T21:59:00.000-04:00

It's another late post.

Blame it on my sporting events. Had a softball tournament yesterday. And Wednesdays are reserved for volleyball - which we won all 3 games by the way (one of them being a comeback from 15-3... so how's that for awesome?!)

But enough excuses, let's talk corn.

It's starting to burst out on the scene and I couldn't be happier. Corn is probably one of my favorite vegetables of the season. I can eat it cooked or raw, by itself or mixed into a side dish. If corn is present, I'm there.

These corn fritters are absolutely delicious, very reminiscent of a savory corn cake with the addition of the purple bell peppers. I was definitely snacking on these hard.

Ingredients:
Adapted from The Deep Dish's recipe

1 cup flour
3 ears of corn, shucked and kernels cut off the cob
1 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 purple bell pepper (or any color for that matter), finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt.

In a small bowl, mix together the corn, bell pepper, heavy cream, and egg. Add mixture to flour.

In a heavy bottomed pan (I used my cast iron skillet) heat oil over medium high heat. When a small piece of batter sizzles in the oil, you know it's ready.

Drop tablespoon sized pieces of the batter into the hot oil and fry for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown on each side. Drain on a paper towel.

These were definitely a light and delicious snack. I'll be looking forward to experimenting with different corn combination in the batter too! Have a great night guys!

Don't forget, you can send me your CSA updates for the round-up still. I'll be posting tomorrow in the late afternoon, early evening - so e-mail me your vegetable goodies @ mtlabor85@yahoo.com!

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

2011-08-09T22:58:00.000-04:00

Okay, let's keep it real.

I'm a person that strives to be the best. I sometimes even claim to actually be the best. But in all reality, in most situations - I'm just mediocre.

But I'm still a competitive beast by nature. And when things go wrong - I'm not a happy camper.

Take these muffins, for instance. Yes, they look like normal blueberry muffins on the outside, but you know what? I really made a big boo-boo on this one. I forgot the sugar.

I mean... who the heck forgets the sugar?! Maybe a novice baker. Maybe a 10 year old. But me? This isn't my first baking rodeo. I've made muffins a million times, and could probably make them with my eyes closed... or not.

It's times like these that I just have to laugh at myself. One... for being an idiot and forgetting the sugar. But two, because there are other things in life a little more important than some sugar in some muffins. And because I was stubborn as all get out - I continued to eat these sugar-less muffins because I didn't want to waste them and admit defeat. So really... maybe I did come out on top.

So here's the recipe (as it was supposed to be, sugar-included).

Do you ever have one of those "DOH!" moments in the kitchen? Feel free to make me feel better by saying I'm not the only one =)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar (don't forget it now!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
juice from 1 lemon
1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 500 F.

Fill muffin tin with liners.

Whisk flour, SUGAR, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Fold in blueberries.

In another medium bowl, beat buttermilk, eggs, oil, vanilla, and lemon juice until combined.

Mix liquid ingredients with dry ingredients until incorporated.

Fill muffin liners about 2/3 full. Place in oven and immediately drop temperature to 400 F.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.

I even tried to salvage the muffins by making a quick glaze with some water and powdered sugar. While it helped give a bit of a sweet note, it just wasn't the sweet note that permeated the entire muffin like that 1/2 cup of missing sugar would have given! Oh well... There will be other muffin baking experiences to be had (hopefully including sugar next time)!

I'm off to bed - See you guys tomorrow!

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

2011-08-08T08:33:00.000-04:00

The weekend just wasn't long enough, was it? I can't believe it's already Monday!

We spent our weekend with friends - enjoying sushi... and not-so-much enjoying Cowboys & Aliens. Seriously - worst way to spend $19.

But this isn't a movie blog, it's a food blog. And I thought I'd share with you the winner of the last bi-weekly poll - Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread.

It's nothing new. Tons of bloggers have done it. But this last week was my first experience with it - and judging from the positive reaction of my co-workers and Andy - it won't be my last! So here's to starting the week on a sweet note!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Zoomy Yummy's recipe

Dough:

3 & 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 & 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:

1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs.

In another small bowl, melt 4 tablespoons of butter with milk. Add water and vanilla and stir until combined.

Pour milk mixture into bowl with flour. Add eggs and stir until incorporated. Add remaining flour, in 1/2 cup increments, until a ball of dough forms. The dough should be somewhat sticky, but capable of holding shape.

Knead dough on a floured work surface for about 10 minutes.

Grease a large bowl and place dough inside. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Deflate dough and knead on a floured work surface for a couple of minutes.

Roll dough out to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness (you should get a large rectangle - about 12x20).

To make filling, melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. In a separate small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Brush the butter onto the rectangle of dough and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over top.

Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into 1 to 1 & 1/2 inch strips. Then cut across to make squares. Stack dough in groups of 6's (I had 8 stacks).

Grease and flour a loaf pan and place as may stacks as possible (I fit about 6 stacks). I had 2 leftover stacks that I just put it individual ramekins. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Bake bread for 30 minutes, or until golden brown (If you do individual ramekins, decrease time about 5-8 minutes). Let bread rest for 20 minutes before digging in.

This was definitely some really good bread! Not to mention it looks stunning! I think there was the perfect ratio of cinnamon to sugar, and I just couldn't stop eating it. The individual portions were gone within an hour - and it took a lot of will power not to devour the loaf pan that I was taking to work!

Hope you all have a great Monday!

Beets & Bowties

2011-08-05T10:44:00.000-04:00

It's Friday! And boy am I glad! The week seemed to fly by, but it definitely had it's ups and downs. But now that it's Friday, I'm looking forward to getting my 8-hour shift at work over with and on to my weekend off!

I plan on hitting up the Farmer's Market, getting some sushi with friends, and possibly kicking Andy's butt in a round or two of tennis. Full of myself much? Yeah, maybe just a little.

Anyway, on to today's post.

Andy doesn't like beets. We kept getting beets in our CSA for a few weeks, and while I didn't mind, Andy was getting a little perturbed. But what's a good fiancee to do in moments like these? Well, I force-feed. I couldn't let the beets go to waste just because he claims not to like them! I honestly think deep down, he actually adores them - but just doesn't want to admit it. Why? Because I'm pretty sure he ate this pasta without any complaints - and it's chock full of beets.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Jeanette's Healthy Living's recipe

5-7 small to medium-sized beets, cleaned (I used a combo of golden and red)
1 cup water
1/4 cup roastes peanuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
8 oz. farfalle pasta
1 cup shredded mozzarella
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Place beets in a medium sized baking dish and add cup of water. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes, or until beets have softened and can cut easily.

Let cool until safe enough to handle. Peel away skin with a paring knife or your hands (don't be afraid to get messy).

Cut beats into 1/2 inch cubes.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and drain.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil until shimmering. Saute onions on medium heat for about 15-18 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute or so.

Stir in balsamic vinegar and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Add pasta to the pan and mix well. Add mozzarella and stir until melted. Stir in additional pasta water if desired.

Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with roasted peanuts.

This was definitely one of my better beet dishes. And don't worry - I'm not through with beets yet. I've got something special coming up next week... you won't be sorry =) And you may think I'm evil, but that's nothing new! I'll keep you in suspense until then.

Have a safe weekend everybody!

CSA Week #14

2011-08-04T17:56:00.000-04:00

Our CSA box was jam-packed full of goodies this week! It was almost too heavy to lift to my car - good thing I've been working out lately, right?

Let's check out what we got...

Purple and white peppers
Sweet Corn
Eggplant
Watermelon
Cucumbers
Heirloom Tomatoes
Pears
Okra
Blackberries

I'm loving the fruits!

And we've got one other blogger that's sharing their CSA haul, and that's Sam from Cooking My Way Through My CSA:

1 bunch of beets, 1 cabbage, 1 lb. of cucumbers, 1 bunch of dill, 1 bunch of chard, 1/2 lb. of salad mix, 1 lb. of squash/zucchini, 1 bunch of leeks, 2 lb of peaches, 1 lb sugar plums

Looks like Sam was loaded down too!

Thanks Sam for participating this week, and hope to see more of you sharing next week!

I've got to get ready for our softball tournament tonight, gonna be a double header (hopefully), for a chance at the city tournament!

***If you guys received a CSA this week, what did you end up getting? I'd love to have a weekly round-up of your CSA goodies (if you participate in one), or even if you made a weekly visit to your Farmer's market (or even just picked from your own garden!) - I'd love to see the local produce everyone gets! So feel free to e-mail a snapshot of your goods (as well as your name and blog title (and don't worry if you don't have a blog, your name will be just fine!) as well as a link to your blog) at mtlabor85 (at) yahoo (dot) com and I'll post them in next Thursday's CSA post!

Radishes with Herbed Butter

2011-08-03T23:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday guys! It's mid-week and I'm definitely anxiously awaiting for the weekend to arrive! I need it!

Now, it's kinda late, so I'm gonna post something rather quick.

Radishes are one of those things I can take or leave. They're okay, but I think besides their somewhat peppery taste - just don't do anything for me. But add some butter (that's been laced with garden fresh herbs), and we have a different story. A quick and easy snack - or even a snappy appetizer in a pinch for a dinner party.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of radishes, cut in half
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
small handful of fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, oregano - whatever you prefer)
salt and pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, combine the butter and herbs of your choice - I think I went with some cilantro here. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

You can be fancy and put the butter in a pastry bag to top the radish halves, but I went old fashioned and just slathered a bit on with a knife.

And voila, instant snack.

And really, the herbed butter can go on practically anything you put butter on - not just radishes!

Have a great rest of your Wednesday, even though there's only about an hour left of it!

Don't forget, if you have a CSA or Farmer's Market haul you'd like to share - e-mail me at mtlabor85@yahoo.com and I'll include you in the roundup tomorrow afternoon!

Vegetable Barley Soup

2011-08-02T19:18:00.000-04:00

I know it's still a little hot outside for soup recipes, but this was too good to pass up. I'm one of those irrational people that can have soup any time of year - especially when it's chock full of vegetables like this!

The flavor is definitely different, with all of the different herbs involved - but it's definitely a "good" kind of different!

Ingredients:
Adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe

4 cups water
2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups chicken stock
1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms

5 cups kale, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup chopped fresh fennel fronds
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
juice from 1 lemon

feta cheese crumbles, optional

Bring 4 cups water, 2 cups vegetable broth, barley, and 1 teaspoon sea salt to boil in large pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until barley is tender, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, chopped carrot, and mushrooms to pan. Sprinkle with sea salt, and sauté until golden brown, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Add onion mixture and remaining 2 cups chicken stock to pot with barley.

Add kale to soup. Simmer until greens are tender, about 15 minutes. Add dill, fennel fronds, and mint; simmer 5 minutes. Add lemon juice. Season soup with sea salt, pepper, thinning with more broth, if desired. Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle feta cheese over, drizzle with oil, and serve.

I even ate this cold for lunch today - and I NEVER eat soup cold. Now you know it's gotta be good!

Do you guys eat soup in the summer time? Or am I just a weirdo?

Blueberry & Avocado Spinach Salad

2011-08-01T09:44:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday guys! Anybody do anything exciting?

Again, we were pretty lazy. Andy had to go into work yesterday night for some end of the month reports, so I sat around the house catching up on some Netflix action.

It's also August! Boy has this year flown by!

I thought I'd start the week with something light. I usually take my lunch to work 99.9% of the time, and this is just a glimpse of the sort of thing I take with me!

Ingredients:

1 Avocado, cubed
1/4 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
a few slices of ham, chopped
1/4 cup blueberries
1 cup spinach
juice from 1 lime

I'm one of those weird people that prefers their salad undressed most of the time. And plus, the avocado is creamy enough that it adds a faux dressing feel.

Combine avocado, tomatoes, ham, blueberries, and spinach in a large bowl. Toss until mixed well.

Squeeze lime juice over salad and toss again.

Dig in!

Quick and easy lunch any day of the week!

Do you bring your lunch to work? What sort of things do you take with you?

Well, I'm off to get some cleaning done around the house - since I let myself be lazy all day yesterday! Have a great start to the week guys!