Homemade Applesauce

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten's Homemade Applesauce. Love Ina!

Ingredients:

- 1 large navel orange, zested and juiced
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 6 pounds sweet red apples, such as Macoun, McIntosh, or Winesap (about 12 to 16 apples)

note: Ina uses granny smith apples for 3 of her 6 lbs, but I find that this makes the apple sauce too tart. I like to use 4 granny smith apples at the most, and sweet red apples for the remainder of the 6 lbs.

- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup molasses

- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the zest and juice of the orange and lemon in a large bowl. Peel, quarter, and core the apples (reserving the peel of 2 of the red apples) and toss them in the juice. Pour the apples, reserved apple peel, and juice into a nonreactive Dutch oven or enameled iron pot. 

note: When you peel your apples try to keep the peel of 2 of them as complete as possible. Doing this will make them easier to remove before mashing your apples.

Add the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and allspice and cover the pot. 

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until all the apples are soft. Remove and discard the red apple peel. Mash with a potato masher or immersion blender until you have a consistency you like, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy! Delicious with potato pancakes...

Cowan Cowboy Chili (aka: Escalante Beans)

Recipe by: Karen Griffin

I'm hoping not, but I might possibly be murdered for posting this recipe for anyone to see. I wasn't told this was a secret recipe so hopefully I'm not divulging a family secret...
These are sooooooooooo good. I make them for Finn's birthday party every year, and they are, to my knowledge, made every year for the Escalante 24th of July Liston-Pollock-Meisenback-Griffin-etc family party.

You will need:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb bacon
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2, 15 oz cans Pork and Beans
- 2, 15 oz cans Ranch Style Pinto Beans
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 T liquid smoke
- 3 T white vinegar
- 1 small can diced green chilies


Directions:
In a skillet, cook bacon, remove and break into pieces. In same skillet, brown ground beef and onions in bacon juices. Put all in a slow cooker with beans.
In a small bowl combine ketchup, brown sugar, liquid smoke, vinegar and green chilies. Add mixture to ingredients in slow cooker.
Stir well, cook low to warm up. Remove lid after heated to let thicken up.

EVERYBODY loves them. Seriously.

Coleslaw (Paula Deen)

I made BBQ pulled pork sandwiches last night and topped them off with this version of Paula Deen's coleslaw recipe. They were delicious! Find her original recipe HERE. 

You will need:

• 1/2 large carrot, grated
• 1/2 cabbage head
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

Directions:

 Slice the cabbage thinly. Mix the cabbage together with the carrot. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together and allow to stand for a few minutes. Combine the mayonnaise mixture with the vegetables and toss. Chill for 1 hour. You can jazz up this recipe by adding grated or thinly sliced apple, or craisens. But when using to top BBQ pork sandwiches I like to keep it simple.

Mac and Cheese (Carnation Brand Recipe, Pollock Family Favorite)

This is the mac and cheese Jacob was raised on. Now it's a Finnley, and soon to be a Penny, favorite too.

You will need:
- 1 and 2/3 to 2 cups dried macaroni noodles, cooked and drained
- 2 T butter
- 2 T corn starch
- 1t salt
- 1/2 t dried mustard
-  1/4 t pepper
- 1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or cheese combo of your choice, pepper jack is awesome)

Directions:
 Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in sauce pan over med-high heat. Whisk in corn starch and spices until thickened (only takes a few seconds to thicken up). Add evap milk and water and allow to thicken, still over med-high heat (will take 7 to 10 minutes) stirring often. Turn off heat and add cheese.

Pour cheese sauce over macaroni noodles in a 9x13. At this point I like to mix in sauteed kielbasa sausage, and/or add thin slices of salted and garlic-ed tomatoes over top. This is of course optional, but Jacob and I love it.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes (or until tomatoes look roasted and yummy). Then eat and enjoy!

Hash-brown Casserole

After our first trip to New Mexico, Finn and I became pretty huge fans of the Cracker Barrel breakfast.  Our hotel of choice when we visit NM is right next door to a Cracker Barrel, and we met my dad there for breakfast every morning of that trip before we headed over to Grandma's house. My favorite things there are the cinnamon apples, and of course the hash brown casserole. Here is my make at home version. Stand by with defibrillator. (I feel like I say that a lot...)

Ingredients:

- 5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
- 1/4 Kielbasa Sausage (optional), cubed
- 1/4 onion diced

for the cheese sauce:
- 2 tablespoons (unsalted) butter
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk (2% or whole)
- 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
I have an 8x6 in casserole that my sister in law gave to me. It came in a set of three from Crate and Barrel. If you have something that size get it out and have it ready for assembly.
Begin by boiling the potatoes until just tender, as they will continue to cook in the oven. While your potatoes are cooking you can prep your cheeses and start your kielbasa (optional) and onion on a skillet over medium high heat. Cook until the kielbasa is caramelized and your onion is as tender as you like it. Set aside until cheese sauce is done and you are ready to assemble.

For the cheese sauce: melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add in the corn starch and salt and pepper to taste (remember: your cheese will be very salty). Stir together, a paste should form quickly. Add in the cream and milk and stir regularly until mixture comes to a boil. Allow to boil for about a minute, then add in your cheese, reserving some to top casserole once assembled. Stir cheese until just melted and remove from heat.
Once your potatoes, kielbasa, onion, and cheese sauce are done you are ready to assemble.

Add potatoes and kielbasa/onions to dish first and gently mix. Then add cheese sauce and gently mix once again.
(If you are making this the night before this is the point where you would cover with plastic wrap or tin foil and keep in fridge until next morning.)

Pop dish in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, then top with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly. Eat.

Chili, Garlic and Lemon Hasselback Potatoes

A really easy and fun way to eat everyones favorite vegetable. You can peel your potatoes or leave the skin on.

Ingredients:

- Yukon Gold Potatoes (enough for 1 or 2 per person, depending on size)
- olive oil
- Salt and fresh ground Pepper
- Red Chili Flakes
- fresh Lemon for juice
- Garlic Powder
- butter
- Fresh Parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425˚

Cut your potatoes. One option recommended by my favorite food blogger at Sea Salt with Food is to: "place the potato on a wooden spoon, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato and cut all the way until the knife touches the spoon, at about 3 to 4 mm intervals." Or you can do like me and just free hand it. When my knife skills let me down and I cut all the way through, I found that a tooth pick worked perfectly to reattach the potato and held up through the roasting process. See photo below.

Arrange the potatoes on a baking tray. Brush the top of each potato with olive oil and/ or butter, and sprinkle desired seasonings over top.

Bake the potatoes for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft. Top with more butter and fresh parsley if desired.

Sautéed Baby Beans with Artichokes and Green Olives

Serves 4

You will need:

- 2 cups baby beans (or fresh green beans)

- 8 scallions, trimmed to roughly same length as the beans

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 6 sprigs rosemary

- 1/2 cup green olives

- 2 quartered artichoke hearts in brine (aka: canned, quartered artichoke hearts in water)

- 1 tablespoon baby capers, drained

- 2 teaspoons tarragon vinegar (or good balsamic)

Directions:

Blanch 2 cups baby beans in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then drain. Trim 8 scallions to roughly the same length as the beans. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Saute the beans, scallions, and 6 rosemary sprigs for 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Add 1/2 cup green olives, artichoke hearts, capers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 2 teaspoons vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat the vegetables with the oil and vinegar. Pile in a dish and serve warm or at room temperature. A perfect side for a spring lunch or dinner

Sweet Corn and Bacon Empanadas

These are great for two reasons: they are yummy, and you can make them up ahead of time and freeze till ready to bake. Love them for brunch, lunch or dinner parties. They also make great midnight treats!


You Will Need:
- 2 anaheim chile peppers
- 3 strips bacon
- 2 cups fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels
- 1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup diced scallions

-your favorite pie dough, either homemade or store bought

Directions:
Have your pie dough made up and ready to go.
Roast chile peppers over a gas burner or in a hot oven until they're blackened and blistered. Wrap chilies in damp paper-towels for about 10 minutes, until cooled off and skin peals off easily. Peel chilies; discard skin. Slit chilies lengthwise, scrape out and discard seeds, remove stem, and dice chilies. Should yield about 1/2 cup diced chilies.
Fry bacon in a saute pan over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan; add corn; saute over medium-high heat until edges of corn begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in bacon, chilies, cheddar, and scallions. Chill filling thoroughly.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out pie dough on a work surface, lightly floured if necessary. Using a 3 1/2 " biscuit cutter, cut circles from dough; repeat with remaining dough, rerolling scraps once. Arrange dough rounds on prepared baking sheet.
Place 1 T filling in the center of each round. Fold rounds in half, pinch to seal, then crimp edges with a fork. (Freeze if desired.)
Blend one egg yolk with 1 T water; brush over empanadas. Sprinkle empanadas with smoked paprika; then bake until golden, 15-18 minutes.

Homemade Ricotta and Herbed Ricotta Bruschetta

This is a great and simple recipe by Ina Garten. Make it and you will blow your friends' minds! I mean, who makes cheese from scratch? YOU DO! Use the ricotta in your own lasagna recipe, or in Ina's delicious herbed ricotta bruchetta recipe I included below. I made the bruchetta and loved it. It tastes like Spring, fresh and light. I hope you try it out!

Homemade Ricotta
total cook time (including inactive prep): 35 min, Yields about 2 cups

Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons good white wine vinegar



Directions
Set a large sieve over a deep bowl or your sink. Dampen 2 layers of cheesecloth with water and line the sieve with the cheesecloth.
Pour the milk and cream into a stainless-steel or enameled pot. Stir in the salt. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Allow the mixture to stand for 1 minute until it curdles. It will separate into thick parts (the curds) and milky parts (the whey).
Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined sieve and allow it to drain into your bowl/sink at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes, occasionally discarding the liquid that collects in the bowl. The longer you let the mixture drain, the thicker the ricotta.

Transfer the ricotta to a bowl, discarding the cheesecloth and any remaining whey. Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The ricotta will keep refrigerated for 4 to 5 days.

Herbed Ricotta Bruschetta

Ingredients
- 2 cups ricotta, store-bought or homemade (recipe above)
- 3 tablespoons minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 round sourdough bread
- Good olive oil
- 1 whole garlic clove, cut in half

Directions
Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals or turn a gas grill to medium-high heat (or, preheat your broiler.)
Combine the ricotta, scallions, dill, chives, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and set aside. Cut the bread in half and cut each half into 6 thick slices to make 12 slices total.
When the grill is hot, brush the bread with olive oil and grill on each side for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the grill and rub each slice of bread with the cut side of the garlic clove. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread with the herbed ricotta. Serve 2 warm slices per person.

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

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.

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.

Crispy Coated Artichokes

Witness delicious, crispy artichoke hearts atop a simple green salad. (I don't have a nice serving salad bowl, so when I make a salad with dinner I serve it in a pie plate. It works...) I didn't know you could do this to an artichoke heart, but it is so perfect. Crispy outside, soft inside. But lets be honest, when is there ever opposition to something fried (in olive oil, which is totally good for you)?


Recipe by: Sandra Lee (for her show Semi-Homemade)

Ingredients

- 2 (8 1/2-ounce) cans artichoke hearts
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups light olive oil
- Salt and pepper

Directions

Drain the artichokes, pat dry, and cut them in half, lengthwise. In a small shallow bowl, beat the eggs. In another bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, and Italian seasoning.
In a small skillet, heat the oil on medium-high until hot. Dip the artichoke halves into the egg mixture, allowing excess to drain off, then into flour mixture, turning to coat. Drop a few at a time into the hot oil. Fry, turning once, until golden, about 6 minutes, total. Repeat with remaining artichokes.




Serve immediately.

Creamy Green Bean and Orzo Salad (7/6/2010)

I would like to declare a victory for myself in this latest battle of Carissa vs. Blogger. I have been trying for forever to get a certain gadget I have since learned is called a "LinkWithin" to appear on my blog. A huge thanks to Holly at Phe.mom.enon for answering the big question. Now at the end of every post there will be links to similar recipes/posts.
May I tell you all a little about were I am living? I live in an apartment complex called Remmington in Midvale, Utah. I have lived here for almost exactly 3 years. The first two passed without incident, but this last one (and I blame it on the economy, really) has been, as Gwen Stefani so wisely puts it, B.A.N.A.N.A.S.

Incident One: Jacob goes down to the soda machine to get a soda and sees a couple having sex in our apartment pool. I can't believe it, so I walk down to check it out. Yep. My response? Call apartment management. Yuck.

Incident Two: I stop by the Walgreen's located immediately across the street from my complex, and witness a prostitution deal go down involving a girl who looks about 17. And yes, I am SURE that's what it was. You don't just wear cut-off denim booty shorts and fishnets in the middle of winter. Not in Utah (unless you want to be stoned into unconsciousness by members of the Mormon Relief Society). My response? Call 911.

Incident Three: A mere 2 months later Jacob and I are awakened by the sound of fighting. We look out our window into the lot next door to our complex and see two party vans, one white, one black, parked but still running. A couple has gotten out of one of the vans and is arguing. The man proceeds to push the woman against the wall and strangle her. Seriously? I mean, really? My response? Call 911. However, as I am on the phone with the operator I notice Jacob is gone. I then see a flash of white darting across the apartment parking lot three stories below, hear yelling and the exchange of threats, realise that Jacob is downstairs in his underwear and trying, unsuccessfully, to pull the terrified woman over a six foot cement wall. It all ends in the couple getting back into a van when Jacob yells out "I called the cops!" And no follow up by the police whatsoever. I expected at least to see a cop car sweep the lot.

Incident Four: Looking out from our patio across the above mentioned lot we can see directly into someones back yard. They seem to be having a party. Couples, families, and kids are all sitting around when out of NOWHERE one of the guys starts beating on people with a baseball bat. Apparently someone called the cops because they show up shortly there after and begin searching for the guy who Jacob and I can SEE hiding behind a large bush. We can see that the cops aren't able to find him. Jacob drives over there and saves the day! But, seriously? A baseball bat?

If anyone knows of a cool place for rent...

Creamy Green Bean and Orzo Salad, with Buttermilk Chive Dressing

Ingredients:
(for the dressing)
- 2 Tbsp. buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
- 2 tsp. snipped fresh chives
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
(for the salad)
- 1/3 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 1 cup diagonally sliced green beans
- 1 Roma tomato, seeded and cut into strips
- Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:
Whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, chives, sugar, and Dijon in a bowl to dissolve sugar.
Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package instructions. Add beans during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain pasta and beans; cool to room temp.
Add pasta mixture to tomatoes and dressing; toss until coated. Cover salad; chill until ready to serve.

Diamond-Cut Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I love this recipe because it is simple, and looks beautiful! Mine isn't quite as attractive as it could have been because when I made this I didn't have fresh rosemary on hand. Regardless, it is delicious!

Recipe from: Cooking Vegetables, by Joanne Glynn
Cook Time: 40-50 minutes, Serves: 4 to 6 people

Ingredients:
- 3 small orange sweet potatoes, peeled and halved lengthwise
- Juice of 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
- 8-10 rosemary sprigs (or dried rosemary to taste)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Using a strong, sharp knife, make ½ -inch deep cuts in a diamond pattern in the peeled surface, ¾ inch apart. Be careful not to cut all the way through. Place, cut side up, on a baking sheet.

Combine orange juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle all over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle rosemary sprigs on top and roast for 20 minutes. Then sprinkle the slices garlic over top and roast an additional 20-30 minutes or until tender.

Artichoke Risotto

Recipe from: Cooking Vegetables, by Joanne Glynn

I have adapted this recipe a bit. The recipe allows for you to prep your own artichokes. I, however, prefer to buy canned artichokes. I like these:

The keys to a good risotto are patience, and using the proper heat setting. Risotto can take some time to cook and rushing it will leave you with crunchy risotto. Using to high a heat will cause your stock to evaporate instead of being absorbed by the rice, and to low a heat will leave you standing at the stove for hours. Good Luck!

Ingredients:

- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cans canned artichokes
- 5 cups homemade light chicken or vegetable stock (I used canned, of course)
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2 leeks thinly sliced, white part only
- 1 ½ cups aborio rice
- ½ cup dry vermouth (I used white wine, as that is what I had on hand. I have never used vermouth before, so I’m not sure if it was a close substitution, but it still came out delicious!)
- 3 tablespoons chopped mint
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped garlic chives (optional)

Directions:

Cut your canned artichokes into thin, vertical slices.
Heat the stock in a sauce pan, cover, and keep at a low simmer. Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over a low heat in a large, heavy based, non-aluminum pan that is wider than it is tall. Fry the leek without browning for 3-4 minutes.

Add the artichokes to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add 1 cup of stock to the pan, cover, and simmer gently for 10 minutes or until almost all the stock has evaporated. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the vermouth and cook until it has been absorbed. Add a ladleful of hot stock and stir constantly over medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed.

Continue adding more liquid, one ladleful at a time, until almost all the liquid id absorbed and the rice is tender and creamy. This will take 20 to 25 minutes (for me this took more like 45 minutes). If the stock runs out use boiling water.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the remaining butter, the mint, and Parmesan, and stir until the butter has melted. Set aside for 1 minute before serving topped with the garlic chives, if desired.
Note: The stock used needs to be light in color, as well as flavor.

Jacob's Birthday: Tomato and Tapenade Tarts and a White Chocolate and Brownie Torte (for the man who only likes cake when his mom makes it)(5/10/2010)

Here are a couple of recipes that I made for Jacob on his birthday (which was May 4th). I threw him a last minute American Idol themed birthday party. We all dressed up like American Idol contestants/judges from this season, and Jacob got to decide who looked the best. The hands down winner was Jacob's sister Ashley (Crystal Bowersox), who got a box of HoHo's and a box of Zingers. A close second was her husband Jake, who dressed up like Simon (wearing one of Ashley's extra-small v-neck tees). These two recipes were a big success. I also made... attempted to make these cute little chocolate covered ice cream balls. (Not my picture... obviously.)


After hours and hours of ice cream scooping, freezing, chocolate melting, refreezing prep work that started the night before:
...here is the result:
... melted ice cream on a cookie sheet. With nuts.

On a happier note, the un-cake I made for Jacob turned out ok! Jacob only likes the cake his mom makes, when she makes it... and I'm totally ok with that... So I recommend this un-cake to you if you have someone in your life who is not fond of cake in general.


White Chocolate and Brownie Torte
Recipe from: Four Ingredient Cookbook, by Joanna Farrow

Cook time: 14 hours (including overnight “inactive prep”)
Serves: 10

Ingredients:

- 11 oz (300 g) white chocolate, broken into pieces
- 2 ½ cups (1 pint, 600ml) heavy cream
- 9 oz (250 g) rich chocolate brownies (one regular sized boxed package, cooked and cooled)
- (unsweetened) coco powder, for dusting

Directions:
Dampen the sides of an 8 in springform tin (pan) and line with a strip of greaseproof (waxed) paper. Put the chocolate in a small pan. Add 2/3 cup (1/4 pint, 150 ml) of the cream and heat very gently until the chocolate has melted.

Stir until smooth, then pour into a bowl and leave to cool.

Break the brownies into chunky pieces and sprinkle these over the base of the tin. Pack them down lightly to make a fairly dense base.
Whip the remaining cream until it forms peaks, then fold in the white chocolate mixture.
Spoon into the tin to cover the layer of brownies, then tap the tin gently on the work surface to level the chocolate mixture.

Cover and FREEZE OVER NIGHT.

Transfer the torte to the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving to soften slightly.

Decorate with a light dusting of coco powder just before serving. (Ashley as Crystal Bowersox)

next...

Tomato and Tapenade Tarts

Recipe from: Four Ingredient Cookbook, by Joanna Farrow
Cook time: 45 min
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

- 1 sheet of puff pastry (from a 2 sheet package)
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) black or green olive tapenade
- 1 ¼ lb cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup (3 ½ oz) mascarpone cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface, and cut out 4 6 ½ in rounds, using a bowl or small plate as a guide. (I cut my puff pastry in to 9 small squares. My puff pastry sheet comes folded, so I used my folds as a guide. You can also usually find pre-cut circles of puff pastry, but my grocery store was out.)

Transfer the pastry rounds to the prepared baking sheet. Using the tip of a sharp knife, mark a shallow cut ½ inch in from the edge of each round to form a rim.
Reserve half the tapenade and spread the rest over the pastry rounds, keeping the paste inside the marked rim. Cut half of the tomatoes in half. Pile all of the tomatoes, whole and halved, on the pastry, again keeping them inside the rim. Season lightly. (I season my tomatoes with salt, pepper and olive oil before I place them on the pastry. That way I don’t add more salt directly on top of the already salty tapenade.)
Bake for 20 minutes, until the pastry is well risen and golden. (If you cut your pastry into smaller squares like I did, then reduce baking time to 10 minutes.) Dot with the remaining tapenade. Spoon a little mascarpone on the center of the tomatoes and season with black pepper. Bake for a further 10 minutes (5 for smaller pastries) until the mascarpone has melted. Serve the tarts warm.

These freeze and re-cook really nicely. Just place any left over tarts in a zip lock bag and toss them into the freezer for up to a week. When ready to reheat, place tarts on a cookie sheet and cook in a 425 degree oven. Cooking time may very; it should take about ten minutes if you pop them in the oven straight out of the freezer. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.