Maybe I do have a green thumb....

While I have cooked some recently, although not a whole lot, I have some exciting food related news to share! As I have mentioned before Russ and I are planning on having some work done on our backyard in the coming months and I have a spot already picked out for my herb and vegetable garden. Earlier this summer I decided that I didn’t want to wait on the yard to be complete to have a garden. So I used three large pots to plant herbs and vegetables. The herbs have done amazing and I have more jalapenos than I can handle, but my tomatoes and green peppers have been a little slower. A couple weeks ago my first tomatoes started turning red. I was ecstatic at first only to later be totally bummed when my new nemesis, the chipmunks, ate them! I was finally able to harvest three small, red tomatoes that the chipmunks hadn’t eaten earlier this week. We ate one on a salad the other night and used the other two on tacos last night. They were not only beautiful, but also very tasty!

This little success with my potted herbs and vegetables gives me a new found hope that despite the many plants that have died under my watch that maybe just maybe I inherited the family green thumb. My maternal grandparents both had green thumbs and had the most spectacular garden filled with flowers, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. My mother, like her parents, has a green thumb especially with flowers. I have been hoping that I inherited this green thumb too and after harvesting and eating my little tomatoes the other night I am thinking that maybe I do have a little bit of a green thumb after all.

My Baking Handicap Revealed

Tonight we ate pizza; however, it was not the pizza I had intended for us to eat. Ever since I started getting into baking I developed a nemesis in the form of yeast. It just doesn’t like to cooperate for me by activating and rising like it should. It likes to die on me which leaves me with a major baking handicap. I have had a few successful incidents with yeast with yeast which gave me enough of a false confidence to give it a try tonight. I had some fresh mozzarella in the fridge and tons of fresh basil in my garden, so I decided to make a Pizza Margherita like the one Russ and I have had at local Italian restaurant and love.

I originally picked a recipe out of my King Arthur Whole Grain cookbook for an Overnight Pizza Crust… but I never got around to making it the night before, so then I found two other recipes to try that didn’t have to sit overnight. The first recipe is from an old CL for Quick-and-Easy Pizza Crust and the recipe that Smitten Kitchen used for pizza dough. You might wonder why I decided to try two recipes…. Two reasons: 1. Russ and I have tried other recipes in the past and haven’t found one we love, so why not try two since they use basically the same ingredients and are easy to put together 2. It gives me more chances that the yeast will work in at least one of them. So, I put all the dry ingredients for each in their separate bowls (CL’s had bread flour, salt, sugar, yeast and SK’s had regular flour, salt, and yeast). You then add the lukewarm water and olive oil to each and form a ball. You then knead it and put it back in the bowl to let it rise. I did everything exactly as the recipe states… except I think my water was more than lukewarm. I let both balls of dough rest and waited on them to rise…. Only to come back later to find that neither had really risen much at all. At this point I was still hopeful that one would turn out, so I decided to go ahead and try to use the dough. So I rolled it out and started to pre-bake the dough. The toppings for a Margherita don’t need to be baked for very long, so I wanted to pre-bake the crust. Hang on for a second and I’ll come back to the dough.

The sauce…. I didn’t follow a recipe because I knew I wanted my sauce to taste like the one from the restaurant and I didn’t find a recipe that would yield that result. I wanted a fresh, simple, clean tasting sauce with flavor, but not spice to it. So, I minced three garlic cloves and sautéed them in a little olive oil. Then I added 1 can of petite diced tomatoes (14.5 oz) and 1 can of tomato sauce (8 oz). I let this simmer and added a little salt, pepper and dried Italian seasoning to it. It was just the taste and texture I was going for… it was perfect for a Pizza Margherita!

I sliced the fresh mozzarella and the basil. Once the crusts pre-baked for a little bit I pulled them out and added the sauce. I let this bake for a few minutes and then added the mozzarella and let it bake until it was just about to melt. I then took it out and added the basil to the top. It was beautiful and smelled wonderful… but I knew that the dough while cooked through was too doughy and light and little crisp as it should have been. So….we tasted it and the sauce was perfect and the mozzarella and basil were fresh and yummy and the crust was doughy at best. The yeast had died and the dough consequently was very dense and doughy. Russ offered to eat it for dinner because he is super sweet like that, but I had him go ahead order Papa John’s. This is not the first meal I have made where we ended up eating take out instead and I am sure it won’t be the last. It also won’t be the last time that I make homemade pizza dough. I’ll try it again and when I do I will test the water temperature with a thermometer before adding it to the dry ingredients and keep my fingers crossed.

Russ rates the sauce a 9 and the crusts a 4.

Hot Lunch for My Sweet Husband

Ever since Russ and I bought our house we started going home on most weekdays to eat lunch. We not only eat healthier, but also it is less expensive than eating out all the time. We could take our lunches to work, but this way we get to see each other and hang out with Cash for a little bit. Typically we just eat sandwiches, usually turkey, sometimes chicken salad. Sometimes we have leftovers or something, but more often than not it is a turkey sandwich. Last week Russ had one too many sandwiches and requested some variety this week for lunch. For the first couple days we had leftover Chinese food thanks to Russ’ parents, but I wanted to come up with something hot that I knew Russ would like. I decided on a CL recipe I have made once before for Sloppy Joes.

To make the Sloppy Joes you brown the ground beef with chopped onion and green pepper. Once the meat is cooked through you add tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, dried oregano, kosher salt, pepper, sugar and chile powder. You then let it simmer for about 20 minutes. I went ahead and made it last night and more than doubled the quantity in order to have some to share with family. Consequently I just eyeballed the seasonings, but if I remember correctly from last time I felt like it needed a little more salt and pepper than called for if you use the no salt added tomato sauce. I like to use no salt added sauce and then control the salt I add. This is one of those dishes where you need to taste it as it simmers to adjust the seasoning as needed. (Note: CL had this recipe as a party option for children, so the serving size is kid size not adult. Just something to keep in mind when planning.)

This is a quick and easy dish that is both hearty and yummy. I especially like the flavor and texture that the chopped onion and green pepper add. This is a great dish for our lunches for the rest of the week since it reheats well and the flavor only gets better after it has sat for a day. Like other meat sauces, such as spaghetti, this will freeze very well. While it is not a fancy dish it is a winner in our house and has saved Russ from turkey sandwiches... at least for this week! Russ rates the Sloppy Joes a 9.

(Nic, If you like Sloppy Joes this is a recipe you could definitely make.)

Summery Tacos

I love fruit in general, but some of my favorite fruits are summer fruits. I just can’t seem to get enough blueberries and peaches. They have shown up in several meals we have eaten recently and the peaches show up again tonight in the form of a relish. This is a dish that I have made once before that is quick, easy, and tasty! It is for Tilapia Tacos with Peach Relish from August 2006 CL.

You start by making the peach relish first. You combine the chopped peaches, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno (from our garden!), garlic, lime juice, salt, and ground red pepper. This gets mixed together and sits out on the counter for 30 minutes to let the flavors marry. While the relish is hanging out you prepare the fish. You cut the fish into 2 inch strips. Then you combine the panko, salt, and ground red pepper. I would definitely try to find panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) for these. I don’t think the flavor or texture of plain bread crumbs would work very well. The fish strips then get coated with the mixture and put on a baking sheet. They bake at 375F for 10 minutes and you turn them over once halfway through the cooking. Last you warm the tortillas. The recipe calls for corn tortillas, however, Russ much prefers flour tortillas to corn so we used flour. I think either one will work well with this dish, so pick which you prefer. You then build your tacos by adding the fish and relish to the tortillas. We served the tacos with fresh corn on the cob.

Russ loves tacos, but was unsure of fish tacos the first time we made them. When I mentioned that I might put them on the menu for this week he not only remembered them, but also was excited to have them again. This is a nice summer style of taco that is light and yummy. I really like the combination of sweet, ripe peaches and the kick of the jalapeno and red onion in the relish. It also comes together easily with little mess in the kitchen which is always a bonus! The fish with the relish have a nice light summer taste to them. Russ rates the tacos a 9.

A quick happy birthday to Jess!

Waffles... Just like Dad made...

Most of my cooking memories from growing up are from my Mom cooking dinner. However, some of my more special memories are of all the baking and cooking for the holidays and the occasional special treats we would make with my parents sometimes such as doughnuts, popcorn balls, gingerbread houses, Aunt Bill's Candy, peanut brittle, funnel cakes, and more. As I mentioned in my post from last weekend my Saturday cooking memory from growing up is of my Dad making waffles for three of us. I don't know the last time that I had Dad's waffles, but I remember watching Dad making them, how wonderful they tasted, and eating them half at a time so that they would stay hot. So, I was eager to give it a try this morning and let Russ experience my Dad's waffles for the first time.

To make Dad's waffles you mix together the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls and then combine them. The dry ingredients include flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. The wet ingredients are 1 egg (lightly whisked), milk, and vegetable oil. Once you combine the wet and dry separately you will want to stir them each separately and then combine. Dad said that he usually adds a little more flour once he combines them to get the consistency he likes. I did the same adding about 1/8 a cup more flour. You then heat your waffle iron, spray it with Pam, and cook your waffles.

The waffles turned out wonderful and tasted just like I remembered. Russ really liked them too and said he thought they were even better than last week's waffles. Dad's waffles are nothing fancy, but they are the perfect classic waffle. Russ and I ate them with a little butter and syrup. Russ rates the waffles a 10!

Now that Russ has tried my childhood Saturday breakfast I am wondering when he is going to make his Dad's Saturday morning pancakes for me.... Apparently music is the key ingredient to the pancakes, so I am anxious to give them a try.

Dad's Waffles
(Makes 2 to 3 waffles)

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 tablespoon sugar

Wet Ingredients:

1 egg, whisked
1 cup of milk (we used skim)
1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and stir just to mix them together. In a separate bowl add the egg and whisk it lightly, then add the milk and oil and stir to combine. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix them together. You may need to add about 1/8 of a cup more of flour in order to make sure the mixture is not too runny.

Heat your waffle iron and spray with Pam. Then add the batter and cook. Serve with butter and syrup.

Lots of Cooking and Baking Tonight

There are several ingredients out there that I see in lots of recipes and want to try using, but haven’t gotten around to trying them yet. One of these ingredients is won ton wrappers. I found a recipe that called for them in the June CL that I have wanted to try for a couple weeks now. You may think it is an Asian dish, but it is actually an Italian one. Won ton wrappers are frequently used as a short cut way (as opposed to making homemade pasta) for making raviolis. The recipe is for Mushroom Ravioli with Parmesan-Chive Sauce and since Scott (a non-mushroom eater) is out of town we decided to have Jess (a mushroom lover) over for dinner.

The recipe is fairly simple to make the different parts, but is time consuming and does dirty up a few dishes. To make the filling you cut the mushrooms up in the food processor by pulsing it a few times. Once they are chopped you sauté the shallots and add the mushrooms and a little salt and sauté for a few minutes. Once the filling is made you add about 2 teaspoons full of it to the center of each won ton. You then fold the won ton over and seal it using a little water to dampen the edges. You will want to keep a damp paper towel over the other won tons to keep them from drying out while they wait. Once you have formed all the raviolis they hang out on a cooking try with that has been sprinkled with a little cornstarch (keep them covered with a damp towel and stick them in the fridge if you are not going to boil them for a little bit). Go ahead and get a pot of water boiling for the pasta and then start on the sauce. For the cream sauce you whisk the milk and flour together over medium-low heat until it thickens (about 4 – 5 minutes). Then you remove it from the heat and add the chives, salt, pepper, and cheese. Once the pasta is cooked then you add them to the sauce and top with chives. I did increase the quantities on everything as this recipe comes from a section on cooking for two and since tonight’s dinner was for three I upped the amounts.

We thought the raviolis were good, however, they took a lot longer than I anticipated to make. In fact we put Jess to work to help fill the raviolis when she got to our house. Aren’t we great hosts... lucky for us she is a great big sister and likes to cook! Russ’ Dad had brought us some fresh shrimp back from the beach, so Russ grilled them up and we had the shrimp along with some yummy contributions Jess brought as an appetizer. This worked out really well since dinner was a late one tonight. The cream sauce worked well with the raviolis, however, I still think there could have been flavor to the dish. I think the mushroom filling could have used some red wine and more seasoning (I used a little more salt than called for and added pepper) to enhance the flavor. The won ton wrappers were a lot easier than making homemade pasta I think homemade pasta for raviolis is better as far as taste and texture (if only my homemade pasta turned out better….). I will most likely not make this recipe again mainly because of how time consuming it was, however, I love the combination of mushrooms, cream sauce, pasta, and chives and will certainly look for more recipes like this in the future. Russ rates the raviolis a 7.

I must also point out that Russ thinks I am trying to kill him when I make vegetarian meals. The last few times I have planned on making a vegetarian meal something comes up and we end up eating out that night or like tonight conveniently meat shows up at the last minute (in the form of fresh shrimp tonight)…. Hmmmm….

For the side I tried one of Ina Garten’s recipes for Green Beans with Shallots. This recipe struck my eye since I knew I would have leftover shallots from the pasta. You blanch the green beans for a couple minutes in boiling, salted water and then dump them in an ice bath (which stops the cooking and keeps the pretty green color). Then sauté the shallots in a little oil and butter for a couple minutes. Last add the green beans, salt, and pepper and sauté until the green beans are heated through. (Please note: The recipe for the green beans will be posted shortly.)

We liked the flavor of the green beans with shallots. I let them boil a little too long (my hands were busy at the 3 minute mark, so they boiled a little longer) and I think they would have been better if I had cooked them a little less. I liked the flavor combination of the shallots and green beans. I don’t think this is the ultimate green bean recipe, but I certainly may make it again as it was tasty. Russ rates the green beans a 8.

I have been in the mood to make a fruit cobbler recently, but can’t seem to justify making a big dessert for just Russ and me. So, since Jess was coming over I decided to go for it. There are so many recipes out there that I didn’t know which to pick and ended up deciding on trying Fine Cooking’s that is on the cover of their June / July 2007 issue. I like how their instructions give you options on some of the flavorings. The topping is a little different than I am used to as it almost looks like sweet biscuits that top it and don’t cover the entire top. For my cobbler, I decided to go with peaches and blueberries.

To form the dough you use a food processor and add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and pulse to blend. Then you add the butter and pulse until they are the size of small peas. You then hand blend the sour cream and any flavorings you want (I used cinnamon). You form the dough into a log and split it into 10 pieces and put it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it.

For the fruit you put it in a bowl after slicing it appropriately (depending on the fruit you use) and add the sugar, flour, salt, and any flavorings. I used vanilla extract and lemon zest in mine.

You then dump all the fruit in a bowl and top it with the dough pieces. This bakes for 50 to 60 minutes at 350F. I put the fruit in first and then added the biscuit pieces a little later as I wanted them to brown, but not get too hard. Once it is cooked then you let it sit for about 20 minutes before serving. We served it with vanilla ice cream, of course!

The cobbler was yummy and to be fair to the raviolis I must confess that a significant part of why dinner was a late one was because I took on making a full meal and a dessert on a weeknight. Russ had warned it would be too much to do for one night and while he was probably right… I was set on making a cobbler and Russ was looking forward to eating it. The cobbler was fairly simple to make and I feel like if I make this recipe again then it would come together even faster the next time around. The biscuit topping was yummy and was sweet, but not too sweet. I really liked the sour cream in it. The fruit was wonderful, but how could you go wrong with fresh, ripe Chilton County peaches from the farmer’s market and blueberries we picked with Russ grandparents last summer in Mentone. The ice cream was the perfect accompaniment to the dish as it added a creamy, sweet flavor. I will certainly make another cobbler, but while we really liked this recipe I imagine I’ll keep trying new recipes until I find one we like even better. Russ rates the cobbler a 9.

Fruit Cobbler, Fine Cooking June / July 2007

Sour Cream Cobbler Dough
Yields enough topping for one cobbler.

7 ½ oz. (1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar or packed light brown sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
¼ tsp. table salt
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
Up to two dough flavorings (optional)
¾ cup sour cream, chilled

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse briefly to blend the ingredients, about 10 seconds. Add the butter pieces and pulse until they are the size of small peas, 5 to 7 one-second pulses.

Dump the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add any dough flavorings (see list below), if using, and stir until evenly dispersed. Add the sour cream. Using a rubber spatula, gently smear the ingredients together until the flour is evenly moistened and the dough begins to form large, soft, moist clumps. Bring the dough together into an 8 inch long log. Divide the log into 10 roughly equal round pieces. Refrigerate the pieces while preparing the fruit.

Dough flavorings (choose 1 or 2 – optional):
Finely grated lemon zest: ½ tsp.
Finely grated orange zest: ¾ tsp
Finely ground cornmeal: ¼ cup (1 ¼ oz)
Ground cinnamon: ¾ tsp
Toasted almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, or hazelnuts: ½ cup, chopped

Prepare the fruit filling:

Put the fruit in a large bowl. Toss with ½ to ¾ cup granulated sugar (use less for very ripe, sweet fruit and more for fruit that’s not perfectly ripe and sweet), 1 Tbs. all purpose flour (if you cobbler has any berries in it, use 2 Tbs.), and a pinch of table salt.

If you want to add optional filling flavorings, choose 1 or 2 from the list below and gently toss them with the fruit now, making sure to mix them in evenly.

Fruit (choose up to 3, for a total of 8 cups. All fruit should be ripe, well rinsed, and drained.): Apricots (cut into 1 inch thick wedges), Blackberries, Blueberries, Peaches or nectarines (cut into 1 inch thick wedges), Plums or pluots (cut into 1 inch thick wedges), Raspberries, Strawberries, hulled (if small leave whole; if medium cut in half; if large cut into quarters)

Filling Flavorings (choose 1 or 2 – optional):
Finely grated lemon zest: 1 ¼ tsp.
Finely grated orange zest: 1 tsp.
Ground cinnamon: ½ tsp.
Ground nutmeg: ¼ tsp.
Minced fresh ginger: 2 tsp
Pure almond extract: ¼ tsp.
Pure vanilla extract: 1 tsp.

Assemble the cobbler:
Pile the fruit into the baking dish, scraping any remaining juices or sugar from the bowl, and spread evenly. Remove the pieces of dough from the refrigerator and arrange them randomly on top of the filling, leaving spaces between the pieces. Don’t be tempted to flatten the dough – the large pieces are important for proper and even baking of the filling and topping. If desired, sprinkle a little sugar evenly over the cobbler.

Bake the cobbler:

Bake (at 350F) until the filling is bubbling and the topping is browned, 50 to 60 minutes. Let sit about 20 minutes to allow the juices to settle. You can serve this cobbler hot or warm (it will stay warm at room temperature for 1 to 1 ½ hours). Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if you like.

Baking for my Boys

Russ and I were pretty excited to have no plans for today, so we could just relax and hang out. I decided to do some baking too. The other day I bought a waffle maker, so I decided to try it this morning. Later in the afternoon I decided to make special treat for my constant kitchen companion, Cash.

Growing up my Dad would frequently make waffles for us on Saturday mornings. It was one of his specialties. He always made thin waffles and not the thicker Belgium style waffles. So, when I went to purchase a waffle maker I wanted one that was for thin waffles. Out of all the waffle makers there only one was for thin waffles, so I took it. I had planned on getting Dad's recipe and making his waffles, but I forgot to ask him for it so I looked for another recipe. I found an older CL recipe for Chocolate Chip Waffles. I had all the ingredients on hand, so I decided to go for it.

The recipe is fairly simple although I did end up using three different mixing bowls to make it. (In hindsight I realized if I had planned better I could have reused one bowl and only made a mess of two.) You mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl - egg yolk, milk, vanilla, and melted butter. In another bowl you mix the dry ingredients together - flour, salt, and baking powder. You then mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Then you mix with a mixer the egg white and sugar until stiff peaks form. This is gently folded into the batter. Lastly you fold the chocolate chips in and the batter is done. They cook on the waffle maker according to the manufacturer's directions. We served ours with a little butter and syrup.

Russ and I both really enjoyed the waffles. They were sweet and tasty and you definitely would not know they were lighter. Russ said that they reminded him of Eggo waffles. While for some this may be a little insulting, knowing Russ this is a big compliment! We both enjoyed them and Russ rates them a 9. Next time I make waffles I hope to try out Dad's recipe for Russ.

Just recently I found two different sizes of dog treat cookie cutters. So, this afternoon I decided to try something I have never done before and make homemade dog treats. Cash is my loyal companion in the kitchen when I cook and bake and I have yet to make anything for him. I looked online to find a recipe and there are tons of different ones out there. I narrowed it down to the treats flavored with peanut butter since I know Cash loves it. I found a fairly simple recipe for Peanut Butter Dog Treats.

To make the treats you mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl - water, oil, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla. Then you mix the dry ingredients together in another bowl - flour (I used whole wheat), cornmeal, and oats. You then mix the two together and roll it out on a floured surface and cut the cookies out. The cookies bake at 400F for 20 minutes and then you turn the oven off and leave them in there for about 2 hours until they are hard. When I went to roll mine out the dough was way too sticky, so I added more flour (about 1 cup more). Next time I'll increase the flour in the dry ingredients. I also found it very important to roll it out on a well floured surface. I felt like it needed more flour than I typically use when rolling out cookies.

Cash sampled two treats last night and they received two paws up! The recipe yielded about 40 cookies which will last for a little while in an airtight container, but Cash wanted to share some. He will be passing some of the treats to his cousin, Hugo, tomorrow. (Edited to add: Wagg and Bernie's Moms stopped by on Sunday, so each were sent home with some treats for their pup!)

On a totally non-food related note a big congratulations to Julie, Brian, and big sister Emily on the birth of Drew!

Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits
adapted from Bullwinkle.com

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons peanut butter (I used creamy)
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour (the original recipe called for 2 cups, but it needed at least 1 cup more, I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup oats

Blend wet ingredients together. Whisk dry ingredients together and mix into wet mixture to form a ball of dough. Roll out (on a floured surface) and shape. Put onto a non-stick cookie try or lightly greased one. Cook 20 minutes at 400F. Turn off oven and allow the biscuits to cool in the oven until crisp and hard. Store in an airtight container.