11 Temmuz 2012 Çarşamba
Gourmet Caprese Burger with Balsamic Reduction and $125 Fresina's Pasta Co & Italian Specialties Giveaway
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10 Temmuz 2012 Salı
9 Temmuz 2012 Pazartesi
St. Patrick's Day's A Comin'...
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Last year on St. Patrick's Day I lamented the fact that I didn't have anything green in my recipe box. This year I've got another confession to make. I've been deceiving you with my recipes (only a teensy bit). Maybe "deceive" is the wrong word... Exaggerating? I do believe in eating fresh, organic, and local as much as possible, but we don't eat like this all the time, especially when my farmer's market is closed for the season. I've got two little boys who can make gourmet meal preparation a challenge to say the least. What we actually eat are things like macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, and burritos.
Now, though I usually make them from scratch (no blue boxes of "mak n' cheaz" in my pantry, thank you) we are hardly the gourmands we seem to be with recipes like this, this, and this. So this St. Patrick's Day I'm kicking off a new (occasionally updated) series called: "How We Really Eat." The recipes are quick, sometimes use store-bought/name brand ingredients, are free of preservatives, as local as possible, and weird chemical-free. (I spend a lot of time in the store squinting at labels, let me just say!) I'll be posting the recipes throughout the year.
Today, for St. Patty's day, that traditional Ye Olde Irish dish: Pesto Pizza
Check out the also not Irish beer. It's local. It's goooood. It's Pike's Place Brewery Pale Ale. You can get your own at Pike's Place Market and grocery stores in the greater Seattle area. They have one called "Kilt Lifter" but I was afraid that a Leprechaun might beat me to death with a shillelagh if I used it in a St. Patrick's Day post...
Pesto Pizza
Start with the pesto:
Yield: enough for two pizzas and a little left over
3-4 C basil, washed and dried
3 large garlic cloves
1/2 C olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 C pine nuts
2 Tbs shredded Parmesan
salt
Put everything in a food processor except the Parmesan and buzz until it's "pesto-y." Then add the Parmesan and buzz it some more.
For the Pizza:
1 package Trader Joe's garlic and herb pizza crust, divided in half
4-8 sundried tomatoes packed in oil (Mediterranean Organic brand), roughly chopped
5-6 cloves garlic
baby bella mushrooms, sliced (these are button mushrooms pictured here, and they turned out fine, too)
feta cheese
mozzarella cheese
salt
Preheat oven to 425°. Dust your work surface lightly with bread flour. Divide dough in half and roll out as thinly as possible, about a 1/4 inch. Lightly brush entire crust with olive oil. Crush garlic with a garlic press over the crust and brush until it is distributed evenly. Pesto is next, make sure to leave the edges clear. If you really want to guild the lily, you can drizzle a tablespoon or so of oil from the sundried tomatoes bottle over the pesto. Place mushrooms and tomatoes sparsely over pesto. Sprinkle salt around the edge of the crust. This next part may seem weird, but trust me. Put the pizza in the oven without the cheese. Bake until the crust just begins to brown, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with feta and/or mozzarella. The more sparse the better. Then return to oven and bake for 2-4 minutes until cheese is just melted.
Optional:
If you don't want to make your own pesto, or don't have the time, Roland Pesto is the best! The 3 oz jar should cover at least one crust and you can over the other with tomato sauce and see how you like that!
Review:
This my favorite pizza of all time. My previous view of pizza was more cheese, more crust, gimme. This crust is so crispy I just couldn't stand to make it all soggy under a million toppings and gobs of cheese. It's thin crust gone sophisticated with zero time spent slaving over a warm proofing drawer!
Now, though I usually make them from scratch (no blue boxes of "mak n' cheaz" in my pantry, thank you) we are hardly the gourmands we seem to be with recipes like this, this, and this. So this St. Patrick's Day I'm kicking off a new (occasionally updated) series called: "How We Really Eat." The recipes are quick, sometimes use store-bought/name brand ingredients, are free of preservatives, as local as possible, and weird chemical-free. (I spend a lot of time in the store squinting at labels, let me just say!) I'll be posting the recipes throughout the year.
Today, for St. Patty's day, that traditional Ye Olde Irish dish: Pesto Pizza
Check out the also not Irish beer. It's local. It's goooood. It's Pike's Place Brewery Pale Ale. You can get your own at Pike's Place Market and grocery stores in the greater Seattle area. They have one called "Kilt Lifter" but I was afraid that a Leprechaun might beat me to death with a shillelagh if I used it in a St. Patrick's Day post...Pesto Pizza
Start with the pesto:
Yield: enough for two pizzas and a little left over
3-4 C basil, washed and dried
3 large garlic cloves
1/2 C olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 C pine nuts
2 Tbs shredded Parmesan
salt
Put everything in a food processor except the Parmesan and buzz until it's "pesto-y." Then add the Parmesan and buzz it some more.
For the Pizza:
1 package Trader Joe's garlic and herb pizza crust, divided in half
4-8 sundried tomatoes packed in oil (Mediterranean Organic brand), roughly chopped
5-6 cloves garlic
baby bella mushrooms, sliced (these are button mushrooms pictured here, and they turned out fine, too)
feta cheese
mozzarella cheese
salt
Preheat oven to 425°. Dust your work surface lightly with bread flour. Divide dough in half and roll out as thinly as possible, about a 1/4 inch. Lightly brush entire crust with olive oil. Crush garlic with a garlic press over the crust and brush until it is distributed evenly. Pesto is next, make sure to leave the edges clear. If you really want to guild the lily, you can drizzle a tablespoon or so of oil from the sundried tomatoes bottle over the pesto. Place mushrooms and tomatoes sparsely over pesto. Sprinkle salt around the edge of the crust. This next part may seem weird, but trust me. Put the pizza in the oven without the cheese. Bake until the crust just begins to brown, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with feta and/or mozzarella. The more sparse the better. Then return to oven and bake for 2-4 minutes until cheese is just melted.
Optional:
If you don't want to make your own pesto, or don't have the time, Roland Pesto is the best! The 3 oz jar should cover at least one crust and you can over the other with tomato sauce and see how you like that!
Review:
This my favorite pizza of all time. My previous view of pizza was more cheese, more crust, gimme. This crust is so crispy I just couldn't stand to make it all soggy under a million toppings and gobs of cheese. It's thin crust gone sophisticated with zero time spent slaving over a warm proofing drawer!
It's Passover Time Again...
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Aaaaannnd... I'm still not Jewish. But I have a special place in my heart for the Jewish people and traditions, especially Passover. The Seder meal is one of the most beautiful things I've ever been involved in. So much tradition and symbolism... It's lovely. *sigh...*
Matzoh bread is extraordinarily simple to make ingredient-wise, for obvious reasons. If you want to make them super duper kosher find directions at ehow.
I got this recipe online years ago, but it apparently originally came from this book.
Homemade Matzoh
2 C all-purpose flour
1 C whole wheat flour
Spring Water
Preheat oven to 450°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix the flours together. Add water till you have a soft kneadable dough. Knead about 5 minutes. Let rest 2 minutes. Break off an egg-sized portion of dough. Stretch as thinly as possible before rolling into oval slabs that are as thin as possible. Prick each slab with a fork. Place on baking sheet and as spoon as sheet is filled, placed in oven, and bake until crisp and buckled, about 3 minutes. Cool and eat.
Matzoh bread is extraordinarily simple to make ingredient-wise, for obvious reasons. If you want to make them super duper kosher find directions at ehow.
I got this recipe online years ago, but it apparently originally came from this book.
Homemade Matzoh
2 C all-purpose flour
1 C whole wheat flour
Spring Water
Preheat oven to 450°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix the flours together. Add water till you have a soft kneadable dough. Knead about 5 minutes. Let rest 2 minutes. Break off an egg-sized portion of dough. Stretch as thinly as possible before rolling into oval slabs that are as thin as possible. Prick each slab with a fork. Place on baking sheet and as spoon as sheet is filled, placed in oven, and bake until crisp and buckled, about 3 minutes. Cool and eat.
Vegetables for Breakfast...
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I've been noodling over the idea of vegetables for breakfast lately. How many vegetables do you think about as breakfast food? Potatoes of course. Maybe onions, or spinach or asparagus. Now what would you do if you didn't have any eggs? Because that was the boat I was in on Father's Day... My farmer's market is on Sunday. I used the last egg on Saturday. I had some duck eggs, but hubby doesn't like them a super lot. I use them for baking, which they are awesome for. So rich! But anyway, I was down to a few veg and that was about it.
Let me further explain by showing you this:
Strawberry Cake with Blueberry Frosting and Strawberry Frosting Filling. Looks OK from the outside, right?
And this:
See how thick that frosting is? Yeah... My cake had some issues...
Hubby's birthday was last week. He loves strawberry cake. I would rather lick my shoe than eat a boxed strawberry cake. So I endeavored to make him one. I picked a yellow cake recipe and subbed strawberries in syrup (homemade of course) for the milk. Apparently milk is important because it totally sank in the middle. But oh my gosh was it delicious! I will be revising this ugly duckling for sure. At any rate, following the collapsed (if delicious) Birthday cake fiasco, I was hoping to make him something that was delicious and beautiful for Father's Day.
So I made this:
Hello, Gorgeous...
Pastry on the bottom, vegetables in the middle, bacon, and homemade herbed ricotta on top. I will never be sad we're out of eggs again. This could be called a "tart," I suppose. I'm just calling it "brekky."
This particular recipe took a long time to make. If you make the dough a day ahead and use leftovers for the filling, everything will go much faster the day of. As it was, I didn't have any leftovers suitable, plus, he was sleeping in, so I had time.
The vegetables I had were potatoes, sweet potatoes, asparagus, onion, garlic, and mushrooms. And bacon. A highly underrated vegetable. I made an oatmeal crust following Mark Bittman's recipe in his book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (p.866).
Father's Day Brekky
Oatmeal Crust:
1/2 C + 2Tbs white flour
1/4 C whole wheat flour
1/4 C oatmeal
8 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 Tbs ice water, plus more if necessary
Filling:
1 medium sweet potato, peeled
1 medium white potato, peeled
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
2 pieces of bacon
4 button mushrooms
1 bundle of asparagus
olive oil (a drizzle here, a drizzle there...)
Herbed Homemade Ricotta Cheese:
1 C cream
2 C whole milk
1 1/2 T lemon juice
thyme
Make the ricotta. I already had some in my fridge. I used this recipe from Zestuous. It would definitely help to make this the day before. Even though the process is quick (about 35 minutes), it will add quite a bit of time to the process for this recipe if you make it the same day. And can I just say here that this is the best ricotta cheese I've ever had in my entire life? You will never want to use store-bought again. Save the milk, too. It's to die for.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Begin by making the crust:
Combine the four, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse once or twice. Add the butter and turn on the machine; process until the butter and flour are blended and the mixture looks like cornmeal, about 10 seconds.
Put the mixture in a bowl and add 3 Tbs ice water; mix with your hands until you can form the dough into a ball, adding another tablespoon or two of the ice water if neccessary (if you overdo it and the mixture becomes sodden, add a little more more flour). Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (You can refrigerate for up to a couple of days or freeze for up to a couple of weeks.)
Next, make potatoes:
Thinly slice sweet and white potatoes, lightly toss in olive oil and salt, cover with aluminum foil, and put into preheated oven. I put mine on two different sheets in case they took different times cooking.
Begin onions:
Thinly slice with a mandolin if possible, and caramelize over low heat (can take up to 1/2 hour).
While onions are caramelizing, chop bacon roughly, mince mushrooms, and thinly slice asparagus to about 1/2 inch.
At this point, put garlic on a little foil and drizzle with a splash of olive oil. Wrap garlic and place on top rack of oven with potatoes.
Once onions have finished, remove to a medium sized bowl and fry bacon pieces until crispy, and put those in a small bowl. Wash pan and sauté mushrooms in a tad bit of olive oil, put those in the medium bowl with the onions, then heat the asparagus until slightly softened and add to veggie bowl.
Check potatoes and garlic for doneness... If potatoes are tender (don't worry if some have gotten a little crispy), remove to a cutting board and chop into small pieces. Add to veggie bowl. If garlic is tender, squish from skin and mash lightly. Add to veggie bowl. Lower oven to 350°.
Stir contents of veggie bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Use one heaping tsp of ricotta cheese per tart you plan to make and 1/2 tsp of thyme per every six tarts. Combine ricotta and thyme.
Once dough has finished resting, roll it out and cut rounds to fill the cupcake tin cups (I found I needed to knead the dough a few times to encourage it to hold together, less than a minute, I'd say...). I used a glass with a diameter of about 3 1/2 inches which ended up being nearly perfect for my standard size cupcake tins.
Fill the cups with veggies, top with bacon (or not) and add a dollop of the ricotta cheese mixture. Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes, until crust is done. Let cool slightly in pan, then pop them out with a butter knife. Serve with a little fruit.
Tadaaaaa! I probably could have gotten a dozen of these puppies made if one of my kids hadn't sneezed on the second half of the dough. So we ended up with six. I really wanted those other six.
Tips:This would be much easier if you had some leftovers to fill it with. Cooked sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, left-over steamed veggies, maybe even leftover garbanzo beans or lentils... Use whatever filling you like, these will be fabulous.
Review:One kid wouldn't touch it. The other kid had a couple of bites, but decided to save himself for the samples at the farmer's market. Hubby and I wonder what's wrong with these kids sometimes because these were fantastic! The homemade ricotta just makes it. The pastry is perfect, the veggies are wonderful, and hubby says the bacon adds a nice "breakfasty" touch to the whole proceeding. The sweet potatoes are a lovely way to have a little something sweet for breakfast without any added sugar.
PS, Happy First Day of Summer to those of you who live where Summer happens! For us up here in the Pacific Northwest a big, Hey, Wazzup Juneuary?! Maybe we'll break 60 today!
Let me further explain by showing you this:
Strawberry Cake with Blueberry Frosting and Strawberry Frosting Filling. Looks OK from the outside, right?And this:
See how thick that frosting is? Yeah... My cake had some issues...Hubby's birthday was last week. He loves strawberry cake. I would rather lick my shoe than eat a boxed strawberry cake. So I endeavored to make him one. I picked a yellow cake recipe and subbed strawberries in syrup (homemade of course) for the milk. Apparently milk is important because it totally sank in the middle. But oh my gosh was it delicious! I will be revising this ugly duckling for sure. At any rate, following the collapsed (if delicious) Birthday cake fiasco, I was hoping to make him something that was delicious and beautiful for Father's Day.
So I made this:
Hello, Gorgeous...Pastry on the bottom, vegetables in the middle, bacon, and homemade herbed ricotta on top. I will never be sad we're out of eggs again. This could be called a "tart," I suppose. I'm just calling it "brekky."
This particular recipe took a long time to make. If you make the dough a day ahead and use leftovers for the filling, everything will go much faster the day of. As it was, I didn't have any leftovers suitable, plus, he was sleeping in, so I had time.
The vegetables I had were potatoes, sweet potatoes, asparagus, onion, garlic, and mushrooms. And bacon. A highly underrated vegetable. I made an oatmeal crust following Mark Bittman's recipe in his book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (p.866).
Father's Day Brekky
Oatmeal Crust:
1/2 C + 2Tbs white flour
1/4 C whole wheat flour
1/4 C oatmeal
8 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 Tbs ice water, plus more if necessary
Filling:
1 medium sweet potato, peeled
1 medium white potato, peeled
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
2 pieces of bacon
4 button mushrooms
1 bundle of asparagus
olive oil (a drizzle here, a drizzle there...)
Herbed Homemade Ricotta Cheese:
1 C cream
2 C whole milk
1 1/2 T lemon juice
thyme
Make the ricotta. I already had some in my fridge. I used this recipe from Zestuous. It would definitely help to make this the day before. Even though the process is quick (about 35 minutes), it will add quite a bit of time to the process for this recipe if you make it the same day. And can I just say here that this is the best ricotta cheese I've ever had in my entire life? You will never want to use store-bought again. Save the milk, too. It's to die for.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Begin by making the crust:
Combine the four, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse once or twice. Add the butter and turn on the machine; process until the butter and flour are blended and the mixture looks like cornmeal, about 10 seconds.
Put the mixture in a bowl and add 3 Tbs ice water; mix with your hands until you can form the dough into a ball, adding another tablespoon or two of the ice water if neccessary (if you overdo it and the mixture becomes sodden, add a little more more flour). Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (You can refrigerate for up to a couple of days or freeze for up to a couple of weeks.)
Next, make potatoes:
Thinly slice sweet and white potatoes, lightly toss in olive oil and salt, cover with aluminum foil, and put into preheated oven. I put mine on two different sheets in case they took different times cooking.
Begin onions:
Thinly slice with a mandolin if possible, and caramelize over low heat (can take up to 1/2 hour).
While onions are caramelizing, chop bacon roughly, mince mushrooms, and thinly slice asparagus to about 1/2 inch.
At this point, put garlic on a little foil and drizzle with a splash of olive oil. Wrap garlic and place on top rack of oven with potatoes.
Once onions have finished, remove to a medium sized bowl and fry bacon pieces until crispy, and put those in a small bowl. Wash pan and sauté mushrooms in a tad bit of olive oil, put those in the medium bowl with the onions, then heat the asparagus until slightly softened and add to veggie bowl.
Check potatoes and garlic for doneness... If potatoes are tender (don't worry if some have gotten a little crispy), remove to a cutting board and chop into small pieces. Add to veggie bowl. If garlic is tender, squish from skin and mash lightly. Add to veggie bowl. Lower oven to 350°.
Stir contents of veggie bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Use one heaping tsp of ricotta cheese per tart you plan to make and 1/2 tsp of thyme per every six tarts. Combine ricotta and thyme.
Once dough has finished resting, roll it out and cut rounds to fill the cupcake tin cups (I found I needed to knead the dough a few times to encourage it to hold together, less than a minute, I'd say...). I used a glass with a diameter of about 3 1/2 inches which ended up being nearly perfect for my standard size cupcake tins.
Fill the cups with veggies, top with bacon (or not) and add a dollop of the ricotta cheese mixture. Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes, until crust is done. Let cool slightly in pan, then pop them out with a butter knife. Serve with a little fruit.
Tadaaaaa! I probably could have gotten a dozen of these puppies made if one of my kids hadn't sneezed on the second half of the dough. So we ended up with six. I really wanted those other six. Tips:This would be much easier if you had some leftovers to fill it with. Cooked sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, left-over steamed veggies, maybe even leftover garbanzo beans or lentils... Use whatever filling you like, these will be fabulous.
Review:One kid wouldn't touch it. The other kid had a couple of bites, but decided to save himself for the samples at the farmer's market. Hubby and I wonder what's wrong with these kids sometimes because these were fantastic! The homemade ricotta just makes it. The pastry is perfect, the veggies are wonderful, and hubby says the bacon adds a nice "breakfasty" touch to the whole proceeding. The sweet potatoes are a lovely way to have a little something sweet for breakfast without any added sugar.
PS, Happy First Day of Summer to those of you who live where Summer happens! For us up here in the Pacific Northwest a big, Hey, Wazzup Juneuary?! Maybe we'll break 60 today!
Continuation on a Theme...
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Continuing last week's theme of breakfast from a muffin tin that's not a muffin, I made these little baked eggs for the boys and myself yesterday:
These are so simple, it hardly counts as a recipe, which I guess makes up for that time hog last week...
Baked Eggs in Toast
4 Slices of bread
4 oz of cheddar cheese, shredded
4 eggs
onions, optional
salt and pepper
butter
Preheat oven to 350. Put a small pat of butter in each muffin cup. Use a rolling pin to roll bread flat. Cut a round shape out of each piece of bread using a cup or a cutter with a 3 1/2 inch diameter. Place each circle in the muffin tin cups on top of the butter. Add an ounce of cheese to each bread cup. Crack an egg in each cup and season with salt and pepper. Add onions on top if you want them. In the remaining cups of the muffin tin, place the scraps of bread for dipping toasts. Bake for 15-20 minutes until whites have turned white and are still a little jiggly. If you don't like runny yolk, bake it to 30 minutes, the yolk will harden to a soft cooked state and will still be very yummy!
Tips:
If you've got a stronger tasting cheese, it would probably be great in this as the cheddar got a little lost. I didn't happen to have anything on hand, but maybe goat cheese or swiss?
Review:
My boys were a little sketchy about this thing at first. I had to encourage Mr. 4 that there was cheese underneath the egg before he would even put a fork in it. They both went back and forth as to whether they liked it or not, but I think the daisy ended up coming out "He loves me." For my part, I liked it!
These are so simple, it hardly counts as a recipe, which I guess makes up for that time hog last week...
Baked Eggs in Toast
4 Slices of bread
4 oz of cheddar cheese, shredded
4 eggs
onions, optional
salt and pepper
butter
Preheat oven to 350. Put a small pat of butter in each muffin cup. Use a rolling pin to roll bread flat. Cut a round shape out of each piece of bread using a cup or a cutter with a 3 1/2 inch diameter. Place each circle in the muffin tin cups on top of the butter. Add an ounce of cheese to each bread cup. Crack an egg in each cup and season with salt and pepper. Add onions on top if you want them. In the remaining cups of the muffin tin, place the scraps of bread for dipping toasts. Bake for 15-20 minutes until whites have turned white and are still a little jiggly. If you don't like runny yolk, bake it to 30 minutes, the yolk will harden to a soft cooked state and will still be very yummy!
Tips:
If you've got a stronger tasting cheese, it would probably be great in this as the cheddar got a little lost. I didn't happen to have anything on hand, but maybe goat cheese or swiss?
Review:
My boys were a little sketchy about this thing at first. I had to encourage Mr. 4 that there was cheese underneath the egg before he would even put a fork in it. They both went back and forth as to whether they liked it or not, but I think the daisy ended up coming out "He loves me." For my part, I liked it!
Happy 5th of July...
To contact us Click HERE
Because at the end of the day, it's not about the perfect picture or the perfect setting, it's about
Perfect Love....
New friends....
Good food....
Down-to-Earth People...
Sportsmanship...
Law Enforcement...
Patriotism...
Chocolate cake, grass, ketchup, dirt, and sweat...
Oh, and Superhero Rocket Pops.
Oh Beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on theeAnd crown they goodWith brotherhood From sea to shining sea...
Hope you had a terrific 4th, everybody!
Perfect Love....
New friends....
Good food....Down-to-Earth People...
Sportsmanship... Law Enforcement...
Patriotism...
Chocolate cake, grass, ketchup, dirt, and sweat...
Oh, and Superhero Rocket Pops.
Oh Beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on theeAnd crown they goodWith brotherhood From sea to shining sea...
Hope you had a terrific 4th, everybody!
8 Temmuz 2012 Pazar
Magically Disappearing Guacamole
To contact us Click HERE
If there’s one thing I love about get-togethers, it’s all the yummy appetizers I don’t normally takethe time to make at home. One of my favorites is guacamole.
Now let me makethis clear, I’m referring to the real stuff here, not the pre-packaged, storebought “guacamole,” which I regrettably bought several months ago. I put it inquotes because, unbeknownst to me, it wasn’t actually guacamole. In fact, I don’tthink it even contained avocados in any form.
After pulling back the lid and seeing the weird, goo-likeconsistency glaring back at me (it was almost frightening…almost), I realized thecontainer actually read “guacamole flavoreddip,” which could mean any number of things in the tricky marketing world. Evenworse than the consistency were the ingredients listed on the back, half ofwhich I could not pronounce, and all of which were not very tasty.
So long story short, I decided to find a recipe and make myown, and I’ve never looked back…I’m afraid to; that goo was the stuff offood-lovers’ nightmares!
Getting Started
I’ve found that if you want to make a big impact with only alittle effort, especially at get-togethers, guacamole is the way to go. Itdefinitely doesn’t stick around long, probably because I lurk over the bowl,and it hardly takes any time to whip up! The only thing I don’t like aboutmaking this recipe is that I can never seem to make enough! So if that’s cheesyenough for you, I’ll get to the actual instructions…which are super elaborateand complicated (don’t mind my sarcasm)!
I started out using THISrecipe from myrecipes.com, and have made minor changes as I've gone along, mostly becauseI’m too lazy to measure everything out.
Start by slicing up your ripe avocados (just slice right in the shell, then dig out with a spoon). Then all you do is throw all the ingredients into a bowl and mash untilblended, but still chunky. The easiest way I have found to do this is to use a whiskto mash everything, and then gently stir with a spoon. The whisk cuts throughthe avocado easily without breaking everything else apart, then you can mix itall together. Don’t stir to oblivion; people like chunks…okay, I like chunks, but still!
As a side note, if you can’t find a ripe avocado to saveyour guacamole-loving skin, try the organic section. This has worked for me inthe past…a little more expensive, but worth it to get a ripe avocado, in myhumble opinion. You simply cannot make guacamole with a hard avocado…unless youknow something I don’t, and It’s really not nice to keep secrets!
Wrapping it up
That’s all there is to it! Place in a decorative bowl withchips and watch as it disappears before your eyes. It’s also great as a garnishto other dishes, such as these Grilled Eggplant Fajitas I made a few days ago –yum!
Ingredients
2 large, ripe avocados, sliced 1 roma tomato, diced1 garlic clove, finely chopped1 tsp finely chopped cilantro1/4 tsp coarse salt1/4 tsp pepper1/4 jalapeno, seeded and finelychopped (you can add more if you like it spicy)2 tsp chopped onion (yellow orwhite)Juice from 1/2 lime (if your limeis dry, add more)
Pin It
Thanks for reading my blog! Please leave your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or meals you would like to see me cook, in the comments below. If you like this blog, please follow me!
If there’s one thing I love about get-togethers, it’s all the yummy appetizers I don’t normally takethe time to make at home. One of my favorites is guacamole. Now let me makethis clear, I’m referring to the real stuff here, not the pre-packaged, storebought “guacamole,” which I regrettably bought several months ago. I put it inquotes because, unbeknownst to me, it wasn’t actually guacamole. In fact, I don’tthink it even contained avocados in any form.
After pulling back the lid and seeing the weird, goo-likeconsistency glaring back at me (it was almost frightening…almost), I realized thecontainer actually read “guacamole flavoreddip,” which could mean any number of things in the tricky marketing world. Evenworse than the consistency were the ingredients listed on the back, half ofwhich I could not pronounce, and all of which were not very tasty.
So long story short, I decided to find a recipe and make myown, and I’ve never looked back…I’m afraid to; that goo was the stuff offood-lovers’ nightmares!
Getting Started
I’ve found that if you want to make a big impact with only alittle effort, especially at get-togethers, guacamole is the way to go. Itdefinitely doesn’t stick around long, probably because I lurk over the bowl,and it hardly takes any time to whip up! The only thing I don’t like aboutmaking this recipe is that I can never seem to make enough! So if that’s cheesyenough for you, I’ll get to the actual instructions…which are super elaborateand complicated (don’t mind my sarcasm)!
I started out using THISrecipe from myrecipes.com, and have made minor changes as I've gone along, mostly becauseI’m too lazy to measure everything out.
Start by slicing up your ripe avocados (just slice right in the shell, then dig out with a spoon). Then all you do is throw all the ingredients into a bowl and mash untilblended, but still chunky. The easiest way I have found to do this is to use a whiskto mash everything, and then gently stir with a spoon. The whisk cuts throughthe avocado easily without breaking everything else apart, then you can mix itall together. Don’t stir to oblivion; people like chunks…okay, I like chunks, but still! As a side note, if you can’t find a ripe avocado to saveyour guacamole-loving skin, try the organic section. This has worked for me inthe past…a little more expensive, but worth it to get a ripe avocado, in myhumble opinion. You simply cannot make guacamole with a hard avocado…unless youknow something I don’t, and It’s really not nice to keep secrets!
Wrapping it up
That’s all there is to it! Place in a decorative bowl withchips and watch as it disappears before your eyes. It’s also great as a garnishto other dishes, such as these Grilled Eggplant Fajitas I made a few days ago –yum!
Ingredients
2 large, ripe avocados, sliced 1 roma tomato, diced1 garlic clove, finely chopped1 tsp finely chopped cilantro1/4 tsp coarse salt1/4 tsp pepper1/4 jalapeno, seeded and finelychopped (you can add more if you like it spicy)2 tsp chopped onion (yellow orwhite)Juice from 1/2 lime (if your limeis dry, add more)
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Corn Chowder with Cilantro, Avocado and Lime
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For the last couple of weeks I have had a serious craving forcorn chowder. I had never actually had corn chowder before making this, but that’sbeside the point! Somehow I just knew it would be delicious…luckily I was right(if only I could say that more often!).
Not only was this recipe good, I think it might be one ofthe best recipes I’ve ever made, AND it hardly took any time to make, whichmade me love it even more. My husband and I devoured it, and my mom, who tastedleftovers the next day, went straight out to get the ingredients to make it fordinner! That’s really what I love about cooking and trying new recipes; when itturns out great, it gets people excited to try it, add in their own creativityof flavors, and share it with the people they love.
The toughest part about the whole endeavor was removing thecorn from the cob, but I learned some tricks that will help make this processeasier in the future. Other than that, this recipe is pretty straight forward.The cilantro and lime give it a Mexican flair that would be great as a starterfor the Vegetarian Enchiladas or Grilled Eggplant Fajitas I’ve made, but it alsohas enough weight to be the star of the meal.
I sincerely hope you try this one; you won’t be disappointed!
Getting Started
You won’t believe how simple this recipe is once you haveall the ingredients measured out and prepared. Start by sautéing the onion inthe olive oil over medium-high heat (do this right in the soup pot) untiltranslucent. While your onions are cooking, mix together the masa and flour ina bowl. Add water a little bit at a time, and mix until smooth and runny enoughto pour into the soup pot. Once the onions are ready, add in the potatoes,veggie broth, cream, and masa/flour mixture; and boil hard for 7 minutes tohelp break down the potatoes.
It’s best to get the corn ready beforehand, but if you haven’talready done so, go ahead and remove the corn kernels from the cob. Do this byplacing the corn tip side down in a large bowl and cutting down and away fromyou. Try to get as close to the cob as possible, cutting about 3-4 rows at atime, then going back for any corners you missed. Side note: this will make a HUGEmess if you don’t have a bowl or other large container that you can do this in(trust me). Also, my mom informed me, a la Rachel Ray, that if you put asecond, smaller bowl upside down in the larger bowl, it makes it easier toreach the bottom of the corn. (Here’s a helpful video ifyou need it.)
After 7 minutes, add in the corn, salt and pepper, andsimmer for another 12 minutes. While your soup is simmering away, get all of youryummy toppings ready!
Wrapping it up
Before serving, add the chopped cilantro, a couple slices ofavocado, a wedge of lime, some shredded cheddar cheese (I forgot to add it for the picture), and a sprinkle ofcayenne pepper. It makes it feel very fancy smancy! Give the lime a squeeze,and enjoy! And, trust me, whatever you do, don’t leave out the lime; the flavorcombo is out of this world! Just make sure not to hurt anyone in your franticattempt to consume every last drop ;)
Ingredients
1 large yellow onion, diced3 russet potatoes, cut into bitesize chunks (leaving the peel on is optional; I prefer it on)1 cup heavy cream6 cups vegetable broth2 Tbs dry masa2 Tbs all-purpose flour5 fresh ears of corn, shucked andcleaned (you can also use 1 1/2lb frozen corn, though I haven’t tried this)2 tsp coarse salt1 tsp pepperOlive oil for sautéing onion(approx. 1-2 Tbs)Fresh chopped cilantro, lime wedges,avocado slices, shredded cheddar cheese, and cayenne pepper for garnish.
Servings: 6-8
Additional Notes: I used THISrecipe and THISrecipe for instructions on how long to cook and how much corn to use.
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For the last couple of weeks I have had a serious craving forcorn chowder. I had never actually had corn chowder before making this, but that’sbeside the point! Somehow I just knew it would be delicious…luckily I was right(if only I could say that more often!). Not only was this recipe good, I think it might be one ofthe best recipes I’ve ever made, AND it hardly took any time to make, whichmade me love it even more. My husband and I devoured it, and my mom, who tastedleftovers the next day, went straight out to get the ingredients to make it fordinner! That’s really what I love about cooking and trying new recipes; when itturns out great, it gets people excited to try it, add in their own creativityof flavors, and share it with the people they love.
The toughest part about the whole endeavor was removing thecorn from the cob, but I learned some tricks that will help make this processeasier in the future. Other than that, this recipe is pretty straight forward.The cilantro and lime give it a Mexican flair that would be great as a starterfor the Vegetarian Enchiladas or Grilled Eggplant Fajitas I’ve made, but it alsohas enough weight to be the star of the meal.
I sincerely hope you try this one; you won’t be disappointed!
Getting Started
You won’t believe how simple this recipe is once you haveall the ingredients measured out and prepared. Start by sautéing the onion inthe olive oil over medium-high heat (do this right in the soup pot) untiltranslucent. While your onions are cooking, mix together the masa and flour ina bowl. Add water a little bit at a time, and mix until smooth and runny enoughto pour into the soup pot. Once the onions are ready, add in the potatoes,veggie broth, cream, and masa/flour mixture; and boil hard for 7 minutes tohelp break down the potatoes.It’s best to get the corn ready beforehand, but if you haven’talready done so, go ahead and remove the corn kernels from the cob. Do this byplacing the corn tip side down in a large bowl and cutting down and away fromyou. Try to get as close to the cob as possible, cutting about 3-4 rows at atime, then going back for any corners you missed. Side note: this will make a HUGEmess if you don’t have a bowl or other large container that you can do this in(trust me). Also, my mom informed me, a la Rachel Ray, that if you put asecond, smaller bowl upside down in the larger bowl, it makes it easier toreach the bottom of the corn. (Here’s a helpful video ifyou need it.)After 7 minutes, add in the corn, salt and pepper, andsimmer for another 12 minutes. While your soup is simmering away, get all of youryummy toppings ready! Wrapping it up
Before serving, add the chopped cilantro, a couple slices ofavocado, a wedge of lime, some shredded cheddar cheese (I forgot to add it for the picture), and a sprinkle ofcayenne pepper. It makes it feel very fancy smancy! Give the lime a squeeze,and enjoy! And, trust me, whatever you do, don’t leave out the lime; the flavorcombo is out of this world! Just make sure not to hurt anyone in your franticattempt to consume every last drop ;)
Ingredients1 large yellow onion, diced3 russet potatoes, cut into bitesize chunks (leaving the peel on is optional; I prefer it on)1 cup heavy cream6 cups vegetable broth2 Tbs dry masa2 Tbs all-purpose flour5 fresh ears of corn, shucked andcleaned (you can also use 1 1/2lb frozen corn, though I haven’t tried this)2 tsp coarse salt1 tsp pepperOlive oil for sautéing onion(approx. 1-2 Tbs)Fresh chopped cilantro, lime wedges,avocado slices, shredded cheddar cheese, and cayenne pepper for garnish.
Servings: 6-8
Additional Notes: I used THISrecipe and THISrecipe for instructions on how long to cook and how much corn to use.
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Hodgepodge Pot Pie with Biscuits
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What a crazy week this has been so far! Mostly due to thefact that I’ve waited until the last minute to make an overly elaborate costumefor Halloween (as usual), but also because it seems like a million other thingshave come up. As to be expected, when it came time to make dinner tonight Irealized that I never made it to the store. I stood in front of my recipegraveyard, aka the fridge, and wondered what on Earth I could make.
I noticed the biscuits first, which gave me the idea fora pot pie. I knew I had potatoes, onions, and veggie broth, so I scroungedaround to see what else I could find. I found a bag of rotting carrots in aforgotten corner of my crisper drawer – gross – so those were out, but I didhave yams, so I picked those up. Next I found some leftover cream I had fromthe corn chowder I made a few days ago, and the peas popped out at me as soonas I opened the freezer. I picked up some dried thyme, salt and pepper, and alittle bit of flour, and I was good to go!
Not only was this recipe delicious, but I was able to usea lot of ingredients that otherwise would have gone bad, which is always aplus!
Getting Started
This recipe is essentially an extra thick soup, so I madeit in a similar fashion. Start by chopping up all the veggies and getting yourother ingredients ready. Once everything is prepared, sauté the onion andcelery in a little olive oil over medium heat (use a large soup pot).
While theonions and celery are cooking, mix the flour with a little water or vegetablebroth until smooth and runny enough to add to the pot; set aside. When theonions are translucent, add the potatoes, yams, peas, broth, cream, and four mixture.Boil hard for 7 min, add the thyme, salt, and pepper, then simmer for another12, or until the mixture is thick and the potatoes are tender. Easy enough,right?
Now, this next part can be done in two ways. You caneither transfer the soup mixture to a baking dish, cover the top with pre-madebiscuits, and bake for 12-14 min at 350 degrees (or according to package directions), or you canbake the biscuits on their own while the soup mixture is cooking, then add itto each individual bowl. I did both, because I wanted Dustin to be able to takethis for left overs, and I knew the biscuits would get soggy if left overnight.Both ways work equally as well, so I’ll leave that part up to you. Either way,you get to open your can of biscuit dough (if you go with the pre-made stuff)with a satisfying POP on the counter…always my favorite part!
Wrapping it up
Truth be told, although I made this with the intent tohave leftovers, I’m not entirely sure there are any leftovers to be had. I wentback for seconds and Dustin went back for thirds, which rarely happens.Although a little rich to make on a regular basis, this is definitely a keeper.The yams were a nice change from my typical carrots and are perfect for fall,and the thyme complimented everything nicely. I can’t wait to make this again asthe weather turns colder.
Ingredients
1 onionOlive oil for sautéing (1-2Tbs)1 celery stalk, cut into bitesize pieces3 russet potatoes, cut into bitesize pieces (leaving the skin on is optional)1 yam, cut into bit size pieces(leaving the skin on is optional)1 cup frozen peas4 cups veggie broth (low sodiumif you can find it)1 cup cream6 Tbs flour1 tsp dried thyme2 tsp coarse salt1 tsp pepper1 16oz can buttermilk biscuits
Servings: 6-8
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Thanks for reading my blog! Please leave your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or meals you would like to see me cook, in the comments below. Follow, share, and enjoy!
What a crazy week this has been so far! Mostly due to thefact that I’ve waited until the last minute to make an overly elaborate costumefor Halloween (as usual), but also because it seems like a million other thingshave come up. As to be expected, when it came time to make dinner tonight Irealized that I never made it to the store. I stood in front of my recipegraveyard, aka the fridge, and wondered what on Earth I could make. I noticed the biscuits first, which gave me the idea fora pot pie. I knew I had potatoes, onions, and veggie broth, so I scroungedaround to see what else I could find. I found a bag of rotting carrots in aforgotten corner of my crisper drawer – gross – so those were out, but I didhave yams, so I picked those up. Next I found some leftover cream I had fromthe corn chowder I made a few days ago, and the peas popped out at me as soonas I opened the freezer. I picked up some dried thyme, salt and pepper, and alittle bit of flour, and I was good to go!
Not only was this recipe delicious, but I was able to usea lot of ingredients that otherwise would have gone bad, which is always aplus!
Getting Started
This recipe is essentially an extra thick soup, so I madeit in a similar fashion. Start by chopping up all the veggies and getting yourother ingredients ready. Once everything is prepared, sauté the onion andcelery in a little olive oil over medium heat (use a large soup pot). While theonions and celery are cooking, mix the flour with a little water or vegetablebroth until smooth and runny enough to add to the pot; set aside. When theonions are translucent, add the potatoes, yams, peas, broth, cream, and four mixture.Boil hard for 7 min, add the thyme, salt, and pepper, then simmer for another12, or until the mixture is thick and the potatoes are tender. Easy enough,right?Now, this next part can be done in two ways. You caneither transfer the soup mixture to a baking dish, cover the top with pre-madebiscuits, and bake for 12-14 min at 350 degrees (or according to package directions), or you canbake the biscuits on their own while the soup mixture is cooking, then add itto each individual bowl. I did both, because I wanted Dustin to be able to takethis for left overs, and I knew the biscuits would get soggy if left overnight.Both ways work equally as well, so I’ll leave that part up to you. Either way,you get to open your can of biscuit dough (if you go with the pre-made stuff)with a satisfying POP on the counter…always my favorite part!
Wrapping it upTruth be told, although I made this with the intent tohave leftovers, I’m not entirely sure there are any leftovers to be had. I wentback for seconds and Dustin went back for thirds, which rarely happens.Although a little rich to make on a regular basis, this is definitely a keeper.The yams were a nice change from my typical carrots and are perfect for fall,and the thyme complimented everything nicely. I can’t wait to make this again asthe weather turns colder.
Ingredients
1 onionOlive oil for sautéing (1-2Tbs)1 celery stalk, cut into bitesize pieces3 russet potatoes, cut into bitesize pieces (leaving the skin on is optional)1 yam, cut into bit size pieces(leaving the skin on is optional)1 cup frozen peas4 cups veggie broth (low sodiumif you can find it)1 cup cream6 Tbs flour1 tsp dried thyme2 tsp coarse salt1 tsp pepper1 16oz can buttermilk biscuits
Servings: 6-8
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Greetings, my friends! After a very long hiatus, I am happy to announce that new recipes will be coming soon!
Can you believe it's been 7 months? Here's a little of what I've been up to!
As you may know from one of my previous posts, I started a new job around the same time I took a break from blogging...I had intended it to be a small break so I could get settled into my new routine, but I think we all know how life can be sometimes!
Anyway, I'm on break until fall semester starts up, so here I am! And I have some seriously yummy stuff coming your way, including some great ideas for summer, so stay posted!
I'm also taking my first trip to Europe in a couple of weeks, so I'll make sure to post pictures of that adventure as well.
Cheers!
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Thanks for reading my blog! Please leave your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or meals you would like to see me cook, in the comments below. Follow, share, and enjoy!
Can you believe it's been 7 months? Here's a little of what I've been up to!
As you may know from one of my previous posts, I started a new job around the same time I took a break from blogging...I had intended it to be a small break so I could get settled into my new routine, but I think we all know how life can be sometimes!
Anyway, I'm on break until fall semester starts up, so here I am! And I have some seriously yummy stuff coming your way, including some great ideas for summer, so stay posted!
I'm also taking my first trip to Europe in a couple of weeks, so I'll make sure to post pictures of that adventure as well.
Cheers!
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Thanks for reading my blog! Please leave your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or meals you would like to see me cook, in the comments below. Follow, share, and enjoy!
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