Culinary in the Desert

Lentils with Chicken Sausage...

2009-07-15T20:44:00.002-05:00

Jeff saw my pile of little green pearls on the counter and said "oh geez, those darn lentils again?". This time I got to roll my eyes and reply "Again? I haven't used them since November of last year! Give me a break!". Hee hee... just one more case of his "pretending" to not like an ingredient, yet in reality he does and just doesn't want to admit it. What's with that anyway?

He was correct though, that is what was in the bowl as I was getting ready to prepare this Lentils with Chicken Sausage dish for our dinner tonight. While you could take your time and finely chop the vegetables that go into the pot, as the lentils were swimming in the broth waiting for it to boil, I added the carrots, celery, onion and a couple cloves of garlic into the food processor and let it do the work. You're not looking for a paste here, so use the pulse button to break them down. To bring them to life before plunking them in with the lentils, we softened them in a skillet with a drizzle of oil and a few sprigs of fresh thyme snipped from our herb bed on the deck.

By the time the veggies were ready, the lentils were just shy of coming up to a boiling, which was a good point to stir them into the mix. Because you want the lentils to retain their shape and have a firmer texture in this dish, they won't take too long to cook through. However, this isn't idle time as there was a bit more work to do!

To bulk up the dish with a meaty edge, we started browning links of chicken sausage (the pre-cooked kind... we chose a spicy variety!), along with wedges of onion. As the onions cook, the wedges gradually soften and slightly caramelize, leaving you with sweet petals that end up being threaded throughout each serving. Punching this combo up with a tangy burst, dark balsamic vinegar was drizzled in the skillet, coating the sausages and onion in a glaze as it quickly thickened from the heat. To allow for easier eating and a nicer presentation, the sausages were then thickly sliced on the diagonal before being added back in.

Now that the lentils were ready, I noticed there was quite a bit of liquid left behind - I wasn't really expecting that, though I guess I should have given the proportion of broth to lentil. This is mainly because in one of the pictures I saw of this recipe prepared, it didn't seem to be a soupy dish. Jeff asked if we should just drain it away, but I figured why bother because it was rich and full of flavor now! Before I added the sausages and onion in with the lentils to finish this off to serve, we did toss in a handful of tender baby spinach for a bit of freshness.

While we (yes, Jeff indeed gave this a thumbs up, even with those "evil" lentils!) thought this earthy dish was definitely tasty, because of its heartier nature, I bet this would be even better served on a cold winters night as a way to warm oneself from the inside out!

Recipes
Lentils with Chicken Sausage

Blueberry-Spice Sandwich Cookies

2009-07-14T20:30:00.003-05:00

I'll be right upfront that these Blueberry-Spice Sandwich Cookies that we made for the Weekly Wednesday Treat Day started out with another name... they were labeled as "whoopie pies". While technically they could considered one, a whoopie pie to me shouldn't even think of having a fruit-y component in the filling.

So, we'll go with sandwich cookie and then we don't have that problem anymore, right? I know... a little over the top, but some things should remain sacred - hee hee!

For these cake-like cookies to get started, the dry ingredients are pepped up with warm spices - cinnamon, ginger, cloves and fresh grated nutmeg. It's funny because as soon as I have the jars lined up for these types of add-ins, I always quickly remove their screw lids, then shake each one a little bit so the dust that sits inside rushes out and releases their fragrant aromas around me. It seems to whisk me away to the slow moving days of fall, apple picking time and and the start of the my favorite holiday seasons.

Since the dry ingredients were given a boost, the wet ingredients deserved a little help too, which came in the sticky form of molasses being beaten in once the butter and brown sugar were creamy and smooth. The dry ingredients were mixed in alternately with a scoop of tangy sour cream - besides adding moisture and tenderness, the sour cream has the acidity the baking soda needs to activate, allowing the batter to spread and puff as it bakes. The billowy batter ends up being thinner than a typical cookie dough, but is still thick enough that it doesn't turn into a puddle as soon as you portion it out.

Testing for doneness is thankfully quite easy - as soon as the rounds are lightly golden and you lightly press a finger into its center, the cookie will spring right back when its ready. If the indent from your finger remains, the cookies need a bit more time. Once done and the cookies are off on their racks cooling themselves down, I got right to work on bringing the filling together.

To stick these cookies to each other, the filling was a very unadulterated combination of cream cheese and one of my all-time favorite ingredients, marshmallow fluff. Yes, you can use marshmallow crème if you must, but what can I say, I'm loyal to my fluff! What adds the colorful, unexpected element into these sandwiches are fresh, bouncy blueberries! Even though I'm a big fan of blueberries (eating at least a cup a day in my yogurt), they still did seem a little out of place at first... but after sneaking out a spoonful of the filling, enjoying the contrast between the smooth filling and the juicy burst of the berries, my mind was scrambling to come up with a reason why this shouldn't work! Cutting the fluff and cheese with the tartness of the berries was a novel riff on the filling and I can now see why they found a good home with these cookies.

While the filling is studded with those blueberries, it does wash them out and make them not look as appealing as they could - for a little more drama and just because we had plenty to go around, we pressed a few clean berries around the edges of each stuffed sandwich. However you want to name them, this treat with its soft, cake-y cookies, laced with aromatic spices and then loaded with a decadent, yet light filling, is definitely worth the time needed to construct them. Wrapped up in individual cellophane packages, I bet they would also be a fine addition to any bake sale table!

Recipes
Blueberry-Spice Sandwich Cookies

Bacon-Chipotle Twice-Baked Potatoes

2009-07-13T20:34:00.000-05:00

While I was preparing a main dish tonight that doesn't really have a recipe, I did make a new side to go along with that I can share.

Baked potatoes are always a hit around here, simply split and topped with a little butter, salt, fresh ground black pepper and sometimes with a dollop of tangy sour cream, so I knew these Bacon-Chipotle Twice-Baked Potatoes would definitely go over well.

Baked as you normally would, the potatoes are then cut in half with most of their fluffy insides being scooped out. I say most, because you want to leave a little rim of the potato flesh to help support the sides of the shell. The potato innards are then perked up with buttermilk, sharp white cheddar, scallions and one of my favorite spicy ingredients, chipotle chiles! I do suggest using a potato masher so you still retain some texture to the potatoes, but of course don't let that stop you from getting the potato filling as smooth as you want. Before we went to fill up the shells, we stirred in crispy crumbled bacon for a salty touch (and besides, bacon and potatoes go so well!)

After working with them so much, the potatoes have pretty much cooled down by now. To warm them back up, we placed the filled potato halves into a small baking dish, topped each with a bit more cheddar (love our cheese!) and placed the dish into the oven. If you knew you would be strapped for time, you could do most of this ahead and stash the assembled halves in the refrigerator - just add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Also, if you had a chance to make these ahead of time when you know you would be grilling out for dinner, they would a perfect choice to warm up on the grill instead of using the oven!

Smoky with a well-enjoyed burn, since you do already have bacon on the inside, you could leave out those chipotles if you can't stand their spicy bite. Or, perhaps, just toss in a bit of the adobo sauce they are packed in as a compromise! If I wasn't serving this as a side, I'd be quite tempted to have two portions of this and just call it dinner - carb-laden perhaps, but I know I would be satisfied!

Recipes
Bacon-Chipotle Twice-Baked Potatoes

Spicy Barley and Rice with Chicken

2009-07-12T20:45:00.001-05:00

After looking through the past six new recipes we prepared this week, we tapped the Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart, those Spinach and Feta-Stuffed Calzones and that Basic Strawberry Fruit Leather as our favorites.

Now, here I go again... making a dish that was intended to be a side and bulking the ingredients up, stretching it into a main! Which actually didn't turn out to be tough at all to do with this Spicy Barley and Rice with Chicken.

To give the base a jump start, we softened onions in a bit of olive oil just before adding a couple cloves of minced garlic. To give the barley a toasty edge, ramping up its natural nuttiness, we stirred the dry grain into the pot and let it work with the heat to give each piece a golden tone. For enough liquid to cook the barley, we used a combination of water and broth - you could use completely broth if you like, but splitting the two is a great compromise, especially since we go through broth like crazy!

The proportion of the liquid to barley may seem a bit much at first, but that's because the recipe also calls for tossing in a bit of brown rice, lending a heartier nature to this dish. For a bit of spice, minced chipotle pepper was added, with a touch of the accompanied adobo sauce to overlap the smoky aspect. Since we were using brown rice and pearled barley, rather than quick-cooking you might find at your market, be prepared for a good forty to forty-five minute down time to soften up those hard grains. The pot is almost ready when the barley is tender and almost all of the liquid had been absorbed, but not all of it as this will sit off-heat for a few extra minutes to warm through the addition of a few cups of shredded cooked chicken breast. And because our thyme plants are actually doing well in our herb box on the deck, we tossed a few of the tiny leaves in to permeate through. If you opt for using dried thyme instead, go ahead and toss it into the pot when you add the liquids.

Just before serving, we brought color and freshness into the mix with hand torn spinach (which, sadly, was the last from the garden as it has gotten way too warm out lately!), along with toasted walnuts for an omega-3 boost and textural crunch. Not too spicy as is, you could intensify that by a bit more chipotle, or as we did, by seasoning the with chicken breasts with spicy blend before cooking it. We also quite liked how even though most of the liquid was absorbed, there was enough leftover that worked with the starch in the barley to not necessarily make a sauce, but coat this healthy dish in a shiny glaze that kept the grains moist without being wet or gloppy.

Recipes
Spicy Barley and Rice with Chicken

Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart

2009-07-11T13:45:00.002-05:00

And the strawberry treats keep coming! I can't begin to tell you how many berries we have eaten out of hand (we have the red-stained fingers to prove it!), but I do know we've picked over 45 and a half pounds, 27 of which has been tucked away in the freezer for use later. While they haven't been producing the giant berries that they did at the beginning, the medium to small ones were fitting for this Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart.

A basic homemade graham cracker crust lined the base of our tart pan, consisting simply of graham crackers (cinnamon!), granulated sugar, a dash of salt and enough butter to make the mixture feel like wet sand. You know, it will clump together if you press it in your fingertips, but is not so wet that it ends up being greasy and sticky. A food processor makes quick work of this, but a trusty rolling pin, a zip-loc bag and a bowl would work just fine - smash the crackers inside of the bag, then stir everything together in the bowl. Even if you do have a food processor, the latter might be good option to get out any pent-up aggression! Since the assembled tart won't be baked, once pressed into the pan, the crust goes for a stint in the oven to force those crumbs into a firm, golden crust.

You can't see it yet, but underneath those beautiful strawberries is a slick layer of cream cheese, lightly sweetened with granulated sugar and amped up with vanilla and nutty almond extract. For the best spreadability, be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature, rendering it quite soft - this way you won't risk tugging at the crust underneath as you smear it over. As soon as we arranged the whole, hulled berries neatly on top, we brushed a thick strawberry glaze on top for shine and well, for more strawberry bang! This is done by heating pureed strawberries with a touch of sugar and potato starch (cornstarch would be fine) until it comes just to a boil, activating the thickening power of the starch to tighten the puree. This gives it enough body to cling to the berries, yet still flow to cover the open spaces of the tart. Because we didn't want any distractions to the puree, we did press it through a sieve for an ultra silky texture - this is an extra step, but one that is up to you.

Just when you think we're done, we have one more touch that brings it all together - around the edge of the tart, thinly sliced almonds, which were first toasted, were sprinkled around tying the almond from the crust into the top with a bit of crunch. While it was tempting to slice right in, the cream cheese is so soft at this point it would end up being fairly messy. Chilling it in the refrigerator for a few hours does the trick so you are able to retrieve clean slices. Impressive enough as is with those plump berries circling in the center, if you wanted to be especially fancy, you could slice up all of those strawberries and working from the outside in, layer them in a tight fan for a flashy finish.

Best on day one, this was still very good on day two - the only issue comes from the crust softening underneath the moist cream cheese layer. I especially liked the cinnamon crackers in the crust, but you could of course use honey or if you can get your hands on them, chocolate grahams! This is one of those recipes that will instantly come to mind when I'm looking for the perfect summer dessert that is fresh, unique and doesn't require a ton of work to pull it off.

Recipes
Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart

Spinach and Feta-Stuffed Calzones

2009-07-10T20:50:00.002-05:00

Jeff gave me one of those puzzled "are you sure this is going to work?" looks when I rattled off the filling ingredients for these Spinach and Feta-Stuffed Calzones we made for our Friday Night Pizza. I shrugged and just replied with "I guess we'll just have to wait and see!". Yeah, I then caught him rummaging through the pantry to see what he might be able to scrounge up in case this went south... no faith I tell you!

I don't think that the spread I had laid out on the counter was all that odd, but I think what threw him was one of my largest bowls literally overflowing with greens with a smaller dish of golden raisins beside it. Yes, there be dried grapes in these calzones! To get the filling ready to stuff in our favorite whole-wheat pizza dough, I started grabbing handfuls of the greens, a combo of tender baby spinach and peppery arugula, and throwing them into the skillet were I had softened a bit of onion and a few cloves worth of minced garlic. It didn't take long for the heat to widdle the greens down to almost nothing, which is why we needed that filled bowl to begin with - I think Jeff forgot about that and gained a little confidence when he saw the end result.

Those plump golden raisins then went in (which got an eyebrow raise!), along with buttery toasted pine nuts, fresh oregano, a pinch of cayenne pepper for heat and a splash of fresh lemon juice. Set aside to cool down a bit, we then added the crumbles of feta cheese - plain feta is fine, but if you wanted to push in a little boost, try one that comes flavored with dried tomato and basil or garlic and herb. As you know, when you wilt down spinach (and arugula), quite a bit of liquid escapes - the original recipe didn't call for draining that away, but there was way too much in the skillet to not cause issues. I decided to just pull out the filling ingredients with a slotted spoon into a separate bowl, then add back just enough of the liquid left behind to keep it moist, yet not swimming in juice.

Quartering the pound version of the dough, then stretching each out into a rectangle, was next on the list - I didn't get exact measurements here, but just eyeball how much filling you have to go in each and make sure the rectangle is large enough that you end up with plenty of dough to stretch over the filling. Assembled and sealed with the tines of a fork, the calzones were given a quick wash of milk and water to give some sticking power to the Parmesan cheese we sprinkled on top. Before being baked, be sure to give the dough a slice with a knife or poke with a fork on top - this gives the steam inside somewhere to go as it heats up and you won't end up with a blow out!

If you would like to make this a little easier on yourself, you could also just as well roll out the entire dough into a large rectangle, spoon the filling down one half and then enclose it with the uncovered half to make one giant version instead. The only thing you would need to watch out for is the baking time - you may need to extend it by a few minutes.

Even with its golden, cheesy crust, I did have to take a bite of mine first before Jeff decided it would be okay to try. I told you, he can be quite finicky sometimes! While quite savory, the little raisin nuggets, bursting with their warm juices, added such a unique contrast of sweetness that I found myself quite attracted to. I can see how this could be a love it or hate it combination, but Jeff did comment how surprised he was that he couldn't keep from going for that next forkful - score! Even though there was a conservative amount of pine nuts added, the richness from those three tablespoons helped keep the filling balanced and interesting, while the crumbles of feta cheese led the charge with their challenging salty edge. One interesting dish indeed!

Recipes
Spinach and Feta-Stuffed Calzones

Strawberry-Basil Salad...

2009-07-09T20:42:00.001-05:00

One of the dishes we had tonight we actually made first a week or so ago, but Jeff requested that we have it again. While this Strawberry-Basil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette was quite good, I think he was so excited that most of it was grown right in our back yard!

There isn't much to this at all, but the basic combination of ingredients sure made for a dramatic side! If you want a crispier green, by all means use a head of romaine - however, we have a couple rows of red butterhead lettuce that are still thriving and while tender, we've found it is firm enough to hold up to this type of salad. Hand torn, we tossed those lettuce leaves with slices of just-picked strawberries (the plants are still producing!), sweet crunchy arcs of Vidalia onion and fresh basil.

To let these ingredients shine, a straightforward dressing composed of good olive oil and balsamic vinegar, spiked with salt and fresh ground black pepper, was all that we needed to moisten this salad. You could go and throw in chunky pieces of cheese, toasted nuts or grilled chicken if you must, cluttering the surface, but I think what was so appealing about this salad was just how clean and simple it was. I was intrigued at first by the addition of basil, but as its fragrance lifted from my plate and I got a taste of the combination, the refreshing anise-like flavor came sweeping through and made complete sense, anchoring this dish with such a pleasing note. This is the second time we've enjoyed this salad and I bet it won't be the last during this summer!

Recipes
Strawberry-Basil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Lemon-Ginger Bundt Cake...

2009-07-08T20:54:00.001-05:00

One item we keep handy in the pantry is crystallized ginger, if for no other reason to snack on for a sweet treat that backs itself with a warm, spicy bite. Nibbled on plain, or dipped in dark chocolate for an especially devilish treat, I also like to have it in the pantry to use in baked goods... like this Lemon-Ginger Bundt Cake that we made for this week's Wednesday Treat Day.

To really grind the oils from the zest into this cake, maximizing its potential, I took the extra time to rub the fragrant zest into sugar with my fingertips, before creaming the sugar and butter together. Fussy? Yeah, maybe a little, but when you see how the grains of sugar are moistened and take on a light yellow hue, you know it's worth it. When you add the softened butter in, make sure you give it plenty of time for the mixture to become light and fluffy, rather than just creamy and combined.

With most cakes, the batter benefits from adding the eggs one at a time, rather than just dumping the whole shebang in. Besides being able to work in more air as you beat each one in, the batter stays in smooth and together, rather than curdling into a mess if too much is added at once. While we have lemon infused already, we added some pucker power by mixing in the tangy juice from the zested lemons once the eggs were all worked in.

Sour cream is a wonderful medium to tenderize and moisten a cake, which is why this cake has a full cup added in - though just like those eggs, the sour cream is not added all at once. Rather than just dropping in spoonfuls at a time though, the sour cream is alternately added with the dry ingredients, lightening the batter as the flour is absorbed. This is a ginger cake right? To impart that flavor, we snuck a good amount of minced crystallized ginger in with the dry ingredients - since ginger can be a little sticky, whisking it in with the flour first coated the tacky pieces, keeping them separate so they are evenly distributed.

Before you scoop this into your bundt pan, be sure you are using one that holds twelve cups as there is plenty of batter to go around - if you try and use a smaller one, you risk a messy spillage. Go with your instincts - if you still find that the pan looks like it won't hold all the batter, hold some back if you like and bake it off in a ramekin or a muffin pan for a baker's snack! Once it tests done, it is best to let the cake rest in the pan for at least 10 minutes or so, giving it time to finish setting up and allowing the crust to release from the sides.

Slicing into the cake once it had cooled down revealed to us what we had hoped for - a dense, buttery yellow cake that perfurmed the room with its light, lemon-y fragrance as soon as I guided my serrated knife out. Ginger can be a little staggering at times if it is too heavily used, but we both thought there was just enough that the cake didn't seem void of it, yet you knew it wasn't just a plain 'ol lemon cake either. See those darker bits around the edges? That would be the ginger chunks getting caramelized from being so close to the sides of the pan - almost the best part of the cake! If you wanted a more flashy finish than just a shower of confectioners' sugar, a simple glaze made from fresh lemon juice, confectioners' sugar and a touch of softened butter, slowly drizzled over the top, would definitely be appropriate.

Recipes
Lemon-Ginger Bundt Cake

Asparagus-Ham Lasagna

2009-07-06T20:46:00.001-05:00

We picked up some asparagus from the market in anticipation of using it this week, but as the season has pretty much come to a close, it wasn't as brilliant as it had been the past few months. That's not to imply the asparagus was horrible or anything, but they just were not as snappy - rather than using it in a dish where it would be the star, we used the spears in this Asparagus-Ham Lasagna instead.

To set the color of the asparagus, we dropped them in a large pot of boiling, salted water for just a minute, then rinsed them in cold water to stop them from cooking any further. Don't drain away the water though to get at the asparagus - just fish them out with a slotted spoon. This way, you can cook the lasagna noodles in the same batch of seasoned water.

While the noodles were busy, we started creating the sauce we were going to smother this dish with. Butter, melted into a golden pool, gave us a spot to soften a finely chopped onion before we sprinkled in the flour used to thicken the sauce. Make sure you stir that flour around for a minute or two, giving it a chance to cook out its raw pastiness. Using entirely milk as the liquid for the sauce gives you a silky mouthfeel - however, you could use equal amounts of milk and broth to make the sauce a little lighter. To make sure the flour has been activated to thicken the milk, be sure it comes up to at least a boil. After stirring in a duo of cheeses, fresh grated Asiago and Parmesan, our milk sauce turned into a cheesy pool that was ready to be lifted with a bit of fresh grated nutmeg (try not to leave this out as it adds an intriguing complexity that works well in a white sauce).

Built as a typical lasagna, the assembly included the cheese sauce, noodles, thinly sliced ham, the crisp-tender asparagus and a bit more Asiago and Parmesan in each layer. To trap the moisture inside, creating a steamy package to finish the noodles off and warm through the dish, we covered the top with foil just before we placed the heavy dish into the oven. While it could be considered done after a half hour, to finish off the top layer, that foil is removed during the last ten minutes of baking. You could serve this pipping hot out of the oven, but I highly suggest setting aside an extra fifteen or so minutes to let this lasagna meld and cool down first. This gives the sauce a chance to set, allowing you to pull out slices that don't slip and slide off your plate!

Lasagnas loaded with meat and tons of cheese are certainly lip-smackingly delicious, but they can also come across as being heavy and quite rich, which doesn't always sit too well during the warmth of spring or summer. What Jeff and I both liked about this version was how clean and refreshing it felt, with the lighter ham, tender fresh asparagus and nutty cheese blend. It also happened to make plenty to go around, leaving us with a few nice lunches to look forward to!

Recipes
Asparagus-Ham Lasagna

Four years!

2009-07-05T13:46:00.002-05:00

Jeff said to me this morning "Do you know what day it is today?" I said, "Um yeah... it's Sunday?". He looked at me when one of those single eye brow raises and then I said "Okay... other than being Sunday, it's market day?". That got an eye roll... so I asked what else could it be and he said "Did you forget it has been 4 years since you started the blog?!". Oh crap - he's right! Really? Four years already? Dang!

Jeff and I decided to sit down a little earlier and go through our recipe sections to pick out some of our favorite recipes to post - but once we started scrolling through and figured out we have taken pictures and posted about 1,690 recipes, we figured there was no way that was going to happen. That's at least one new recipe every single day for 4 years straight! Craziness. Will we make it to five years? I'm not sure, though I do know I can't wait to find out.

Other than that news, it is a fairly busy day today... but I do want to take some time to share another treat we made with our bounty of fresh strawberries! When Jeff and I were going over our options on what we should do with them, the dehydrator came up - we thought about drying the berries themselves, but then decided on making Strawberry Fruit Leather!

There actually isn't much to this at all and it is surprisingly easy, with quite the short ingredient list to boot! It can also adapt to several variations, allowing you to choose what direction you want the flavor to be.

With our first batch, we were looking for just the pure essence of strawberry, so the only ingredients we used were strawberries, honey and a pinch of Fruit Fresh. Fruit Fresh is basically ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and is used in home canning to retain color - this is what I use when I make dried banana chips to keep them from browning. If you can't find this in your market, a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice would be a good substitute. Honey isn't there to sweeten the leather, especially important since our strawberries are plenty sweet already, but it helps keep the final product pliable.

Pureed until smooth, we poured the ruby sauce onto our dehydrator's fruit roll-up sheet and set it on the machine to dry. After a few hours and a few peeks later to check on the progress, the puree was finally leathery and not sticky to the touch anymore - which meant it was ready! Chewy and full of potent strawberry flavor, we decided that the crunchiness from the tiny seeds was a plus and were glad we opted to leave them in. Straining them out is an option though if you wanted an extra-smooth leather.

We tore through the first fruit leather in no time and it didn't take us long to make another batch. Three more, in fact! We made another simple strawberry version, but then saved a handful of the berries out of the next two and replaced them with a ripe banana in one and applesauce in the other. We didn't measure for this, but we took out roughly a half cup of strawberries and added the same amount of the other two fruits. I did find that those two needed an extra hour or so to dry and while the flavor change was pretty subtle with strawberry still dominate, the banana and apple did come through in both taste and aroma! You can store them rolled up as sheets between parchment paper, but how about breaking out the cookie cutters to start stamping out shapes? Which, by the way, could be a fun and an edible activity for the kiddos - can you tell Gus had a say in what shapes we chose?!

Recipes
Basic Strawberry Fruit Leather

On this Fourth...

2009-07-04T20:18:00.004-05:00

Happy Fourth of July!

I hope everyone is having a safe holiday! Jeff, the pups and I will be heading out to the deck soon to watch the fireworks - it looked a little ominous earlier, but the blue skies reappeared an hour or two ago, leaving us with a beautifully clear evening!

Out of all the strawberry goodies we've made over the past couple of weeks, I think what we did with them tonight almost (but not quite!) trumps them all! No real recipe here - all I did was slice up a mounds' worth of strawberries and gave them a light shower with granulated sugar, making sure to show restraint since the berries are already plenty sweet. On top? Fresh cream from a friend who runs a dairy, whipped into a pillow-y blanket with a pinch of salt, a drizzle of vanilla and a touch of confectioners' sugar. To complete the holiday theme? Blueberries, almost bursting at the seams with their juicy insides, dropped all around the plate. Definitely the way to go when you want the essence of summer all wrapped up in an unpretentious, delicious portion.

Calabrese Potato Provolone Pizza

2009-07-03T20:47:00.003-05:00

You may have to do a little searching for one specialty ingredient in the Friday Night Pizza we made this evening, but I'll tell you now it is worth seeking out.

What makes this Calabrese Potato Provolone Pizza top notch was the sausage used on top. Calabrese is a dry Italian sausage that is made with pork and seasoned with hot chile peppers for a vigorous bite - you'll often also find it flavored with garlic and fennel. If you absolutely couldn't get your hands on some, you could swap it out for salami or even pepperoni.

The other way this pizza is tuned up? Sliced potatoes! Waxy Yukon gold potatoes, in fact, which are sliced as thinly as possible - preferably using a mandolin to get paper-thin slices. They need to be as thin as possible as they are not pre-cooked before arranging them onto the pizza. If you do end up with thicker slices of potato, you may want to give them a quite dunk in salted boiling water for a few minutes to give them a head start - tender potatoes are a good thing, where raw potatoes might not be as pleasing!

We used the twelve ounce version of our whole-wheat pizza dough to give us a thinner crust, but if you wish for more chew, try out the pound version instead. Once the stretchable dough was pressed out, the top was slathered in marinara sauce, followed by the thinly sliced potatoes and spicy sausage rounds.

For a savory herbal note, we snipped a few leaves from our sage plant outside and gave them a quick run through with a knife, leaving us with shreds to sprinkle on top. Cheese was on tap next to be added, but we didn't go single here - we went with two... mozzarella and provolone!

We didn't opt for just any provolone - we decided on one that was aged, luring us in with its full, extra-sharp jolt. Baked on our stone until the crust was richly golden and the cheese on top melted together, flooding the top of the pizza in a slick of gooey browned cheese, we made sure to give it a few minutes (though not many) before we sliced into it, giving it a chance to set. I couldn't even get the whole thing cut into wedges before I swiped a bite from one of my slices! I tuned out all the background noise and just stood there for a couple silent minutes, letting the flavors wash over my taste buds, shocking them from their slumber as that heat in the sausage brought them to life. Jeff was getting antsy, so he had to cut himself a slice (oops...) and found out exactly where I was taken to. Seven ingredients coming together to create one naughty pizza and a couple of stuffed stomachs - what a way to start the weekend with a bang!

Recipes
Calabrese Potato Provolone Pizza

Next up... Freezer Jam!

2009-07-02T20:45:00.002-05:00

Because we wanted to preserve and enjoy the plethora of strawberries throughout the rest of the year, Jeff and I were already planning on making a couple batches of jam before we even put the berry patches in!

Last year we went with that Strawberry-Lavender Freezer Jam and because that whole process went so smoothly, I went with another freezer jam this time, preparing this Strawberry-Rhubarb Freezer Jam! Because we wanted this to taste more of the natural fruit, rather than loaded with sugar, we used that "no sugar needed" fruit pectin this time. However, don't read into that too much because sugar is added, but you don't need nearly as much and you can control of the amount needed without concern of the jam not setting.

In that previous version, there was no cooking involved because all you needed to do was smash the strawberries to break them down. However, since we were introducing rhubarb into the fold, the sturdy stalks do need to be briefly cooked to soften them and to activate the jelling properties. After mixing the pectin with a bit of sugar in one of our larger saucepans, we tossed in the diced, tart rhubarb stalks and enough water to get the process started. Once it boils, it only takes a short three to four minutes stint - we didn't let it go too long as we want the rhubarb softened, but still have enough oomph to hold its shape. To be sure the pectin will set after chilling out, we dribbled a bit of the rhubarb mixture on a cold metal tablespoon - if you turn it over and it doesn't immediately run off the spoon, you're good to go! If it does run, let it cook for another minute and check again.

Now we were ready to introduce the strawberries! They don't go in naked though. Before we got to work on the rhubarb, we chopped up the berries and tossed them together with sugar and fresh lemon juice. Doing this beforehand gives the sugar plenty of time to pull out the strawberry's own sweet juices. The groovy mixture was poured in and stirred around with the hot rhubarb, then divvied out between sterilized jars to be capped off. Before stashing them away in the freezer to enjoy for several months, be sure to let them cool off and place the filled jars into the refrigerator for 24 hours to set.

We actually made this a few times in a row to make a good dent in the supply of the fresh berries we have picked! Some say you can double a jam recipe without worry, but others say that the ratio of ingredients need to be changed slightly and if you don't get it quite right, the jelling process could be upset. We decided not to risk wasting the ingredients (wasting is a strong word though... you would just end up with a sauce, rather than jam!) and just spent the time needed to go through the process three times.

We broke into the first jar as soon as the waiting period clicked over - what we found when we slid in our spoon to take a taste was a thick, chunky jam that was just sweet enough to tame the rhubarb, leaving us a clean and vivid strawberry-rhubarb flavor. While eating it from a spoon was good and all, it was begging to be smeared over a piece of hearty whole-wheat toast or a craggly English muffin - perfect for a speedy breakfast or tasty snack.

Recipes
Strawberry-Rhubarb Freezer Jam

Italian Meatball Burgers...

2009-07-01T20:40:00.002-05:00

For tonight's dinner, we took a pound of plain 'ol ground sirloin and ramped it up to make these Italian Meatball Burgers.

Before even getting to the details, just from the title alone these burgers sounded too good to pass up. Into the beef, the seasonings we mixed in were dried oregano, basil, a bit of garlic and crushed fennel seeds for its distinct zing. While those started us off well, what really cranked these up were the addition of a couple links of hot Italian turkey sausage! You could use a pork sausage if you like, but I tend to always have a few links of the leaner turkey in the freezer.

Use a light hand when mixing the combo together - just work it enough so it looks like the sausage is fairly even throughout. When you divide the meat into six portions, don't go hog wild and use all your strength to compact it into tight rounds - while you do want it to hold together, it doesn't take much to form the burgers. When you finish that, take your thumb and give each patty an indent in the center - this helps the burgers retain their shape and keeps them evenly thick as the cook. Once our grill was toasty and ready, the burgers went on and were only flipped once, then cooked for a couple extra minutes before we graced the top with thinly slices of fresh mozzarella cheese.

Timing is somewhat important with these and you won't want to add the cheese too early. It would wise to have an instant-read thermometer handy - while I'm all for a medium-rare burger, since these have turkey in them, you'll want to let the inside warm up to 165 degrees before you whisk them off the grill to be safe.

I figured it had been too long since I made our favorite homemade burger buns, so I carved in enough time today to make a batch of them. I'm so glad I did that because I had almost forgotten just how good these buns are! Split and toasted, we topped those buns with the cheese-smothered burgers - what would be an appropriate condiment? Warmed marinara sauce, of course! While we did use ground sirloin, tossing the sausage in added extra moisture, which kept the burgers lean, yet still plenty juicy. The spice blend used drew us into each bite as it complimented that sausage, while the cheesy hat on top and contrasting sauce made for such an appealing presentation.

Recipes
Italian Meatball Burgers

Strawberry Cobbler...

2009-06-30T20:48:00.001-05:00

For this week's Wednesday Treat Day, I gave Jeff full control on what we would bring in. I did nudge him towards a few cookbooks and recipe piles, but he really wanted to use our home grown strawberries and decided on this Strawberry Cobbler he found in one of our King Arthur Flour books.

Because we wanted to use the freshest just-picked berries, we actually bumped up the treats a day and he brought this into the office today. Usually when I think of cobbler, it is a hot bubbly layer of berries that are topped off with a biscuit dough-like crust. The version from this book is fairly different though, so maybe it is regional?

Instead of the fruit being on the bottom, a golden batter is spooned into the baking pan first. The preparation was interesting as the eggs where beaten with the sugar first, instead of the fat, then the butter was mixed in with a few splashes of milk. Once done and in the pan, we moved onto the berries, which were coated in a hot syrup-y mixture of bright lemon juice, vanilla, a touch of almond extract and water. The original recipe actually opted for using liquor (using sherry, brandy or bourbon) with the sugar to create the syrup, but Jeff wasn't too keen on using alcohol for a work treat on the off chance people couldn't have it. If this is an option you would like to explore, remove two tablespoons of milk from the recipe, along with the lemon juice, vanilla, almond extract and water - replace them with half cup liquor of choice and melt that into the sugar.

The hot sticky berries were then poured over the raw batter, then immediately placed into the oven to bake. This was definitely a fun one to watch in the oven - as the liquid-y batter bubbled up, it slowly began to envelop the berries, one by one, leaving you with a lovely marbled effect as the juices from the red berries stained the cake. We used small to medium berries and decided to leave them whole - if you wish to make this and have to use especially large strawberries, I do suggest at least halving them first.

While it wasn't exactly what I was expecting when Jeff said cobbler, what we ended up with was a fantastically moist and homey cake that was studded with enticing strawberries, exuding their sticky sweetness throughout the crumb. Jeff and I were eager to find out what the lemon, vanilla and almond would bring, instead of using the more potent liquor - their supporting role was noticed and their subtle tones matched well, but still let our strawberries be the star. I did make sure to tell Jeff if they wanted the best experience, to be sure to let them know that a quick 10 or 15 seconds in the microwave to warm their pieces up ever-so-slightly would be nice. Of course, if you wanted to be extra decadent, a heaping dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of your best vanilla ice cream would finish this off with a bang!

Recipes
Strawberry Cobbler

Crusted Pork Chops...

2009-06-29T20:42:00.000-05:00

Looking for a way to perk up a pound of lean pork chops and have a little extra time to get messy? I was, and did, which is why these Parmesan and Sage-Crusted Pork Chops ended up on our plates tonight!

Okay, so maybe the messy part is a little dramatic, but when I end up breading meat, I usually end up creating plenty of cleanup for myself. To get prepared, I needed fresh breadcrumbs that were made in a snap by whirling a single, but fairly large piece of slightly stale bread in our trusty food processor. Bread that is a day or so old ends up being a little easier to work with and doesn't seem to end up as gummy. To pack a punch into those crumbs, we combined them with sharp Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a dose of fresh sage, along with the requisite salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Flour and an egg were needed, which we also seasoned - the flour with salt and pepper, while the beaten egg was pumped up with a dollop of tangy mustard. The flour and egg are used to ensure the cheese-laced breadcrumbs stick to the pork - just remember, using this trio method to coat, it always goes flour first, then egg and finally the crumbs. Going the route of pan-frying to cook these through, you won't want chops that are on the thicker side thick - each chop we used was about four ounces and maybe a half-inch thick. With the fresh crumbs and cheese, if the chops are too big, you might end up blackening the outside before the heat has a chance to reach the centers. If all you have are chops that are pretty thick, you could butterfly them, or perhaps start them on the stove and slide them into the oven to finish each one off.

Cooked up in a flash (just under 3 minutes per side for us!), our chops had a crisp, golden brown outside, while each was still plenty moist on the inside with just a hint of pink left in the center. Don't groove on pork? I bet this would be a delicious way to change up chicken breasts too - think about playing with the herb if you like, using fresh oregano or basil instead.

Recipes
Parmesan and Sage-Crusted Pork Chops

Chipotle Pulled Chicken...

2009-06-28T20:15:00.002-05:00

While we only talked about 5 new recipes I made this week, I did prepare a slew of others (including a few strawberry!) that we'll eventually get to. I have so many new recipes now stacked up to show you, but I just don't have nearly enough time to sit down and post about them! Out of the ones from this week, our favorites were those fun Roasted Garlic, Asiago and Pepperoni Pizza Sticks, the Upside Down Rhubarb Cake and that fresh-tasting Shells with Two Tomatoes and Mozzarella.

PS - the strawberry poundage we've picked from our patch as of last night? 25 pounds in total! Woo doggy!

Tonight's dish is definitely one you want to wait until a day where you have plenty of time to play in the kitchen without much interruption if you want to get it on the table for dinner, which is why I opted for a Sunday night do this. While I wouldn't say this Chipotle Pulled Chicken on Corn Spoon Bread is all that complicated to prepare, there are a few steps that happen at the same time that need attention.

Poaching chicken breasts was on tap first, which we did simply by covering the meat with water and adding a bit of extra flavor in the form of chopped onion, a garlic clove, a touch of cilantro and salt. You need about a pound and a half of chicken for this, but the time needed to cook through will depend on the size of the meat you start with - we went with 6 four-ounce portions and they only needed to simmer for about 12 minutes. However, if you use 4 larger six-ounce portions, up the time to 18 to 20 minutes.

As I waited on the chicken to cool down enough, the next part I worked on was a saucy chipotle pool we used to flavor the meat. To a skillet with softened onions and garlic, we stirred in a dollop of concentrated tomato paste and gave it contact with the heat to bloom. Fire-roasted tomatoes, that we pureed smooth with a couple smoky chipotle chiles, were poured into the mix and left to simmer, allowing the sauce to thicken.

Now that the sauce was off on its own, I had to turn my mind in a different direction to take care of preparing the spoon bread! Who needs down time? Spoon bread is somewhat similar to cornbread, except the end texture is extremely moist and could almost be described as pudding-like. There is only enough flour used to give the spoon bread structure and hold together the generous moisture content coming from the creamed corn and tangy sour cream used. For a sharp note, shreds of white cheddar were also tossed into the lumpy batter just before we scooted it into the oven to bake.

Not too long after the spoon bread went in, the chicken was cool enough to shred by hand and just when I finished that task, the timer ticked off for the sauce. Which is where that chicken needed to go, along with dried oregano for depth. Once the chicken had a chance to warm up in the sauce, it was finished off with a bit more fresh cilantro.

Giving the spoon bread a short time to cool down, we found it to be extrememly moist when sliced into, but it was thick enough that we were able to pull out triangles to serve. For a creamy bite, with the benefit of off-setting the heat in the chipotle, after we got the spoon bread and chicken onto the plate, we dropped a dollop of sour cream on each serving, along with rich avocado slices. My sauce ended up a little on the liquid-y side as you can see, so I wonder if I didn't have it on a high enough simmer? It didn't seem to dampen our experience though as we both made short work of our portions! Spread out over six servings, using just two chipotles in the sauce didn't empower a fiery heat, but left it with a savory smokiness that had enough punch to keep us happy.

Recipes
Chipotle Pulled Chicken on Corn Spoon Bread

Upside Down Rhubarb Cake

2009-06-27T13:54:00.000-05:00

Our rhubarb plants seem to still be going strong, so after plucking a bunch of stalks to stash in the freezer for later in the year, I took the rest and prepared this Upside Down Rhubarb Cake to have as a treat today.

I used our common practice of using half all-purpose flour and whole-wheat pastry flour to retain a lightness to the cake, yet still impart a nutritional bonus. To impart a whisper of spice, I looked to our favorite Vietnamese cinnamon and shook just a touch over the dry ingredients to whisk in.

The wonderful pair of butter and sugar set the tone of the batter, with a splash of vanilla for its liberal floral notes. Keeping the batter from curdling and to allow the flour to be evenly absorbed, without being overworked, the dry ingredients are alternately added in with the milk needed to smooth it out. Could you skip this and just add the milk into the creamed butter mixture first? Maybe, but why not take the extra minute to give you the best result possible?

Because we wanted the top to look tidy, for extra insurance when preparing the pan, I lined the bottom with parchment paper before I started the assembly process of the cake. To prepare the rhubarb, after I sliced the stalks and scattered them into a baking pan, I doused the chunk pieces with granulated sugar to wrangle down their tartness. There isn't a ton of batter here, so to get the best coverage, we dropped dollops of it all over the top, then connected them all with an off-set spatula. It doesn't need to be perfect though, as the cake bakes, the batter will spread out and weave itself through the rhubarb, finding its way down to the bottom to hold everything together.

After baking, don't try to flip the pipping hot cake out of the pan right away - give it a ten to fifteen minute rest so it holds together. Just sweet enough, this cake was quite moist with an intriguing, shiny mosaic on top from the tender rhubarb. I didn't know if the rhubarb would play well with the cinnamon in the cake, but we were pleasantly surprised to find just how well the two work together! While I don't think this cake needed any adornment, a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top of a warm piece certainly didn't hurt!

Recipes
Upside Down Rhubarb Cake

Pizza Sticks...

2009-06-26T20:40:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we checked out the berry patches on the hill and guess what...

8 1/2 more pounds of perfectly ripe berries! And today, while the berries were a little smaller, we managed to pull off another 6 3/4 pounds. Dang! We are swimming in strawberries and lovin' every sweet minute.

Nothing really struck my fancy when I was looking for pizza recipes to make for our Friday Night pizza, so I thought we would just stick some of our favorite ingredients on top and wing it. After playing around, I ended up with what we'll call Roasted Garlic, Asiago and Pepperoni Pizza Sticks.

For the roasted garlic, I looked to a recipe we made back in March and prepared the garlic much the same way by roasting the individual cloves (just ends up being a little quicker) and mashing it to create a garlic smear. We took that now sweet and mellow paste and spread it all over the top of (wait for it....) our favorite whole-wheat pizza dough. What, did you think I'd actually branch out to another recipe? I know... not just yet - I just can't get over how easy to prepare and a dream to work with this dough is. Ok, ok I'll stop now... but really, try it if you haven't yet!

Since we had the idea to make sticks, we stretched the pound version of the dough (giving us thicker sticks) into a large rectangle just before that lovely mashed garlic went on. Next came a wealth of Asiago cheese that we used our handy microplane to grate into tiny, fluffy shreds, which looked like snow as it fell from my hand and hit the dough. After looking at our patches of fresh herbs, Jeff said these flavors so far reminded him of those Cloverleaf Rolls we make every Thanksgiving and suggested we chop a few leaves of fresh rosemary to add.

Once that fragrant herb made it on, I took a pizza wheel and sliced the dough in half lengthwise, then went back crosswise to make the sticks. I did this now to ensure the pepperoni slices I was about to add stayed intact, but I also wanted to be able to just pull the sticks apart from one another after they've baked. Doing it this way lets me complete the assembly of the pizza as a whole, rather than trying to fit the toppings on each individual stick too. I did use turkey pepperoni simply because we find it less greasy and think it tastes just as good, without the guilt. Since we had it anyway, we swiped a couple ounces from a hunk of mozzarella we had in the refrigerator and shredded it to add on top. I mean really, as if we were going to just stop at the Asiago!

To give the dough a little boost, I did give the topped dough a rest, allowing the yeast to do its business and add a little height. This doesn't take too long to bake either - these sticks were ready as soon as the dough was golden and that mozzarella we added on top had melted and turned golden in spots. Give it just a minute or two to cool down so you don't burn your fingers, but if you tear into it while it is still warm, the pieces come apart without any effort. However, if you let it sit, you might want to score through the cheese first so each piece isn't stripped of its topping.

Using the pound of dough left us with sticks that were puffy and chewy, with enough crispness to the bottom that you could pick up each piece without if flopping around, keeping the topping in plate and not on your lap. As suspected, Jeff was spot on with suggesting the fresh rosemary - I figured its punch would match well with the roasted garlic, but more interesting was just how well we thought it worked well the spice in the pepperoni and nutty Asiago. Quite fun to make and chow down on, I can see these sticks being enjoyed by all ages - I'd even think about doubling the recipe just to freeze the extra pieces for easy snacks!

Recipes
Roasted Garlic, Asiago and Pepperoni Pizza Sticks

Holy buckets - the strawberries are here!

2009-06-24T20:45:00.001-05:00

So, we've been anticipating the first pick... we went out this afternoon to survey our plots and guess what we ended up with?

Whoa baby - just over 9 pounds of fresh, juicy and devilishly red strawberries, with many, many more to come. Yeah!

I always end up over buying on pasta just because I like to have a variety of shapes and kinds (whole-wheat, multi-grain or good 'ol regular) handy in the pantry. This works in my favor with recipes like we made for dinner tonight, Shells with Two Tomatoes and Mozzarella, as even if I don't have the exact shape called for, I always have some sort of backup that works just as well, if not better.

While I was waiting for the roomy pot, filled with salty water, to bring itself up to a boil, I stashed the cubes of fresh mozzarella I needed into the freezer. Fresh mozzarella can be quite squishy and delicate to the heat, but letting it hang out in the freezer makes a world of difference in the end result, which I'll explain in a bit!

After the pasta splashed around in the water and softened, I scooped out some of the cooking liquid, then drained away the rest. To keep the dishes down to the minimum, I let the pasta hang out in a colander while I prepared the sauce in the same pot (woo - go one-pot meals!) for this dish. Starting with a couple glugs from our bottle of olive oil, we tossed juicy grape tomatoes into the pot, along with sliced sun-dried tomatoes, an ample amount of thinly sliced fresh garlic and the reserved cooking liquid. This isn't a sauce that takes a long time to cook so its freshness can shine - all you need to do is heat the tomatoes until they begin to pop, soften and break down, which happens to be just enough time to rub the harsh razor edge off the garlic.

The pasta is tossed into the mix, along with those chilled cubes of mozzarella and a dose of mild chives snipped right off the plant in our backyard garden. Back to the cheese - if you tossed in the cheese that either came right from the refrigerator or had warmed up from being on the counter, as soon as you toss them in, the residual heat would have began the melting process, leaving you with a stringy mess. Which, in all honestly, isn't that big of a deal and wouldn't bother me, but if you want them to stay in their tidy cube shapes for those cheese pockets, this freezer business does the job quite well. The cheese won't stay cold or cool down the dish too much as the warm pot quickly brings their temperature back up.

The original recipe called for penne rigate as its ridges would work well to catch the bits in the sauce, but when I noticed I didn't have near enough on hand (used most of it in last week's pasta dish!), I grabbed for the shells. I figured their little pockets would make a perfect catch-all for the tomato, garlic and chives in this dish. Don't have either? Rigatoni would be another shape that would be a good match here. Plenty of pasta, a decidedly easy sauce and enough cheese to please... how could one go wrong?!

Recipes
Shells with Two Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Gingerbread Bars...

2009-06-23T20:40:00.003-05:00

Today and tomorrow, Jeff is in meetings with his local co-workers, along with a few that had driven up or flew into Minneapolis to participate. He asked if I could make a treat to bring in today, in addition to the regular Wednesday item - when I asked what he thought might be nice, his only suggestion were those dangerous Oreo Truffle Balls that we've made several times now! Yesterday I got rounds dipped and to change them up a bit, we sprinkled Oreo crumbs over the top.

I also suggested for those peanut butter and chocolate lovers out there that we do a version with Nutter Butters! I used the same proportions, expect we used a darker chocolate dip, rather than the white chocolate we do with the Oreo version.

To be a little unconventional with this week's Wednesday Treat Day, especially after sending in those truffle balls this morning, I offered up these Gingerbread Bars and Jeff jumped right on board with the idea!

I think of fall and the cool winter time when I hear gingerbread, but that doesn't mean it has to only be made during that time! Peppering the dry ingredients with familiar, richly aromatic spices in these bars are pungent ginger, sweet cinnamon, fresh grated nutmeg and a pinch of seductive cloves.

To sweeten the batter, instead of using a lighter brown sugar, a more robust dark brown is used, adding moisture and a little chew, with a good measure of granulated sugar for depth and a touch of crispness. Giving gingerbread its classic darker golden color, along with a potent essence that is faintly bitter, yet still sweet is of course molasses! A little does go a long way here as you don't want the viscous syrup to overwhelm the bars. This recipe used an interesting technique that drew me to it - once the batter was spread into the baking sheet, flour was dusted over the top, followed by a light sprinkle of granulated sugar for crunch.

It didn't say why this was done like this, but as I pulled the bars out of the oven, I found it to be a spiffy way to add an attractive, sparkly top that reminded me of an old-fashioned ginger cookie. Just before I retrieved the pan though, I kept thinking to myself how that the spicy aroma that flowed out from the kitchen to meander all over the house was reason enough to give these bars a chance!

Sliced into hefty squares, after Jeff and I sat down and gave these a try after dinner, I found myself attracted to the lovely texture - kind of like a cross between a moist, dense cake, a tender blondie and an exciting cookie. Jeff tried to go back for another piece, but I reminded him he needed to share and to slowly back away! Besides, I have a feeling it won't be too long before these are made again and he'll get his share.

Recipes
Gingerbread Bars

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes...

2009-06-22T20:50:00.001-05:00

Jeff was excited to learn this morning that I was planning a breakfast-for-dinner night this evening, which was heightened when I told him it was going to be these Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes!

Making these a little more unique, I pulled out my stash of blue cornmeal that I keep in the freezer to use as part of the dry ingredients. Yellow cornmeal is perfectly acceptable, but I figured we might as well bust this out since we were using fresh blueberries... at least, that's what I told myself. Compared to yellow or white, blue cornmeal comes across as being a touch more nutty with a slightly sweet edge over the other two.

To give the pancakes a little fluff and tang, a combination of thick buttermilk, milk, melted butter and an egg form the base of the liquid ingredients used to moisten the flour and cornmeal. When you pour this in the dry ingredients, use just a few flicks of the wrist to combine the batter and then let it be while you wait for your griddle to heat up. Lumps are good - if you work the batter too much, trying to get the batter completely smooth, you take the risk of ending up with tough pancakes! Lumps don't mean you'll end up with flour pockets... rest assured they will cook out!

This batter is more viscous than you might be used if you've never used cornmeal in your pancakes before, so resist the urge to thin it out. What happened to the blueberries? Well, instead of tossing them into the batter, the plump berries are tossed with a bit of granulated sugar and then sprinkled over the top as soon as you dollop the batter onto the griddle. This way each pancake has roughly the same amount and you won't end up with a few pancakes at the end that have no blueberries! Don't look for the typical bubbles on top to let you know when to turn these since the batter is more thick - once the edges turn matte and look like they have begun to set, then slide your spatula underneath to turn them over.

Serve a stack of these simply with a couple thin pats of butter, maybe a drizzle of your favorite warmed syrup, or since these are plenty moist on their own, a snowy dusting of confectioners' sugar would also do just fine on top. Not too thick, yet not paper thin either, I liked how beefing these up with cornmeal brought a heartier texture that was a welcomed addition at dinnertime. Unless you have a humongous griddle, you'll want to barely heat the oven to keep the first pancakes warm as you wait for the rest to be done.

Recipes
Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

Productive Saturday...

2009-06-21T14:10:00.000-05:00

We got through seven new recipes this week - the ones we selected as our favorites were the Caprese Pizza with Bacon, that decadent Chocolate Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze and those easy Turkey Wraps with Chipotle Mayonnaise.

We had a pretty productive day yesterday and I thought it would be nice to give you a peek into how it went. After we had those scones for breakfast, Jeff and I took Gus downtown to stroll through the artsy booths at the Stone Arch Festival of the Arts.

It was such a beautiful day (if a bit toasty!) that we had to get out - we first went to this festival last year and had to go back this year. The booths were littered with fun, unique and quirky items - come on, doesn't everyone need one of these?

Okay, so maybe that isn't our style, but I'm sure it will find a home!

We walked Gus over the bridge so we could feel the cool breeze and he just couldn't help himself - he had to go sit up by the railing and strike a pose with his happy little tongue sticking out.

And PS... Gus tends to be quite the people magnet... it took us a pretty long time to walk the whole event as we made frequent stops so people could pet him!

What's behind Gus? It's a great spot to stop and gander at the "falls" on the Mississippi River...

And you can't go down to St. Anthony Main without getting a snap of this old building!

Once we got home, I had the pleasure (well, I wouldn't exactly call it a pleasure...) of getting these darn trees trimmed.

You would think these trees are on a drip supply of steroids with how fast they shoot their branches - they are called "Austrees" and are a hybrid of the Willow tree. I first tried using scaffolding to get me up high enough, but that just didn't work as well... so I gave up and crawled up the middle of each tree - my legs are so sore from trying to not fall out! I cut about 3 1/2' to 4' off of each tree... and to think, this needs to be done at least twice, if not three times a year! I'm up about 18 feet at this point and all I could do was hope the branches wouldn't snap underneath me.

This would have been impossible if we didn't pick up this handy trimmer... although, it got darn heavy after a few hours of hauling it up and down.

Finally - all done and tidy... and the neighbors get their view back!

Scones and a quick Garden Update...

2009-06-20T13:45:00.005-05:00

Before we get to the food, we went out and took some quick snaps to update how our little garden is doing!

Snow peas on one side of the climbing fence...

The other side!

Here is a baby sugar snap pea...

The snow peas didn't grow too tall, but the snap's sure did!

Here's another angle... the height of the fence only goes up to four feet.

When we went up the strawberry bed, guess what we found?!

Hello beautiful! It looks like the plants love their little hill.

Max was sittin' pretty too (and a little jealous of all the Gus coverage lately), so we figured he was ready for his close-up...

It's scone time again! I made sure to get up a little earlier today as I thought these Blueberry-Buttermilk Scones might make for a nice change to have as breakfast this sunny weekend morning.

You could use completely all-purpose flour in the dry ingredients for the scones (as we've done that plenty of times before), but to give these a little more tenderness, some of that was swapped out for a softer, less-protein filled cake flour. With just three piddly tablespoons of sugar to sweeten, once we got the dry ingredients whisked together, I used my trusty pastry blender to cut in tablespoons of butter until the butter broke down, leaving us with a texture of coarse meal - basically you want the butter bits to be randomly sized, without being much larger than the size of a pea. You can also do this in the food processor, but that would have been too noisy for how early I was up! Also, because I quite like the pairing of lemon and blueberries, I tossed in a couple teaspoons worth of the bright, yellow-y zest as we went along.

Just after we stirred in the plump, fresh berries, we moistened the dough with buttermilk, an egg and a few drops of pure vanilla. A few gently strokes later and before the dough had completely absorbed all the liquid, you'll want to scoop this unfinished dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to gently squish it together a few times until you've finished working in the remaining dry ingredients. After patting the dough out into a rough round, if you want smaller scones, divide the dough into twelve wedges, but I went with ten to get slightly bigger pieces. We've made recipes before where you just score the dough and then bake, which leaves you with softer edges, but if you separate the wedges, you'll get a crustier exterior all the way around.

To enhance their tops with a bit of crunch and color, we brushed each triangle with a beaten egg and dusted with granulated sugar - if you happen to have coarser turbinado sugar, this would be a fine place to use it. After giving them a rest from baking (which happened to be just enough time to shower!), I cracked into mine to find a delightfully moist, tender inside that contrasted beautifully with the almost crumbly sugar-spiked exterior. Since there isn't a lot of sugar used, I thought a jam might be nice to slather on, but the bursting of the berries added enough extra sweetness for me to think twice and leave it off. Plenty of scones are made with cream, which make for a delicious treat on its on, but the slight tang that comes through from using buttermilk is a pleasant change with the benefit of being less heavy on the fat. Plain yogurt could be used in its place to attain that tang if you wish - use the same half cup amount, but thin it out with a couple tablespoons of milk to up the moisture.

Recipes
Blueberry-Buttermilk Scones

Caprese Pizza with Bacon...

2009-06-19T20:27:00.002-05:00

This week's Friday Night Pizza, Caprese Pizza with Bacon, is one that I will definitely be making again later this summer once our green tomatoes outside grow and ripen to a vibrant shade of red.

Using our favorite whole-wheat pizza dough as a base, I drizzled the large round of dough with olive oil and gave it a good rub down with my fingers. Because we wanted a crispier crunch to the thin bottom, I slid the dough onto the stone and left it to bake until the bottom just began to take on a golden hue.

As that was taking place, we kept busy by turning our attention to a few slices of smoky bacon I had cooking in a skillet. When it was almost cooked through, yet still a touch chewy, I snatched the pieces from the pan and let it drain as the crust was ready to come out. To give both sides of the crust contact with the stone, we flipped it over so the toppings would actually be arranged on what was the bottom. The first layer? A batch of homemade pesto that I was just barely able to make after snipping at our basil plants that were finally starting to get tall enough. The half cup we used was pretty lavish for this pizza and I think you can get away with using a third of a cup without losing out.

Rounds of a large tomato (if yours are on the smaller side, you might wish to add two) were laid on top, followed by just enough thinly sliced fresh mozzarella so each bite you took had a piece. This isn't the type of pizza that you want to drown in cheese so every inch of the top is covered, but you don't want to be skimpy either. Remember that bacon? After seasoning the cheese and tomatoes with a bit of salt and fresh ground black pepper, the chunky crumbles were scattered on top just before the pizza went back into the oven to finish baking. The reason I left the bacon a touch chewy is the pieces are not hidden under a blanket of cheese, so they will crisp a little more from the intense heat of the oven.

The only thing this pizza needed was a smattering of torn fresh basil once it was ready. Jeff asked, before taking a bite, if he should grab the wedge of Parmesan from the refrigerator to grate on top. I said "Taste it first... then you tell me!". He did and after I heard him finish comping through the crust, he muttered "Okay, I get your point". So there! Actually as I put Parmesan in the pesto, its sharpness came through in that layer well enough that there was no need for another dose on top. Using the bright pesto as the "sauce" was an ideal match as its freshness blew away anything else you might be tempted to use, especially when paired with the tomatoes and mozzarella. If you think you might have a problem getting the cheese to slice into thin rounds, wrap it up and toss the ball into the freezer for just about 15 minutes to firm it up.

Recipes
Caprese Pizza with Bacon