more bread and cheese, please!

Christmas Party Dessert: Cake Balls

2011-12-22T11:34:00.000-05:00

I do not often attempt complicated baked goods. Cooking, yes, but baking? I still to drop cookies, bars, and cupcakes. But I like to try things now and then that take a little more time and effort. These cake balls were totally worth it.

Let's not talk about the fact that I made my little sister do all the dipping because I was getting frustrating with the consistency of the chocolate coating (Ryan: "maybe it's because she has this thing called patience?") or that these were originally going to be cake POPS but I couldn't get the sticks to stay in without getting them all messy.

A messy process it is, but these are so. good. Fun and festive looking; rich without being toothache-inducing sweet; nice texture contrast between the creamy filling and the crisp coating. I would definitely go through the trouble again.

You can of course make this easier on yourself and use your favorite boxed cake mix and container of frosting. If you do, just skip to the assembly steps. But this cake recipe may be the best I've ever used.

White Cake
(makes 1 9 x 13 cake, slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour)

2 3/4 c all-purpose white flour
1 1/2 c sugar
1 tblspn baking powder
1 tsp salt
1.5 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature (important!)
2 egg whites + 2 whole eggs (also at room temperature)
3/4 c full- low-fat vanilla yogurt (no fat-free, please!)
1/2 c milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Blend all dry ingredients using a mixer on low (I just used my hand mixer with no problems; I do not find the need to give over precious kitchen space to a KitchenAid behometh for my occasional baking needs).

2. Add the butter and mix (I went back and forth between low and medium speeds) until the mixture is crumbly and/or a little pasty.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing to blend after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

4. Add yogurt, milk, and vanilla and beat (I switched between medium and high) for 3-5 min, until batter is fluffy, scraping down sides as needed.

5. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean, 35-40 min.

6. Let cool before using for cake balls.

Cream Cheese Frosting
(makes ~2 c)

1 pkg cream cheese (I used the 1/3-less-fat version)
1/2 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
4 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1. Cream together wet ingredients on medium/high until well blended.

2. Add powdered sugar in batches, beating on medium/low until blended each time.

3. Set aside until using for cake balls.

Cake Ball Assembly
(makes ~4 dozen)

prepared cake
prepared frosting
32 oz of melting chocolate discs in colors of choice (find them by the cake-decorating/candy-making supplies in craft stores like Michael's)
sprinkles

1. Once cake is cooled, break it into chunks in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add frosting, and thoroughly combine - using your hands is your best best. Set in fridge to chill for at least an hour.

3. Remove cake mix from fridge, and roll into ~1.5 inch diameter balls. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment or wax paper or silpat mats, and back into the fridge they go until you are ready for them to be dipped.

4. Melt the chocolate over low heat using the double-boiler method (I used a metal mixing bowl over a small pot filled with water), stirring often (or microwave according to package directions). Either way, only melt a small amount (I did 1/4 at a time, which was one bag of melts) at a time so it doesn't harden back up before you use it.

5. Remove balls from fridge. Using two forks, carefully drop balls one at a time into chocolate, rolling to cover, then lift out with the forks, letting excess drain off. Place back on lined baking sheets.

6. Every few balls, don't forget to stop to add sprinkles before the chocolate hardens.

7. Store at room temperature if they'll be eaten in the next day or two; I put mine back in the fridge until the morning of the party.

Peppermint Crunch Popcorn

2011-12-21T17:00:00.002-05:00

For the last holiday treat for last weekend's party, I wanted to do a dessert that was a little different - more of a sweet, munchy snack than a true baked good. I saw these on Pinterest (where else?) and knew I'd found my recipe.

It is basically like peppermint bark tossed with popcorn, and reminds me a little of a holiday version of the Boy Scouts' amped up caramel corn I get talked into buying many years.

I had to make it with green and red candy canes - THREE different stores were out of the regular ones, which I think would have been a little prettier, but eh, tastes the same, right? This makes a ton - it filled the 5 qt dish I had it in - and we had lots leftover that I ended up sending to work with Ryan. A half batch would be more than enough, even for a bigger group, so I've reflected that here.

Peppermint Crunch Popcorn
(makes 8-10 c; via Plain Chicken)

~1/4 c popcorn kernels, or 1 bag unsalted, unbuttered microwave popcorn
6 candy canes
8 oz white chocolate melts or almond bark
1/4-1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1. Pop your corn. Meanwhile, place unwrapped candy canes in a large ziploc and smash with a meat mallet, hammer, cast iron skillet, any sort of heavy object with a handle until you've got mostly small pieces and some powder.

2. Pour popcorn into a very large bowl, and pour candy canes over the top.

3. Melt chocolate in the microwave (following package instructions), or in a double boiler over medium-low heat (I use a metal mixing bowl over a small pot filled with water). Stir in peppermint extract.

4. While chocolate is melting place a few large sheets of wax paper on your counter. Add chocolate to popcorn, and mix well to coat the popcorn with the chocolate and distribute the crushed candy canes.

5. Spread along wax paper and let dry. Once hardened, break into pieces and package/serve as desired.

6th Annual Christmas Party Recap

2011-12-20T12:05:00.004-05:00

We had our big Christmas bash this weekend, and it was another fun night. Although we usually alternate between a pajama theme and ugly sweater, we decided to go with a cocktail party this year. I miss getting dressed up for Ryan's work party every year, and it turned out, so did a few others.

Not everyone dressed up, which I am really OK with (don't like to make people do something they have no desire to, although I do request they bring canned goods to donate if they don't abide by the theme), but we had plenty of cocktail dresses on girls and some sweater vests and a few bowties on the guys. My friends are so pretty. And funny. And have adorable babies.

Between the Christmas decorations, twinkly lights, candles, a roaring fire, and Pandora swingin' Christmas in the background, it was a cozy, classy affair. ;)

We decided to class up the drinks, too. More friends are getting more into craft/microbrews now, which is awesome because it means I don't have to suffer through light beers as often. Instead of a keg, we spent a few weeks "taste testing" (oh, the sacrifices we make to to ensure great parties, hahaha) a bunch of winter seasonals we found at Anderson's and Whole Foods and filled a giant tub with a selection of the Christmas ales/winter warmers, with a stack of our Ale Fest 3 oz tasting glasses alongside so everyone could try as many as they wanted without getting blitzed (these are 6-8.5% alcohol) if that wasn't in their plans for the evening.

Here's the ones we really enjoyed and included (along with a couple winners others contributed):

Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs of Christmas
Columbus Brewing Company Winter Warmer
Breckenridge Christmas Ale
Anchor Steam Christmas Ale
Abita Christmas Ale
Four in Hand Winter Brew
North Peak Blitzen Festivus Ale
Goose Island Mild Winter Ale
Anderson Valley Winter Solstice

We went through ~2.5 cases worth of the beers, plus 1.5 cases of Yuengling. I also made a champagne punch (recipe below, by request!) and the usual peppermint-schnapps spiked hot chocolate.

Appetizers included goat cheese with raspberry jalapeno jam and crackers, a cheesy crockpot dip with fritos, and deviled eggs. The heartier dishes (I always like to include a few light snacky things and then a few more filling dishes to help absorb the alcohol, and to help the food serve as dinner for those that don't eat beforehand) included spanish tapas skewers, an orzo salad (recipe to come), and mini sandwiches with a delicious sauce (recipe to come once I make them again and remember to take a picture this time!).

And for the holiday treats, my little sister requested the Reese's cup cookies again (she helps me do all the baking each year, then I send her home with a container full), plus we winged our way through some cake balls (recipe/process to come later this week) and I made way too much peppermint popcorn (recipe also to come this week).

We're finding that the new house has a really good layout for parties - we put the drinks in the dining room (which remember is actually the intended formal living room space), dessert in the "reading room" (aka the actual dining room), and food in the kitchen. This, plus the fire and comfy seating being in the living room, meant the 35+ guests spread out through the entire first floor for less crowded-ness and better socializing.

Thanks to everyone who came - we had a blast, as evidenced by the last guests heading out after 3 am. Overall, another great party, and we're already scheming what we'll host next.

Champagne Punch

(20-24 servings)

3 bottles of dry sparkling wine (nothing expensive!)

1 fifth of vodka

1 qt (4 cups) of 100% juice blend of your choice (I used a cran-pom-cherry blend)

1 lemon, 1 orange

1/2 bag cranberries

1. Thinly slice your lemon and orange, and freeze them on wax paper on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Freeze your cranberries as well.

2. Make sure all the drink components are chilled.

3. Place cranberries and citrus slices in punch bowl (these both add a little flavor as they thaw AND serve as pretty, nondiluting ice cubes).

4. Pour in juice and vodka, and when ready to serve, pop the sparkling and pour it in. Enjoy!

Putting a New Gift to Use: Indian Lamb + Spinach

2011-12-15T13:11:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we headed to Chicagoland for Christmas #1. There was a Portillo's trip (I neeeeeeed my Italian beef fix when I'm back!), plenty o' basketball watching, and toasts with moonshine, jello shots, and homemade Irish cream liquor, all of which I stupidly partook in while getting over a cold. (I is smart, I tell ya!) And before it starts sounding too out-of-character redneck up in here, I'll point out that we had our usual wine and a few seasonal microbrews as well - our "pinky drinks", as my brother calls them.

In between all that, we made time to open gifts. My mom gave me a dutch oven (a pretty dark red Lodge version), something I've been wanting for a couple years so I could properly do braises in a thick, heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-sealing lid instead of layering on foil. I wanted to put it to use right away, and lamb randomly sounded good. Plus Indian flavors. I figured spinach would be a good complement, and created this, along with a little consultation with Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking cookbook, which gave me the idea to add the yogurt for a little creaminess.

It was just what I was in the mood for - hearty comfort food with falling-apart tender meat, big flavors, and just enough spiciness to warm my belly and clear up the last lingering congestion from that cold.

The only problem? I'd tentatively planned on us going out for Indian the next night to use a Groupon. We decided to hold off on that after eating the leftovers for lunch earlier in the day, and headed our for a bit nicer of a date night instead. I was already in one of my new dresses and my favorite boots, all set for a fancier outing - I love when that happens! :) We headed to the backroom at Rivage Atlantique for mini lobster rolls, Cuban sliders, and duck poppers (plus a really blah plate of mini chicken tacos), followed by amazing cocktails at the Worthington Inn bar. Mine was made with Watershed gin, ginger liqueur, and lemon; Ryan's was a manhattan-eque drink with bitters and vermouth, but OYO honey vanilla vodka instead of whiskey. I promptly declared it "tasted like Christmas", with its warm, smooth, spicy-bitter flavor.

I think we need to start investing in more cocktail makings for at-home versions.

Indian Lamb + Spinach
(serves 6)

~2 lbs of cubed lamb (I asked the butcher counter to debone and chop part of a bone-in leg)
1 lb bag of frozen spinach
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 in. piece of ginger, minced
~1 tsp salt
~1 tsp each cardamom, coriander, and cumin seeds (or ground cumin)
~1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1-2 tsp garam masala
~1/4-1/3 c plain Greek yogurt
juice of 1 lemon

1. In the bottom of a large, heavy pot, heat a couple tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in batches. Set aside.

2. Add a couple more tablespoons of oil, reduce heat to medium, and saute onion, garlic, and ginger, until onion is translucent, about 5 min. Stir in spices.

3. Add meat back to pot, stir to combine with onion/spice mixture, and stir in yogurt. Reduce heat to low or medium low and cook, covered, for about 1.5 hours. You want to mixture to be at a low simmer, not boiling, so adjust heat as necessary. I also added a little water occasionally if it looked too dry (maybe 1 c total?)

4. When meat is very tender, it's done. Squeeze in the lemon juice, adjust any seasonings to taste (e.g., more salt if its needs a general little boost, more cayenne for extra heat, more garam masala for that "warm" Indian flavor). Serve with flat bread, naan, or rice (we also had peas in a spicy tomato sauce on the side).

Holiday Pick-Me-Up: Peppermint Mocha

2011-12-13T12:22:00.002-05:00

I sat down after dinner last night to start a new book, the first in the Divergent series. It's about a dystopian future where people are divided into groups based on a specific trait, with a strong teenage heroine and a brewing rebellion against the leadership. Sound like any other books you've heard of? It is the same genre and similar premise as The Hunger Games, which I loooooved, so I've been on the waiting list at the library for this one. It's not quite as complex, but a very entertaining read nonetheless, and I can't wait for the second to come out in the spring.

So entertaining, the next thing I knew Ryan was sending me a text good night from upstairs (side note, WHY did he do that? Has he really gotten too lazy to come downstairs to say good night? hahaha!). It was 11:40. My bedtime is 10-10:30. It was quite the condundrum - I was right at the climax of the book, with just a few chapters left, but I was already going to be so.tired. this morning. So like a good kid, I set it aside and headed up to bed. When, oh when, am I going to learn I can not go right to sleep after reading a nerve-wracking book? I was up tossing and turning with visions of bloodshed and bravery running through my head.

Needless to say, I was sleeeeeepy this morning. I turned to this little winter time treat, which got me through the work day. That, and finishing the book during my lunch break. You can adjust the amounts of each ingredient to more your taste - more milk if you like it creamy or weaker, more coffee if you need the boost, additional peppermint or cocoa if you want an extra flavorful drink.

Peppermint Mocha
(makes 1)

1 shot of espresso, 2 oz of moka espresso, or 1/2 c strongly brewed coffee
3/4 c milk of choice
1 tsp cocoa powder (or hot chocolate mix, which will be sweeter; I
used vanilla soy milk so didn't need any more sugar)
3 in. piece of candy cane

1. While coffee is brewing, bring milk, candy cane, and cocoa to a simmer in a small pan, stirring to dissolve the chocolate and to let the peppermint flavor steep into the milk. (You can also use a
microwave, starting with about 20 s, stirring to dissolve powder, and then continue cooking another 5-10 s at a time until desired temp is reached, probably another 15-30 s.)

2. Remove any remaining bit of the candy cane. Pour coffee in mug, then stir in milk mixture.

3. Enjoy in front of the Christmas tree!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas ...

2011-12-08T14:21:00.001-05:00

In case you didn’t see it on Facebook or Twitter, I guest posted on my friend Megan’s blog last week, about our holiday traditions. I totally dropped the ball on mentioning it here because I was having A Week. You know the kind. The one where you have a meh Monday and an absolutely terribly Tuesday – feeling exhausted, making multiple stupid mistakes at work, having a blow out with your significant other over something entirely insignificant. When I realized it was Tuesday and not Thursday, and thus not actually almost the weekend, I started crying. Hello, melodrama!

The rest of the week was somewhat better, but I cooked all repeats or non-bloggable things, which also explains the no usual post Thursday. Anyhow, go check out the post at Prep in the Midwest if you haven’t yet, and then come back here. Where we’ll talk about much cheerier things – like decorating for Christmas!

I’m big on decorating for the seasons, and especially for Christmas. We always get our tree up the week after Thanksgiving and leave it up ‘til after New Year’s Day. I was excited to have new spaces to decorate this year – like a yard and a mantel! I wanted to share some pictures with everyone.

Tree. I’d like to eventually get something taller and possibly a little slimmer, but for now, our old guy works just fine. The tree is filled with our favorite ornaments; the only thing different this year is we used gold ribbon instead of the gold-and-red pointsettia print we’ve used in the past. With the rusty orange walls, I tried to keep the color scheme to greens, golds, and natural browns instead of red.

Mantel. I bought a 25 ft cedar and boxwood garland and coordinating wreath from a local landscaping shop, and part of it got draped over the fireplace (random combination of twine, packing tape, and strategically placed Command strips hold it up). The wall looked too bare with just the wreath, so I wrapped burlap leftover from our wedding over the art that usually hangs over the mantel. I finished it up with birch candles (also leftover from the wedding) and a vase filled with gold ornaments and pine cones to continue the nature theme.

Kitchen. Sadly, we decided not to hang the stockings over the fireplace. They would be way too low to make having a fire convenient or safe, and Ryan is stoked to have raging fires going for our annual party and Christmas Eve. So I hung them w/ Command strips in the empty breakfast nook, along with more of the garland.

Dining Room. Since I kept the red out of the family room, I used a lot of reds and crisp whites elsewhere in the house. The dining table (which this week we moved to what should be the formal living room so we can get the long farmhouse table I want and them the smaller dining room will be a reading room/my office) holds vases with an assortment of ornaments, peppermint candies, and a peppermint candle.

Outside. Ryan and I vehemently disagree on white vs colored lights for Christmas. Since I’ve always won out with the white lights inside, Ryan gets colored outside (it’s all about compromise, people!). We’ve decided to slowly build up a stash of LED lights each year (those things are expensive, yo!). This year, we bought two obnoxiously flashing/color-changing shapes and a few strands for around the door.

Don’t worry, I also got my classy greenery on for daytime viewing. Fake pine swags (half off at Hobby Lobby) and gold ribbons adorn the lights, there are a couple of 4 ft entryway trees, and the door holds the berry and branch wreath I’ve had for several years.

So that’s the bulk of our decorating this year. Are you a big decorator for Christmas? Or are you anti-making a big deal out of the holidays (which I totally get, it takes a lot of time/effort/money)? And the all-important question, colored or white?

Holiday Shopping and Lemon-Butter Tofu

2011-12-06T13:43:00.001-05:00

This might be a new record. I finished my Christmas shopping yesterday, on December 5. Cuh-raaaaazzzy. It helps that I’m doing Christmas with part of the family this weekend so didn’t have a choice in getting things done early.

Not that I mind shopping. I am mostly an online gift shopper. I don’t like mall traffic (who does?) or big box store holiday crowds (even more than most; I have a thing about standing amidst mass groups of people - it makes me anxious), and it’s much more convenient to just browse the Web, saving time by making a few clicks during a “quick break” at work.

But this year, there were a few things that I could easily pick up while at a store for other reasons. Another gift was going to take too long to ship, and a couple others had ridiculously high shipping costs (we’re talking the same price as the gift itself). So I ventured out a few times, hoping the never-ending rain would mean fewer crowds (I wish!).

Aaaand it always leads to me finding awesome deals on things for myself. Sunday, I couldn’t pass up a Gap 50% off sweaters sale. Yesterday, I stumbled upon an extra-percentage-off clearance at Macy’s and scored three super cute dresses worth $212 for a total of $52.

I also managed to get the not-too-expensive punch bowl I was on the lookout for (for a party drink!), originally $60, for a whopping $8 thanks to the sale price, a further markdown due to the store only having the display left and part of the glasses being missing, and a $10 off coupon.

Getting a good bargain is like its own special kind of high, isn’t it? Apparently I cannot pass one up, which is why I should limit myself to online shopping for Christmas.

Then I came home and made this new spin on tofu. We usually stick to spicy Asian-style recipes, but I decided to mix it up. I wanted something meatless after a weekend where we grilled steak one night and snacked on mini versions of a burger, fried chicken sandwich, meatball sandwich, and gyro at Little Palace (holy yum! Best drunkish food ever?) after Shadowbox’s Holiday Hoopla show Friday.

Side bar for a mini review: new space is great, food and drink are a thousand times better (aka actually edible, a few microbrew options, and local liquor), and this was by far the funniest of the four or so shows we’ve seen there. Drunk Santa, Lady Gaga in a Lady Gaga-worthy getup, and a holiday-ified medley of their hits by NKOTB that had every woman my age dying of laughter. Highly recommend!

Back to the food – so I wanted something meatless, but also something sort of comfort food-y since it was once again cold and rainy alldaylong. I went with a somewhat healthier adaptation of the lemon-butter sauce we used to eat with chicken and pasta, and you can certainly go that route if you are wary of tofu. Although I preferred soaking up the sauce with crusty bread instead of pasta.

Tofu with Lemon-Butter Sauce and Capers

(serves 3-4)

1 pack of extra firm tofu

2 tblspns butter

Juice of 1 lemon

~½ c half and half (or cream or milk (the less fat, the less creamy your sauce will be))

~3 tblspns capers

Parsley (for garnish, optional)

Salt + pepper + garlic powder

Olive oil

1. Drain tofu, slice lengthwise into 3-4 (depending on servings) thin sheets. Place on paper towels, with more paper towels on top, and cover with a heavy pan to help press out excess liquid. Let sit for 5-10 min.

2. Once it’s pressed, slice each sheet of tofu into 3 bars. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

3. Spread a tablespoon or so of olive oil around the bottom of a large skillet and heat to medium-high. Add tofu in a single layer and cook without turning for 4 min, to let it brown. Turn and let that side brown and tofu finish cooking through, another 3-4 min. Remove to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm (or place in an oven for a couple min before serving).

4. Lower heat to medium low. Add butter and lemon to pan. Stir together as butter melts and to get any little browned bits from the tofu off the pan and into the sauce, then slowly stir in half and half. Let simmer until sauce thickens up some, 5-10 min.

5. Serve sauce over tofu slices, with a sprinkle of capers and parsley. Good with crusty baguette to soak up the excess sauce, and don’t forget a vegetable!

Turkey Remix: Smoky Potato Hash

2011-11-29T13:38:00.001-05:00

Did you all have a fabulous turkey day/weekend? I hosted for the first time ever, and meant to at least take pictures to write about our menu. But I was a bad little food blogger and just wanted to relax with my family after cooking.

Even so, it was a good time. Any day that starts with homemade cinnamon rolls and mini quiches (so the picky eaters could choose their own toppings without preventing the rest of us from piling on the fillings) and ends with both a firepit AND breaking in the fireplace accompanied by the last of the pumpkin beer and first of the Christmas beer can’t be anything less than stellar.

Even if there was a minor garbage-disposal-related plumbing accident that involved green bean ends and potato peels exploding out of a pipe and all over the undersink cabinet.

After sending off my mom, we headed to Chicago to spend the rest of the weekend with my dad for another full TG meal. We ate the leftovers in sandwiches the next day, and more leftovers were sent home with us that served as lunch yesterday. I was juuuuusssttt about turkey/green bean casserole/mashed potatoes/stuffing’d out, but oh wait! We had leftovers of our own turkey to finish up too.

I needed to mix it up, stat. I also have a ton of potatoes, because after buying them for the big meal, my mom discovered she'd bought a bag and already had an extra bag that would go bad soon so she wanted to bring those to use up. I was going to make turkey-filled latke type potato cakes. Then I remembered I broke my food processor when making the cranberry sauce last week (side note – anyone know if I can just get a replacement lid for a food processor? The little latch that has to be locked into the main part in order for it to turn on snapped off) and not wanting to hand-grate a crap ton of potatoes, switched it to a smoky hash instead.

Cubed potatoes, onions, garlic, tons of smoked paprika, and shreds of turkey, all topped with an over easy egg and served alongside something green to start compensating for the previous 4 days. Fairly simple, yet a different flavor profile and presentation than yet another turkey + sides plate or sandwich.

Smoky Turkey Hash(serves 4)

4 medium baking potatoes, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1.5 tblspns butter
1.5 tblspns olive oil
2-3 c shredded turkey
1 tblspn smoked paprika
Salt + pepper to taste

1. Heat your olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet. Add onions, garlic, potatoes, and smoked paprika.

2. Let sit for several minutes (~4) before stirring/flipping so that potatoes start to brown. After giving everything a good stir/flip, let it sit for several minutes again.

3. Once things are somewhat brown all over, reduce the heat to medium-low and let cook until potatoes are cooking through, another 15 min or so.

4. Season to taste with salt + pepper. Serve topped with an egg cooked to your liking if desired.

So-Good-You-Won't-Know-It's-Light Cookie Dough Dip

2011-11-22T14:16:00.001-05:00

In my food philosophy, replacing real sugar and fat with fake substitutes is not acceptable. I do not like the taste or how my body reacts to them, or how little they satisfy whatever craving I have. I abide by the just-eat-less-of-the-real-thing mantra. However, I'm not above altering recipes to include a little whole wheat flour or less sugar or butter sometimes. But this recipe is a whole different ball game - it completely gets rid of the flour, butter, and eggs, drastically reduces sugar, and - GASP - is based on chickpeas.

Yeah, you read that right. I basically made a dessert hummus. I pinned this on Pinterest a while ago and was equal parts intrigued and skeptical. I mean, edible dough! No worries about salmonella (not that I let that sh*t stop me - you know I'm sneaking spoonfuls of dough or batter the entire time I bake cookies/brownies/cakes), fewer risks of tummy aches from OD'ing on sugar and that hypoglycemic-hating devil, white flour.

But, also, sweet hummus? Can that really taste good? You bet it can. If I'm being nitpicky, the texture is obviously a bit different from traditional dough, and I might leave out the oats next time, as I can still taste the gritty little raw bits, and my food processor is on its last leg and has a hard time making things super creamy. So you might have better luck getting your dough smoother. But it's thick and sweet, vanilla-y, with lots of chocolate chips, and is excellent with graham crackers as dippers.

Side note: I bought Teddy Grahams thinking they'd be good, but were they really this small when we were kids? It's hard to dip them without getting dough all over your fingers. Which is fine when you are in your own home and can lick away, but probably not so preferable in public. If I had time to run the store that sells actual graham dipping sticks, those would be perfect.

Let's do some fuzzy, loose-y goose-y math for comparison. The Toll House recipe, per cookie made from a "rounded tablespoon"', is 110 calories, 7 g of fat, 10 g of sugar, and 2 g of protein (who the heck makes their cookies only 1 tablespoon, anyways?). This version, according to Spark recipes, works out to about 58 calories, 2.5 g of fat, 6 g of sugar, and 1 g of protein per tablespoon. So you can eat twice as much. ;) And you could definitely cut back on the chocolate chips to make this healthier.

For something quite a bit healthier (and safer!) than the "real stuff", it is surprisingly, amazingly delicious. I hope the girls at the 2nd annual get-tipsy-on-amanda's-pomtinis night enjoy it tonight!

Cookie Dough Dip
(makes ~2 c; via Chocolate Covered Katie)

~1.5 c chickpeas (I had some leftover cooked-from-dried, but 1 can, drained, is good)
~1/3 c brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
2 tblspns oats
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c soy milk (or milk of your choice)
1.5 tblspns nut butter (pb will give it a little pb cookie taste; I used cashew butter since we had it on hand)
1.5 tblspns canola oil
~3/4 c semisweet chocolate chips
graham crackers of some sort for dipping

1. Put everything except the chocolate chips in a food processor and blend, blend, blend until you have a mostly smooth puree.

2. Mix in chocolate chips. Chill until time to serve.

Cooking for New Parents: Broccoli-Basil Mac + Cheese

2011-11-17T13:30:00.001-05:00

Two of my pregnant friends' babies decided they wanted to share a birthday, and sent their mothers into early (but full-term!) labor last Tuesday, which also happens to be a third friend's birthday.

Yay, newborns to snuggle and give off sweet baby smell and fawn over and make my ovaries feel like exploding, until those babies start crying or need a diaper changed and I can hand them right back to mama and daddy.

Can you tell I am so not ready for a baby? My biological clock must think so (aching ovaries and such), but my head knows otherwise. I'll just stick to stealing other people's babies for a while, thanks.

To help the new parents out, I did what I do best - feed people! I think about when I've had a rough few days' sleep and how the last thing I want to do is cook up a well-rounded meal, and that's not including being stressed out about keeping another human being alive. But new moms also want to start getting back into shape, so night after night of pizza delivery isn't the best option, either.

When I'm planning out what dishes to make, I take the following into consideration:

1) Something easy to reheat, preferably easily freezeable and a one-dish meal

2) Something that walks the line between the comfort food we turn to when stressed and exhausted and the healthy dinners we know we should be eating to make us feel our best.

A lot of times, that means a lightened-up and altered-to-include-veggies version of a classic dish. I have several go-to recipes, including a few variations on lasagna. This time around, I made another go-to meal to take to others: a giant batch of enchilada sauce to make a pan of chicken enchiladas for each family and one for ourselves.

One of the dads doesn't like vegetables, so their second meal will be a stir-fry with the veggies separated from the meat for customizability (is that even a word?), and the other family got half the batch of this twist on mac + cheese from 101 Cookbooks (we ate the other half, obvs).

I was intrigued by the idea of broccoli "crumbs" as part of the topping, and it didn't disappoint. It's definitely not your classic super creamy, cheesy mac, so don't make this thinking that's what you'll get. But the textures and flavor combos are great all the same.

Broccoli-Basil Mac + Cheese
(serves 8, slightly adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

8 oz pasta (preferably whole wheat, I used shells but any good
sauce-holding shape will work)
olive oil
2 slices wheat bread, either somewhat stale or dried slightly in the oven
1 bunch of basil, leaves removed from stems
1 crown of broccoli, chopped into smallish pieces
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes (preferably orange or yellow)
1/4 c sour cream
~10 oz white cheddar, freshly shredded
~10 oz gruyere cheese, freshly shredded

1. Cook your pasta in salted boiling water for a couple minutes less than the package directions indicate. Reserve ~1 c of the starchy cooking water.

2. Meanwhile toss your bread, half the basil, and the broccoli in a food processor with a glug of olive oil. Process until you get a slightly wet mix with very small chunks of everything. Set aside.

3. Rinse out food processor, and toss in tomatoes and remaining basil. Pulse a few times just to break into somewhat smaller pieces.

4. Add tomato mixture, cheeses, sour cream, and pasta to a large mixing bowl (or right to the pasta cooking pot). Stir well to combine and get pasta melting. Add in reserved pasta cooking water a little at a time and stir to get a slightly creamy consistency. (It's OK if it's a little watery; the pasta will soak up the excess liquid during baking.)

5. Spread into a casserole dish or 9 x 13 pan. Top with broccoli mixture, and bake uncovered at 400 for 20-25 min, until topping starts to get crispy.

Pumpkinmania #12: Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

2011-11-15T14:52:00.001-05:00

What, did you think pumpkinmania was done for the year just because it's past Halloween? Of course not. There'll probably be another one for Thanksgiving, too, before I give it up 'til next fall.

I once again had the end of a can of puree languishing in the fridge, along with a half-gallon of Snowville half-and-half that was missing only a half cup. (Sidenote: I would love it if Snowville offered smaller sizes. I can very rarely get through a half-gallon of any dairy before it goes bad. Well, except maybe if it was a half-gallon's worth of cheese. That I probably wouldn't have a problem with.)

So on an unusually warm November day (let's not think about the fact that it was perfect tornado weather), I broke out the ice cream maker for the first time in probably a year.

I started with the Cuisinart basic vanilla recipe as a base, since we've had good luck with it before. But I halved it, used all half-and-half rather than part milk and part cream, subbed in some brown sugar, lessened the liquid to make up for the pumpkin, and dumped in some spices. So I guess it's not really the same recipe at all anymore. Hah.

I really love cinnamon, so the flavor is quite strong here - cut the amount in half if you'd like. I also decided to stir in some crumbled graham crackers near the end, kind of like pie crust, to give it the "pie" part of pumpkin pie. Feel free to leave it out, or to add a little vanilla, which I was out of.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
(makes ~3 cups)

2 c half-and-half
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 c pumpkin puree
1 tblspn ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 sheets of graham crackers, crumbled (optional)

1. Whisk together half-and-half and sugars until sugar is dissolved; follow by whisking in pumpkin and spices until well-combined.

2. Pour into ice cream maker and churn as directed (it takes 20-25 min in mine).

3. If desired, stir in crumbled graham once ice cream is churned.

4. Transfer to a 3-4 c container with lid and freeze at least 2 h to firm up before devouring, unless you prefer your ice cream soft-serve style. You'll probably want to let it sit on the counter for 10 min before scooping, too.

Traveling via My Mouth: Lyonnaise Vinegar Chicken

2011-11-08T12:27:00.004-05:00

I have a major case of wanderlust.

I love to travel. LOVE. Ryan knows that in order for me to be happy, we have to find time and budget money to go on several trips each year, even of the mini weekend getaway variety. This year, we did a repeat trip to Memphis, a quick visit to a friend in NC, and went camping outside Traverse City, MI, but had to skip our usual anniversary outing for several reasons. And unfortunately, we haven't been able to do a bigger trip since our honeymoon (maybe some anniversary I'll finish posting about that trip!). Yes, it's been 2 years since I've been on a plane.

A trip to Germany is in the works for next fall, but the October issue of Food & Wine made me want to go to France likerightnowimmediately. I've been to Paris, but have always wanted to explore other parts of France, and the stories and recipes made me super excited for Lyon and southern France. So I started a Google Doc called France.

What, you don't keep detailed lists of places to stay, food to eat, things to see and do, and miscellaneous tips for hypothetical future trips? If I read about somewhere delicious or fun or interesting in a blog or magazine or hear a good rec from a friend's trip, I make a note of it. That way, if I ever DO make it to whatever place, I already have a head start for a quality trip, and the planning is easier (yep, that Germany trip is probably two-thirds planned almost a year out).

Or maybe it just makes my stuck-in-Ohio (errr, or Indiana and Illinois, where I'm often traveling to see family, friends, or football) self a little less stir-crazy, and dampens down the wanderlust.

For a few days, anyway.

In the meantime, I guess I'll have to settle for tasty dishes inspired by overseas classics. We already tried and loved the ham and white bean stew from the magazine, and this Lyonnaise-style vinegar chicken and herb rice was another hit. Tangy and only a little rich, the herbs brighten the dish up and the rice soaked up the extra sauce. We further lightened things up with a lemon-herb dressing tossed with bitter arugula on the side.

We aren't big meat eaters, so one thigh was enough for each of us - feel free to use more chicken, as the original called for an entire chicken for 4 people. I also made a few subsitutions based on what we had on hand, but will include both options below. Also, imagine this as a crispy-skinned roasted thigh, not the braised-looking, soaked-up-the-sauce leftovers in the picture. ;) Seeing as how it is dark by the time I start making dinner now, there's much better natural light during lunch the next day.

Vinegar Chicken + Herbed Rice

(serves 4; adapted from Oct 2011 Food & Wine)

Locally sourced ingredients in this meal: Specked Hen Farm chicken thighs, Snowville Creamery half-and-half, HW Organic onion, Cottage Garden parsley, Dangling Carrot Farm arugula

4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (~1.5 lbs; or as much as 1 4 lb chicken, cut up)

4-8 cloves garlic, unpeeled

~1 c leftover red wine or red wine vinegar

~1/4-1/2 c half-and-half (or 1/4 c creme fraiche)

1 c white rice (I used basmati)

2 tblspn butter, divided

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4-1/2 c chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley, tarragon, and green onion)

olive oil, salt, pepper

1. In an ovenproof skillet (I used cast iron), heat ~ 2 tblspns olive oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salt + pepper on chicken, and place into pan skin side down and sear until brown, ~5 min. Turn over, add unpeeled garlic, and place in an oven preheated to 450.

2. After 8 min, add wine/wine vinegar to pan and continue to roast another 15 min, spooning vinegar over chicken a couple times.

3. Meanwhile, start your rice by melting 1 tblspn of butter in a medium saucepan. Saute onion and minced garlic until onion is translucent, and then add rice, 1 tsp salt, and 2 cups water. Cook rice as you normally would - cover, bring to boil, reduce heat to very low for 20ish min, until water is absorbed and rice is cooked through. Stir in chopped herbs, recover, and let sit until chicken is ready.

4. Once chicken has finished cooking in oven, move chicken and garlic to a plate and place vinegar/drippings over medium-high heat, scraping up brown bits while vinegar reduces a bit. Add remaining tblspn butter.

5. Turn heat to moderately low, stir in half and half, and let simmer for about 5 min to thicken slightly. Return chicken and garlic to pan, turning to coat with sauce.

6. Serve rice topped with chicken and garlic and a few spoonfuls of sauce. The garlic can be smushed out of its peel onto the chicken while eating. Don't forget something green on the side!

The Grill's Last Hurrah?: Sausage + Grape Pizza

2011-11-03T10:22:00.005-04:00

During the tailgate last weekend, we had what I said was the best sausage I've tasted on a pizza in Columbus (Adriatico's). I'm from Chicagoland, we take our sausage (real, spicy, well-seasoned sausage) seriously. And then we started talking about a pizza we used to get at Tutto Vino, the wine bar up the street from our condo. It is a sausage and grape pizza, and the owner recommended it the first time we saw it on the menu. I was skeptical, but it turned out to be a good flavor pairing. The grapes almost roast during cooking, turning their sweetness more mellow, and serve as a good complementary flavor to the spices in the sausage.

I neeeeeded more sausage pizza ASAP.

I picked the most promising sounding day, weatherwise, for the week, and planned to get in one last grilled pizza session before the weather turns cold. It's yet to be determined if we'll be those crazies grilling in the Ohio winter, but it is always nice to spend time in our backyard, one of the main selling points on this house for us.

Here's a few photos I snapped of the leaves in our yard (and some we just view in the neighbors' yards from ours) when the sun finally broke through after days of dark, dreary, rain.

Those were last week, before the second mass exodus of leaves from branch to ground. This is more what it looks like now, taken when I noticed a foggy mist in the yard Tuesday morning.

I am so sad to lose the pretty, park-like feel we love, but I can't wait to see the trees all covered in snow. (Err, I mean, I am excited to see it covered in snow at some point. I would like for that to not happen for another month yet. You hear me, mother nature?). I hear we get deer and other woodland creatures running through in winter.

And we get more natural light in the house, which ya can't complain about.

Get out there and try grilling your pizza before it's too late, or at least give the sausage + grape combo a try in your oven.

Sausage and Grape Pizza

(makes 2 smallish, thin crust pizzas; serves 4; inspired by Tutto Vino)

Locally sourced ingredients in this meal: Speckled Hen Farm spicy italian chicken sausage, Ohio Farm Direct cheese, HW Organics onion

1 batch of your favorite pizza dough (we use this one, upping the salt a bit)

8-10 oz of your favorite spicy sausage (pork, chicken, or turkey)

1-2 c red grapes, halved lengthwise

1/2 white onion, thinly sliced

~8 oz cheese, freshly shredded (we used half mozz, half gouda this time)

chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

olive oil, salt

1. Make your dough using your fave recipe, or use a store-bought ball.

2. When your dough is close to ready or ready, preheat oven with pizza stone to 475, or heat a charcoal grill as hot as possible (we got to 450-475ish this time), moving the coals to the outside to give more of an indirect heat. You'll want to add a pizza stone on top of the grate once the grill is heated, and let that warm up for a few minutes.

3. In the meantime, crumble sausage and cook over medium heat until cooked through.

4. Once your dough has risen, split it into two balls and press/roll each out into thin rounds.Brush each with a light coating of olive oil.

5. Top each with 1/2 the cheese, 1/2 the sausage, 1/2 the grapes, and 1/2 the onion. Sprinkle with a little salt.

6. Bake until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden, about 10 min. Scatter on parsley and serve.

Pumpkinmania #11: A Halloween Treat

2011-11-01T11:34:00.004-04:00

Did everyone have a lovely Halloweekend and Halloween? We were actually in town for the first of a two-weekend stretch (I know! Shocking!), so had a perfect balance of partying with friends and major productivity.

After a three-hour manhunt all over town for the remainder of our Halloween costumes (seriously, I checked TWELVE stores before finding a white apron. Actually, 11, but that one was toddler-sized.), we headed out for a dinner party to see a visiting friend who moved away a couple years ago. It'd been forever since I'd seen that whole group of friends, and it was nice to have everyone in one place for a few hours.

Saturday followed with the last outdoor market of the year, costume-finishing and pumpkin-bread-making while watching football, then a costumed visit to an OSU tailgate, followed by a Halloween party full of jello shots, beer pong, and an awesome made-up game of pool where sinking the eight ball early or scratching actually earned you points.

We got tons of compliments on our insurance-duo costume at the tailgate and bar, and thought we'd done such a good job on being creative ... until we walked into the party and there was ANOTHER Flo + Mayhem. Bummer! I still loved our idea, though.

Sunday flew by in a flurry of kitchen painting (me) and yard work (Ryan). (That was the productive part of the weekend.)

I was super excited for our first Halloween with actual trick or treaters Monday. We set up on our patio next to our decor (notice we never even got around to carving our pumpkins - I'll be more on top of it next year. Some of our neighbors are out of control, even turning their yards into haunted houses). We at least turned on Pandora's spooky symphonies for atmosphere.

We ended up with probably 60-70 kids throughout the night, but still managed to have leftover candy, because Ryan insisted on the 230 piece bag. He's all about go big or go home. My favorite costumes were a probably 10 year old girl who, when I asked her if she was a combo witch-monkey, exclaimed "FINALLY, somebody gets it! Thank you!" You go on with your quirky, creative self. I hope that doesn't get stripped away when she gets to junior high and just wants to fit in. Then the 18ish month old of our neighbors' friends stopped by in traditional golf gear. We're talking argyle sweater, knee-length pants, tasseled shoes, and a pom-pom-topped hat. And he has bright red hair. I about died from cuteness.

And then it got cold and dark and people stopped coming by so I went inside and had a delicious slice of this pumpkin bread for dessert after a dinner of bacon-pumpkin cream sauce pasta (no picture taken, so that'll have to wait for next year!).

I made a healthy pumpkin muffin previously, but these were lighter and fluffier and a bit sweeter, and that was 3 years ago, so I wanted to post an updated recipe. It can make 2 loaves or 4 dozen minis, but I decided to go half minis w/1 c of chocolate chips added in to take to Saturday's party, and 1 plain loaf for home snacking.

Pumpkin Bread

(makes 2 loaves, 4 dozen minis, or 1 loave and 2 dozen minis; adapted from Good Housekeeping)

2 c packed dark brown sugar

3 eggs

2.5 c plain pumpkin puree

1/2 c oil

1 tblspn vanilla extract

2 c all-purpose flour

1.5 c whole-wheat flour

1 tblspn baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tblspn cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp crystallized ginger, crushed

1 tsp salt

1-2 c chocolate chips (optional)

1. Whisk together brown sugar and eggs; add pumpkin, oil, and vanilla and stir to combine.

2. Add in dry ingredients and stir just until combined (some lumps are OK, but you don't want loose flour).

3. Stir in chocolate if using for all of batter (since I used it in half, I waited until I'd poured half into the loaf pan before mixing in chips).

4. Pour into greased (with oil or butter) loaf and/or mini muffin pans. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min for mini muffins and 40-50 min for loaf.

5. Let cool for 10-15 min in pan, and then carefully remove (by running a knife around and inverting for the loaf, and carefully running a knife or fork around and using a fork to lift out for muffins).

6. Store wrapped in foil at room temperature.

Lazy, Smoky Ham + Bean Soup

2011-10-27T10:39:00.002-04:00

This week feels like one that requires laziness, and we're doing a pretty good job of it. We had plans to carve pumpkins Sunday, then Monday, then Tuesday, but every night decided lounging on the couch sounded like a better idea. Well, except for Tuesday, when a veiny piece of cabbage snuck through the disposal and clogged the undersink pipes. That night, I learned how to do some plumbing. :)

Last night, we had great intentions of finally using a soon-to-expire Groupon for a movie theater, and got as far as half-priced greasy appetizers and a beer at a bar on the way before deciding to ... you guessed it, come home and lounge on the couch.

At least I haven't been phoning it in on my workouts.

And maybe we'll get to those pumpkins tonight.

This stew, while it takes a while to cook, is what I consider a lazy meal, too. You chop up a bunch of stuff, throw it all in a pot, check on it every now and then, and put the finishing touches on right before eating. I cooked this throughout the day while working from home, but it would be a good {lazy} weekend afternoon meal, or for a night you can get right home after work to start it (make sure you soak the beans that morning!).

I don' t know why I don't think to use smoked ham hocks or shanks more often in soups and stews. It adds this awesome layer of rich, smoky flavor that brings what would be a boring beans-and-veggies-in-broth soup to a whole different level. Use whichever you can find - they are similar cuts, but in my experience the shank gives you more meat. So if you locate hocks, you'll want a larger total weight, probably 2-3 hocks instead of just 1 shank, and either way, look for ones that look "meaty" versus mostly bone.

Garbure (White Bean, Ham, and Vegetable Stew)

(serves 6; slightly adapted from Jacques Pepin via Food & Wine)

Locally sourced ingredients in this meal: Northridge Organics sweet potato; Zemnicki Greenhouse + Farm carrot, celery, cabbage, and leeks; Oakleaf Farm (I think) red potatoes

1 c dried navy or cannellini beans

~1.5 lbs smoked pork shank or 2.5-3 lbs hock

~1/3-1/2 large head of cabbage, thinly sliced and chopped roughly into ~2 in. long pieces

1 large carrot, quartered lengthwise and sliced

1 stalk celery, halfed lengthwise and sliced

1 large or 2 small leeks, white and light green parts only, halfed lengthwise and sliced

1 medium sweet potato, diced

1 medium or 3 baby red potatoes, diced

salt + pepper

ciabatta bread

6 oz gruyere

1. Pour beans into a large pot, cover with water, and soak for at least 2 hours (you can start this before work in the morning and leave all day if needed).

2. Drain water, add ham shank, cover with ~8 c of fresh water, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 1 h.

3. Chop all your veggies and add to pot, along with about 1 tsp salt and several grinds of pepper; cook another hour. Add more water if needed at this point.

4. Remove shank and let soup continue simmering while you let the shank cool enough to handle (probably 20-30 min). Remove the meat from the bone and cut into small, bite size pieces/shreds.

5. Add meat back to soup, and season to taste with salt + pepper. Soup can be cooled and then refrigerated at this point for a few days if needed; reheat with a little water to thin back out.

6. To serve, preheat the broiler. Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls, top with 2-3 thin slices of the bread and ~1 oz of the cheese, either shredded, chopped, or thinly sliced. Stick under the broiler for ~2 min, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately.

A New {For-Now} Look

2011-10-25T14:38:00.001-04:00

First, a little sidenote. I'm sure you noticed the new look of the site. It's an interim solution - I've been wanting to redesign the ol' blog for a while, but the major overhaul I want to do involves changing to Wordpress. I have a {private} version of the blog there, and have played around with it, but every template I like requires me resizing every f'ing picture already published. It makes me frustrated and then I give up. I keep waiting for more time and patience to spend on it, and/or money and a good recommendation to pay someone else to do it. In the mean time, you get this good-enough Blogger dynamics template, where you can change it up to different views. I still don't like the Blogger commenting interface, don't like that you can't always get to the labels/categories in this version, and generally want to do a little more customization, but like I said, that'll have to wait. For that magical time in the future when I have more of that thing called free time.

The second part of this is that I finally bought my own url. OK, maybe I did that 6 months ago and was waiting to make the bigger switch to actually use it, but I'm tired of waaaaiiiittting. You can get to the blog now at breadandcheeseplease.com - no more blogspot in there!

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I have been pretty disappointed in some of my magazines lately, or at least the recipes from them. I think I've decided to let my Cooking Light subscription expire after the 5 years or so that I've had it. For the last couple of years, it seems like so many of the recipes are obvious "duh" combinations or just too basic to be something I need a recipe for. I'm sure part of it is me being a far more experienced cook than I was back then, but I also think CL has changed it's focus/goals/audience since then as well to those looking strictly for quick and easy meals. If it weren't for the Mark Bittman column, I don't know that I'd ever make anything from it anymore.

And this Bittman recipe was a winner. It was originally a sweet-potatoes-only side dish, but I thought it would make a good sauce for a main vegetarian dish. The flavor combination is bold and different, with some spicy, sweet, and tart tastes, which means Ryan was all.over.it. It's not too pretty to look at, but it's tasty.

If you are anti-tofu, this would be good with chicken breast or pork tenderloin as well.

Sweet + Spicy Tofu, Eggplant, + Sweet Potato Toss

(serves 4; inspired by Cooking Light)

Locally sourced ingredients in this meal: Eggplant from Wishwell Farms, sweet potato from Northridge Organics, honey from Honeyrun Farm, smoked chipotle from ?? at the Clintonville market

1 c uncooked brown rice

1 package extra firm tofu

2 medium or 1 large sweet potato

2 medium or 1 large eggplant

1 c frozen cranberries

1/2 c water

1 tblspn honey

1 chipotle pepper from a can of chioptles in adobo sauce (I subbed a local fresh-smoked chipotle)

1-2 tbslpns of adobo sauce from the can (use less if you aren't a huge spicy-heat fan)

olive oil, salt, pepper

green onion and cilantro, for garnish

1. Start cooking the rice (2 c water to 1 c rice; cover, bring to a boil, then turn off heat/or reduce heat to very low and let sit without removing lid for 35-45 min) and preheat oven to 400.

2. Drain tofu, and cut into bite-size pieces. Also chop veggies into bite-size pieces.

3. Place tofu and veggies on lightly oiled baking sheets, mist or brush with olive oil, and toss with a little salt and pepper. Stick in oven for 30-40 min, turning over halfway through.

4. When veggies/tofu/rice are almost done, start sauce. Stir together 1 tblspn olive oil, cranberries, water, honey, pepper, adobo sauce, and a pinch of salt in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for at least 10 min, until cranberries are falling apart. Use back of spoon to help break down further.

5. In a large bowl, toss together sauce with tofu and veggies. Serve over with with a sprinkling of cilantro and green onion.

Single Girl Living (and Cooking)

2011-10-20T19:06:00.000-04:00

I don't mind when Ryan goes away for a day. It's kind of a mini break for some good ol' "me time", and I use it as an excuse to be lazy and pick up Chipotle or Jimmy John's. And watch cheesy movies.

When it's two or three days, being home alone is still a novel concept, and I eat things like eggs + toast, cereal, or a random veggie + pasta toss for dinner. And lay around all night reading magazines.

But when he leaves for longer periods of time, I decide I have to pull on my big girl panties and cook real meals and be a productive human being. This week, I made a random tofu/wheat berries/spinach/goat cheese casserole and BBQ chicken flatbreads - cook once, eat 3-4 times. And continued with the house project-ing (I even taught myself to use the electric drill without destroying anything!).

Thankfully, the 7-10 day trips haven't happened in probably almost 2 years before this one. But the rarity almost makes it harder to handle. After day 3, I am so. over. it. and want him to come home. Immediately. Even if I'm the one who's away, it's always day 3 when I really start to miss him. Always.

And we're on day 7. Ugh.

Not to mention it's been cold and gray and rainy and bleeeeccchhhh here. I needed some old-fashioned comfort food. And for me, nothing says comfort like tuna noodles. It is something my mom made all the time growing up, and I still like it.

Two problems, though: Ryan haaaaates tuna and can't even handle the smell, and I try to stay far away from the overly processed, not-real-food cream-of-whatever soups these days. This business trip took care of the first problem, and a little Googling for a from-scratch version took care of the rest.

I'll be the first too admit this doesn't taste quite like the version of my childhood - not nearly enough sodium, for starters, and you can't quite replicate the texture of those canned soups. ;) But I enjoyed it and it satisfied my childhood food cravings.

Tuna Noodle Casserole
(serves 4; adapted from Eating Well)

8 oz egg noodles, preferably whole wheat
1 tblspn butter
1 tblspn olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
4-6 oz mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tblspns flour (all-purpose or whole wheat)
2 c milk (I used 2%)
1 tblspn lemon juice (optional)
1 or 2 cans of tuna
1.5 c frozen peas
1/2 c grated parmesan, divided
salt, pepper, and Italian or other seasoning blend
bread crumbs
green onions, thinly sliced

1. Boil water for pasta and cook according to package directions.

2. In a large, deep skillet or a dutch oven, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms until onions are translucent and mushrooms are soft and golden brown. Add a little salt and pepper.

3. Stir flour into onion mixture. Add about 1/2 c milk and stir to help combine with flour, then add remaining milk, stirring to combine, and add in lemon juice, 1/4 c of the parmesan, and a little more salt and pepper. Let simmer for 5-10 min to thicken.

4. When sauce has thickened and noodles are ready, add noodles, tuna, and peas to pot with sauce. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you're using.

5. Top with a few handfuls of breadcrumbs and the remaining parmesan. Stick several inches under a broiler until topping is golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Top with green onions and serve.

Pumpkinmania #10: Whole-Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

2011-10-18T20:12:00.001-04:00

I can't remember the last time I ate pancakes. I am way more of a savory breakfast person, and if we are occasionally in the mood for something sweet on a Sunday morning, Ryan likes breaking out the waffle maker.

But guess what? He's not here right now. I dropped him at the airport Friday for a week-long business trip (boo. hiss. whine.). It's been forever since he had to go away for this long, especially over a weekend. I made the best of it, and had a super productive yet relaxing weekend. I caught up on sleep, got in a couple "bonus" workouts, drank just a little (speaking of which, I had a cheek-flame-inducing strong cocktail and a porkily delicious sandwich and great sweet potato fries at Milestone 229 - definitely worth a return visit!), watched stupid girly and teen flicks. But I also painted walls, hung pictures, finished patching the kitchen, and a myriad of other little projects. I was a house-project superstar.

So anyways, back to the pancakes. I reaaalllly needed to use up the last of a big can of pumpkin that I've been working through over the last, oohhhh 3 weeks or so, and thought, why not pumpkin-flavored. Because I ever need an excuse to pumpkin-ize something this time of year.

I found what I was looking for with Pinch My Salt's whole-wheat version: full of whole-grain goodness, which I think gives a good nutty flavor to these 'cakes, and not too sweet - I like to let the syrup take care of that.

She used part whole wheat and part cake flour; I used whole wheat and wheat pastry flour because I had it on hand. Feel free to use whole wheat with some all-purpose flour, or even go all AP if you aren't a big whole-grain person. These are a little denser than your typical light-n-fluffy buttermilk style pancakes, but I like 'em that way.

Whole-Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes
(makes 6 small pancakes, serves 2; adapted slightly from Pinch My Salt)

1/2 c vanilla soy milk (or regular milk + 1/2 tsp vanilla)
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tblspn oil
1 tbslpn brown sugar (preferably dark)
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c wheat pastry flour, cake flour, or all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp crystallized or ground ginger
pinch of ground nutmeg
pinch of ground clove (optional)

1. Mix together the first five ingredients, milk through sugar, until well-combined.

2. Add in remaining [dry] ingredients, and mix just enough to combine. Some lumps are OK, you don't want to overmix. Add a little more milk if needed to thin out batter.

3. Heat a large skillet or a griddle to medium and grease well with butter or oil. Pour about 1/2 the batter in three separate pancake "blobs" (you can use a big spoon or ladle, I just used the wooden mixing spoon to help as I poured straight from the bowl). Flip when little bubbles appear on top, in a couple minutes, and finish cooking through. Repeat with remaining batter.

4. Top with your favorite toppings. I went with a little [real] butter, real Ohio maple syrup, blueberries, and almonds.

Local Love: Watershed Distillery

2011-10-13T13:23:00.002-04:00

Last fall, Ryan and I got word of two distilleries opening ... in Columbus! Although we're more microbrew and wine drinkers, we do enjoy the occasional cocktail, and I of course am obsessed with all things local. So we bought vodka from both Middle West Spirits and Watershed for a little holiday tasting of the first batch of both. Since then, we've pretty much always had a bottle of Watershed vodka on hand.

Needless to say, we were excited to see a Groupon for a tour and a super soft, vintage-y t-shirt (side note #1: I am super on-board with companies having these higher-quality, better-fitting t's that I will actually wear out of the house as opposed to huge, regular t-shirts I'll only wear to sleep in.). We had a pretty big group for the small space, but it worked out fine.

We started out hearing how the owners Greg (pictured) and Mark got the company off the ground, and had a little lesson in gin recipes. We had to smell each spice and guess what it was - I actually got a few, including allspice and juniper berries. Although it was the citrus peels pictured above that stumped me.

Then, we switched spots with the other half of our tour group to play hammerschlagen, a drinking game that Greg played when he lived in (I think) Switzerland. You'll have to go on the tour to hear his backstory, but let's say Ryan thinks it's the best thing ever (he won, obviously), and I think it would be stupidly dangerous to let increasingly drunk people wield a hammer (am cautious old woman. and came in next-to-last).

Next it was onto the tour of the quite small setup. This is basically all of it. Greg shared the distilling process, which made me feel like I was back in o-chem lab. We learned about the mash and fermenting, different temperatures used to get different proofs and different levels of remnant flavors, which parts of the runoff are used, what they do to turn the distillate (below, smelling the strong 150-190 proof intermediate) into the finished product, and more.

Like funny stories of mishaps and mistakes that they've encountered along the way as they've taught themselves how to do this. Recently, a whiskey barrel (yep, they're making whiskey, to be released in 2013) didn't cure all the way (it is soaked in water to expand the wood and essentially seal the barrel so no liquid can seep through) and has been slowly drip, drip, dripping. It did mean we got to take a good whiff of the oak-aging liquor, though.

We finished up with the bottling, labeling, and distribution process, and learned more interesting details of the government's requirements and controls, and what Greg and co. are doing to try to make it easier for distillers to prosper in Ohio.

Ohio's inane liquor laws mean distilleries can't have public tastings, or charge for them; instead, distillers are required to register "private tastings" with the state a week ahead of time (side note #2: we've been watching Ken Burns's Prohibition, and I've been intrigued by the various roles people in Ohio played on both sides of the fight). So, with the tour "officially" over, those who wanted to (i.e., everyone) stuck around to sample the vodka and gin in their straight (and warm!) states. I can not hang like that anymore, so I only made it through a few tiny sips of each.

The gin is very smooth and clean instead of too medicinal like I usually find gins. We aren't the only ones who like it - Watershed sells about the same amount of vodka as gin (they were both on batch 17 when were were they a couple weeks ago), even though the market for vodka is 6-7 times larger. We'll be buying a bottle soon - I've been wanting to mix it into cocktails like the French 75.

(Side note #3: I saw on this cardboard-only stool during the tasting. I thought there was no way it could hold my weight, but it was very sturdy and a neat way to reuse boxes!)

Although there's still a year and a half to wait, you can tell Greg is really excited about the whiskey, and Ryan is convinced they make vodka only so they can make whiskey. Which might be true - vodka and gin can be produced and out the door to bring in revenue in a matter of weeks, compared to years for the whiskey. I'm sure Ryan will be first in line when it's released, too.

Watershed vodka and gin are available at 160 state liquor agencies in Ohio; to find the store nearest you, check here.

Baba what?

2011-10-12T18:58:00.000-04:00

As promised, here is the recipe for the baba ghanoush from last week's Mediterranean feast. It is, as I mentioned, the most acceptable preparation of eggplant in Ryan's opinion. I'm not sure why he can't get behind eggplant; I think it might not have enough flavor for his liking.

Grilling it and throwing on lots of spices is acceptable, as is breaded and smothered in tomato sauce and cheese, but he'll just barely tolerate it roasted or baked, because, well, he eats whatever I serve him for dinner. But puree it, add some lemon juice, and spread it on pita and I guess it's a whole different idea.

Although he did request I make it "tangier" next time.

That boy. Subtlety is lost on him.

Baba Ghanoush

(serves 6)

locally sourced ingredients in this recipe: eggplants from Wishwell Farms

2 medium eggplants

2-4 cloves garlic, smashed and skin removed

1/4 c tahini

1 tsp salt

1 tblspn olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

handful of parsley (optional)

1. Poke several holes in the eggplants with a fork, and then roast them over open flame or under broiler, a couple min per side (this is optional, but gives a little smoky flavor).

2. Bake for 25ish min at 400 deg until eggplants are cooked through and soft.

3. Puree in food processor with remaining ingredients.

4. Taste and adjust seasonings.

5. Refrigerate until ready to serve w/ warm pita.

Anniversary Celebrating and Dolmades

2011-10-06T15:33:00.003-04:00

I was planning on another tailgate recap post after our stellar, 8 hour tailgate involving flip cup, beer pong, and tacos last Saturday, but the game was so disheartening I just wanted to forget about it and move on (seriously, Ryan and I decided to drive home instead of paying money for a hotel because we were so irritated and not wanting to spend any more money relating to the game). We got home at 5 am. And then slept most of the day. So that's why the no posting on Tuesday.

That, and because we took Monday and Tuesday off for a little anniversary staycation. Monday involved a pumpkin patch outing in the afternoon, followed by an epic night of eating and drinking. We made our first visit to DeepWood for cocktails and appetizers. For such a nice place, the happy hour menu is awesomely priced (and the place was still empty minus one table when we left at 7). We had $4 cocktails (mine involving sparkling rose, lime, and lavender syrup; his with bourbon, brown sugar syrup, and mint) along with a duck sausage corn dog and marrow-soaked toast with blue cheese, both for super reasonable prices.

Then it was on to dinner. I'd forgotten G. Michael's has a $30 prix fixe special on Mondays. You know I love a good deal, so even though I definitely was not hungry enough for a three-course dinner, it just made more sense than ordering an entree off the regular menu. We shared a spicy white-chocolate pumpkin bisque and mussels, then had seared mahi w/ crab salad and roasted brussels and butternut (for me; Ryan had a strip steak). Aaaand we finished up with creme brulee and pumpkin cake with cinnamon ice cream and candied pecans (gee, which one do you think was mine?). Don't forget the bottle of wine, plus a bottle of sparkling when we returned home.

I'm surprised I didn't feel awful upon waking Tuesday. We mostly had a chill day. We'd planned on lunch at Skillet and then heading to the Hocking Hills for hiking. But even though the Web site said they were open Tuesday, Skillet was most definitely closed. I was seriously craving it, but we had a tasty lunch at The Old Mohawk instead. After hearing an overturned semi had 33 and 270 shutdown, we decided to stay in town and catch a movie instead (Contagion ... it was OK. The molecular biologist in me was not satisfied with the half-assed explanation for how the virus came to be). I was pretty bummed not to get down to the Hocking Hills (we were married down there, after all!), but it wasn't worth all the sitting in traffic.

Soooo anyways, we wanted a light meal that night. I made a salad full of the very last tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers from our garden, tossed with feta, olives, olive oil, and lemon. We had warm pitas with baba ganoush (in Ryan's opinion, the most acceptable way to eat eggplant; recipe to come soon), and I tried my hand at these stuffed grape leaves. Dolmades are one of my favorite things to get from Greek restaurants, and I'd always wondered how difficult they'd be to make at home. I kept it pretty basic, although you see them with meat, nuts, raisins, and more. They were a bit monotonous to fill and roll, and it takes a while to cook when using brown rice, but these were a definite keeper. They'd be great party food too, since they are even better after sitting overnight and can be served at room temperature.

Stuffed Grape Leaves

(makes ~36)

1 jar grape leaves

1 medium onion, diced

~3/4 c brown rice

juice of 1 lemon

3/4 c parsley, chopped

3/4 c dill, chopped

1/4 c mint, chopped

salt

olive oil

1. Saute your onion in a bit of olive oil in a large skillet; once it it soft and translucent, add the rice, lemon, herbs, and about 1 tsp of salt. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Using the same pan to save on dishes, bring a pot of water to a boil. Carefully remove grape leaves from their jar and rinse under water to remove some of the salt brine. Then place in the boiling water for just a few minutes. Use tongs to help separate them some. Carefully remove from pan and set near your filling/wrapping station.

3. Set out a leaf, veiny side up and flat. Trim stem if still attached. Place a small spoonful of filling (about 1 tsp, a little more for larger leaves) near the bottom (where the stem would be).

4. Fold one side across the filling near the bottom, then the other side. Carefully roll the leaf up, making sure not to make it too tight since the rice will expand when cook. I think of it like rolling up a burrito; for pictures and a more detailed step-by-step, see here.

5. Line the bottom of your pan (I again used the same one) with a couple grape leaves to prevent sticking. Place rolled leaves in pan tucked up against each other in a layer, adding an additional layer if needed.

6. Once all your leaves are stuffed, fill the pan with water to cover the leaves about 3/4 of the way. Pour in a few glugs of olive oil.

7. Cover, bring to a simmer, and let cook for 1 hour. Check one to see if your rice is cooked, and then serve warm, chilled, or at room temp.

Butternut Squash + Lentil Chili

2011-09-29T16:33:00.002-04:00

It has been cooler, grey, and rainy around here lately, which means it's soup and stew season (mark another checkpoint in the fall "win" column!). I remembered seeing this veggie + lentil chili over at Daily Garnish recently, and knew I wanted to recreate it with what I had on hand. Emily used sweet potatoes, but I liked this with the butternut squash, which I think holds it shape a little better when cooked; use whichever you have on hand. I didn't have jalapenos, so threw in some cayenne pepper. I also had the last stragglers from our tomato plants to use, but a can of diced tomatoes would would work just as well now that tomato season is over.

The seasoning is warm and bold, just the way we like it - I actually didn't have to add more than called for in the original, which is unusual for me. For a meatless chili, this is very filling. I usually eat every three hours or so, but a late night that had me up more than four hours after a bowl with a side of cornbread sent me to bed still not quite hungry again.

I think we'll be making this one again - it's a great cozy-night comfort food that's healthy instead of making me want to fall asleep.

Butternut Squash + Lentil Chili
(serves 4-6; slightly adapted from Daily Garnish)

1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large or 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium-large butternut squash, cut into ~1/2 in. cubes (~4 c worth)
6 medium tomatoes, or 1 ~15 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 c green or brown lentils
4 c water
2 tblspns chili powder
1 tblspn smoked paprika
1 tblspn cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
bay leaf
salt
sour cream (optional)
green onions for garnish (optional)

1. If using fresh tomatoes, you'll want to blanch them to remove the skins. Do this by boiling a pot of water, sticking the tomatoes in, and watching for when the skins start to split. This should take 2-3 min. Move the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water, and once they are cool enough to handle, you should be able to pull the skins right off. I leave them whole to cook down with their juice in the pot (chopping ahead of time will lose a bunch of liquid to the cutting board).

2. To cut your squash, cut the "bowl" part off from the rest. Stand the top part up and then carefully trim the tough skin off with a sharp knife. Cut into 1/2 in. thick discs, then stack a few discs and cut 1/2 in. wide sticks. Finish by cutting crosswise to turn your sticks into 1/2 in. cubes. (I had more than enough squash as this point, so I set aside the seed-filled bottom portion for another use.)

3. Saute your onion and garlic over medium heat in a larger pot until onion is translucent, 3-5 min. Add carrots, squash, and tomatoes, and saute for a few more minutes. I then threw the lid on to help the squash cook through, for about 10 min. (If using fresh tomatoes, you'll want to break them up using a large spoon (wooden or plastic serving work well.)

4. Add the lentils, water, bay leaf, and spices (use less cayenne or omit if you aren't a hot spice fan). Cover, bring to a boil, and lower heat to let simmer until lentils are cooked through, about 45 min.

5. Season to taste with salt, remove the bay leaf, and serve. We garnished with Greek yogurt (sour cream substitute) and green onions, and gobbled up some cornbread (with honey, always) on the side.

Dairy-Free Spinach + Artichoke Dip

2011-09-27T13:46:00.002-04:00

Yes, that does say I made a dip with no dairy. No cheese, no sour cream, no cream cheese. Not even mayo (which, I know, isn't actually dairy, but it falls in that fatty, creamy deliciousness camp). What's more, this dip has a big hit of protein and is bursting with vegetables. Sounds awful, right? But, dare I say it, I've instead made a tasty, party-worthy dip that is also .... super healthy?!?

After making the tofu-as-ricotta-replacement lasagna filling I did a couple weeks ago, I got the idea to turn it into a spinach + artichoke dip. I tested it out when a couple girlfriends came over for wine and catching up (we were supposed to be chilling on the patio enjoying our awesome backyard, but the neverending rain and cold lately ruined those plans for us). It took a little amped up seasoning to get it from pasta filling to tortilla chip topping, but I loved it. Loooooved it. Seriously, if you have any interest in trying out tofu but are scuurrrred of the texture, taste, or how to prepare it, try this out.

This makes a huge batch, so plan on it for a big party, or eat it as an afternoon snack throughout the week. Or you can turn the leftovers into pasta sauce, like we did.

Super Healthy Spinach + Artichoke Dip

(makes ~4 c)

1 package frozen spinach, thawed

1 package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

1 package firm tofu, drained but not pressed

1 tblspn olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tblspns nutritional yeast (optional, but gives a cheesier taste to the dish)

juice of 1-1.5 lemons

salt to taste

your choice of salt-free seasoning blend or Italian seasoning (optional, I used Penzey's mural of flavor)

1. Mix tofu, oil, garlic, and nutritional yeast in a food processor until smooth. Add spinach and artichokes and continue to process until thoroughly combined and spinach and artichokes are in much smaller pieces.

2. Stir in lemon (start with juice from 1), salt (start w/ 1 tsp), and any other seasonings (start w/ 1 tsp). Taste and adjust to your liking.

3. Either heat in a small-medium sized crockpot, or in an ovensafe dish at 350 until hot, about 30 min. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or baguette slices of your choice.

Pumpkinmania #9: Ricotta-Pumpkin Ravioli

2011-09-22T13:56:00.000-04:00

It is no secret that I luuuurrrrrve pumpkin. Every year, I try to find a few new dishes - both sweet and savory - to make with it. Last week, I opened up one of the cans leftover from last year's stash to start stirring a big spoonful into my morning oats, which means there was a lot of orangey goodness leftover that I needed to think about using up.

An article in the most recent Edible Columbus made the what-to-make decision for me. It was for homemade ravioli with assorted fillings, but I [obviously] went the pumpkin route, and made the whole ordeal less time consuming by using wonton wrappers instead of homemade pasta.

Pumpkin puree isn't great on it's own, so I went with a 50/50 mix with ricotta. (I know, I just mentioned eating more protein and less cheese. But, I ate a few of these with turkey Tuscan sausage on the side rather than piling up our whole plates with cheesy pasta. Baby steps, right?) (P.S. That's a small plate in the pictures.) I've seen recipes with lemon zest, garlic, even an egg, but I wanted to keep it simple, with a little salt, nutmeg, and a pinch of cayenne to round the flavor out.

The sauce was simple too - browned butter and sage seem to be a classic sauce for cheese-filled ravioli. Browned butter just means you melt the butter, then let it continue simmering until it starts turning a golden brown color; it gives a deeper flavor, but you can stick with a little plain ol' melted butter too. Either way, a little goes a long way, so use it more as a butter drizzle than a full-blown sauce. The best part is the crunchy little bits of sage, anyway.

This may be a fairly simple meal to prepare, but by now means is it a quick one-dish prep. Between the ravioli, the sauce, the sausage, and the sauteed greens, I used four pans, two cutting boards, a mixing bowl, condiment bowl, two knives, tongs, a skimmer, and several spoons.

Make sure you have a dining companion to push dish duty on.

Pumpkin-Ricotta Ravioli

(serves 4)

3/4 c ricotta

3/4 c pumpkin

~1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

pinch nutmeg

pinch cayenne

32 wonton wrappers (cut into circles if you want to be fancy)

3 tblspn butter2 cloves garlic, minced

~2 tblspn chopped fresh sage

1. Mix the ricotta, pumpkin, salt, nutmeg, and cayenne until thoroughly combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.

2. Lay out a row of wonton wrappers, and place a scant tablespoon of filling in the center of each. (Keep a damp paper towel over the remaing wontons.)

3. Keep a small container of water nearby; dip your finger and use it to wet the edges of the wonton wrappers. Place another wrapper on top, and press the edges together, making sure to wipe away any excess filling and fully seal the edges. Set aside and repeat until you have 16 filled ravioli.

4. Meanwhile boil water, and when ready, cook ravioli in batches of 4 or so. They are done when they float to the top, which should take no more than 2-3 minutes.

5. While your ravioli is cooking, melt butter over medium-low heat in a small sauce pan. Add the garlic and sage, and continue cooking (butter will get foamy, but that's OK) until the butter is a golden color.

6. Drizzle a little sauce over each plate of 4 ravioli, and serve!

Tailgate Time! Preppy Southern Style

2011-09-20T17:12:00.000-04:00

My favorite time of year - football season! Especially now that it is awesome weather out. The first home game two weeks ago, it was 500 degrees and 1000 percent humidity, which was super not pleasant; this week is was chilly and overcast in the morning and not-overly-warm, sunny, and breezy by kickoff - perfect!

Our team may not be very good, but that just means the tailgates have to be all the more fun. If you know our crew, you know we are serious about our tailgates, with the full TV/satellite setup, multiple parking spaces, and themes for the food each week. For a not-important game (one that ended up being a much-needed blowout for our Boilermakers, 59-0), one of the guys suggested we do a Southern theme a la LSU's The Grove, complete with preppy cocktail-party wear and southern food.

It. was. so. much. fun. The girls wore dresses and boots in black and gold along with bunches of pearls, and the boys broke out seersucker pants, khaki blazers, and black-and-gold-striped ties and polos. I think it will be an annual event.

We may have outdone ourselves this time, especially for being one of our smaller turnouts. For food, we had:

Pulled BBQ pork and chicken
Mac & cheese
Apple-and-craisin-studded cole slaw
Pimento Cheese Dip (ultimate Southern cocktail staple comes courtesy of our Southern-transplant tailgate member Megan; the link goes to the recipe on her blog)
Bacon-jalapeno-chicken bites (recipe below)
Bourbon peaches (which were ah-mazing - not too sweet or too alcohol-bite-y)

Drinks included a mimosa bar, crown + gingers, and Abita beers from Louisiana.

Activities included a bocce-ball like game called Murbles.

Next up: a rare night game against Notre Dame, for which we will likely be pushing 50 people at our tailgate. Prepare for the epic-ness.

Bacon-Chicken-Jalapeno Bites
(makes 24-30; idea from Salad in a Jar via Pinterest)

Locally sourced ingredients in this dish: Oink Moo Cluck chicken and bacon, Blue Jacket Dairy silver lake chevre, Wenger Farms jalapenos

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
12-15 slices of bacon
4 oz chevre goat cheese
2 jalapenos
toothpicks

1. Cut the chicken into thin slices, about 1/4 in. thick. Cut your bacon into 2 or 3 pieces per slice (I had some pieces that were long and thin, which I cut into 3 sections, and some that were short and fat, which I cut into 2; you want the bacon to be a little bit longer than the chicken pieces). Thinly slice the jalapenos

2. Layout a piece of bacon, top with a piece of chicken. On one end, place a pinch of goat cheese, topped with a slice of jalapeno.

3. Carefully roll up bite, and use a toothpick to secure the pieces together. Place on a cookie sheet (I added a silpat mat to mine to prevent sticking; you may want to consider parchment paper, although the bacon grease should work as a non-stick coating as well).

4. Bake at 400 deg for about 15 min, until the bacon is brown and crispy and the chicken is cooked through.

Note: These were best straight out of the oven; however, the crockpot worked well to reheat them for the tailgate. The bacon was not as crispy for the first couple hours it was being reheated, but did get brown and crispy again a few hours into the day. You can also prep these ahead of time and grill instead.

Have you seen my cooking mojo?

2011-09-15T14:23:00.001-04:00

Since we've moved into the house, I've kind of felt like my cooking ability was just off. It took time to get used to the new kitchen; I often rushed through meal prep, not taking the extra time to make a dish better, especially when we've had house projects to be working on; and I just generally haven't been inspired by anything more than throw-a-bunch-of-in-season-stuff-in-a-dish. With it being the height of summer harvest in Central Ohio, that was fine. But I've mostly been meh about most results coming out of my kitchen that involved actual recipe-type preparation.

I've also been less excited about blogging, as with my macro lens out of commission and the lack of natural light in the house, I've not been happy with photos. This carried over to our outing to Taste the Future earlier this week. I was super excited to finally have a chance to go, as it is out of our budget at $100 a pop. A event manager friend whose company had a table there offered up her extra tickets. We had a great time that night, trying so many delicious bites and enjoying the included beverages (which included a decent red wine for me and Great Lakes beer for Ryan). But, I don't like dragging my bigger zoom lens around, so had my old, not-so-good point and shoot. Plus, the event was in a parking garage due to a chance of rain, where the lighting was all sorts of funky. Trying to take pictures with a crummy camera in poor lighting while balancing the plate on top of my wine cup and holding a fork, the program, and my purse, not to mention Ryan waiting impatiently to eat said plate of food, meant I gave up quickly and just enjoyed the delicious experience (favorite plates: the lamb barbacoa from Limited Brands chef, of all places, plus G. Michael's shrimp + grits (no surprise there), and a key lime pie mousse).

All this is to say, no write up of Taste the Future today. BUT, you DO get what turned out to be a pretty good meal that I made for the event manager friend and another friend earlier this week, since neither had seen the house yet. I've been trying to work more protein into my diet, and cut back on the cheese a bit (I know, the horrors!). So ever since we tried this tofu-as-substitute-for-ricotta dish from Jenna at Eat Live Run (via the pbs blog), I've been wanting to use it elsewhere. This would be a good dish for people who are scared of the taste, texture, or preparation of tofu. While of course it's not as creamy as ricotta, the consistency and taste are actually fairly similar, there are plenty of other flavors to "disguise" the tofu, and it cuts down on the calories and saturated fat you'd normally have in lasagna.

Which means I felt perfectly justified in making homemade Olive Garden style breadsticks on the side. :)

And now that I've realized I miss my cooking mojo, I'm going to get back on the wagon, by seriously looking into getting my baby the macro lens repaired, figuring out a better lighting situation for shooting, and getting excited for new fall recipes!

Ricotta-less Veggie Lasagna

(serves 6)

Locally sourced ingredients in this meal: zucchini from Wishwell Farms, eggplant from HW Organics

15ish oz package of firm tofu

1 16 oz container frozen chopped spinach, thawed

2 tblspns nutritional yeast (totally optional; it provides a "cheesy" taste)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tblspns olive oil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

1 medium or 1/2 large eggplant

1 medium or 1/2 large zucchini

3 oz mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded

freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish

6-7 whole-wheat lasagna noodles

~3 c tomato/pasta sauce of your choice (I used a big can of Trader Joe's Tuscano marinara)

1. To make filling, puree tofu in food processor until it has a creamy ricotta-like consistency. Add spinach, chopped garlic, oregano, salt, and oil and continue to process until spinach is fully incorporated into ricotta. Set aside.

2. Using a mandoline slicer, very thinly slice zucchini and eggplant (I used 1/16 in. for the zuke and 1/8 in. for the eggplant). If you don't have a mandoline, use a sharp knife and your patience to slice as thinly as possible.

3. In an 8 x8 or 9 x 9 pan, pour about 1/2 c of tomato sauce and spread it to coat the bottom. Next comes a layer of 2-2 1/3 noodles, broken to fit the pan. Then spread a layer of the tofu mixture (about 1/3 of the total; you will have leftovers), followed by thin layers of 1/2 of each of the eggplant and zucchini.

4. Top with ~1 c marinara sauce, and then repeat the previous layers (pasta, tofu, veggies, ~1 c sauce). Top with the last of the noodles, the remaining 1/2 sauce.

5. Bake, covered with foil, at 350 for 45 min. Crank up heat to 400, remove foil, add cheese, and bake for another 10-15 min, until the cheese is melted. It is easier to serve if you let the lasagna cool a bit before cutting.

House Before and After-for-Now: Family Room

2011-09-13T14:45:00.002-04:00

So I've been promising some people (OK, mainly my family) pictures of the new place ever since we moved in 6 weeks ago, saying they'd be on their way as soon as we had things settled and rooms pulled together a little bit. We're at a point where other than lots of piddly little projects, we aren't doing anything else for several months (moving is expensive, yo!), so I thought I'd start sharing shots of the few rooms that are shareable. That means, our bedroom, the dining room, the office (as soon as photos are hung), and the most finished room in the house, our family room.

The above is the before, snapped when we were here for the inspection.You'll notice the especially lovely vinyl floors. And here is the after-for-now:

Other than including our already-owned furniture, we bought a new rug to help cover up some of that floor until it is replaced with hardwood next summer, and added artwork, decor, and curtains hung high and wide around the door to the patio. The biggest difference is obviously the color, which is a little more rusty/burnt orange color in real life, not as bright as it reads in most of these photos.

The print over the fireplace used to hang in our kitchen, and is the inspiration for the color scheme on the whole first floor. Up in the corner, you can see a little of the crown molding Ryan and our friend Chris installed, which was part of the biggest project in this room. Ryan did in-wall wiring for the home theater system. He geeks out about that stuff anyway, plus it meant we could ditch the TV console, leaving the room more open, and I wouldn't have to see wires and electronics all the time, which is a pet peeve of mine in the main living area. See that much smaller stand with the vase behind the chair below? That's where all the media components are. The rear speakers are also in the walls, but there were some obstacles to having the wire in-wall all the way around the room, which is what necessitated the crown to cover up the exposed wires.

Hey, look! Sneak peaks at our dining room (almost done-for-now) and kitchen (total renovation next summer!), too!

And because, I'm so proud of it, here's a close up on the gallery wall I hung over Labor Day. It is mostly photos from our honeymoon we had up in the condo, but I added several more things, including an engagement picture and a wedding party shot. I like the idea of personal items that weren't pictures of us, and having some word-art type pieces to mix in with the photos. I framed our save the date and wedding invite, along with the words to one of our wedding readings. There's also an excerpt from Captain Sully's graduation speech at Purdue last year that I really liked, and a song lyric that I love (or there will be once the frame arrives to replace that square of newspaper). Plus a random wooden S I found for $2.49 at Garden Ridge while buying picture frames (for our last name - even though I hyphenated, our potential future child(ren?) will have Ryan's last name, and I consider that our "family name"). I enjoy that the TV is incorporated right into the gallery wall, making it stick out even less.

Things still to be done in this room: aforementioned hardwoods, a not-outdated ceiling fan, paint the doors white instead of yellow, spray paint the brassy fireplace screen, and eventually buy another arm chair for the corner by the fireplace. Not too bad.

Stay tuned for mini-tours of a few more rooms in the coming weeks.

Corn and Radish Salad with Creamy Vinaigrette

2011-09-08T10:25:00.005-04:00

Remember the attack of the cucumbers? Well, we also have been swimming in corn. I bought a baker's dozen with intentions of grilling it up for our housewarming party, and instead the bag sat on the counter lonely all night. That same day, one of our awesome neighbors showed up at our door with an armful of half a dozen ears freshly picked from his friend's place in Plain City.

That's 19 ears of corn for 2 people, friends. I meant to cut much of it off the cob and throw it in the freezer for later, but instead just kept adding it to meals. We had it on the cob as an afterthought, sure, but we also had deliciously smoky, veggie-stuffed, non-fried chile rellenos; a homemade version of corn souffle/casserole, corn and tomato salad, and then I decided corn + radish would make a good green-salad topper since I had a bunch of radishes from the market.

I always think radishes need a creamy-based dressing. I don't know why - maybe because they already have a bite to them, or because the most common methods of serving them involve butter? We generally do homemade vinaigrettes around here, but I thought maybe whisking in a little Greek yogurt to our usual would give me the creaminess I wanted while still being as tangy as Ryan likes his dressings to be. We've made this a couple times since - I think it's a new addition to the quick-homemade-dressing repertoire.

Please note that the quantities are estimates - I never measure when making dressings, just poor, stir, taste, and adjust. If it's too tart, add more oil, salt, or honey; too plain, add more vinegar or citrus; if it just needs a little more flavor and it's tangy enough, add more salt.

Corn + Radish Salad with Creamy Vinaigrette
(enough to lightly dress 4 salads)

Locally sourced ingredients in this dish: corn from neighbor's friend's farm, radishes and green onions from Zemnicki Farm & Greenhouse

3-4 tblspns good olive oil
2-3 tblspns 2% Greek yogurt
juice from 1/2 a lemon
salt to taste
1-2 tblspns chopped fresh dill, tarragon, and basil (optional, I had these on hand, any fresh or dried spices will do)

mixed greens
4-6 radishes, thinly sliced
1 cob corn, cut from cob
2 green onions, thinly sliced

1. Whisk together oil, yogurt, and lemon. Add a little salt and the herbs if using. Taste and adjust proportions.

2. Pour 1-1.5 tblspns of dressing over greens and toss to lightly coat. You will have to re-whisk/stir if the dressing has settled, as this doesn't get emulsified enough to stay combined. Top each with 1/4 of corn, radish, and green onions.

Attack of the Cucumbers

2011-09-06T11:56:00.001-04:00

When we first moved in to the new house, I was super excited about the little vegetable garden the previous owner had planted on the side of the house. However, she'd mentioned that she didn't think the cucumbers were going to do very well. The plant wasn't doing much more than creeping over half the garden, with no baby cukes in sight.

I was lamenting to Ryan about this one day a couple weeks ago, and then he pointed out about five cucumbers that were ready to be picked, just hiding under the leafy vines. And I found about 8 more babies that would be ready in the next week. Suddenly, we were swimming in cucumbers, and I didn't know what to do with them.

A surplus of tomatoes (the bulk of the garden) is easy to use up - they can be thrown in just about anything, raw or cooked, sliced or pureed. But cucumbers, I couldn't figure out what to do with them, other than slice and dip in hummus, or throw in salads.

For lunch a couple weekends ago, I decided we would make a riff on cucumber tea party sandwiches. You know, those dainty little pieces of rye with cucumber and cream cheese? I made a mix that was a combo between that and tzaziki, and spread it on toasted wheat. To make it more substantial, we added a couple slices of roast turkey, but these could easily be eaten meatless for a lighter meal. The leftover spread makes a great dip for crackers, too.

Creamy Cucumber Dip/Sandwich Spread
(makes enough for 4 sandwiches)

1 cucumber
1/2 c 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/2 c 2% Greek yogurt
juice from 1/2 a lemon
a few sprigs of dill (optional, I had some withering away in the fridge)
salt to taste

1. Peel the cucumber, cut in half through the center. Thinly slice one half; with the other half, slice lengthwise, and scrape or cut out the seeds before dicing it.

2. Mix the cream cheese, yogurt, and lemon, and then stir in the diced cucumber. Add dill if using and salt to taste.

3. For sandwiches, toast up bread and spread one piece with cuke mixture. Top with the thinly sliced cucumber and a couple pieces of roast turkey if desired.

4. Spread will keep in fridge, covered, for several days.

Veggie-ful Pesto

2011-08-30T12:18:00.000-04:00

I am always on the lookout for tasty ways to incorporate vegetables into meals rather than just boring sides, so when I saw this broccoli-based pesto from The Kitchn via Pinterest (seriously obseeeeessssssed), I knew we needed to try it ASAP.

Broccoli isn't available locally right now, but I found that the prechopped frozen stuff worked really well and made this into a quick mostly-pantry/freezer meal of basics (because feta is pretty much a basic in my fridge), and can be somewhat adapted to what you have on hand. This was surprisingly flavorful and the pureed broccoli gives the dish an interesting texture. Be sure to use a pasta with ridges that holds sauce well, like rotini, penne, cavatappi, or even shells.

Sidenote - seriously, why do I ALWAYS want to spell it brocolli? I am a copy editor, for heaven's sake.

Broccoli-Feta Pesto
(serves 4, via The Kitchn)

Locally sourced ingredients in this dish: Blue Jacket Dairy's farmhouse feta
8 oz whole-wheat pasta
1 lb bag of frozen chopped broccoli
1 shallot, diced (or 1/2 small onion)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves, minced, I happened to be out)
juice from 1 lemon
2-4 tblspns chopped fresh herbs of your choice (I used basil and tarragon, as it's what I had on hand)
4 oz of feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 c reserved pasta cooking water
1-2 tblspns nutritional yeast (optional; again, I had it on hand and wanted to up the protein and cheesy factor)
salt

1. Boil for water for pasta; in the meantime, cook shallot and garlic in a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shallot softens, about 3 min.

2. Add the broccoli and a little water, reduce heat to medium low, cover, and let steam for 5-10 min, until broccoli is cooked through. Add the herbs and lemon, cooking for another minute.

3. Once the water is boiling, start your pasta and cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water

4. Using an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor, puree broccoli mixture with half the feta and enough water to get the creamy consistency desired, adding a tablespoon or so at a time.

5. Stir in nutritional yeast if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Either toss pasta and pesto together, or divide among four plates. Sprinkle remaining feta on top to serve.

S'mores Cookies for a Housewarming

2011-08-23T12:40:00.000-04:00

If moving wasn't stressful enough, Ryan and I decided to give ourselves a self-imposed deadline for getting the majority of the first projects done and get the house back in presentable shape by planning our housewarming party for exactly three weeks after we moved in. It meant busy days and some late nights, but it was worth it to get stuff done and have a bunch of our friends (35ish!) come break the house in with its first party.

There were some important people missing from the festivities, but with it being the end of summer, there were weddings and vacations and family obligations and such. If you missed it, don't worry, we've got plans for at least three more get-togethers before year's end. I plan on entertaining all the time now that we have more space and a great patio. I expect you all to come, even if my brother won't be there. (He is apparently the life of the party and numerous people said to let them know when he is in town again. I guess I am not reason enough to come hang out, hah!)

Anyway, I was too busy having fun to take many pictures, but here's the menu:

Pulled smoked pork (done in our charcoal grill!)
BBQ pulled chicken
BLT pasta salad
Pesto potato salad (just a huge batch of pesto tossed with chopped boiled red + yukon potatoes)
Watermelon
Greek goddess dip with pita (will make again to finalize recipe and post)
Buffalo chicken dip (you know what this is and I'm sure how to make it)
Black bean chorizo dip
Ricotta-zucchini "pizza"

And these s'mores cookie bars. When we realized it would be too warm to make buying a fire pit before the party worth it (there will be one by this fall if I have my way!), I was still set on having s'mores. The internet is crawling with various incarnations these days - graham bars with layers of ganache and marshmallow fluff, cookies with chocolate and marshmallows, marshmallows on sticks dipped in chocolate and graham crumbs. I settled on these, which have an easy whole-graham-cracker base and a cookie and extra chocolate on top. Plus I upped the amount of chocolate chips and marshmallows. Go big or go home, right?

Mine didn't look quite as neat as those in the blog I pulled the recipe from - they didn't spread to cover the whole cookie. I think it was due to a combination of subbing in baking powder for the soda, and with me still figuring out the whole convection thing on my oven - perhaps the even all-around cooking leading to a shorter cook time led to less spreading (the times below are for a regular oven)?

These are super good, and were actually even better after sitting out covered in foil overnight. The graham got soft so that when you took a bite, the marshmallow and chocolate-filled cookie just smushed right in with the cracker for a more cohesive s'mores taste. For probably the first time ever, dessert was actually wiped out during the party. Try 'em for yourself!

S'mores Cookie Bars
(makes ~36, adapted slightly from Always with Butter)

11 tblspns unsalted butter, softened
1 c packed dark brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda OR 2 tsp baking powder
2.5 c all-purpose flour
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1.5-2 c mini marshmallows
3 Hershey's bars, broken into individual squares
2 packages (from 1 box) of plain graham crackers

1. Using a mixer, cream together butter and sugars. Add vanilla and eggs and beat again.

2. Add salt, cinnamon, soda/powder, and flour and mix on low until well combined. I found it worked well to add the flour in two batches.

3. Stir in chocolate chips and marshmallows. Chill dough in fridge for 1 hr.

4. Meanwhile, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and place squares of graham crackers (2 small bars/half a full bar) in rows so they are touching. Preheat oven to 375.

5. Using a tablespoon measure, place heaping spoonfuls of dough in the center of each graham cracker. Bake for 5 min. Remove from oven and press a Hershey's piece into each cookie.

6. Return to oven for 5-7 minutes, until cookies begin turning golden on the edges. You definitely want these cookies to be on the chewy/doughy side, so don't overcook. Carefully move cookies on their sheets of parchment paper to a rack for cooling.

6. Using a sharp knife, cut between graham crackers where any cookies have overlapped. Store covered at room temperature.

Simple Summer Sauce

2011-08-18T08:52:00.002-04:00

I get asked quite often how I find the time to cook such good, different meals all the time. Part of it is just making cooking healthy, at-home meals a priority, which is easy when you love to cook. Part of it is planning ahead, so you know what meal you'll be making each day, taking into account busier days in your schedule and planning for quicker recipes those days. And part of it is just having the food in the house. Seriously, if you don't have the ingredients for quick and easy meals on hand, you aren't going to make them, obviously.

This is one of those meals. During my first visit to the Hilliard market a couple weeks ago (Yeah, this post has been on hold for a bit - luckily, because my macro lens is dyyyyyiiiinngg and you'll be getting either poorly manually focused pictures or non-macro food shots for the next few months after this. This makes me sad, sad, sad, and I don't want to talk about it any more.), I picked up a pint of grape tomatoes, and I've always got onion, garlic, and olive oil on hand. I also picked up these seriously delicious fresh, locally made pasta - asparagus almond ravioli - but I'm sure we all keep boxes of dried pasta in the pantry, right?

This meal came together in 20ish minutes, which is about the time it would take me to run out and pick up carryout from somewhere. Prep your veggies and get the sauce started while you boil water for the pasta, and then let the sauce cook down while the pasta boils. With a pile of farm-fresh veggies on the side, it's the epitome of fresh, easy, and delicious summertime recipes.

Summer Tomato Sauce
(serves 4)

Locally sources ingredients in this meal: Wishwell Farms tomatoes, Dangling Carrot Farm onion and garlic, Pasta Ditoni's ravioli

1 qt grape tomatoes
1/2 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c olive oil
salt + pepper to taste
basil, chopped, to taste (optional)

1. Pour olive oil in a medium saucepan with lid. Heat over medium heat, and then saute onion and garlic + a pinch of salt for a couple minutes.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add tomatoes + another big pinch of salt and cook covered for a few minutes, until tomatoes are soft enough for you to start smushing open with the back of a serving spoon or spatula.

3. Turn heat to low, and continue to stir/smush occasionally as the sauce breaks down. Season to taste with salt + pepper, sprinkle in basil if desired, and toss with 1/2 a pound of your favorite pasta. If you aren't using a cheesy filled pasta as I did, you could also grate on a little parmesan to finish the dish.

Zucchini Hush Puppies

2011-08-11T09:15:00.002-04:00

And the new-old house fun continues. Our latest adventure involved disconnecting the old dishwasher in preparation for the new one coming today. Shouldn't be too difficult, right? But, oh no, the water supply shutoff valve doesn't work and once we'd tried moving it, the fitting was all screwed up and it started leaking everywhere. So now I'm home all day without any water until the plumber comes to fix it. (Don't worry, I filled the fridge with glasses of water to get me through.) (And then used one to brush my teeth, because there's lot of worker-types stopping by today so I should probably be half-presentable, even in my pj's.) (Just realized I won't be able to flush the toilets either.) At least last night's more dangerous project - installing a new circuit breaker and outlet with the correct voltage for the stove - went swimmingly.

Let's not leave out that my camera is being fussy. I think it's something wrong with the connections between the lens and body, and it won't autofocus and thus won't take pictures unless I make sorry attempts at manual focusing. I am crossing my fingers the fix won't involve me being camera-less for a while, especially with our party coming up.

It's enough to make a girl wish desperately to go back to the weekend of no house problems, relaxing on the patio, and eating yummy food.

When I saw these veggie-filled hush puppies over at Ezra Pound Cake a while ago, I knew they needed to be made. ASAP. I made a mental note (OK, and pinned it to Pinterest) to keep them in mind whenever we got around to breaking in the grill. They were a perfect side dish with our surf + turf this weekend.

These dirty up a few dishes and are a little messy since they require frying. But the end result? So, so worth it and a nice weekend treat. I couldn't even taste the zucchini and would probably add more next time to sneak in a little more vegetables. Please don't skip the dipping sauce - it made an excellent sauce with a couple bites of the scallops and steak we ate with these, too.

I made a few adjustments from the original: cut the recipe in half, which required a little fudging on a few measurements; didn't have buttermilk, so used a milk + vinegar substitute; used green zucchini rather than summer squash; pan-fried in about 1/2 inch of oil rather than 3-4 inches; and made my own dipping sauce with what we had around. I also couldn't get them to be a nice round shape, but was told that makes them look "more homemade".

Zucchini Hush Puppies
(makes ~18; adapted from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen via Ezra Pound Cake)

Locally sourced ingredients in this meal: Wishwell Farms zucchini, Snowville Creamery milk, Rhoads Farm jalapeno, Dangling Carrot Farm onion, Speckled Hen Farm egg

1 c cornmeal
1/3 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tblspn sugar
1/2 tsp salt
several grinds black pepper
1/2 c milk
1/2 tblspn white vinegar
1 medium zucchini
1-2 tblspns grated onion
1/2-1 jalapeno
1 egg, lightly beaten
Canola oil for frying
sheet pan w/ cooling rack or parchment paper

1. Mix first five ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.

2. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix milk and vinegar; let sit for 5 min.

3. Grate zucchini (preferably using a food process with attachment to save time). Remove to a cutting board and run knife through zuke shreds several times to make them more finely diced.

4. Add squash, "buttermilk", jalapeno, onion, and egg to dry ingredients and still gently until just combined. Let sit for 15 min. (If making full surf + turf meal, this is all done while your grill heats up and then you'd make the salad while the batter sits.)

5. Heat oven to 200. Pour about 1/2 in. of oil in a cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. If you want to be specific, the oil should be about 350-375, but I just test with a little bit of batter to make sure if starts cooking right away but doesn't get too brown too quickly.

6. In 3 batches, carefully drop the batter by big spoonfuls into skillet. Cook a minute or a little longer on each side, until puppies are a medium golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to baking sheet. Repeat with next batch.

7. Stick baking sheet of fried puppies into oven while you finish the rest of dinner to keep them warm and crisp. Serve with dipping sauce (below)

Spicy Dipping Sauce
(makes 3/4 c; will most likely have extra)

1/2 c Greek yogurt
3-4 tblspns mayo
salt to taste
hot sauce of choice to taste

1. Stir all ingredients well. Let sit until serving for flavors to meld.

Breaking in the New Grill

2011-08-09T13:47:00.001-04:00

We finally, finally had a night on Saturday where the house was in good enough shape we felt we could just relax with a nice dinner and some drinks. Which meant we had enough time to fire up the grill.

The only problem? We couldn't agree on whether the inaugural meal should be steak (him) or seafood (me). So we did some of each - NY strip and scallops - and had a little surf and turf action. Sides were easy enough - I'd bookmarked a veggie-filled hush puppy recipe earlier in the week (my adaptation coming soon), and there were tons of corn and tomatoes sitting around the house.

Only one photo this time, and a not great one at that. I was in a hurry, as it was already almost 9 pm and a friend ended up swinging by and stayed for this delicious dinner along with lots of wine and beer and several hours of chilling on our patio (we have patio furniture now, yay!) on what ended up being a perfect-weather summer night.

Here's to many more of those the next couple months.

Surf and Turf with Corn + Tomato Salad
(serves 3-4 (use the larger amounts of steak/scallops for 4))

Local sources for this meal: Oink Moo Cluck steak, friend's garden tomatoes, Saum Farm (I think?) sweet corn, Rhoads Farm jalapeno, Cajohn's Fiery Foods hot sauce

12-16 oz NY strip
8-12 oz scallops (2 jumbo per person)
2 ears of sweet corn
1 large or 2 medium tomatoes
1 tbslpn Greek yogurt (or all mayo)
1 tblspn mayo
1/2-1 jalapeno
hot sauce of choice to taste (I went with Cajohn's Irish Scream)
salt + pepper
smoked paprika
4-6 wooden skewers

1. Light up the grill, and in the 25ish min while the charcoal heats up (so much better than gas!), prep the salad. Also, soak skewers in water. (Side note: if you make the hush puppies too (recipe coming later this week), mix that batter before making the salad since it has to sit for 15 min.)

2. Cut the corn from the cob (I use Simply Recipe's method), dice the tomatoes, mince the jalapeno, and mix together. Stir in mayo, yogurt, and salt and hot sauce to taste. Set aside to let flavors meld while you finish dinner. (If making the hush puppies and don't have someone else grilling, this is the time to fry them; keep them warm in oven while grilling.)

3. Brush steak with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on direct heat for 3 min per side for medium-rare (obvs the best way to eat steak ;)). (If making the hush puppies and you DO have a grill helper, this is the time to start frying.)

4. While steak is cooking, thread scallops carefully onto 2 skewers (this keeps them from slipping around on the skewer, making it difficult to turn on the grill). Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika (optional).

5.Remove steak and tent with foil to rest for 3-5 min. Meanwhile, grill scallops over direct heat for 1.5-2 min per side, depending on size.

6. Cut steak into 3 or 4 pieces. Divide salad among plates and top with scallops, setting steak alongside. Pile up the hush puppies if making those as well.

Blueberry-Chevre Couscous

2011-08-04T14:35:00.000-04:00

I'm still here! And finally getting back to cooking normal meals. We'd planned to grill up the chicken sausages for this meal, but got so busy unpacking more boxes and putting together our patio furniture that it was 7:45 before we realized we should already have eaten. Dinner needed to be quick to fight off the hangrypants (if you've been with me when my blood sugar drops if I wait to long too eat, you know what I'm talking about!), and waiting for the charcoal to be ready did not fit that plan. Cooked on the stovetop, this entire meal took 20 min start to finish, including prepping and cooking green beans, sausage, and the couscous dish.

I started with the blueberry-ginger flavored chicken sausages from Speckled Hen Farms, and had been thinking about what would make a good side that played off those flavors. Blueberries, duh. Maybe mixed in with a grain of some sort? Quick-cooking couscous it was, and the dish was rounded out with some leftover goat cheese I found in the fridge. The salty creaminess of the cheese played really well with the sweetness of the berries.

This will go on the repeat list as long as the blueberries stick around at the market. Try it for a quick and easy side dish this summer!

Blueberry-Chevre Couscous
(serves 4)

Locally sourced ingredients in this meal: Hirsch Fruit Farm blueberries, Blue Jacket Dairy silver lake chevre, Speckled Hen Farm blueberry-ginger chicken sausage, Wishwell Farms green beans

1 c dry couscous
1-1.5 c blueberries
2-4 oz chevre (fresh goat cheese)
salt

1. Bring 1.25 c water + a couple pinches of salt to a boil in a small pot with lid. Once boiling, stir in couscous, cover, remove from heat, and let sit for 5 min. Fluff with fork.

2. Stir in blueberries and little bits of cheese. Season to taste with salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.

New House!

2011-08-02T22:15:00.000-04:00

First time at the house as its owners! Please excuse the greasy hair, no makeup, unshowered look. It was a long day.

I have a great explanation for the radio silence: We've been moving! Six years of money-earning-grownup stuff accumulation translates to a heck of a lot to move. A lot more than moving out of my college apartments each year or than I was ever personally responsible for during my several childhood moves. Packing, transporting down from the third floor, moving, unpacking, cleaning, painting, buying, installing, fixing, meeting with various workmen, getting the allergens and pee smell of six cats out of the house, the list goes on and and on.

Several 14 hour days of physical labor later, including some days that were full real-job-work days followed by nights of work, lots of meals-on-the-run (what? moving-week calories don't count!), plus one minor breakdown over really leaving Our First Place, and we are finally in the house.

But that doesn't mean it's not a disaster. My kitchen is still not totally in order. However, it did go from the scary teetering piles you see from Sunday on the left to the more manageable levels you see on the right today:

I am checking out the Hilliard midweek market tonight, and hopefully we'll be breaking in this bad boy within the next couple days, so I'll have some new recipes to share:

I think it might be Ryan's favorite new purchase for our house. Mine is this:

Until the gas stove for our newly run kitchen gas line gets delivered next week, that is.

Before and after photos (more like intermediates, because many of the big projects won't be done for a year or two) coming in a few weeks, as we have a housewarming party to be ready for so things better be looking up by then, darnit.

If you don't hear from me in a few days, I probably got trapped under an avalanche of boxes.

Send halp.

And beer.

Greek Tofu Toss to Atone for Fun Summer Nights

2011-07-21T09:45:00.002-04:00

We are in full-on summer fun mode around here. This past weekend was out. of. control. We took advantage of the break in heat to spend a rare mid-week evening on the patio at our favorite bar, Woodlands, for a few drinks Thursday night.

Friday was taco truck night, with stops for a carnitas gordita at Taqueria Little Mexico; my favorite, best-thing-ever gringas al pastor (it's a spit-roasted pork taco with melted cheese, pineapple, onion, and cilantro) at Los Gauchos; and a random concoction of fried green bananas topped with fried chicken, cabbage, pickled onions, and some sort of sauce at Merendero Catracho (OK, that one's Honduran, not a Mexican taco truck, but I was curious about this monstrosity and it was nearby). We followed that up with more beers on a friends deck, complete with a living room dance party.

Saturday I did something totally out of character and took my pasty self to a pool party, where I proceeded to get the drunkest I have been in for. ev. er. And then shattered the screen on my iPhone (that was an expensive drunken accident). You'd think this would be all, but no, we still had the Sublime with Rome and 311 concert to look forward to Sunday night.

So what I'm saying is, there's been far too much deliciously unhealthy food and alcohol consumption and not enough sleep going on around here. Add that to me going a liiiiitle overboard at the farmers' market this weekend, and this week's dinners called for being easy and full-of-produce.

I'd been thinking about what a Greek salad would be like minus the greens, plus tofu. I couldn't wrap my head around whether it would be tasty or strange, and then saw that Jenna did something very similiar over at Eat, Live, Run. So I went for it. And I liked it.

This is one of those meals that super easy to throw together (just, um, remember to grease your baking sheet, use parchment paper, or use the silpat mat buried in your cabinet, or doing the dishes will NOT be easy), and deceptively filling for how light it tastes going down.

Eat it, and then pat yourself on the back for being so healthy, and go have another beer.

Especially if your house is beginning to look like this:

Greek Tofu Toss
(serves 3-4)

1-2 packages of extra-firm tofu (depending on how hearty you want this/how many servings)
1 large cucumber
2 medium tomatoes
1/2-1 red bell pepper
1/2 red onion
couple handfuls of Greek olives (maybe about 15?)
2-3 oz feta
~3 tblspns olive oil
couple squeezes of lemon
~1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt + pepper to taste
garlic powder (optional, for baking tofu)

1. Drain your tofu, and cut into bite size pieces. For this, I don't bother pressing it. Place on a (preferably greased) baking sheet in a single layer; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; and bake at 400 for 40 min.

2. Meanwhile, prep the remaining ingredients by cutting the cucumber, tomato, and pepper into bite size pieces (peel the cucumber first), finely dicing the onion, and coarsely chopping the olives.

3. Place everything into a large mixing bowl, and add the olive oil, lemon, feta (crumbled into tiny pieces). Add the tofu once it is ready; mix well and add oregano and salt + pepper to taste.

4. Serve with warm pita, naan, or other bread of your choice to round out the meal. This is even better the next day, when the tofu and veggies have soaked up the saltiness of the olives and feta and tanginess of the lemon.

Travel: Camping and Dunes in Michigan, Part 2

2011-07-14T10:01:00.001-04:00

The first post was getting waaaaay too long, so here is the second part of our fun and relaxing 3 day trip to Northwest lower Michigan. (Please forgive the less-than-stellar pictures; they were taken with my iPhone when I didn't feel like toting the dslr around.)

Cherries!

This area is well-known for its tart cherries, and in fact, it was cherry festival week in nearby Traverse City. Sadly, I never did get to try any actual fresh cherries - we'd drive by a roadside stand, I'd remark we should stop on the way back by, and then we'd either go flying by too quick to stop or the stand would be closed. However, we DID try a bunch of tasty cherry products on our way to the beach Thursday.

At Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor (one of the many cute beachy resort towns we drove through), we sampled lots of cherry wines and pops. Surprisingly, the tart cherries keep the fruity wines from being too cloyingly sweet like most fruit wines (blech!), and our favorites ended up being a straight up cherry wine rather than the cherry-grape blends, and a refreshing sparkling. We also tried the pops, from cherry ginger ale to cherry root beer and of course cherry cola. We liked the again sweet-but-not-cloying taste of the straight up cherry pop enough to bring a few bottles home with us.

We also munched on dried cherries, chocolate-covered cherries, and tasted a myriad of other cherry products - salsa, BBQ sauce, jam, sour gummies. It was touristy, obviously, but something a little different and fun that represents the local area. Recommended!

Wine!

When my trip research turned up a ton of wineries in the area, we decided to spend our second full day doing a little (OK, a lot) of wine tasting. Just like in Northeast Ohio, the wine can be really hit or miss in these lesser-known wine regions. But, I used Chowhound and the wine trail sites to determine a bunch that seemed to promise higher-quality and the drier reds we prefer.

Our first place, Black Star Farms, was a larger, more commercial place, but we did find some pretty decent wines, including a cherry dessert wine I have plans to mix with sparkling and to pour over vanilla ice cream. They also make cheese, including raclette, and have a pretty inn on-site.

The last stop in the Leelenau area, L. Mawby, was by far our favorite of the day. It is an all-sparking winery, and they have a large selection, from the cheaper cuve close method M. Lawrence line ($11-15) to the somewhat pricier methode champenoise L. Mawby line ($20-33), and the styles run the gamut from bone dry to sweet. We had a great experience with a friendly and chatty pourer, a laid-back vibe, and great view (which most of the wineries had in common). We loved everything we were steered to try based on our tastes, and picked up our celebratory closing-day-first-trip-to-the-new-house (if all continues to go smoothly!) bottles there.

On recommendation from our pourer at L. Mawby and seeing it written up in the latest Edible Traverse City, we ate lunch at nearby Martha's Leelanau Table, in yet another cute beach-side resort town. My croque madame (monsieur with the added fried egg) and spinach salad with dried cherries, bacon, lentils, and warm tart cherry vinaigrette hit the spot, and then we were off for more wine!

Afternoon wineries on the Old Mission peninsula included 2Lads (awesome industrial modern building, OK but overpriced wine) and Chateau Chantal, which was another large commercial place that was crowded with tour buses. But, the tasting was plentiful and cheap here, so we didn't mind, although we didn't stick around long.

Next up was Bowers Harbor, a smaller, newer, family-owned winery. I loved their outdoor setting, with the vine-covered pergola walkway and rolling vineyards right by the seating area. There were some pretty good wines here, including two vintages of the 2896, a rich and full-bodied merlot-cab franc that was just too far out of our price range. We finished up the day at Chateau Grand Traverse, where we tried several good, moderately priced wines, and were treated to a couple reserves they don't usually have available for tasting.

With that, we were ready to head out, but not without a stop in Traverse City for a big snack before what would be a late dinner. We had another local specialty, fried whitefish, at Scalawag's. Yum! This was luckily off the main drag, further from the lake, so we stayed away from a lot of the festival/Fourth of July week crowds. Several people told us they love TC, but I think I'll need to come back in the off-season when I won't get so annoyed by the traffic, parking, and mass crowds of people.

And we will be back - I'd love to see this place in the early fall!

Travel: Camping and Dunes in Michigan, Part 1

2011-07-12T17:38:00.000-04:00

We spent a few days last week in Northwest lower Michigan, camping and exploring the area. For Michigan being so close (we can be at the border in like 2.5 hours; it was more than 7 hours to where we were, though!), I can't believe I haven't been in the state since ... we drove through on the way to Canada for a friend's birthday, um, 7 years ago?

The Sleeping Bear Dunes area is absolutely gorgeous. We gladly left behind 90 deg, sticky, rainy days at home for sunny, non-humid, breezy mid-70s (cue the angels singing) up north, and there are plenty of beaches for swimming, forests for hiking, and dunes (duh) for climbing. We partook in a little of everything in our 2 full days (and 3 nights).

Nature!
After a restless first night and late start to the day due to the loud, obnoxious drunkards near our campsite, we headed out all ready for dune climbing. I figured we'd bypass the crowds climbing the big dune and instead hike Sleeping Bear Point Trail, which meandered through less-steep dunes. Then, we got there and decided eff this, we are so tired and want to be lazy today! So we just took a short mile-round-trip climb over a couple "rolling dunes" as the park site called them to the shoreline (where all the sand and lake pictures were taken) and moved on to a less intense "regular" hike through a wooded area that had a fantastic view of the lake from atop a high cliff.

We finished off the late afternoon with some beach time at the quiet and not-crowded Glen Haven Beach, and although it was warm out, took only a few waist-high wades into the frigid water (probably explains the not-crowded part; the small interior lakes were much busier!).

Camp!
We stayed at the Empire Township Campground, one I'd found while Googling for places that would be less crowded with more private sites. First night noise aside (and the lovely manager kindly kicked them out first thing in the morning so we wouldn't all be bothered again, and said she would have done so in the middle of the night if anyone had called her!), it was peaceful and pretty, with the fully wooded sites we seek out to feel more nature-y and to hide us from our neighbors. It is fairly primitive, with pay showers and one flush toilet near the office. This doesn't bother me, as I was half nekkid and crouched down peeing in the trees within 5 min of arriving, but I'd recommend a more modern campground (there are several nearer the dunes) if you are squeamish about that kind of thing; there's also plenty of vacation rentals, cute inns, and a few resorts in the general area.

For the first time in the history of Ryan and Charise camping trips, we made it through without a drop of rain and got to sleep without the rainfly on (yay, view of trees from bed!); it was also less buggy up north for it being the middle of the summer, which is nice.

We spent our nights grilling dinner and then drinking and listening to music while sitting around a campfire for many, many hours, capping off the night with a s'more or two. Reeeeeelaxation! Because this is a food blog, I'll leave you with crappy iPhone photos of our dinners: the traditional steak-and-wine first night (along with grilled sourdough and garlicky spinach); chorizo chicken sausage with grilled peppers + onions, our camping-staple campfire potatoes (recipe below), and grilled corn; and a giant cheeseburger and grilled zucchini + onions the last night when I knew we'd need a simpler-to-cook meal after a full day of wine tasting (write up to come in part 2!).

Campfire Potatoes
(2 servings)

2 large, 3 medium, or 6 small Yukon Gold potatoes
1 medium onion
butter
minced garlic (optional)
salt, pepper

1. Thinly slice both potatoes and onions.

2. Lay out a large double layer of aluminum foil, and begin to layer 1/4 of the potatoes, 1/4 of the onions, little dabs of butter, minced garlic, and salt and pepper. You want your pile to be around 8 x 8 in. in dimension, so it's easy to move around with a grill spatula but flat enough the the maximum number of potatoes get exposed to the heat. Repeat once, and then fold in all sides of foil, overlapping and making sure it's wrapped pretty tight. Set aside and repeat with the second packet using the remaining potatoes and onions.

3. Stick right in the ash area of your wood fire, or right onto less-hot part of your coals in a charcoal grill; rotate (I used the big grilling spatula and grill fork) after about 5-7 min, and then flip after another 5-7 min; rotate again after another 5-7. Carefully remove a packet and check to see if potatoes are cooked through; if not, continue cooking, putting any less-cooked areas closest to the heat. Try not to put the packets over flame, as you may end up with some charred potatoes.

BLT Pasta Salad

2011-07-05T14:58:00.000-04:00

How was your Fourth of July weekend? I have no complaints - cookouts, fireworks, day drinking, parades, ice cream, and we can't forget the annual viewing of Jaws. I've got one day of working from home to catch up, and then we are off again for a few days of camping. This month is going to fly by!

Anyway, I'm sure we all just got ourselves a little grill/cookout/potluck'd out ... but that'll only last a few days, right? We'll be right back to those cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and BBQ chicken and potato salad, dips, and pasta salad in no time, right? Good. Because I've got a little spin on a traditional pasta salad for ya.

I once again knew I wanted to bring a heartier side dish to this weekend's festivities, as it's always good to have more "real meal" food to go with the piles of chips and dips and stacks of brownies and cakes. I settled on pasta salad, but wanted something less tired than the Italian-dressing coated rotini. I wanted it to have tomatoes, since I knew I'd be able to grab them from the farmers' market, and the Oink Moo Cluck bacon in the freezer was calling my name. I put on my thinking cap: bacon ... tomatoes ... lettuce? How about a BLT pasta salad? Would that even work? A quick visit to Mr. Google showed me that, yep, other people had made it, so it can't be that strange. I set about to make my concoction, tossing it in a creamy ranch-ish dressing and throwing in some green onions that needed used up.

This turned out seriously awesome. Healthy? What with the bacon, creamy dressing, and not-real-food-containing dressing packet, absolutely not. So I wouldn't recommend this as a main dish, although you could throw some grilled chicken on it and call it a day. But it IS perfect for a side for a crowd. I did try to lighten it up a bit with mostly non-fat yogurt mixed with some mayo, and it worked great, and at least there are vegetables in it.

Next time, I'll need to make a double batch for a bigger party like this one was, but you should try it out too, once you've recovered from this weekend's eating and drinking festivities.

BLT Pasta Salad

(serves 4 as a main, 8-12 as a regular dinner side, 16-24 at a big potluck)

~8 oz (1/2 a box) dried pasta, preferably medium shells

~6 oz bacon (~1/3 a 1 lb package; 9 slices for me)

1 pt grape tomatoes, quartered

6 large leaves of romain lettuce, washed/dried, thinly sliced then chopped

3-4 green onions, thinly sliced

3/4 c non-fat Greek yogurt (I used an individual serving container of 0% Fage)

1/2 c mayo

~1/4 reserved pasta cooking water

1 packet ranch mix

1. Cook pasta according to package directions in salted, boiling water. When draining, reserve a small cupful for use in dressing.

2. Meanwhile, cook bacon. I like to lay slices flat on a cooking rack set on a baking sheet, and then set several inches under the broiler on high for a couple minutes per side. Watch carefully as it gets close to being done so you don't end up burning it, and make sure the pan is far enough from the heating element that you don't start a grease fire (did that the first time by setting the rack on the closest setting - bad idea!). Or you can just fry it up in a pan. For this, you definitely want the bacon crunchy (I usually like it still pretty bendy). Drain on paper towels, and when cool enough to touch, crumble into small pieces.

3. Again, while the pasta and bacon are cooking, chop all your veggies as indicated above. Then mix yogurt + mayo + ranch packet, setting aside until pasta is cooked, at which point mix in the reserved pasta cooking water a spoonful at a time until you have something the consistency of a dressing rather than a dip.

4. Mix together pasta + bacon + tomatoes + onions + dressing, stirring to evenly coat the pasta. Chill, and wait to add the lettuce until closer to serving time so it doesn't get TOO soggy (I did mine right before leaving the house, about an hour before it was served).

Chicken-Mushroom Stir Fry

2011-06-23T12:51:00.000-04:00

Another night, another thrown-together meal. I am not so awesome at the planning-aheadness lately. I had shitakes from the farmer's market I wanted to get used up, the last chicken breast from a Speckled Hen Farm package sitting in the fridge, some ginger I forgot to use or freeze last week, and part of a bunch of green onions. Stir-fry time!

This is a good intro recipe for people who are afraid of making Chinese food at home. It uses only common items (chile garlic paste can be found in the international foods section of most grocery stores), has a short ingredient list, and comes together quickly (so if you are using brown rice, get that started a good 30 min before heating the pan for this).

Chicken-Mushroom Stir Fry
(serves 4)
2 in. ginger, peeled and minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large shallot or 1/2 medium onion, diced
8-12 oz chicken breast, thinly sliced and cut into ~1 in. long pieces
8 oz shitake mushrooms, stems removed and cut into ~1/2 wide x 1 in. long pieces
~1-2 tblspns chile garlic paste (depending on how spicy you want this)
salt to taste
1/2-1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
vegetable oil for cooking

1. Heat a few tblspns of oil in a wok or large, deep skillet over high heat. Add ginger, garlic, and shallot; cook for about 1 min, stirring occasionally.

2. Add chicken breast. Let it sit for about 1 min to start cooking, and then stir frequently for another minute or so.

3. Add mushrooms, along with soy sauce and chile garlic paste. Continue to cook until mushrooms are soft all the way through and chicken is completely cooked, about 3 min, stirring frequently.

4. Stir in green onions, and season to taste with salt, more soy sauce, and more chile garlic paste if needed.

5. Serve over brown or jasmine rice with a veggie on the side. (I recommend a pile of sugarsnap peas. Fresh from the market right now, they are good even raw with a sprinkle of salt.) Or, you could add a couple handfuls of frozen peas to the stirfry, when the mushrooms are added.

Breakfast Pizza Sandwich

2011-06-21T10:58:00.000-04:00

The craziness of last week continued. We are officially in contract on both our condo AND a new house! We are beyond excited. Our new place is going to be better than I honestly thought we'd find in our price range in our area. Although it needs updated (vinyl flooring in the family room, what?!), it has a layout that is a little different than most of the houses we looked at, actually has a little character, and there's an amazing wooded back yard.

We did take some breaks from the anxiety and exhausting-ness of real estate to have some fun this weekend, including getting rained on at the Creekside Blues & Jazz Fest Friday, and dinner and drinks out with friends on Saturday.

But my appetite is till rebelling. I am a stress eater; I like to say I eat my emotions. So the fact that my stomach has been eeehhhh this last week while I still feel like stuffing it with carbs and alcohol has not been good. I'd get full partway through a meal and stop eating, but then be so hungry soon after my blood sugar would be all whacked out.

I tried keeping things in check by adding in more protein when I could, like subbing an egg- and pepperoni-containing sandwich for my usual oats. I decided oats didn't sound good, pulled out some eggs, decided I wanted a breakfast sandwich, and scrounged through the fridge to come up with more ingredients.

I ended up with pepperoni, shredded mozzarella, leftover pizza sauce, and I grabbed some basil from the window sill. I figured, people put fried eggs on pizza sometimes, and some Middle Eastern countries eat eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce, so why not? For a combination thrown together half-assed, the meal we've since dubbed the breakfast pizza sandwich was delicious, and it's been made twice more since then, with the addition of farmers' market tomatoes. Try it out!

Breakfast Pizza Sandwich
(for 1 sandwich)

2 pieces of your favorite sandwich bread
2 eggs
2-3 slices pepperoni, chopped
~1/4 c shredded mozzarella
~3 basil leaves, chopped
~2 tblspns marinara or pizza sauce
2 slices of tomato (optional)
butter or olive oil (for cooking eggs)

1. Heat nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Melt a bit of butter in pan or add a glug of olive oil, and crack your eggs in to fry. When the whites are mostly set, use a fork to break the yolks and continue to cook until the yolks are partway set (this cuts down on the messiness of eating a sandwich with super runny, unbroken yolk).

2. Meanwhile, toast your bread and preheat broiler. When the eggs and toast are ready, assemble by carefully placing one egg on each piece of toast (I like to place either both towars the left or both to the right side of the toast, so when you close the sandwich, you've got maximum surface area containing a bite of egg), followed by sprinkling on pepperoni and basil. Add tomato next if using, then drizzle on sauce and sprinkle on cheese.

3. Stick under broiler for a minute until cheese is melted and sauce is warm. Carefully sandwich bread together, keep a napkin nearby, and eat!

Let's pretend I had time to make a pretty meal this week.

2011-06-16T12:15:00.001-04:00

It has been a crazy, crazy week. It is unusually busy at work with more time-sensitive projects than usual, and they finally announced my three-months-old promotion; we were also in the middle of negotiations with a buyer for the condo, and got serious about house hunting. Talk about experiencing the full range of emotions in a few days time period - pressure, stress, pride, love, happiness, anxiety, frustration, sadness, relief, excitement. Oh, and sleeplessness. Lots of that. And feeling sick to my stomach (being patient, negotiating, and letting go of large chunks of money - so not my things!). And drinking.

Which means there has not been much new cooking going on in my kitchen - lots of easy no-recipe meals, old favorites, or just plain forgetting to take pictures. I do have this super delicious recipe from last week to share that is probably the best thing I've eaten in awhile. It looks scary with its long ingredient lists and multiple components, but much can be done ahead of time, which would make this a great dinner party meal.

It makes such a pretty presentation - I felt like we should be eating in a fancy restaurant - and the combination of flavors and textures is outstanding. The warm, spicy, and crispy-but-creamy fritter next to the cool, earthy-sweet, and creamy hummus, topped with the sharp tanginess and fresh bite of the salad. In short, it's a vegetarian dish even skeptical meat-eaters should enjoy.

Also, the original recipe called these pancakes, but I mine turned out more in line with a fritter since they are thick, fried, and slightly crispy rather than flat and dough-y, probably because I subbed in different flours.

Carrot Fritters with Hummus and Feta-Sprout Salad

(serves 4-5; adapted from The Modern Vegetarian via Dana Treat)

For hummus (can be made a couple days ahead, will make extra for dipping with pita chips or veggies)

3 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

olive oil

~2 c of chickpeas (~3/4 c cooked from dry, or 1 can's worth)

juice of 1 lemon

1 tbspn tahini

salt to taste

1. Drizzle carrots with oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast on a baking sheet at 400 until soft, about 20 min.

2. While hot, put carrots into a food processor with remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth (this takes a few minutes). Add a little water if the hummus won't smooth out. Set aside or refigerate until ready to use.

For salad dressing (can be made a couple days ahead, or make while carrots are cooking)

3 tblspns champagne vinegar

3 tblspns olive oil

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp honey mustard

salt to taste

1. Mix all ingredients together until emulsified, by shaking vigorously in a covered container. Set aside.

For salad (mix together prior to cooking the fritters, and toss with dressing just before serving)

Several handuls of arugula (maybe 2 c packed?)

~1/2 c sprouts of choice (I used a local broccoli sprout)

couple handfuls of cilantro, chopped

handful of mint leaves, chopped

~2-3 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 c sliced, slivered, or chopped almonds

sprinkle of cinnamon

1. Mix together all ingredients arugula through feta.

2. Set aside, along with remaining ingredients, until ready to serve, at which point you'll want to lightly toss the mixture with a coating of the dressing.

For fritters (make these last, except for tossing the dressing with the salad, so they are fresh and hot)

2 medium carrots, peeled and grated (I used my food processor attachment, can do by hand if necessary)

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, seeds removed and finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp smoked paprika

3 tblspn chopped cilantro

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/4 c corn meal

2 tsp salt

1/2-3/4 c water

olive oil

1. Mix together all ingredients except water and olive oil.

2. Add water as needed until you have a thick batter.

3. Divide into 8 sections, and place four of those chunks of batter into pan with about 1/8-1/4 in. oil heated to medium-high, using a spoon to smooth out into a patty shape.

4. Bake until golden, about 3ish minutes per side.

5. Repeat with remaining 4 chunks of batter.

To assemble:

Place 2 warm fritters on plate. Spread each with 2-3 tblspns of hummus. Top with a quarter of the dressed salad and sprinkle 1 tbslpn almonds and a pinch of cinnamon on top.

Grilled Veggie Sandwiches

2011-06-14T12:53:00.001-04:00

Hey, remember the bread from this recipe? You'll end up with two loaves, and if you don't use it all for the wannabe pizzas, make some sammiches with the extra. I actually made a double batch (4 loaves!) just so I would have plenty 'o leftovers. You can get 3-4 sandwiches out of a loaf, depending on whether you end up with wonky misshapen edges that need cut off for later snack-stealing.

The fillings for these are flexible - use what veggies you like, don't use what you don't like (a different color bell pepper, maybe some eggplant); switch up the cheese, use fresh herbs instead of pesto (my windowsill basil plant was looking temporarily sad after some windy storms). I would recommend keeping the mushroom, as it's the "meaty" main filling. This could also be done on a grill, over indirect heat.

Grilled Veggie Sandwiches
(serves 4)

4 large portobello mushroom caps
1 red bell pepper
1/2 red onion
1 medium zucchini
few handfuls of arugula or baby spinach
~6 oz mozzarella (from a block, cut into 12 slices, and not pre-shredded please)
few tblspns of pesto, or shredded fresh basil
olive oil
focaccia, ciabatta or other flatish, crusty-exterior-soft-interior bread/rolls

1. Blacken the bell pepper over a gas burner or under a broiler if you are unlucky like me and have electric. A couple minutes per side should do the trick, and then set it in a bowl covered with a towel to let it steam. Work on other veggies for a while, until the pepper has cooled enough for you to peel off the skin, then cut out the stem and seeds and cut into strips.

2. Meanwhile, wipe any dirt off your 'shrooms with a damp paper towel. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, and then grill (I used a grill pan; a real grill would be better or even cast iron would work in a pinch) over medium heat until warm and soft all the way through with some grill-mark char on the edges, maybe 5 min per side. Remove from pan.

3. Thinly slice zucchini and onion, brush with a little olive oil, and grill over medium-high heat (want them to get warm and browned rather than mushy and steamed/sauted), flipping when one side gets browned. (Note: all the veggies can be done at once if you use a real grill with ample space.)

4. Slice your bread horizontally to make a roll. If using pesto, lightly spread it on one or both sides of the bread. Then layer on the mushroom and cheese on the bottom half, and the spinach, pepper, zucchini, and onion on the other. Place under a broiler or back on the grill, lid closed, for a few minutes until the cheese gets melty and bubbly. Close up the sandwiches and broil/grill for another minute or two until the outsides of the bread gets a little browned and crusty.

5. Cut in half (these are hard to control when eating otherwise, and serve hot or at room temperature.

Strawberries and Champagne for a Dinner Party

2011-06-09T14:32:00.000-04:00

Ryan was out of town for work this week, so I took the opportunity to invite a bunch of girlfriends over for dinner. But not our usual everyone pitches in something and we just sort of buffet it. Oh, no, I wanted to have a real dinner party, where I planned and cooked an actual meal myself and served everyone at a table. It was a goal of mine this year. I love cooking for big parties and contributing dishes to potlucks, but I very rarely cook a sit-down meal for more than just the two of us.

I wanted to keep things fairly simple, with stuff that could be prepped ahead of time, and no labor-intensive dishes requiring I be standing over the stove with ingredients exploding all over my kitchen while my friends sat and sipped wine without me. I also wanted it to be as local and seasonal as possible. That only sort of backfired - I didn't think the greens would last from Saturday to Wednesday, so planned on picking some up at the Dublin market after work Wednesday. I also didn't think to grab potatoes when I saw them at the Worthington market. But I didn't see either at Dublin. Boo.

We had a strawberry (mix of Crum's and Hirsch's), goat cheese (Blue Jacket Dairy), and almond salad with champagne vinaigrette (olive oil imported by local shop The Olive Orchard; honey from Honeyrun Farm) with a sparkling wine to start, followed by chicken piccata (Oink Moo Cluck) and garlic mashed taters.

To get everything ready ahead of time so I could hang out with my girls instead of slaving away, I: cooked and mashed the potatoes about an hour ahead of time, and stuck them in my oven on its lowest temp to keep warm; while the potatoes were boiling, made the vinaigrette and sliced strawberries and set those aside; pounded out the chicken, seasoned it, and set on a baking sheet in the fridge, and then sauteed them just before everyone arrived, again placing in the oven to keep warm. It was then easy enough to toss the greens with the dressing and sprinkle on the toppings for the salad to serve. Once I'd finished eating that, I quickly made the pan sauce for the chicken, and one of the girls helped me plate up and serve the main dish. Easy peasy! I outsourced dessert and wine, and we were set for the night.

Hey look, proof of my real dinner party, with every one seated around one table. I'm so grown up. Never mind that one girl is sitting on a barstool she borrowed from work and I am sitting on a short stool balanced precariously on four stacks of cookbooks and old textbooks Ryan refuses to get rid of because "he might use them again some day."

Kind of like the two old barstools from his college apartment that he made me get rid of a few years ago even though I swore they would come in handy some day.

Champagne Vinaigrette

(serves 4)

2 tbslpns champagne vinegar

2 tblspns olive oil

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

pinch of salt

1. Pour all ingredients into a jar with lid or a bowl (I actually have a Pampered Chef dressing mixer that is super convenient for making and storing dressings), and shake or whisk to emulsify until the ingredients pretty much stay combined after settling.

2. Taste and adjust to taste. I happen to like the vinegary tang, but add more olive oil if you like a more traditional vinaigrette or more honey to sweeten it up more. Recipe is easily scaled to double or quadruple for larger quantiyies, and any leftovers will keep in the fridge for a week or so.

Strawberry Salad

(serves 4)

~6-8 oz mixed greens

~2 c strawberries, washed and sliced

~2 oz chevre

~1/4 c sliced almonds

~1/4 c champagne vinaigrette

1. Toss greens with dressing so all leaves are lightly coated (don't do this ahead of time, or your lettuce will get soggy). Divide among 4 salad bowls/plates.

2. Top with ~1/2 c strawberries, 1/2 oz chevre crumbled into small pieces, and ~1 tblspn almonds. Serve.

Veggie- and Ricotta-Topped Focaccia "Pizza"

2011-06-07T10:40:00.000-04:00

Another weekend, another cookout. I've been trying to make something reasonably healthy, or at least something that contains vegetables, to take to these so I don't feel like I am overindulging too much. That seems to be a pretty common occurrence (or sign we are getting old??) these days. A few years ago, everyone would basically bring chips and dip, super cheesy greasy concoctions, and lots of desserts to potlucks. Now, we get a lot of salads and other veggie-filled sides.

But I will never give up my cheesy concoctions.

So that's kind of where I started with coming up with what to make for a friend's 30th birthday party. I wanted veggies, and cheese. I was leaning toward some pizzas and decided it would be too hot and humid out so something cold would be better. I ended up with a deconstructed, summery pizza: homemade bread, fresh ricotta, and raw veggies on top.

I topped half the bread and cheese with slices of tomato and a sprinkle of salt (later thinking I should have pulled some basil leafs from my window sill plant); the other half got a shredded zucchini + garlic topping inspired by Jenna's zucchini pizza. Using full-fat ricotta (preferably fresh from the real cheese section of the store, not the prepackaged dairy case) and the best (preferably from the farmers market or your own garden) tomatoes you can get is important here, since there are so few ingredients that each one plays an important part.

It's kind of like a "real food" version of those pillsbury croissant crust + cream cheese + chopped veggie pizzas that remind me of family gatherings when I was younger.

Ricotta and Vegetable-Topped Focaccia "Pizza"

(makes 2 smallish pizzas, enough to serve as appetizers for a party of 8-16ish)

Note: If you don't want/don't have time to make bread, any focaccia or focaccia-like bread from the bakery will work for this. This recipe makes two loaves, only one of which is needed here. I have been making this quick and easy peasant bread for years - it's a great starter if you are scared of bread making!

Peasant Bread

(via Chez Megane)

2.25 tsp yeast

2 c warm water

1 tblspn sugar

2 tsp salt

4 c all-purpose flour

cornmeal

few tblspns butter, melted

1. Stir yeast into water and let sit until dissolved, about 5 min.

2. Mix flour, sugar, and salt; pour in water/yeast mixture and stir until you get a sticky dough.

3. Cover, and let sit in a warmish place to rise for 45 min.

4. Spread a generous amount of cornmeal over the bottom of a baking sheet. Shape dough into two rectangular loaves on sheet and let rise an additional 45 min.

5. Brush tops with melted butter and bake at 425 for 15 min, then lower heat to 375 and bake anothe15-20 min, until beginning to get golden on top.

Pizzas

1 loaf peasant or focaccia bread

~2 c fresh ricotta

1 medium zucchini

1 large tomato

~1 heaping tblspn minced garlic (2-3 cloves)

salt

freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Grate the zucchini (skin still on), using an attachment on a food processor to speed things along or just a hand grater if it's what you've got. Place on a few layers of paper towels and squeeze out excess water over the sink. Place in a bowl and mix with garlic and salt to taste.

2. Thinly slice tomato and sprinke with a bit of salt.

3. Slice loaf of bread lengthwise horizontally. Spread half of ricotta on each side. Top one side with tomato and the other with zucchini mixture. If desired, sprinkle grated parmesan over tops.

4. Cut into two-bite-sized pieces and serve at room temperature. If needed, pizzas can be refrigerated until serving time, but the tomatoes taste best when they've never been refrigerated.

Artichoke Tapenade for Bribery

2011-05-24T10:30:00.000-04:00

It was going to be a gloriously warm and sunny and rain-free weekend, meaning grilling out and chilling outside were definitely in order. Since we don't have that option at our condo, I did what any girl would do - I invited myself over to a friend's place and bribed them with promises of something delicious. No, really - on Thursday, I sent out an email to a group of friends to see if anyone wanted to hang out on Saturday, throwing out a few ideas, with the main one being "Anyone want to have people over for a cookout? I promise to make something yummy to contribute in return."

So then I just needed to figure out what to make. I settled on an app and a healthy side. The healthy side was easy: fresh-from-the-farmers-market asparagus, thrown on the grill and then tossed with lemon juice and feta. For the starter, I was leaning toward spinach and artichoke dip (everyone loves my dips!), but Ryan so smartly pointed out that perhaps something a little bit more warm-weather-friendly (and not in need of a crockpot) would be better. I was fixated on artichokes at that point though, and decided a picnic-appropriate tapenade with baguette slices would work.

It was a hit, even with the one year old, and so quick and easy to make. I did have one glitch - my small food processor wouldn't hold all the ingredients, but the big one wouldn't chop/puree them finely enough, so there was a bit of switching back and forth between the two. Having to clean TWO food processors was not-fun, but hopefully you won't have that problem. Because I realized after that, duh, I could have just done half the batch at a time in the small.

I mixed the leftovers into scrambled eggs in the morning, which I highly recommend.

Artichoke Tapenade

(serves ~8 as an appetizer, enough to eat with 1 thinly sliced baguette)

1 10 oz bag frozen artichokes (or 14 oz jar/can, but I like the non-pickled quality of the frozen, which I get from Trader Joe's)

1/2-3/4 c good green olives (from an olive bar if possible, not jarred; use more if you like things extra salty)

~1 heaping tblspn minced garlic (~3 cloves)

juice of 1/2-1 lemon

several handfuls of parsley

salt to taste

1. Mix all ingredients in a food processor and mix until partly pureed with some small chunks remaining.

2. Taste and adjust seasonings (I kept going back for a little more lemon and salt; you'll need less of both if you use jarred/canned artichokes).

3. Refrigerate until serving, with thin slices of baguette. Also good as a condiment on sandwiches, with eggs, etc.

Local Love: Rockmill Brewery

2011-05-19T11:00:00.001-04:00

Late last summer, Central Ohio got it's own organic, Belgian-style brewery in Rockmill Brewery, based out of Lancaster. I'd heard rumblings of it on the various blogs and local Web site and papers, but didn't get around to actually trying the beers until a pairing dinner at Tutto Vino a few months ago. Ryan and I both really enjoyed the beers and the pairings - the highlight of which was (surprisingly, to me, since I'm more a savory than sweet person) a creme brulee with the tripel, along with the custom cocktail created by Cris Dehlavi, the mixologist at M, using Rockmill's saison and local OYO vodka.

So when a friend asked last month if we'd be interested in heading down for a private tasting and tour, I said SIGN ME UP! On the outskirts of the Hocking Hills, the location is absolutely gorgeous - even in the rain (what, rain in Central Ohio this spring? Shocking!). When we sat down to taste at the big farmhouse table, I had a view of the pond to my right and the rest of the rustic living room to my left. The entryway to the house is the old horse stables (the property was formerly a horse farm), and the rest of the house incorporates reclaimed barnwood (hello, dream house style!). I'd love to go back and explore the grounds more when the weather is nicer.

For the tasting, brewer Matthew Barbee set out an assortment of cheeses, bread + olive oil, dark chocolate w/ sea salt, and kettle-cooked potato chips, just to keep things klassy. I couldn't even tell you which was my favorite (which pairing, that is - the dubbel has definitely been my favorite, whether tasting a young or older batch), and seeing as how it's been more than a month I can't remember exactly what the cheeses were. But I think I remember which I liked with which: there was a creamy, herby French cheese that I liked with the summery, spiced witbier; an Italian cheese washed with red wine that was good paired with the saison, as it's fermented with a yeast strain also used with red wines; an English toffee cheese, which tasted exactly like unsweeteneded cheesecake and was a tasty pairing with the dubbel (as was the salted chocolate); and an Irish cheddar made with whiskey that was great with the tripel. Another beer coming in the near future will be aged in local Middle West Spirit's whiskey barrels (pictured at the top of this post)

A couple interesting tidbits we picked up that night: the sediment at the bottom contains lots of B vitamins, so it's like a little natural energy shot (that's Matthew drinking some of it below). Because there are no sulfates or other preservatives, Rockmill's brews won't give you that morning-after headache often caused by other beers and wine.

Matthew was originally more into wine than beer, but got into Belgians after trying a saison while living in LA. After deciding to move back home, he realized beer-making would work better than wine-making in Ohio, and then his gelogist stepfather discovered an underwater spring on the property whose black-sandstone-filtered water had a similar profile to that in Wallonia, Belgium, home of well-known monk-produced belgian ales. Matt threw himself into making beer, and the results are a pretty great addition to the locally produced alcohol scene going on in Cbus.

After our group of 8 made its way through 8 bottles of Rockmill brews (they are wine-bottle sized and 4 servings each due to the high alcohol content), Matthew gave us a tour of the brewing operation. And it. is. tiny - not a whole lot bigger than some ambitious home brewers' setups I've seen! He walked us through the steps from mashing to fermenting to bottling, and we tried the spring water (most welcome after all that beer!) and crunch on the malted barley and smelled the imported-from-Germany organic hops.

It is just Matthew and his parents in the company, and they are basically producing at capacity right now (especially with the recent collaboration with Jeni's, which has a Rockmill-brew-infused flavor in its early summer ice cream lineup). He hopes to expand soon to Cincinnati and Cleveland, and eventually distribute in Chicago and LA (areas where he has networks from living there previously), but for now, the beers can be found only in the Columbus area. We've gotten ours from our local Giant Eagle and Whole Foods, but have seen them at Anderson's, Tutto Vino, and House Wine as well.

Lamb and Chickpea Pitas

2011-05-12T14:35:00.000-04:00

My mom gave me The Food Matters Cookbook for my birthday, which I'd requested after making a couple recipes for it I found on Mark Bittman's blog. The recipes are so similar to the way we like to eat most days: veggies, whole grains, light on the meat, and heavy on the flavor added by spices, herbs, and sauces. I still haven't finished paging through the whole book, and I've already bookmarked a ton of recipes to try ASAP.

After trying out a few recipes so far, I am loving it. Another thing I am loving? The outdoor farmers' markets are back! I don't often make it to the indoor markets - I have a harder time dragging myself out of my warm cocoon in the winter when it's dark and cold, especially when I know the pickin's will be slim, and some of the vendors I like will only sporadically be there. So I was quite excited to hit up the first summer market of the season in Worthington last weekend, where my haul included asparagus, rainbow chard, hothouse tomatoes, cheese, chicken breast, chicken sausage, eggs, and ground lamb from Northridge Organic to use in this recipe. I am antsy to get to time of year where 90% of our weekly groceries come from the market.

So, the recipe. The chickpeas and lamb were supposed to be "crispy", but even though I left the chickpeas in the whole time instead of taking them out while cooking the lamb, they never quite got there. No matter - this was almost a meat-lite version of a gyro when served in wheat pits with a dollop of Greek yogurt, thinly sliced red onion, and tomato, and something we'll be having again.

Lamb and Chickpea Pitas
(serves 4; adapted slightly from Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook)

Note the First: If you are one of my anti-lamb, picky-eater friends, this could also be made with lean ground beef or even ground turkey, although the flavor profile would lose a little something-something in my opinion.

Note the Second: Anymore these days, I try to use dried beans as often as possible - the texture is so much better, and I can easily soak 'em and throw a pot on the stove the days I work from home - but canned are excellent for convenience.

2 c cooked or canned chickpeas
10-12 oz ground lamb
2 tblspns olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 tblspns minced garlic
zest of 1 orange
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/8-1/2 tsp cayenne (to taste depending on desired heat level)
juice of 1 orange
couple handfuls of parsley
salt + pepper

1. Combine chickpeas and 1 tblspn of the oil in a roasting pan and bake at 400 for 20 min, shaking partway through to turn.

2. Add lamb, broken into small pieces, and the remaining oil, along with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 min, further breaking up the lamb every 5 min.

3. Stir in onion, garlic, zest, and spices and roast for 15 min. Add juice and finish with a final 5 minutes in the oven.

4. Sprinkle in parsley, and serve - I recommend stuffing in warm whole-wheat pita halves with a dollop of Greek yogurt, thinly sliced red onion, and a slice of juicy tomato.

Super-Rich Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake

2011-05-10T13:51:00.004-04:00

This weekend was my master's graduation, and my family made the trip out to attend the ceremony and hang out with us. I knew we'd go out for a celebratory dinner Saturday night, and decided rather than getting dessert at Figlio, I wanted to make a cake for everyone to end the night with back at home. I never got one for my birthday after all, and it makes more sense to have all that sugary goodness around when there are other people here to help eat it!

I started thinking about what kind of cake to make, and surprisingly, decided I wanted chocolate. Chocolate is not my favorite kind of cake, and I definitely don't like chocolate frosting on chocolate cake. So the search began for a chocolate cake that was more rich and dense than fluffy and crumbly (hate!), and for a fun frosting to top it with. I'd originally decided on cream cheese frosting (my fave!) topped with crumbled peanut butter cups. and THEN - I found this chocolate-peanut butter cake on Smitten Kitchen and knew it was the winner. I made the cake and a less peanut-buttery version of the frosting, skipping the ganache topping and adding in my crumbled Reese's instead.

This is a very rich cake. I think we will end up getting at least 20 servings out of it, that's how small of slices everyone has been able to manage. Even after eating dessert both Saturday and Sunday, freezing a few slices for later consumption, and passing along a piece for a friend's birthday, there's almost a quarter of the cake left. Anyone in Cbus want some? ;)

I like this best straight of the fridge, alongside a tall glass of local Snowville Creamery milk (eating chocolate baked goods: the rare occasion that calls for actually consuming milk straight-up).

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake
(serves 12-24; adapted from Sky High: Irresistable Triple-Layer Cakes via Smitten Kitchen)

Note: I made the cake one day, the frosting the next, and assembled the cake on a third, but this can all be done together if desired.

for cake:
2 c all-purpose flour
2.25 c sugar
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c vegetable or canola oil
1 c sour cream (I used Daisy Light with good results)
1.5 c water
2 tbslpns white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
4ish c peanut butter-cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)
about 15 Reese's dark miniatures, coarsely chopped or smushed

1. Whisk together all dry ingredients to combine them, followed by whisking in oil and sour cream. After blending, add in water, vinegar, and vanilla. Finally, beat in the eggs and mix until batter is well-blended.

2. Butter three 8-inch (or two 9-inch, but the height is fun on this one) round cake pans. Cut parchment paper circles to fit the bottom, and then butter the top of those as well. Divide batter between the pans and bake at 350 for 30-35 min.

3. Remove and let cool in pans on cooling racks for 20 min. Carefully invert pans and remove cakes; peel off wax paper and let cool completely (I totally cracked a layer, so be gentle with them).

4. Once cool, wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Or, proceed directly to next step.

5. Place wrapped layers in the freezer for about 30 min (this makes them easier to handle). Place one layer, flat side up, on your cake stand/serving plate. Spread with about 1/2 c frosting. Repeat with second layer, topping with the final layer.

6. Do a crumb coat using a small offset spatula - a thinner layer of frosting to grab the crumbs so the outer layer doesn't get all messed up. Place back in fridge for about 10-15 min, and add the final coat.

7. Top with Reese's crumbles in any pattern you like.

8. Cake will cut easiest straight from fridge (the first day, I left it out for the evening, and the slices just crumbled into bits when I tried to cut and place them). Don't forget that glass of milk. I know from experience that this still tastes good 3 days later, but the cake can also be wrapped in layers of plastic wrap and foil and frozen for up to 2 months.

for frosting:
12 oz cream cheese (I used 1/3-less-fat with good results), room temp
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, room temp
4 c powdered sugar
1/2 c cream peanut butter (Note: the link says to not use natural because of the oil separation, but I used a local natural pb (Krema) without issue)

1. Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until fluffy (I start at a lower speed and work my way up to the medium-high speeds to prevent butter-cream cheese-sugar shrapnel all over my kitchen).

2. Add sugar 1 c at a time, mixing until thoroughly blended, and scraping down the sides as needed.

3. Add peanut butter and beat on medium until fully blended and fluffy.

4. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to frost the cake. Bring to room temperature (I set it out for about an hour) before using.

Delicious Little Bites of Energy

2011-05-05T10:36:00.000-04:00

We usually like to take snacks with us when hiking, and I've also been on the lookout for my quick-and-easy snacks to get me through the end of the work day, or hold me over after the gym until dinner is ready. I threw together a batch of Oh She Glows' fruit and nut bars for our trip last weekend, and they have been perfect.

I love that since they are homemade, you know exactly what's in them - so many granola, protein, and snack bars are full of unpronounceable things, or do weird things to my tummy, or aren't much better for you than a cookie. Just one of these, clocking in at around 100 calories and including a mix of protein, carbs, and fat, is perfect for me, and Ryan likes to take two with for a work-day snack.

I changed the recipe up just slightly by using an actual egg instead of a flax egg and whole wheat flour instead of kamut, adding more cinnamon, slightly reducing the sugar, and subbing in almonds as the nut. They've lasted us a full week, but now it's time to make more.

Fruit-and-Nut Energy Bars

(makes 20, via Oh She Glows)

1/3 c whole wheat flour

1/8 tsp each baking soda and baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 c dark (or light) brown sugar

1.5 c slivered raw almonds

12 dates, chopped (about 1 c)

1 c dried apricots, chopped

1/2 c dried cranberries

1 egg

1 tblspn vanilla soy milk (or milk of your choice + 1/2-1 tsp vanilla)

1. Preheat oven to 325, and toast nuts for 7-10 min, stirring partway through. Watch carefully toward the end - you want some of them to be turning golden, but they'll burn quickly if you don't keep an eye on them!

2. Mix together dry ingredients (flour through brown sugar), and then stir in nuts and fruits, until all pieces are coated.

3. Mix in egg and milk (I found at this point that using my hands helped get the small amount of liquid evenly distributed)

4. Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper, and press the mixture into pan, using your fingers to even it out.

5. Bake for 33-35 min. Remove from oven and, using parchment paper, remove from pan and cool on a wire rack for 15 min. Then, place back in pan and cool in freezer for about 15 min.

6. Remove from pan and, using the sharpest knife you have, cut into 20 small pieces. Store in a covered container at room temperature, where they'll last at least a week if you don't eat them all before then.