Greek Panzanella

Tonight I made Greek Panzanella. I saw Ina Garten make it on her Food Network show, Barefoot Contessa, and I just had to try it. I will be tasting the onions all night, but it was so yummy! Don't you want to give it a try? Let's do it! Here's what you need:

Slice a nice loaf of crusty bread into 1 inch cubes. Toss the cubes in extra virgin olive oil (or butter if you run out of olive oil like I did), sprinkle with a little bit of salt, and toast under the broiler for a few minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

In the meantime, chop the following veggies into 1 inch squares and throw them into a large bowl:

1 yellow bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 hot house cucumber (slice lengthwise and scoop out the seeds, then chop)

1/2 red onion (I like to slice the onions into smaller pieces)

cherry tomatoes (halved)

kalamata olives (no need to chop these)

Whisk together these ingredients to make the vinaigrette:

1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

1/4 C red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. dijon mustard

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

This is what it looks like after the first 2 ingredients. Pretty, huh?

Throw the bread cubes and a tub of feta onto the veggies and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Toss it all together. Let it sit for 30 minutes before serving. This is a dish that can be enjoyed at room temperature.

Mmmmmmmm! I think I might have to go sneak a few more bites...

Lemon Curd

Lemon curd! I made lemon curd! I am preparing a bunch of desserts for my punk's 2nd birthday next week. So far, I've baked and frozen batches of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (a family recipe that my cousin Brooke made for our mothers and daughters gathering in May) and shortbread cookies (which didn't turn out pretty, but they're still tasty). This weekend, I'm going to attempt making pastry puffs which I will then fill with the lemon curd and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Wish me luck!

Lemon Curd

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs

3/4 stick (6 Tbs) unsalted butter, cut into bits

Whisk together juice, zest, sugar and eggs in double boiler. Stir in butter and cook over medium/low heat. Whisk frequently until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and the first bubble appears on the surface (about 6 minutes according to my recipe, but it took me 12 minutes). Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly, and chill for 1 hour. Lemon curd will keep for up to 1 week.

An Autumn Celebration: October

Here's what we ate at our October dinner with Vanessa as our host. Recipes coming soon.

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

- 1-2 lbs. chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

- 4, 15 oz. cans Northern White Beans, do not drain

- 2, 14oz. cans of chicken broth

- 4, 4oz. can chopped green chilis ( can add or subtract depending on spiciness wishes)

- 1 T dried minced onion

- 2 tsp. garlic powder

- 2 tsp. salt

- 2 tsp. cumin

- 2 tsp. oregano

- 1 tsp. black pepper

- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (if desired)

- 2 cups of sour cream

- 1 cup milk, half and half or whipping cream

Method:

Pour all ingredients into a large pot. Bring to a slow boil, add sour cream, and milk ( or half and half or whiping cream). This makes a lot! Usually half of this feeds a family.

Acorn Squash with Cornbread and Cranberry Stuffing

1 whole Acorn Squash, Cut In Half Lengthwise

2 teaspoons Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ cups Celery, Diced

½ whole Yellow Onion, Diced

1 whole Tart Apple, Peeled, Cored, And Diced

½ teaspoons Dried Thyme

½ teaspoons Curry Powder

¼ teaspoons Cinnamon

2 whole Cornbread Muffins, Cut Into Bite-sized Pieces

¼ cups Dried Cranberries

½ cups Chicken Stock

Salt To Taste

Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

Sprinkle Of Parmesan Cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Scrape seeds and stringy flesh from squash. Place squash in a baking dish, cut sides up. Pour about an inch of water in the bottom of the dish. Put one teaspoon butter and one teaspoon brown sugar in each half.
3. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. Baste squash with the butter and sugar mixture after the 15-minute mark to prevent drying. Put back in the oven for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until fork tender.
4. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet and add the celery, onion, apples, thyme, curry, and cinnamon. Cook until softened. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
5. Place cubed cornbread on a baking sheet and set next to the squash in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden and crunchy.
6. Add cranberries and the toasted cornbread to the skillet mixture and gently stir to combine. While stirring, slowly add the chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Fill the fork-tender squash with cornbread stuffing and place back into oven until heated through.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

- 1 box of spice cake

- 1 can of pumpkin

- 1 bag of chocolate chips

Mix spice cake and pumpkin in a large bowl. This takes a lot of arm muscle, but keep going it does mix together! Add as many chocolate chips as you'd like. usually about 1/2 a bag for me.

Plop several spoonfuls of mixture on a cookie sheet. Cook for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees. enjoy.

Spicy Pasta with Sweet Potatoes

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes (2 cups)
1/2 tsp each sugar, chili powder, cinnamon
8 oz dried rigatoni
1/3 C peanut butter
1 3-oz pkg cream cheese, cut up
2 tsp Asian chili sauce (such as Sriraca sauce)
1 T soy sauce
6 green onions, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 450. Oil a rimmed baking pan; set aside. Place sweet potato cubes in bowl. Toss with 1 T olive oil, the sugar, chili powder and cinnamon. Spread in prepared pan; bake 20 min or until tender. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 C pasta water. In saucepan combine peanut butter, cream cheese, chili sauce, and soy sauce; whisk in 3/4 C of the hot pasta water. Stir over medium heat until heated through. If too thick, stir in additional water. Stir in most of the green onions. Serve sauce over pasta with sweet potatoes and remaining onion.

Guacamole

4 soft avocados, peeled and seeded
3 cloves of garlic, chopped (1 tbsp minced)
lime juice from 1 small lime
1/4 Cup of salsa or pico de gallo
1 tsp of sea salt
2-3 tbsp jalapenos, chopped (optional)
cilantro, chopped

Mash avocados, add garlic, cilantro, lime juice, salsa/pico de gallo, and sea salt, mix together.

Roasted Vegetable Minestrone

On The Barbie: August

Cream of Tomato Soup

It is the ultimate late summer dish. It means that school children across the country are sharpening their pencils and filling their backpacks with new supplies in anticipation of a brand new year. It means the crisp, cool air of fall is just around the corner. It means the mountain behind my house will soon turn brilliant shades of red, gold, orange, and yellow. It means that in a few short weeks, my backyard neighbor will soon be exposing his long, silver chest hair to the chilly winter air while sitting in his hot tub, smoking a cigar, in plain view of my toddler's bedroom window.

It is my dad's cream of tomato soup.

Step 1: Go outside and pick a bunch of luscious, red tomatoes off the vine. After washing them and slicing off their stems, stick them in a blender and puree the living guts out of them. You're shooting for about 3 cups of tomato puree.

Step 2: Start a roux using olive oil and flour, then add 2-3 cups of milk. Bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, heat the tomato puree, along with some dried basil. Bring to a boil for a couple minutes.

Step 3: (the most critical step!) Allow both mixtures to cool slightly. If you add the acidic tomato to the base of milk too early, the whole thing will curdle. Yuck.

Step 4: Whisk the tomato puree into the milk mixture and reheat to a simmer.

Step 5: Add salt and pepper to taste. (Brace yourself. It might be a lot of salt and pepper.)

Step 6: Enjoy with other seasonal favorites, such as peaches or corn on the cob. Happy autumn!

The Simple Things

Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting older, but I'm finding that in cooking, as in life, sometimes the simplest things are the most delicious. Like this recipe for guacamole:

avacados
diced purple onion
salt
lime juice
(minced garlic if you're feeling adventurous)

Mix those together (being liberal with the salt and lime juice) till it tastes good. Then spend those extra minutes you just saved (by making a simple dish) with the people you love. Those minutes are as delicious as the guac itself.

Bon Appetit!

Summer Rolls

Last night, my little sister and I (Meili) made summer rolls. (That's little sis. Isn't she cute?) They are made with thin rice paper, rice noodles, and all kinds of other yummy fillings. We made two types of roll: a shrimp roll with mint and carrot, and a veggie roll, which included avocado, basil, cucumber and carrot.

The mint and basil came from my backyard garden. Both fragrant herbs threw a flavorful punch!

We also made two dipping sauces: creamy peanut with lime and soy, and spicy hoisin with chili pepper and vinegar.

See that giant roll at the top of the southernmost plate? This is what happens when you try to eat a large roll that was rolled rather loosely: