Orecchiette with Garden Sauce, December 11, 2017

I very seldom make pasta sauce from scratch. I almost always get a jar of Newman's sauce of some sort or another, brown some ground beef, and add some parmesan and extra seasonings while warming the sauce. I really like my pasta that way. However, I was inspired by an Ina Garten recipe from her Cooking for Jeffrey, orecchiette with farm stand pasta sauce. I am a much lazier cook than Ina, however, and she would probably be appalled to see what I did with her creation. Ah, well. Sorry, Ina! I served it with a complete bastardization of her kale salad, as well as some crusty Pugliese bread from the local grocery. It was tasty and made a ton. Luckily, Boot really loved it and made it vanish in just a couple days. I'd been looking at it, as I put away the leftovers, and wondering how on earth we were ever going to eat it all. By all means, try her recipe, but this is quite serviceable.

Orecchiette with Garden Sauce

Good olive oil

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, finely chopped

4 small carrots, peeled & finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced (or a couple tbsp of the pre-chopped stuff my wife likes to keep on hand)

28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes

14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

1/2 c. dry red wine (I used Pinot Noir)

6 oz. tomato paste

A handful fresh basil, cut in chiffonade

A handful Italian parsley, minced

1 tbsp. sugar (normally, I would be resistant, but I've been reading about how it helps tame the acidity of the tomatoes)

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Salt and pepper

24 oz. orecchiette

Good quality parmesan, shredded

In large, heavy pot, heat some olive oil on medium heat. Add onion, celery, & carrots, cooking until they are tender, 10-15 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, basil, parsley, sugar, red pepper, a pinch of salt, and a good grinding of black pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer about an hour. Cook the pasta, drain, and add to sauce, stirring to mix completely. Heat through. Serve with cheese. Serves 8-10. 

Kale Salad with Pancetta

1 tsp. anchovy paste

1 large clove garlic

1 tbsp. Dijon

Juice of 2 lemons

Salt & pepper

2/3 c. olive oil

1 bunch Lacinato kale, stems removed

2 oz. pancetta, diced

A handful of garlic croutons

A handful of shaved parmesan

Whiz everything up to the kale in a food processor until it emulsifies. Stack the kale leaves and slice them into thin ribbons. Toss with just enough dressing to coat the kale. Cook the pancetta in a little hot olive oil until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Add croutons to the pan and toast. Toss pancetta, croutons, and shaved parmesan with the kale. Serves 2-4. 

Puerco Asado, December 6, 2017

Yesterday, I remembered in time that I meant to marinate my pork roast so we could have puerco asado for supper. The smell permeated the kitchen even before I started cooking it, making it smell like nochebuena, Christmas Eve. My wife had urged me to buy some plantains and hoped I would make something yummy and Cuban. Fried pork chunks, masitas de puerco, is my very favorite Cuban dish, but this one is much less labor-intensive, so I tend to make it a lot more often. As usual, I served it with black beans, white rice, fried ripe plantains (maduros)--although, they could have been sweeter and more to my liking if they'd had a few more days to ripen--and a butter lettuce salad with avocado slices and sweet onion slivers. I could just put the dressing in a glass and drink it--or pour it over my pork, which is what I did last night. This pork is also great with mojo criollo to accompany it. Yum! For the dressing, simply whisk together about 1/2 c. Spanish olive oil with the juice of 1 lemon until it emulsifies. Season with salt and pepper.

Cuban Puerco Asado

5 lb. pork loin

4-5 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp. oregano

Salt & pepper

1/4 c. lime juice

1/4 c. orange juice

1/4 c. Spanish olive oil (non-Spanish okay, too)

1 c. dry red wine

Several hours before cooking, score the pork all over with a knife. Pound the garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper into a paste. Rub all over pork roast. Add juices, oil, and wine to the roast (I use a large ziploc bag) and marinate a minimum of 2 hours. Overnight is even better. Make sure you turn it every so often. 

I love black beans over white (usually jasmine, for me, but I used basmati last night because we find ourselves with oceans of it and I was able to locate it more quickly than the jasmine rice) rice. I would cheerfully eat it with a salad as a tasty lunch. I like to sprinkle mine with some chopped onions. My wife likes shredded cheese on hers. I very seldom make my black beans from dry beans. If that's your thing, go ahead and start them soaking when you start the pork marinating the night before. Otherwise, here's a cheater version I usually use:

Quick & Easy Black Beans

1/2 c. Spanish olive oil (again, any good quality olive oil is fine)

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cans blqck beans (not drained)

1 tsp. cumin

A few dashes hot sauce (if you like it)

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar (also optional, but I think it really brightens it)

Salt & pepper

Chopped onions (garnish)

Heat oil. Cook the garlic, onions, & pepper until they are soft. Add rest and heat through. Serves 4-6. 

BLTs, June 15, 2017

Last night was kind of a night of, "Oh, man" while I was fixing dinner. "Oh, man, I can't find the orzo." "Oh, man, this salad dressing is WAY too boozy!" "Oh, man, one of our tomatoes went bad." Oh, man, the multi-grain bread has gone moldy." And so forth. It's amazing how quickly bread & fruit go moldy (or dry out) here in Colorado! Luckily, I was able to salvage everything & we had a yummy dinner of BLTs on white bread (I put some blue cheese mashed with milk on mine), lemon parmesan penne (instead of orzo---just the juice of half a lemon, a little butter, & a little parmesan stirred into hot penne), a green bean & radish salad with prosciutto, inspired by a Bon Appetit recipe that called for sherry in the dressing, and watermelon, which Wee Boy and I completely wiped out!

Green Bean & Radish Salad with Prosciutto

14 oz. green beans

5 radishes, sliced paper thin

1 1/2 oz. prosciutto, cut into thin strips

1 1/2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp. minced chives

1/8 c. olive oil

Salt & pepper

A few shavings campesino cheese (ricotta salata/mizithra/feta/pecorino)

Boil the beans until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and cool. Toss with radishes & prosciutto. Whisk the vinegar, mustard, and chives together. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, until it emulsifies. Season with salt & pepper. Toss with salad. Shave cheese over top. Serves 4. 

Burgers in Pitas with Lemon-Mint Mayonnaise, May 1, 2017

Last night's dinner was so excellent, I did something I rarely do. I had the exact same thing for lunch today. I made burgers tucked into pita halves, with a lemon-mint mayonnaise and some spring mix for extra flavor. They were stellar, but not as wonderful as the salad I threw together, which tasted of spring and freshness and light-heartedness. My 17-month-old was crazy about the salad, too. He got a little confused about the cucumbers and kept asking for, "More pickle?" He was also sorry I wouldn't let him have more and more and more of the kalamata olives.

For the salad, I threw some chopped up green pepper, cucumber sliced in demi-lunes, pepperoncini rings, sliced red onion, halved kalamatas, red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper together in a salad bowl. Then, I sprinkled it with a little crumbled feta and tossed it all. I like this kind of salad, absent of any lettuces or other delicate greens, because it's still terrific the next day.

Burgers in Pitas with Lemon-Mint Mayonnaise

1 lb. ground meat (to make it very Mediterranean, you'd use lamb. If you are not a lamb eater, 96% lean ground beef is excellent)

1/4 onion, chopped

1 tsp. oregano

Salt & pepper

1/4 c. mayonnaise (I used olive oil mayo)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 squirt lemon juice

A handful of chopped mint

Pita halves

Salad greens

Lightly, but thoroughly, mix meat, onion, oregano, salt, and pepper. Shape into 4 patties. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium-high. Cook burgers until browned on both sides and cooked through. Mix mayonnaise with garlic, lemon zest and juice, mint. Spread on the insides of the pita halves. Adorn with salad greens, then add burgers. Serves 4. You could easily adapt this to be vegetarian or vegan by sautéing veggie burgers in onions, sprinkling them with the oregano, and then using a vegan mayo. 

For dessert, we had raspberry shortcake, using some biscuit-style shortcakes I found at Whole Foods. I macerated the raspberries with a smidge of sugar while dinner cooked and we ate. Then, I served them over the shortcake with a dollop of whipped cream. I could cheerfully have just eaten the berries, while my son eschewed the berries and went right for the shortcake. 

Grilled Goat Cheese Mini-Sandwiches, December 6, 2016

The other night, we had a salad and sandwich supper. But what a salad! And what sandwiches! I made mini-sandwiches by putting goat cheese and apple butter on baguette slices, then cooking them like you do a regular grilled cheese sandwich. They were terrific! The salad was endive, separated and arranged on a salad plate with some roquefort, pear slices, and walnuts. I topped the salad with a dressing made of 3 tbsp. white wine vinegar, 1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt, a good grinding of pepper, and 1/2 c. olive oil, whisked until it emulsified. To make the meal more hearty, I added a side of Yukon Gold potatoes fried in olive oil with oregano, salt, & pepper.

Greek-Style Fish Salad and Green Soup, June 14, 2016

Last night, in honor of Garden Day, I made a very vegetable-filled dinner. Our appetizer was skewers of cucumber chunks, small varicolored tomatoes, and bocconcini, with pesto for dipping. However, we have both come to the conclusion, after numerous tries, that we just aren't really pesto people. The veggies & cheese, on their own, were terrific, though. Our main meal consisted of soup and salad, with multigrain bread to accompany them. I think I'm not such a fan of fish in salad, but Jeannene loved the Greek-style fish salad I made. I would find it phenomenal with no meat. Chicken might also be okay. I adapted the recipe from one in a favorite salad cookbook of mine, Twelve Months of Monastery Salads by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette. The soup of fresh greens was adapted from his Twelve Months of Monastery Soups. I was a bit skeptical about the soup before I tried it, but it was delicious, if a bit rich!

Greek-Style Fish Salad

4 c. water

12 oz. tilapia fillets

Juice of 1 lemon

A bag of baby spinach

1 red onion, chopped

A handful of grape tomatoes (I used the teeny ones from Lady Moon Farm---love them)

A handful of bocconcini (can sub feta, blue cheese, or whatever you love)

Dressing:

1/2 c. good quality olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, minced

A pinch of oregano (use fresh chopped oregano, if possible---I forgot to get herbs at the store)

A pinch of basil (see above)

A pinch of thyme (again, fresh if possible)

Salt & pepper

(I forgot olives, but the original recipe calls for pitted kalamatas, which I think would be stellar)

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot or skillet. Add fish and juice, cover, and cook about 10 minutes, until fish is cooks through and flakes easily. Cool before cutting into small pieces and chilling at least an hour. Put veggies in a serving bowl and toss. Add fish & cheese and gently incorporate. Whisk dressing ingredients together until the mixture is thickened. Toss gently with salad to coat everything. Serves 6. 

Green Soup

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 onion, chopped

1/4 head of green leaf lettuce or similar, chopped

A big handful of baby spinach

A big handful of watercress

32 oz. chicken or veggie broth

1 potato, sliced

A big glug of cream (I think low fat or skim milk would also be great; vegans could sub coconut milk)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Paprika for finishing

Cook the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the other veggies and the broth. Bring to a boil and cook 15 minutes. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes. Puree with immersion blender or in a regular blender (if you don't have an immersion blender, you probably want one). Add cream/milk, salt, and pepper. Heat through, taking care not to boil. Serve with a sprinkling of paprika. Serves 2-4. 

Green Bean Salad with Walnuts, Fennel, and Goat Cheese

When I had my annual valentine-making party this year, I made a wonderful green bean salad. I promised to share the recipe with the Wild Mango Queens, but thought I might as well share it here on the blog, as well. I also served a quiche Lorraine from the grocery and some red Twizzlers. The latter have been a valentine-making party staple ever since my friend, Joe, brought some to one of the parties way back in the 1990s. I always think of him with a smile when I put them out for my guests. He showed up at the door that night looking so handsome and Valentine-y, in a pink dress shirt and tie, Twizzlers in hand. Desserts this year were supplied by Sue, who brought black bottom cupcakes, and Meghan, who brought a lemon trifle.

Green Bean Salad with Walnuts, Fennel, and Goat Cheese

1 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

A pinch of salt

A good grinding of pepper

1/3 c. olive oil

2 lb. green beans, trimmed and halved

1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced into half-moons

3/4 c. walnuts, toasted

4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Whisk mustard, vinegar, salt, & pepper together. Gradually whisk in oil. Cook green beans about 7 minutes in boiling, salted water. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Pat dry, then mix with fennel and nuts. Add goat cheese and dressing just before serving, gently tossing to coat everything evenly. Serves 8-10. 

Chicken Pot Pie, August 21, 2015

A couple weeks ago, Jeannene suggested that it was about time for me to make my chicken pot pie again. Friday night, it seemed sufficiently cool and pot pie-ish to fulfill her request. I learned to make my chicken pie from my friend, Teresa, in Tennessee. It's good, although I think I used a bit too much chicken this time. Jeannene disagrees. Since I'd just been to the farmer's market and had all kinds of marvelous produce, I added a tomato and cucumber salad and a corn and zucchini sauté to complete the meal. I experimented with putting a little oregano in the tomato and cucumber salad and discovered I didn't like it at all, but add it, by all means, if you like it. I felt it muddied the clarity of the flavors. I also had some parmesan & onion hanky pankys ready to pop out of the oven when Jeannene came home. These little toasts go by all kinds of names, but I like the playfulness of hanky pankys. My favorite version is my aunt Holly's Gloria Hardingtons, which I have written about here before. There is also a version involving sausage and Velveeta, which I have not yet tried. Honestly, I've been reluctant to try any but the Glorias because they are so stunningly good. But this parmesan version was pretty tasty, too. This is the basic recipe for the appetizer, which should be enough for 7 people. You can easily cut the amounts if you're just making it for 2 people, but in my experience, when making these type of appetizers for larger groups, it's actually better to double the recipe, just because people love them so much.

Parmesan & Onion Hanky Pankys

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1/2 c. mayonnaise 

1/4-1/2 c. grated parmesan

Pepper & a little garlic powder

14 slices cocktail rye

Preheat broiler. Mix everything but rye together. Broil rye until lightly toasted. Turn over and spread with topping. Broil until bubbly and nicely browned. 

Chicken Pot Pie

2 pie crusts (I use the pre-made refrigerated kind)

1/2-1 pound chicken breast chunks, cooked (I used about 1 & 1/2 this time, too much for me)

1 can Veg All, drained (You can use other mixed veg)

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I almost always use low fat, low sodium versions of the soups)

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put one crust in a pie plate. Mix the rest together & pour into crust. Top with second crust, crimping & sealing. Cut slits to vent the top (or use mini cookie cutters for make designs). Bake 1 hour. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Tomato & Cucumber Salad

1 large tomato, diced (I like to use an heirloom tomato here)

1 cucumber, peeled & sliced thickly

3 or 4 leaves basil, sliced in chiffonade

1/4 red. onion, diced

1 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. oregano, opt. 

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

Mix everything together and let stand 5 or 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4-6. 

Corn & Zucchini Sauté

2 tbsp. butter or olive oil

1 zucchini, diced

1 onion, diced

1 jalapeño, seeds and membranes removed, minced (or to taste)

Salt and pepper

Garlic powder

Kernels cut from 2-3 ears corn (you can do this with frozen corn, but it's not the same. I only make it in season)

Melt butter in skillet and add everything but the corn. Cook until veggies are tender, then add corn and cook another few minutes, until corn is tender. Serves 4. 

Chicken with Peanut Sauce, May 20, 2015

Last summer, after years of experimentation, I finally hit upon the perfect recipe for Indonesian-style peanut sauce, which we love with chicken, beef, and pork. Last week, I made it for some rotisserie chicken I picked up at the grocery. I sliced off the breast meat and served it with the peanut sauce, reserving the rest of the meat for the next night's dinner. I made some basmati rice and a colorful Thai-inspired salad to go along with it. The recipe for the salad came from Too Many Cooks by Emily Franklin (which is a really fun book), although I made omissions and substitutions to suit our tastes.

Bomb-Diggity Peanut Sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 scallions, sliced (white and light green parts only)

1/4 c. chicken broth

1 tbsp. soy sauce 

Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

1-2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1/2 c. coconut milk (unsweetened)

1/3 c. smooth peanut butter

3/4 tsp. powdered ginger

Cook garlic & scallions in broth, covered, for a couple minutes. Add soy sauce, lemon, chili, brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add coconut milk, peanut butter, and ginger and heat through. Makes enough for 4-6 people.

Thai Rainbow Salad

2 tbsp. key lime juice (fresh juice from regular limes is also fine)

2 tbsp. good quality olive oil

1 tbsp. sesame oil

3 tbsp. coconut milk

1 tsp. honey

A few shakes of hot sauce (Thai chili sauce is recommended, but we didn't have any on hand & this worked fine)

7 leaves romaine, torn into bite-size pieces

1/2 head napa cabbage, sliced thinly

1/2 red cabbage, sliced thinly

A handful of basil leaves

1 bunch scallions, light green and white only, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 red pepper, sliced thinly

1/2 yellow pepper, sliced thinly

Salt & pepper

Pepitas

Mix everything up to romaine. Mix vegetables. Toss with dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with pepitas. Serves 6-8. 

Sour Cream Potato Soup, April 17, 2015

Last week, I made two very mediocre soups. In Jeannene's opinion, I made two inedible soups. This potato soup was the second one. For me, this was the worse of the two. I didn't like the tanginess of the sour cream or the texture, which seemed too silky. Jeannene says it would have been great, but for the caraway. In case any of y'all might actually love it, I am including the recipe. But be warned that it's 2-thumbs-down from our household. I've adapted the recipe from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Brother Victor Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette, which is actually full of some really yummy soups, too. I got the idea for the avocado and goat cheese salad I made with this from his salad cookbook. Jeannene loved that and I would have, too, had it not been for the goat cheese, which seemed too heavy for the delicate greens for me. For dessert, I made a raspberry tart, which was the favorite part of the meal for both of us.

Sour Cream Potato Soup

3 potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 c. chicken or veggie broth

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp. caraway seeds (or to taste)

Salt & pepper

2 tbsp. flour

1/4 c. milk

8 oz. sour cream

Bring potatoes, broth, bay leaves, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper to a gentle boil. Turn down heat and cook until potatoes are tender. Stir the flour into the milk until completely dissolved. Add to soup, stirring constantly. Add the sour cream, still stirring. Bring to a boil again and simmer gently about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serves 2-3. 

Avocado & Goat Cheese Salad

Tear 3-4 leaves Bibb or Boston lettuce per person into bite-sized pieces and arrange on a salad plate. Cut a log of goat cheese into thick medallions, 1-2 oz. per person, and warm in oven or microwave just until they begin to melt. Toss 1/2 diced avocado per person on the greens. For every 2 people, whisk together 3 tbsp. olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon, salt, and pepper to make dressing. Put goat cheese on salads. Drizzle with dressing. 

Raspberry Tart

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

1 c. heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp. sugar

1 pint raspberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place puff pastry on parchment-lined baking sheet. Press the tines of a fork along the edges to form a border. Bake about 15 minutes, until browned and puffed. Cool completely. Meanwhile, beat the cream & sugar to stiff peaks. Top with berries. Serves 6-8. 

Game Night & Potluck, March 28, 2015

We like to have Jeannene's team from the plant over for parties every so often. The last one was our Practice Thanksgiving, so it was about time. We decided to have a game night and asked everyone to bring a favorite spring dish. Some people went along with the theme, some (like my wife) did not, but everything was really, really good. Here's what we had:

-I made 2 quiches (one broccoli cheddar, one ham & swiss), an asparagus berry salad, a fruit tart, a prosecco punch (the punch they served at my childhood church, with added prosecco---I wish I'd thought to split the batch for those who were not drinking), and, at Jeannene's request, a triple batch of guacamole (I just mash avocados with some key lime juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder).

-Jeannene made the Velveeta/Rotel/sausage dip we always have for the Super Bowl and set out tortilla scoops with that. She also put out some spinach artichoke dip from Costco with pita chips.

-Jim & Cindy brought some excellent homemade black bean salsa with chips.

-Ken made a creamy & spicy dip, also with tortilla chips, and Meghan made one of her adorable & delicious desserts, zucchini cupcakes with little Easter egg sprinkles on them. Ken always brings all kinds of awesome beers, as well, and sometimes wine, too. He is really interested in trying different craft beers and he loves to share his finds.

-Kelvin & Pat brought their signature shrimp cocktail, which is always gone in moments.

-Xifan & Denny brought a big pot of her chicken & vegetable soup, colorful and yummy.

-Glenn & Kim brought teriyaki chicken wings he made (the men in Jeannene's group tend to be terrific cooks).

-Connie & Frank brought a very springy pasta salad made with rainbow rotini & topped with deviled eggs---you know how popular deviled eggs always are!

-William & Lillian brought a big box of really fabulous baklava of various sorts that I had a hard time staying out of---and a bottle of champagne for us to enjoy later.

-Michael showed up a little late, bearing chicken, shrimp, & sausage jambalaya, which all of us fell upon as though we'd not eaten anything else. He said he's a little rusty, but it was great. Jeannene even said it was better than mine & I couldn't be mad.

Quiche

Pie shell for 9" pie (I use store-bought)

Grated parmesan

6 eggs

3/4 c. half & half

Salt & pepper

Fillings of choice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fit pie crust into 9" pie plate, rolling extra under along the edge, then crimping. Line with parchment and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake until edges are light golden, 15-20 minutes. Remove parchment & weights/beans. Sprinkle bottom of crust with parmesan. Place fillings in the crust. For the ham & swiss, I used a package of diced ham (6-8 oz, I think) and a cup & a half of shredded swiss. For the broccoli cheddar, I used one crown of broccoli, cut into small florets, and a cup and a half of cheddar. I debated about whether to steam the broccoli, but decided the florets were small enough that I could skip it. Whisk eggs, half & half, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper together well. Pour into crust and bake until the middle of the quiche is just set, 40-45 minutes. Serves 6-8 and is a great dish for a party like this because it's good at room temp, as well as warm, so  it can be made ahead with no need for re-heating before serving. 

Asparagus Berry Salad

3 bunches asparagus

2 pints raspberries

A handful of halved strawberries

Strawberry or raspberry vinaigrette (my absolute favorite is Maple Grove Farm's Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette)

Trim the asparagus, snap in two, and blanch a couple minutes in boiling water. Remove to an ice bath and allow to cool. Arrange on serving platter. Sprinkle with berries and drizzle with dressing. Serves 10-12 and is quite beautiful.

Cheater's Fruit Tart

1 roll sugar cookie dough, room temperature (I like Pillsbury)

1 tub cream cheese fruit dip, chilled (I like Marzetti)

A bunch of cut-up fresh fruit (I used halved strawberries, kiwi cut into demi-lunes, mandarin oranges from a can, pineapple, blueberries, and a few raspberries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tart pan with fluted sides and a removable bottom. Press cookie dough into tart pan and up the sides, trimming if it squishes over the sides & pressing the excess back into the bottom of the pan. You will want this nice & even. Bake 17-20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Slather with fruit dip. Arrange fruit on top. Chill, if not using promptly. Serves 6-8. 

Westminster Punch, Prosecco-fied

12 oz. can frozen pink lemonade

12 oz. can frozen limeade

46 oz. pineapple juice

Small container sweetened frozen strawberries, slightly thawed

2 liters ginger ale

750-ml bottle prosecco

Mix everything together in a punch bowl and serve. 

Mac & Cheese Casserole, January 27, 2015

Last night was another thumbs-down dinner. I made the "hearty macaroni & cheese" from the Gooseberry Patch Fall" cookbook and did not enjoy it. I was pretty sure boiled eggs, peas, onions, Italian breadcrumbs, and chicken were a little much to add to mac & cheese for my tastes and I was right. Jeannene thought it was pretty good. She wasn't so sure about the endive & radicchio salad and downright disliked the dressing I made. I thought the dressing, a cherry balsamic dressing, was yummy. I think I would have liked the salad better with watercress or arugula (our grocery had no watercress and the one container of baby arugula they had was browned on the edges) instead of radicchio, but it was good, too. Since I didn't like the casserole, I am offering you another one, to which you can add whatever you like. If that includes all that stuff I mentioned above, have at it. Me, I like my mac & cheese a bit plainer---although I think I might really like cured chorizo in this. I also usually like it unbaked, just made atop the stove in a saucepan. Baking seems to dry it out. This one, however, stands up well to the oven. If you want, though, just stop at the end of the stovetop directions and serve it like that.

Honestly, the best part of dinner last night was dessert. My sweetie had been through a rough day at work, so to cheer her up, I picked up a pint of Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Half-Baked, which is chocolate and peanut butter ice cream, mixed, with hunks of brownie dough and peanut butter cookie dough. It's too bad it's a limited edition flavor because it's stupid good.

Baked Mac & Cheese

1/2 lb. ditalini (or macaroni or whatever small pasta you like), cooked

1/2 stick butter

1/4 c. flour

2 c. milk

8 oz. extra-sharp cheddar, shredded (plus extra for topping)

Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour, stirring until you have a smooth mixture. Gradually whisk in the milk. Simmer on medium heat, whisking, for a minute or two, until thickened and bubbling. Add cheese, salt, and pepper, and stir until well-mixed. Add macaroni, then put into a 2-qt casserole. Bake 25 minutes. Sprinkle with extra cheese and bake another 5 minutes or so. Serves 4-6. 

Endive, Watercress, & Orange Salad

2 Belgian endives, torn into bite-size pieces or sliced

1 large bunch watercress (or half a head of radicchio or a bunch of arugula)

2-3 oranges, chopped

1 shallot, minced

1/3 c. great quality extra-virgin olive oil

3 tbsp. cherry balsamic vinegar (or whatever other fruity flavor you like)

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

1 tsp. Dijon

Salt & pepper

Toss the endives, watercress, oranges, and shallot gently. Whisk the rest together until thickened. If you're going to eat the whole salad immediately, toss the dressing with the salad. Otherwise, toss individual portions with dressing. Serves 4. 

Breakfast Casserole in the Morning, Creamy Split Pea Soup & Cabbage-Carrot Salad in the Evening, January 3, 2015

I'm trying to get into the habit of making us something nice for breakfast on Saturday mornings. I'm not at all a morning person, so that is one strike against this working. We also tend to hit the door shortly after we get up, so that's another strike. But, yesterday, I succeeded in making a really yummy breakfast casserole for our brunch. I put it together Friday night before bed, so all that was left for me to do yesterday was bake it. With a Harry & David's pear, it was a splendid thing.

Saturday Morning Breakfast Casserole

1 lb. sausage, browned and drained

6 slices bread, torn into pieces

4 oz. chopped green chiles

2 cups shredded Cheddar

6 eggs

1 c. milk

Salt & pepper

 Mix sausage, bread, chiles, and cheese. Whisk eggs with milk, salt, and pepper. Mix with sausage. Place in a greased 13x9. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover casserole and bake 50 minutes. Serves 8-10. This can be made with turkey sausage or veggie crumbles, whole grain bread, reduced-fat (but fat-free is not so hot) cheese, and skim milk for a more healthful breakfast. 

We had a simple soup and salad dinner. I love split pea soup, while my wife is not as enthusiastic as I am about it. All I can say is that she's lucky it wasn't lentil soup, which she abhors and I adore. Actually, she ended up liking the soup, after all. The salad, a cabbage and carrot combo, was a little bit sweet and very refreshing, a nice counterpoint to the stalwart flavor of the soup. Both of these recipes are inspired by recipes from the Monastery soup & salad cookbooks by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette. They are marvelous cookbooks and I strongly suggest getting yourself a copy of each!

Creamy Split Pea Soup

40 oz. chicken or veggie broth

1 c. dried split peas

1 onion, chopped very finely

1 carrot, peeled and chopped very finely

1 bay leaf

Salt & pepper

A handful of chopped parsley

3 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. flour

2 c. milk (skim is fine; vegans can probably use soy milk)

Put the broth, split peas, onion, & carrot in a soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook about half an hour. Add the bay leaf, salt, pepper, and parsley. Cook another 15 minutes, covered. Remove th bay leaf. Mix the oil and flour into a paste, then stir into the soup. Add milk and, stirring the whole time, bring the soup to a boil. Serves 4-6.

Cabbage & Carrot Salad

2 c. shredded green cabbage

2 c. shredded red cabbage

3 carrots, peeled & grated

1/2 c. golden raisins

1/3 c. olive oil (very good quality, please)

5 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

5 tbsp. orange juice

2 tsp. sugar

Salt & pepper

Mix vegetables and raisins. Whisk the rest together until it thickens and blend with the salad. Serves 4-6.

Christmas Dinner with the Kids, December 28, 2014

Jeannene's dad, Travis, was a lover of all things red meat and a wonderful cook. He always made some kind of fabulous beef dish for Christmas dinner: beef Wellington, filet mignon, prime rib. I always defer to Jeannene on Christmas dinner for the family and she chooses one of her dad's favorites to prepare. I supplement with whatever I feel I can add to what she's making. We very often have baked potatoes on the side, but this year, she switched it up and delighted us all. It's not that I don't love baked potatoes, but it was fun to have something different. For our Christmas Sunday dinner with the kids tonight, once they'd gotten back from visiting Bubbles' family in Cleveland, Jeannene picked up a gorgeous prime rib roast at Nino Salvaggio's grocery in Troy and rubbed it with salt and pepper, allowing it to stand for a couple of hours with its rub before roasting it medium-rare.

On the side, she fried up a variety of handmade pierogies with butter and onions. We got the pierogies at Nino Salvaggio's, as well. We had cheddar, sauerkraut, and mushroom varieties. I liked the kraut the best, while the kids really dug the mushroom version and Jeannene liked the cheddar. For our vegetable, Jeannene steamed some broccoli and served it with hollandaise sauce.

I usually make my Tuscan kale salad for festive occasions in our house, but I was in the mood to try something different. The salad I came up with was a delicious show-stopper. I would cheerfully serve it at a fancy dinner party, but I would also sit on the couch in my pajamas, with a bowl of it for breakfast.

Fennel, Apple, and Orange Salad

2 bulbs fennel, cut into thin demi-lunes (you don't need the stalks)

2 oranges, peeled & diced

2 small Granny Smith apples, diced (peels on)

1 small Pink Lady apple, diced (peel on)

1/3 c. excellent quality extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt & pepper

7 Medjool dates, roughly chopped

Toss fennel, oranges, & apples together. Chill. Whisk oil, lemon juice, salt, & pepper together until thickened. Toss with salad. Serve with dates for garnish. I don't advise adding the dates to the salad, but to individual portions, as the dates can get unpleasantly gooey if there are leftovers. Serves 6-8. 

A Cuban-Style Nochebuena Feast

Since both of our boys spent Christmas with their girlfriends' families out of state, we decided to have a traditional Cuban Nochebuena dinner, usually enjoyed on Christmas Eve, for our Christmas Day dinner. Before I started work in the church, I made this dinner on Christmas Eve, but had bumped it to different days, depending on the year. It works beautifully as a Christmas Day dinner.

It being just the two of us, it wouldn't make sense to roast a whole pig like they do in many Miami backyards on Christmas Eve. So, I did a pork roast, black beans & rice, maduros (fried ripe plantains), and avocado & onion salad. We had a local oddity called Bumpy Cake for dessert. It's kind of like a Ho Ho Cake.

This pork roast is fabulous, but if you're vegetarian or vegan, the mojo marinade would be really good for tofu, as well.

Puerco Asado

A 5-lb. boneless pork loin
5 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. oregano
Salt & pepper
1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1 c. dry red wine
A few bay leaves

The morning you are going to cook this, piece the pork roast all over with a knife. Mash the garlic, oregano, salt, & pepper into a paste. Rub it all over the pork roast. Place in a gallon zipper storage bag or nonreactive dish/pan. Pour the juices, oil, and wine over it. Add the bay leaves. Cover the dish/pan or seal the bag. Let marinate a minimum of 2 hours (all day is better), making sure to turn the roast several times during the marinating time. Preheat oven to 350 degree. Remove roast from marinade and pat dry. Reserve the marinade for later, but discard the bay leaves. Roast the meat to an internal temperature of 150 degrees, about 2 hours, pouring marinade over it halfway through the cooking time and basting frequently for the second half of the cooking time. When finished, allow to stand 10-15 minutes, tented with foil, before slicing. Serves 8. (Leftovers can be employed in Cuban sandwiches, with ham, swiss, & pickles.)

I am too lazy to use dried black beans and always use canned. I sometimes really cheat, when I can find Goya black bean soup, and just heat it up. For special occasions, though, this is the recipe I like:

Cuban Black Beans

1/3 c. olive oil (Spanish, if you have it)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 small onion, minced

1 green pepper, chopped

32 oz. canned black beans, with their liquid

1/2 c. beef broth (vegetarians & vegans can omit or sub veggie broth)

1 tsp. cumin

A few dashes of hot sauce, if desired

2-3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Salt & pepper

Chopped onion for garnish

Heat oil in pan, then add garlic, onion, and pepper until they are softened. Add the rest and cook another 20 minutes or so. Serve with onions for garnish and cooked long-grain white rice. Serves 8.

Maduros (Fried Ripe Plantains)

4 very ripe plantains (skin should be entirely black---this takes time, so unless you can find black plantains at the grocery, you'll want to buy the green ones 2-3 weeks ahead), sliced on the diagonal

Oil for frying

Salt

Heat an inch of oil in a large skillet until it sizzles. Place one layer of plantain slices in the oil and fry until browned. Turn over and cook until browned on the other side. Remove from pan to a paper-towel-lined plate. Salt. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven until all plantains are fried and you are ready to eat. Serves 8. Plantains are also delicious baked, so if you don't want to fry them, you can bake them 20-25 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. 

Avocado & Onion Salad

Butter lettuce (or, if your wife prefers romaine, as mine does, do that)

4 avocados, sliced or diced

1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced into demi-lunes

Salt & pepper

1/2 c. (more or less) olive oil (again, Spanish is preferred)

Juice of 1 lemon or 2-3 limes

Arrange the lettuce in salad bowls or on a platter. Place avocado and onion atop the lettuce. Whisk salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar together. Drizzle over the salad. Serves 8. 

Bucatini with Meat & Lentil Sauce

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that I almost always use spaghetti sauce from a jar and tinker with it. Every once in awhile, though, I will try some from scratch. This is one of those. The original recipe was Nigella Lawson's, from Nigella Express, and was meant to be eaten on its own, rather than over spaghetti. I have altered it to reflect my iffy stance on lamb and my inability to find sweet onion confit & unwillingness, that cool night in August that I made this, to spend the time needed to make caramelized onions. I served it with bucatini. It's quite different and rather tasty. I want to try it again with the onion confit, as I am certain it's better that way---and I might try lamb, as well. If you want to try both and see which you like best (or simply use her recipe), you can find it here. This is my version:

Meat & Lentil Sauce

2 tbsp. garlic oil

1 c. cubed pancetta

1 lb. ground beef 

14 oz. can chopped tomatoes

1/2 c. water

1/3 c. Marsala

1/3 c. French green lentils (I wouldn't make this recipe with a different variety of lentils)

Shredded cheddar

Heat oil and fry the pancetta until it's crisp. Add the meat and brown. Add everything but cheese. Bring to a bubble, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Serve with cheese on top. Serves 4. 

I made a Caesar-style salad to go with this dinner. You could make this salad an entire meal by adding a protein to it, shrimp, chicken, cannellini beans. If you are vegetarian, simply omit the anchovy paste. 

Caesar Salad

3 tbsp. buttermilk (I used low fat)

2 tbsp. mayonnaise (I used canola)

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. anchovy paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

5 tbsp. grated parmesan

1 bag hearts of romaine salad

Caesar croutons

Purée everything but the cheese, lettuce, and croutons together. Add 2 tbsp. of the cheese. Toss with romaine. Divide among 4 plates and sprinkle with remaining cheese and croutons. Serves 4. 

Chicken Scampi with Artichokes

This dinner dates back to last month. I'd planned to make shrimp scampi, completely underestimating my dear wife's unwillingness to eat shrimp anymore. She had undercooked shrimp at 2 restaurants in a row 2 years ago and is pretty much done with shrimp. I hadn't realized this because she asked me to make my grand mom's shrimp in beer after those incidents. But she is done, so it became chicken scampi, which suits me just fine. With pasta, a green salad and some nice, crusty bread, this makes a lovely meal.

Chicken Scampi with Artichokes 

1/2 stick butter (or, you can reduce this as far down as 1 tbsp---or use 1-2 tbsp olive oil)

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c. dry white wine

Pinch salt

1/8-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. chicken, cut into bite-size pieces

12 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, drained & chopped

1 large handful chopped basil

Juice of 1 lemon

Melt butter or heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine, salt, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a bubble and cook until reduced by half, a couple of minutes. Add chicken and artichokes. Cook through. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat through. Adjust seasonings. Serves 2. 

Instead of a plain green salad, I served this with a really luscious berry salad, my version of an Aarti Sequeira recipe.

Berry Salad with Cardamom Balsamic Dressing
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (I used vanilla)
2 tbsp. honey
Pinch cardamom
Salt & pepper
1 lb. strawberries
1 pt. raspberries
1 handful mint leaves, torn 

Whisk balsamic, honey, cardamom, salt, and pepper together. Toss gently with berries. Sprinkle with mint and gently toss to combine. Serves 4. 

My Year in Food: Mexican Chicken Macaroni & Cheese, Chipotle Chopped Salad, Apple Raisin Carrot Salad, Tortilla Chips with Garlic Breath Salsa and Guacamole

I just finished browsing my way through Rachael Ray's "My Year in Meals" cookbook and thought it might be fun to try to get more disciplined about sharing at least dinner notes every single day. The cookbook is a fun read, if a smidge repetitive, and includes a cocktail section, as well. Knowing myself, I will not do it every day, but let's see what happens when I try. Since my study year (a year of reading on a chosen subject) goes from November 1 to November 1, I'll do Novembers with this idea, as well, except I will start where I am. Here goes!

Last night, my honey, who has been suffering with a bad cold, got bored of doing nothing all day and decided to get up and make dinner---or, at least, assemble it. She had no idea what she was going to make and kept warning me that she had no idea what she was doing. I trust her noodling around in the kitchen, pretty completely, to be tasty, if not necessarily healthy. The biggest problem with her impromptu cooking sprees is that she can never re-create dishes if they turn out great, which they frequently do. I am trusting that she did not impart her cold into the dinner and give it back to me!

She found leftover rotini in the fridge, from chicken noodle soup she made me when I had the same cold, as well as a package of chicken breasts I'd bought for use this coming Sunday & had not remembered to tuck in the freezer. I can only attest to the debris I saw on the counters---cheese wrappers, cardboard from a box of bouillon cubes, a fine dusting of cumin on the stovetop, seeds and stem from a jalapeño (I went on to use the rest in my salsa). What came out of the oven, all bubbling and orange, was yummy and would have done any 1970s housewife proud. Jeannene dubbed it Mexican chicken macaroni & cheese. She'd started with parmesan and white wine, she said as we ate, but when she realized I was making salsa and guacamole, she decided to veer in another direction. It was my lunch today, too.

She's a huge fan of those bagged chopped salads that seem to be all over grocery shelves right now. Her favorite right now is the Dole Chipotle & Cheddar Salad Kit. I am not much of a fan of any of the bagged salads and this is the least favorite of all, I think. The texture is not one I appreciate. So, she buys them for herself and takes them for lunch. Last night, though, she and my mom really enjoyed it (as much as you can enjoy any food when you can't smell it properly!). I went for leftover apple raisin carrot salad from the night before, instead, and it was great! Here's the (very simple) recipe:

Apple Raisin Carrot Salad

1/2 c. golden raisins

2 smaller-size Honeycrisp apples, peeled & diced

About 1 c. matchstick carrots (if I were not a lazy cook, I would do this myself, but I bought them already cut that way)

A handful of chopped pecans

2 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise (I would normally use canola mayo, instead, but I was trying to keep it as light as possible for my mom---however, I really think this needs no mayo at all, even though it's traditional)

Cover raisins with water and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Let sit in hot water, off heat, for another 15 minutes, then drain. Mix with apples, carrots, and pecans. Gently fold in mayonnaise, stirring to coat everything entirely. Serves 4-6. 

The garlic breath salsa recipe comes from my friend, Maggie King, who says it is not only good for colds, but also for warding off vampires. Not only that, it's delish! Here's my preparation of it, which is not exactly as Maggie would make it, but allows the cilantro-phobic to eat it with pleasure, as well! I would have added her 4 oz. can of chopped green chiles, but the can I thought I had in the pantry was not there, after all. A pity. 

Garlic Breath Salsa

14 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 onion, chopped

10 cloves garlic, minced

Most of a jalapeño, seeds removed, minced

5 Roma tomatoes, chopped

6 scallions, chopped

1 tbsp. cumin

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lime

Salt & pepper, to taste

Mix together & eat with tortilla chips! Serves 8-10. 

I make my guacamole by feel, just mashing the avocados with some garlic powder, salt, and lime juice in my molcajete. 

Since my mom doesn't eat cheese (except very low fat versions) or chicken, she had leftovers for her main course, Jeannene's version of Mollie Katzen's broccoli & tofu in spicy peanut sauce from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. If you're not familiar with it, this is a wonderful (and prettily illustrated) cookbook from the early 1980s, a vegetarian classic and a companion to the Moosewood Cookbook. Jeannene had done Cornish game hens for our Sunday Dinner with the kids this week, so she made that dish for my mom, whom I cannot begin to imagine eating a teeny little chicken (which Jeannene & Bubbles kept referring to as "cute" even as they tucked into it!), to enjoy while we ate teeny little chickens. 

Puerco Asado

As a Cuban, one of my favorite meats is pork and this is one of my favorite ways to eat pork. Last week, Jeannene came home with a pork roast and asked me to make puerco asado for dinner the next day, "please, please, please." I actually had a can of Goya's black bean soup on hand, to serve over rice. I did not have plantains for maduros, nor did I have any of Goya's frozen maduros, so we were bereft of those. However, the deliciousness of the avocado & onion salad completed the meal nicely. The simple Cuban-style vinaigrette is a fabulous way to dress a simple salad. This meal is my traditional go-to for our Nochebuena feast every year, with the addition of fried yuca.

Puerco Asado

5 lb. boneless pork loin

4 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp. oregano

Salt & pepper

1/4 c. lime juice

1/4 c. orange juice

1/2 c. olive oil

A few bay leaves

In the morning, or even the night before, prick the roast all over with a knife. Mash the garlic and oregano into a paste, using a mortar & pestle (if you don't have these, you can process it in a food processor). Rub the pork with the garlic paste, salt, & pepper. Mix the liquids together in a large ziploc bag. Add the pork roast and bay leaves. Marinate at least 4 hours, turning several times. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove roast from bag and pat dry. Discard bay leaves, but save the marinade. Roast pork about 2 1/2 hours, to a 165 degree internal temperature, pouring reserved marinade over the roast about halfway through cooking and basting often. When cooked, tent with foil on serving platter and allow to rest about 10 minutes. Serves 8. 

For the avocado salad, I like to use butter lettuce (torn into bite-size pieces), avocado slices, and sweet onion slices. The dressing is 1/4 c. olive oil (Spanish is best for this, but not essential), 1/8 c. lime juice, 1/8 c. white wine vinegar (apple cider or red wine is fine, as well), salt & pepper, whisked together. That makes enough for 4-6 salads. 

Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese Rounds & Grapefruit Balsamic

This wonderful salad is my version of Alice Waters' Goat Cheese Salad. For years, I've wanted to make a salad with baked or fried goat cheese rounds, but for some odd reason, it's seemed intimidating to me. Perhaps I was afraid the cheese would melt and ooze all over the place? Anyway, I am past that fear now and this is a salad that's terrific to serve guests to give them a little something special. By the way, if you are unfamiliar with Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, I would urge you to educate yourself. Alice Waters is one of my food heroes, a pioneer of the movement back toward using fresh, local foods that are in season and are sustainably produced. Chez Panisse, her Berkeley restaurant, is on my foodie bucket list. If you want to treat yourself to a new cookbook, her The Art of Simple Food is a good choice.

Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese Rounds & Grapefruit Balsamic

1/2 c. good quality olive oil

4 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf, crumbled

4 oz. goat cheese, cut into 4 rounds 

1/2 c. breadcrumbs/panko

2 tbsp. grapefruit balsamic

Salt & pepper

6 c. mixed greens

Marinate cheese in 1/4 c. oil with thyme & bay leaf for 2-12 hours. Place on a small baking sheet and chill thoroughly. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a small baking dish with the oil from the marinade. Coat the chilled goat cheese rounds in crumbs. Bake 5 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Whisk 1/4 c. oil with grapefruit balsamic. Season with salt & pepper. Toss with greens to coat. Divide greens among 4 salad plates, topping each salad with a goat cheese round. Serves 4. (This is also good with added dried cherries and walnuts)