Mushroom and Goat Cheese Omelet

I love weekends for many reasons, but one of them is that I actually stand a chance of making myself a good breakfast.  And I love living alone for many reasons, but one of them is that I can make something like a mushroom and goat cheese omelet and not hear any complaints.  Both mushrooms and goat cheese are polarizing foods; people either adore them (me) or absolutely hate them (lots of people, weirdly).  Luckily for me, I love both, and when I saw that I had leftovers of them each from my last BYOI Night, I knew a delicious omelet was in my future.

To make things even more amazing, the goat cheese was herbed goat cheese... OMG.  It would still be delicious with plain goat cheese, but the herbs just brought everything together.  The mushrooms were tender and as meaty as I like things to get.

I have still not mastered the perfect omelet flip, so it wasn't picture perfect, but it was a wonderful breakfast.  I served it with a side of blackberries and some orange juice and coffee, and it literally felt like I was going out to dinner by myself (in a ridiculously beautiful diner... sorry, I just love my house a little extra tonight!).

Recipe:

mushroom and goat cheese omelet
adapted from Fresh Mama

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon goat cheese

Instructions:

1) Whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

2) Add oil to a skillet and heat over medium-low.  Add mushrooms, cooking 5 minutes until tender, then remove from pan.

3) Add egg mixture and coat bottom of pan, lifting edges to let uncooked eggs flow underneath the cook.  When eggs are almost set, add in mushrooms and goat cheese, then gently fold in half and allow to cook another 2 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Crispy Baked Peanut Tofu and Cauliflower Rice Stir Fry

There are two things that need to be discussed about this meal.  First, this is a great new method for making tofu!  I know that the texture of tofu is not always the best.  I've heard it described as a giant marshmallow, and sometimes that is all too good of a description.  But this method fixes that.  You bake it before you stir fry it.  That lets it dry out a bit so that the edges get crispy while the inside gets tender.  It's much more... food-like.  Definitely something to keep in mind if you have written off tofu forever.

The second thing that must be discussed is cauliflower rice.  We've all heard of it and seen it on Pinterest.  Finally I tried it out for this recipe.  I have to say, I wasn't thrilled, although I know I food processed my cauliflower a bit too much.  Maybe I was trying to do too much of it in one shot, but most of it was pureed while there were still some whole florets.  Or maybe my food processor sucks.  Either way, the consistency wasn't the best for me.  I would have rather just have rice!  Perhaps I should give it another try with a different food processor (because I do actually have another one in my pantry, unopened).  We'll see.

Even if the cauliflower rice didn't amaze me, the tofu was really good, and the peanut sauce was delicious.  The leftovers weren't as great, because the tofu lost a bit of its crispiness, but it was still good enough to bring to work!  Which reminds me... back to work tomorrow... but only 16 school days till Christmas vacation.

Recipe:

crispy baked peanut tofu and cauliflower rice stir fry
from Minimalist Baker

Ingredients:
12 ounces extra firm tofu
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 small head cauliflower
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small head broccoli, chopped into small florets
1 red pepper, thinly sliced

sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 1/2 - 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter

Instructions:

1) Begin by draining tofu 1 1/2 hours before you want your meal easy.  Roll tofu in an absorbent towel several times and then place something heavy on top to press.  Do this for 15 minutes.

2) Near the end of the draining, preheat oven to 400 degrees and cube tofu.  Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and arrange in a  single layer.  Bake for 25 minutes to dry/firm the tofu.  Once baked, remove from oven and let cool.

3) Prepare sauce by whisking together ingredients until combined.  Taste and adjust flavor as needed. Add cooled tofu to the sauce and stir to coat.  Let marinate for at least 15 minutes to saturate the tofu and infuse the flavor.

4) In the meantime, shred the cauliflower into rice by using a large grater or food processor.  You don't want it too fine, just somewhat close to the texture of rise.  Set aside.  Mince garlic if you haven't already done so, and prepare veggies.

5) Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat (6 out of 10) and cook veggies in a bit of sesame oil and a dash of soy sauce.  Remove from pan and set aside and cover to keep warm.

6) Use a slotted spoon to spoon tofu into the preheated pan.  Add a few spoonfuls of the sauce to coat.  Cook, stirring frequently for a few minutes until browned.  It will stick to the pan a bit, so don't worry.  Remove from pan and set aside and cover to keep warm.

7) Rinse pan under very hot water and scrape away any residue.  Place back on oven.  Add a drizzle of sesame oil to the pan, then add garlic and cauliflower rice and stir.  Put cover on to steam for about 5 - 8 minutes until slightly browned and tender, stirring occasionally.  Then add a few spoonfuls of sauce to season and stir.

8) Place cauliflower rice on serving dish and top with veggies and tofu.  Serve with leftover sauce.

Crispy Baked Samosas with Potatoes and Peas

I'm in a post-Thanksgiving daze right now.  I am exhausted from the work of hosting 35 people here for dinner and far more than that for dessert.  It was a wonderful, beautiful day, but it was also tiring, and I didn't sleep well last night.  I am sitting on the couch in my pajamas looking around at empty glasses and water bottles, knowing that my dining room is still a hot mess.  There's a lot of work ahead of me to get this place back into shape, but for now I will drink some coffee, eat a leftover pecan roll, and bask in the glow of a great Thanksgiving.

These baked samosas have nothing whatsoever to do with a Thanksgiving, but if you're already sick of turkey and cranberry sauce, they could be a good thing to do this weekend with your free time.  They are a bit time consuming, but they aren't hard.  I spent a couple hours on a Monday night making this elaborate Indian meal for myself; I was happy to share some samosas with Christy the next night when she and Joey (and Logan) came over to clean my carpets in preparation for Thanksgiving.  You know I've made a good samosa when even non-vegetarians appreciate them!

What is a samosa, you might be wondering?  I've been obsessed with them for years.  They are Indian dumplings, usually stuffed with spiced vegetables that include potatoes and peas (and caramelized onions!).  They are spicy and flavorful (ginger and cumin and garam masala and cilantro!) and amazing, and these samosas are no exception.  As I said before, they do take some time, as you have to make the filling, assemble the samosas, and bake them.  I recommend going to the original website to see the step-by-step pictures of how to fold the samosas properly.  Even looking at the pictures, it still took me some time to get it down, but once I did, I was on a roll.  And they were so worth the work.  Serve them with some roasted broccoli and carrots and you've got dinner.


Recipe:

crispy baked samosas with potatoes and peas
from The Kitchn
makes about 2 dozen samosas

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds yellow potatoes (2 large)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated on a microplane
1 medium hot chili, finely diced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
3/4 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro, loosely packed
1 package egg roll wrappers, 6"x6"
1 large egg for egg wash

Instructions:

1) Place the potatoes in medium saucepan and cover with an inch of water.  Add a teaspoon of salt to the water, then bring to a boil.  Lower the heat until the water comes to a simmer, then look the potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to 20 minutes depending on size.  Remove the potatoes from the water and let them cool briefly.

2) While the potatoes are cooking, cook the onions. Warm a teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and half a teaspoon of salt, and cook until the onions are a deep golden brown.

3) When the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, roughly chop them into small cubes no larger than 1/2 inch.  Stir the potatoes into the onion mixture, along with the minced ginger and chili.  Add the spices and another 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Stir in the peas and cilantro, and cook just until the peas are warm.  Taste the mixture and add more salt or other spices if desired - samosas are meant to be strongly spiced so don't hold back!  Remove the pan from heat one you like the way the mixture tastes.

4) Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

5) To assembly samosas, first arrange your workspace.  Place the egg roll wrappers and a small container of water to one side, and the pan of filling to the other.  Place on wrapper on your work surface and cut it on the diagonal into two triangles.  Use your finger to dab a little water into a cone by folding the long edge of the triangle in the middle and then overlapping the two sides.  Pinch the cup closed and hold it in your hand like an ice cream cone.

6) Fill the cone with roughly 1/4 cup of the filling.  Tuck the bottom flap over the filling, then fold the top flap down.  Seal it closed with a little water.  You can pinch the corners closed if you like, but the filling will stay nicely inside without doing so.  If a stray pea falls out, just poke it back inside.

7) Lay the finished samosa on the baking sheet with the seam facing up.  Continue assembling all the samosas, spacing them slightly apart on the baking sheet.  Whisk the egg with a tablespoon of water, and brush over the tops of the samosas.  This will give them a nice golden color and help them crisp.

8) Bake the samosas for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tips are golden and crispy and the middles are firm but slightly flexible.  You should also see small round bubbles forming just beneath the surface of the wrapper.  They will keep at room temperature for about 2 hours before needing to be refrigerated.  Samosas will keep refrigerated for up to 5 days and can be eaten as is, warmed in the microwave, or re-crisped in a warm oven.  Alternately, you can freeze unbaked samosas in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment.  Once frozen solid, collect them in a freezer bag or container and keep frozen for up to 3 months.  Bake in the oven at 425 until crisp and warmed through.

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna Soup

Although it is Tuesday, it's like a Friday for me.  It's Thanksgiving week!  That does mean, however, that even if I am not at school, there is still plenty of work to be done before I host the Compound Thanksgiving.  I cleaned my house after school and then I had lots of help whipping this place into shape.  Wait until you see my dining room and den.  It's all set up to have a sit-down meal for 34 people.  Susie helped with some decorating, Nick set up my new entertainment center, Kenzie and Mom set the tables and fancied the bar and dessert tables, and Jay and Ross helped move furniture.  I could not be prouder of this place I call home.  It's a beautiful, spacious, warm place, and I love it more than I ever did.

I'll probably be busy playing hostess with the mostest for the next couple days, but I simply had to share this soup with you before I disappear into the kitchen.  It's absolutely amazing, and might be a nice way to take it easy this weekend when you are turkeyed out and need a little detox from the rich, unhealthy stuff.  

It is the world's easiest soup: dump everything into the crockpot and 7 hours later, it's time to eat.  Of course, there is the step of cooking the lasagna noodles, and the mixing of the extremely not-optional ricotta topping, but still: this is super easy and soooooo good.  I made it one day when I was having my family and Allie over for dinner, and everyone loved it.  Allie even asked for the recipe.  I can't wait to make it again, if I ever have room in my refrigerator for regular groceries.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  It's been a tough year, but there is so much to be thankful for.

Recipe:

slow cooker vegetarian lasagna soup

from Foodie Crush

serves 10

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion

2 cups brown mushrooms, sliced

2 zucchinis, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

6 cups vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces

4 cups fresh spinach leaves

for ricotta topping:

1 8-ounce container ricotta cheese

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped

generous pinch of kosher salt

Instructions:

1) Add the onion, brown mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, bay leaves, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and black pepper to the liner of a slow cooker.  Set it on low and cook for 7 hours (or on high for 3 1/2 - 4 hours).

2) Meanwhile, make the ricotta cheese topping.  Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

3) Once the cooking time is done, cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions.  Add the cooked noodles and spinach; warm into spinach is wilted.  Ladle soup into bowls and top with a dollop of the ricotta cheese topping.

Roasted Tomato Focaccia Bread

Last month was sadly the very last of the fresh local cherry tomatoes.  Cathleen and Barbara at work kept me rolling in tomatoes until the frosts set in and ruined my life.  I had a little container of them in the fridge still in October; they weren't as perfect as they were when they were first picked, but I still wanted to use them up, so when I found this gorgeous bread on Pinterest, I gave it a try.

This bread, besides being beautiful, is delicious!  The bread itself is flavored with thyme, and it's both chewy and light.  It has that great focaccia look, all dimpled and sprinkled with salt.  And, of course, it is topped with roasted cherry tomatoes that are somehow both sweet and salty at the same time.  They almost get dehydrated a bit in the oven, so the flavor is concentrated kind of like a sun-dried tomato, but wonderful.  This bread is perfect all by itself (like rip hunks of it off the baking sheet, I won't judge you), but it's just as amazing dipped into soups or used as the start of a kick-ass sandwich.  If you're going to make some homemade bread, this is probably the one you should be trying out.

Recipe:

roasted tomato focaccia bread
from Completely Delicious
serves 8

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 - 2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, divided
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
coarse salt for sprinkling

Instructions:

1)  Heat the water and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to steam.  Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes, or until temperature is 120 - 130 degrees.

2) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine 1 cup of the bread flour with the salt, sugar, yeast, and half of the fresh thyme.  Add the water mixture and mix until it forms a wet dough, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

3) Add the remaining bread flour 1/4 cup at a time while mixing until dough clears the bowl and is tacky but doesn't stick to your fingers when touched.  You may not need all 2 1/2 cups flour.  Knead for 5 - 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.  Place dough in a greased bowl and turn to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

4) Punch down dough and knead a few times to remove air bubbles.  Shape dough into a rough 14-inch circle on a sheet pan.  Cover and let rise for an additional 15 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

5) Use your fingers to dimple the dough, pressing your fingers all the way down.  Brush with olive oil and gently press the tomatoes into the top of the dough.  Sprinkle with remaining thyme and a heavy pinch of salt.

6) Bake until golden brown, about 20 - 25 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Focaccia is best the day it is made, but it will keep well wrapped at room temperature for a few days.

English Matrimonials

I have no idea what this name means. English matrimonials sounds more like I am talking about the Royal Wedding than a raspberry oat bar.  But good news: I am talking about raspberry oat bars.  Things have weird names sometimes, but don't let them scare you off.  Let's call these raspberry oat bars instead.

The name came handwritten on a recipe card; Nick got it from his friend's mom.  Apparently she makes them for her son to bring up every year when they go on a vacation to Silver Lake, NH, and the boys always scarf them down.  There is something I love about handwritten recipes; so much is assumed, or implied, and it makes me feel like a real chef when I can read between the lines and figure things out.  I also think you can really trust handwritten recipes.  If someone is taking the time to write a recipe down, you know it's good.

Nick used the BYOI rule for these and went shopping for the ingredients.  He luckily realized that he needed to read the whole recipe to find the full ingredients list, because as you can see, the top layer just says "same mixture as bottom layer" written at the bottom of the card.  I will rewrite it a little more clearly!  But anyway, he bought all the ingredients and I whipped these up for him.  I really mean whipped them up, too - they are so fast and easy.  He was thrilled, and so was my family.  These are definitely a great classic.  This is my last dessert post before Thanksgiving; could this be what you bring to the table?

Recipe:

English matrimonials
from Mike's mom

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
3 sticks butter, melted
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
12 ounces raspberry jam (seedless recommended)

Instructions:

1) Grease a 9 x 13 pan and preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2) Mix together flour, brown sugar, butter, and oats.  Stir well and spread half of the mixture into pan, pressing down firmly.

3) Spread layer of jam generously over the top.

4) Crumble remaining half of flour mixture over top of the jam to cover.  Press down lightly.  Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until golden.

Caramel Apple Crisp Bars

If there is one tool in my kitchen that I use frequently but am secretly petrified of, it would be my mandoline.  Nothing compares to the mandoline when it comes to thinly slicing, or cutting into matchsticks.  I probably use it at least every other week.  With that said, it is clearly the most frightening utensil ever.  The blades are incredibly sharp, and everyone I know who has ever used a mandoline has sliced off pieces of fingers at least once.  Once I lent my mandoline to Laura and she returned it coated with her blood.  That's a slight exaggeration - she washed it - but she really did cut her finger so badly that she resorted to showing it to our school nurse.

Clearly, as you have probably inferred by now, I used a mandoline to cut the apples for these caramel apple crisp bars, and sliced off a good hunk of my thumb.  I made these bars for a work party at the end of November, and while the scab is now totally gone, my thumb has a scar, and it's still tender to touch.  Possibly permanent finger damage by mandoline.  Thanks a lot, caramel apple crisp bars.

I guess I should probably get around to the bars.  Luckily my work friends said they were worth the pain I went through (even though some of them started calling them thumb bars and joking that my thumb skin was probably baked into them... I swear to you they were thumbless!).  The crust is sweet and soft and tastes of cinnamon, and gets a little caramelized when you bake it thanks to the brown sugar.  Then there are layers of super thin apples (thanks, mandoline!), and on top you pour a super quick homemade caramel sauce.  A bit more of the crust is sprinkled on top.  Voila!  A half hour in the oven brings you caramel apple crisp bars.

I personally thought they could have used more caramel flavor; I thought they were very apple-y but not so caramel-y.  But like I said, people really liked them.  Maybe I was just being snarky due to the thumb incident.  They certainly were pretty, and sweet.  Another option for Thanksgiving, perhaps?

Recipe:

caramel apple crisp bars
from Pinch of Yum
makes 12 large bars or 16 - 18 small bars

Ingredients:
for the crust:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
for the filling:
4 small apples
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cream or half and half
1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Instructions:

1) Make crust: preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat the butter and brown sugar with electric mixer until creamy.  Add the cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and flour.  The mixture should be crumbly.  Set aside one cup of the mixture, and press the rest into a 9 x 13 baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 12 minutes.

2) Make filling: quarter the apples and scoop out seeds and core.  Slice the apple quarters with a mandoline slicer to get ultra paper thin slices.  Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add brown sugar.  When sugar is incorporated the mixture is just about the start bubbling, add the cream and stir until a creamy sauce forms.  It should coat the back of a spoon.

3) Assemble the bars.  When the crust is done, arrange the apples in an even layer over the crust and pour the caramel over the top.  Sprinkle with remaining crust crumbles from step one.  Sprinkle with turbaned sugar.  Bake 30 - 35 minutes.  Remove from oven, lift out of pan using the edges of the parchment paper, and allow to cool for 10 - 15 minutes.  Cut and serve.

Chicken Marsala

Yeah I still hate meat.  I hate cooking it and I hate eating it.  But sometimes, you gotta go what you gotta do.  And so sometimes, you gotta make chicken marsala for the carnivores in your life.  I have a direct quote that this meal is "life changing."  I'm pretty sure Jesse said it as a joke, but when my mom and Nick ate the leftovers, they agreed whole-heartedly.  I know it might be hard to take it from a vegetarian when I tell you a chicken dinner went well, so take it from them: this is a life-changing chicken marsala.

The chicken gets prepared first.  No, I did not like touching it.  But I bought chicken cutlets, so there was less touching necessary (otherwise the recipe recommended pounding the chicken flat... EW!).  It's salted and peppered, and coated with flour, then cooked on the stove.  I have to admit that I was a little panicky about cooking chicken in a skillet.  I don't think I have ever done that.  How the heck do you know if it's done or not!?  I like to bake things until there is no chance of salmonella!  Telling me to cook it for 3 minutes per side is really not enough for me.  I started to be sure that I was going to poison Jesse with raw chicken, but I refused to cut one open to check.  (Spoiler alert: he lived).

Anyway, then there's the sauce, and here is where the lives begin changing, I think.  Imagine this: pancetta (or bacon if you can't find that), mushrooms, garlic, and shallot, sweetened a bit by some tomato paste, cut with lemon juice, and of course that classic marsala flavor.  I ate some of the mushrooms, and even I can attest that the sauce was incredible.  If you're craving marsala, this is your sauce.

Serve this over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.  Just serve it.  Trust the vegetarian.  Or, if you don't, trust the carnivores who called it life changing.  If you want to take my word for something, roast some broccoli and sprinkle it with salt, pepper, and a little lemon juice.  Now that was life changing.

Recipe:

chicken marsala
from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
2 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
kosher salt
ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 slices bacon or pancetta, chopped
2 cups white or cremini mushrooms
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 cups Marsala wine
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 small lemon)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions:

1)Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position.  Place a large heatproof dinner plate on the oven rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees.  Heat a 12" heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes.  Pat chicken breasts dry.  Meanwhile, place flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Season both sides of chicken cutlets with salt and pepper.  Working one piece at a time, coat both sides with flour.  Lift breast from tapered end and shake to remove excess flour; set aside.

2) Add oil to hot skillet and heat until shimmering.  Place floured cutlets in a single layer in the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Using tongs, flip cutlets and cook on second side until golden brown and meat feels firm when pressed with finger, about 3 minutes.  Transfer chicken to heated plate and return to oven.

3) Return skillet to low heat and add pancetta or bacon.  Saute, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom loosen browned bits until pancetta is brown and crisp, about 4 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a paper-towel lined plate.  Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high; stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until liquid released by mushrooms is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes.  Add garlic and shallot and saute for one minute.

4) Add cooked pancetta and tomato paste.  Stir while sautéing, until tomato paste begins to brown, about 1 minute.  Off heat, add marsala.  Return pan to high heat and simmer vigorously, scraping browned bits from pan bottom until sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes.  Off heat, add lemon juice and any accumulated juices from the chicken.  Whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley.  Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies

I stress bake.  It's what I have to do when I am worrying about myself to keep my hands and mind busy.  That means you can expect lots of baked goods recipes coming up, because stress has become my way of life over the past few weeks!

Anyway, the stress of Bridget's life brings you these cranberry thumbprint cookies.  My mom actually picked these cranberries in the woods.  How cool is that?  Massachusetts can be so cool sometimes.  She had pocketfuls of cranberries with no real plan for them, so I squirreled them away to my house and found this recipe, which was just lengthy enough to keep me busy on a stressful weekend evening.  In fact, since Poppy has been barking for a solid hour, I wish I had some fresh wild cranberries right about now.

The cookies are interesting because they have cornmeal in them.  They are lightly flavored with orange zest.  And, being thumbprint cookies, they then get filled with a sort of cranberry jam (which, by the way, would be amazing in and of itself).  It's simple to make: you just boil cranberries, sugar, water, and a strip of orange zest until the berries pop.  It makes your house smell like a holiday, and it's beautiful.

Due to my inability to make pretty cookies, the beauty ended there.  My thumbprint cookies were topped with a less-than-attractive dollop of the jam.  I think the problem is that my thumbs are too small so my indents were too shallow, and then I added too much jam because I was so excited about it.  Oh well: look beyond the messy cookies and just take a bite.  The cookies are super crunchy from the cornmeal and being rolled in sugar, and the jam is tart but sweet at the same time.  The orange flavor from both ties them together well.  Perhaps this could be your Thanksgiving dinner contribution?

Recipe:

cranberry thumbprint cookies
from Martha Stewart
makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
for the cookies:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 large egg, separated
for the filling:
4 ounces fresh cranberries (1 cup)
1/2 cup water, plus more if needed
1/4 cup sugar
1 strip (2 inches) orange zest

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cookies first: whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt in a medium bowl.  Beat butter and 1/4 cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add orange zest and egg yolk, and mix well.  Reduce speed to low.  Add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.

2) Lightly whisk egg white.  Scoop 2 teaspoons dough, and roll into a ball.  Dip into egg white, and roll in remaining 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar.  Repeat with remaining dough transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart as you work.  Gently press center of each ball with your thumb. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until pale golden, 15 to 17 minutes.  Gently indent each cookie again using the handle end of a wooden spoon.  Transfer sheets to wire racks, and let cool.  Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.

3) Meanwhile, make the filling.  Bring cranberries, water, sugar, and orange zest to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat, and simmer, gently mashing cranberries, until thick and jamlike, 5 to 6 minutes.  If mixture is too thick, add a little water to thin.  Transfer to a bowl, and let cool completely.  Filling can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

4) Spoon a small amount of filling into each cookie indentation.

Flourless Mexican Brownies

This was the dessert that I made for my Mexican-themed BYOI night with my friends.  It was a good recipe to make for a group that includes sweet tooths (sweet teeth?) and people with celiac disease!  These brownies are gluten-free, but fit our Mexican theme with their cayenne pepper and cinnamon.  I was a little worried about the spice being too much, but everyone said they were delicious.  And Dani didn't get sick; every time I cook or bake for her, I panic that my kitchen is covered with flour particles and she's going to get cross-contaminated and be sick, but luckily she was okay!

These brownies start off with semisweet chocolate melted on the stovetop with butter and sugar.  Eggs and vanilla get added, and don't panic if it looks absolutely terrible at this point, because mine did.  I thought for sure I didn't let it cool enough and I was going to be serving chocolate scrambled eggs.  It's okay!  Just beat the hell out of them when you add the cocoa powder, corn starch (secret weapon of gluten-free baking) and spices.  Beat until it starts to actually look like brownie batter - because it is.  Never fear.

The recipe calls for frosting, but I think it's highly unnecessary to frost brownies.  This chocolate frosting is also flavored with more cayenne and cinnamon.  I left it off, but I will still share the recipe in case you are feeling indulgent.  I think the brownies are plenty good, though.

The remnants of these brownies were brought to work and given to my coworkers.  Then I gave the rest of those to Laura to bring to her kids (proof that they aren't too spicy!).  Everyone thought they were pretty good, and found it hard to believe that they were flourless.  Impress the gluten-free friend in your life with these brownies (or give it to your flour-eaters; they'll never know).  They'll love you forever.

Recipe:

flourless Mexican brownies
from Spoonful of Flavor

Ingredients:
for brownies:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
for frosting (optional):
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 unsweetened or Dutch processed cocoa powder
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8x8 square pan with foil and spray lightly with baking spray.

2) In a small saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter.  Stir in the sugar until incorporated.  Add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat and add the eggs, one at a time.  Add the vanilla extract and stir until incorporated.

3) While mixing, slowly add the cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon.  Using a mixer on high speed, beat the batter until smooth and shiny, 1 to 2 minutes.

4) Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the brownies are set in the center.  Remove form oven and let cool in the pan for at least one hour.

5) To prepare the frosting, in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and beat on medium speed for one minute.  Slowly add the confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon.  Mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the heavy cream and mix until lightly and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Spread the frosting over the brownies, remove from pan, and slice before serving.

Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Tacos

Here's the main recipe from our October BYOI friends dinner night!  As I have explained before, my friends and I have a Bring Your Own Ingredients night once a month where we all bring groceries and I cook dinner for us.  In September, we made pizzas because Dani, who is gluten-free, was sick and couldn't come. This time, luckily, she was healthy, so we came up with a theme that could be easily made without any flour.  We went with a Mexican themed meal.  Lots of chips, salsa, rice, beans, and these roasted veggie and black bean tacos.  Don't worry, there was also some ground turkey for the carnivores, but everyone agreed that these veggie ones were great!

This is a great, healthy vegetarian recipe for your next Mexican night!  I love roasted vegetables, and this is no exception.  Tomatoes, fresh corn, yellow squash, zucchini, onion, and red pepper all get roasted, spiced with cumin and chili powder.  When they are close to being done, you add in black beans, cilantro, and lime juice.  Glorious.  Then you can use the filling however you wish: do you want them in flour tortillas?  Corn?  Want to make burritos?  Tacos?  Enchiladas?  Want to just eat it as a side?  Go for it.  It's up to you.  You are the chef.  It's your Mexican night.

Recipe:

roasted veggie and black bean tacos
from Cooking Classy
makes about 9-10 tacos

Ingredients:
3 medium tomatoes, cored and seeded, diced (1 1/2 cups)
2 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs (1 1/2 cups)
1 medium zucchini, diced (1 1/2 heaping cups)
1 medium yellow squash, diced (1 1/2 heaping cups)
3/4 small yellow onion, chopped (scant 1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder, divided
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup canned black beans, drained, rinsed and warmed
1/3 cup cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
corn or flour tortillas for serving
optional toppings i.e. cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, etc.

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place first 6 ingredients in a mound on a large baking sheet.  In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, canola oil, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and salt and pepper (I suggest 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper).  Drizzle mixture over veggies on baking dish, then toss to evenly coat and spread veggies into an even layer.  Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes, then remove from oven and toss.  Spread veggies into an even layer again, and return to roast 10 minutes longer, or until they have reached desired doneness.

2) Near the end of the veggies roasting, toss warmed black beans with salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder.  Once veggies are done roasting, add black beans along with chopped cilantro; drizzle lime juice over top and toss.  Serve warm over tortillas.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

You've got to walk a fine line with broccoli cheddar soup.  It can easily become way too rich.  I mean, you're eating broccoli, for god's sake.  It should feel mostly healthy still.  It can also be too white and creamy.  Where is all the broccoli?  Then again I am not even that in love with broccoli.  I am not a fan of super pureed soups.  I like them to have some texture to them.  But too much, and it's weird.  See what I mean about the fine line?  But I was willing to try to walk said line for Jesse's birthday, because he said it was his favorite soup.  Now, we later established that actually his favorite soup is cream of broccoli, not broccoli cheddar.  And let's not discuss the fact that he even enjoys it from a can - or "pouch" (what the hell is a pouch of soup!?)  Regardless, none of this was known on the actual birthday dinner.  I was already making the pasties I posted yesterday so he could have some steak, but I wanted something that we could both eat, so when I saw that Smitten Kitchen had recently posted a broccoli cheddar soup recipe that she deemed perfection, I decided to give it a try.

This soup perfectly walks the line.  The soup is not too rich; it tastes like vegetables, like broccoli and onion and garlic and carrot, with just enough creaminess to make it taste like a slight indulgence.  It's more green than white, with flecks or orange from the carrot.  Bottom line: this is a winner when it comes to broccoli cheddar soup.  I loved it, and even if it happened to not be Jesse's favorite soup, he liked it too.  I happily ate the leftovers at work for days.  Not too bad for a birthday dinner spread, right?

Recipe:

broccoli cheddar soup
from Smitten Kitchen
serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped small
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup half-and-half
4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 bay leaf
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 pounds broccoli, or 4 cups broccoli florets and stems, chopped small
1 large carrot (about 6 ounces) or 2 small, chopped tiny (1 cup)
8 ounces (about 2 1/2 cups) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Instructions:

1) Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Stir in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth.

2) Add the broth, bay leaf, salt, and pepper, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

3) Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Discard the bay leaf and adjust seasoning if needed, but err on the side of caution because the cheese will add some salt. Puree the soup to your desired texture - mine was mostly chunky - with an immersion blender or in an upright one.  Back on the stove, add the cheese and whisk until melted, about 1 minute.  Serve in bowls garnished with a pinch of cheese.

Herbed Beef Pasties with Carrot and Parsnip

When I need to make meat, I know to turn to my carnivorous friends.  Laura makes meat like it's her job, which I suppose as a mom of a house full of boys, it kind of is.  Luckily it's not my job, but there are times - such as Jesse's birthday dinner - that I find myself needing a good meat recipe.  Laura suggested herbed beef pasties.  They're English hand pies, little beef pies surrounded by flaky pastry.  This recipe also had carrots and turnips and lots of fresh herbs.  I figured I could suck it up and give this a try, and even make a couple pasties without the beef for myself.  So I donned a pair of rubber gloves and got to work.

Don't get overwhelmed by making your own pastry dough.  It was so easy!  You can make it in a food processor if you want.  I ended up making mine by hand simply because I was also making an apple pie and already had a bowl dirty from making pie crust.  Since the recipes are nearly identical, I just reused the bowl and pastry cutter.  But if you used a food processor, you'd have pastry dough chilling in the fridge in less than 5 minutes.  Don't skip this step and buy some cardboard dough at the store.  The pastry is flaky and golden and delicious.

The filling of these pasties is cubed steak and diced carrot, parsnip, and onion.  They're flavored with fresh rosemary and thyme.  None of it gets pre-cooked, which definitely speeds up this recipe more than I expected.

The dough gets rolled out, the filling filled, and you seal them shut and brush them with a little egg wash.  Bake for 45 minutes, serve with some dijon mustard, and voila: pasties!  They may not be the perfect weeknight meal, but I promise you that they are much quicker and easier than they look.  They look like you spent all day slaving over them (which is perfect for a birthday dinner... even if you then drink a bottle of wine by yourself and sort of ruin the rest of the evening... you know, hypothetically).

Recipe: 

herbed beef pasties with carrot and parsnip
from An Edible Mosaic
yields 8 - 10 pasties

Ingredients:
pastry dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
5 - 7 tablespoons ice water
filling:
3/4 pound raw beef steak (I used sirloin), trimmed of fat and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
1 cup carrot, diced into 1/4-inch cubes (about 2 medium or 1 large carrot)
1 cup parsnip, diced into 1/4-inch cubes (about 2 medium or 1 large parsnip)
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
other:
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
dijon mustard, for serving (optional)

Instructions:

1) Start by making the pastry dough.  Pulse together the flour and salt in a food processor.  Add the butter and pulse until it looks like coarse meal with the pieces of butter about the size of small peas.  Alternatively, this can be done by hand; whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl and cut in the butter with a pastry cutter.  Transfer the dough from the food processor to a large bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon water at a time, working the dough together with your fingertips until it just comes together, only adding enough water so the dough comes together when you squeeze it.  Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, roll each into a ball, place them in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.

2) While the pastry chills, stir together all filling ingredients in a large bowl.  Set aside.

3) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.

4) Working with 1 ball of dough at a time, roll it out on a floured surface to a circle about 8 inches in diameter.  Use a plate as a guide to trim the edges so you have a perfect circle.  Spoon about 1/2 cup of filling into the center of the dough; lightly brush the edge of the dough with egg wash.  Fold both sides of dough up over the filling and crimp the edges together in the center to form a tight seal.  Continue this way until 8 pasties are assembled.  If there is filling left over, re-roll the dough scraps and continue making pasties until you run out of filling or dough.

5) Arrange the pasties into the prepared baking sheets and lightly brush each with egg wash.  Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the trays once halfway through.  Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake until the crusts are golden brown, about 30 minutes more, rotating the trays once halfway through.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Baked Apple Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar

Get excited about these donuts.  They are amazing.  My mom and sisters went apple picking last month and gave me all of their leftover apples after they got a bit too soft for eating.  Yes, that means you should expect lots of apple recipes real soon.  But I can tell you right now, these are the best.

They're soft, sweet, and taste like apples, thanks to a generous serving of grated apples.  Cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg help the donuts taste like the most perfect fall treat.  They'd be great just the way they are.... but there's more.

And here's the best part: when they come out of the oven, they get brushed with apple sauce and rolled in a cinnamon-sugar mixture.  When the applesauce hardens, the cinnamon sugar coating hardens too, and you'd be shocked to hear that these donuts aren't fried, dunked in butter, and then coated with cinnamon and sugar!  Do not skip this part!  My mom was shocked when she heard the applesauce trick; she swore it tasted buttery!  The recipe actually gives an alternative apple cider glaze, which I haven't tried, but I cannot imagine anything being better than the crunchy coating, so just go with it.

If you have a few apples left over from your apple picking extravaganza in October, this is just the recipe to try out.  I will definitely be making these again.  And if you still don't own a donut pan, you can come borrow mine.  It's kind of a must-have, people.

Recipe:

baked apple donuts with cinnamon sugar
from One Hungry Mama
yield 12 - 15 donuts

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (or 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup grated apple
for cinnamon sugar coating:
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
apple sauce for coating

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a nonstick donut pan with cooking spray and set aside.  In am medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves.  Set aside.

2) In a small separate bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs until smooth.  Slowly whisk in oil until well combined.

3) Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined.  Add apple, along with any juice that's accumulated, to the batter and mix until thoroughly incorporated.  Spoon batter into prepped donut pan, filling each well 3/4 full.  Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Remove form oven and allow to cool in pan for 2 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat process until all the batter is gone.

4) Combine cinnamon and sugar in a wide shallow bowl.  Using a pastry brush, coat cooled donuts with a thin layer of apple sauce.  Dip both sides of the donut in cinnamon sugar until completely covered.  Allow to dry on wire rack before serving.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Kenzie was craving the Cheesecake Factory's pumpkin cheesecake last month, and she came over with some of the ingredients for a copycat recipe.  Unfortunately I did a really bad job of poring over my pantry and telling her what I had and what I needed (I was like 16 ounces of cream cheese short), so I ended up not having everything necessary for them.  She was not happy, but I had a giant can of pumpkin that I needed to utilize.  I decided if I couldn't make a cheesecake, I could make cheesecake bars.  Close enough!

These bars have a sweet crust with chopped pecans in it, and a creamy pumpkin filling spiced with cinnamon and allspice.  More of the crust is crumbled over the top so that the pumpkin filling is just peeking out.  Your whole house will smell like Thanksgiving when you bake them.

My family made the mistake of eating these right out of the oven because they were impatient, but they all agreed afterwards that hot pumpkin bars are not a good thing.  You really do need to wait for them to cool.  Trust me, they are worth it.  Crunchy on the bottom and smooth and creamy in the middle, these bars taste like fall.  Maybe they'll be your offering to your Thanksgiving dinner?  It's coming in a couple weeks, you know.  You'd better get planning. I should probably start planning too, since I am hosting 30 people...

Recipe:

pumpkin cheesecake bars
from Taste of Home
makes 16 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
5 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice

Instructions:

1)Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch square baking pan.   In a large bowl, combine flour and brown sugar.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Stir in pecans; set aside 3/4 cup for topping.

2) Press remaining crumb mixture pan.  Bake for 15 minutes to until edges are lightly browned.  Cool on a wire rack.

3) In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and allspice.  Pour over crust.  Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

4) Bake for 30 - 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.  Cut into bars.  Store in the refrigerator.

Italian Tempeh and Sweet Pepper Pasta

I love tempeh.  I love pasta.  And yet I never thought to combine the two.  It's a genius way to add some healthy protein to a pasta dish.  Don't judge my random mix of pastas.  I combined two partially-used boxes :)

I would not, however, call this a vegetarian version of "meat sauce," or else I would have hated it.  I have always hated meat sauce, even when I was little.  This isn't meat sauce, but it's a very tasty vegetarian sauce, with sweet red peppers, lots of garlic, sage, oregano, and plenty of fennel seeds.  Red wine vinegar brightens all the flavors and ties it all together in a way that I didn't expect.  There's a lot going on in there for a humble little tomato sauce (can you say 1 1/2 tablespoons of soy sauce!?!Umami, baby).  Mmm, I'm missing this sauce right about now.

Served over pasta, this was a great dinner.  I ate the leftovers all week long at work.  Tempeh is never as good reheated in my opinion, but it's still good enough to eat.  I even brought some for one of my work friends, not a normal tempeh eater, but she agreed that it was really good.  I'll get everyone I know eating tempeh ASAP.

Recipe:

Italian tempeh and sweet pepper pasta
from Coconut and Berries

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 8-ounce package tempeh
1 clove garlic minced
2 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon sage
1 1/2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth or water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
10 ounces pasta
handful of basil for garnish

Instructions:

1) Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened.

2) Crumble in the tempeh, leaving some larger pieces.  Add the garlic and herbs, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so to allow the tempeh to brown slightly.

3) Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth or water, and sugar.  Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes while you cook the pasta according to the package directions.

4) Turn off the heat and add the red wine vinegar.  Check for seasoning and stir through the cooked pasta.

5)  Serve immediately, garnished with basil.

Chicken Pot Pie

Sometimes you just have to give the people what they want.  Especially when "the people" is your family, and they have gone grocery shopping, and they show up at your house for a dinner party, bringing the groceries they'd need for chicken pot pie.  How can I say no?

Plus I have never tried a chicken pot pie before.  That is actually pretty surprising because one of my mom's favorite meals - and one that she often used to cook - was chicken pot pie.  To be exact, it was "chicken pot pie filling on rice."  No pie crust - and isn't that the best part?!  Not according to Mom, who says it's her least favorite part "and the most fattening."  Luckily this pie has not your average pie crust; it has no bottom, and uses puff pastry on top.  Even Mom was willing to try it.

The filling is a thick, creamy mixture of onion, celery, carrot, peas and chicken, flavored with fresh thyme.  I scooped some of it out before I added the chicken and added some chopped tempeh to mine.  Instant tempeh pot pie for me!  Then I cut the puff pastry intro strips and made a lattice top crust for both pies.  A little egg wash makes sure the pastry comes out golden and perfect.  They came out looking absolutely beautiful, didn't they?

My family was obsessed with these pies.  They claimed it might even be better than my mom's old chicken pot pit filling recipe.  They happily took all the leftovers with them, and I equally as happily had no leftover chicken my fridge!  For you vegetarians out there, the tempeh was a perfect addition if tempeh pot pie is more up your alley.

Saturday was daylight savings, and it's currently 5:00, and pitch black outside.  Yuck!

Recipe:

chicken pot pie
from Lovely Little Kitchen
serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup carrot, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon "Better than Bullion"  chicken base
2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 egg, beaten slightly with a fork

Instructions:

1) Allow puff pastry to thaw at room temperature, then gently unfold.

2) In a large pot, melt butter over medium high heat.  Add onion, celery, carrot, and salt, and saute until onions are translucent and vegetables start to get tender.

3) Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook for 1 - 2 minutes.  Gradually whisk in milk, heavy cream, and bullion, and bring to a slow boil.

4) Simmer gently over medium heat until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.  Turn to low, and add chicken, peas, and thyme.

5) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Pour chicken mixture into a 9x9 baking dish.  Cut puff pastry into 12 equal strips.  Lay strips over chicken mixture, weaving it together to form a lattice pattern.  Using a pastry brush, brush egg onto the top of the puff pastry.

6) Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.  The puff pastry will be a deep golden brown.  Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Lentil Dal with Hearty Greens

Happy November!  I am super happy that it's November.  There's no real reason - it's far from my favorite month.  You know my feelings on fall - and winter.  But there is a lot to look forward to.  I am hosting Thanksgiving for 25 people this year - plenty more on that later.  I always love the post-Thanksgiving Christmas feeling.  I get lots of time off from work this month.  And things are just looking up in general.  Plus with every month that passes, I feel better and better, so I am excited to see where I am - and where my life is - by December.  Plus, there is very little chance that this November will be as hard as last November was.  I look forward to that.

One thing that has evolved in my life over the past year or so is a love for Indian food.  Indian food is great!  It's spicy, very often vegetarian, and often healthy.  Perfection.

I was excited to try this red lentil dal.  I love red lentils because they get so mushy, but there is still plenty of texture with onion, tomato, and greens (I used spinach).  it's flavored with fresh ginger, turmeric and whole cumin seeds.  Unfortunately I ran out of ginger and couldn't find cumin seeds, so powdered versions of both worked just fine.  This meal was super tasty and very filling, and it reheats beautifully.  Definitely something to make again!

Recipe:

lentil dal with hearty greens
from the Kitchn
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups dry red lentils, rinsed
2 tablespoons oil, divided
1 small onion, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2-inch piece ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
6 cups loosely packed shredded greens (beet greens, spinach or swiss chard)
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 clove garlic, smashed but left whole

Instructions:

1) Place the red lentils in a pot and add enough water to cover them.  Bring the water to a boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the top, then turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until creamy and tender.

2) While the lentils are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy-based pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and fry gently for about 5 minutes, until translucent and beginning to brown.  Add the tomatoes and ginger and cook for 3 minutes, until tomatoes soften.  Add the turmeric and stir.  Stir in the greens and let them wilt, about 5 minutes.

3) Stir in the onion-tomato-greens into the dal, and simmer for a few minutes to warm through.  Season to taste with the salt.

4) In a small pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil, and add the cumin seeds and garlic clove.  Fry for 30 seconds, until the cumin sizzles, then turn off the heat and pour the seasoned oil, cumin seeds, and garlic into the dal.  Cover and let it infuse.  Stir before serving.