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.

Marinara, Mo Better

Now, I know I have another marinara recipe on here, and that one was good, until I tasted this one. I still like the other recipe just fine, especially for kids you have a hard time getting veggie's into, because it is vegetable packed. But this one is simpler, with fewer ingredients, and tastes mo better.

This is my go-to spaghetti etc sauce. It is yummy as a basic tomato sauce on pasta, and a great base sauce to jazz up (with Italian sausage, heavy cream or fresh mozzarella). I also use it as my pizza sauce.

It can require roasting your own tomatoes, but only if you want. I combine both roasted and canned tomatoes in order to yield enough sauce to freeze some for later use. I roast about 15 medium tomatoes and combine with enough canned diced tomatoes to yield 10 cups of puree.

Here's what you will need:
- 15 medium tomatoes of your choice
- olive oil, about 1/4 cup
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic, I use about a half clove per tomato. You will be pureeing the garlic into the sauce, so keep that in mind.
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove the stems from the tomatoes and place on a cookie sheet (I line mine with tin foil for easy clean up). break up garlic cloves and push pieces down into the tomato, if any of the garlic is exposed during roasting it will burn. Drizzle oil over tomatoes to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tomato skins brown and burst (see photo below), about 45 minutes.

After roasting, allow the tomatoes to sit until they are cool enough to handle. You will need to remove the skins before you puree the tomatoes for the sauce.

Starting the Sauce:
You will need:

- olive oil
- 5 oz pancetta (optional)
- 10 cups tomato puree (canned and/or home roasted)
- 2 large onions, small diced
- 2 to 3 cups chicken broth, or white wine and water to equal same amount
- salt and pepper to taste
- crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions:
Add oil to a sauce pot over medium high heat.
Add pancetta, and cook until browned (4-5 min).

Add onions and season with salt. Cook onions until soft (about 7 min). 

Add tomato puree along with your 2 to 3 cups of liquid (either broth or wine) and allow to cook 2 to 3 hours.

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

Creamy Artichoke Soup

Sandra Lee is:
a) Hot blond
b) Hot blond with HUGE (fake?) boobs
c) Hot blond with HUGE (fake?) boobs who has proven herself twice thus far with recipes I will detail below.

C! C is the answer, and I am surprised to have ever liked any of her recipes as much as I do. They are easy to make, with no crazy ingredients. This soup comes together in about 15 minutes! If you love artichoke, you will go crazy for this.

Creamy Artichoke Soup

Cook Time: 15 minutes, including prep
Serves: 4 as side dish, 2 as main

You will need:
- 14 oz (1 can) chicken broth (reduced-sodium is great)
- 1 can condensed cream of celery soup (10.75 oz)
- 1 Jar (12 oz) artichoke hearts (packed in water) drained
- cayenne pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup light or heavy cream
- salt and ground black pepper

Directions:
In a blender, combine chicken broth, celery soup, and artichoke hearts; process until smooth.

Pour mixture into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Add cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cream and season to taste with salt and black pepper.





So, yes, I love this soup. Te other recipe I referred to above is for a BBQ sauce that is delicious on just about any meat, from chicken to brisket. You can find that recipe HERE.

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.

Radi-shroom

I got this cute idea from a blog I like called "Be Different, Act Normal." You can find a link to the site on my side bar. It's a girl who reads a bunch of blogs and when she sees something she likes she posts it to her site. I guess she kind of filters out all but the cool crafty ideas. She doesn't even do them herself, but that's ok because I guess reading her blog saves me time...?

I didn't look at the tutorial on the original blog, it seemed like something I was capable of figuring out on my own. Here's how I did it...

First: without cutting all the way through the radish, slice a circle around the middle of the radish.

Second: cut slices from this first circle almost all the way to the leafy end. Don't cut to deep, you are trying to create the stem of the "mushroom" here, and you want it to be pretty sturdy so it won't break off in your salad.

Third: cut a smaller circle at the leafy base connecting the slices you just made.
...You should then be able to pop out nice little squares with the point of your knife, revealing your stem! Easy-peasy!

Now, cut off the remaining red left on the base of the stem.

And cut off the tip at the root end of the radish...

Then use your knife to cut out little circles in the tops of your "mushrooms" and, BAM! Salad made radical. It came out so great that I just about died from high-fiveing.

Salsa! (By Jason and Kelly) and Loaded Sour Cream, trust me, it's good

I'd like to start out by saying American Idol sucks. I will never watch again. I love you Casey James! Muah! (Kissing noise)

Dinner party tomorrow! We're having our favorite neighbors over and I will attempt for the first time ever a whole roasted chicken along with artichoke risotto. And guys, my risotto always seems to stay a little crunchy. This is even after adding all the called for liquid plus some and cooking it for the time called for in the recipe. Is this normal?

Anyway, moving on...

So a lot of my friends have been super fun and supportive of my blogging efforts. My friend Jason sends me pictures via cell phone of all the delicious things he makes. The cool thing about Jason is that he doesn't work from a recipe, he just works with what he's got or can get for cheap. That's just how this gangsta rolls. A few days ago he sent me a picture of this:

"Grilled Chicken and Mango Salsa"

"I had mangoes I got for super cheap, and chicken that was gonna go bad so I went to the store and got cilantro and lime. Grilled some red onions and sliced mango and bam." -Jason P.

Well, bam Jason! You're a rock star. I wish I lived back in San Diego so bad it makes my stomach hurt! I MISS MY FRIENDS! Thank goodness for technology. Keep sending me pictures of your food so I know you guys miss me too.

This next salsa recipe is so delicious and simple! Kelly (of According to Kelly) made it for a dinner this last Easter holiday. It goes fast at parties, it's a great thing to keep in your fridge for snacking (Finn loves it), and it's made from things that are easy to get any time of year and that most of us have on hand most of the time anyway.

Ingredients:

- 1 red bell pepper (small diced)

- 1 green bell pepper (small diced)

- 1 cucumber (small diced)

- 1 can corn, drained

- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

- cilantro (to taste, but about 2 tablespoons chopped)
- Zesty Italian Dressing (about 3/4 bottle)

Combine and toss. Eat with chips or add to a salad. Yummmmm!

Ok. Are you ready for loaded sour cream? Jacob and I stopped at this restaurant called Cafe Diablo ( http://www.cafediablo.net/) in Torry, Utah on our way home from Escalante this last trip. We had never heard anything about it, and were really surprised when we discovered it to be an upscale restaurant with all plates hovering around the $22 mark. In Torry? Seriously? It's claim to fame is being featured in the 1,000 Places to see in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die. Our food was so good, but I think our favorite thing was the quesadilla we ordered for Finn. Homemade tortillas, gooey cheese, and it was served with this crazy good sour cream. I've spent a couple days on it and I think I have it figured out.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup sour cream

- 2 tbsp small diced green bell pepper

- 1 tbsp small diced onion

- 2 tbsp small diced cucumber

- 1 tomato diced

- Lawry's seasoned salt (to taste)

- 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary, finely ground

Mix all ingredients together, but reserve half the chopped tomato to sprinkle on top. Eat with quesadillas, enchiladas, or whatever. I crave this stuff.

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.