Have I mentioned my obsession with pasta?  I flip through cooking magazines and browse restaurant menus, and all I want is pasta, pasta, pasta!  I’ve decided that as long as the pasta includes veggies, we’re good to go.  This is sort of a fabulous sneaky way to get veggies into your kids too, so if you’re looking for such trickery, here you go.

So this dish is kinda wonderful because it’s really easy to make, and totally delicious.  Also, because it comes naturally portioned, you can decide whether or not your are going to be good (1 roll, please!) or bad (2 rolls, um, give it!) or downright sinful (three rolls — step back from the pan and no one gets hurt!).  I say if you have one roll with a salad that it’s downright healthy!!

If you make a big pan of it (like I might have done, despite us only being only a party of 2), you will have leftovers for days! Share with your friends, be a complete rock star.

Veggie Lasagna Rolls
Adapted from Lea Michele & Edith Sarfati

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large bunch broccoli, stems removed and finely chopped
8 ounces of bagged baby carrots, finely chopped
1 16 ounce box lasagna noodles
32 ounces of ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 24 ounce jar of tomato or marinara sauce
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the chopped broccoli and carrots until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Place in a large bowl and refrigerate until cool.

Easy noodle method: Using the large, rectangular baking pan that you’ll cook the lasagna rolls in, fill it with the hottest tap water you’ve got, and fill it with the uncooked noodles for 20-25 minutes until tender.  Alternatively, you can boil the noodles per package instructions.  I always burn the crap out of myself when I use this method because the pot spits out boiling hot water (in a way that doesn’t happen with small pasta noodles) and then there is all the tasting to make sure they are perfect — again, much easier with smaller noodles.  At any rate, once cooked, lay them flat to cool. Dry the pan, and spread half of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Mix ricotta and garlic powder, oregano, basil and salt to taste. Add this ricotta mixture to the bowl with the cooled carrots and broccoli. Add Parmesan and mozzarella, and mix until nicely combined.

Using a spatula (or your hands!), spread ½-cup filling onto a single lasagna noodle, leaving ½-inch at each end so you are able to roll them up!  Roll each one tightly, and place in the pan with the tomato sauce, seam-side down.

After you’ve rolled all the noodles, cook in the oven for 35-45 minutes until warm and bubbly.

Top with remaining tomato sauce, cook an additional 10 minutes, and ENJOY!

Bon appétit!

Mix ricotta

It’s a good thing that I have a reasonable amount of self-control, because otherwise I’d live on blueberry muffins, goat cheese and red wine.  Still, no amount of control allows for me to pass up a fresh, warm, blueberry muffin that has a streusel top!  I love that sweet, crunchy top and a warm, soft interior.  You know when blueberries are really plump, sweet and in season?  Well, we’re almost there friends, and I think you’d be a little nutty to not make these at your first opportunity.

Picture this — you’re tired, you’re feeling overwhelmed (or is it just me?) and the oven dings that these beauties are ready.  You pull them out and have to restrain yourself from pulling a pipping hot one out from the tin immediately. You wait a few minutes (only to avoid a scalding finger burn) and then restrain yourself no more.  Slowly peeling the muffin paper, steam releases toward your face, carrying the sweet fragrant scent of fresh blueberries with it. Biting into it, the blueberries burst open and the crumb is moist, and you feel a whole heck of a lot better.  Have a cup of tea and another muffin, and life is good.

Did I mention this recipe is undeniably easy?

Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Perfect as printed from Ina Garten

Makes 20 muffins

Note: Wash blueberries in a strainer under running water and pick out any stems and leaves.

• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups buttermilk, shaken
• ¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 2 cups fresh blueberries (2 half-pints)

For the Streusel Topping:

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and blend with your hands. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, lemon zest, and eggs. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a fork, mixing just until blended. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Don’t overmix! With a standard (2 ¼-inch) ice-cream scoop or large spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared cups, filling them almost full.

For the topping, place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food preocessor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the butter is in very small pieces. Pour into a bowl and rub with your fingers until crumbly. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the streusel on top of each muffin. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

ENJOY!

Truth?  I ate 5 of these straight from the oven.  I double-dog-dare you to not do the same.  The most impossible thing about this little bite-sized treat is that they are just about the easiest thing you can bake from scratch.  In fact, I would go as far to say that they are easier than baking something from a box!  You think I’m kidding/lying/exaggerating?  Oh, do please make them yourself!

Mmm, corn bread.  I love the texture of the soft bite of the actual bread paired with the bursts of miniature crunch that the corn meal adds.  The outside has just enough firmness to make it satisfying when you take a bite, and then you are rewarded with a soft, but texture-y, middle. I’m a little addicted.  I may have to stop typing this and make some more now.

I’m back.

Seriously, you need to make these.

Isn’t anything in miniature just all the more delightful?  I brought these little guys to a party last night and they were devoured almost instantly.  At the same time, what better to pair with an afternoon cup of tea?  An afternoon tea snack and a raging party snack?  Is this a first?

Well, now that I’ve got you all excited, what are you waiting for?  It’s corn bread time, people (there’s also Tuesday “Taco” Time, which has its own song and everything, but that’s a story for another time!).

ENJOY, friends!

Mini Corn Bread Bites
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes 3 dozen

Butter, softened, for spreading on corn bread
Vegetable oil spray for muffin tin

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup safflower oil

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray (or lightly butter each muffin cup).

Sift together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Combine buttermilk, egg and oil (easiest to do in one big measuring cup!). Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until combined.

Fill muffin cups three-quarters full. Bake until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 11 minutes (check at 9 minutes).

Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Turn out muffins from tin. Serve warm (preferably) or at room temperature (also delicious) with softened butter. Muffins can be stored at room temperature for 2 days (but they won’t last that long, I promise!).

Here’s the thing . . . I could kind of live on scones.  Sure, I have my obsessions with goat cheese and sourdough bread, but a scone is the kind of comforting little treat that is not too sweet, not too savory, and extremely satisfying.  Paired with an afternoon cup of tea it’s delicious, rejuvinating, and probably a smarter way to de-stress than a 2-martini lunch (I said ‘probably’ – let’s not debate it).

I’m a smidge obsessed with finding and making the world’s most perfect blueberry scone.  It’s a situation where all stars need to align — the blueberries need just the right sweetness and pop, the outside needs to turn crispy while the interior needs to maintain its give, and warm from the oven they should hold their shape for immediate devourment (<– I’m not sure that this is an actual word, but does happen to be a death metal band in Dallas – ha!).

Now, depending on the sort of day that you make them (dry, rainy, etc.), the dough might be super sticky and seem impossible to cut into wedges for baking.  Trust me – cut them, fumble to get them on the board, and bake away. Also, handle the dough as little as possible for the softest scones. Seriously, try them, eat them, love them. Relax, breath deep, and take simple pleasures in a scone made right.

Blueberry-Buttermilk Scones
Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cake flour (not self-rising)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup (½ pint) fresh blueberries
½ cup low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg lightly beaten for egg wash
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with either a Silpat or parchment paper.

Whisk together flours, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Cut in butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers until mixture has the texture of coarse meal.  Gently stir in blueberries.

Whisk together buttermilk, 1 egg and the vanilla. Drizzle over flour mixture, and stir lightly with a fork or rubber spatula until dough comes together but a small amount of flour remains in bowl.

Turn out dough onto a work surface, and gently knead dough once or twice just to incorporate flour. Pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round.  Cut into 12 wedges and transfer to prepared baking sheet.

Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar.  Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 22 minutes.

Transfer scones to wire racks to cool. Scones are best served immediately but can be frozen for up to 1 month and then thawed and reheated in a 350° oven for 10 minutes.

It doesn’t happen terribly often, but once in awhile this little voice creeps inside my head and shouts, “Must eat meat!”. I typically enjoy eating mostly vegetarian, but in those times the voice is so loud that it not only manages to drown out the other, more regular, voice telling me to buy more shoes, but it literally won’t shut up until I’ve had a delicious cut of filet or a pulled pork sandwich (depending, of course, on just how highbrow it’s feeling that day).

So there I was, about to get in the shower when I stumbled across a recipe for Cuban braised beef and peppers.  Immediately I was transported to our trip to South Beach, where we had a couple fabulous Cuban meals so delicious that they left us downright speechless.  I’ve modified this one a bit and included an avocado-lime side that was inspired by one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco: Pomelo (if you go, have the ‘Havana’).

Anyway, this recipe will surely satisfy the carnivore in you, whether a regular voice in your head, or one that infrequently hits your like a ton of bricks!  Did I also mention this is a slow-cooker one-pot meal, and absurdly easy?  That is right, that is right!

I’m not sure what’s better — eating so much cookie dough you feel sick, or eating so many warm cookies straight from the oven that you feel sick.  Tough call, but a win-win really.

I always scout out new chocolate chip cookie recipes in the eternal quest for a crisp outside and chewy, soft inside.  While I’m not going to be so brazen as to tell you that these are the ‘best chocolate chip cookies ever’ or the ‘most amazing chocolate chip cookie of your life’ or even ‘the last chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ll ever need’ (all cookie titles when doing a recent search!), but I will tell you that they have great depth of flavor with a nice crisp outside and a ‘sink your teeth in and exhale slowly in pleasure’ chewy center.  Straight from the oven with a glass of cold milk, what else can you ask for?

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet mini chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional, but recommended!)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

With a stand or hand mixer, cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, and then mix in the vanilla.

Dissolve baking soda in hot water.  Add to the batter along with the salt.

Switch to a paddle attachment on your mixer (if you have one, otherwise keep the beater attachments intact) and stir in the flour, chocolate chips and nuts until just combined (be careful not to overmix!).

Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans (or use a Silpat).

Bake for about 10 minutes until edges are nicely browned.  Serve warm from the oven and bask in your cleverness!

I’m totally into the one-pot meal lately.  How delightful to throw a mess of stuff in one big pot, leave it for awhile, and come back to a meal.  It’s almost as if I had a personal chef!  I don’t know why I looked down on one-pot meals before.  Perhaps I’ve always had that “if I didn’t take me three hours to make it’s not worth it” mentality, but let me promise you that grad school has knocked that attitude right out of me!  Besides, one-pot meals can be incredibly complex, what with all the marinating and marrying of flavors.

So let’s talk chili.  I’ve never been a big chili girl and I think this mostly had to do with being born and raised in San Diego where big pots of steaming food don’t totally fit in.  When it’s 75 degrees most of the year, you think salad, not chili.  Well folks, here in New England, all I can do it think about chili, soups and slow cooker meals.  Dreamy Dish has gone all sensible and what not!

OK, so turkey chili.  The Californian in me really wanted something lighter and healthier, with some smokiness, complexity and interest.  Voila!  This dish delivered.  I thoroughly enjoyed it with a glass of cabernet, but drink as you choose!

Turkey Chili with White Beans
Adapted from Bon Appétit

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, medium chop
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ pounds lean ground turkey
¼ cup chili powder
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
3 15-ounce cans small white beans, rinsed, drained
Chopped red onion
Chopped fresh cilantro
Light sour cream

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until light brown and tender, about 8 minutes. Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey; stir until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon. Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices. Mix in stock and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add beans to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves.

(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat before continuing.)

Ladle chili into bowls. Pass red onion, cilantro and sour cream separately. ENJOY!

I was so taken by the ‘lime’ and ‘honey’ part of this recipe that I didn’t realize it was a one-pot meal until I got started.  What’s that about ‘mis en place’ (everything in its place) and reading a recipe?  Although I highly recommend it, who really has the time?  These days, I seem to prefer rapid-paced chopping to actual preparedness. Well, the one-pot meal was a pleasant surprise nonetheless and let me just say, I was super impressed with the turnout. You just gotta love a dish that’s easy, quick and delicious.  Imagine my surprise when all the components had so much flavor and the salmon was as moist as could be?!

Salmon is one of those foods I’ve had to force myself to like for health benefits.  Don’t worry, I try not to do that very often.  Here’s the trick: buy Norwegian salmon (Sockeye is way too strong if you’re not a salmon lover), and really evaluate a recipe’s flavors before attempting it.  I only prepare salmon that will have big flavor as a result.  If I can’t stop eating it, I know the dish is a success, as was the case here!  Enjoy with a glass of vino – salut!

Lime and Honey-Glazed Salmon with Basmati and Broccolini
Adapated from Bon Appétit

¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons finely grated lime zest
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus additional for sprinkling
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ cup sliced shallots (about 3 large)
1 ½ cups basmati rice
3 ¼ (or more) low-sodium chicken broth
4 5- to 6-ounce salmon fillets
1 bunch broccolini, bottom inch trimmed

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Whisk lime juice, lime zest, honey, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and soy sauce in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat oil in a large, deep ovenproof skillet or casserole (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat.  Add shallots and sauté until beginning to soften and brown, about 5 minutes.  Stir in rice, then 3 ¼ cups broth; bring to a boil.  Cover skillet tightly with lid; place in oven and bake 10 minutes (rice will be almost cooked through and most of the broth will be absorbed (mix in broth by ¼-cupfuls if dry).

Remove skillet from oven.  Sprinkle rice lightly with salt.  Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper on both sides.  Arrange on rice, pressing the salmon in lightly.  Tuck broccolini in around fish, with stems anchored in rice.  Spoon 1 tablespoon lime mixture over each salmon fillet.  Cover skillet and return to oven.

Bake until salmon is just opaque in center and broccolini is crisp-tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Drizzle remaining lime mixture oven fish and rice; sprinkle with additional chopped cilantro and serve from skillet.

I get obsessed with certain ingredients.  I’ve gone cuckoo over leeks, couldn’t get enough of fennel for awhile, and currently (and rather conveniently!) I’m completely into cranberries.  I want them fresh, dried, in baked goods, sneaked into savory dishes — wherever I can get ‘em!  This is not unlike my shoe obsessions, Starbucks cravings, or my overwhelming desire to get pregnant.  TMI?  Moving on!

I think the word ‘cake’ is daunting to beginning cooks.  It seems like a complicated, tricky endeavor and let’s face it, in some cases that’s true (cheesecakes take a little practice to get perfect, for example).  This little baby, however, is easy-peasy and yet looks impressive when served.  Beyond that, it’s delicious, so pretty and perfect for this time of year.  Bring it to Christmas dinner and you’ll be the star!

Look at the beautiful color!

If you have a pretty cake stand, now’s the time to use it!  I also think a dollop of fresh whipped cream (perhaps whipped with a dash of cinnamon?) would be divine.  This cake holds well for up to 3 days, but I doubt it will last nearly that long . . . especially since it’s great for breakfast, too!

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light

Topping:
Cooking spray
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
6 ounces fresh cranberries (in a pinch, frozen can be used too, just be sure to thaw first!)

Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6.75 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened (leave at room temp overnight if you have the time)
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup low-fat or non-fat milk
2 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

To prepare topping, coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray (be sure to to miss any little part of the pan or the cake will stick!).

Heat brown sugar and 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook 2 minutes or until butter melts and sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.  Pour sugar mixture into prepared cake pan, tilting pan to coat bottom evenly.  Arrange cranberries evenly over sugar mixture.

To prepare cake, spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; stir with a whisk.

Place granulated sugar and 1/2 cup butter into a bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.

Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Beat the egg whites with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form, using clean, dry beaters.  Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.  Spoon the batter over the cranberries, spreading evenly.

Bake at 350ºF for 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center of the cake comes out clean (to be smart, check the cake at 40 minutes if your oven is as crazy as mine).  Cool in pan for 15 minutes on a wire rack, then loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula (or butter knife).  Place a serving plate upside down on top of cake, and invert the cake pan onto the plate.  Let stand 5 minutes and then remove the pan.  Serve warm and makes 12 servings.

So I happen upon this recipe offering a new technique, and I’m intrigued (but skeptical).  I follow careful instructions (so that I can blame the recipe when it doesn’t turn out!) and proceed with caution.  I put the oven rack in the right position, I get out the cooking twine and I pull my lovely filet mignon out of the fridge (I used a 1lb. filet for 2 people, but you can use a strip steak or rib-eye, too!).

The results?  Moist, tender steaks without that ugly, tough gray layer that often develops after pan-searing steaks.  I’m impressed, people!

Alright, so here’s what you do — and please let me know what you think!

Pan-Seared Thick-Cut Strip Steaks
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen (gotta love those guys!)

Rib-eye or filet mignon of similar thickness can be substituted for strip steaks.  If using filet mignon, increase the oven time by about 5 minutes.  When cooking lean strip steaks (without an external fat cap) or filet mignon, add an extra tablespoon of oil to the pan.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees.

Pat steaks dry with paper towel.  Cut each steak in half vertically to create four 8-ounce steaks. Season entire surface of steaks liberally with salt and pepper. Gently press on the sides of the steaks until they are a uniform 1 ½-inches thick and tie with twine to keep shape.  Place them on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and transfer baking sheet to the oven when ready.  Cook until instant-read thermometer inserted in center of steaks registers 90° to 95° for rare to medium-rare (20-25 minutes) or 100° to 105° for medium (25-30 minutes).

Next, heat oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat until smoking.  Place steaks in skillet and sear steaks until well-browned and crusty, about 2 minutes (lifting once during cooking to redistribute fat underneath each steak).  Using tongs, turn steaks and cook on the other side, about 2 minutes.

Transfer all steaks to wire cooling rack and reduce heat under pan to medium.  Use tongs to stand 2 steaks on their sides.  Holding steaks together, return to skillet and sear on all sides until browned, about 1 ½ minutes.  Repeat with remaining 2 steaks.

Transfer steaks to wire cooling rack and let rest, loosely tented with foil, for 10 minutes while preparing pan sauce (if you choose).  Plate steaks, and ENJOY!