Miso Butter Shrimp

I have not been cooking as much as I would like, as I mentioned on  my previous post.  But, Pinterest has been inspiring!  I see so many wonderful things that people are making, and I get a bit more inspired.  Today, I made a recipe that I found on Pinterest - Miso Butter Shrimp.  I love butter, and I love miso. Why wouldn't I try this recipe? It was super easy, and really good as well!  I pretty much followed the recipe exactly, so I will just recommend that you go to the original source.  In fact, I am planning on using this sauce for other stuff as well, maybe eggplant.  Along with the shrimp, we had rice sprinkled with scallions and sesame seeds.  I find that this is a really simple way to make rice taste special - just a little something extra.  As for the vegetables, we had greens beans, zucchini, and summer squash in the fridge from our CSA box.  I wanted a simple side, so I tried a method I had seen in Martha Stewart Living for Glazed Carrots.  Simply cook the vegetables in water and butter.  By the time the water is evaporated, the vegetables will be cooked and glazed with butter.  I don't think you even really need to use a lot of butter, as it definitely seems more decadent than it really is!  This is a great method when just a simple, but flavorful, vegetable side is desired.

Butter Glazed Summer Vegetables

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living Glazed Carrots, June 2013
Serves 4

1/4 lb green beans
1 zucchini
1 summer squash
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 cup water

Trim green beans.  Cut zucchini in half horizontally, then vertically.  Slice into green bean length sticks.  Add green beans, water, and butter to saute pan.  Heat over medium high heat.  When most of the water is gone and green beans have just turned bright green, add the squash.  Cook until there is no water left, and the vegetables have a nice sheen.  Season with salt and pepper, as desired.

Easy Summer Salad

I haven't been cooking much lately.  I seem to get into this thought pattern where cooking needs to be time consuming and complicated to be good, so we end up going out.  Also, we are lazy about going to the grocery store.  Eating out is nice, but I feel healthier when I eat at home AND I've noticed that eating out can take more time than making a simple dinner.




Funny Face peeking out!

This summer we have a CSA box that we go pick up every week.  So, even if we don't go to the store, there are at least some vegetables in the house.  I threw this together when I got home from work.  I was very hungry, but wanted something healthy.  This salad is so delicious, and reminds me that simple can be so satisfying!  In addition, this meets my need for savory flavors when I am very hungry.

I enjoyed this salad for dinner on my back deck with a nice glass (or two) of wine.  My current favorite - 2011 Chateau des Hospitaliers Coteaux de Languedoc Blanc.  I also had the company of Funny Face, the friendly stray cat that lives under our deck. 

Easy Summer Salad

(serves 1, easy to multiply)

2-3 cups baby romaine lettuce
1 tomato
1/4 cucumber
1/2 cup garbanzo beans, rinsed
10 Nicoise olives (or other olive, such as Kalamata)
1 Tbsp. capers
Shaved parmesan, to taste
Balsamic vinaigrette (I used the recipe found here, with half grapeseed, half olive oil)

Wash and dry baby romaine, but don't chop or tear.  Add to large bowl.  Cut tomato in wedges and cucumber in half moons.  Scatter tomato wedges, cucumber half moons, garbanzo beans, olives, and capers over lettuce.  Shave a bit of parmesan over the salad, add balsamic vinaigrette to taste, and enjoy!

Organized Pantry and The Best Hot Chocolate

I finally got around to cleaning my kitchen today, and I reorganized the pantry shelves. Seeing the orderly shelves makes me feel like all is right with the world, so I thought I would share some pictures:







I have also worked out a recipe for the most amazing hot chocolate ever! I like to eat simple plain toast along side. It is good dipped in the chocolate. This is a thick, rich, not too sweet hot chocolate. It is also really easy and I make it in the microwave.




Best Hot Chocolate

2/3 cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 oz dark chocolate (use bittersweet, not semisweet)
Cinnamon

In a Pyrex measuring cup (1-2 cups volume) add the cocoa and sugar to the milk. The cocoa will sit on top. Microwave 30 seconds. Use a whisk to mix in the cocoa and sugar. I twirl it in both hands like I'm trying to start a fire. Heat in the microwave one minute. Watch it, as it will get foamy and may overflow. Whisk, then heat one more minute. Chop the dark chocolate, then add to the hot chocolate and whisk. You can heat another 30 seconds if the chocolate doesn't all melt. It should be thick and frothy at this point. Sprinkle cinnamon to taste, give it one last whisk, and pour into a pretty cup.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

Well. Let me tell you, this book is fantastic! The author outlines a technique to make soft, creamy textured ice cream at home. It involves cornstarch, corn syrup, and cream cheese. Apparently, the cornstarch and corn syrup prevent crystallization of the water molecules, which makes the ice cream stay creamy and smooth even though it is very cold. However, I also really like the adventurous flavor combinations. I have tried a few so far: salty caramel, scarlett and earl grey, and kona stout. The format is also good. It is divided by season: spring, summer, etc. In the spring, there are favors that use spring fruit, like strawberries and rhubarb, while the fall section has favors like pumpkin, caramel, and spice.

The best thing about this book is that the recipes are actually pretty easy. Most homemade ice cream recipes call for making a custard with multiple eggs, like five to seven. Really, that just seems ridiculous for the amount if ice cream that you get. This recipe base, with cornstarch, corn syrup, and cream cheese, seems less temperamental. My opinion is that if you have an ice cream maker, you need to get this book!

The salty caramel flavor was the first one that I tried. The recipe begins with making caramelized sugar, and then a generous amount of sea salt is added. I thought the flavor was incredible. I will definitely make it again. It is a good stand alone ice cream, and would be nice combined with other sweets to make a more complicated dessert. The recommended pairings are with apple pie (yes!), chocolate cake (YES!!), and rhubarb compote (intriguing ... I love rhubarb though). I also think it would be good paired with something spicy, like cookies or cake. My only complaint with this was that the texture was slightly too much like frozen pudding. The recipe uses cornstarch to slightly thicken the milk/cream/sugar mixture to make a custard. Either I cooked it longer than necessary, or there is too much cornstarch for my preferences. I plan on paying more attention to make sure the custard doesn't get too thick, or else just reduce the amount of cornstarch. I have included the recipe for this one.


The second flavor I tried was scarlett and earl grey. The ice cream is flavored with earl grey tea, and sugar plumped cherries are added after the ice cream is churned. I love tea, and earl grey is hands down my favorite, so I had to try this one. I really liked it. The ice cream is flavored by steeping the tea in the milk/cream/sugar mixture. I used earl grey creme, from Teavana. There is a touch of vanilla in the tea, along with the usual bergamot. The tea gives the ice cream a good flavor, creamy and floral with an unmistakable, but subtle, tea flavor. The cherries were good, but a little sweet. I followed the recipe using dried Mormont cherries from Trader Joes. However, they already have sugar so I probably should have cut down. The sugar keeps the cherries from freezing too hard. Alcohol would also do this, so next time I might cut the sugar and add a splash of alcohol. There is bergamot liqueur, but it is probably hard to find in a store. I don't think that I took any pictures of this one. I meant too, but I ate it all instead. The recommended pairings for this ice cream are chocolate cookies and cannoli with ricotta and chocolate chips. Hmm, I not really sure what I think about the combinations, but I think a crisp chocolate cookie might be good.

The third flavor I made is the kona stout. It is flavored with coffee and stout. I didn't make this for me, as coffee isn't really my thing, but BB was really super duper excited when I suggested it. I used Rogue Chocolate Stout and Dark Sumatra coffee from Trader Joes. This is a very strong flavored ice cream! BB said it was the best ice cream he has ever had. If you like coffee, then you will like this. The stout gives it a nice flavor as well. Even though I don't really like coffee ice cream, I can't deny that this is a pretty darn good flavor combination. Recommended pairings are chocolate cake, black strap molasses gingerbread, and whiskey (what?). We decided it would be good with iced coffee or stout as a float, or with hot fudge sauce. In fact, BB was shocked that there wasn't chocolate in it, but I think the flavors would complement chocolate tremendously. I'll definitely be making this one again, next time BB wants some intense ice cream!


Later this week, I am going to make the lemon frozen yogurt for ME. Other favors that I want to make are: roasted strawberry and buttermilk, toasted rice with a whiff of coconut and black tea, baked rhubarb frozen yogurt, goat cheese ice cream with roasted red cherries, sweet basil and honeyed pine nut, honeyed peanut with dark chocolate freckles, roasted pumpkin five spice, maple with salty buttered nuts, sweet potato with torched marshmallows, wild berry lavender, gooey butter cake, tres leches, grapefruit hibiscus frozen yogurt ... Ok, that is not even all of the favors I want to make! It is getting to be summer, and it looks like there is going to be a lot of ice cream in my future.

Salty Caramel Ice Cream

2 cups whole milk
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 oz cream cheese (3Tbsp)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

PREP
Mix about 2 Tbsp of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Mix the cream with the corn syrup in a measuring cup with a spout. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

COOK
Heat the sugar in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat until it is melted and golden amber in color. Remove from the heat and, stirring constantly, slowly add a bit of the cream and corn syrup mixture to the caramel: it will fizzle, pop, and spurt. Stir until well combined, then add a little more and stir. Keep adding the cream a little at a time until all of it is incorporated.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and add the milk. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.

Bring back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. If any caramel flecks remain, pour the mixture through a sieve.

CHILL
Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

FREEZE
Pour into frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy. Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Make This And Make It Tonight!

This salad dressing is easy, and delicious. I would call it a version of honey mustard. I made it less acidic with more oil and some aioli, and there was no heartburn later :)

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
4 Tbsp. sunflower oil
1-2 Tbsp. mustard aioli (from Trader Joe's, sub half Dijon mustard and half mayonnaise)
2 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

Mix all together. Whisk if you want. I added it all to a jar, put the lid on, and gave it a good shake. This is enough for a bag of mixed greens.

Salad Week

I have decided that it is time for salad week. I just got back from a vacation. I ate a lot of good food and a lot of dessert. So now, I feel the need for salad. A whole week with salads for dinner each night. But there are some rules, of course. These salads must be greens based - some form of greens must make up a majority of the salad. Also, I want to branch out beyond my normal staples of spinach and red leaf lettuce. Therefore, a different green base each day. Some greens that I don't use as much are chicory, arugula, endive, seaweed, radicchio, watercress, and mâché. Oh, cabbage would also count! I also think that there should be a significant portion of raw veggies. A cooked component is fine, but it cannot be the major component.

Here is my planned menu, in no particular order:

1) Taco Salad - the childhood classic version I grew up with that includes Mexican black eyed peas and my staple red leaf lettuce. With tortilla chips, avocado, and lots of cilantro!

2) Chinese Tofu Salad - from my blog recipe, maybe with a mix of cabbage and romaine. Just to shake things up a bit. And watercress, if I can find it.

3) Seaweed Salad - from Mark Bitman's cookbook and served with cucumber, avocado, and maybe a rice ball rolled in sesame seeds.

4) Salad Rolls - with spinach, carrots, avocado, and an herb explosion, or as close as I can get to an herb explosion in early March (basil, cilantro, uh ... I guess we will see how the new Whole Foods is). Oh, and peanut sauce. Yeah, definitely peanut sauce. You know, for protein!

5) Lentil Salad - French Lentil Salad with Caramelized Balsamic Vinaigrette from Vegetarian Planet, to be exact. I know, I know, this is a lentil salad, and I specified a salad based in greens. Well, what I will do is serve a nice spoonful of this salad on a bed of greens. Probably butter lettuce or something suitably delicate. Maybe with some good cheese on the side, like brie. Or chèvre, my seemingly eternal favorite.

6) Endive and Citrus - this is a salad I made up. Well, made up based on a salad I ate at a restaurant. It is sliced endive with bell pepper and orange segments in an orange cilantro vinaigrette. I'm still wondering what would be good to add to make it feel like more of a meal. Avocado? Wait, I can't eat avocado with my salad four days in one week ... or can I? I am considering incorporating wild rice, making it a wild rice, endive, and citrus salad. We'll see how I feel.

7) Something with escarole. I need to look up recipes.

Weekends are for Eating!

I had a pretty good weekend, food wise. I started off my Saturday by baking Carrot-Pineapple Sunshine Muffins, from Veganomicon. Although my version wasn't vegan, since I used dairy yogurt instead of the soy yogurt called for in the recipes. They were so good! Filled with pineapple, carrots, and raisins with orange and vanilla flavoring. The only thing I might change in the future is to add walnuts.


Today for breakfast, I made a copy of something I had at La Provence Bakery and Restaurant in Portland with my sister and her fiancé. So delicious!

Meurette Benedict

1 onion, thinly slice
2 portobello mushrooms, cut in half then sliced thinly
Olive oil
1Tbsp tomato paste
1-2 cups red wine
2 eggs
2 crossoints

Sautee the onions in olive oil. When they are starting to caramelize, add the mushrooms. Sautee 5 min, then add the red wine. Let the red wine reduce. When it has reduced by half, divide the mushrooms and onions inhale, and make a well in each half. Crack and egg in each well, then cover trepan. Let cook until the eggs are done however you like them. Alternatively, you could poach them, but I don't really know how so this is what I did. Serve with the crossoints. I used the frozen ones from Trader Joe's and they were good.

Just a little something I threw together

Rustic Vegetable Tart

First, start an onion caramelizing in butter and olive oil. I cut the onion in half then sliced thinly crosswise. Add a bit of dried thyme. Set aside when they are done.

While the onions are cooking, make the crust:

1/2 c. Whole wheat flour
1/2 c. White flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Dried thyme
7 Tbs. Butter, in small cubes and very cold.
1 egg yolk
3 Tbs. Water, more if necessary

In a food processor, pulse together the flours, salt, garlic powder, and thyme. Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture looks like cornmeal but with some bigger pieces. Beat the egg yolk with 3 Tbs. Water, and pour into the flour mixture while the food processor is running. The dough should hold together when you squeeze it. Form into a ball, and put in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, slice up the mushrooms. I used baby Portabella. Add to a pan with 1 Tbs. butter. Sautee for awhile, then deglaze with white wine. Set aside.

Sautee the asparagus, but only until about halfway done. They will finish cooking in the oven.

Now, it is time to assemble. Roll the dough out. I rolled it out on a silpat, then I didn't have to transfer to the cookie sheet, just moved the silpat. Make a 12 inch or so circle. Lay the onions in the middle, up to about 2-3 inches from the edge. Put the mushrooms on top. Add some cheese. I used St. Nectare, approximately 3 ounces, sliced. Arrange the asparagus on top. Fold up the edges of the crust and pinch together. Bake at 425 for 20-30 minutes. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing. I would say this serves 2, or 4 with a side salad or something.


I did just throw this together after work. It is actually less complicated than it sounds. I multitasked, and had two sautee pans going (one for the onions, one for the mushrooms). The crust is really good, you should try this!

Caramelized French Toast

I love brunch! I need to eat brunch more. I didn't exactly have brunch yesterday, but we got up late and I said, how about waffles? BB said, meh, so I suggested french toast. French toast was well received, so I got out How To Cook Everything Vegetarian, my trusty cookbook by Mark Bitman. We had some whole wheat Tuscan pane from Trader Joe's, which I thought would make great french toast. I looked up the recipe, and saw one of the variations ... caramelized french toast.





I had to make it! And it was delicious. Simple too, just sprinkle sugar (I used raw sugar) on the dipped slices before you put in the pan. The sugar caramelizes into the custard and form a slightly crunchy outer layer. We ate it with butter and a bit of maple syrup. I am definitely going to make this again, all I need is some people to come over for brunch!





I also made some pretty good pasta the other day using orrichetti. I think the translation is "little ears," but I think they look more like those little popper toys. Anyhow, I just sauteed up an onion with sliced baby Portabella mushrooms and some sliced fake italian sausage. When it was all browned, I deglazed with a generous amount of red wine. Then, I added some spinach, some pasta cooking water, and covered. When I added the pasta, I added a bit more of the cooking water and mixed it all together. It was really good, and pretty hearty as well.





The cast iron pan was really important for BOTH of these dishes. I love mine!

I wish that I was a recipe tester for cookbooks

What a great job ... stay home, cook new recipes and then give your opinion. I got two new cookbooks recently: Veganomicon and Flour. Both are really great so far. Flour was my souvenir from my trip to Boston in March, so it is extra special.

So far, I have made a few recipes from both books. From Veganomicon, the first recipes I tried were Grilled Portobello Mushrooms and Lemony Roasted Potatoes. However, there are no pictures of the final product because I forgot due to extreme hunger (dinner at 11:00 pm, damn you Philadelphia International Airport!). The mushroom recipe called for sherry, but all I had was Marsala. I think sherry would be better, so I will get some next time I make these. And the potatoes - so delicious! Basically, cut potatoes into wedges and bake with olive oil, garlic, lots of lemon juice, and herbs. I like lemon recipes that don't skimp on lemon and have a powerful punch and this one sure does!





The second thing I made was Chickpea Cutlets with Mustard Sauce. I was especially excited for this, since I know BB loves these "meaty" recipes. It is interesting because you mixed mashed chickpeas with savory seasonings, breadcrumbs, and wheat gluten (what makes Seitan). They are really good and really easy. Not too difficult to make after a long day at work. I can also see many useful applications (basically could substitute for a chicken cutlet in any recipe). The mustard sauce is good. Definitely for mustard lovers! It also has capers, which is a plus in my book. We put capers in a lot of stuff. Probably go through a jar every month or two. The only thing I would change is to add less thickener (flour or cornstarch). I like my sauces not so thick, I guess. Both worth making again. We ate them with the leftover Lemony Roasted Potatoes. They are good leftover too.


The next think I made was Chickpeas Romesco and Saffron Garlic Rice. Romesco sauce is made with tomatoes, roasted peppers, and ground almonds. Very tasty indeed. We ate with a nice salad and green beans sauted in orange butter. More recipes worth making again.


I am looking forward to making more healthy and delicious food from this book. But I also bought Flour, a baking book. I didn't actually go to the bakery in Boston, but I've been interested ever since I saw the author beat Bobby Flay in the showdown show. I've tried two things from the book. I bought a pineapple to make the pineapple upside down cake, but got lazy and the pineapple got, well, too ripe. I did make my own creme fraiche (just add 2 Tbs of buttermilk to 2 cups of cream and let sit at room temperature overnight. I stuck mine in the microwave so my bad kitties wouldn't get into it!). I did, however, make maple scones. They have oat, pecans, and raisins. How could I not like these? Really easy and really good. I might incorporate whole wheat flour next time to feel less guilty. They have lots of butter, cream, and eggs.


I also made blueberry muffins. Now, I usually use the recipe my Mom always made but I wanted to use that creme fraiche I had made for the pineapple upside down cake that I didn't make. I also had blueberries that weren't going to make it much longer, so blueberry muffins were the only logical choice. These also have cream, in the form of the creme fraiche, butter, eggs, and white flour. But, wow, they are so good! Not everyday breakfast muffins. More like dessert or brunch muffins. This was actually a variation of the recipe. The main recipes is raspberry rhubarb muffins. Hmm, I think it is almost rhubarb season!


There are may more recipes I want to try from this book, like eclairs, lemon raspberry cake, lemony lemon bars, and cheddar scallion scones to name a few. I guess it depends on my motivation and how tight my pants get.

Staples

Everyone has a few different recipes that they make again and again. Here are two of my staples: Quinoa Salad with Lime Dressing and Avocado Sandwich

Quinoa Salad with Lime Dressing

When I lived in California, I used to get the black bean quinoa salad from Rainbow Bridge in Ojai. This recipe is the best I have found to recreate what I used to get. In fact, it might even be better!

First, make the lime soy dressing (recipe from The New Soy Cookbook). Start the quinoa cooking. Add I can black beans, rinsed, to a large bowl. Dice 1 bell pepper, preferably red, and add to the bowl. Dice half a red onion and add to bowl. Add some corn. Frozen, thawed is fine but fresh would be good also. Maybe 1-2 cups. When the quinoa is done, add 2 cups or so to the bowl and mix. Drizzle over 1/2-3/4 cup of the dressing, and extra lime juice, if desired. When it has cooled down a bit, add chopped cilantro to taste. I add the whole bunch. That's it! It makes a great lunch to take to work and a great dinner when it is to hot out to really cook.

Lime Soy Dressing

1/2 c. lime juice
1/3 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. mustard (brown or Dijon)

Mix all ingredients. I add to a jar, put on the lid, and shake it up.


There are some modification ideas I have been thinking about. I want to try using marinated red onions, or a red onion pickle. This might be better for a dish to take to work for lunch, as it will take the edge off the raw onions. Cucumbers and tomatoes would be a good addition, especially in summer when local tomatoes are available. In that case, I would chop the tomatoes and cucumber and add separately the day I was going to eat it.

Another staple of mine is the Avocado Sandwich. I don't know why I make them this way, I just do and have since I can remember. People out here on the east coast often wonder what to do with avocados besides guacamole. Well, this is one of the things that I do!

Avocado Sandwich

2 slices whole wheat bread
1 ripe avocado
Mayonnaise
Lemon pepper
I lemon

Toast the bread. It must be whole wheat; it needs to be substantial enough to hold up to the avocado and I think that the nutty flavor of the whole wheat compliments the avocado. Cut the avocado in half, peel the skin, and slice. Spread mayonnaise on the toast. I know, it seems silly to add mayonnaise when you are using avocado, but it is delicious this way! Lay the slices of half the avocado on one slice of toast. Mash with a fork. Add lemon pepper and squeeze half the lemon over the avocado. Do this for both pieces of toast, and eat!

Enchiladas

I made these a few weeks ago when we had some friends over for dinner. I wasn't sure what to use as a filling, so I tried this spinach-mushroom combination. It turned out really good! I also made frijoles and my version of spanish rice.



Spinach Portabella Enchiladas

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion (Chopped)
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Marjoram
2 Portabella Mushrooms
16 Ounces Spinach
2 Cups Jack Chesse (shredded)
12 Corn Tortillas
3 - 3 1/2 Cups Enchilada Sauce

Sautee onions in olive oil over medium heat until softened. Add oregano and marjoram. Sautee for a few minutes more. Slice portabellos in half, then slice lengthwise into strips. Add to onion mixture and sautee for 5 minutes.
Add half the spinach. Stir into mushroom-onion mixture. When the spinach starts to wilt, add the rest and stir. When all the spinach is wilted, remove from heat and set aside. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in bottom of 13" x 9" pan.
Soften the tortillas in the microwave (I steam approximately 4-6 tortillas between two plates for 2 minutes). Place one tortilla flat on a plate. Add spinach-mushroom filling and cheese (see picture).


Use approximately 2 Tbsp of spinach-mushroom filling and 1 Tbsp of cheese. You should use all of the spinach-mushroom filling. Reserve cheese (1/2 cup or so) for the top. Roll up tightly and place in baking dish. Continue for the remaining tortillas.


Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the filled tortillas, making sure to cover all the tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Remove foil. Bake until cheese is melted sauce is bubbly.

Toasted Garlic Enchilada Sauce

18 Dried New Mexico Chilis
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
5 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
2 Tbsp White flour
1/4 tsp Cumin
1 Cup Vegetable Broth
Salt

Soak chilies in 2 cups boiling water for 20 minutes.
Puree chilies (remove stems) and water in blender.
Strain the chile puree, pressing against the solid to get all the liquid out. Discard solids. Set strained puree aside.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic.
Before the garlic starts to brown, add the flour and cumin. Cook, stirring, until the flour and garlic are a light toasty brown.
Add broth to chile puree to make 3 1/2 cups. Add mixture to toasted flour, stirring to avoid clumps.
Add salt to taste.
Heat to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened.

New Year and New Promises

Ha! New promises ... maybe this year I won't be such a procrastinator! Let's review the list of 10 that I made for 2010:

1. Make jam
2. Go see the cherry blossoms in D.C.
3. Paint the dining room
4. Go on a beer and cheese tour of Vermont
5. Knit 12 pairs of socks
6. Have a garden
7. Make pickles
8. Take an art class
9. Sew slipcovers for the armchairs
10. Go to spinning (somewhat regularly)

How did I do? Just keep reading to find out!

1. Nope. Didn't make jam. This will go on my list for 2010.
2. Yes! I did this. Although it was really crowded. Next year I think that I'll just go to the park by my house and look at the pretty cherry trees there in spring.
3. Paint the dining room. No, didn't do this either. But I will probably move in august, so it's not worth it now.
4. Yes! I did this. BB and I went to Vermont (a real vacation, my first ever) and had a lot of fun. In 2011 I want to go somewhere new.
5. Oh my, no, this did not happen. I made two pairs. One took, oh, 6 or 7 months to complete. But they are pretty!
6. Yes, I had a garden. I also horribly neglected it when it got too hot (100 degrees AND humidity?). This year I will scale back.
7. Nope, no pickles for me. Too hot!
8. Didn't do that in 2010, BUT I am signed up for classes starting next week! I think that counts.
9. No, but I got a sewing machine. Therefore I count this one half done.
10. Well I went maybe 3 or 4 times. Does that count as somewhat regularly? I think that somewhat gives me a lot of leeway.

Overall, looks like I got around 50%. Not too bad, right? I must be an optimist because I have another list of 10 for 2011. Some are the same, some are different.

1. Make jam. Why not try again? This might be the year ...
2. Bike to the Bay. Yes, a 70 mile (I think) bike ride. Now to get in shape! And buy a bike.
3. Take a vacation to the Lake District in Northern England. Even BB is excited about this idea.
4. Design and knit a cabled miniskirt and black cardigan. Well, I have to have some sort of knitting goal.
5. Have a garden. I like it, so I am going to do it again. This year, I will go easier and only plant stuff I can actually grow, such as tomatoes, peppers, basil, arugula.
6. Make pickles. I really want to do this. Maybe pickled beets.
7. Learn to sew. Well, I know how to sew. Maybe I should say: learn how to sew well. Then I can make those slip covers!
8. Dye more yarn. Because it is FUN.
9. Have a Harry Potter Marathon before the last movie comes out. I forgot a lot.
10. Buy a house. Maybe. I think we might be ready, and my lease ends in August. Hmmm ...

Baking Again

What do you do when you are feeling angsty for some unknown reason?

I bake. Today I made a sour cherry pie. I bought sour cherries at Trader Joe's. I made a lattice crust, although it looks very amateur. I also made pumpkin muffins. I was short an ingredient for the muffins, which I only realized after starting to make them. I then improvised this recipe. I plan on making them more when fall comes.

Pumpkin Muffins

1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 egg
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1/2 c. oil or melted butter (I used oil)
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. golden raisins
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix flours, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Mix egg, pumpkin puree, oil, and maple syrup in a smaller bowl. Add to flour, along with raisins and pecans. Stir quickly, and divide among 12 oiled or lined muffin cups. Bake 15-20 min.

So long ...

... since my last post. I guess I have been busy! My garden is doing good - very overgrown and it was too hot for a long time to deal with it. Nevertheless, I have gotten some delicious tomatoes (green zebra, black krim, and rutgers). Today, I made dinner with tomatoes and basil from the garden. I boiled some mini potatoes. When they were done, I drained them and tossed with a lemon vinaigrette (1 clove garlic, grated; zest from 1/2 lemon; juice from 1 lemon; salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste). I let that marinate while I made the rest. For the basil sauce, ~3 cups packed basil blended with 1 clove garlic (I grated first), zest from 1 lemon, juice from 1-2 lemons, and a splash of olive oil. Then, I sauteed up some peppers in garlic and olive oil. The peppers were small sweet peppers, so I just cut them in half (very pretty!). Then, I arranged the sliced tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers on a plate, and drizzled with the sauce. It isn't in the picture, but we ate it with a wedge of goat brie. The only thing missing was a piece of good bread!
The garlic I used was from my parent's garden. My sister made us a garlic braid. The garlic is very delicious and also very strong.

Lemony Berry Topping

Here is a delicious way to eat summer fresh berries!

Lemony Berry Topping

1 lemon
1/3 c. sugar (or to taste)
1 Tbs Grand Marnier
2 c. assorted berries (blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries)

Mix together zest and juice of 1 lemon, sugar, and Grand Marnier. Add berries (cut strawberries into smaller pieces). Let macerate at room temperature for an hour. Serve over angel food cake.

I thought this was a good way to capture the bright lemon flavor. My friend said it tasted like I soaked the berries in lemonade . . .

Delicious Lunch

Yum! Arugula!
If only I could eat like this every day ... BB made green goddess green beans from epicurious.com, which we ate with fresh unadorned arugula FROM MY GARDEN and a delicious, ripe tomato. What else is needed?

No pictures but good recipe!

Banana Chocolate Bread Pudding

old bread (I used 6 good sized rolls)
3 c. milk
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 large bananas (could use 1 large or 2 small)
3 eggs
3/4 c. chocolate chips (I used the mini ones)
3 Tbs. butter

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut bread into cubes. Mash 1/2 banana in a bowl. Slice remaining bananas. Add eggs and whisk. Add brown sugar and milk, mix well. Stir in bread cubes, sliced banana, and chocolate chips. Mix well. Use ~ 1/2 Tbs. butter to grease a 9x9 square pan (I used an oval baking dish that is the same volume). Pour in the bread mixture. Melt the rest of the butter and drizzle over top of pudding (at this point, I would have sprinkled raw sugar over the top, but I didn't have any). Bake for 50 minutes.

BB said this was the best bread pudding EVER. It was pretty good ...

May Garden Update

I have done a lot of work in the garden this spring! I'm not the only one, nature sure did a lot of work also. Starting on the left side of my yard is the mint. The mint came back and then some. In fact, I think it will be work to keep in contained (not that this is a surprise)There is apple mint and spearmint (I think). Oregano is in there somewhere, and before the mint grew so big I planted some dahlias, cosmos, and lobelia. Well, the lobelia never came up and the dahlias did but then something got them. The cosmos came up AND are still there. They are mixed in among the mint. I plan to trim back the mint so the cosmos can grow better.
The hydrangea is also doing very well. I wasn't sure how it would be after this winter, but it looks lush and healthy. I am proud of myself on this one. Surrounding the hydrangea I planted parsley (which the groundhog likes to eat), sage, rosemary, and english thyme.
They hydrangea is starting to bloom. I didn't add any soil acidifier this year, so I am not sure if they will be blue or lavender, but they should be pretty regardless.
I learned that geraniums don't make it through the winter, but I bought some more, they are white and salmon. In the middle is kale (decorative AND edible). There are also some tiny basil plants, which did well in that location last year.
The cat mint also came back. A neighborhood cat likes to hang out in my backyard and rub up into the cat mint. Very cute.
Then there is the new plot. Last year, this area was overrun with a horrible sticky vine. Now, I planted peppers (serrano, tobasco, holy mole), tomatillos, vietnamese coriander, and basil (sweet basil, asian basil, purple basil). There is also a zucchini plant, but this year I was smart and only planted ONE! Maybe I will just make fried sqaush blossoms and not deal with gigantic zucchinis! Along the back, I planted hollyhock and borage. I don't have much luck with seeds, so we'll see if they actually come up! The hollyhock is supposed to be a velvet brown color, so I really want them to come up!
Next is the fenced in area has some tomatoes (green zebra, black krim, and cherokee purple), swiss chard, and two collards. They are the huge, leaning plants with the yellow flowers. I will take those out soon, and give the tomatoes room to grow.
I put the pots in here to keep them out of reach of the groundhog. Apparently, he can climb enough to get to them on the bricks. On the left is french tarragon, parsley, and lovage. On the right is parsley.
Still in the fenced in area is a row of arugula, a tomato (Rutgers), two spinach (all that came up), two radishes (3 came up), and a row of turnip greens. Along the fence is where the row of sunflowers starts.
I planted some cauliflower (yellow ones called Cheddar - I think that is so funny!). However, the groundhog got to them before the fence was up. There is also a pack of brussel sprouts, not yet platned. Groundhog got them a bit too. They are recovering and growing more leaves, but I am curious to see if they actually grow cauliflowers and brussel sprouts. I might try to plant butternut squash in this area also. Not sure if that is too much in a small area. The sunflowers continue along the fence.
The sunflowers continue. There is nothing in the rest of this area yet. I will plant nasturtiums and maybe some more peppers. Not sure what else.
The lemon verbena is also here and, like the mint, came back with a vengeance!
To make the patio area look prettier, I planted some bright red geraniums and yellow calibrachoa.
My garden is doing well so far. I am so excited to see it grow! Now all I need is a pretty patio table. Unfortunately, my patio table morphed into new brakes ...