Buttered Noodles with Lemon, Shallot, and Chives

I have to fight the urge to start each of my posts with "So, ..."

Just thought you should know.



So...

Last Sunday Jacob and I had some of his family over for dinner. I made what I hoped would be a winner with everyone who came, because they all drive up from Provo just to have dinner with us and our screaming, hyper three year old. And I REALLY appreciate it. I hope they know that!

I made my mother-in-law's Country Style BBQ Pork Spare Ribs. I make these a lot, and have already posted the recipe on this blog. If you are interested, which you totally should be because this is a recipe passed down from my mother-in-laws mother, just click above or click HERE. Easy enough? I hope so.

But man, I wasn't totally sure what awesome thing to serve with them, so I went with mashed potatoes (classic) and I made what I will lovingly refer to as "Escalante Beans." They are so so so good, but this is one I'm not sure about posting on the blog (I feel it should stay with the family). But I will make them for anyone who wants some. They are like super awesome baked beans. (Ok, so I ended up posting the recipe, if you want it click HERE.)

The moral of my story is: I'm not 17 anymore. I can't eat all that heavy stuff for dinner and then wake up the next morning and be normal. I could barely wake up the next morning. But I did, and later that day while watching foodnetwork I saw The Neeley's make these noodles. I thought, "Perfect! And I even have leftovers in the fridge, so I can try it out!"

The lemon and chives really brighten up all the slow cooked flavors of the spare ribs. Real comfort food, (great winter food) and you still feel comfortable in the morning. Yay!
What I really love is that you can make the noodles fresh whenever, because they come together quickly. So when you're eating your spare rib leftovers, they don't feel so leftover-y. Finn loves eating the noodles as they are, without the spare ribs on top. So there you go, 3 year old approved.



Ingredients:

- 1 (12-ounce) package wide egg noodles
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small shallot, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced chives
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water over medium heat, according to the package directions. Drain in a colander and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and saute until tender. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and when melted stir in the chives, Parmesan and lemon.
Add the noodles to the skillet and toss to combine. Serve with Country Style BBQ Pork Spare Ribs poured all over the top, and some additional chopped green onions. Jacob and I have eaten these for the last two nights in a row!! (Jacob isn't normally a leftover person.)

Olive Tapenade

"Tapenade is a Provençal dish usually consisting of puréed or finely chopped
olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil. Its name comes from the provençal word
for capers, tapenas. It is a popular food in the south of France, where it is
generally eaten as an hors d’œuvre, spread on bread.
Tapenade's base
ingredient is olive. The olives (most commonly black olive) and capers are
finely chopped, crushed, or blended. Olive oil is then added until the mixture
becomes a paste. Tapenade is often flavored differently in varying regions with
other ingredients such as garlic, herbs, anchovies, lemon juice, or brandy."

-Wikipedia

You can't always trust wikipedia, but this sounded pretty right on to me. I had no idea what Tapenade was until a recipe I wanted to make a couple years ago called for it.
Keeping it short and sweet:
Olive tapenade is expensive and can be hard to find. Make your own! It's easy, and so very delicious!



Yield: about 13 ounces

You Will Need:

- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, rough chopped
- 1/4 cup green olives, any filling removed (ie, pimentos or almonds) and rough chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Tablespoon anchovy paste
- 1 Tablespoon pine nuts
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture takes on the consistency pictured above.
Tapenade is a spread, perfect for bruschetta, or on THESE:
Tomato and Tapenade Tarts

Homemade Marinara

I'm taking credit for this one. I've made a few different marinara sauces, sticking strictly to whatever recipe I was using. This recipe I claim as my own is really a mixture of my favorite parts of each recipe.



You will need:

- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 small onions, finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 to 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped (it's up to you, how much do you like garlic?)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 (15 oz, or as close to...) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz, or as close to...) can stewed tomatoes, (open the can and give them a rough chop)
- 1 (15 oz, or as close to...) can tomato sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup white wine (optional I guess, but the flavor is insanely good when used)
- OPTIONAL (1/2 cup green olives, finely chopped, 3 tablespoons capers, drained)--these will go with the flavors of the white wine and add a delicious salty bite to the sauce, but I know not all of you are olive fans. That's ok, more for me!

Directions:
Place stock pot or dutch oven on stove over medium-high heat, and add olive oil. Add in the onions, celery, carrots and garlic, and season with the salt and pepper. Allow the vegetables to saute until soft, about 15 minutes. Add in the tomato products, bay leaves and white wine, and allow to simmer over medium heat for about 45 minutes, until flavors marry and the sauce reduces a bit.
REMOVE BAY LEAVES!!!
Grab your food processor and, depending on how chunky you and your family like your marinara, process ladle fulls of the sauce until smooth, and then add the processed sauce back to your stock pot. Doing this will help thicken the sauce. If you want to process the entire batch of marinara sauce then I recommend bringing out a second pot for the sauce you've already processed.
This sauce is delicious with the sweet potato gnocchi (when made without the capers and olives). It is perfect to use as pizza sauce for your homemade pizzas as well.
I promise you will love this sauce! You can pop it in a jar and give it as a gift to your neighbors. It keeps in the fridge for 7 to 10 days, but you can store some in the freezer if you need to keep it longer.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Our friends Bubba and Kim had us over for dinner before they moved to Florida, this must have been a month or two ago. They always make the most beautiful, amazing food for us when they have us over. This particular night they made us Sweet Potato Gnocchi. I love pasta, especially gnocchi, but I had never heard of using sweet potatoes or yams in place of regular potatoes before. That's not to say that doing so is rare, it is just another proof of how much I don't know about food.
Hold up.
Pretend I didn't say that. I know everything about food. Please keep reading my blog.
Anyway, what really blew my mind is how good the sweet, cinnamon-y gnocchi tasted with the homemade marinara sauce they served with it. Below I will post the gnocchi recipe they used, as well as the one I tried. The only difference is that with the second one (by Giada, Foodnetwork.com) you don't spend 2 hours draining ricotta cheese. I am also posting Giada's recipe for Browned Butter Sauce, because this is what she served hers with, and it is also very delicious.
How fun would it be to serve these sweet potato gnocchi with Thanksgiving dinner instead of the generic sweet potatoes with marshmallows?! (Although those are awesome too, which is why they are a classic, right?)
What I like to do is make a triple batch to have some for later. To do this you just make up the dough per the directions below, line up the uncooked gnocchi on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and pop them in the freezer until they have hardened. Make sure they do not touch on the cookie sheet or they will freeze together in a clump. Once they have hardened you can transfer them to a Ziploc bag. When you are ready to eat them just boil them up like normal, they will just take one or two extra minutes to cook up.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
(Bubba and Kim’s recipe)

Ingredients:
2 1-pound sweet potatoes, pierced all over with a fork
1 12-ounce container fresh ricotta cheese, drained in sieve 2 hours
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tbs. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. plus 2 tbs. salt
½ tsp. nutmeg
2 ¾ cups flour (about)

Directions:

Place sweet potatoes on plate; microwave on high until tender, about 5 minutes per side. Cut in half and cool. Scraped sweet potato flesh into medium bowl and mash; transfer 3 cups to mixer. Add ricotta and blend well. Add Parmesan, brown sugar, 2 tsp. salt and nutmeg; mash to blend. Mix in four, about ½ cup at a time, until soft dough forms.

Turn dough onto floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces. Form each piece into a 20-inch-long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if sticky. Cut each rope into 40 pieces. Transfer to baking sheet.

Bring large pot of water to boil; add 2 tbs. salt and return to boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until they float to the top. Transfer gnocchi to baking sheet.


Next, Giada's recipe--

Ingredients:
For the Gnocchi:
2 pounds sweet potatoes
2/3 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/3 cup for the work surface

For the Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
20 fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
For the Gnocchi:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Pierce the sweet potato with a fork. Bake the sweet potatoes until tender and fully cooked, between 40 to 55 minutes depending on size. Cool slightly. Cut in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Mash the sweet potatoes and transfer to a large measuring cup to make sure the sweet potatoes measure about 2 cups.
Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes back to the large bowl. Add the ricotta cheese, salt, cinnamon, and pepper and blend until well mixed.

Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms.
Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough in a ball on the work surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls.

Roll out each ball into a 1-inch wide rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces. Roll the gnocchi over the tines of a fork. Transfer the formed gnocchi to a large baking sheet. Continue with the remaining gnocchi.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi in 3 batches and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the gnocchi using a slotted spoon onto a baking sheet. Tent with foil to keep warm and continue with the remaining gnocchi.

For the Brown Butter sauce:
While the gnocchi are cooking melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted add the sage leaves.

Continue to cook, swirling the butter occasionally, until the foam subsides and the milk solids begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cinnamon, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Careful, the mixture will bubble up. Gently stir the mixture. When the bubbles subside, toss the cooked gnocchi in the brown butter. Transfer the gnocchi to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Nutella Fudge

Nutella is God's gift to men.
Here's how to make your $5 jar of nutella go a little bit farther. This makes a 9 x 13 full of super rich fudge, so think of some friends because you're gonna wanna share. It is unbelievably easy to make. I like to cut the fudge into squares and wrap them in parchment paper. Just remember to tell your friends that it needs to be stored in the fridge or freezer. Enjoy!!!
(I adapted this recipe from one given to me by Jacob's Grandma Vance for plain chocolate fudge.)

You will need:
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 &1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 pkg milk chocolate or white chocolate chips
- 12.5 oz nutella
- 1 &1/2 sticks butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- chopped nuts if desired

Directions:
In a large bowl combine chocolate chips, nutella, and butter.
Combine sugar and milk in a LARGE sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, for 6 to 7 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Pour sugar mixture over chocolates and butter a little at a time, stirring until smooth. Then add in vanilla (and nuts, optional).

Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 pan or cookie sheet. Place in freezer to allow fudge to cool and harden. Cut into squares and wrap in parchment paper if desired.

Williams-Sonoma Pie Crust (for a double crust pie)

This pie crust is so deliciously superior to any other pie crust I've ever had. I should just delete the other pie crust recipe I have from off this blog, but I think it is nice to keep just in case you don't have the 2 sticks of butter called for in this recipe. I just feel like the other recipe doesn't yield you enough dough for a double crust pie, and my border ends up looking weird because of this lack of dough. This crust was perfect (although my boarder still looks weird, but now I only have my lame skills to blame)!

You will need:

- 2 1/2 cups (390 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbs. sugar
- 16 Tbs. (2 sticks, or 250 g.) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions:

In a food processor combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the butter and pulse until pea sized crumbs form, 10 to 15 pulses. Add the 1/3 cup ice water and pulse twice. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers but should not be sticky. If it is crumbly, add more water 1 Tbs. at a time, pulsing twice after each addition.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, divide in half and shape each half into a disk. Wrap separately with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

On a floured work surface, roll out each dough disk into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Brush off the excess flour. Transfer the dough rounds to a baking sheet (a pizza stone works better if you have one), placing parchment paper between the rounds. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Transfer 1 dough round to a 9-inch pie dish, gently press into the dish and refrigerate while preparing the filling.

Once filled, cover pie with second dough round and trim the edges, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang. Tuck the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and press to seal. Cut slits to vent, and lightly brush the crust with egg yolk mixture.

Bake pie according to filling directions, or-
20 minutes at 425, then reduce temp to 350 for 55 to 60 minutes more, until the filling juices bubble thickly and the crust is golden. Cover the edges of the crust with tin foil if they start to brown too quickly.

Caramel-Pecan Pumpkin Pie

The best of Thanksgiving desserts in one pie. Bam.


Prep: 25 minutes, Bake: 45 minutes
Yield: about 8 servings

You will need:
- 1 recipe for single crust pie (make THIS one, and freeze 2nd half for later use)
- 2 slightly beaten eggs
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
- 1/4 cup half-and-half, light cream, or milk
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I doubled this part of the recipe, so 1 cup brn sugar)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (1 cup to double)
- 2 Tbs. butter, softened (4 Tbs. to double)

Directions:

Prep pastry for crust. and have ready. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl stir together eggs, pumpkin, and half-and-half. Stir in the granulated sugar, flour, lemon peel, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Pour pumpkin mixture into pastry-lined pie plate. To prevent over browning, cover edge of pie with tin foil.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together the brown sugar, pecans, and butter until combined. Remove foil. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over top of pie. Bake for 20 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and topping is brown and bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours.

Toasted Barley & Orzo Pilaf

From October 2009 Cuisine at Home Magazine. Serve with Rosemary & Orange-Glazed Pork Tenderloin and Apple-Cherry Relish.


Makes 4 Servings (3 cups); Total time: 15 minutes

- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking barley
- 1/4 cup orzo pasta
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh sage leaves or 1 tsp. dried leaf sage
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; saute until golden, 2-3 minutes. Stir in barley and orzo; saute until orzo begins to brown, 2-3 minutes.
Add broth; bring mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about ten minutes. Uncover barley-orzo mixture and let it stand for 1 minute.
Stir in sage; season with kosher salt and black pepper.

Rosemary & Orange-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Cherry Relish

And I Quote: "This hearty dish highlights a combination of sweet, sour, and savory flavors."

I found this recipe in the October 2009 issue of Cuisine at Home Magazine. They recommend serving the pork with a toasted barley and orzo pilaf, which I did when I made it the first time. It is delicious together, it comes together very quickly, and eating it all provided me an out of body experience. Better than the best restaurant.

For the relish:

- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 2/3 cup dried tart cherries
- 1/2 cup diced tart apple such as Braeburn or Granny Smith
- 1 Tbsp. minced shallot
- 1 Tbsp. minced sage leaves
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

For the Tenderloin:

- 1/4 cup sweet orange marmalade
- 1 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary leaves
- Dash of red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 pork tenderloin, trimmed (18 oz)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Heat vinegar in a small saucepan until vinegar boils. Pour vinegar over cherries in a bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in apple, shallot, sage, sugar, and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Done! Set relish aside.
Melt marmalade in a bowl in the microwave oven. Add orange juice concentrate; stir to combine. Stir in rosemary, pepper flakes, and salt.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season tenderloin with salt and pepper. Place pork in skillet; brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove pork from skillet and place on the prepared baking sheet. Baste pork with marmalade mixture.
Roast pork for 5 minutes; baste again with marmalade mixture. Roast until an instant read thermometer registers 150 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of pork, about 5 minutes. Remove pork from baking sheet, tent with foil, and let meat rest 5 minutes (tenting meat and allowing it to rest will give it opportunity to reach necessary internal temp of 160 degrees). Serve pork with relish.

Another Delicious Pumpkin Bread Recipe

I begged my friend Adriana sent me this recipe. She gave me some the other day and I couldn't stop eating it. I'm not sure where the recipe came from, but she changed it a bit so I'm giving her the credit. This bread is the best if you make a simple frosting (of milk and powdered sugar) and pour it over the top of the bread while bread is still warm. The frosting will harden and add a delicious sweet crunch to the yummy bread.


Ingredients:

-1 cup butter or margarine, softened
-2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
-3 eggs
-3 cups all-purpose flour
-1 tablespoon baking powder
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1 teaspoon ground cloves
-1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Stir in pumpkin. Pour into two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until bread tests done.

Freezing Herbs

Did you just spend a fortune on herbs for a new recipe you wanna try? Does the recipe only call for a small amount of each one?! Travesty!

No, no, no, everything will be ok. You can freeze your leftovers! Grab some Dixie cups, or whatever you have, really, and place in your herbs. Cover your herbs with water and allow to freeze. Once frozen you can free up your cups by storing your herb-sicle in a Ziploc bag!

Tentacle Pot Pie

Ok, I love Be Different...Act Normal! I always get the coolest ideas from this blog, and I have to pass this one along:


The idea originated HERE. How cool! And you could even do this atop your next pumpkin or apple pie!

Razzmatazz

Like every good scene-ster ought, my husband Jacob put in his time working for Jamba Juice. I'm not a smoothie fan in general. The exception to the rule for me is the Razzmatazz, sans banana. When pregnant and nauseous (these two things go hand in hand for me) I find this smoothie to be a life saver. If there is a smoothie you love let me know. I'll get the recipe from Jacob and pass it along.

Yields about 24 oz. of smoothie

You will need:

- 12 oz Raspberry Juice (hard to find, I sub Raspberry Lemonade)
- 2 ice cream scooper scoops of orange sherbet
- 5 frozen strawberries and 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
- 3/4 cup crushed ice

Place all ingredients in the blender and mix it up, honey!


You're welcome!

Santa Barbara

When I go to California, I go to Santa Barbara. When I am in Santa Barbara, I go here (Santa Barbara Pier, see arrow for restaurant):


Which, close up, looks like this:

And where I eat this, on the pier, outside in the sunshine:

And it it the greatest! As far as I'm concerned it's the only thing to do in Santa Barbara that matters.

Muffuletta Sandwich

Jacob and I were road trippin' it on Friday, making the long drive from Salt Lake City to Newburry Park, California. I hate fast food. (Not really, but if I say it enough I am hoping to make it true.) In order to avoid the usual multiple fast food stops I planned ahead. It wasn't just about buying all of our favorite snacks at the grocery store the night before, though I did that. I also wanted to make something that would be so delicious and filling that there wouldn't even be room left for a small order of french fries. Muffuletta Sandwich, mission accomplished. And after I ate my half I had so much energy! Usually I am so tiered the entire drive, and Jacob always makes me drive the second shift.

Recipe by: The Neely's (Foodnetwork.com)Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup mayonnaise

- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 red onion, diced(I used half, and that was PLENTY)
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1 cup diced black olives
- 1 cup diced green olives
- 1/2 cup diced marinated artichoke hearts
- 1 cup diced piquillo peppers(I used a half cup of pepperoncini peppers, it was yummy)
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/3 cup freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Kosher salt
- 1 muffuletta or round Italian loaf (10 to 12 inches in diameter)
- 2 ounces each thinly sliced Genoa salami, hot sopressata, mortadella, and smoked turkey
- 2 ounces each thinly sliced imported Swiss cheese and aged provolone

Directions:

Whisk together the mayonnaise, olive oil, vinegar, honey, lime juice, red pepper flakes, oregano, and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. Add the onion, carrot, olives, artichoke hearts, peppers, celery, and parsley; toss, and season to taste with salt. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the salad to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Slice the bread in half, and pull some of the interior from the middle of the roll to make room for the other ingredients.

Spread a generous amount of the olive oil salad on each half. (You will probably have some salad leftover; it holds for 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator.)

Layer the meat and cheese on the bottom half, alternating layers of each meat with thin layers of cheese. Cover with the top half of bread, press gently, slice into wedges, and serve.

Bruges Pt. 2

Lest anybody should think I didn't actually eat here I made Jacob take me out yesterday so I could get my own pictures (instead of stealing them from their web site.) The machine gun costs eight bucks and some change, and you could totally split it with someone. Jacob and I each got our own and could only eat half. The waffle is $3.50 plane, $3.00 for raspberries and $1.50-ish for whipped creme fraiche. Worth it! The sauce they put all over the machine gun is called Andolouse Sauce, and it is CRRRRRRRRazy good. I wanna buy it and use it as lotion. Weird?

Chocolate Cherry Chiffon Pie

Once again, Paula Deen comes through. Although, I don't think there was enough butter in the crust, it didn't hold together at all. Really Paula, I never thought I'd say the words, but the next time I make this I will add more butter.

Ingredients:
- 24 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (oreo's)
- 2 tablespoons butter (I would use more butter, or maybe double stuff cookies)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 (6 oz) box cherry-flavored gelatin
- 1/2 cup ice
- 1 (16 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 1 (12 oz) package frozen cherries, thawed

Directions:

In the work bowl of a food processor, combine cookies and butter. Pulse until crumbs form. Press into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine boiling water and gelatin, stirring until gelatin is dissolved. Add ice, and stir until melted. Fold in whipped topping until smooth.

Fold in cherries.

Freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

Bruges

Two words: Machine Gun.

This picture is totally swiped from their web page. I was to busy stuffing my mouth to take a picture. The owner is always there, and when I went last he was in bike shorts...totally hot...I will eat anywhere that promises men in bike shorts. Especially Europeans. Their waffles are the best on earth.

Literally.

On the entire planet.

Bruges Waffles & Frites

336 West Broadway
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101

Deep Fried Snickers

Only for those among you who can appreciate fine cuisine. Available at your local county/state fair, or at that sketchy collage students place around the corner from yours.

I had one Wednesday night, and went back to the Utah State Fair last night just to get another one.

If you live in the area be advised that tonight is the last night of the fair.

Also available: deep fried bacon with chocolate sauce. I couldn't quite muster the courage. Give me till next year. And this:

Don't miss out.

Peanut Butter Pecan Cookies with Chocolate Frosting

I'm not usually a fan of peanut butter cookies, but Jacob loves them. He loves any kind of cookie. So, fine. Peanut butter it is. I took a basic peanut butter cookie recipe and added pecans to the batter, and frosting to the cookies after they had baked and cooled. I LOVE them

For the Cookies:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
-1/2 cup chopped pecans
- granulated sugar, or sugar in the raw for dusting

Directions:
Cream together butter and peanut butter. Add granulated and brown sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Beat until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in pecans and flour. If necessary, cover and chill dough until easy to handle.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll into additional sugar to coat. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet flatten by making crisscross marks with the tings of a fork. Bake at 375 for 7 to 9 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For Frosting:
- 1 cube butter
- 3 cups-ish of powdered sugar
- a little milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 to 3 tablespoons coco powder (to taste)

Directions:
Blend butter and powdered sugar together, add milk to desired consistency. Add vanilla and coco powder. Spread over cooled cookies.

Chicken Milanese with Tomato and Fennel Sauce

Chicken Milanese with Tomato and Fennel Sauce

Cook Time: 30 min, Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

- 2 eggs, beaten

- 1 1/4 cups plain bread crumbs

- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan

- 2 teaspoons dried basil

- 1 teaspoon dried thyme

- 4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless and skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed

- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

- 1/3 cup vegetable oil

For the sauce:

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced

- 2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved

- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

Directions:

For the chicken:

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack.

Using 3 wide shallow bowls, add the flour to 1, the eggs to another and to the third bowl combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and thyme.

On a work surface, put the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, lightly pound the chicken until approximately 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly, then dip into the beaten eggs, allowing the excess egg to drip off. Coat the chicken with the bread crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere.

In a large, nonstick saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add 2 pieces of the breaded chicken into the oil and cook until light golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Reserve the cooking juices in the saute pan.

For the sauce:

Using the same saute pan, add the olive oil to the reserved cooking juices and heat over medium heat. Add the fennel and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, garlic and thyme. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the tomatoes are tender. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the mascarpone cheese and stir until the mixture is creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and spoon the sauce over the top before serving.

Leek, Potato and Bacon Casserole

Our lovely friends Andrea and Ben came over for dinner on Sunday night. We had a delicious bruschetta made by Andrea (yummm, bruschetta is one of my favorite things! I could eat it all day long.) We also had COUNTRY STYLE SPARE RIBS (recipe here), fruit salad, and this leek, potato and bacon casserole. When I read the recipe for some reason I thought it would turn out more like au gratin potatoes. I obviously didn't read it very closely. It was delicious, and not totally weird as a dinner side, but if I make it again it will be for breakfast or brunch I think.

Leek, Potato, and Bacon Casserole:
Cook time: 1 hour 30 min, serves: 4
Recipe from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

- 2 leeks, white and light green (about 6 ounces)
- 6 slices smoked bacon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus for brushing the pan
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium red potatoes, diced (about 8 ounces or 2 cups)
- 2 cloves smashed garlic
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 6 ounces Jarlsberg Swiss cheese , grated (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:Preheat the oven 325 degrees F.
Butter an 8-by-8-inch square glass casserole dish. Halve the leeks lengthwise, and then cut them crosswise into half circles (There should be about 1 3/4 cups.). 

Put the cut leeks in the basket of a salad spinner, or a colander set in a bowl, and fill with water. Swish the leeks around to flush out any grit. Lift the basket from water--don't pour the water off or you will pour any grit right back over the leeks.
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and fry the bacon until crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool, then crumble. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the pan drippings, add the butter and leeks, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a small saucepan with the garlic, thyme, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and water, to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then drain. Discard the thyme and garlic and add potatoes to the leeks.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and half-and-half, then stir in the leek mixture, 1 cup of the cheese, the bacon, and nutmeg. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish:

cover with foil and bake until just set but still moist, about 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Position a rack in the upper part of the oven and preheat the broiler. Scatter the remaining 1 cup cheese over the casserole and broil until the cheese browns, about 3 minutes. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Unmold or serve from baking dish.

Larene's Country Style Pork BBQ Spare Ribs (in the crock pot)

Here are the BBQ pork spare ribs I made for Sunday dinner with Andrea and Ben. It is my mother-in-law Larene's recipe, but I made a couple small changes. Jacob loves these ribs, and growing up this was one of his top birthday dinner requests (along with macaroni and tomatoes, which I will NEVER make, because it is gross.)

Country Style Pork Spare Ribs
Cook time *(including prep): 4 hours and 15 minutes, Serves: 4 to 6

- 1 14oz bottle Chili Sauce or Ketchup (I ALWAYS use Chili Sauce)
- ½ cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Mustard
- ½ cup Brown Sugar (plus...and sometimes I add 1/4 cup molasses)
- 1 med Onion, cut any way you prefer. I like big slices.
- ½ tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 cup Water
- Beef Bouillon Cube to yield 1 cup broth
- Tabasco Sauce to taste
- About 8 Country Style Spare Ribs (I usually do 4 with bone, and 4 w/out)
- Optional: 4 to 6 Tablespoons Cornstarch
Optional prep: Season ribs with salt and pepper, dredge in flour and shake off excess, then braise ribs on all sides in hot skillet before placing in crock pot. (Braising will seal in juices and create a nice crust that otherwise wouldn’t form in the crock pot.)

I don't braise them every time, but if you do you will find it adds extra flavor and the flour helps to thicken the sauce.

If you choose not to braise then simply season the short ribs with salt and pepper and then add along with the onions to a crock pot. Mix together all other ingredients (except cornstarch) to create your sauce and poor over the onion and ribs. Cook for 4 hours on high setting. You can serve them at this point, or...

Optional: Remove Ribs from crock pot and set aside. Ladle some of the liquid (about 1 cup) into a small bowl and to it, add 4 to 6 Tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk until there are no lumps. The liquid in the bowl should have begun to thicken quite a bit. Add this liquid back to the crock pot and whisk to combine. Add ribs back to crock pot and allow to cook for about 15 more minutes, or until the sauce has thickened up to an almost gravy like consistency. Serve over Buttered Noodles with Lemon, Shallots and Chives.

Black Bean Soup

Nothing really to say that I didn't already say about navy beans. Beans are good.

So says Zonya.
So say I.

Recipe by: Me (and my neighbor Tessa)
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

- 5 pieces of bacon, large chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- fresh ground pepper (to taste, about 1/8 tsp)
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tomato, diced, and sour cream to serve

Directions:

In a large soup pot or dutch oven cook bacon until done and almost crispy. Add onion. Cook until onion begins to turn translucent.

Add seasoning, beans and broth. Cook over medium heat for about 45 minutes, or until beans become tender and broth begins to thicken. Serve with fresh diced tomatoes and sour cream.

Navy Bean Soup

Scoff if you will, but I am taking seriously the charge given me by Zonya Focco (author of Water with Lemon, and acclaimed motivational speaker). She says that if I eat a serving of beans 4 times a week I will lower my risk of heart disease by 19%!!!! And Zonya knows all.

I wonder if she is factoring in the enormous dollop of sour cream I always add, and the fact that most bean soups call for bacon or some other salty pig product...

I know she doesn't mean just soups, but I've gotta start somewhere. I'm not the type to just throw together a salad (yet), so let me get to that point first before you have me adding those disgusting red kidney beans to the top of it.


Recipe from: Foodnetwork.com
Cook time: 2 ½ hrs, serves 8

Ingredients: 
-1 pound navy beans , picked over, rinsed and drained
-10 sprigs parsley
-2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
-1 bay leaf
-2 large smoked ham hocks, about 1 1/2 pounds
-1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
-1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
-8 cups of cold water
-1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-Butter for garnish (or sour cream, or olive oil)

Directions:
Place the beans in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes; remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for one hour. Drain and reserve.
Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven combine the beans, herb bundle, hocks, onions, and garlic with the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and adjust the heat so the soup cooks at a gentle simmer. Cook until the beans and hock are completely tender, about 1-1/2 hours. (Mine took quite a bit longer than this, about another hour.)
Turn off the heat and remove the hocks. Cool slightly. Remove the meat from the hocks, discarding the bones, fat, and skin. Cut the meat into small cubes. Remove the herb bundle and discard.
Puree about 3 cups of the beans with some of the liquid in a blender. (For a smoother soup puree all the beans.) Stir the puree and diced meat into the soup. Heat the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.
Pour into heated bowls, place a small pat of butter on top of each soup, and serve.
(Or, instead of butter, place a drizzle of olive oil, and a heaping scoop of sour cream. Bam!)