Pomegranate and Cranberry Bellinis

I bought the new Giada's Kitchen cookbook for myself recently. They were having a book sale at work and the staff got 50% off the books! I used that opportunity to purchase some cookbooks that I wouldn't ordinarily buy at full price. Anyway - last night we tried the pomegranate and cranberry bellinis. Here is the link for the recipe. I did change it - for the better I think. First of all, we didn't have a pitcher big enough for all the juices and prosecco at the same time. So I used the pitcher to mix the simple syrup and juices. I filled each champagne flute halfway with the juice mixture and topped it off with the prosecco. I also only garnished with a slice of lime. They were pretty! And darn easy to drink. Next time I think I would cut the simple syrup down to a cup (or even less). If you like sweet cocktails, leave it as prescribed.

Rustic Dinner Rolls

I made these super crusty rolls last Saturday. We couldn't wait, and had them warm out of the oven. They were not quite so awesome at room temperature, but reheating is easy.

The biggest caution is that there are a LOT of proof/rise cycles. I think I started these around noon, and had them out of the oven around five-thirty. Nothing bad in terms of hands-on time, but this is in no way a mix-it-and-forget it dough.

Next time I would totally double the recipe. The four of us ate three each while they were still warm. (oink!)

Makes 16 rolls. Published November 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.

Because this dough is sticky, keep your hands well floured when handling it. Use a spray bottle to mist the rolls with water. The rolls will keep for up to 2 days at room temperature stored in a zipper-lock bag. To re-crisp the crust, place the rolls in a 450-degree oven 6 to 8 minutes. The rolls will keep frozen for several months wrapped in foil and placed in a large zipper-lock bag. Thaw the rolls at room temperature and re-crisp using the instructions above.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon water (12 1/2 ounces), room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
2 teaspoons honey
3 cups plus 1 tablespoon bread flour (16 1/2 ounces), plus extra for forming rolls
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour (about 1 ounce)
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

Instructions
1. Whisk water, yeast, and honey in bowl of stand mixer until well combined, making sure no honey sticks to bottom of bowl. Add flours and mix on low speed with dough hook until cohesive dough is formed, about 3 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature 30 minutes.

2. Remove plastic wrap and evenly sprinkle salt over dough. Knead on low speed (speed 2 on KitchenAid) 5 minutes. (If dough creeps up attachment, stop mixer and scrape down using well-floured hands or greased spatula.) Increase speed to medium and continue to knead until dough is smooth and slightly tacky, about 1 minute. If dough is very sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour and continue mixing 1 minute. Lightly spray 2-quart bowl with nonstick cooking spray; transfer dough to bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. Fold dough over itself; rotate bowl quarter turn and fold again. Rotate bowl again and fold once more. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes. Repeat folding, replace plastic wrap, and let dough rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

4. Transfer dough to floured work surface, sprinkle top with more flour. Using bench scraper, cut dough in half and gently stretch each half into 16-inch cylinders. Divide each cylinder into quarters, then each quarter into 2 pieces (you should have 16 pieces total), and dust top of each piece with more flour. With floured hands, gently pick up each piece and roll in palms to coat with flour, shaking off excess, and place in prepared cake pan. Arrange 8 dough pieces in each cake pan, placing one piece in middle and others around it, with long side of each piece running from center of pan to edge and making sure cut-side faces up. Loosely cover cake pans with plastic wrap and let rolls rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes (dough is ready when it springs back slowly when pressed lightly with finger). Thirty minutes before baking, adjust rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.

5. Remove plastic wrap from cake pans, spray rolls lightly with water, and place in oven. Bake 10 minutes until tops of rolls are brown; remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees; using kitchen towels or oven mitts, invert rolls from both cake pans onto rimmed baking sheet. When rolls are cool enough to handle, turn right-side up, pull apart, and space evenly on baking sheet. Continue to bake until rolls develop deep golden brown crust and sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 10 to 15 minutes; rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time. Transfer rolls to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Chocolate-Espresso Lava Cake

Click here for Chocolate-Espresso Lava Cakes. Super yum.

Pomegranate-Marinated Lamb with Spices and Couscous

We made this tonight (Bon Appetit) and it was soooo good that I had to run to the computer to post it so I could share the love. 

Changes made: used mint instead of basil, had Greek yogurt on the side (it really brought the flavors together) and made my own pom molasses since I couldn't find the good stuff here in our remote location. 

• INGREDIENTS:
• 1/2 cup pomegranate molasses

• 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pounds lamb shoulder blade chops, cut into 3/4-inch square pieces, bones reserved
• 1 1/4 cups water, divided
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 10-ounce box plain couscous
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup pomegranate seeds
• 3 tablespoons torn basil leaves

PREPARATION

Whisk pomegranate molasses, coarsely chopped garlic, olive oil, ground ginger, cinnamon, 1 3/4 teaspoons cumin, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add lamb and toss to coat. Cover and marinate 2 hours at room temperature, or up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Drain, reserving marinade. Pat lamb dry.

Heat heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add meat and bones, if using, and cook until browned, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes total per batch. Return all lamb and bones to skillet. Add reserved marinade and 1/4 cup water. Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer over medium-low heat until meat is tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring remaining 1 cup water and chicken broth to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add couscous and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin. Remove saucepan from heat and let stand covered 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork, then stir in butter until melted. Divide couscous among plates and top with lamb, pomegranate seeds, and basil leaves, spooning remaining sauce over lamb.

Sangria

I helped make vats of this sangria for a party at Ward and Allison's years (10???) ago. I don't remember where we got the recipe from. I have it scrawled down on some scraps of paper. It was a super-yummy memory and it did not fail when I made it on Saturday night. I wasn't sorry that Jesse, Bob and I had to finish the whole pitcher by ourselves.

• 2 oranges - 1 sliced, 1 juiced
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup Triple Sec (I used Cointreau)
• 1 bottle of inexpensive, but good, red wine

Add sliced orange and lemon and the sugar to a large pitcher. Stir for about a minute with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the orange juice, Triple Sec and wine. Refrigerate and for at least two hours (up to eight hours). Stir before serving. Pour into glasses with ice cubes.

Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tatin

Ward found this recipe in the Times...it sounds amazing.

Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tatin
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

1 14-ounce package all-butter puff pastry
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 red onions, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup plus a pinch of sugar
1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1/4 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
1 1/2 pints (about 1 pound) cherry or grape tomatoes; a mix of colors is nice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Unfold puff pastry sheet and cut into a 10-inch round; chill, covered, until ready to use.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of sugar and cook, stirring, until onions are golden and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water and let cook off, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan. Transfer onions to a bowl.

3. In a clean, ovenproof 9-inch skillet, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Cook over medium heat, swirling pan gently (do not stir) until sugar melts and turns amber, 5 to 10 minutes. Add vinegar and swirl gently.

4. Sprinkle olives over caramel. Scatter tomatoes over olives, then sprinkle onions on. Season with thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Top with puff pastry round, tucking edges into pan. Cut several long vents in top of pastry.

5. Bake tart until crust is puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then run a knife around pastry to loosen it from pan, and flip tart out onto a serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Here's the link to the article.

Classic Red Tomato Rice

I made this out of Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen cookbook (a great gift from Jesse). The salsa that goes into the rice is so delicious. It is especially good this time of year because nearly every ingredient came from the farm. Move over Bobbie Salsa, Lisa Salsa is in town! (Doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it.) Warning: this recipe is a little fussy, but totally worth it.

• 1 lb ripe tomatoes
• 2 jalapeños
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• salt
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 TBS vegetable oil
• 2 cups white rice
• 1.5 cups water

1. Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet under the broiler until blackened on one side, about 6 minutes. Flip and roast the other side. Cool and peel, collecting all the juices with the tomatoes. While the tomatoes are roasting, roast the chiles and unpeeled garlic directly on an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until soft and blackened in spots. (The chiles will take 5 - 10 minutes, the garlic 15 minutes.) Cool, then pull the stems from the chiles and peel the garlic.
2. In a food processor, whir the chiles, garlic and 1/2 tsp of salt into a coarse pursee. Add the tomatoes and whir again. Rinse the onion in a strainer under cold water, shake off the excess and add to the tomato mixture along with 1/2 cup of the cilantro. (At this point, make sure you have at least 2 cups of salsa.)
3. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees. In a 3-qt ovenproof saucepan heat the oil over medium. Add the rice and cook, stirring regularly, until the rice turns chalky looking, about 5 minutes. If some kernels brown, it's fine. Add 2 cups of the salsa and stir for a minute as the salsa sears and reduces a little. Add the water and 1 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil and stir. Cover the pan tightly and bake for 25 minutes. (Test and make sure the rice is nearly done.) Let the rice stand out of the oven for a few minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of the cilantro over the rice, then use a fork to fluff the mixture and fold in the cilantro.

Fine Cooking September 2008

If it's still on the newsstand, you should rush out and get a copy of this one. It's chockablock of great recipes.

So far, I've made the Mexican Black Bean Burgers, Pepper Crusted Beef with Rosemary Chimichuri and the Nicoise Salad with Tuna and Potatoes (above).

Still to try: Cinnamon-Walnut Shortcakes with Caramelized Plums, Summer Vegetable Soup with Dill, Smoked Heirloom Tomato Relish and much more.

I'll post recipes for the first dishes when I get more time.

Here's the summary from the website:
http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/pages/fc_currentissue.asp

Spinach and Hot Ham Pasta Bake

My really good friend Jill lost her dad earlier this week. She's also a military wife and her husband is deployed. The instant I got the phone call I knew exactly what I needed to do. Make her something she would eat. Jill has said before she would eat anything I cook for her so I dug deep and thought about something that would look pretty, seem healthy but had immense amounts of cheese. This is truly one of the most comforting meals I can think of and it yields a ton (9x13 dish).

Btw, this is a Rachel Ray recipe and she scares me - but I think we have already talked about this... So here it is:


Ingredients:
1 lb cavatappi pasta or any short pasta with lines (I used mezza penne)
3 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1.5 cup whole milk or 2%
1/2 lb sliced capocollo ham, sliced thin
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup grated parmigiano-regiano
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb mozzarella, in 1/2" cubes
1 cup breadcrumbs

preparation:

1/ boil pasta and pre-heat broiler
2/ in large saucepan at medium heat - 1 tbsp EVOO and butter. when
butter melts add garlic and onion. season w/ salt and pepper.
3/ dust onions w/ flour and cook stirring for 1 min. slowly whisk in
milk. bring to a bubble and let thicken.
4/ stir in ham, spinach and 1/2 cup parmigiano-regiano
5/ season w/ nutmeg and cayenne pepper
6/ drain pasta when ready. combine cubed mozzarella w/ pasta and sauce
and toss to coat. transfer to baking dish.
7/ breadcrumb topping: combine breadcrumbs, 2 tsp EVOO and 1/2
parm-reg cheese. sprinkle on top of pasta.
8/ broil for 1min until topping browns.

Note - I usually put it in the oven at 300 covered after the broiling part when waiting for guests so the mozzarella melts and makes it all gooier and yummier...

Enjoy!

Fresh Peach and Gingercream Shortcakes

(photo from epicurious.com)

Saturday was the great day of the brisket in the Riker residence - I will post the recipe soon, I promise, but first feast your eyes and taste buds on this. John picked this out from the August Bon Ape and it was great. The recipe was super easy to make and the results were scarfed down quickly. I will admit to not bothering with the crystallized ginger (I just assumed that it wasnt going to be found in these parts) so I substituted with ground ginger and the result was super subtle, yet tasty. I'm not a huge fan of peaches, so we also had strawberries around.

ingredients::

2 cups all purpose flour
13 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled salted butter, diced
1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger, divided
1/2 cup ginger ale
3 tablespoons plus 1 1/4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
4 large peaches,halved, thinly sliced

preparation::

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, and baking powder in large bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until very coarse meal forms (oatmeal-size flakes). Mix in 1/4 cup chopped ginger. Add ginger ale and 2 tablespoons cream. Toss until moist clumps form. Gather dough into 7-inch log. Cut crosswise into 6 equal rounds. Place on sheet, spaced apart. Shape each into 21/2-inchdiameter round. Mix 1 tablespoon cream and 1 tablespoon sugar in small bowl; brush over top and sides of shortcakes.

Bake shortcakes until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool on sheet.

Meanwhile, toss peaches in large bowl with 4 tablespoons sugar and remaining 1/4 cup chopped ginger. Whisk remaining 1 1/4 cups cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl to peaks.

Halve shortcakes horizontally. Place bottoms on plates. Top each with peaches, whipped cream, and shortcake top.

Jenny's Take on BPG's Chipotle Lime Shrimp

Hot, garlicky, spicy, delicious! This reminds me of my favorite appetizer at the Blue Point Grill. It is delicious serves with Judy and Mark's rice dish (on my blog) and a green salad with mangoes and cukes. (Inspired by a recipe from The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman.

To serve 4:

7 large garlic cloves, peeled
3 T. olive oil
1-2 chipotle peppers (canned, but use as little adobe as possible)
a couple of pinches of dried chipoltle pepper flakes
6 scallions, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 c. cilantro without any thick stems
2 lb. peeled shrimp
s&p
1/3-1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 c. white wine

With blade running, drop garlic cloves into food processor. When finely minced, stop f.p. and add oil, peppers, S & P, scallions, and cilantro and process until mixture is minced. Add some of the lime juice if mixture seems too dry.

Add green mixture to saute pan and add juice. Heat, stirring for a couple of minutes, and add shrimp. Cook until shrimp is pink, turning 2/3 of the way through. Add wine and more lime juice if you want it more juicy. Also could add orange juice if you want it juicier!

Farmstand Corn Fritters

Sometimes in the summer we eventually get a little tired of corn on the cob as a side dish. I'll make these fritters as a change of pace, especially if we're having a light main course.

If you're feeling really decadent, you can add cheddar cheese and chives (1/3 cup shredded & 2 tablespoons chopped, respectively) plus 1 tsp Dijon to the mixture. I've not tried that, but it's probably great.

Farmstand Corn Fritters
Cooks Country – August 2005
Makes 12 fritters

1 1/2 pounds fresh corn (2 large or 3 to 4 medium ears), husks and silk removed
1 large egg , beaten lightly
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornmeal
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup corn oil or vegetable oil, or more as needed

Method:
1. Using chef’s knife, cut kernels from 1 to 2 ears corn and place in bowl (you should have about 1 cup whole kernels). Grate kernels from remaining 1 to 2 ears on large holes of box grater (you should have generous 1/2 cup grated kernels) into bowl with cut kernels. Using back of knife, scrape any pulp remaining on all cobs into bowl. Stir in egg, flour, cornmeal, cream, shallot, salt, and cayenne.
2. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop 6 heaping tablespoonfuls batter in pan. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer fritters to plate lined with paper towels. If necessary, add more oil to skillet and heat until shimmering; fry remaining batter. Serve fritters immediately.

lamb marinade

I found this in a very old edition of Joy of Cooking. It's really easy and really good. I've made it a few times. The book suggests that the marinade would be good for kebobs. I used it for 4 - 6 loin lamb chops, which I then grilled for 6 minutes on each side for medium.

• 1/4 cup olive oil (I used extra virgin)
• 2 TBS lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 ground black pepper (I just gave a good grind of the pepper mill)

Mix the ingredients together and marinate the meat for at least 3 hours, turning every so often. (I put everything into a zip-lock bag and tossed it into the fridge.)

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

Source: "Barefoot Contessa at Home"

I made this AWESOME cornbread to go with Ward's Father's Day dinner of steamed crabs and barbecue ribs. I wouldn't change a thing, other than to note that if you halve the recipe (use 2 eggs, though) you can do it in a 9" square pan.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups milk
3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the pan
8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided
1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish, 3 scallions
3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don't overmix!

Mix in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar, the scallions and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Creamy Rosemary Polenta

This is from the new Ina Garten book "Barefoot Contessa at Home." I served it with seared diver scallops (great sale at The Market Place!). I made it ahead, at first intending to cut and saute it, but wound up re-heating it in the pot, whisking in extra chicken stock and it was just great.

serves 6

4 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup whipped cream cheese (I used 1/3 C. regular)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the chicken stock in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook over medium-high heat until the stock comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and very slowly add the cornmeal, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps. Switch to a wooden spoon and simmer over very low heat, stirring almost constantly, for 7-10 minutes until thick. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan while stirring. Remove the polenta from heat and stir in the cream cheese, Parmesan, oilve oil, rosemary, salt & pepper. Stir until smooth and serve hot sprinkled with extra Parmesan cheese.

Strawberries stuffed with goat cheese cream

I actually saw Paula Deen making this recipe, and when I went online for the recipe I found another one from Disney Resorts using goat cheese. So I combined them.

For not quite 2 quarts of strawberries I combined the following in the food processor

• 3 ounces goat cheese
• 2 ounces low fat cream cheese
• enough light cream to bring it together

Then I dumped it into a ziplock bag and piped it into the strawberries, which had been washed, trimmed and cut down into quarters. Topped with some chopped, toasted pecans and off to book group I went.

Great recipe!

Chicken, Mango, and Rice Salad

I had to post this recipe because it's one of the things I make that I always get tons of requests for the recipe. It's super awesome for grill-outs in the summer and it's an easy dish for people to like.

Mango and avocado may seem unlikely partners, but they have one thing in common: an affinity for cilantro. Here the herb ties them together in an unusual and unusually delicious dish. The salad makes a fine light meal all by itself. It's easy to replace the mango and avocado for things that are easily available or favored in your home - we have made it with pineapple (sorry, Lisa) and with bananas and it holds up real well.

SERVES: 4

ingredients
* 1 1/2 cups rice, preferably short grain
* 1 1/3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4)
* 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cooking oil
* 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
* 3/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
* 3/4 cup chopped red onion
* 1 mango, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 1 avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 3 1/2 tablespoons lime juice (from about 2 limes)
* 3/4 cup chopped cilantro

directions
1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the rice until just done, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain thoroughly.
2. Coat the chicken with the 1 tablespoon oil. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan over moderate heat. Cook the breasts until just done, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Alternatively, heat the tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan and season and cook the chicken as directed above. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut it into 1/2-inch dice.
3. Toss the rice with the chicken, onion, mango, avocado, the 1/3 cup oil, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the lime juice, and cilantro.

Crashing Computers and Microwavery

I'm definitely moving all my recipes to some blog or the other. My computer crashed along with the detailed index of my recipes I had just finished compiling, plus many of the recipes themselves, along with pictures and more stuff that I'll eventually stop whining about.
So thanks, sweet p. for creating this blog, though I've been a bad contributor.

Next, NYTimes articles on Microwaving on 4/2/08. Some good recipes, but best was a reference to this blog: http://raspberryeggplant.blogspot.com/ for vegetarian recipes and sweets. I can't wait to try some.

Steak Fajita Marinade

I made this from The New Basics cookbook (of the Silver Palette ladies). I still have the copy that Ward and Allison gave to me when they moved in together - it was a double-copy - they both owned it. It's been well-used and it's binding is totally falling apart. But I can't bear to buy a new one because I would never be able to transfer all my notes and smiley faces... It's definitely one of my faves.

P.S. the original recipe called for 1.5 lbs of skirt steak. I used flank steak because that's what the store had. Also - this was delicious in fajitas, but it would have been very good just to eat as, well, steak!

• 1.5 pounds beef skirt steak
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 small chile pepper, minced - whatever hot pepper you like
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• ground black pepper - however much you like

1. Cut the steak crosswise to create four pieces.
2. Stir the lime jiuce, oil, cilantro, chile pepper, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper together.
3. Put the steak in a large zip-lock bag and pour the marinade over the meat.
4. Throw into the fridge for a few hours.
5. Grill - eat, enjoy.

Pear and Ginger Muffins

This is another recipe from Nigella Lawson's Nigella Express. These are super-yummy and it is very hard to eat just one.

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 TBS honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced pears (about 1/4 inch dice)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl mix flour, sugars, baking powder and ground ginger.
3. In another bowl whisk together sour cream, oil, honey and eggs. Fold into dry ingredients.
4. Mix in pear dice and divide batter evenly among the muffin cups.
5. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack.

Salt-Crusted Beets

I made this recipe as part of our anniversary dinner and even thought I was completed befuddled by the 'crusting' part of the recipe once I figured out that it was more of a 'sand castle' building skill than a culinary one, things went well. When crusting the beets just follow the instructions and place them on the salt mix mound instead of trying to hold it in your hands, like I did for the first 5 minutes. Put it down, really, and crust the top and sides with salt. It doesn't need to be perfect since it's not part of the final presentation. For the creme fraiche, we couldn't find pre-made one and didn't have time to make it from scratch, so we just used sour cream and it was really really good. And now that I think about it, not that hard to make - once I gave up having to perfectly crust them, things went smoothly and easy. The result is a salty flavor on the beets that was pretty amazing. John decided it was a definitive 'restaurant worthy' effort!

ps-call me if you start freaking out when salt-crusting!

- - - -

INGREDIENTS::

Horseradish Crème Fraîche:
1 cup crème fraîche (8 ounces)
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar

Beets:
2 cups coarse kosher salt
5 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
3 large unpeeled beets (each about 8 ounces), trimmed, scrubbed

PREPARATION::

For horseradish crème fraîche: Whisk crème fraîche, horseradish, chopped chives, and Sherry wine vinegar in small bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

For beets:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix coarse salt, horseradish, thyme, and orange peel in medium bowl. Place three 3-tablespoon mounds of salt mixture on small rimmed baking sheet, spacing apart. Top each salt mound with 1 beet, then cover all beets with remaining salt mixture, pressing very firmly with hands and forming crust around each beet, covering completely.

Roast beets 1 3/4 hours. Remove from oven; crack salt crusts open and remove beets. Peel beets; cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange beet slices on platter. Serve with horseradish crème fraîche.

(from Bon Appetit February 2008)

Chipotle Scalloped Yams

I modified the recipe I found on food network site to get rid of cream and use up some frontera grill brand chipotle sauce I had. You can use whatever chipotle pepper form you want, though use less than the amount if you're not using salsa - original recipe called for 1 T. of chipotle puree. Lindsey requests that I not use the black pepper next time.


2 cups skim milk
4 heaping tablespoons chipotle salsa (Wegmans)
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1/8-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk together milk and chipotle puree until smooth.

In a 9 by 9-inch casserole dish, arrange the potatoes in even layers. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the milk mixture and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, milk, and salt and pepper to form 10 layers.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes, remove cover and continue baking for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the milk has been absorbed and the potatoes are cooked through and the top is browned. Inspired by Food Network recipe.

Spaghetti Carbonara

We made this for dinner tonight and it was totally awesome. The original recipe calls for a complex process of curing pork belly but guess what - I happened to have some bacon in the fridge and the recipe had this alternative to the pork belly fest - so in went the bacon.

- - - - -

Ingredients

12 ounces diced browned bacon
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine

1 pound spaghetti
1 1/2 cups fresh shelled peas (from about 1 1/2 pounds peas in pods) or 1 1/2 cups frozen petite peas, thawed

2 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preparation

In large skillet bring first five ingredients so a simmer and keep warm.

Cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Add peas; cook 1 minute longer.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs in large bowl. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, and parsley; set aside.

Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Whisk 1/4 cup hot cooking liquid into egg mixture. Add pasta; toss to coat. Add mixture to skillet with pork and toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if dry. Season generously with black pepper. Divide among bowls and serve, passing remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese alongside.

Of oil and grounds.

Two questions for my fellow hungries:

First - how do you save your used frying oil? My mom had this awesome canister when we were growing up that was made out of some metal and it had a lid but right under the lid it had a sieve so when you would pour the cooled off oil it would strain it.

Second - does anyone know how you can reuse used coffee grounds? I make coffee every morning and I read somewhere that it's good to use it as part of your plant food - any clues?