Red Pepper Asiago Gougère Bites

Red Pepper Asiago Gougère Bites

Gougère, a cream puff-like pastry, is easy to make. These warm, savory mini bites are a perfect holiday appetizer.

15 min.prep time
1:35 total time

50-72 gougere bites

1 cup water

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) finely shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese (or any cheese you love)

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper (next time I may try chopped kalamata olives)

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tsp dried. (May substitute other herbs- I used marjoram)

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Make sure parchment is cut within the sheet (I had trouble with burning paper at the edges). Set aside.

Place water and butter in heavy 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil (6 to 8 minutes). Reduce heat to low; stir in flour and garlic salt vigorously until mixture leaves sides of pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition, until mixture is smooth. Stir in 1 cup cheese, bell pepper and basil.

Immediately drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. The dough is very sticky. Use your right hand to scoop with the measure and the other hand, dipped in a bowl of flour, ready to scoop the glop and put it on the sheet. Sprinkle each with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

English Muffin Pizzas

Very humble, I know. The taster wanted pizza for dinner and I didn't have dough on hand! But in a pinch, english muffins are fine. They also are good for portion control.

Royal Icing

I finally conquered royal icing! For years I have admired beautiful confections and while intrigued by them, the internet did not exist like it does now. Google search royal icing and you will come up with many variations. I attempted this before and on a couple occasions spent unnecessary dollars on powdered egg whites. What I've learned: for real glue strength, save the expense and use the real thing. Fear not salmonella. Your glaze will dry hard and no bacteria can survive there. It took some internet research for me to to trust and feel comfortable with this notion.

Two months ago I made some gingerbread cookies and saved the remaining dough in the freezer. Perfect! I also 'cheated' and used Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix (just add 1/2 stick butter & 2 Tb water) to make additional cookies. The mix was fine, you just need to really chill the dough (pop it in the freezer for a few) and flour it as you roll it out, much like any other dough. I let Andrew help with this part, he really wanted to roll. Little does he know, Santa is giving him a mini alligator rolling pin for Christmas!

This recipe is for the glue that holds gingerbread houses together. I suggest when making a cookie glaze or paint, make this first then thin by adding lemon juice and/or water. You could experiment by adding water and a flavored extract (vanilla, almond, orange, etc.). A decorated cookie always tastes better!

1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar (helps stabilize egg whites)
3 egg whites from large eggs

Beat with a whisk on low speed until well blended, then beat on high speed until it holds stiff peaks, 7-9 minutes.
Use a spatula or other scraping device to divide mixture into two or more sandwich bags or piping bags. Seal the bag well, any air will cause hardening. When using from a baggie, you can control the flow. Be aware of this as you snip a triangle off a corner. It is better to cut a small piece off. I found it helpful to pinch and tape the end shut or else fold over the side to keep air out. I used my prepared icing over a couple days of cookie making, just keep unused portions in the fridge.

I had a lot of fun with this, using food coloring, a plastic (washable) paint palette and new brushes. You could just use small plates and small spoons. Later I learned it was easier to just dip the cookies in the glaze and touch up with s dipped spoon if necessary. The fun part is putting sprinkles on!

My sidekick chef Andrew and I decided that Christmas cookie-making be our new annual tradition, for sure!

Steak Tip Marinade

This marinade is great for beef or chicken. The Worcestershire sauce and Italian dressing give the marinade a zing, while the garlic pepper seasoning and barbeque sauce give it that barbeque flavor. The longer the beef or chicken sits in the marinade, the better it will taste.
It is less expensive that my other marinade recipe but quite as good.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce 1 cup Italian-style salad dressing (I like homemade Good Seasons) 2 teaspoons garlic pepper seasoning

1 cup barbeque sauce 2 pounds beef sirloin tip steaks, cut into skewer-size chunks

In a medium bowl, mix the Worcestershire sauce, Italian-style salad dressing, garlic pepper seasoning, and barbeque sauce. Place the meat in the marinade, and turn to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to one day. Pat the meat dry before skewering up to grill.

McAlister Potatoes

During this Thanksgiving break, Alex and I have found ourselves staying up late-night, watching cooking shows. Our favorite right now is Restaurant Impossible.
A program with Guy Fieri came on after that and this potato recipe seemed irresistible, we had to try it! In fact, it is! One thing we found is that the crispy potatoes, onion and bacon stand on their own. You don't need to add parmesan or the peppadew sour cream. Maybe a small bit of sour cream, but the peppadew is overpowering to the other flavors and the parmesan just added fat, in our opinion.
Alex came up with an idea for leftovers: use the potatoes in place of english muffins for eggs benedict tomorrow morning! We also had leftover steak tips and they will go along nicely.

McAlister Potatoes
Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri

Prep Time:
25 min
Inactive Prep Time:
1 hr 0 min
Cook Time:
30 min

Level:
Intermediate

Serves:
6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup peppadew peppers, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
3 pounds baby Yukon potatoes
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
3/4 pound bacon, diced
2 yellow onions, diced
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Directions

In small mixing bowl combine sour cream, peppadew peppers, and white wine. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In large stock pot cover potatoes with water and add 2 tablespoons salt. Set heat on high and boil until fork tender.

In a large saute pan over medium heat cook bacon and saute onions until caramelized. Transfer bacon and onions from pan on to a paper towel to absorb grease. Distribute evenly on a platter and keep warm. Leave remaining fat in pan.

When potatoes are fork tender, drain, and with a clean kitchen towel, palm smash the hot potatoes to approximately 1/3-inch thick.

Reheat fat in saute pan and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Heat to oil medium heat and place potatoes in oil. Season with salt and pepper and brown on both sides, then transfer to onion and bacon platter. Repeat, adding more oil, until all potatoes are cooked crispy.

Top potatoes with Parmesan and then with sour cream mixture.

Frank's Buffalo Chicken Dip

This dip is the best ever- it is guaranteed to be eaten up and perfect for winter parties/football games. Dipping devices can include carrots & celery and various chips but the whole grain Tostito scoops are my preference. I specifically bought a 2-quart slow cooker for this recipe which I brought to the school parent council meeting. You can buy one for less than $12.

8 oz. pkg. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup blue cheese dressing (refrigerated Marie's is awesome)

1/2 cup FRANK'S® REDHOT® Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (pre-crumbled is fine)

2 cans (12.5 oz. each) SWANSON® White Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained. I found the idea of using canned chicken repulsive so I used 2 cups of chopped up roast chicken. Flavor-wise, it's o.k. to use canned, I originally tried the dip made that way and it was good.

DIRECTIONS:

HEAT oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep baking dish. Stir until smooth.

MIX in salad dressing, Frank's RedHot Sauce and cheese. Stir in chicken.

BAKE 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers or vegetables.

TIPS:

Microwave Directions: Prepare as above. Place in microwave-safe dish. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 5 min. until hot, stirring halfway through cooking.

Slow Cooker Method: Combine ingredients as directed above. Place mixture into small slow cooker. Cover pot. Heat on HIGH setting for 1 1/2 hours until hot and bubbly or on LOW setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir.

Tailgating Tip: Prepare dip ahead and place in heavy disposable foil pan. Place pan on grill and heat dip until hot and bubbly.

Roast Chicken

Finally, I've found a roast chicken recipe that is so simple and delicious!
From now on, this is going to be my go-to technique. I have tried many methods and this
is definitely it.
All you need is a bird and some salt & pepper.

Preheat oven to 450º.

In two small bowls: 1 Tb sea or kosher salt, 1/2 Tb salt, 1/2 Tb pepper.

Remove any giblets and rinse chicken. Use paper towels and thoroughly pat dry.
Place on an ovenproof skillet.

Sprinkle the s & p mixture on the inside of the chicken.

If you have kitchen twine, truss the bird.

Sprinkle salt on top. It should be heavily salted.

Cook in the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes (for 4.25 lb bird, maybe 50 minutes for a 3-pounder).

Remove from pan (with tongs) to a cutting board and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Carve and eat! The skin is super yummy :D

Mayonnaise

After all these years, the thought of making my mayonnaise has certainly crept into mind. But for whatever reason, I just haven't tried it.
Perhaps it's just far easier to pull out the jar of Hellman's.

Today I was "daring" and my goodness, if I had no self control I would eat the whole container of it! Holy moly, is it goooood!!!
Only problem is that it keeps for just a week.
Go ahead and make this great mayo. Use it in a dip. Or just use it as a dip.
I made a great tuna sandwich!

• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 pinches sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil
  

In a glass bowl, whisk together egg yolk and dry ingredients. A 2-cup measuring cup works well for this. I also used a hand held mixer with a single whisk attachment.

Combine lemon juice and vinegar in a separate bowl then thoroughly whisk half into the yolk mixture. Start whisking briskly, then start adding the oil a few drops at a time until the liquid seems to thicken and lighten a bit, as it emulsifies. Once you reach that point, increase the oil flow to a constant thin stream.

Once half of the oil is in add the rest of the lemon juice mixture.

Continue whisking until all of the oil is incorporated.

Refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Baked Ziti

Baked ziti is always well received for a potluck. In this case it was for the School Site Council meeting tonight. Served with a nice salad & Italian dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ziti pasta
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef (optional)
  
• 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
• 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced (1/4 lb)
  
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 6 ounces low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

One Hour Dinner Rolls

This is the first time I made dinner rolls and they were well worth the minimal effort!
Perfect accompaniment to another freezer staple, chicken soup.
I normally don't even buy rolls since I tend to be against excessive carbs but hey- it's that time of year.
Crispy on the outside, warm and tender on the inside... Butter up the steamy interior with your favorite salted butter. I prefer Kate's.
Leftovers were portioned off into freezer bags. They can be reheated in the oven in a cinch.

1 cup wheat flour
3 1/4 cups or more unbleached flour

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp yeast ("pizza yeast") (or 2 packets of Fleischman's pizza yeast)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter

Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar and yeast in a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Heat milk, water, and butter until very warm: 120-130º. It took two minutes in the microwave. Add warm liquid to dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes (start slow then raise to medium so there's no splash over). Stop mixer and add 1/4 cup flour and 1 tsp salt. Mix for two more minutes on medium. Continue adding the rest of the flour until dough comes together. Switch to a dough hook and knead in your mixer for 2-3 minutes. Place in greased bowl and let rise for 15 minutes. Punch down. Use a knife to divide dough into 20-24 balls and place on baking sheet. Cover and let rise 15 minutes.
Brush with melted butter.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes, until tops are lightly browned. Make sure to check a couple times after 20 minutes.

Trader Josef's Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake (with Apples)

Not bad for from a box! Love Trader Joe's.
I incorporated apples by dicing two up and sauteing them in a tablespoon of butter, adding 2 Tb sugar and a dash of cinnamon. This helps remove excess moisture and cook them up a bit since they won't cook that much more when they bake.

The taster is definitely a fan!

Gingerbread Cookies

These are a special holiday treat!
One year I made them for a holiday party and many wanted the recipe. The secret ingredient, I think, is pepper!
Like most cookie doughs, you can make it and freeze then cut out and thaw portions to make smaller batches.
The first batch was used in Andrew's lunch and he ate all 4 cookies right up! There was a complaint that not all of them had raisins (note to self).
I would have done a better job decorating but it was late and I didn't make my own frosting.
I've included a good recipe below (which is also good for sugar cookies and adding dye to).
Make sure your spices aren't years old and if they are, do a smell check. They should be potent or else your cookies will suffer from being less than stellar!

In a medium bowl stir together flours, cinnamon, ginger, soda, nutmeg, salt, pepper and cloves.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat 1 cup of softened butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of sugar, beat until fluffy.
Beat in an egg until mixture is light.
On low speed beat in 1/2 cup molasses and 2 TB lemon juice.
Beat in 1/2 then slowly all of the flour mixture.
Divide the dough in half, cover and chill at least 3 hours or until easy to handle.

On a floured surface, roll half of dough at a time to 1/8" thickness. Cut out with your favorite cookie cutters.
Place cutouts 1/2" apart on an ungreased baking sheet. I used nonstick foil in the toaster oven.

Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

I decorated with Cake Mate white icing from a tube. It hardened. More preferable is the following recipe for Royal Icing.
You can simply put it in a zip top bag and snip a small corner off it.

"Royal icing is the icing of choice for decorating cookies....It hardens when it dries so decorations stay in place. This is a basic recipe for white icing, but you could add food coloring to make it any shade you please."

For a looser icing, add lemon juice by the 1/2 teaspoon until desired consistency.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups powdered sugar (1 [1-pound] box)
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 5 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed, stopping to scrape down the bowl, until glossy and stiff, about 5 minutes.
2. Fill a piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with one corner snipped off and use to decorate cookies. (If not using immediately, place a piece of waxed paper on the surface, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. Stir before using.)

Lemon, Thyme and Garlic Roast Chicken Draped with Bacon

Cooking bacon over chicken of course makes it better! My gravy suffered since the smoke alarms were set off as the bottoms of the lemons and the garlic burned. I was able to rescue the dish but it does need monitoring (especially in an antique oven).

The chicken was moist and flavorful but you are better off spending more money on a more quality kosher thus brined chicken (Empire) than an .88/lb fatty Perdue.

This recipe is courtesy of Ina Garten.

• 1 (5 to 6-pound) roasting chicken
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch fresh thyme
• 4 lemons
• 3 heads garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, reserving enough thyme to garnish the chicken dish, 1 lemon, halved, and 2 halves of the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Cut 2 of the lemons in quarters and scatter the quarters and remaining garlic around the chicken. Lay the bacon slices over the chicken to cover.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Remove the bacon slices from the top of the chicken and set aside. Continue roasting the chicken for an additional 1/2 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.

Slice the chicken on a platter. Garnish the chicken platter with the bacon slices, roasted garlic, reserved thyme and 1 lemon, sliced. Serve with the gravy.

Apple-Onion Tarts

I discovered this recipe while browsing apple recipes on Martha Stewart's website.
Reading comments on recipes are usually helpful and this boisterous review gave me a chuckle, I knew it had to be good:

"Okay, first this: this is really delicious. Secondly, editors, please listen:
THIS IS NOT EVERYDAY FOOD!!!! This is food for when your vegetarian gay boss and his husband come for dinner and you really want to impress them. This is a very labor-intensive recipe. I feel like I was flimflammed by this recipe. I started cooking about 5 pm and didn't serve dinner until freakin' EIGHT PM!!!
I will make it again on a weekend night when I have plenty of time. Jesus."

On this advice, I took a more casual approach and made it over two days, serving at the school pot-luck tonight (always a great testing ground). My recipe is slightly different than the original.

The taster had rave reviews for this one, he requested 3 of them in his school lunch tomorrow! Dad loved them too. We discussed the many possibilities for future tart-making, can't wait to explore them! Good thing, Martha has a tart book which I put on hold at the local library.


Save yourself a day of cooking and make the dough and onion-apple tart filling ahead of time.

It still took me a couple hours to roll out the dough, cut, assemble, crimp and bake them.
The original recipe calls for making 6, 7" rounds. That would be easier but I think this recipe is so rich and savory, they should be made smaller.
I used a 3" heart-shaped cookie cutter instead. The dough didn't stay crimped well after baking. This was apparent after the first 10 minutes. In a rush, I skipped putting them back in the fridge for 30 min before baking. Would this have helped? Not sure. I do like the smaller sizes I made. Perfect appetizer portions. I'd like to buy a pan which holds multiple small tarts for this purpose. Or else, continue using a cookie cutter, which it just fine. Recipe made around 36.

Rosemary-Manchego Tart Dough

Ingredients:

• 3 small parsnips (about 4 ounces), peeled
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup finely grated manchego cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 cup ice water

Directions

1. Finely grate parsnips (you will need 1/2 cup). Place on a clean kitchen towel (do not use paper towels), and squeeze to extract as much liquid as possible.
2. Pulse parsnip, flour, salt, sugar, pepper, butter, cheese, and rosemary in a food processor. Add yolk, and pulse to combine. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream, processing until dough just comes together (no longer than 15 seconds). Shape into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 days).

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 medium Gala apples, peeled, cored, halved, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 8 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1 cup coarsely grated manchego cheese (2 to 3 ounces)
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil and butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add apples and onions, and cook until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until very soft and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Make sure to scrape up the brown on the bottom and stir occasionally. Add vinegar and salt, and cook 5 minutes. Let cool.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a generous 1/8 inch thick. I divided the dough into 4 sections when rolling it out. Cut out your desired shape rounds, gathering scraps and rolling dough again if needed. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets.
3. Puree half the apple-onion mixture in a food processor until smooth.
   
4. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of apple-onion puree over each dough round, leaving a 1-inch border around edges. Sprinkle each with cheese. Season with pepper. Top each with remaining apple-onion mixture, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Fold edges of dough in, crimping with your fingers. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Bake until edges are golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve tarts warm or at room temperature.

Easy Cocktail Meatballs

These were the first thing to go at the pot-luck party tonight, everyone loved them!
Thank you to my sister Wendy for recommending that I try them! I have made them with grape jelly before, but this recipe using cranberry sauce is the best. Since lemons are so expensive (.89 for 1), I used store-brand lemon juice in a bottle. This juice is also undetectably useful in hollandaise sauce.

2 lb frozen meatballs (Ikea's Swedish meatballs)
1 16oz can cranberry sauce
1 12oz jar chili sauce
2 Tb brown sugar
3 tsp lemon juice

Cook the meatballs according to package instructions (450º for 15 minutes).Meanwhile, pour the sauce ingredients into the crock pot set on high. Break up the cranberry sauce.
Add the meatballs, stir to cover with sauce and cook on high for 2 hours.
This photo was taken just after the meatballs were added. The sauce breaks down and they shrink a bit once they've been cooked in the pot for a couple hours. YUM! Use a large serving spoon or fancy picks to serve them.

The Portlander Breakfast Sandwich

Alex and I were up late recently, watching a food truck show where The Big Egg was featured. While the numerous creations were being made, we obsessively kept rewinding and watching it again, determined to make one for breakfast the next morning.
We decided to try The Portlander, our way:

Two eggs (I opted for one, Alex had two but said one would be preferable)
Stone ground mustard on grilled brioche bread (or in our case, hearty white)
Top with thick-cut bacon, Gorgonzola and chives (or green onion)
Return to griddle to help melt the cheese.

If you check out their menu, you will see that this sandwich has many options: the eggs can be made easy, medium, hard, or scrambled. The cheese choices include Fontina, Tillamook White Cheddar, or Gorgonzola. Meat choices are thick-cut smoked bacon, Black Forest ham, or house-made vegetarian sausage.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Roll-Ups

Andrew really enjoyed these for lunch!
Who doesn't love cream cheese?

Cut the crusts off your bread, spread cream cheese on it, sprinkle with raisins (I used currants, which are smaller) and roll up.
Cut into 3 bite size pieces.
Dip in melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon (the grinder is handy).

Bake at 350º for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Lunch is ready!

Roasted Squash, Apple & Goat Cheese Salad

This is a colorful, satisfying salad. I first had it as a sample given out at Whole Foods. It was prepared by a local restaurant, EVOO. They handed out recipe cards for it and I have since made it a few times!
For the holidays or a special dinner, you can style this nicely when plating up.
It would be great served as a satisfying side to roasted chicken, turkey or pork.
It keeps well for a couple days though it is best eaten fresh, while the squash is still warm, contrasted by the crisp, cool apples.
If you make it ahead of time, add the goat cheese and pecans at the last moment.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup 1/2" diced roasted squash (such as butternut, tossed in maple vinaigrette, 30 min at 400º)
1 cup peeled 1/4" diced apple (your favorite kind, I prefer something tart rather than sweet)
1/4 cup small diced red onion
3/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup roasted chopped pecans (or walnuts)
2 Tb chopped fresh sage
2 Tb chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup maple vinaigrette (3 Tb basic vinaigrette: 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, plus 1 Tb maple syrup)

sea salt & black pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup vinaigrette and apples. This will prevent them from browning.
Use the leftover vinaigrette to toss the squash in and roast it. Toss every 5 minutes or so and be careful, the little cubes can burn easily.
Add all the other ingredients.

Taster-approved! Especially enjoyed with a heavy dose of pecans.

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmades)

Recently, on a trip to the Arax Market on Mt. Auburn St. in Watertown, I found a few varieties of jarred grape leaves. I decided to buy an attractive 16oz jar for $3.99.
With these, I would make my own stuffed grape leaves!
I used chicken broth but they certainly could be made completely vegetarian using vegetable stock instead.
I do want to try making them with sirloin in the stuffing (Nana's recipe). Other recipes I reviewed call for lamb or spicy sausage.
Dolmades are sooooo good: savory yet lemony and refreshing. I think they're best eaten straight from the fridge, with the yogurt-feta dip (see below). Tonight we had them along with some lemon-pepper grilled chicken.

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmades)
inspired by Tyler Florence, Food Network

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small fennel bulb, halved, cored and diced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (plus more for dip, see below)
1/2 cup pine nuts (they were $7.99 so I subbed sunflower seeds, $1.69)
1 cup long-grain rice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for my vegetarian friends)
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 (16-ounce) jar grape leaves
2 lemons, juiced

To make the filling, coat a large saute pan with 1/4 cup of the oil and place over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel and lemon zest and stir every couple minutes until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the pine nuts and rice, saute for 2 minutes, stirring to coat. Pour in just 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and lower the heat. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover while you prep the grape leaves.

Prepare the grape leaves:
Drain from jar and put in a bowl of water to rinse. The leaves are salty.
Bring a big pot of water to a simmer. Blanch the grape leaves in the hot water for 3 minutes. Remove to a bowl of ice cold water (add ice if necessary).
Remove leaves to a colander to drain.

Scrape the parboiled rice mixture into a bowl and add the dill and parsley; season with salt (I like using Trader Joe's smoked salt) and pepper.

Roll the dolmades:Carefully separate and lay a grape leaf on a work surface, shiny-side down. Remove any tough stems.
Put rice filling near the stem end of the leaf. The amount used will vary depending on the sze of your leaf. It is better to use less than too much, you want to wrap the filling so that it doesn't leak out. Inevitably you will destroy some leaves by ripping them while rolling or while separating them- they are fragile.Fold the stem end over the filling, then fold both sides toward the middle, and roll up into a cigar – it should be snug but not overly tight because the rice will swell once it is fully cooked.

Squeeze lightly in the palm of your hand to secure the roll. Repeat with remaining grape leaves and filling.
Place them in a large Dutch oven or wide deep skillet, seam-side down in a single layer. Pour the remaining cup of broth, remaining olive oil, and the lemon juice over the dolmades. I chose to emulsify the liquids with a Cuisinart quip prep before doing this. The liquid should reach halfway up the rolls.
Bring the pot to a simmer over medium heat, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Dolmades are done when they are tender when pierced with a fork. Carefully remove to a storage container or serving plate.
Serve warm, at room temperature or refrigerate and eat cold.

Keeps for 3 days.

Yogurt-Feta dip
(epicurious.com)

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (recommended not use low-fat or nonfat; I could only find 2%)
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 large green onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
  

Place all ingredients in processor and puree until almost smooth. (I used the Cuisinart quick prep.) Season with pepper.
Can be made 2 days ahead.

Salsa made the easy way!

I always enjoy checking out canning supplies. At our local supermarket, Shaw's, I picked up something interesting: Fiesta Salsa Mix!
What's so neat about this is that it tells you exactly how to make it, either to preserve or eat right away and all you have to add, besides tomatoes and this mix of dehydrated veggies and spices, is a small amount of vinegar.
I was really surprised by how good the ending result was!
You can also make salsa with this mix simply using a can of petite diced tomatoes.
I added 1/2 tsp of my favorite hot sauce made with habanero and jalapeno peppers.
I did the "fresh preserve" method using 4 1/2 cups of chopped tomatoes and 4 8oz jars.
We don't usually go through a large jar of salsa in one sitting so it made sense to use smaller jars.
I simply followed the directions to chop up the tomatoes though I did peel them.
The salsa is a bit watery so next time I'll take the extra step to seed the tomatoes before dicing them. Tortilla "scoops" will be perfect. After filling the jars there was some juice left in the pan and I drank it up, yum! Thinking about it makes me want to pop open a jar now.
Be warned: when processing your jars in boiling water, tomatoes take a lot longer: 35 minutes! Good thing it's cool outside to air out the kitchen.

Pickled Hot Cherry Peppers

I love Peppadew peppers but they cost around $6 at the store. A repeat from last year, I grew my own hot cherry peppers (from directly sown seed) in the garden and canned them. This time I kept it simple, not adding any other "distracting" spices except for peppercorns. There are still plenty of green peppers out in the garden, I am hoping they turn red soon!

One thing I learned from this recipe is that you should put the peppers in the boiling liquid. This will help soften them so you can pack more into the jar. I probably could have fit 20 peppers!

Makes 1 pint (2 cup jar). I happened to use a wide-mouth jar.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound hot cherry peppers, washed well and dried (9)
• 14 whole black peppercorns
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 TB sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Cut the stem tops off the cherry peppers. Use a small spoon to scoop out the core/seeds. Leave some seeds if you want it really hot. Put peppers and peppercorns into 1 pint-size sterilized glass jar.
   
2. Bring vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sugar dissolves. Pour hot pickling liquid over peppers, leaving 1/4-inch headspace at tops. Can in water bath for 15 minutes.
   

Beef Stroganoff

I've made this so many times and in so many variations. I usually make it as a quick meal with frozen meatballs (and even vegetarian) instead of steak. If you go the frozen route, make the sauce first and simmer the frozen balls in it for 12-15 minutes.
Make it however you please so that you enjoy it! This recipe was a little more involved but worth it.
Serve over the ubiquitous buttered egg noodles.

Heat a heavy sauce pan over high heat, add in 1 tsp veg. oil. Add mushrooms (a container- I quartered basic white mushrooms and tossed in some sliced shiitake to add flavor). Cook for about 4 minutes, turning/tossing often. Season with salt & pepper and put aside in a medium-large bowl.
Add another tsp veg oil and cook the steak, also over high heat. I used 1/2 lb shaved steak (for 3 people)- you could also use tenderloin cut up or whatever you like. Try moose meat! Hehe. Sear for about 3 minutes without moving the meat. Turn and cook an additional minute and season with s & p. My recent find is Trader Joe's Smoked Sea Salt (in a grinder), yeah! Transfer to the mushroom bowl.
Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup dry red wine. Once it becomes syrupy, pour into the bowl. Use a spatula to clear the pan. Turn down the heat to medium.
Add a pat of butter to the pan (1 Tb) and melt, then dump in 1/2 cup minced onion, 1 tsp tomato paste, and 1 1/2 tsp dark brown sugar. Cook until the onion is lightly browned, after 3 min. Add 1 Tb flour, mix in well, then pour in 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup dry red wine. Let simmer away until thickened, about 2 minutes.
Add 1/3 cup sour cream by tempering: pour 1/2 cup of the hot sauce into a small bowl with the sour cream, stir to combine then add the combo back to the sauce pan. Add the bowl of meat & mushrooms and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and add additional s and or p if necessary.
Serve over noodles. YUM!