Crazy about Squash

As you know I always love getting a new cooking magazine in the mail, however, this one was squeal worthy! Quite literally as I flipped through it I was squealing with delight over all the delicious recipes and was beyond thrilled to see a fantastic squash section. You see I didn’t like squash growing up because I thought it was all yellow squash and zucchini, neither of which I liked as a child. Since then I have not only grown to love both yellow squash and zucchini, but also to realize that there are so many other fantastic squashes out there that I absolutely love! After the first time I cooked with a butternut squash my cooking world was shaken. It is a totally different kind of squash then what I had known before and I loved everything about it. Well, tonight I tried a new to us squash, spaghetti squash, and I absolutely loved it!

Tonight I made Fine Cooking’s Spaghetti Squash with Indian Spices. To make the squash you start out by cutting it into half lengthwise and roasting it. This was the hardest part. I have had trouble cutting a butternut squash before and my hand was sore for a day after cutting and peeling a pumpkin, but this spaghetti squash would not budge for me. We ended up eating later tonight than planned because I had to wait until Russ got home for him to cut it in half. Now don’t let this turn you off from this recipe or any squash recipe for that matter as I now have a new trick. Literally the next day I was reading more of the articles from this issue and in the back it includes tips for cutting squashes and tells you to prick it with a fork in several places all over and microwave it for just a minute or so and let is soften just a bit so that it will cut easier. Anyway, once cut in half you scoop out the seeds and roast it at 350 for about an hour. Then remove it from the oven and let it cool slightly. Then use a fork and rake out the flesh into strands. While the squash is cooling I added oil to a skillet and put the mustard seeds in and covered it. The seeds pop and once the popping has died down then you uncover it and add the butter. Next add the onion, ginger, cumin (I used ground as I couldn’t find the seeds), and coriander and let cook until the onion is soft. Next add the tomato (I used canned petite diced tomatoes) and chile to the dish. Next toss in the squash and finally season with salt and toss in the cilantro.

This was fantastic! I absolutely loved the soft, warm Indian spices and the mild, delicious flavor of the spaghetti squash. The texture of the squash with the soft onions and tomatoes was perfect. This is one of my top ten favorite dishes I have ever made. I could have eaten a bowl of it with nothing else for dinner and been beyond thrilled. Russ liked the dish, but was not as crazy about it like I was. The main reason that Russ didn’t care for it as much as he felt like it had too strong of a squash flavor. In reality it is a mild squash, however, Russ strongly prefers the flavor of sweeter squashes such as butternut, pumpkin and acorn, so to him this was too “squashy”. Russ gives it an 8, while I give it a strong 10.

Spaghetti Squash with Indian Spices, Fine Cooking November 2008

Serves four to six.

1 small (3 lb.) spaghetti squash
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. brown mustard seeds
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 cup seeded and chopped tomato
1 small serrano chile, seeded and minced
Kosher salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a sturdy spoon. Set the squash halves cut side down on a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet, and bake until strands of flesh separate easily when raked with a fork, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Taste a few strands—they should be tender. If not, continue to bake. Set the squash halves aside until cool enough to handle. Use a fork to rake the cooked squash flesh into strands. In a 10-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the mustard seeds and cover. The seeds will start popping; cook until the popping subsides, about 1 minute. Uncover, reduce the heat to medium, and add the butter. As soon as it melts, add the onion, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, and coriander and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato, chile, and 1 tsp. salt and cook, stirring, until the tomato begins to soften and the chile is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and add the squash to the skillet. Continue to cook, tossing with tongs, until heated through, 1 to 3 minutes. Toss in the cilantro, season to taste with more salt, and serve. You can bake the squash in advance and then finish the dish right before serving.

Loaded Baked Potatoes

Without realizing it I am pretty much keeping with the same theme of the last post where I left out a major ingredient in the recipe only this time I left out or rather didn't make the main part of the meal. Russ and I watched an episode of Tyler’s Ultimate and saw his Ultimate Surf and Turf, but instead of making the surf or the turf we decided to make the Ultimate Stuffed Potatoes that he made as a side. It just seemed like the perfect meal for a Sunday night – a baked potato filled with broccoli and oozing with cheese. Yum! For the record the surf and turf both looked very tasty, but for tonight we were all about the loaded potatoes!

To make the Ultimate Stuffed Potatoes you start by baking the potatoes. Tyler has you pierce the potatoes with a fork and then rub them with olive oil and salt. Then let them bake at 400 for about an hour. This will give you a nice crisp skin. While the potatoes cook you start making the filling. First start by cooking the bacon. Cut it into a medium dice and then cook it. Once it is cooked remove it from the pan and pour off the oil. Then in the same pan (with the yummy brown bits on the bottom) combine the butter and flour and then slowly whisk in the milk. I went ahead and used whole milk as the recipe called for, but next time I might try something a little lighter to save a few calories. Next fold in about 2 cups of the cheese until it is melted and incorporated. In the meantime go ahead and blanch the broccoli florets (you can steam them instead if you prefer). Once the cheese has melted into the sauce remove it from the heat and add the bacon, broccoli, chopped chives and season it with salt and pepper. Then remove the potatoes from the oven and cut a slit in the top and fill with the yummy cheese and broccoli mixture. Then top with a little more cheese and put it back in the oven for a couple of minutes until the cheese on top melts. Serve immediately.

These were delicious! The cheese sauce was rich, cheesy, and oozed out of the potatoes. I loved the broccoli and how it played such a key role in the dish and complemented both the potato and the cheese. It also added nice texture and a bright punch of color to the dish. As for the potatoes while I don't bake potatoes very often from now on when I do this is definitely the method I will use. I loved the crisp, salty skin and the soft inside. These were tasty and cheesy and a perfect Sunday night one dish meal. Russ rates the stuffed potatoes a 9.

Spring Cooking and Spring Showers

I consider myself to be a fairly patient person; however, when it comes to the arrival of Fall and Spring I just get flat out impatient. It is almost April, Easter has come and gone, our azaleas are blooming, we have had a few warm days, everything is turning green, and it is officially Spring now… but we still have colder days and I haven’t worn my flip flops yet. Today has been gorgeous our and sunny and warm and just how I like Spring to be. So, we decided to dust off the grill and have some friends over to eat outside tonight. Well, I managed to forget another major characteristic of Spring is rain. After the major drought last year I am not going to complain about the rain, but it did remind me that for some reason though we always manage to pick nights when it rains to grill out. Tonight was no exception. While today was gorgeous and sunny it started raining just about the time that Russ was starting up the coals for the grill… Lucky for me Russ doesn’t seem to mind grilling in his rain coat.

Tonight we did a somewhat early Spring meal that came from my new Jamie Oliver cookbook, Cook with Jamie. I also made an appetizer from my other new cookbook, Jamie’s Italy. Elizabeth, Seth, Mary Catherine, and Allen (and their furry ones, Wagg and Bitzy) all came over to eat with us tonight. For the appetizer I did crostini with mozzarella and chiles and some with cherry tomatoes instead of chiles. Russ grilled the slices of baguette for me and then I rubbed garlic on one side of each. I topped them off with pieces of fresh mozzarella and either some of the red chile or tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil, and torn pieces of fresh basil.

For dinner we decided on Grilled Fillet Steak with the Creamiest White Beans and Leeks. Russ and I both like a traditional steak and potato meal, but I love it when I come across a recipe that takes a new twist on the traditional. Here Jamie keeps a creamy starch in the picture, but uses white beans and leeks instead of potatoes. The recipe calls for canned lima beans and while I am a fan of canned beans I have never used canned lima beans and the thought kind of scared me (especially when I looked at the sodium in them). I do use frozen lima beans fairly frequently and decided to use those instead because while I am sure the canned are fine I am much more comfortable with the frozen. I just cooked the frozen lima beans until they were done, but not too soft in water with a little salt and pepper. When the beans are cooked go ahead and drain them and set them aside. While the beans were cooking I put the sliced leeks, thyme, and chopped garlic into the pan with a little olive oil and butter. I kept it over low heat for about 20 minutes. Many of you may already know this, but if not then here comes a fun cooking fact. The combination of olive oil and butter here is not an uncommon combination and there is a reason why he is using both. Oil has a much higher threshold for heat and butter has a lower threshold for heat, but it has more flavor than oil. So combining them the oil will help keep the butter from burning and the butter will add flavor. Back to the recipe now… Once the leeks are soft and sweet then you turn up the heat and add the white wine. Let the wine come to boil and then add the beans and a little water until the beans are almost covered (don’t cover them or it will take too long to reduce). Let the beans simmer and reduce a little until they are creamy. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed for taste. Last add the chopped parsley, crème fraiche, and a little olive oil. For the steaks, Russ got some really pretty looking New York Strips and salt and peppered both sides. He then grilled them to medium and pulled them off to let them rest. While resting he drizzled them with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. He decided to not carve the steaks into thin slices, but rather serve them whole. We served the steaks over the beans and with a simple side salad of mixed greens with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

The crostini were really simple and quick to put together. Russ grilled the baguette slices on the grill which was complicated by the fact that it was raining and since the grill was hotter than it needed to be (since he had prepared it for grilling the steaks since I forgot to mention to him that I needed him to do the bread too), but other than that is only took a couple minutes that had a great toasty texture to them. The mixture of mozarrella with the red chiles was wonderful! I was a little worried about the red chiles, so I did some with tomatoes too. Both were really good and I enjoyed having a little variety to them. I love simple appetizers like this and think you could come up lots of easy variations based on ingredients you have on hand or ones you love. Russ rates the crostini a 10.

Russ did a fantastic job on the steaks and they grilled perfectly. They were flavorful with great color and texture. The beans were fantastic! I love lima beans and leeks and the combination was wonderful. The crème fraiche at the end really added an extra creamy touch to the creamy beans and the parsley added a punch of flavor and freshness. The beans definitely take center stage in the dish with the other ingredients just adding to their flavor and creaminess. The steak and lima bean combination was fantastic and they both complimented each other well in texture with the chewiness of the steak and the creaminess of the beans and flavor. This was a great meal for entertaining and if I had been a little better organized and started the beans earlier then I think this is a dish that you could have ready before your guests arrive (up to where you add the crème fraiche, parsley, and olive oil) and then just turn off the heat and put the lid on it until a few minutes before you serve when you can reheat it and add the last few ingredients. Had it not been raining then we would have been outside before hand which would have allowed Russ to grill the steaks while still being with everyone. This is definitely a dish that I would recommend for Spring entertaining. Russ rates the Grilled Fillet Steak with the Creamiest White Beans and Leeks a 10.

Grilled Fillet Steak with the Creamiest White Beans and Leeks, Cook with Jamie
Serves 4

4 leeks, washed, trimmed and finely sliced
A small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Olive oil
A knob of butter
A wineglass of white wine
1lb. 2 oz good-quality canned lima beans, drained and rinsed
A small handful of freshly picked parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon crème fraiche
Good-quality peppery extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
7 oz. well-marbled fillet steaks, preferably free-range or organic, 1-1 and ½ inches thick
1 lemon

Sweat the leeks, thyme, and garlic with a splash of olive oil and the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on a low heat for 20 minutes until they are soft and sweet. Turn up the heat and add the white wine. Let the wine come to the boil, then add the beans and a splash of water, so that the beans are almost covered. Allow to simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes until the beans are lovely and creamy. Add the parsley, crème fraiche and a good glug of the extra virgin olive oil and taste for seasoning.

Heat a griddle pan until white-hot, season your steaks and pat with olive oil. Grill a 1 and ½ inch steak for 2 to 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare. You can keep them on there for longer, turning as you go, until cooked to your liking. Remove from the grill on to a dish and rest for 5 minutes. Squeeze over some lemon juice and drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil. Carve the steaks into thick slices. Divide the creamy beans between your plates and place the steak on top, drizzling over some of the resting juices.

My Notes: I used frozen lima beans and just cooked them first. Russ grilled the steaks on the Egg and let everyone slice their own steak.

Crostini, Jamie's Italy

Ingredients:
1 loaf of ciabatta bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
good-quality extra virgin olive oil

Grill your slices of ciabatta. While they're still hot, rub them gently with the cut side of the garlic and drizzle with good-quality extra virgin olive oil. Finish with your favorite toppings.

Buffalo Mozzarella and Chili

Tear 3 5 oz. balls of buffalo mozzarella into quarters, then top each of your hot crostini with one of the quarters. Deseed and finely chop a fresh red chili and sprinkle this over the mozzarella. Add a little seasoning and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Lovely with a little fresh basil torn over it.

My New Cooking Magazine

Ever since I graduated from college I have been receiving Cooking Light magazine. I still love it as much as when I first started receiving it and even exposed my slight obsession with it earlier this year here. The over a year ago I started reading Fine Cooking whenever my Mother-In-Law had one lying around Mentone or the beach. I really liked it and for Christmas of 2006 Cash gave me a subscription to it. I have now been receiving it for over a year now and think it is a fabulous magazine with great information and recipes. Well, that thoughtful little pup outdid himself this past Christmas and added to my cooking magazine collection by giving me a subscription to… drum roll please… Cooks' Illustrated! I was super excited the other week when my first issue arrived and then over the top excited when Russ showed me the Cooks' Illustrated podcasts the other night. With three cooking magazine subscriptions and all my cookbooks I have a feeling I’ll be hanging out in the kitchen a lot this year in order to try as many recipes as possible. I decided to go ahead and get a jump start tonight by trying two of the recipes out of my new Cooks' Illustrated!

There are several recipes in this issue of CI that have lengthy cooking times, so since it was Sunday and I could start it earlier than on a weeknight I had Russ pick one of these to try. He chose the French Chicken in a Pot. This is really a simple recipe and most of the cook time is inactive while the chicken cooks in the oven for well over an hour. To prepare the chicken you start by patting the chicken to get it dry and seasoning it. Then you heat the oil in the Dutch oven and add the chicken breast side down. You toss all the vegetables and herbs in around the chicken. Once it has browned on the one side then you flip it over to the other to brown it. Once both sides have browned you put the pot in the oven on the lowest rack and cook it for 80 to 110 minutes at 250. We checked the temperature of our chicken at 90 minutes and it was done in fact it could have cooked several minutes less. Once it is cooked we removed it from the pot and let it rest on a plate. You then drain the sauce into a bowl to eliminate the chunks of vegetables and the herbs. Then put the liquid back in the Dutch oven, add a little lemon juice, and let it reduce.

I decided to try the recipe for Roasted Broccoli as a side for the chicken tonight. I love roasted vegetables, but have never had roasted broccoli before. To roast the broccoli you heat the oven to 500 degrees and put the baking sheet in to get it hot. Then cut the broccoli crowns into thirds or quarters (depending on the size) and peel the outer layer of skin off of them. Toss the broccoli with the oil, salt, pepper, and sugar. Then put the broccoli on the hot baking sheet cut side down and roast for 9 to 11 minutes.

The chicken made the entire house smell wonderful while it was baking. It was really juicy and falling off the bone when we pulled it out of the oven. The flavor was very good, but not any more special than the other roasted chickens or beer can chickens we have done. All the whole chickens we have done have ended up with a tasty savory flavor, but all fairly similar. The meat was really moist, but we both felt like it could have been even more moist if I had baked it breast side down (apparently I need an anatomy lesson as I thought I had put it breast side down…) and if we had used the remote thermometer from the start to monitor the temperature because it could have cooked for less time. All in all it was delicious, moist, savory chicken! As for the broccoli, roasting it is my new favorite way to eat it. It was fantastic and the best broccoli I have ever eaten! We both ate every bite of broccoli on our plates. Roasting it gave it a great nutty yet sweet flavor and a light crispy texture to the flowers. This was so easy to do and was just delicious. I highly recommend you give roasting broccoli a try. Cooks' Illustrated gave a couple of other variations on roasting broccoli, with this being the classic / simple one, that look yummy too… so we may be having a lot of broccoli in the near future. Russ rates the chicken an 8 and the broccoli a 9.

French Chicken in a Pot, Cook’s Illustrated Jan / Feb 2008
Serves 4

1 whole roasting chicken (4 and ½ to 5 pounds), giblets removed and discarded, wings tucked under back
2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped medium (about ½ cup)
1 small celery stalk, chopped medium (about ¼ cup)
6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed
1 bay leaf
1 medium sprig of rosemary (optional) – I used it
½ to 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat chicken dray with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add chicken breast-side down; scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary (if using) around chicken. Cook until breast is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon inserted into cavity of bird, flip chicken breast-side up and cook until chicken and vegetables are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove Dutch oven from heat; place large sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast and 175 degrees in thickest part of thigh, 80 to 110 minutes.

Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil, and rest 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot through fine mesh strainer into fat separator, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids (you should have about ¾ cup juices). Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then pour into saucepan and set over low heat. Carve chicken, adding any accumulated juices to saucepan. Stir lemon juice into jus to taste. Serve chicken passing jus at table.

Roasted Broccoli, Cook’s Illustrated Jan / Feb 2008
Serves 4

Trim away the outer peel from the broccoli stalk, otherwise it will turn tough when cooked.

1 large head broccoli (about 1 and ¾ pounds)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon sugar
Ground black pepper
Lemon wedges for serving

Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place large rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cut broccoli at juncture of florets and stems; remove outer peel from stalk. Cut stalk into 2 to 3 inch lengths and each length into ½ inch thick pieces. Cut crowns into 4 wedges if 3 – 4 inches in diameter or 6 wedges if 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Place broccoli in a large bowl; drizzle with oil and toss well until evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt, sugar, and pepper to taste and toss to combine.

Working quickly, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Carefully transfer broccoli to baking sheet and spread into even layer, placing flat sides down. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until stalks are well browned and tender and florets are slightly browned, 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Turkey Dinner with the Siblings

Russ and I are truly blessed to have not only our parents, but also all of our siblings in town. Selfishly we hope this never changes and everyone stays within a ten minute drive of us, but realistically we know this may not last forever. For now we enjoy seeing them any chance we get. Ever since we moved in our house we have wanted to have all of our siblings and their significant others over for dinner. After over a year and a half in the house a turkey of all things is what finally gave us the push we needed to get our act together and just do it. A turkey in February might sound out of the ordinary, but we have actually had it since the end of November. One of the local grocery stores holds an annual event each November where you can get a free turkey. Every time during a certain time period where you spend over $50 you get a turkey feather and once you have collected four you get a free turkey. Two years ago I came up one turkey feather short, so this past year I made an effort to only shop at this store in order to collect all my feathers. Ever since we got the turkey we have talked about having our siblings over, but with the holidays things got busy and then in January we were in the mood to relax after the holidays… so finally in February we did it!

Tonight we had Jess, Scott, Will, Mary Margaret, Jason, Jane, Daniel, and Beau over for dinner. Since our dining room is not very large and our table seats six at the most we decided to eat in our den. It is probably the largest room in our house and I have been entertaining the thought of moving some furniture out of it and putting tables in for a dinner party for a while now. Thanks to some loaner tables, table clothes, and extra chairs from my parents that is exactly what we did. I really enjoyed having everyone in the same room at the same table to eat!

Now for the food! Russ comes from a turkey frying family and he does an excellent job frying turkeys. This time he wanted to try something new and smoke the turkey. He did some research online and came up with a great recipe. The turkey had an amazing smoky, savory flavor to it that I loved! It wasn’t as moist as the fried turkeys he has done before, but we think that if he brines it and works on his smoking technique that it would be more moist. I do love fried turkey, but the smokiness was wonderful… I think next time Russ may need to do one of each for a side by side taste test!

I handled the sides and did mashed potatoes, green beans, and a salad. I also made a lime curd tart for dessert. For the mashed potatoes I tried a new recipe that I found on the Pioneer Woman Cooks blog. I chose it because it you can make it ahead of time and then reheat it in the oven just before serving. Also, it has cream cheese in it which I found very intriguing. I actually test ran the addition of cream cheese in some mashed red potatoes earlier this week and loved the creamy texture and flavor it added! To make the mashed potatoes you peel 5 lbs of Russet potatoes, cut them into large chunks and boil them. Once they are cooked you drain them, add them back to the pot, and mash them. Then you add the butter, cream cheese, half and half, salt and pepper. Once this is mixed well and seasoned then you add it to a buttered baking dish.

For the green beans I used a recipe of Jane’s (Russ’ sister) that she got from the Fresh Market cookbook. You cook the green beans in boiling water. When they are cooked you drain them and add them back to the pot. Then add small cherry or grape tomatoes to them. Lastly toss them with balsamic dressing (balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little creole mustard).

The salad recipe came from a cookbook that Jess and Scott gave me a while ago that I have never used. Russ is scared of this cookbook and has even tried to hide it before… It is the Enchanted Broccoli Forest and Russ is scared because it is a vegetarian cookbook. To make the salad you peel and section 6 oranges and then combine them with the cinnamon and honey and set it aside. Then you slice the radishes and onions. Lastly you toast some chopped walnuts. When it is time to serve you toss the greens with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then you add all the other ingredients including part of the juice that is with the oranges.

For dessert I decided that I wanted something that was not too sweet or heavy since we were having a large meal. After flipping through several cookbooks I decided to make Ina Garten's Lime Curd Tart. To make the tart you mix the butter and sugar together. Once mixed you add the vanilla and finally the sifted flour and salt. The batter looked to dry and crumbly to me, so I added one egg to hold it all together. You then fold it into a disk and press it into the tart pan. The dough chills in the refrigerator until it is firm. Once firm you bake it covered and filled with beans for 20 minutes. You then remove the foil and beans and prick it with a fork and let it bake again for about 20 minutes. Set it aside to cool. To make the lime curd. You mix the sugar, lime zest and butter until combined. You are supposed to mix the zest and sugar in a food processor prior to this step, but I left it out by accident. Once it is all combined you add the eggs. You then pour the mixture into a saucepan until it reaches about 175 F and thickens. Ina says this should take about 10 minutes, but mine took about 30. Once it thickens pour it into the tart shell and let it cool.

Overall the sides were really good, however, I was a little disappointed that the mashed potatoes and green beans were not hotter when we served them. I failed to do a heat test before putting them out and regretted it later… The mashed potatoes were creamy, soft, and tasty. I think the cream cheese actually worked better with the red potatoes in my test run earlier this week though as they added a more distinctive flavor. I would definitely make these again when making a large dinner as the ability to make them ahead of time is very helpful and with the butter, half and half, and cream cheese you know they are good. They did reheat very well just not quite long enough. The green beans were very tasty. This is a simple, colorful, and flavorful dish. The contrasting color and texture of the green beans and tomatoes makes this a real winner. Their flavors work really well together and the dressing adds a great tangy zip to the dish. The salad was excellent! I happen to love salads that combine fruit, vegetables, and nuts. The combination of oranges, walnuts, red onions, and radishes did not disappoint and worked really well together not to mention being very colorful. I was a little concerned that there really isn’t a dressing to the salad, but when eating it you didn’t even notice or miss it. The olive oil, salt, and pepper along with a little of the juice added all the dressing the salad needed. What really made this fantastic to me though was the hint of cinnamon from the oranges – perfect! If this salad is any indication of what other tasty recipes are hidden in the Enchanted Broccoli Forest… then I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more out of this cookbook in the near future. Russ is still scared of it, but the salad did help him to start conquering this fear. The tart turned out fairly well. I felt like the tart shell browned a little more than I would have liked. Next time I'll check it earlier and cover it with foil if the edges are browning up to much. The tart shell had a great buttery flavor with good texture. The lime curd had a wonderful light flavor that was both sweet and tart. The recipe has you serve it at room temperature, but I think it would have been better to chill it and serve it chilled. The texture was firm, but at the same time a little runny. I think if it had been chilled it would have had better texture and would have been more refreshing. Overall I really liked it and think it would be a great summertime dessert. Russ rates the turkey a 9, the potatoes a 9, the green beans a 9, the salad a 9, and the lime curd tart a 8.

It was a truly enjoyable night with wonderful company! My only regret (besides the vegetables not being hotter...) was that we waited so long to finally have everyone over. I certainly see a Sibling Summer Party in our backyard with maybe some croquet or bocce and Russ grilling something yummy!

I also want to mention that Scott and Jess brought an appetizer. First, a big thanks to them for bringing it! Second, it is a recipe that I have reviewed on the blog before here and it is so tasty and such a crowd pleaser that I want to bring your attention to it again. It is simple to make with only five ingredients and the bowl was all but licked clean tonight – it is that tasty!

Last, but not least a big thanks to Mom who provided and arranged all the beautiful flowers!

Moroccan Orange-Walnut Salad, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest
Yield: 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients:
6 large oranges
1 Tbs. honey
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 lb. mixed salad greens – cleaned, dried, and chilled
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
10 radishes, thinly sliced
6 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

1. Peel and section the oranges, using a sharp paring knife or a serrated knife. To do this, first cut off the polar ends of the peel off the sides. With a gentle sawing motion, cut in one side of the membrane and out the other, releasing each orange section into a bowl. Squeeze all excess juice from the remaining membrane in to the bowl as well, and pick out the seeds, if necessary. Discard the membrane.
2. Drizzle honey and sprinkle cinnamon into the orange slices. Stir gently to mix, cover, and set aside until serving time.
3. Shortly before serving, toss the greens in a large bowl with the onions, radishes and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. To serve, bring the orange sections, the tossed greens, and the walnuts to the table in separate containers. Let each person assemble his or her own salad, by piling some greens on a plate, spooning over some oranges-au-jus, and sprinkling a few walnuts on top. (My Notes: I did not serve it this way due to limited table space, but I think if you have the space it is a nice way to do it.)

A Formal Dinner

Russ and I have been married for almost a year and a half now and we have yet to use our wedding china, silver, and crystal. I thought about cooking a nice meal for our anniversary and using it and I’ve joked to Russ that maybe I would pull it out sometime when we were having burgers and beer, but I still haven’t used it. I guess I always thought that something would come up where I would need to serve a dinner on fine china. The reality is that Russ and I are just not that formal and we don’t have situations that come up where wine needs to be served in crystal goblets and meat must be cut with a silver knife. So, I decided that I would make a reason to pull out the china plates, beautiful chargers, silver forks and knives, crystal goblets, and linen napkins - we invited my parents over for dinner. We have had them over before and used our regular everyday plates and glasses and they have always enjoyed it. While I know they would be happy even if we used paper plates I also know that there is not a single person that would appreciate my using all these beautiful things more than my Mother. So, tonight we are pulling out all our finest things and having a formal dinner… well kind of formal as I’m wearing jeans and Crocs and Russ is in jeans and tennis shoes.

For our formal dinner we decided to serve beef tenderloin, roasted asparagus and brussel sprouts, and mashed red potatoes. While Russ has lots of experience on the grill he has never cooked a whole beef tenderloin before and always wanted to give it a try. Tonight he marinated it in Mr. P’s for about an hour and then grilled it perfectly on The Egg. It was fantastic! The meat was juicy, tender, and flavorful. Russ rates it a 9.

The October issue of Fine Cooking had a section on brussel sprouts. I love brussel sprouts and Russ hates them. I have cooked them once before just for me, but since I know my Dad also loves them I put them on the menu for tonight. All the recipes in the section looked wonderful, but I decided on their To prepare the brussel sprouts you quarter them and then toss them with Dijon mustard, olive oil, and Worcestershire. The recipe also calls for Caraway seeds which I thought I had… but I don’t, so I left them out. These roast for about 20 minutes and then are topped with fresh bread crumbs that are toasted with a little bit of butter and chopped walnuts. They were very tasty and Dad loved them! The beef took a little longer than Russ expected, so the brussel sprouts got a little over done, but they were still very tasty. Russ ate a quarter of a brussel sprout, but he is going pass on rating them. I give them an 8.

For the asparagus we went with a Cookling Light recipe that we have made before and loved, Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter. It is super simple and usually a 10. You roast the asparagus with a little salt, pepper, and cooking spray. When you pull them out you drizzle them with melted butter that has soy sauce and balsamic vinegar mixed in it. Tonight the asparagus got a little overcooked and they turned out okay, so Russ gives them a 9. When they are not overcooked then these are very tasty and a 10.

Butternut Squash and Eggplant Night

When I first moved back to Birmingham I lived on the second floor of an apartment building near by. A sweet older woman lived alone beneath me I was lucky enough to have her take me under her wing. I would frequently come home from work to find a slice of her rum cake or a container of her homemade chicken salad on my doorstep with a note from her. I was still new to cooking and just starting to get into it, so I was always very excited to find anything from her kitchen outside my door. When I moved out the apartment I was sad to leave a wonderful neighbor. I also thought my days of food being dropped off at my door were over, however, I was wrong. It is not uncommon for me to come home now to a baked good or sack of fresh vegetables at our front door. Jess and I love to cook together and we also love to share our food with others especially each other. She will drop off a loaf of homemade banana bread at our house and I’ll drop some apple muffins off at hers. A big part of what I love about baking and cooking is sharing it with others and Jess is the same way. So, recently Jess and Scott dropped off the bounty of vegetables and I decided that this time instead of leaving food at her door that we should have them over for dinner.

I knew exactly what I wanted to have for dinner tonight. I love eggplant and Russ doesn’t particularly care for it. However, if it is mixed in with other things he likes he always ends up eating it… Knowing this and that Jess and Scott like eggplant I decided to try Ina Garten’s Roasted Eggplant Spread for an appetizer.

To make the spread you peel the eggplant and cut it into 1 inch pieces. You also cut the red onion and red bell peppers into 1 inch pieces. You then toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and minced garlic. These go in the oven to roast at 400F for about 45 minutes. Once they are done you let them cool slightly and the put them in the food processor with a little bit of tomato paste and pulse it about 3 or 4 times. Then you are done. Yes, it was that easy.

The spread had a wonderful roasted flavor and you could really taste both the eggplant and the red peppers. I served it with multi grain pita chips. It was delicious and Russ did eat it! Russ rates the dip a 8.

For dinner I knew I wanted to make the Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette I had seen over on Smitten Kitchen recently. As you probably know by now if you read my blog I love all things butternut squash and all things onions. So, this recipe was a must make for me and I knew that Jess and Scott would love it too!

I skimmed the recipe before getting started and realized I should have started it about an hour before, so be sure and read the recipe carefully on this one. You start by putting the flour and salt in one bowl and then cut the butter into cubes in another bowl. Both bowls then go in the freezer for 1 hour. This was the part I managed to not read before I started… Once it has been in the fridge for an hour you form a well in the flour and cut the butter into it. In a separate bowl you combine the sour cream, lemon juice, and ice water. This then is incorporated in batches into the flour / butter mixture. This becomes a sticky, yummy dough that you form into a ball. I was a little worried as my ball was a little more crumbly than I thought it might need to be. The ball is wrapped in plastic wrap and goes in the fridge to rest for 1 hour. While it is resting you roast the squash and carmalize the onions. Once the dough has rested you roll it out into a circle and place it on a baking sheet. You then combine the squash, onions, cheese, sage, and cayenne in a bowl. Take the squash mixture and place it in the middle of the circle of rolled out dough and then pull the sides up around it. This goes in the oven at 400 to bake for about 30 to 40 minutes.

The galette was well worth the wait! It was delicious! It was the perfect combination of butternut squash, onions, and pastry. The cheese and sage added the perfect accompanying flavors to the dish. This is certainly on the time consuming side, but it is well worth the effort and time. If you are taking a dish to Thanksgiving this year and looking for something a little different I would highly recommend this galette. Russ rates the galette a 9 and if it had meat I bet he would give it a 10.

Russ grilled steaks and asparagus to go with the galette. As always he did a wonderful job with them We enjoyed having Jess and Scott over and sharing some of our dishes with veggies from the bounty!

A Better Bachelor Night for Us

Tonight is Bachelor Night and since Russ and I have not had great results with our food the last couple times the pressure is on... Emily and Dowe are hosting and serving steaks, so Russ and I are in charge of the sides. Since the apple bar disaster I have been thinking about what kind of sides we could do. We still have some of the apples from the orchard and I love including fruit in salads, so I knew that I wanted to do a salad with apples for tonight. However, I wasn’t sure what else… until I stopped by my sweet sister’s house to pick up some goodies she got us from the farmer’s market this weekend. I was super excited to get a bunch of zucchini, butternut squash, eggplant, tomatoes, pattypan squash (a new to me veggie!), and onions! Russ is still learning to love zucchini, so I decided to do it for tonight so that Russ can eat just a little bit of it and hopefully the others will love the rest of it with me. Since I know he doesn’t love zucchini I decided to do mashed red potatoes too.

Since I have been eyeing apple recipes for a while now I decided to go back to the September CL and make the Spinach-Apple Salad with Maple-Bacon Vinaigrette. Russ' Mom invited his sisters and me to meet for a pedicure after work, so I called Russ to tell him that was in charge of getting our food started. He was a little nervous, but up for the challenge. I told him to start with the salad dressing, but he started with a beer and then the dressing. I called on my way home and Russ said he finished the dressing and it was really thick. Ends up he left out the olive oil, but once added the dressing was perfect. He did really well with it and I have cute painted toes!

For the salad dressing you start by combining the mustard, maple syrup, and red wine vinegar. Next you mix the olive oil in while whisking it. Last you add the chopped chives and bacon (or turkey bacon). For the salad you combine sliced red onion and apple slices to fresh spinach. We waited to dress it until we served it.

The salad was really good. I loved the mix of apples, red onion and spinach and the dressing had a wonderful sweet, tangy flavor. We did end up doubling the liquid portions of the salad dressing and next time I think we’ll just double the whole thing. It really needed all of it and would have been a little dry if we hadn’t added to it. Russ rates the salad a 9.

For the zucchini I decided to try a recipe of Ina Garten’s for Zucchini with Parmesan. You start by sautéing chopped onion in olive oil. You then add the zucchini and sprinkle it with a little salt and pepper. At the very last you add grated parmesan cheese to the zucchini and then serve.

The zucchini was delicious! Russ even ate a few pieces. The only problem was that I didn’t head her warning about overloading the pan with the zucchini, so it ended up steaming more than sautéing it. Even though it steamed a little bit I think it still turned out tasty. I’ll definitely repeat this and next time keep the batches smaller and get it to sauté instead of steam. Russ rates the zucchini a 8. I think the zucchini is growing on him...

I also made mashed potatoes with small red potatoes and added a little sour cream, buttermilk, butter, salt and pepper to them. Emily and Dowe grilled beautiful steaks that were very tasty! Seth and Elizabeth each brought their own appetizer tonight. Elizabeth brought a bruschetta with sliced baguette that is brushed with garlic and olive oil and topped with fresh tomatoes and feta. Seth made the classic ants on a log (which were apparently exhausting to make). Both were yummy! Russ and I feel some relief now as everyone seemed to enjoy our sides. We'll still have some pressure next time we host after the not so great shish kebabs, but overall this was our best Bachelor performance on the food side this season. As always it was a fun night and a very entertaining episode!

Russ and I still have lots of yummy vegetables left from Jess and Scott’s farmer’s market run. I am excited to find some new recipes to try with them! Right now I torn between two totally different recipes for the butternut squash, I have one idea for the eggplant so far, and I am still perplexed on what to do with the pattypan squash. So, I’ll be doing some major recipe searching and decision making over the next few days.

Early Fall Weekend in Mentone

This weekend Russ, Cash, and I went up to Mentone with Sumner and John. We had a very fun relaxing time! While the boys watched the football games Sumner and I had fun cooking and catching up. For dinner we decided to grill out steaks and serve them with a spinach salad and mushroom risotto.

The spinach salad is a new recipe that Jane made up at the beach over Labor Day. Russ and I really liked it and I have wanted to try it ever since. I decided to make the dressing, candied walnuts, and cook the bacon prior to heading up to Mentone. To make the walnuts you whisk an egg white and then add a little water to it. The walnuts get mixed in the egg white mixture and then get coated in a sugar mixture. The sugar mixture has granulated sugar, brown sugar, a pinch of cayenne, cinnamon, and salt. They then bake at 300 F for 15 minutes. Then you stir them around and let them continue baking for about 15 minutes more. Once cooled then put them in an airtight container. To make the dressing you whisk the mustard with the vinegar and then slowly add the oil whisking as you add it. Lastly you whisk the reserved bacon fat in and season it with salt and pepper to taste. Russ cooked the bacon (we used turkey bacon) for me and then crumbled it. Once in Mentone Sumner and I seasoned the tomatoes and broiled them. We then added part of the bacon and dressing to the spinach and then layered the tomatoes, walnuts, and rest of the bacon on top. I brought basil up with us, but forgot to include it in the spinach mixture. Neither Sumner nor I felt like we missed out on anything by not including it.

This is a great spinach salad that is worth the extra effort to make it. It is wonderful mixture of textures and flavors. You could easily serve this as a main course and serve it with grilled sliced steak or chicken on top. Russ rates the salad a 9.

I have made Giada’s mushroom risotto before and while we liked it I wanted to try a different recipe this time. I found Tyler Florence’s recipe for Mushroom Risotto online that looked like a tasty one to try. To make the risotto you sauté the garlic and part of the onion in one pot and then sauté the rest of the onion in a sauté pan. To the sauté pan you will add the herbs and mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are cooked. To the pot you will add the rice and let it become opaque before adding the white wine. Risotto is a slow cooking process (which I love doing when I have the time) where you add warm broth (chicken broth here) to the risotto as it slow cooks and absorbs the liquid. You continue adding the broth ladle by ladle until the rice is fully cooked and not crunchy. Then you add the mushroom mixture to the rice and mix them all together. Lastly you mix in the grated parmesan cheese.

This was a wonderful hearty mushroom risotto that really let the mushrooms and herbs take center stage. I like the overall flavor better than Giada’s and think that this recipe may be my go to recipe for mushroom risotto. It also worked well with the steaks and salad. Russ rates the risotto a 9.

Spinach and Basil Salad with Tomatoes, Candied Walnuts and Warm Bacon Dressing
Fine Cooking Fresh, Fall 2007

Serves four.

½ lb. baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
6 slices bacon
2 Tbs. white-wine vinegar
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/3 cup plus 2 tsp. olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, washed and dried
1 and ½ dried herbes de Provence
½ tsp. dehydrated minced or granulated garlic
Candied Walnuts (see recipe below)

In a large salad bowl, toss the spinach and the basil.

Cut each slice of bacon into thirds. Cook in a medium skillet over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp; drain on paper towels. Reserve 1 Tbs. of the bacon fat. Crumble the bacon into pieces.

In a medium metal bowl, whisk the vinegar with the mustard. Slowly whisk in 1/3 cup of the oil and then whisk in the 1 Tbs. bacon fat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside in a warm place.

Position an oven rack as close as possible to the broiler element. Put a heavy duty rimmed baking sheet on the rack and heat the broiler to high. Toss the tomatoes with the remaining 2 tsp. olive oil, the herbes de Provence, dehydrated garlic, and ½ tsp of salt. Pour the tomatoes onto the hot pan and broil, stirring occasionally, until the skins are cracked and blistered and the flesh is warmed through, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the broiler. Transfer the tomatoes with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the salad dressing. Stir to coat and mix the seasonings into the dressing. Put the bowl in the oven to keep warm until ready to serve.

Just before serving, transfer the tomatoes from the dressing into another bowl with a slotted spoon. Whisk the dressing to recombine. Add half the bacon to the greens. Drizzle with 3 Tbs. of the dressing and toss lightly to coat. Add more dressing only if needed; don’t overdress the salad. Mound the greens on four salad plates. Garnish with the tomatoes, the remaining bacon, and some of the candied walnuts (you’ll have leftovers for snacking). Serve immediately.

Candied Walnuts
Yields about 3 cups.

1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 and ½ Tbs. brown sugar
½ tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch cayenne
1 large egg white, at room temperature
½ lb. walnut halves

Heat the oven to 300 F. In a small bowl, mix both sugars with the salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. In a large bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy; whisk in 1 Tbs. water until combined. Add the walnuts and stir to coat. Sprinkle on the sugar mixture and stir to distribute evenly.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with a non-stick baking mat or parchment. Spread the sugared nuts in a single layer on the sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stir the nuts, and continue baking until the nuts smell toasted and the sugar coating is caramelized, about another 15 minutes.

Let the nuts cool on the pan, separating them as they cool. When completely cool, transfer them to an airtight container. They’ll keep for two weeks.

Firey Salmon...

Well, tonight’s dinner turned out to be a little more exciting than I thought it would be. While we have had several kitchen mishaps before including one that where I ended up with stitches and one where the inside of the microwave changed colors permanently and I have set the smoke alarm off on many occasions, however… tonight was our first kitchen fire.

So, we haven’t had fish in a while, so I decided to try an old CL recipe for Bourbon Glazed Salmon. For the salmon you make a marinade of brown sugar, crushed garlic, soy sauce, ginger, and bourbon. The recipe calls to have it marinate for 30 minutes, however, I think it would have been better to let it marinate longer. You then broil the fish for 11 minutes. This is exactly what I did, but I think I had the rack in the oven too close to the boiler because the marinade that had run off the fish caught fire in the last minutes of its cooking. I panicked and opened the oven door only to confirm that the orange I was seeing through the door was in fact flames. Still panicking I ran to get Russ who was outside to help put the fire out. He pulled the baking sheet out and blew out the fire that had by this point mostly put its self out. The fish turned out a little crusty on the top from the flambé, but was still very edible and good. Russ rates the salmon a 7 and I definitely think if I make it again and don’t flambé it that it will get an even higher rating!

My Mom gave us some fresh okra and black eye peas earlier this week that I wanted to have with the salmon tonight. The black eye peas I just cooked on the stove with water, onion, thyme, salt and pepper. The okra I decided to try something a little different and have Russ grill them. There is a restaurant that we like that does okra this way and it is really flavorful. I put them on wooden skewers with four to a skewer and sprinkled them with salt and pepper. Russ grilled them for a couple minutes on each side. Next time I think I’ll have him grill them a little longer as they were not as tender as they probably needed to be, but they were still really tasty and a fun new way to serve okra.

Needless to say cooking is certainly an adventure for Russ and me and tonight was no exception. Let’s just hope that the next time I flambé a dish it will be intentional…

Back in the Kitchen Again

After being away from the kitchen for most of this month I started to make up for it this weekend cooking on Friday night and then spending a lot of today in the kitchen too. When I talked to Jess earlier this week she was telling me about Scott and her menu for a brunch they were hosting on Sunday (today). She already had several great menu items, but she wanted a veggie to round it out. I offered to take on the veggie because I have wanted to try Ina Garten’s Spinach Pie for a while now. In addition to the Spinach Pie I wanted to make the first pot of chili for the season. Russ seemed to think I was jumping the gun since it is still warm out, but it is technically Fall now… Lastly I started a baking project that is for tomorrow night’s Bachelor. That’s right a new season starts tomorrow night and Emily, Dowe, Elizabeth, Seth, Russ and I are back to our Bachelor Nights! I am in charge of the appetizer and dessert, but you’ll have to wait until later for the rest of the details!

First up is the Spinach Pie. Ina describes the inside as all the yummy tastes and flavors that you find in spanakopita, but with more of it. You start by sautéing chopped yellow onion in olive oil. Once it is done you mix in the salt and pepper and set it aside to cool. You then drain the defrosted spinach and put it in a bowl. Then add the onions, egg, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, feta, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, and pine nuts to the spinach and carefully mix it all together. You then butter the pan and place the phyllo in it brushing each layer with melted butter. Then put the spinach mixture into the phyllo covered pan and fold the phyllo over. I needed to add more phyllo to cover the top of the mixture. Then brush the top with melted butter and bake for 1 hour at 375F.

This turned out really yummy! I only have a picture of the outside since I took it over to Jess and Scott’s for their brunch where it received good reviews. It has the wonderful flavor similar to spanakopita only more complex. It is served at room temperature, so it would be great to make for company since you could make it earlier and let it slowly cool while you finish the rest of the meal. This will definitely be repeated! Jess rates it a 9. (A quick thank you to Jess for standing in as the blog rater for this dish. Russ only had one bite and it was too early in the morning for spinach for him, so he passed on rating it.)

Once I delivered the Spinach Pie I came home to start the chili. The last couple times I have made chili I have used an old CL recipe for All-American Chili. While I am not sure it will be my forever recipe I do really like the flavor and texture. Until I find a recipe that catches my eye more than this one it is my go to recipe for chili.

You start by sautéing the turkey sausage (casing removed), ground beef, onions, green pepper, garlic, and jalapeno (from our garden). Once the meat is cooked and the veggies are tender then you add chili powder, brown sugar, tomato paste, cumin, bay leaves, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix the seasonings in and let them cook for about a minute. Then add the wine, tomatoes (I use 1 [28 oz] can of crushed tomatoes and 1 [28 oz] can of diced tomatoes), and the beans (which I drained and rinsed first). Bring this to a boil and then down to a simmer for at least one hour. Check it for seasoning as it may need a little more salt and pepper (especially if you use the no salt added tomatoes). Like any chili it is always better the next day. I served the chili with corn bread and toppings (sour cream, shredded cheese, diced onion, oyster crackers etc.).

This is exactly what its name says All-American Chili. It is a good solid recipe that we have enjoyed for a couple seasons now. Russ rates the chili a 8.

Spinach Pie, by Ina Garten

(Serves 6 – 8)

3 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
3 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
6 extra-large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons dry plain breadcrumbs
1/2 lb feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup pine nuts (pignoli)
1/4 lb salted butter, melted
6 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted

Preheat the over to 375 degrees.

In a medium sauté pan on medium heat, sauté the onions with the olive oil until translucent and slightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the salt and pepper and allow to cool slightly. Squeeze out and discard as much of the liquid from the spinach as possible. Put the spinach into a bowl and then gently mix in the onions, egg, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, feta and pignoli.

Butter an ovenproof, non-stick, 8-inch sauté pan and line it with 6 stacked sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with melted butter and letting the edges hang over the pan. Pour the spinach mixture into the middle of the phyllo and neatly fold the edges up and over the top to seal in the filling. Brush the top well with melted butter.

Bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and the filling is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

Meat and Veggies

Russ and I wanted to take advantage of the nice weather and our new patio and cook out tonight. For some reason we have several cans of beer in the fridge right now, so we decided to do Beer Can Chicken. Earlier today I had been thumbing through several of my cookbooks and landed on an asparagus recipe of Ina Garton’s that we have not tried before that looked simple and tasty. It is for Parmesan Roasted Asparagus. Russ requested black eye peas, so that with sliced fresh strawberries rounded out our meal.

For the Beer Can Chicken (also known as Drunk Chicken) Russ rubbed some of his latest spice mixture that he used with his ribs on the outside and under the skin. He then stuck several rosemary sprigs in the beer and put it on the Egg for about two hours. I know I have mentioned before how much we like cooking with whole chickens and this is another great way to use one. You can pretty much do whatever you like to the chicken as far as seasoning it. We have used salt, pepper and the beer before and it turns out flavorful and moist. I would recommend being liberal with your seasoning on and under the skin. With Russ’ spice blend we both agreed that next time it would be better to let it hang out for a couple hours with the spices on it to absorb more of the flavor. The chicken turned out very moist and tasty tonight.

We both love asparagus and despite having several recipes we love for it I am always up for a new one. This recipe is not that different from ones we have tried before, however, we have not used Parmesan cheese on it before. Thinking back on it now I am not quite sure why we haven’t because the saltiness of the Parmesan worked really well with the asparagus. For this recipe you put the asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper. They then roast in a 400 F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. When you pull them out you sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over them and pop them back in the oven for another minute. The result was delicious. Russ rates the asparagus a 9.

Our kitchen has been pretty dormant this month and this week is unfortunately not going to break that trend. I am busy every night after work this week, so there won’t be much action in our kitchen for the next few days. Russ has offered to cook one night this week (as he did last week – which was yummy!), so I am looking forward to seeing and tasting what he makes.

(Cash is hanging out in the Bobcat that did some of the work on our backyard.)

Dinner with a Lemon Twist

Ken, a long time friend of my family, has recently taken an interest in cooking and baking. He called the other day and wanted to bring a new dessert by to share with Russ and me one night. We checked calendars and decided tonight would be perfect and that he should come in time to eat dinner with us too. So, then came the decision of what to make for dinner. I flipped through several cookbooks and with Russ’ help I decided to go with a lemon theme and make Ina Garten’s Chicken Piccata served Giada's Broccoli Florets with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil. Since neither the chicken nor the broccoli are very time consuming I decided to go ahead and have an appetizer of Late Summer Tomato Bruschetta (Michael Chiarello).

I made a few changes to the bruschetta recipe to make it a little easier and to try a few different variations of it. To make the bruschetta you slice the bread (I used a baguette instead of a country loaf). I then put the bread on a baking sheet under the broiler for just a few minutes on each side to get it toasty. While the bread is toasting then you chop the tomatoes and basil and mix them together with a little salt and pepper. Here is where I added some variation by adding a little balsamic vinegar to part of the tomato mixture. When you pull the bread out you rub it with the pieces of garlic. I then topped some of the pieces of bread with thin slices of fresh mozzarella and then topped all of the pieces of bread with the tomato mixture.

The bruschetta was very easy to put together and very tasty. We liked the addition of the balsamic vinegar and fresh mozzarella to it. Next time I might try cutting the mozzarella into small cubes and mixing it with the tomato mixture. The only thing we didn't like was the strong garlic flavor. I rubbed both sides of the bread with garlic and the bottom side had too strong of a garlic taste to it. The garlic rubbed on the top side works well with the tomato mixture, but the bottom side was overkill. Russ rates the bruschetta a 7.

I have made chicken piccata before, however, I have never made Ina's chicken piccata before tonight. The main difference I see in her dish is that she finishes her chicken off by baking it and simply pours the sauce over it instead of finishing the chicken cooking in the sauce. To make her chicken piccata you pound the chicken out to about 1/4 inch thickness. The chicken pieces are then dipped in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and finally the bread crumbs. Once coated the chicken goes into the pan with olive oil and sautes for 2 minutes on each side. After the chicken is browned on both sides you put it in the oven to finish baking it. Meanwhile you make the sauce of lemon juice, butter, white wine, salt, and pepper. You bring it to a boil and then reduce it by half. I served the chicken over a bed of angel hair pasta with the sauce poured on top. You top the chicken with parsley and a lemon wedge.

We all really liked the lemon flavor and the texture with the breading on the chicken. The chicken was tender and moist. While it did take several dishes to bread the chicken the most time consuming part was simply pounding the chicken. This was a fairly simple dish that looks impressive and is very tasty. Russ rates the chicken a 9.

As a side I tried Giada's Broccoli Florets with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil. This was a very easy, but different take on steamed broccoli. You cut the broccoli into florets and then steam it. Once it is done then you toss it with the lemon olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. I used the lemon olive oil that Jess and Scott brought us back from Italy.

While the lemon flavor is fairly subtle I thought it complemented the broccoli well. I also really liked the change from using butter to olive oil with the broccoli. As long as I have lemon olive oil around I will continue to dress our broccoli with it. Russ rates the broccoli a 8.

Ken ended our meal on a very high note with a spectacular dessert called a Mixed Berry Pavlova. It is one of Ina's recipe and it was a wonderful summery dessert. The bottom layer is a light, fluffy meringue with the center still somewhat soft and creamy. The meringue is topped with homemade whipped cream. The whipped cream is then topped with fresh berries that are tossed in a raspberry sauce. All in all a beautiful and tasty dessert that is just sweet enough for a hot summer night.

Russ and I enjoyed having Ken over and tasting his sweet creation!

Chicken Piccata, Barefoot Contessa at Home
Serves 4

4 split (2 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 extra-large eggs
1 and 1/2 cups seasoned dried bread crumbs
good olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
1/2 cup dry white wine
sliced lemon, for serving
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper of plastic wrap and pound it out to 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper on a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the eggs and 1 tablespoon water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread-crumb mixture.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add 2 chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan while you cook the rest of the chicken. Heat more olive oil in the saute pan and cook the second chicken breasts. Place them on the same sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. On medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, white wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves. Serve one chicken breast on each plate, spoon on the sauce, and serve with sliced lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Broccoli Florets with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, Giada's Family Dinners
6 servings

1 and 1/2 pounds broccoli florets
3 tablespoons Meyer lemon olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fill a large pot with 2 inches of water. Set a steamer rack in the pot. Cover and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli and steam until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 7 minutes.

Transfer the broccoli florets to a large bowl and toss with the oil. Season the broccoli to taste with salt and pepper, and serve warm.

Note: As an alternative to the Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, use 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. If you have fresh mint, add some, finely chopped.