The Rhythm of Cooking

Goodbye (2012). And Hello (2013).

2012-12-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

2012. It will go down as one the best. years. ever (in my life). Ha. In the last hours of this great year, I am saying goodbye to 2012 and to this blog. It has been a great few years of inconsistent posting and learning about blogging, finding my own voice, lots of recipes, lots of growing food, lots of pictures, and lots of love. The Rhythm of Cooking was fun and the premise will forever live on in my kitchen through loud music, hefty glasses of wine, and a whole lotta food.

Here's the good news. While I won't be here at this website, I will still be blogging and writing over at our new site: hop on over to Callywood Farms Blog. I have migrated all the recipes from this blog over so you can find them there and we will to continue to post the yummy things we eat. We hope to add a lot more about our new homestead like our chickens and the other animals we hope join us in the future, all of the projects we attempt, rural living escapades, and our growing family!

Please re-subscribe to the email list. It's on the top right still. Add the new domain to your reader, whatever floats your boat. Thanks for joining us here on Rhythm of Cooking for the past few years. We hope you'll continue to read on over at Callywood Farms!

Cheers to 2013, friends.

One Pot Collards and Cornbread

2012-06-10T08:32:00.000-06:00

Music: Tedeschi Trucks Band, Revelator. If you haven't heard this album, go listen to it now. Please, I beg you. It recently took home a Grammy for Best Blues Album of the Year. It deserved it, plus some more. It is real music. It is amazing. It is breathtaking and rowdy...it's got something for everyone.

So, collard greens. You either love 'em or you hate 'em. I LOVE 'em, This is a classic southern preparation, but I love collards prepared almost any way. Most recently, I've been digging them raw. Thinly sliced into ribbons, left to marinade in a vinaigrette for a fresh and crunchy salad. Or in veggie juices. But this one pot meal is a great one to have when you got a whole lotta greens to cook.

So let's start with how to prepare them. For a quicker braise and simple dish like this or most dishes that call for collards, you should de-stem them. The stems are tough, fibrous, little buggers. You can use the stems, but it is still recommended that you de-stem them and then chop us the stems to be added to your aromatics. Or add the stems to your compost, chicken run, or even your juicer...which is where mine will be headed!

Lay a full leaf down, rib side up, so the underside of the leaf is facing you.

Then all you have is two cuts. I was taking pictures with this knife in my hand, so sorry they aren't the best. Your first cut is right only the rib on one side. Cut all the way down until the stem loses most of it's width.

Then do the same to the other side and cut all the way across the stem to detach. Repeat. A bazillion times.

When you have a pile of destemmed leaves, pile them up and roll them up tightly like a cigar. Then slice into ribbons. Like so...

Allow plenty of time to prep collards. It takes longer than you think, but you get into a nice little rhythm, especially if accompanied by an album like Revelator!

A note on the sausage. This is really good andouille sausage. If you can, find some. Steer away from any big name sausage companies, ahem, Johnsonville, and branch out a little bit. I know this isn't always available to everyone whether it be the price tag or selection, but really good andouille sausage it really good and you can taste it in this dish.

I think one of my most favorite colors in the world is the bright green that leafy greens turn when just barely cooked. Kale, collards, even spinach all achieve this color just as they become heated. The color they become after cooking is not what I'm talking about, but this bright, vivid green is just lovely.

Once the collards cook down and you hit them with some thickened milk, it's time to lay the biscuits down. Grind some fresh black pepper on top and throw them in the oven.

One Pot Collards and Cornbread

Adapted from http://casayellow.com/collard-cobbler-with-cornmeal-biscuits/#more-1149

Ingredients:

1 cup flour (sub gluten-free if that's your thing)
1/2 cup course cornmeal
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon honey
5 TB butter, cold, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 lb. Andouille sausage (I promise this dish is better if you splurge on really really good looking sausage)
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
4 cups stock: vegetable or chicken, homemade preferred
3-4 lbs. collards greens (I used 4 collard plants and it was probably closer to the 4-5lb. range)
1/2 cup milk or cream
2 TB cornstarch or arrowroot powder
S & P

Directions:

Make the cornbread biscuits. Throw flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt into your food processor. Give it a whirl.
Add the honey and butter and pulse until the butter is in small pieces and looks like small peas. Add buttermilk and pulse until dough comes together.
Remove dough onto a floured surface. Knead together until it comes into a pliable dough. You may need to add some more flour or cornmeal. Roll dough out to 1-inch thickness and cut into rectangle biscuits. Lay biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until you're ready for them.
In a large pot (you have two options here - cook in a large pot and then pout finished collards into a baking dish or cook in your baking dish, you can see I cooked in my large dutch oven) over medium-high heat, add sausage and brown. Your sausage may or may not need some extra fat, so have some EVOO on hand just in case it really starts sticking.
Turn heat down to medium. Push sausage to one side when you have some nice brown edges and add onions. Saute in sausage fat until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add stock. Raise heat to bring to a simmer and turn back down to maintain this simmer.
Begin adding collards in batches, stirring to incorporate. Each batch should take on the vivid bright green mentioned above before you add the next batch. It took me about 4 batches. Let simmer until collards are tender and stock is reduced, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375.
Once collards have cooked. Add cornstarch/arrowroot powder to 1/2 cup of milk or cream. Whisk until smooth. Add to collards. Stir to incorporate. Mixture should begin thickening.
Assemble! At this point, take out your biscuits and place on top of collards mixture. They should be slightly overlapping. Grind fresh black pepper on top and place in preheated oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until biscuits are browned on edges and collards are bubbling.

Best enjoyed with a crisp and almost fruity IPA, unless of course, you're pregnant. Kombucha will do just fine.

Growing more than food

2012-03-20T07:34:00.000-06:00

I had all these wonderful posts planned for spring! Between food and all the activity on the farm, but none of that has happened because, well, I got pregnant!

I haven't had the energy or the appetite to post! My usually ravenous diet of extravagant recipes has died. I eat whatever I can force down my mouth...which lately has been potatoes. And milkshakes. And popsicles. A lot of friggin' popsicles.

Anyways, my appetite is slowly returning as my belly is growing. And my energy level is getting there. Hopefully, I can get a couple updates up in the next few weeks. Chicken mansion is complete and we have 6 lovely ladies. We are about to add some baby chicks too!

Food is growing! Radishes, lettuces, greens, peas, yummm! But for now, I gotta focus on my growing body. Holy cow, we're gonna be parents....just wild. Enjoy the adorable photo we came up with to share :)

The best breakfast muffins

2012-02-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

Breakfast is something I perpetually have to plan for. I am not a morning person, so the thought of getting up earlier than I have to to cook eggs and bacon, well that's a nice thought and all, but it will never happen during the week. And trying to get a really healthy, homemade breakfast in fast, can be difficult.

Our standards are homemade yogurt with toppings (jam/honey/fruit, nuts, granola, etc.), homemade bread with almond butter, jam, or cinnamon butter and honey, overnight steel cut oats, smoothies (almond butter, banana, and milk is our fave!), and muffins. I have gotten in the habit of making a batch of muffins on Sunday and then freezing them. We take them out in the morning and throw them in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute and enjoy hot, homemade muffins for breakfast.

This is by far, the best, most nutritious recipe I have tried. It only has 1/4 cup of brown sugar. It uses both oats and whole wheat flour AND it's just a template so you can add whatever your heart desires. The only downside is that the recipe does take some preparation. It calls for the oats to be soaked in buttermilk (or soured milk) for an hour before cooking time. This requires some planning, but the rest of the recipe comes together in 5 minutes.

So far, I have made fresh blueberry muffins and raspberry-almond muffins. It's rhubarb season, so really looking forward to picking up a few stalks and throwing in some cardomam for the next batch. If you try this recipe, let me know what flavor combinations you try or even ones that sound good! I have been dreaming of the following combinations:

Fresh blueberries and ground ginger
Raspberries and vanilla bean
Rhubarb and cardamom
Grated carrots and raisins
Diced apple, extra cinnamon, and walnuts
Peaches
Frozen or fresh cherries and chocolate chips

The best breakfast muffins

Adapted from here.

Ingredients:

1 cup buttermilk (OR alternatively 1 cup milk with 1 tspn. lemon juice of white vinegar added and let sit for 5 minutes before proceeding)
1 cup rolled oats (not the quick kind)
1 large egg, room temp
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly (I want to try replacing this with coconut oil too!)
1 tspn. vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 TB flour (I use whole wheat)
1/4 tspn. salt
1 tspn. baking powder
1/2 tspn. baking soda
1/4 tspn. nutmeg, freshly ground
1/2 tspn. cinnamon
Add-ins of your choice

Directions:

Combine milk and oats in a large bowl and let stand one hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin and line with cupcake papers.
Crack the egg into the oats; add brown sugar and mix to combine. Stir in melted butter and vanilla.
Sift remaining ingredients into the bowl: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Gently fold into batter, taking care no to over mix.
Sprinkle add-ins and additional flavorings and combine gently.
Spoon into muffin tins.
Bake until light brown on top and muffins spring back when gently touched, about 10-12 minutes. This will take longer is you use fresh or frozen fruit additions.
Remove and enjoy!

* I keep a few out fresh but then I fit 9 into a large, freezer ziploc bag and throw it into the freezer. Pop in the microwave for 30 seconds in the morning and enjoy a tasty, warm muffin for an easy breakfast!

Tomato Sausage Risotto

2011-11-05T08:10:00.000-06:00

Menu: Tomato Sausage Risotto, if you really need some more greens, I suppose a nice green salad would do, I didn't have the energy this night

Music Man picked: Ray Charles, Ray Charles. The master's debut album featuring songs such as I Got a Woman, Hallelujah I Love Her So, and one of my all time personal faves, Drown In My Own Tears. Comfort music for a comfort meal. This music wraps you up like a warm, soulful blanket on a cold, rainy day and the food feels the same way. When you need that certain something to hit ya just where you need it, dial up some Ray and fire up the risotto pan. Most people think the blues are a sad music meant for sharing in the downtrodden spirit...on the contrary, I've always seen true blues music as comfort for your soul when words alone can't do the job. This music, and this meal, are sure to do the same! -BJ

If you couldn't already gather, we have a serious love of risotto. It is our go-to one pot meal. That's why we love it so. Throw stuff into one pot, stir, add, stir, and then enjoy creamy-yummyness. That's a word, right? I like risotto with lots of things, like beets, squash blossoms, Clemson-themed, etc.

I love this risotto because it has the usual qualities of a risotto, a creamy texture that melds the flavors together without turning to mush. Risotto or arborio rice (there are other types of rice that are more authentic to use, but this is the closest that is easy to find in any supermarket!) is a rice grain that takes on the flavor of whatever you add to while adding a starchy, velvety component that is hard to find elsewhere. Risotto is a blank canvas waiting to be flavored up to your liking.

However, I love this risotto for its differences too. Instead of the traditional water or stock base, this risotto uses tomatoes and tomato juice for a very flavorful and colorful final product. Consistent with the other recipes, I keep a small sauce pot on the back burner of warmed liquid. This time it happens to be the juice from a 28 oz. can of tomatoes plus some water. I love the tangy, slightly acidic flavor this adds to the creamy nature of this dish.

The overall dish doesn't differ too much from your normal pasta with meat sauce flavors, but definitely breaks up the monotony of it. We have made this a few times and enjoy it everytime. So, if you're looking for something to spice up your pasta night or a different take on spaghetti and meatballs, give this recipe a try!

Enjoy :)

Tomato Sausage Risotto

Adapted from Martha Stewart via Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
EVOO
1 lb. Italian sausage, mild or sweet (if in casings, remove)
1 small-med. onion, chopped
S & P
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 bunch of spinach, finely chopped
2 TB butter
Garnishes: more parmesan cheese or parsley, goat cheese, basil

Directions:

Drain the tomatoes over a bowl to reserve all the liquid. Set tomatoes chunks aside.
Combine juice from tomatoes with 3 cups of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and keep warm on your back burner.
In a large-medium saucepan, heat oil, add sausage and onion, and season with S & P. Cook sausage, breaking it up with your cooking utensil until sausage is pretty much cooked through and onions are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remember this will just keep cooking, so no need to cook everything through and through right now.
Add rice and tomatoes, stirring to combine and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, letting the rice coat and lightly toast.
Add wine. Cook and stir until absorbed, about 1-2 minutes, while stirring.
Add about 2 cups or 3 big ladles full of tomato liquid to the risotto. Cook this over a soft simmer, stirring occasionally to re-distribute the liquid and make sure all the rice is being cooked, about 5 minutes.
Add 1-2 ladles full of liquid at a time, waiting until the prior batch is almost completely absorbed before adding more. Stirring to combine and re-distribute after each addition, until rice is creamy and tender, about 25 minutes (you may or may not use all of the juice, I didn't on this batch). Taste testing is strongly encouraged.
Remove from heat. Stir in spinach, parmesan, butter, season with S & P and add some crushed red pepper if you like some spice! We served with parsley and goat cheese on top.

*If you use a gas range, risotto making is much more fun (sorry electric stove peeps). If you don't feel like using up another pot on your back burner, don't! Just crank up the heat each time you add liquid and bump back down as it comes to a simmer. You can control the slowness and quickness of the liquid being absorbed. This is called fun in my house. I definitely recommend trying this tactic out. Start with just increasing the heat when you add the wine, bump it back down when it simmers and see how you feel. Like I said, F-U-N!

Fall Root Vegetable Pot Pie with Sweet Potato Biscuits

2011-10-22T06:05:00.000-06:00

Menu: This bad boy only needs a beverage. It was plenty of food. The boys had some Sam Adams Oktoberfest and I had Roots Cab Sav, delightful!

Music: We were entertaining a guest, so I just threw on Avett Brothers Pandora. I love using Pandora when entertaining, so you're not constantly getting up to change CD's, records, playlists, etc. It was a perfect, easy going blend for a quintessential Fall meal!

This meal was beautiful! I had bought (along with the rest of the world) the Living Social deal for Whole Foods a while back. I was up in Greenville so I decided to stop in and cash out my coupon. I never go to Whole Foods with a shopping list. You end up spending a ba-zillion bucks (yes, that is an exact figure). I go to Whole Foods to grab a few things that grab my attention and then stop elsewhere to round out a meal. The first thing I saw when I walked in was these beautifully ugly organic purple sweet potatoes from a nearby farm in NC (the dark looking potato between the sweet potato yam and parsnips). Then I remembered this recipe and set out grabbing lots of root vegetables and what I would need.

See the first blooms of Zinnias from our garden!

The veggies with lots of olive oil and herbs waiting to be roasted. Isn't the purple just beautiful? The purple sweet potato tasted just like a sweet potato. I didn't pick up any differences, except in the spots that I didn't fully get the skin off, I noticed some very bitter bites. The skin was very thick and gnarly.

The browned, caramelized, yummy veggies. They also go by the name of "Fall in a Bowl". As BJ said, I could just eat that right there!

I could have also cut the biscuits a bit thicker. They had great flavor, but didn't rise well as I used whole wheat pastry flour.

I would make a few changes upon making this again. First of all, I would add mushrooms to the béchamel. Few a few dried mushrooms, rehydrated, then chopped into the base of the bechamel would really round out the earthiness of the dish. Second, I didn't add wine, as I didn't have any on hand. If you don't, I would suggest adding a squeeze of lemon juice or something to brighten the flavors. That was missing from my dish. Third, I went with turnip because I couldn't find a celery root. I would most definitely go with celery root if given the option. Man, just writing all those changes really makes me want to make this dish again soon!

I hope you enjoy this dish on a nice chilly night soon! Let me know how it turns out!

Fall Root Vegetable Pot Pie with Sweet Potato Biscuit Topping

Adapted from: http://fiveandspice.wordpress.com/2010/11/23/vegetable-pot-pies-topped-with-sweet-potato-biscuits/

Ingredients:

About 1 lb. brussels sprouts, stem cut, outer leaves trimmed, and halved
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces*
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces*
2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces*
1 rutabaga, celery root, or turnip, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces*
EVOO
S & P
2-3 tspn. Herbes de Provence (or dried thyme, I had this on hand)
1 tspn. sage
1 large onion
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 TB butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups of milk
Big splash of white wine or sherry, optional
Pinch of nutmeg, thyme, cayenne
Unbaked sweet potato biscuits (Recipe below)
You could always make this with meat, just throw chicken in to roasted veggies and combine with béchamel.

Directions:

Heat oven to 425. Toss all the chopped veggies with ample amounts of EVOO, S & P and dried herbs. Spread into one layer on multiple baking sheets. Put into oven and roast. Open and stir every 20 minutes or so. They are done when your kitchen smells delicious and veggies are brown in spots and tender in the middle. Remove from oven, set aside. Keep oven on!
In a saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion. Saute until translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic. Saute for a minute.
Add flour to onion mixture. Stir until fully incorporated and cooked, about 2 minutes.
Next, get ready to whisk in the milk! Go very slowly at first, incorporating the milk by a 1/4 cup at a time or so. Whisking completely into the flour and then adding more. This helps prevent lumpy béchamel!
Add wine if using, remaining herbs, and S & P to taste.
Combine veggies and béchamel. Top with unbaked sweet potatoes biscuits, arranging them to your heart's desire.
Put into oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the biscuits are puffy a light browned on the top.
Let rest for a few minutes and then devour.

*If using homegrown veggies or organic from a trusted source, skip the peeling and just give a nice scrub. The skins always contain the best nutrients!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

1 small-medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (definitely peeled here)
1 3/4 cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry, as expected they didn't rise as well)
1 TB. brown sugar
2 1/2 tspn. baking powder
1/2 tspn. baking soda
1/2 tspn. salt
7 TB cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup cold buttermilk or yogurt

Directions:

In a small pot, cover sweet potatoes with water, bring to boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until potatoes are very tender. Drain well, then smash up with a fork. Reserve 3/4 cup of mashed potato and let it cool.
In a bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour through salt). Whisk to combine.
Press small pieces of butter into dry ingredients by squishing each piece in flour mixture. Then combine all the dough with your hands. It will resemble very course sand. Alternately, this can be done with a pastry cutter or food processor.
Stir in buttermilk and sweet potato mash until thoroughly combined.
Place dough onto generously floured surface. Knead a few times until you have a nice consistency.
Roll dough out into about 1/4 inch thickness and cut into biscuits, however you please. I used a drinking cup, but you could use fun cookie cutters, squares, whatever!
Place on pot pies or bake at 425 for about 20 minutes.

Remembering

2011-10-05T09:01:00.000-06:00

I have a terrible memory. My sister can recall memories from our childhood that I just smile and nod as she recounts the details, wishing that I could remember things like she did.

As I was driving away from our new house the other evening (we have this beautiful 1/4 mile dirt road driveway lined with fruit trees and horses on both sides), I had this overwhelming desire to remember the moment. It was an ordinary moment, but it was filled with such intense emotions that I wanted to capture it here

We had just finished a 3 hour painting session in the master bedroom of the new place. It looked like this...

I know it's difficult to see, but that my friends, is baby blue sponge painted walls. With a blue and white country pattern print VALANCE. That is what you call that, right?

If I had lots of money, I would also rip up the carpet, but let's be honest, if I had lots of money, I wouldn't be renovating a single wide :) So, we painted the walls white. Like white white. The color is actually called "Moon Rise". The true sign on a re-design, re-model expert is when she picks colors based of names...OH, that's me!

So back to the whole remembering thing. So, we had just finished a 3 hour paint session. We were covered in paint and sweat (no AC yet folks). We did a bit of poking around the garden and were spent. I hopped in the Jeep to head back to the lakehouse and on the drive out (pics below of our driveway) is when the rush of feelings hit me.

REMEMBER THIS MOMENT. Remember the feeling of working so hard for something you want. Remember the sweat and paint stains, but most of all remember the feeling of total fulfillment. Remember the feeling of your heart feeling like it's overflowing with happiness. Happiness for what is to come, the future, but also the moment of realizing you made the right decision in moving back in with the rents to accomplish this next step :)

Alright, enough cheesiness. I promise more pics of the new place and some recipes soon. We've been cooking!

Thought for the day

2011-09-29T09:26:00.001-06:00

Thought for the day (adapted from an Adam Carolla metaphor...obviously from BJ)

Learning and living on the farm will be like a big gin rummy game. Start with the hand that is dealt to you and then slowly add and keep the things that are working, productive, and bring you joy, all the while not being afraid to discard things that don't fit in with the greater mission or don't work out the way you envisioned. Your hand will always evolve into something better and will most certainly not ever end up how it started or how you could have foreseen, but a healthy dose of risk-taking combined with an intelligent, informed game plan will ensure that both the process and result will always be rewarding.

We know how to play some mean gin rummy, so this whole farm thing should be easy-peasy...according to Adam Carolla...

If this is our Queen of Spades...

This is clearly the Ace! Hopefully, in the next few weeks we will have some updates about the King...chickens and goats!

Seasons of Change.

2011-09-09T07:38:00.000-06:00

A cleared home site.

The meager beginnings of a farm.

Learning how to grow food in red clay.

A single wide.

A home on site (and Jade)!

Celebrating 3 years of marriage!

Beautiful SC and our new homestead!

The top ten since being back in SC!

2011-09-02T20:24:00.000-06:00

Living in the same state as my husband.
The beautiful, haunting, heavy mist in the mornings.
Local farm stands on every country road. This area knows beefsteak tomatoes, summer squash, peaches, and okra, like whoa.
Green, rolling mountains.
Publix.
Discovering that water skiing could be considered a work-out.
Red sunrises and sunsets over the lake.
Being in SEC football land (i.e. people who actually know something about college football).
Hearing the word "y'all" in a non-ironic context.
The wet, earthy, green, musty smell. I just missed it, y'all :)
Okay, I know it was supposed to only be 10, but watching Jade jump in her very own pond...here's a preview!

Tomato Coconut Curry Soup

2011-02-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

Music: Cat Power, You are Free - This album is perfect for a lazy night of cooking. As you will see in the recipe, there is a lot of down time. I spent this time soaking in this album and enjoying Marshall's sultry voice and poetic lyrics. There's even some surprise vocals from Eddie Vedder on this album. Anyone else into Cat Power? Any other album recommendations??

Menu: Soup topped with lime cilantro roasted chickpeas

Recently, we went out to eat at Watercourse Foods (yummm) with some super friends. I have recently taken up this "gluten-free thing" to see if it helps with some other health issues. As you may have inferred from the previous sentence, I'm not too thrilled about this "thing". For those of you who know me personally, know that I love my gluten. Possibly my most favorite food item in the whole wide world is garlic bread. I haven't had garlic bread...in a really long time...sigh.

So, when I had this tomato soup at Watercourse, I thought, "now this is a soup that doesn't need garlic bread!" I must say it is heart-breaking to make tomato soup with out a hunk of crunchy, garlicky bread to soak it up. A few of us at the table got this soup and we all fell in love. So much so, that one of us asked the waiter what was in it. His response was something like, "ummm tomato, curry, and coconut milk (duh was implied)." And of course, I thought I can't wait to make this at home with whole spices to try to really boost the flavor. That is precisely what I did!

You can see the seeds toasting: I selected cumin, coriander, fenugreek, and a touch of mustard seeds. You can grind them in a spice or coffee grinder or have fun with your hands and do it with a mortar and pestle (courtesy of the husband for xmas!). I made my base of aromatics with the classic Indian/curry mixture - onion, chile, garlic, and ginger. I browned the onions very deeply (this isn't a good picture, sorry!). This is the start of all the flavor. If you have the time, spend a good 25 minutes browning the onions. Then add the rest of your aromatics.

Sometimes, I use a small food processor when cooking Indian to help reduce the time chopping. However, if I have the time, I love to chop and mince ingredients. It's part of the reason I think cooking is so relaxing. Many people report that running is relaxing because of the repetition of footsteps (along with many of other things...), and I think that's what cooking does for me. Once you become comfortable in the kitchen, it is repetition, especially knife skills. Just writing this is making my wrists ache to get back in the kitchen and do some chopping...

Anyways, back to the soup! The crunchy cabbage really adds to the soup and is part of the reason garlic bread is not entirely necessary for this tomato soup. That doesn't mean I wasn't aching for it the entire time I cooked this soup. I did, however, come up with the brilliant idea to top this soup with something equally as crunchy as garlic bread...roasted chickpeas! So, I took what I planned on topping the soup with, lime juice and cilantro, and tossed that with very crunchy, roasted chickpeas, for a supremely satisfying crunch.

By the way, who needs cream when you have coconut milk?!?! The coconut milk was such a perfect addition to this soup. It made the spicy, flavorful tomato soup base, rich, creamy, and slightly sweet.

Funny side story about how awesome this soup is: We had to leave for the weekend and my sister came over to dog and chicken-sit for a few days. One of the mentioned perks of pet sitting for us is that I try to leave lots of good food stocked :) So, I got a text soon after we left that went something like this, "what the hell is in the soup?!? it's rocking my world!!!!" I took it as a compliment that my rip-off of this Watercourse soup was a complete success :)

Tomato Coconut Curry Soup

Inspired by Watercourse Foods, Denver, CO

Ingredients:

1 TB cumin seeds
1 TB coriander seeds
1 tspn. fenugreek seeds
1/2 tspn. brown mustard seeds
1 tspn. tumeric
OR sub the whole toasted seeds for 2 - 3 TB curry powder
Ghee or coconut oil (around 2 TB)
1 large onion, diced
1 large serrano pepper, minced (or hot pepper of your choice)
5 - 6 garlic cloves, minced
1 - 1 1/2 piece of ginger, large gnarly spots, peeled, minced (I like to keep most of the skin on)
2 - 28 oz. cans of tomatoes (your choice of type - I think I did one crushed and one diced)
1 small head of cabbage, thinly sliced (I like it chunkier, but feel free to shred for a thinner result)
1 can coconut milk (full fat is just better)
1 batch of lime-cilantro roasted chickpeas

Directions:

Place all seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat. Toast for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and seeds have darkened. Remove from heat and ground spices. You can do this by spice/coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. Add tumeric and stir to combine.
In large dutch oven, heat ghee or oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until brown and smelling delicious, at least 10 minutes and up to 35 minutes.
Add pepper, garlic, and ginger. Stir to incorporate and cook for 2 minutes.
Add ground spices (or curry powder). Stir to incorporate and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes. Stir to incorporate. Once mixture comes to a simmer, turn heat down to medium-low and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes. You can speed this process up if on a time crunch, but the longer it simmers, the more time the flavors have to come together.
Once soup has simmered for a while, add cabbage. Stir in and let cabbage soften in soup. If you like your cabbage still pretty crunchy, this will only take 3 minutes or so. If you like the cabbage a bit more soft, you can allow it to simmer in the soup for up to 15 minutes.
When the cabbage is done to your liking. Turn heat off and add coconut milk. Stir until soup is creamy and milk is completely dispersed in soup. Taste and season with S &P, if needed.
Top with chickpeas (or garlic bread if you are so lucky, but please don't tell me if you do...) and devour.

Beer spiked pizza dough

2011-02-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

Music: A funky meal, deserves some funky music - "Head Hunters" by Herbie Hancock. You really should own this album. You will be whistling "Watermelon Man" for days. The opening track "Chameleon" features one of the funkiest grooves ever laid down with it's driving, catchy bass line. Put this album on and try not to dance. I dare you. To accompany a true meal "for the people" this music defines the same and sure to get the night started right. If you enjoy a little funk in your meal and music, you cannot possibly go wrong here!

Menu: Pizza. And beer. Obviously.

Okay, pizza and beer are the classic duo, right? Right. How on earth is this not more popular?? Beer spiked pizza dough!!! I mean beer has the sweetness and flavor to stand up in a pizza dough. And even more so with a nice whole wheat crust. So, when I came across this brilliant recipe, I thought, I have to make it Colorado style...with Fat Tire! Look at that sexy bottle. I found this recipe a few weeks back and got so excited about it I made the husband read it. And when he came home the night I was making it, I refused his entry into the kitchen until this wonderful creation was finished. It was one of those meals that you're so proud of that you just want to show it off. Yea, pretty much how I felt about that. It made wonderful leftovers the next day too :)

The beer workin' the yeast. Again, it's a perfect duo. The beer provides sugar and flavor for the base.

The end result provided a slightly tangy, dark, rich dough. Here it is rolled out to perfection. "Chameleon" was rockin' on the speakers, while I was rollin' the dough. Okay that was way cheesy, but really, it was a perfect moment. And here come the layers...No sauce needed.

Just a nice layer of good EVOO, freshly mined garlic (lots), crushed red pepper, and slices of fresh basil.

These become these...

Overgrown, gi-normous roasted beets become the sweet, flavorful, meaty next layer...

Topped with thin slices of spinach, lots of feta, and the cutest yellow pear tomatoes halved...

And viola! Beer spiked pizza dough with fresh veggies from the farm!

Beer Spiked Pizza Dough

Adapted from The Chubby Vegetarian via Edible Memphis

Ingredients:

1 12 oz. bottle of tasty beer (I used Fat Tire)
1 TB honey
1 package of active yeast
3 cups of whole wheat flour
1 TB kosher salt
EVOO

Directions:

In a glass measuring cup, pour out 1 cup of beer. Place in microwave and heat up for 30 seconds - 1 minute (depending on how powerful your microwave is and how cold your beer is). You want the beer to be lukewarm, not hot.
Add yeast and honey to warm beer. Stir everything until incorporated. Let rest for 5 minutes until bubbly and foamy.
In a large bowl, mix flour and salt. Slowly add beer/yeast mixture, while stirring. Continue to add rest of beer to flour mixture. I had a big sip leftover for me! You may need additional water if your dough is still dry after the beer.
Once dough is pliable, take out of bowl and knead for 5 - 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. If you poke your finger in it, it should bounce back.
Lightly EVOO a large bowl, place dough into bowl and let rise for at least 2 hours in warm place.
About 10 minutes before dough looks to be done, place pizza stone in oven, set to 500 degrees to warm up.
Once dough has double in size, remove dough and split in half. At this point, I freeze half the dough in a freezer bag, letting all the air out.
With remaining dough, roll out into preferred shape. Turn oven down to 400 degrees. Place dough on pizza stone and cook for about 5 minutes. You really just want to warm it up. If you top with uncooked items, there's no need to pre-cook, however, since all my toppings were cooked and just needed to reheat, I chose to pre-cook.
Take out and top however your hearts desires! Place back in over and cook until cheese is melted and browned in spots.
Enjoy :)

Pumpkin Polenta with Chorizo for a "Big Chill" kinda night

2011-01-17T17:35:00.005-07:00

Music: Comfort food = comfort music. Jammed out to "The Big Chill" soundtrack while cooking up this meal. We have the soundtrack on vinyl, ohhh yea. And for a simple and easy recipe like this...it makes dancing easy to do in the kitchen. If you can listen to The Big Chill and NOT dance...well...I don't think we should be friends anymore.
Menu: One bowl meal. A dark beer would be an excellent addition. Try 90 Shilling from O'Dells Brewery in Ft. Collins.

There are many foods and ingredients that I'm a sucker for and I highlight them often in this blog. Leeks, artichokes, risotto, Indian food, homemade pasta are on the top of my list. Pumpkin is definitely on the short list. The excitement of Fall/Winter is partially because I know there are many cans of pumpkin puree to come! We always make pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread, and this recipe has been officially added to our repertoire.

I've heard roasting and pureeing your own pumpkin ain't all it's cracked up to be. However, a good friend of ours visited a while back who's a pastry chef back in Baltimore (what up Doug!) and he says I gotta give it a try. Maybe next year, I will tackle my very own pumpkin!

This is a simple, quick, and super delicious weeknight meal. Hope you enjoy :)

Pumpkin Polenta with Chorizo

Adapted from Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

EVOO
1 lb. bulk chorizo (this is also good with Soyrizo if you're feeling a veggie night)
1 onion (red or yellow), chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup, black beans cooked (or 1 can, drained and rinsed)
1/2 tspn. ground cumin
S & P
2 cups chicken or veg stock
2 cups milk
1 14 oz. can of pumpkin puree
2 cups quick cooking polenta
Fresh or dried thyme, to taste (about 1 1/2 tspn. fresh, and 1/2 tspn. dried and crushed)
2/3 cup mild, creamy cheese (monterey jack, mild cheddar, etc.)
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds and cilantro, for garnish and optional

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat EVOO and add chorizo. Cook and crumble until almost cooked all the way through.Scoot to side of pan.
Add onion and bell pepper to open side. Saute until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes on medium heat.
Incorporate meat and onion mixture. Add beans, S & P, and cumin. Allow beans to heat through, set aside. Taste mixture at the point and add seasonings, if needed. I get my chorizo bulk and sometimes it comes a little bland, so naturally, I add a little cayenne here :)
While meat mixture cooks, heat stock and milk to a boil. Add pumpkin puree.
When the liquid reaches a simmer again, gradually whisk in polenta. Continue to stir until fully incorporated and cooked about 5 minutes.
Turn heat off polenta and add cheese and thyme. Stir to incorporate.
In a bowl, pile a heap of polenta. Top with chorizo mixture. Garnish with seeds and cilantro if desired.
Devour.

Summer Breakfast - Squash with blossoms and eggs

2010-09-11T08:00:00.007-06:00

Music: After breakfast, BJ got called for an impromtu show, so while we didn't technically listen to this while cooking, I dedicate this meal to the awesome show he and friends played and that night's killer rendition of "Whipping Post" by the one and only Allman Brothers.
Menu: Baked eggs with squash and toasted bread rubbed with garlic

I realize this post is a bit out of date as far as in season goes, but we just loved this quick, simple, summer breakfast. Since our garden was OVERRUN with yellow squash, we ate it at almost every meal. And anyone who came over, left our house with a big yellow crookneck squash. Funny? Yes. Helpful? Absolutely.

The original recipe called for zucchini, which would add a lot of color and visual variety, but for the above mentioned reasons, I used yellow squash. I piled matchstick squash and chopped blossoms in these cute little ramekins we got a Pier 1 (thanks M/L!)

I wish I could say these are eggs from our backyard too, but maybe next year :)

After squash came a few shreds of Swiss cheese.

And then the cracking of eggs, sprinkle of chives and breadcrumbs, and a splash of milk. I might crack two eggs if you have a larger ramekin.

I threw into into the oven with the bread that was toasting for about 10 minutes.

Then we dunked the bread in the yolk and ate it all! There may have been licking involved, but I guess you'll never know.

Yummy food in belly = Excellent impromtu show with friends. Enjoy the pics from the last minute get together with BJ and friends at the Monkey Bar!

Squash Blossoms and Baked Eggs

Recipe adapted from http://www.bitchincamero.com/2010/06/zucchini-blossom-mozzarella-baked-eggs/ via The Kitchn

Ingredients:

2 - 4 large eggs*
1 small yellow crookneck squash, cut into matchsticks
2 - 4 squash blossoms, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup milk
Large handful of shredded cheese
Breadcrumbs (I toasted a small slice along with what I served alongside dish)
Chives, minced
Parmesan cheese, grated
Bread slices, toasted
1 small whole garlic clove, peeled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375° and grease ramekins.
Fill each ramekin with equal amounts of squash, blossoms, milk, and cheese.
Carefully crack an egg over each one, making sure the yolk remains intact. (It’s not the end of the world if it doesn’t – it will still taste great!).
Sprinkle the top of each egg with breadcrumbs, chives and Parmesan cheese.
Transfer to the oven (easiest by placing on baking sheet) and bake for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the whites are just set.
Remove and promptly duck toast directly into runny yolk. Enjoy :)

* Depends on hunger and size of ramekins.

Serves 2 healthy portions

The best veggie burgers

2010-09-09T11:28:00.000-06:00

I'm just going to pretend like it hasn't been a really long time since I posted...

So, we are obsessed with these burgers. Like in a big way. I have been playing around with different variations and ingredients to try and nail down the perfect combination that will keep the burgers together when cooked. Let's just say that one time we made these...well...it was a nice beet and black bean saute over greens for dinner. Not too shabby, but when I want a burger, I want a burger.

Yummy beets! My preferred method of cooking beets is to peel them whole first, chop into pieces, and then roast. You can read more about that here and here.

This way you only have minimal red stains. The pic shown here is a bit bigger than I would have liked. I had to end up mashing the roasted beets after they cooked quite a bit. So, if you remember, chop small and this reduces the cooking time too!

Salt, pepper, EVOO, maybe some garlic powder or herbs like thyme or basil.

While they are cooking mash up some black beans. Normally, I don't like to use canned beans, but for these burgers, their extreme mushy consistency can be helpful when mashing and even a helpful aid to binding the burgers.

Beautiful, roasted, red beauties. Combine with the other ingredients and MASH! You still want some good chunks, but remember this is a burger people!

Since all the ingredients are cooked, taste and adjust seasonings. I really like parsley or cilantro and a lot of it. Coriander is also a great spice in these burgers.

I find chilling the mixture helps keep the burgers together in the pan. I also think coconut oil adds some another layer of yumminess to these amazing burgers.

Add some cheese, if you would like. I really liked the blue cheese, but have done it with cheddar, Monterrey jack, and feta in the past with great results.

Best-Ever Beet and Bean Burgers

Inspired by the veggie burgers at Northstar Cafe in Columbus, Ohio via thekitchn.com

makes about 4-6 burgers

1/2 cup brown rice (doubled if you like more rice), cooked
3 large red beets (about 1 pound), diced small
EVOO, S & P, other aromatic spices
1 onion, diced small
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 TB cider vinegar
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 TB coconut oil
2 TB parsley/cilantro, minced
1 tspn coriander
1/2 tspn thyme
2 TB all-purpose flour
S & P
cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss beets with EVOO, S & P, and other spices. Cook in oven for 10 - 20 minutes, depending on how big pieces are. They are done with fork tender.
Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the onions are translucent and softened. Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan using the cider vinegar.
Empty the black beans into a large bowl and use a fork to mash them up a bit. Add the cooked rice, the beet, onion mixture, the lemon juice, coconut oil, and all the spices. Stir to combine (you might need to do a bit of mashing too) and then taste for seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once it tastes the way you like it, add the flour and stir until you see no more dry flour.
Refrigerate. You can skip this step, but it seems to work best if you are able to chill for about an hour.
Heat a cast-iron skillet over the highest heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil (or coconut) - the oil should completely coat the bottom of the pan. When you see the oil shimmer and it flows easily, the pan is ready.
Using your hands, scoop up about a cup of the burger mixture and shape it into a patty between your palms. Set it in the pan, where it should begin to sizzle immediately. (If it doesn't sizzle, wait a minute or two before cooking the rest of the burgers.) Shape and add as many more patties as will fit in your pan. Once all the patties are in the pan, reduce the heat to medium-high.
Cook the patties for 2 minutes, then flip them to the other side. You should see a nice crust on the cooked side. If they break apart a little when you flipped them, just reshape them with the spatula - they'll hold together once the second side is cooked. If you're adding cheese, lay a slice over the burgers now. Cook the second side for another 2 minutes.
Serve the veggie burgers on soft burger buns or lightly toasted sandwich bread along with some fresh greens.
Cooked burgers should be eaten that same day. You can also save leftover mix in the fridge for up to a week and cook just one or two burgers as you want them.

Saag Chole & Nina

2010-02-16T21:31:00.001-07:00

Music: Nina Simone, Anthology
Menu: Saag Chole, yogurt, tortillas (I had some that needed eating, but splurge on naan or chapati if you can!)

I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!!!! I've have been MIA, I know. I have no good excuse, really. So, I'll just leave it at that.

One of our recent culinary goals is to start cooking more Indian. We LOVE Indian food. And I have gotten the hang of making beginner style Indian meals. In other words, I can make a mean curry, I have a basic stocked pantry, and an understanding of the flavors. I have now entered phase two. Phase two means advancing my pantry with whole spices, attempting ghee, and attempting to make homemade naan! So, here is the first step to the addition of some yummy cumin seeds in this beautiful Saag Chole!

As you can see I have a bottle of cumin seeds. I need to get whole coriander seeds, but the cumin seeds have made a HUGE difference already in flavor compared to using ground cumin!

This dish was quick, easy, and full of flavor and nutrition. I used two packs of frozen spinach and two cans of chickpeas, too! Next time I make it I will make a few changes...the first being coconut milk. After I got everything in the pot, I added about 1/2 cup of water, I suggest replacing that with lite coconut milk. The dish is pretty rich as is, so lite would be just fine. I remember having Saag Chole at my fave Indian restaurant here in Denver and the dish being creamy and almost the consistency of a dip. So, I did a bit of mashing towards the end to try to get this consistency, but I think coconut milk would go a long way.

A little bit about the music choice...in addition to loving Indian food, we also dig Nina Simone in a big way. If you haven't listened to her, do it. Seriously, do it. Now. She's known as a jazz standards singer, but she goes far, far, far beyond that (see Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter). Her take on the standards are different (Feeling Good); her deep, melodic voice gives these songs an emotive quality unattainable by other singers (Black is the Color). Beyond the familiar, the "High Priestess of Soul" was also an accomplished pianist, composer, and civil rights activist - a truly musical chameleon who embraced all styles and never shied from expressing her womanhood (I Put a Spell on You), her beliefs (Let it All Out), and the undeniably passionate and soulful instrument which was her voice.

The Anthology album is a great compilation of both standards and originals and a perfect way to dip your toes into the wonderful world of Ms. Simone. The only song that is missing, which I highly suggest you check out, is Baltimore.

Our wonderful friend Jillian is letting us hold her beautiful orchid hostage for a while and couldn't resist this photo showing it off :)

Saag Chole

Ingredients:

1 large (or 2 medium/small) baking potato
EVOO or vegetable oil or ghee!
1/2 tspn. (heaping) of cumin seeds
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled
1 small serrano chile
5 - 6 garlic cloves
2 onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tspn. coriander, tumeric, cinnamon, garam masala
1/4 tspn. cayenne pepper
S & P
2 (10 ounce) packages of frozen spinach
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
juice of 1/2 lemon
Cilantro, optional

Directions:

Cut potato into small pieces resembling size of chickpeas. Boil potatoes until almost tender. Turn heat off and let stand in water for 5 minutes, drain.
Heat oil/ghee in large skillet. Add cumin seeds and toast until fragrant and beginning to pop over medium-high heat.
While cumin seeds toast, place ginger, chile, and garlic in a small food processor and blend until a paste is formed. Alternatively, you can mince these ingredients. Add to skillet with cumin and saute for a minute until fragrant.
Add onions. Saute until deeply browned. The browner, the more flavor! Don't let them burn, but a nice deep brown will intensify the flavor and allow for a deep color for the dish. Stir frequently.
Add tomatoes and stir to incorporate.
Add all spices and stir to evenly distribute.
Add spinach and then chickpeas. Drizzle with lemon juice. Stir.
Let simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes allowing the flavors to combine and stirring every few minutes.
Adjust seasonings as needed! I needed a bit more lemon, cayenne and garam masala.
Add some chopped cilantro, turn off heat.
Serve with additional cilantro, yogurt, and a slice of lemon/lime. Enjoy :)

Caesar Salad

2009-11-21T18:05:00.002-07:00

Music: James Taylor, Sweet Baby James - The album that put him in the spotlight with the amazing song Fire and Rain.

Menu: I CANNOT have Caesar without garlic bread.

Usually, I'm not an ingredient snob. Like when it mentions, a high quality EVOO, psssht, I just use my regular stuff. Or cheese...cheapest always wins my heart! However, I will tell you I am a snob about my caesar salad. I've had to make it with other ingredients before and still tastes good and everything, but the greatness of this recipe is unachievable without a quality anchovy paste and whole grain mustard. These are my go to brands and they truly make the dressing (with lots of garlic, of course).

This recipe was my mom's and most families have some variation of this recipe. I truly thought it was my mom's super secret recipe for a long time. I think I was in high school and told a friend that I wanted to make her my mom's super secret caesar salad and her response was, "you mean with worcestershire?" And I was like, "damn!". But that's when I found out that my mom's recipe wasn't so secret.

Over the years I have slightly changed the recipe. Instead of a raw egg, I now use some plain non fat yogurt...yes, my stomach is a weak pathetic excuse of a stomach. I have also added a good splash of tabasco, which I learned from a restaurant I used to work at. Both are great additions to any caesar salad.

So, as you can see from the pics above, one of the most important steps is smushing the mustard grains. I use the back of a spoon and it works great. Then I make a paste with the anchovy paste and garlic. I usually crush the garlic too with the spoon. The paste is then combined with all the other wet ingredients. I always taste the dressing BEFORE adding parm. There's a much better chance to reseasoning before the cheese goes in and it gets all cheesy, but remember light on the salt as parm is a pretty salty cheese.

And the parm slices just add a nice touch! Hope you enjoy this recipe, but let me know how you make your favorite caesar dressing!

Amanda's Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

1 large head of romaine lettuce, washed and torn into big pieces
2 tspn. whole grain, stone ground mustard
1/2 tspn. anchovy paste
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tspn. worcestershire sauce
1 TB red wine vinegar
S & P
Dash of tabasco
1 TB plain, fat free yogurt
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Parmesan shavings for garnish

Directions:

Using the back of a spoon, crush the mustard grains, so they pop (you can hear them).
Add the anchovy paste and garlic. If the garlic is not finely minced, you can use the same technique as the mustard and help crush the garlic even more. Stir mustard, paste, and garlic to form a paste.
Add worcestershire, vinegar, S & P, tabasco, and yogurt to paste. Stir until well combined.
TASTE - if the dressing is too sour, try adding a little more yogurt. If it's too bland, try some more vinegar or worcestershire. The more you make the dressing, the easier it is to identify what is off.
Add cheese and stir to combine.
Add dressing to lettuce and toss to combine. Top with shaving and devour.

Beet Risotto

2009-10-18T17:05:00.001-06:00

Music: Joni Mitchell, Ladies of the Canyon. This album was released just after Joni won her first Grammy and contains the popular songs, Big Yellow Taxi and Woodstock. Great album.

If you haven't noticed yet, we love risotto (check out other recent risotto recipes here and here). If you haven't ever made risotto or you are not yet convinced as to why you should venture to the dark side. let me sum it up for you:

One pot meal with endless possibilities for meat and veggie combos.
It's different: it's not pasta or a casserole.
Face it, it's fancy...oh so fancy.
It's cheap. I get Arborio rice for $3.99/lb. in the bulk section and I use better than bouillon for the chicken stock, which combines with plain ol' tap water. That means the only thing costing you much is whatever you put into the risotto.
As BJ puts it: "It's one meal where it's all about the journey AND the destination."

That was deep, BJ, but true. If you are feeling like you need to cook and just stand at the stove top for a while, risotto is what you need to make. It's not high maintenance, but it requires a little love.

Another recent obsession has been finding a good beet recipe (a good one here and an okay one here). I think I have finally found my favorite beet recipe, as well as the best way to prepare them. A lot of recipe call for roasting the beets whole and peeling and dicing them after wards, which leaves your kitchen looking like a murder scene, really. So, what's worked for me is peeling and dicing the beets prior to roasting. First, it cuts the cooking time down by almost half; and second, it's a little easier clean up. I got the idea from this article.

White risotto...

Pink risotto...

Red risotto. Really red risotto.

Beet Risotto

Adapted from here and here.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of beets, peeled and diced into 1/4 - 1/2 inch cubes
EVOO
S & P
4 large shallots, 2 halved and 2 chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tspn., dried thyme (if using fresh use 1 - 2 tspn.)
1 cup Arborio rice
Glug of white wine
6 - 8 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.
On a foiled, greased baking sheet toss diced beets with EVOO and S & P. Drizzle the four shallot halves with EVOO and lightly S & P. Roast beets and shallot for 15 - 20 minutes, until shallots are lightly browned and beets are fork tender. Chop shallots and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat more EVOO. Saute onion and chopped shallots until translucent.
Add roasted shallots, garlic and seasonings. Saute another 1 - 2 minutes until combined.
Add rice to pan and cook for a good 2 minutes. The rice will become opaque and smell slightly nutty.
Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Let the wine cook down until no liquid is left.
Add about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock and let the liquid cook down, stirring once in a while.
Continue adding chicken stock after each previous addition cooks down.
After the chicken stock is almost out and rice is almost done, add beets to pan. Stir to combine and continue adding chicken stock until rice is tender and done.
Turn off heat and add cheese. Stir to combine and serve!

Seafood Spaghetti

2009-10-05T08:40:00.000-06:00

Music: Jose Gonzalez, Veneer - His song Heartbeats is a popular one, but the rest of the album leaves you with the same feeling, a little tickle and the yearning to press "REPLAY".
Menu: Seafood spaghetti and garlic bread

First, I apologize if you got a little preview of the pics from this meal! I unfortunately have been couch ridden with some torn muscles is my back...yea, ouch. I have been sleeping about 4 hours each night, which means early mornings spent in front of the computer and I accidentally pressed the wrong button, whoops!

But my little back injury has not prevented me from cooking :) Quite the opposite, I have been in the kitchen non-stop with random yelling spurts to BJ when I can't reach something. Funny story: the doctor told me that in order to heal, I need to keep my arms within the "beach ball zone". So, picture that you are holding a beach ball just in front of your body...I'm not supposed to move my arms beyond this. This has lead BJ to his own yelling sprees! When he sees my reaching for something and my arms beyond the beach ball zone, he yells, "BEACH BALL!"

Anyways, this meal was great. There is definitely room for improvement and there will be a few changes next time we venture with a seafood spaghetti. But all in all it hit the spot. I crave seafood. The Florida girl stuck in the middle of the U.S...go figure. It's difficult to find quality seafood, but I thought this would be a safe bet with shrimp and clams. The clams were okay.

The first step of cooking was homemade oven dried tomatoes. Well worth the extra step instead of using the store bought oil packed sun dried tomatoes (I can't find the ones not packed in oil!). We had a bunch of romas and san marzanos from the garden and they were on the verge of going overboard, it was just meant to be. So, I drained the tomatoes well (salted and then pressed into paper towels for an hour or so) and threw them in a low heat oven for while. They burned a little on the edges, but had tons of flavor.

The clams and shrimp cooked in wine. This took a lot longer than I thought. The clams took over 10 minutes to open. The recipe I used said to put the shrimp and clams in at the same time, but this left the shrimp a little over cooked and me begging the clams to open...all but one did.

Tossed with whole wheat spaghetti, fresh spinach and topped with lots of parmesan and we felt like royalty eating this one...it was definitely the perfect meal for a romantic night with your honey.

On another note, I have recently been getting fresh batches of grown spinach as opposed to the baby spinach in the box from Costco and I must say we've been missing out. The spinach is usually pretty dirty, so washing and washing again in advance is a must. However, the final product is far better. The fresh spinach is more like thick hearty greens as opposed to the baby spinach, which is much more like lettuce.

I usually make a lot of dinner, so that we have leftovers for lunch for the week. But this time there were no leftovers...

Seafood Spaghetti
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup EVOO
3 shallots, chopped (not minced, you want pieces for texture in the sauce)
3 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup oven dried tomatoes
S & P
Crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cup dry white wine, we used a light Chardonnay
1 lb. shrimp, deveined and peeled with tails left on
Clams - I thought 3/person was good, but whatever you feel is best.
2 cups of tightly packed spinach or arugala
Parmesan cheese and basil strips for garnish

Directions:

In a large stock pot, heat water and salt generously. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 - 10 minutes. Drain pasta and set aside.
Heat EVOO in large pan. Add shallots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, and seasonings. Cook for another minute.
Turn the heat to high and add wine. Place clams in the pan and scatter shrimp. Bring to a boil and turn heat down to simmer. Cover and let the seafood cook, until the shrimp are pick and clams open, 7 - 10 minutes.
Add spaghetti and spinach to pan and stir to combine.
Top with cheese and basil and serve!

PS - Garlic bread is great for soaking up the sauce :)

Breakfast at the Callahan house

2009-10-04T07:02:00.002-06:00

Music: Weekend morning noise? Try ESPN, not music :)
Menu: Parmesan polenta squares with spinach and a fried egg

Breakfast? It's a meal that goes forgotten a lot. And we love breakfast, well BJ LOVES breakfast and I love grits. So here is a meal that we make a lot with many variations. I'll walk you thought it...

Start the grits or polenta (corn meal). If I'm making polenta, I like to use a little milk for creamier version. Grits and polenta should be cooked in a 4:1 ratio, with lots of salt. I usually start the water/stock/milk mixture over high heat and generously season with salt. Turn the heat down to simmer and stir grits.

While the grits cook, lightly saute a little garlic and toss a couple handfuls of spinach and wilt the greens.

Once the grits become fairly firm and no longer runny. Season with garlic powder, S & P, and parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup). Put grits into a baking sheet that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for about 20 - 25 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Once the grits are out, cut into squares.

Top with spinach mixture.

A fried egg, more parmesan, and fresh herbs.

And that's how we do breakfast :)

Poblano, Zucchini, and Corn Soup

2009-10-03T18:10:00.000-06:00

Music: Jewel, Pieces of You - One of my favorite albums ever. And there is no substitute for one of the first cold days of the year, a hot soup, and relaxing music that brings you back to home.
Menu: Arugula salad and poblano and corn soup

I have mentioned that this was our first try at gardening, right? Although it turned out great, we definitely learned some lessons. One of them being, grow a variety of things. It feels like we just grew zucchini and peppers. And we love zucchini and peppers, but variety will be the theme of our garden next year.

We planted a late crop of lettuce - arugula and a mixed greens...so good. We planted spinach, mixed greens, and swiss chard early, but no spinach or lettuce came up and our chard was overrun with leaf miners...nasty little buggers. We got to enjoy one batch or wonderful lettuce before out landlord SPRAYED OUR GARDEN WITH WHITE SPRAY PAINT. Oh, the joys of renting.

Back to the soup! I can't believe it is fall in Denver already!! Fresh snow on mountain tops and boxes of summer clothes to the basement. So, a hearty soup is in order, naturally. Since I have massive amounts of zucchini and peppers, I thought this poblano and zucchini soup would be perfect. Sweet, but spicy and full of big chucks of veggies...can't go wrong with that. Top it with cheese and maybe a little lime sour cream. Yummmmmm.

Oh! And for those of you super observant people, you might have noticed the background of the pictures changing...you're right! We moved!!! And you know what that means?!? Housewarming party coming up :) I plan to feature all the recipes, time planning tips, and hosting ideas right here. So stay tuned that party is coming.

Poblano, Zucchini, and Corn Soup

Adapated from this recipe

Ingredients:

EVOO
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 - 5 small poblanos or 2 big ones, chopped
2 small jalapenos, minced
S & P
2 tspn. cumin
4 - 5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium zucchini or 1 large one, quartered and chopped
3 ears of corn, kernels scraped off and milked of juices
6 cups chicken stock or water*
Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, lime wedges (or combine sour cream, lime juice, and zest for something a little different!), fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:

Heat 1 - 2 TB EVOO in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add poblanos and jalapenos and cook for 2 -3 minutes. Season with S & P and cumin.
Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add zucchini and corn and stir to combine. Cover ingredients with chicken stock and water. increase heat to high and let it come to a boil. Turn heat down and let soup simmer gently for about 7 - 10 minutes.
With a hand immersion blender, blend soup slightly to thicken and provide some texture. We like our soup thick and chunky, but you can blend it all the way down, if you prefer it that way.
Top with your choice of toppings and serve :)

*We use "Better than Bouillon" chicken base.

The Best Banana Bread

2009-09-27T14:27:00.000-06:00

Music: Sufjan Stevens, Illinoise. At first a bit fruity, simple, and more "Pop" than you're looking for. But once you get a taste, it's deep, soulful, flavorful, and intense. The perfect call when you need a little something to help you get through the day.

The perfect ripeness for perfect banana bread. So, I've made a lot of different recipes of banana bread. Once, I even added coca-cola thinking soda meant coke. I was 19, don't judge. But BJ and I love banana bread. Really love it. BJ will toast it and schmear with butter, meanwhile, I have gobbled my pieces and am picking the crumbs from the plate.

Anyways, back to the recipe...I've tried a lot. Most call for two bananas and if they are old school recipes, vegetable oil...eeewwww. I got the Cook's Illustrated bible (The New Best Recipe, 2004 edition) a few years back and it is by far the best banana bread. Why??

Simple. Three bananas and yogurt! It is really moist, but still has a ton of flavor. I keep the bananas pretty chunky and add a good amount of yogurt (more than it calls for) and yummmmmmm. The only other banana bread to compare was a whole wheat honey banana loaf I made once. I guess since I mentioned it, I now have to make it!

With fall upon us, banana bread is a go to baking recipe for us all, so enjoy my fave. And look forward to some more comforting fall foods ahead :) Oh yea, sorry for the lack of pics of the finished product...did I mention that we LOVE banana bread?!?!

Banana Bread
Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:

2 cups flour (unbleached, all purpose), plus more for dusting the pan
1 1/4 cups walnuts, chopped (I use pecans because their my fave)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 very ripe, darkly speckled bananas, roughly mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup plain yogurt (if more happens to fall in, it's okay :)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 TB butter, melted and cooled
1 tspn. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x5x3 bread pan and dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
Spread nuts on baking sheet and toast until fragrant about 5 to 10 minutes. Cool.
Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and nuts; set aside.
Mix the wet ingredients: mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla.
Lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients, until batter is just combined and looks chunky. Scrape into prepared bread pan.
Bake about 55 minutes; until loaf is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
Can be wrapped in plastic and stored for 3 days.

Squash Blossom Risotto

2009-09-21T11:29:00.000-06:00

Music: Aram Khachaturian, "Spartacus" - a little classical for this classy meal
Menu: Kale "chips" as an appetizer and then this yummy risotto!

For those of you who have never seen a zucchini plant, it produces these beautiful orange flowers. I first learned that you could eat them from a woman that I play volleyball with. She is originally from Mexico and told me about flower quesadillas, which are the most amazing things you will ever eat. I mentioned that I was growing a zucchini plant and she got really intense and said, YOU MUST EAT THE FLOWER.

Then I came across the entry from the NYT blog, Bitten - perfecto! Most classic recipes call for stuffing and frying the flower, which is all good and fine, but just for a flower?? I wanted something simple and basic so that I could taste the flower and savor eating the most beautiful part of my massive plant.

So make your basic, favorite risotto base and add the flower, chopped at the end as your stir in some parm.

Just keep stirring, just keep stirring, stirring, stirring...

And what a perfect snack as the risotto cooks - kale chips! They are wonderful little things. Crunchy and full of flavor. I recommend making some for the week. I always get cravings for crunchy, salty snacks. If I haven't packed nuts to munch on, it usually means a potato chip run after lunch :/ But with these on hand, I'm getting my fix, plus some nutrients with it!

Squash Blossom Risotto
Adapted from Bitten, NYT food blog

Ingredients:

3 TB butter, divided
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 - 3 cloves garlic, chopped
S & P
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups of Arborio rice
6 - 8 cups chicken stock, simmering
3 - 4 fresh squash blossoms
2 handfuls parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Directions:

Heat large skillet to medium-high heat and melt 2 TB butter.
Add green onions and saute until lightly browned. Add garlic and saute until fragrant (30 seconds - 1 minute).
Add Arborio rice and cook and stir until grains become translucent, about 2 minutes. Season with S & P.
Increase heat to high and carefully add wine. Reduce back to medium-high after a minute or so. Let wine cook down, until the liquid almost evaporates. Begin adding chicken stock in 1/2 - 1 cup increments, stirring every couple of minutes, and let each batch cook down until you need to add more.
When stock is about halfway gone, add flowers. Continue with liquid.
When stock is gone or rice is cooked (no bite to grain) to a creamy consistency, add cheese and remaining TB of butter, stirring to incorporate.
Serve immediately!

Kale "Chips"
Adapted from various sources, just google it...

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale
EVOO
Kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250.
Wash and dry leaves. Cut the tough stem out of the middle of each leaf and tear into chip and bite-sized pieces.
Toss kale with EVOO and kosher salt.
Transfer to baking sheets in one single layer and flatten.
Bake for 25 - 35 mintues, depending on flatness of leaf. Keep an eye on them!! If they burn they can taste a little chalky, but if they don't cook enough they are a little chewy!
Munch.

Zucchini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-08-26T22:46:00.009-06:00

Music: Adele, Chasing Pavements
Menu: Coffee and a cupcake...makes going to work a little better :)

So. Wait, do I start every blog like that?!? Cause I feel like I do...let's try something new.

I have a massive zucchini monster in my backyard. I'm pretty sure that when a new person comes over to our house it's like, welcome to our home, would you like a zucchini? I have made everything you can think of. Grilled zucchini, zucchini quesadillas, enchiladas, tostadas. Zucchini bread, zucchini carpaccio...I think you get the point. I came across this Martha recipe and anything with cream cheese is an easy win in my book.

These little cakes kick butt. They are yummy, moist, and at least they contain something "good" for you. The zucchini outweighs the sugar, right?!?! Definitely don't skimp on the cinnamon or pecans.

The rest of our garden is doing well. Herbs are booming and broccoli has finally sprouted!!! We just harvested lots of jalapenos and hopefully we will have some poblanos later this week. you know what that means...there's some stuffing to be done in the Callahan household. We also have some cucumbers and tomatoes soon to come. I am thinking about doing some canning and pickling. The research I have done has been fun, but I'm pretty sure that a Saturday in my near future will be consumed with canning tomatoes...yipppeeee!!!

Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup packed dark brown sugar (I only had 1/4cup, so I substituted with white sugar and added a big TB of honey)
2 tspn. baking powder
1/2 tspn. cinnamon
1/2 tspn. salt
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 zucchini (10 ounces), coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup veggie oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tspn. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in nuts.
In another bowl, add and mix wet ingredients - zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
Add wet ingredients to dry ones and mix until just combined, but do not overmix.
Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 40 - 45 minutes. Mine only took about 30 - 35, so watch them carefully!
Cool muffins on wire rack. Frost once cooled.

Homemade cream cheese frosting is totally worth it. It takes like 5 minutes and you can do it while the cupcakes cool. So, give it a try.

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 TB butter, room temp.
4 oz. (half a block) cream cheese, room temp. (I used fat free)
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 tspn. vanilla extract

In a medium bowl beat butter and cream cheese until smooth with an electric mixer. Add sugar and vanilla, beat until light and fluffy. Refrigerate until you use.

Roasted Eggplant Pizza

2009-08-26T22:12:00.007-06:00

Music: Ben Harper, Welcome to the Cruel World

BJ's first words after eating a slice: "I think this may be the best pizza we have ever made." It was pretty dang good. I figured I would have to re-open since my haitus with something really good and it doesn't get any better than the best pizza we have ever made.

Here's one reason - we cooked the dough for a while before we put the ingredients on. We usually don't do this because the toppings require cooking too. But since I roasted the eggplant first, I thought I would give the dough a head start too. Good thought because it turned out with incredible flavor and excellent crispy crust.

First layer = tomato sauce, slices of shallots and garlic, crushed red pepper, and fresh basil leaves. At this point BJ said; "I could just eat that!"

But the layering continued...Kalmata olives.

Roasted eggplant slices.

And cheese. Lots of cheese. Good cheese too. Thick slices of Provolone...mmmmmm.

And all those beautiful layers produced this beauty. So, I apologize avid readers (all two of you, ha!) for my absence, but I promise this makes up for it. Enjoy and lots more posts to come this week and I have stockpiled pics and recipes :)

Roasted Eggplant Pizza
Yours Truly

Ingredients:

1 small-medium eggplant, ends trimmed and semi peeled (think stripes!)
EVOO
S & P
1 whole wheat pizza crust
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 small shallot, sliced into rings
3 garlic cloves, sliced
Crushed red pepper
10 - 12 fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup Kalmata olives, halved
5 slices of Provolone cheese, sliced into 1/2-inch wide strips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.
Slice eggplant into 1/4 - 1/2 inch slices. Drizzle slices in EVOO and season with S & P. Place on a cookie sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Halve the large slices. Set aside.
Turn oven up to 500 and place pizza stone in oven to warm up. Turn oven back down to 425 after 5 - 10 minutes.
Roll dough out to desired shape. Place on pizza stone and drizzle with EVOO. Cook dough 8 - 10 minutes until top just begins to brown and bubble. Remove from oven.
Spread tomato sauce over pizza. Season with S & P and crushed red pepper.
Arrange slices of shallot and garlic over sauce. Add basil leaves and then scatter olives.
Arrange eggplant slices. Lastly, arrange cheese slices on top. Drizzle with EVOO , if desired.
Bake pizza for 20 - 25 minutes until cheese id browned on top and bubble. Let rest for 5 minutes and then dig in!