Christmas Breakfast

Welcome to the Christmas morning breakfast we hosted for my mom, brother, sister-in-law, and niece. This is only the second year we've had them over for breakfast and gifts, but I've already grown to love it. I set and arranged the table the night before, making sure everything was just so. I had a lovely centerpiece, a bubble bowl filled to the brim with shiny round ornaments, but it had to be set aside to make room for the meal. My brother, who works at Starbucks, brought a fresh pound of coffee to serve. I had peppermint tea for my mom, who is battling a cold and wicked cough. We had a pretty pitcher full of orange juice too. I heart my Pottery Barn pitcher.













I made my version of Deb at Smitten Kitchen's Boozy Baked French Toast. This time around it took about 1 1/2 loaves of Challah, so it was certainly lucky for me that Josh suggested we get two loaves while standing in the bakery at Central Market. It was a big hit with everyone, and definitely less time consuming than the pancakes I did last year. I think I'll definitely use this recipe next year, maybe with a filling, or different flavorings to keep things fresh. Do you need to freshen up something that happens once a year? I don't know, I guess we'll see. I also made Sweet & Spicy Bacon. I found this recipe on Orangette many moons ago. It is one of the best recipes I could have ever come across. When my brother came by a few weeks before Christmas he asked if we'd have the bacon again this year. He said that his wife considered just asking me to make the bacon again as part of their Christmas gift. We love this bacon too and we rarely eat bacon any other way now. Consider this bacon a gift to everyone this year, ha.

Sweet & Spicy Bacon
Recipe from Gourmet via Orangette

1 ½ Tbs packed light brown sugar
Rounded ¼ tsp cayenne
Rounded ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb thick-cut bacon (about 12 slices)

-Position an oven rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
-In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cayenne, and black pepper.
-Arrange the bacon slices in 1 layer—not overlapping—on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Bake the bacon for 10 minutes. Turn the slices over, and sprinkle them evenly with the spiced sugar. Continue baking until the bacon is crisp and deep golden, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain before serving.
*I had a 1.5 lbs of bacon, so I used two batches of the seasoning.













And last, but not least, I served up a little fruit to try and lighten things up a bit. Oh who are we kidding, fruit is the least when compared to the bacon, but we ate it anyway, ha. My niece especially enjoyed the banana and clementine wedges. My brother thought the banana combined with the french toast was stellar. And that pretty much wraps up the tour of our Christmas breakfast. I already can't wait till next year!

Twice As Nice

Since I am now officially on Christmas Vacation (YES!!!) I thought I would go ahead and post about tonight's dinner. Tomorrow will be filled with laundry, gift wrapping, and more cooking, so best to get it done before I forget. Tonight's meal is another one made in duplicate for the new mommy & daddy. For some reason last night I kept dreaming about this dish. That has never happened to me before, but I actually had several dreams through the course of the night that involved Spinach Lasagna. Every time I awoke from a dream I'd think to myself, "Oh yeah, I'm making Spinach Lasagna tomorrow night." When I got up this morning it was to the point that I was almost feeling hesitant about the evening's meal. It seemed like dreaming about lasagna couldn't be a good thing. Opposite to all foreboding the meal came together very easily. I was a little low on cheese, so I put together the dish for the freezer first. Wouldn't want to stiff the new parents on mozzarella. I had enough cheese in the end, as you know lasagna is so overly cheesy it wasn't a real problem being just a smidge low on it. This was really so easy I'm wondering why I hadn't been making two at a time all along, and saving myself twice the effort for two meals. Obviously this is isn't the first time that I've posted about the Spinach Lasagna, but this being such a fast, easy and healthy recipe I figured it definitely worth re-posting at this most hectic and indulgent time of year.

Spinach Lasagna
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 8












4 cups (32 oz.) whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 10 oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
6 cups store-bought or homemade tomato sauce
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 lb. (4 cups) fontina cheese, shredded

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add spinach, and stir well to combine.
• Spread a small bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish or dishes. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the remaining sauce; sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with cheese. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Before baking, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
• Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.

My notes: I always use part-skim ricotta, mozzarella in place of the fontina, and top it off with a little parmesan for good measure. I've been using aluminum 8" square pans for all the freezer goodies I've been packing, and with this recipe it was a little shallow, and a little weak. If using one of these yourself to freeze your second batch then I would suggest that you go a little thinner with your sauce. In my written directions to the couple I also suggested putting it on a baking sheet to cook, in case of any spill over. It was also a little harder to wrap the plastic wrap all the way around the pan, since it was very full and a little weighty, but I managed. Just an fyi to be careful. Or use something better than a slightly shallow aluminum pan, ha. Also, each 8" pan should serve four, but I can easily get 6 servings out of it.

Re-run One

It's like there's a writer's strike in my kitchen or something. As I mentioned in the last post I'm cooking for two this week. And when cooking for someone else you want to make something you know is good, right? So last night's menu included Southwestern Turkey Burgers. I made these because they freeze so well. Two for us, and two for the new mom & pop. To freeze for later I place two of the patties on wax paper and then into the freezer for 3o minutes or so, until firm. Then wrap in wax paper and seal in a freezer bag for later use. Don't forget to date your bag, so that you don't let good food waste away. (I should listen to my own advice here, what is that foil wrapped blob and how long has it been in there?) When you're ready for a re-run of your own just pop them in the fridge overnight and you'll be ready to go for the next day's dinner. Didn't have the foresight to thaw the burgers ahead of time? Toss your freezer bag into a bowl of cool water and change the water every 30 minutes till they're ready to go. I also made the Chili Oven Fries last night, so I figured I'd re-post both recipes for you here.














Southwestern Turkey Burgers
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey, 93% lean
1 jalapeno, minced, seeded and ribbed
2 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Vegetable oil for grates (if grilling)

• Heat grill/pan to medium-high. In a medium bowl place turkey, jalapeno, cheese, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix very gently with fork to combine, being careful not to over mix.
• Gently form meat into 4 equal-size patties, 4" in diameter and 1" thick. Press thumb in the center of each patty to make an indentation approximately 1/2" deep.
• Moisten a folded paper towel with oil; rub on cooking surface. Season burgers with salt and pepper; grill until cooked throughout, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Serve on buns with desired toppings.

My notes: The only thing I change about this recipe is I usually use Pepper Jack cheese in addition to the jalapeño. Mmmmm, me likey spicy. It's not really that spicy though, ha.

Chili Oven Fries
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4

3 large Russet potatoes (2 lbs.)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Halve potatoes lengthwise; cut each half lengthwise into thirds.
• In a large bowl, whisk olive oil with chili powder; season generously with salt & pepper. Add potatoes and toss to coat.
• Transfer potatoes to a baking sheet, cut sides down. Bake, turning potatoes halfway through, until they are tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes.

My notes: This serves 4. I should remember that, so that I don't make too many and then eat too many. But what would be the fun in that? Oh well, I needed to use up those potatoes anyway.

Roll With It

Well, this week is just chock full of cooking for me. I'm sure you're saying to yourself that it's about time. Hush. :) This week I'm making meals that are either recipes that make double batches or have good freezable leftovers. My bro-in-law and his wife had their first baby yesterday, a little boy, and I told her last week that I would get together some meals for their freezer. Kim is a planner, like me, but she didn't have as much energy to stock her deep freeze up for the lean newborn months as she hoped she would. Luckily I fluttered in, like a dinner guardian angel, and told her I was gonna be bringing some grub their way. We still have to go see the new addition to the family, but that will be later this week once Josh doesn't have evening lessons. Anyhow, I am making a lot of repeat recipes this week, since I wouldn't want to stick them with an icebox full of untested and untried foods. Last night however I did try one new recipe that I was eager to make as soon as I saw it in the December issue of Everyday Food. These Vegetable Enchiladas looked delicious, but the recipe also looked hard to halve. Since it makes two 8" pans worth this was the perfect opportunity to give it a shot. One for us, and one for the new threesome!

Vegetable Enchiladas
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 8












2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking dishes
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 cups grated pepper Jack cheese (12 ounces)
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 box (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
16 corn tortillas (6-inch)

• Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add 1 teaspoon cumin, flour, and tomato paste; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• Make filling: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheese, beans, spinach, corn, scallion whites, and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin; season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil two 8-inch square baking dishes; set aside. Stack tortillas, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute. Or stack and wrap in aluminum foil, and heat in oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Top each tortilla with a heaping 1/3 cup of filling; roll up tightly and arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dishes.
• Dividing evenly, sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 1 cup cheese, and top with sauce. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; serve garnished with scallion greens.
• To freeze: Prepare enchiladas through step 3; top with cheese, and cover baking dishes with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place sauce in an airtight container. Freeze enchiladas and sauce for up to 2 months.
• To bake from frozen: Thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight (or microwave on high 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dishes, and pour sauce over enchiladas; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; remove foil, and bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

My notes: These enchiladas were actually really awesome. Not that I didn't have faith in the recipe, but I didn't have a lot of faith in my execution of it. I have had trouble with making sauces with flour in the past. This time everything went exactly as it should, and I just almost couldn't believe it. I'm sure it sounds silly, but I really never thought I would make enchilada sauce. But I did, and it tasted fabulous, just like what comes to mind when I think of it. In typical fashion with anything Martha rolls I had extra filling leftover. No complaints though because I'll be eating two veggie quesadillas for lunch. I was going to make some Spanish rice as a side dish, but I was so engrossed in the process of making the enchiladas and preparing their batch for the freezer that I completely forgot about it until I sat down to eat. So I ate 3 enchiladas instead of two, ha. That left three for the hubster at dinner and two for his lunch today. I don't often freeze meals for ourselves, but this recipe was so delicious I think that next time it'll be great to know that I've got one of these tucked away for later.

No Pictures :(

I very regrettably forgot to take my camera with me for our Christmas dinner at the Pop-in-law's last night. I wish I had pictures of the totally awesome and delicious pheasant and duck kabobs we had. So good, tender bites of meat skewered with bell pepper and onion chunks, fresh from their garden, and wrapped up in always-awesome bacon. Oh, for the love of flavor, why did I forget my camera and why am I not eating more of those kabobs right now. Hunting season is far from over, so hopefully I can look forward to some more before too long. I just had to mention them because it was such an enjoyable departure from the typical turkey or ham. We more or less noshed through the evening, also enjoying some barbecue meatballs, spanikopita, veggie and cheese assortment, delicious mississippi mud cake, pound cake, and brownies. I love grazing. :)

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

I made this chili, found in the October 2007 issue of Everyday Food, about a month ago. I thought I would give it a whirl as it seemed much quicker than my regular veggie chili recipe. And while it was quicker, it wasn't quite as delicious. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but it just didn't hit the mark for me. It's sort of in between my usual veg chili and the black bean & corn stew I make. I might make it again sometime when looking for a fast veggie meal. No pic, cause really these things rarely photograph well for me. And the recipe wasn't put up on Martha's site, so I couldn't steal their picture either, ha.

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 zucchini (about 1 pound total) halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 carrots thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cans (19 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
1 package frozen corn, thawed

• In a 5 quart Dutch Oven or heavy pot heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.
• Add zucchini, carrots, chili powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, and 1 cup water. Simmer until slightly thickened and carrots are soft, 8 to 10 minutes more.

My notes: I used 2 15 oz. cans of black beans because I don't know that I've ever seen 19 oz. cans. In fact, as I was typing that I was not sure that I even noticed it said 19 oz. when I made the recipe. I wonder if it's a typo. Or perhaps I'm not looking closely enough at the grocery store and these 19 oz. cans have been right under my nose. Anyway, like I said, this recipe was good, not great, and I might make it again but it's not destined to be in heavy rotation. Wanted to share it anyhow though, since it's not available on their website. Hopefully I'll get a chance to make my favorite veggie chili soon so I can share it with you.

Side Kick

Last week I was looking for a side dish to serve with the Rosemary Meatballs that I had pulled from the freezer. The first time I served the meatballs I made some broccoli & bow-tie pasta. This time around I wanted something different, but I did want green. And it doesn't get much more green than green beans, right? This recipe is from the April 2007 Everyday Food. It was quick, easy, and delicious- everything I find important in a side dish.

Parmesan Green Beans
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4












Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 10 oz. packages frozen French-cut green beans
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add green beans, and cook until tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
• Add butter, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with remaining Parmesan.

My notes: I found this to be an especially nice recipe to compliment the Rosemary Meatballs because they contain lemon zest, but the lemon in each dish didn't dominate the meal. Everyday food also suggested trying Parmigiano-Reggiano, Romano, or Asiago in place of the Parmesan. I think any of them would be delicious.

Saturday Night

Saturday night our good friends Spencer and Deb were coming over for dinner. I didn't take any picture, I was too busy enjoying myself. But I thought I would put links to the recipes I used, since they are especially good this time of year. For dinner we had a salad, some beer bread, and slow cooker beef stew. Everyone really enjoyed it, and we have plenty of leftovers for dinner tonight. For dessert I made Eve's Pudding, which I'd been eager to make again for quite some time. I think it turned out even better this time, despite the fact that I messed up the batter and had to start over. Luckily I'd given myself plenty of time and had it in the oven before they arrived. Easy dinner parties are such fun!

Red and Black Bean Pie

I was chided by my sister-in-law for not updating, so here we go! With the weather getting colder I was looking for some hearty recipes. Finding vegetarian options that meet my idea of hearty can be a little difficult, but this one met expectations. This recipe is from the October 2006 issue of Everyday Food, and is their 'Freeze It' feature. I halved this recipe, since it was meant to make enough for two in the first place. This is the first time I've worked with polenta in any form. It was easy and yummy, so I'll definitely use it again. Maybe next time I'll try it soft.

Red and Black Bean Pie
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 8


2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 bunches scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 ox can diced tomatoes in juice
1 16 oz. tube plain prepared polenta, patted dry
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1 1/2 cup coarsely shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Salsa (optional)

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium; add white part of scallions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and 1/2 cup water. As you bring to a boil, mash 1/4 of the beans with the back of a spoon against side of pan to release starch. Reduce to a simmer; cook until mixture has thickened 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, brush eight 10- to 12-ounce ramekins or custard cups or 2 deep dish pie plates with remaining oil. Slice polenta crosswise into rounds- 8 for ramekins or 16 for pie plates. Place one round in each ramekin or 8 rounds in the bottom of each pie plate.
• Remove bean mixture from heat. Stir in green part of scallions, cilantro, and hot sauce; season with salt and pepper. Spoon bean mixture over polenta; top with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. If desired garnish with cilantro, and serve with salsa.
• To freeze- Let unbaked pies cool completely; cover with aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Bake frozen with foil on at 400 degrees until warm in center, 60-70 minutes for ramekins, 70-80 minutes for pie plates. Remove foil; bake until cheese is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

My notes: Aside from halving this recipe I also forgot to buy the cilantro. So in lieu of it I added a little cumin. I can't say any specific amount, I just sprinkled it in to taste. I think the next time I make it I'll do both cilantro and a bit of cumin. Also, instead of making double the pies I think you could definitely make one pie and use the leftover bean mixture for veggie burritos or even scoop and eat with tortilla chips. Yum!

Dinner Rerun

Another reason there haven't been as many posts is that I've been doing a lot of repeat recipes. Monday night I made one of my more common repeat recipes, Penne with Zucchini and Feta. It's such an easy dinner to make, coming together really quickly with minimal prep work. Definitely a Monday kind of meal. I originally got the recipe from poco-cocoa, which has unfortunately been laid to rest. I wish I had had the time to print off all her recipes before that happened. Oh well. This is a dish that she got from Cooking Light, but with her adjustments. I don't have a picture for two reasons- It's one of those meals that really doesn't photograph that well, and I was so hungry I didn't even think about taking a picture. I just wanted to dive right in! Obviously it's not peak zucchini time right now, but it's one of my favorite veggies to work with so as long as I can find decent ones in the store I'm going to keep cooking with them.

Penne with Zucchini & Feta
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light; Serves 4 (although we ate it all Monday night, ha)

8 ounces uncooked penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise an sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano, zucchini, and garlic; saute 3 minutes. Stir in broth, rind, juice, and pepper. Add drained pasta and cheese; toss well.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

I've been waiting several weeks to post this recipe. But that isn't the reason it's been so long since I last posted. I've just been lolly-gagging around while a cold virus kicked my butt. And a cold in my nose equals a cold kitchen. Well, I did make some cookies and pumpkin bread for Thanksgiving. And there was a failed attempt at pie crust that we will NOT be discussing just yet. But aside from that I pretty much didn't go near the kitchen. However I wouldn't let myself post this recipe because it's relation to Christmas made me feel as though it should be saved for the right time. And now that Thanksgiving has come and gone the time has come to share.

For the second year in a row I will be hosting my mom, brother, and sister-in-law for Christmas morning. Last year I made pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sweet & spicy bacon. We had a delicious breakfast, but a late breakfast. I had a lot of trouble timing everything, especially in my teeny, tiny, apartment kitchen. The kitchen where I took up almost all counter space with the electric griddle for the pancakes. Leaving me to balance the bacon plate on the small ledge in front of the sink to drain. And Josh and I bumping into each other constantly as he scrambled eggs and I flipped pancakes. It all came out well in the end, but I was a bit frazzled when it was all said and done. So I pretty much decided from there out that things would be different this year. Now, I can't predict the future, so I can't say for sure that things will go more smoothly, but I am doing my best to try and ensure that it does. And part of that effort has been the search for a great baked french toast recipe. I decided that this dish would be the ideal Christmas morning dish. I tried one from all recipes that was okay. Josh liked it, his co-worker loved the leftovers I sent him to work with, but I only thought it was okay. Does okay sound good enough for Christmas? No, I didn't think so either. So, I continued the search. That's when I came across a recipe for Boozy Baked French Toast from Deb over at Smitten Kitchen. I gave this recipe a shot and ladies and gentleman (Josh, you're likely the only man who reads this), we have a winner. As soon as I took my first bite I knew that I had found what I was looking for. So, to start off the holiday season around here, here is the recipe we shall be dining on Christmas morning.

Baked French Toast
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen; Serves 6

1 loaf Challah bread in 1-inch slices
3 cups whole milk
3 eggs
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Generously grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with salted (my choice) or unsalted butter.
• Arrange bread in two tightly-packed layers in the pan. If using braided Challah, cut one slice into smaller pieces to fill in gaps.
  
• Whisk milk, eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla and pour over the bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
• Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The bread will absorb all of the milk custard while you sleep.
• Bake at 425 for 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden. This will take longer if you have additional layers.
• Cut into generous squares and serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit, powdered sugar or all of the above.

My notes: This is the teetotalers version of this recipe. I was looking for a recipe with just a hint of sweetness, which the teaspoon of vanilla and sprinkle of cinnamon sugar provides. For those of you who are more adventurous than I, Deb had the following advice for flavorings: "I use 3 tablespoons Bailey’s and 3 tablespoons Cointreau, but Frangelico (hazelnut), Chambord (raspberry), Crème de Cassis (black currant) Grand Marnier or just a teaspoon or two of vanilla or almond extract can do the trick. You can bump up a citrus flavor with a teaspoon of zest, add a half-cup of chopped nuts such as almond slivers or pecans between layers or on top or a similar amount of raisins or other dried fruits." If you're going to add any fillings, like nuts or dried fruit, then that needs to be done the night before while arranging the bread in the dish.

Super Soup

Don't you hate it when you make a recipe you think your significant other is just going to love, and they give you an "it's okay", in response? Well, no matter what Josh thought of this soup, I thought it was fantastic. I don't have a picture for it, it was so good the thought didn't even cross my mind before I dug in. But I wanted to tell you about it anyway. This recipe come from Jane at This Week For Dinner. She has plenty of great recipes, so definitely check them all out, but here is the recipe that I made and happily gobbled up.

Lentil Soup
Recipe from This Week For Dinner

1 cup dry lentils
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cooking oil
4 cups beef broth
1 7.5 ounce can tomatoes, cut up
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 lb. fully cooked smoked sausage links, sliced - or chopped ham

• Rinse lentils, set aside. In a large saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot oil until tender but not brown. Stir in lentils, beef broth, undrained tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, thyme/oregano, pepper, cumin, and bay leaf. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add carrot and celery. Return to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until lentils and veggies are tender. Stir in meat - heat through. Discard bay leaf.

My notes: I used thyme, and I opted for ham. It was delicious, but I think next time I'm going to try turkey sausage to see how good that is. This made enough for Josh and I to each have a big bowl for dinner and I had enough leftovers for two lunches. I don't really get why Josh wasn't head over heels for it, it seemed like such a man-pleasing soup, but he does have particular taste at times. He liked it, but just wasn't as head over heels for it as I thought he would be. Like I said, I'll definitely make it again and try changing it up a little just to see how it comes out each way.

Spice It Up

Looking for something a little different? Interested in kicking your Thanksgiving celebration up a notch? Then I suggested you turn to chili. Chili powder that is. I love chili powder, and I especially love roasting things with it. It's practically the only way I like eating sweet potatoes, and I certainly enjoy some oven fries coated in it. But I think that this Thanksgiving would be a perfect opportunity to introduce your family to chili-roasted acorn squash. I made this side dish a week or two ago after seeing it in the November issue of Everyday Food. It went deliciously with the southwestern turkey burgers I cooked up. So, I say give something slightly difference a try this holiday season.

Chili-Roasted Acorn Squash
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4


2 acorn squashes (1 1/2 pound each), halved lengthwise, seeds removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
coarse salt and ground pepper

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut each squash halve into several wedges, then halve wedges crosswise.
• On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss squash with oil and chili powder; season with salt and pepper, and toss again. Roast until tender and starting to brown, 20 to 25 minutes, tossing halfway through.

My notes: I halved this recipe, since its just the two of us. I'm a squash novice and I had a heck of a time cutting it. I got a tip from Josh's aunt Nelda tonight to poke it several times with a knife and microwave it for a couple minutes to soften it up before trying to slice all the way through it. Next time it should be much easier!

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! I should be back sometime this week with posts about the goodies I'll be preparing for my family get-together on Thursday.

101- Buttermilk Biscuits

I think that a good biscuit recipe definitely falls under the 101 category. They are so easy and so versatile that you can pair them with many things. You can have them with sausage and gravy for breakfast, on the side of a nice bowl of soup for lunch, or with some chicken and veg for dinner. Obviously those aren't the only limits to buttermilk biscuits, those are just some ideas. November's Everyday Food did a little feature on these delicious delights so I decided to whip some up last week. Instead of using all the all purpose flour the recipe called for I substituted half of it with white whole wheat, just to make things a smidge healthier for us. With it being holiday season it seems like the perfect time to whip some of these babies up.

Buttermilk Wheat Biscuits
Recipe from Everyday Food; Makes 12


4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling and cutting
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into bits, plus 4 tablespoons melted
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees, in a food processor. In a food processor, pulse flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt to combine. Add cold butter; pulse until mixture is the texture of coarse meal;, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Add buttermilk; pulse just until dough is moistened, 2 to 3 times.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead just to combine (do not overwork). Roll with a floured rolling pin (or pat with hands) to a 3/4" thickness. Cut out rounds with a floured 2 1/2 : round biscuit cutter.
• Transfer to a baking sheet, 1 1/2" apart. (Re-roll and cut scraps only once.) Brush top and sides of rounds with melted butter. Bake until biscuits are puffed and golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

My notes: They also had some hints for biscuit variations and I decided to go with black pepper, so I added some black pepper into the dry mixture and some on top after brushing them with butter. They suggest 1 teaspoon in the dry mixture and 1/2 teaspoon atop them. I just cracked till I was happy, ha. And give the white whole wheat a shot, cause they tasted great and at least it's only half as bad for you. Also, I hate my food processor, so I didn't mess with it. I used my handy dandy pastry blender to cut in the butter and a fork to gently mix the buttermilk in.

Coming Soon

Another 101 Post will be coming very soon. Sorry, I'm a bum and forgot the recipe, ha.

Quichee-Quichee-Coo

Sorry, that's a pretty silly title, ha. Well, as the days get shorter not to mention busier with holiday events, I know I'm going to be relying on quick and easy recipes for our weekly dinners. Last week I made just such a meal. I wanted to make a quiche, like the Crustless Broccoli-Cheddar one that I love, but decided I wanted to use feta instead. To compliment the feta I chose asparagus and white mushrooms. I can't wait to think up the next version.

Crustless Asparagus Mushroom and Feta Quiche
Recipe adapted from Everyday Food; Serves 4












Butter for pie dish
Coarse salt
1 lb. asparagus spears, cut into 2" inch pieces
1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms, chopped
6 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
Ground pepper
8 oz. crumbled feta cheese

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9" pie dish and set aside. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add asparagus pieces and cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain well.
• Meanwhile in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 ground pepper. Stir in mushrooms, asparagus, and feta cheese.
• Pour mixture into pie dish. Bake until golden brown, 35-40 minutes.

My notes: I don't know why it hadn't occurred to me before to play around with the ingredients, but you can look forward to more variations on this meal, I'm sure.

Baked Ziti

I made this a couple weeks ago, but hadn't posted it because I wasn't able to get a picture. This morning I realized it's been awhile since I posted though, and I don't have pics of my other recipes ready just yet, so I figured I'd go ahead and put this up. It was such an easy and quick meal that I will definitely be making it again.

Baked Ziti
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4

Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 oz. ziti rigate (ridged)
1 cup part-skim ricotta
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1 jar (24 to 26 ounces) best-quality tomato sauce

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions; drain and reserve.
• In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and half the mozzarella; season with salt and pepper.
• In the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole dish, spread half the tomato sauce. Top with ziti, then ricotta mixture and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Place casserole on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

Feeling Fallish

Sorry the posting has been a little scarce. Things have been a little hectic, and this has been a really terrible week. I'm ready for it to be over. Anyway, this past Saturday, when I was feeling much more chipper, I decided to get myself into the kitchen and do a bit of baking. I have been waiting all year for autumn. All summer long, telling myself that it would be crazy to indulge my craving for pumpkin bread when it's time for berries and things. But the time had finally come, so I pulled out my Grandma's recipe and got to work. The recipe makes two loaves, so I sent one to work with Josh this week. It went over well, as his tiny office ate it all that day. Guess I'll have to pull the recipe out again real soon.

Pumpkin Bread
Family recipe; Makes 2 loaves












3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 can pumpkin puree
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and oil together. Add eggs and pumpkin and mix well. Sift together dry ingredients; add dry ingredients alternately with water.
• Pour into well greased and floured 9" x 5" loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 90 minutes, or until tests done. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cool.

My notes: The only thing I have to say is that this is probably one of the things I most looked forward to my grandmother making at Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it makes me really happy that I'm able to make it now too.

In Case You Didn't Believe Me When I Said

I wasn't a foodie, I've come baring more proof. I have a couple other things that I could post about, since I made them prior to tonight's dinner, but they'll just have to wait. I didn't want to put off telling you about our meal any longer than I'd have to. The other day, while perusing food blogs, like ya do, I wandered over to Ruth's blog, Once Upon A Feast. As I scrolled down the page I delighted in finding the collection of recipes from Presto Pasta Night #34. I didn't have to look for long before one particular item caught my eye. I immediately linked over to the Spaghetti Sandwich, submitted by Alisha of Cook.Craft.Enjoy. And so tonight, I did just that. I cooked spaghetti, I crafted it into a sandwich, and I enjoyed. While I didn't follow her actual recipe, it was the inspiration for our meal, so she deserves props. So, if you ever think- hmm this pasta sure is good, but shoving it between two slices of bread would make it that much better
- read on.

Spaghetti Sandwich
Recipe inspired by Cook.Craft.Enjoy.; Serves a lot












1 7 oz. package fideo pasta
1 pound ground beef, 93% lean
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 15 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
garlic powder
dried basil
dried oregano
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
red pepper flakes
french loaf- or whatever bread you especially like for garlic toast
butter

• Cover the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add ground beef and brown until there is no pink left, making sure to break up into a good crumble. Drain the beef and set aside. Return pan to stove, add a little more olive oil and cook onion and garlic for several minutes, till beginning to soften. Add meat back to pan, with both cans of crushed tomatoes. Begin seasoning, adding as you feel necessary and tasting often. Once the taste is to your liking reduce heat to low.
  
• Boil salted water and cook fideo pasta for approximately 9 minutes. Drain and return to pan.
• Cut thick slices from french loaf- large enough to make a decent sized sandwich. Butter both sides of slices and press one side each with garlic powder and a sprinkling of oregano. Toast in a skillet over medium heat till each side is to your desired crispness.
• Meanwhile, combine your sauce and pasta. Once toasts are done, spoon spaghetti onto one slice and top with the second.

My notes: I don't know if anyone is going to bother trying this, ha. But if you do you should know that you will have a ton of spaghetti leftovers, so this itself would probably be the ideal leftovers meal, following a pleasant spaghetti dinner. As it is we will behaving spaghetti for lunch tomorrow, ha.

I'm No Foodie

I know that my tastes in food are pretty low league. I'd like to think that my palate is starting to grow and expand, but sometimes that just isn't the case. And Tuesday night's dinner just proves that. I'd had my eye on this Mediterranean Tuna-Noodle Casserole from Everyday Food. So I put it on the menu for this week and picked up all the ingredients that I needed on my shopping trip. I'd never done anything with artichoke hearts before, but I wasn't too worried about that. Until I opened the can that is. I just couldn't do it. They smelled atrocious to me, and I just couldn't get past it. I've had recipes before where I thought a particular ingredient was pretty yucky, but everything came together fine in the end. This time I just couldn't work my way through it and after a minute or two I started thinking about what I could substitute them with. And I found my answer in the freezer- peas. Nice, bright green peas. The color and shape offered a nice contrast to the red pepper strips. Normally I would type out the original recipe verbatim and then note my changes below, but seeing as I will pretty much stick to this version from here on out, I'm posting it with my alterations. It is also a half version of the Everyday Food recipe, as it was their "Freeze It" feature, making enough for a casserole for now and casserole for later.

Tuna-Noodle Casserole
Adapted from Everyday Food Recipe; Serves 4

2.5 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking dish
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 oz. wide egg noodles
1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup 1% milk
2 6oz. cans tuna packed in olive oil, drained
1-1.5 cups frozen peas
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dish. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until 2 minutes short of al dente, according to package instructions; drain, and return to pot.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add bell pepper; season with salt and pepper. Cook until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add milks, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer.
• Remove from heat; add mixture to noodles in pot, along with tuna, peas, and scallions. Season with salt and pepper, and toss. Transfer to prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 20 minutes.

My notes: The reasoning behind the milk- The original recipe called for 5 cups of whole milk. Halving it left me needing 2.5 cups. We don't drink whole milk, we buy 1%. So instead of having a bunch of whole milk leftover, going bad in my fridge, I bought a pint of whole and made the difference up with our 1%. I figure it saved us some nominal amount of calories and fat too. I bet I probably could have substituted some white whole wheat flour too. Maybe I'll try that next time.