Foodie Friday: Megan's Bean Salsa

I got this recipe from my sister (I'm classy and writing about the recipe I stole from her..lol) and have made it at least a million times over the last decade (ok so don't call the hyperbole police on me…it may not be quite a million times!). I make salsa my business because a) it's delicious b) it's nutritious but mostly c) it's because I could drink it straight outta the bowl and jarred salsa just isn't the same. When I get migas they have to bring me my own pitcher (yup a mini pitcher) in order to have enough fresh salsa to wash down my breakfast. It's just the way I roll I guess but with that in mind, I've carefully cultivated my salsa making skills with a few different recipes starting with this one. 

This is easy to make and a serious BBQ necessity. Heck, it's so good I even make it year round!

So anyway, here's the recipe in all it's glory:

1 can black beans (drained)

1 can cannellini beans (drained)

3 T chopped jalapeños (check the heat level…you may need more or less depending on how toasty you want the salsa to end up)

4-6 minced garlic cloves

3 T olive oil

1 TBS chili powder

1 TBS onion powder

2 tsp cumin

Cayenne pepper to taste

1 c frozen corn (I use the organic, sweet, white variety)

1 c diced onion (I like to use red onions but use whatever you prefer)

1 can diced tomatoes (or 2-3 large fresh diced tomatoes - I'm lazy so I always use a high quality canned variety)

3 TBS lime juice

Mix all ingredients and let rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. 

Foodie Friday: Basic Gnocchi

What are gnocchi exactly? They are heavenly pillows of soft, light, potato goodness that showcase whatever sauce you throw their way. When done right they are quite a treat and well worth the effort. 

Basic Gnocchi  (adapted from a William Sonoma recipe)

**First of all, make sure you have everything gathered and ready to go. These come together pretty quickly once the potatoes happen so it's better to be prepared!**

Ingredients:

4 large Russet potatoes

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg (grate your own…fresh is soooo much better)

1/4 tsp white pepper (I've also used fine black)

2 1/2 c all purpose flour (plus a little extra for rolling)

Boil potatoes until fork soft and peel immediately (to make peeling easier you can use a kitchen towel to hold the hot spuds while you take the skin off). Then put through the medium or small disk of a food mill or potato ricer.

(This is what it looks like after the food mill…yay…uniform taters!)

Mound the milled tubers on a lightly floured surface and make a well in the center. Pour eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg into the well.

Sprinkle 1 c of the flour over the potatoes and using a fork or those little things on your hands called "fingers" and gradually blend the eggs, potato and flour together (adding more flour as needed) to form a firm but moist dough. It's critical here to not overwork the dough and should take about 5 minutes. If you overwork the dough they will be like dense, doughy potato pellets (like the ones you get in the freezer section at the grocery store)…and that's just gross. 

Now divide your dough into 6 equal pieces.

Roll each chunk of dough into 3/4 inch thick ropes. You can also flour the surface lightly when/if the dough gets too sticky.

Now my favorite part! Cut each rope into about 1" pieces. Using your thumb, tines of a fork or a beautiful gnocchi board (like I used in the above picture) GENTLY roll each piece to give them the signature grooves that hold all the lovely sauce you're about to put them in.

To cook your little lovelies, toss them in boiling water for about 4-6 minutes until they float to the top (you may need to cook them in batches). Drain and toss with your sauce of choice. I like a good old fashioned marinara with a generous sprinkling of cheese or tossed in a little browned sage butter. DELICIOUS!

Foodie Friday: Corn Starch Pudding

This is an old family recipe that always reminds me of my childhood. It probably should be called vanilla-almond pudding but we'll stick with the name we know. There is no picture because it's white pudding which isn't the most interesting food model! 

1/4 c sugar (I use organic cane sugar)

2 TBS corn starch *see note

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg 

2 c milk *see note

1 TBS butter 

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla

Almond flavoring to taste

Mix sugar, corn starch, salt and egg very thoroughly. Over low heat, gradually add the milk until completely smooth. Stir frequently almost to the point of never stopping until the mixture boils. Boil stirring furiously for 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla. Divide into small portions and pass around the almond flavoring for people to add to their taste. 

*I've used rice milk and soy milk as substitutes. Soy turns out better than the rice milk and if you use either add 1+ TBS additional corn starch to help thicken.  Also, I've used stevia as a substitute for the sugar and have been told the flavor turned out great.  

Foodie Friday: Lime Chicken Tacos

I came across the base recipe for this many, many years ago and tweaked it to my specifications. It's a minimal effort, maximum flavor situation and has endless possibilities.

*These are topped with queso and extra cilantro

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs shredded chicken (I use all natural/organic breasts or a whole chicken) 
• 3 T lime juice
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 C frozen corn (I use organic because all the GMO stuff freaks me out)
• 1 C chunky salsa or more (I like to use mesquite or chipotle salsa but use whatever you prefer)
• 1/4 C chopped cilantro (I use A LOT more because I loooooovvvvvvveeeeee it!)
• Tortillas (I usually use whole wheat) 

To Prepare:

Put chicken in crock pot and cook until done. Remove and let cool slightly. Drain any fat from the crock pot, shred chicken and return to crock pot. Add remaining ingredients and cook covered in crock pot until warmed through. If the mixture seems too dry add more salsa.

Serving suggestions: 

Top with more cilantro, shredded cheese, queso, sour cream, Greek yogurt, refried beans, black beans, chopped jalapeños or rice.

Foodie Friday: Easy Chocolate Torte

I need to start off by saying that I'm kind of phoning this post in and as a result there are no pictures. My apologies. I've been attempting to recover from some things for the last couple of weeks and instead of cooking, baking and taking detailed shots of the finished product, I've instead been applying vapor rub like a boss and eating organic spaghetti O's out of a can. Yeah. Paints a purty picture doesn't it? 

Anyway, here is an extremely easy and delicious recipe that my mom used to make for us. If you want to get fancy you can of course make the batter and whipped cream from scratch BUT then again you could just knock this cake out with minimal effort using mixes and look like a hero.

Easy Chocolate Torte

*Note: the cake mix requires additional ingredients that aren't listed below.

1 chocolate cake mix

2 packages (4 oz each) Baker's semi-sweet chocolate bars

3/4 c. unsalted butter

1/2 c. chopped, toasted almonds (optional but they add a nice crunch)

1 8 oz cool whip topping

Bake the cake mix in two 9-inch rounds. Once cooled, split each round in half. Melt 1 3/4 worth of the chocolate bars, butter and nuts (if using). Spread 1/2 of melted chocolate mixture on first layer. Place second cake on top and spread 1/2 cool whip topping. Alternate with remaining layers, ending with cool whip. Grate remaining chocolate bar and sprinkle on top with a few nuts (if using). You could even add fresh mint, strawberries, raspberries, cinnamon, etc. if you want to add a little extra flair. 

Foodie Friday: Get Your Turkey On!

 Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I have a binder that is specifically for this day and houses, recipes, tips, seating charts, furniture layouts and even my annual turkey day pre-meal running mileage log. I start fantasizing about my menu 6 months in advance and literally (every year) start dreaming at night about cooking my turkey a month or so before the big day. 

 

Anyway, in honor of my favorite day, here is the turkey recipe that I've used for the last 3 years! It has been adapted from Bon Appetit magazine (Nov. 2009 edition).

 

Sage Butter Roasted Turkey

 

16-18 lb turkey - rinsed and patted dry with all the goodies removed from the inside (I've used smaller and larger birds and adjust the ingredients as necessary)

 

3 TBS course kosher salt

 

1 TBS dried sage (I used dried from my dad's garden)

 

1/2 stick butter (don't skimp on the butter...after all, this day only comes once a year)

 

1/4 C fresh, chopped sage (I pick it from my dad's garden the day of)

 

3/4 C fresh apple cider or apple juice

 

*****Do this the night before*****
Mix salt and dry sage together and sprinkle evenly all of the turkey (make sure the bird is already in the roasting pan). Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

*****The day of*****
Preheat the oven to 375 and while it's getting to the proper temperature, take your beautiful birdie out of the fridge and tuck those delicate little wing tips under and tie the legs loosely together. Then either mix the chopped fresh sage with the cold butter and rub UNDER the skin or melt the butter and mix with fresh sage then brush all over the turkey. (I've tried both ways. I happen to like the cold butter under the skin method best but both work.)

Once you've slathered a year's worth of butter calories onto your fowl (seriously, remember this is a special occasion...it's all about moderation ya'll) nip it into the oven, basting after an hour.

Now, turn the heat down to 350 and roast for another 45 minutes. At this point pour 3/4 c. apple cider and turn the pan around in the oven. Continue to roast until the meat registers 165 turning and basting periodically for even cooking. It pays to have a thermapen for this part!

Once it reaches the appropriate temperature, loosely tent (there is some debate about the effectiveness of this method...I'm not here to quarrel about it) and allow to rest 30-45 minutes. Now carve and devour with your favorite gravy and fixin's!

(Here is an action shot of me prepping the bird. It's a nice pre-coffee, pre-run and pre-fancied up picture. All I can say is that game day means bird before beauty!)
 

 

 Perfectly crisped skin, MOIST meat...as Hank Hill would say while pretending not to cry, "It's so daggum beautiful".
 



 

This is a sneak peak at my Tday binder...I read it like a book throughout the year. I don't know if that's normal.

 

 

...And now having written the longest Foodie Friday post ever, let me leave you with a funny story.

 

I used to work with some Austrians when I lived in Jersey. At Thanksgiving the American team sent around an email that said "Happy Thanksgiving...Gobble Gobble!" One of the Native Austrians popped out of his office and asked..."Vat ess gooble gooble?" Someone replied, "that's the sound a turkey makes." The Austrian shook his head and said, "that's not the sound a turkey makes in Austria!!"

Foodie Friday: Pumpkin Apple Pancakes

I have a weird thing about pancakes. I love them due to a childhood of eating homemade sour dough pancakes and because my dad lovingly made me almond flavored oat flour pancakes with rice syrup or jam every morning before school during a particularly persnickety eating phase during high school.  After years of fostering an irrational fear of making them myself, I decided to confront this breakfast food and was pleasantly surprised by the result. These are filling and taste deliciously like fall.

Next time, I’d like to try them with a sweeter apple and maybe white whole wheat, whole wheat, oat, almond or spelt flour.    

Sunset Magazine – November 2012
Pumpkin Apple Pancakes

1 large egg

1 c each flour and milk (I used organic)

2 TBS vege oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)

½ c pumpkin puree

1 TBS each sugar (I used organic cane) and baking powder

¼ tsp each salt, nutmeg and cinnamon

1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped (I used a Granny Smith)

About 2 TBS butter, divided (I used ghee for the first batch and then skipped it for cooking spray – I don’t use nonstick cookware EVER)

Syrup (I used maple)

Mix all ingredients except butter and syrup together. Melt the butter (if using) or spray pan with cooking spray spooning 1/3 c portions into pan (making 3-4 at a time). Cook, turning once until cooked through. Continue with remaining batter and serve warm with butter, syrup, jam, peanut butter or whatever you like to top your pancakes with!

Foodie Friday: Pizza Night!

 

Friday is pizza night and we take it seriously. I'm not going to claim this is the healthiest meal but when you make it at home you at least have the opportunity to control the quality AND quantity of your ingredients. I've been using a particular crust recipe for several years now that puts out a consistent and deliciously crispy crust (Jamie Oliver's pizza dough) but I found a recipe in my pile that I decided to try just to change things up.  

 

I'm a huge Bobby Flay fan and have made quite a few of his recipes ranging from salsa verde to grilled lobster tacos to a very robust sangria and I've never been disappointed with the effort. I found his pizza dough recipe a couple of years ago and it got lost in the abyss of stashed recipes. I dug it out on a whim and made pizza (on a Wednesday!) just in time to carbo-load for a long run.

 

The recipe is a really simple, everyday kind of crust. You aren't going to get brick oven (despite cranking the oven up and using a pizza stone), East Coast kind of pizza but it does the trick in a pinch. Here's where I found the original recipe and here it is again adapted slightly with my notes:

 

Pizza Dough by Bobby Flay

 

Ingredients:

3 1/2 - 4 cups flour (I used all purpose because I had it which made the crust soft and chewy - use bread flour if you want a nice crispy crust)

1 tsp sugar (I used organic cane sugar)

1 envelope instant yeast (2 1/4 tsp or 7g = 1 packet)

2 tsp kosher salt (I used a large grain sea salt)

1 1/2 cups water @ 110 degrees F

2 TBS olive oil, plus 2 tsp (I skipped the 2 tsp and used cooking spray instead)

 

Combine all the dry ingredients in a stand mixer first. Then, while it's running add the water and 2 TBS olive oil and mix until the ingredients form a ball adding flour a little at a time if the dough is too sticky. Remove to a lightly floured surface and knead into a smooth, firm ball. Let rest covered for an hour or so until doubled in size. Then, remove to a lightly floured surface and divide into two pieces. Let rest covered for 10 minutes before rolling out.

I always use a pizza stone and bake it in at least a 450 degree oven (part of the cooking time includes baking just the crust pre-toppings). This particular pizza was topped with a sugar-free sauce, pepperoni, black olives, artichoke hearts, mozzarella, parmesan, romano and asiago cheese.

 

Birthday Cakes

I children's birthdays fall on the 10th and the 11th. We celebrate with one party, two cakes. The castle cake was baked in a bundt pan, not hand sculpted. If it were hand sculpted by me, it would look more like something that came out of the south end of a cow rather than a princess castle. The other cake is the Discovery Space Shuttle. While painstakingly frosting that sucker, I realized two things: a) I will never get good at this, and b)making fun cakes is much funner with my sister.

Homemade....Cheese?!?!

Rachel and I recently had the good fortune of having our friend Erin teach us how to make mozzarella. We were both giddy with excitement as Erin described the process to us. I mean...learning how to make cheese is just...awesome! The recipe was called 30-minute mozzarella but I was skeptical. It really only took 30 minutes! Crazy. The funnest part was cutting the curds, accompanied by some juvenile humor. Ha! I am excited and little bit nervous to try it again on my own.

More Food Projects

I recently brewed myself some strawberry vinegar. It was very high-tech: I put 2 cups of strawberries in a quart jar. I topped it off with vinegar. I let it sit for two weeks. Strained out the berries. Bam! Strawberry vinegar. I used some of it to make Poppyseed dressing and it was good.

And pickles! These are refrigerator pickles, though I aspire to can my own this year. Refrigerator pickles are very easy to make. You need 6-8 cucumbers, dill, salt, garlic and vinegar. Cut cukes into spears, sprinkle with 1 TBS. salt and chopped dill. Let sit for 30 minutes. Take 2 quart jars, and add several cloves of garlic, whole peppercorns, mustard seeds, a hot chile, whatever floats your boat. Add 1/2 to 2/3 cup white vinegar to each jar. Add cukes, top off with water and refrigerate for a few days before eating. These will keep a while, hypothetically. I happen to have three children who will eat anything pickled, so they don't usually last long.

Strawberries!

We are members of a CSA and this year the strawberries have done very well! While it is oh, so tempting to eat them all in one sitting, I remind myself that winter comes every year, and it is really nice to break out a jar of strawberry-something in those cold days. We have been getting several quarts each week, so we have been able to eat them, and can them. I now have Strawberry Vanilla Bean Jam, Strawberry Vanilla Bean Syrup, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam, and Strawberry Maple Syrup sitting in my pantry. Shhhh! Don't tell my brother-in-law. I don't want him to come and raid my stash. At least I know what to get him from now until eternity: JAM!

Strawberry Maple Smootch, Mango Vanilla Bean Jam, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Food

Since I haven't done a whole lot of sewing lately, I'll show you pictures of my latest 'project.' I got a whole passel of rhubarb, and after freezing a bunch of it, I got out my canner. So far, I have made Rhubarb BBQ Sauce, and Bluebarb Jam. Here is the recipe for Bluebarb Jam, using Pomona's Universal Pectin (you can use honey or sugar, and a lot less of it than commercial pectins)

Bluebarb Jam

4 C. blueberries
4 C. rhubarb
1/4 C. lemon juice
2 to 3 C. honey or sugar
5 tsp. pectin powder
4 tsp. calcium water

Cook rhubarb in a small amount of water till soft. Add blueberries, lemon juice and calcium water. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. In the meantime, combine sweetener and pectin powder in a small bowl til thoroughly combined. When fruit comes to a boil, add sugar/pectin and stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes. Return to a boil and remove from heat. Pour into hot canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Add lids and process in a boiling water canner, 5 minutes for half pints, 10 minutes for pints. (Recipe makes 9 half pints)

Cake!

This cake is called 'Lemon Lovers Cake,' which I made for our early Easter shindig. Basically, you add lemon zest to the batter, zest and juice to the frosting, and top it with lemon curd. The flowers and lemons on top are real, brushed in a mixture of meringue powder and water, and sprinkled with sugar.

Food Craft - May the Force Be With You

I've been a Star Wars fan ever since I was a little kid. There's just something wonderful about the feathered hair, imaginative creatures and the frequent defeat of the Death Star. So when I recieved these William Sonoma cookie press/cutters from my Aunt and Uncle (Thank you!!!) as a surprise, I was thrilled. Now I can have the force and eat it too...(yup that was just bad)!

Here are a few of the things that I have made in the kitchen recently: Sweet and Sour Pickled Red Onions, Caramel Apple Jam, Okra Pickles, Pickled Jalapenos. I've had fun trying a lot new recipes this year, and I look forward to cracking open these jars come winter.

Birthday Cakes

i
Two of my kids had birthdays this weekend. My son found a picture in Family Fun magazine for a barn cake. He wanted it, plus it had to have a horse and a tractor and the pond on the side. He was very specific with his instructions, although we did move the pond over a little bit. The picture on the left is how I made the cake. After taking the picture I added ONE horse, and ONE duck. The picture on the right is after my son got done decorating it! I had to remind myself that it was his cake, as he stuck and repositioned each animal as he saw fit. The other cake was made for my daughter, who requested a princess cake, with 'pwinkles.' I thought it was cute, my husband thought it was creepy. :) She did not take to kindly to the candles, quickly looking like she might implode, so we had to 'help' blow out the candles.

Why I'll Never Be A Cake Decorator: The Lawn Mower Cake

All my cake ideas look nice in my head. Almost none of them turn out like originally planned. This one is no exception. But a combined lack of tools and uninterrupted time leads to improvisation and the eventual deterioration of the original plan. What can you do!?

Food Crafting

In the last week or so, I was able to make double batches of Blackberry, Kiwi, and Blueberry Lime jams. Mmmm! By the end of summer, we just may have enough jam to last from now into eternity.