Favorite Part Of The Day
3 days ago
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
29 March 2011
Y'all want a great summer sandwich recipe? Ryan and I have been making this bad boy for years (I originally found the recipe in one of my Barefoot Contessa cookbooks - because really, you can't go wrong with the Contessa!), and it's always a hit to serve for company (just ask Keight!)
And so, I give you, a Caesar salad on a bun (think of the bread as the croutons!):
The Caesar Club Sandwich
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts (bone-in or boneless)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
1 large ciabatta loaf (you can pick up a fresh loaf at Panera for $2.50)
2 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil (I sometimes skip these, but Ryan likes them!)
2 to 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved
Caesar salad dressing
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts in a glass baking dish skin side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.
Meanwhile, place the pancetta on a sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.
Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on both cut sides and toast the bread in the oven, cut sides up, for 5 to 7 minutes; cool slightly. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing. Place half the arugula on the bottom piece of bread and then layer in order: the sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, crispy pancetta, and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another layer of arugula. Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut in quarters crosswise. Serve at room temperature with lemonade or sweet tea and some good baked rosemary potato fries.
My friend Jen and her family are planning a visit this weekend and I'm thinking of busting out my favorite sammie for her and her crew. Yum!
30 December 2010
On Tuesday I posted photos from our family's Christmas Day festivities at my sister's house and one of y'all asked if I would share the recipe for the blue cheese spread I had pictured with the three colors of pears.
Well, I just so happen to have a spare second (our sickie little guy is asleep on the sofa after a long day of fever, pediatrician's office and chest x-rays) and am more than happy to share this yummy recipe!
Blue Cheese Spread
Serves 10 to 12
(found years ago in a Williams-Somoma Thanksgiving recipe booklet and adopted by our family as a go-to appetizer when we're hosting guests.)
Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3T heavy cream (no one promised this would be healthy!)
6 oz. artisanal blue cheese
1/2t freshly ground pepper
1/2 C plus 3t chopped toasted pecans (or 1/4C pecans & 1/4C craisins, or neither - just whatever you like)
Pear slices for serving
1 baugette, sliced, drizzled with olive oil and pieces toasted in the oven at 350 for 13-18 minutes (or table crackers or neither. Again, whatever you like.)
Directions:
- Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the cream and continue beating until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the blue cheese and beat on low speed until the cheese is crumbled and no large pieces remain, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the pepper and the pecans/cranberries/whatever until evenly distributed.
- Divide the blue cheese mixture among 3 small ramekins, smoothing the tops with a spatula. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until you're ready for them (let them stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours before serving).
- Just before serving, sprinkle a bit of pecans or cranberries in the center of each ramekin (maybe do one plain, one pecan and one cranberry?)
- Serve with the toasted bread and pretty, colorful pear slices alongside.
27 September 2010
Photo: Pioneer Woman Cooks
Last week I tweeted that I was making Coq Au Vin and Scalloped Potatoes with fennel and smoked gruyere for twenty people. But what I didn't mention was that the meal was not to be served at my table.
In fact, after preparing that meal all afternoon, I carefully packed eight pyrex dishes into our family van (keeping a serving of each at home for my own family, of course) and hit the road, delivering meals to the families of four of my closest friends.
I have done this every Tuesday for the past four weeks.
So, why go through all this trouble? And why on earth am I so pumped about it? It's not because I'm some kind of saint. Certainly I'm getting something in return, right?
RIGHT!!! :)
Tuesdays are my days to cook, yes. But on Monday, Danielle brings Beef Stroganoff, and Wednesday Rebecca makes a killer Stromboli, Thursday, Christy brings Harvest Pork Chops and Friday Christi delivers to my door a delicious bowl of Texas Caviar. Right at 5:00, hot and ready to eat.
And so goes our little supper swap.
We keep track of what each of us will be bringing every week in a shared Google Doc, even leaving a column for feedback and a star rating system.
Our vision is to bless one another by cooking for one another.
We all have families with 2-5 kids, so we've agreed to always serve each family enough to feed four adults. (This leaves enough leftovers for our family to cover lunches during the week too!)
Every weekend I only have to buy groceries for one big meal, which saves money because buying more of the same ingredients is much cheaper than buying lots of different ingredients.
We have also eliminated dining out from our weeknights almost entirely since there's never a 5 o'clock "what's for dinner" conversation. HUGE budget savings there.
We're eating healthy, well-rounded meals. We're greeting each other every night with news about our families and questions about each other's. (Or finding our meals in coolers on the front porch if we're not planning to be home at 5.) On occasion we're sitting down to our meals together. (Since the food is prepared, why not enjoy it together?) And best of all?
We're living in community.
We're finding joy in delighting each other with good food. We're spending more evenings each week on the floor with our children instead of in the kitchen feeling harried. We're learning each other's likes and dislikes - sparing mushrooms where they need to be spared and adding chicken where it's been enjoyed and requested.
And so this season of life goes. With small children at home and homes in ridiculously close proximity, this new system works swimmingly for us. We eagerly check the menu for the week and look forward to all the things our friends have in store for us.
And THAT is why on earth I'm making Coq Au Vin for twenty people! :)
(And if I may add - since this co-op has begun, I have been surprised to find that I've lost 3 pounds! Turn out eating in vs. eating out has more than just financial benefits!)
So, the question is now - have any of y'all done this before? I recently noticed that this month's Real Simple magazine actually has an article in it about supper swaps. I know it's not a new idea, but I wondered if it was newly becoming a thing again. I'd love to hear from you! Have you done it? What has worked well or worked poorly? I'll try to answer any questions in the comments section by commenting back if you feel like discussing.
In the meantime, I'm already setting my table for the Potato Soup and salad that's scheduled to arrive in just a few hours...
22 June 2009
For your viewing pleasure, a few photos I snapped of my handsome little guy at church yesterday. Isn't he something? (There's no chance I'm a little biased, is there?)
And, for your tasting pleasure (or, simply for your viewing pleasure again if you aren't interested in making this), one of the favorite recipes I inherited when I married Ryan.
His Mama (my mother-in-law) makes THE BEST salsa and this is her recipe. I chopped some up for Ry this afternoon. I swear it disappears faster than I can make it!
Bev's Delicioso Salsa
12 Roma tomatoes
1/2 C fresh cilantro
1 onion
5 drops tobasco
1 T vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon
grated lemon rind
salt
pepper
1/2-1T garlic salt
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1/4 t cumin
Fine chop all ingredients and combine.
(I'll confess that I used a Vidalia Chop Wizard - a gift from my MIL - and that I am not THAT good at chopping!)
Happy Monday!!
02 June 2009
If you want your husband to munch on healthy snacks (or, you want to learn a great way to serve sugar snap peas that your family will enjoy), just rinse, remove the ends and strings, toss them in a bit of dark sesame oil and black sesame seeds and serve!
This is most successful if you just put a bowl of these fine treats next to your preoccupied husband while he is working on his computer during the day. Walk away. Then, ten minutes later he will enter the kitchen and deposit the empty bowl in the sink and thank you for the treat.
They never ask for this kind of treat. But, if it's just there, boys can't help but snack.
This is perhaps my favorite cookbook by my very favorite cook.
(You'd think they'd be paying me for as often as I plug them! Seriously.)
01 June 2009
I feel like I have so many things to post about that I don't even know where to begin. But, I suppose if everyone has recovered from my picture-riffic post from our Memphis vacation, I shall move things along to more current matters.
First, and perhaps the most exciting to me is that there is news from Ethiopia! You remember that my sister and brother-in-law are adopting two baby boys from Ethiopia, don't you? (And the wildly successful silent auction we held to raise funds?) Well, Rebecca got a call from the adoption agency on Thursday saying that there are two babies at the orphanage with "their names on them".
(Can we pause for a moment to recognize the gravity of this situation? A week earlier their caseworker told them hopefully that the orphanage just receive "a bunch of new babies". I can't help but take pause and acknowledge that these children have all just lost their parents either by abandonment or death. It really greives me to think that their lives have been permanently altered, and that they will never see or know their biological mothers or fathers. This is a huge moment in their lives, one not to be taken lightly. "A bunch of new babies just came in" breaks my heart.)
Anyway, back to the uplifting news. There are two babies! For us! (Well, for my sister and her family. But I feel a strong sense of ownership as well!) They cannot give any details until all of the paperwork is complete, so we have been told to expect a call this week or next with names, ages, PHOTOS!!!, and so on. We do not know yet even if they are twins or unrelated. (If they are not related, there is an additional $4000 fee, but they will, of course, take whatever they are given with great glee and love.)
This is an exciting time! I will let you know when we know more. I can't believe my nephews are in Africa right now. Probably sleeping. Maybe crying or laughing. But they're ours and I just can't wait to get them home and to love them. And, if I feel this strongly, you can imagine how anxious and excited their Mama and Papa feel about this news. Rebecca has been nesting like a nut all weekend! :)
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On a much less earth-shattering, world-changing note, I have some design updates from the Myers casa. Christine recently brought to my attention that I have been remiss in sharing final photos of the bonus room makeover. I shared some teasers and then a few shots with some but not all of the pieces in place. I plan to make that right very soon.
You may have also seen if you follow me on Twitter that I have been working on transitioning Oliver's room from toddler to big boy. I have made leaps and bounds, but there are still a few hops that need to happen in that redo as well.
And, as if we don't already have enough design balls in the air, we have recently undertaken the task of finally showing our guest room some love. It's the last room in the house that still has a paint color from the previous owners and it is TIME.
Ryan has a UD+M apprentice beginning next week here at the house for the summer. We plan to make a work space for her in the guest room, so we're going to have to haul paintbrushes to be presentable by the 15th.
Not only that, but we are trying to lure some of our favorite people to come and visit us this summer when they get the chance. A fluffy, inviting guest room is certainly more welcoming than a shameful laundry pit, don't you think?
It sounds to me like I have a design post in my near future. Maybe by the end of last week (if I can manage to haul paintbrushes, as I so eloquently put it), I'll have some happy progress to share.
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Hm, what else? Have you all noticed the changes to my blog layout and design? Our family now has faces and blurbs, which I believe makes us an official blog family, does it not?
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Now, some recipes. As if this post isn't long enough. Last week I tweeted that I was making a new Carne Asada recipe and that if it was tasty, I'd share the recipe on my blog.
Um, let's just say that the roasted veggies along were worth writing home about. Or, at least blogging about.
Here is that recipe:
Carne Asada with Roasted Vegetables
1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper1 red onion(I doubled the veggie ingredients and was not disappointed!)Thinly slice vegetables, and brush with olive oil. Roast in 350 degree oven for 1 hour, wrapped in foil, OR grill alongside meat. Peel back skins after roasting. (I roasted my veggies flat and uncovered on a baking sheet and did not peel back he skins. Personal preference.)2 lbs. Flank SteakMagic Spice:1 t. cumin1 t. oregano1 t. paprika1 t. ginger2 t. seasoning salt1/2 t. pepperGrind and mix all these spices together.Juice of 1 whole lemon and lime2 cloves pressed garlic1 T tequilaAdd all ingredients except steak in a bowl and mix well. This is the asada marinade. Marinate meat in mixture for at least 1 hour, then grill. Slice in thin strips after grilling. Serve meat in heated corn tortillas (I prefer flour!) with roasted veggies and black beans for sides. Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese, avocado and lime wedges.Yum.
Also this week I came across a great french toast recipe that received rave reviews from all members of my family. I will share this as well:
Spiced French Toast with Seasonal Berries
4 eggs, plus 1 extra egg white1/4 t. ground cinnamon1/4 t. allspice4 slices thick white bread1 T butter, meltedBERRIES1/2 C superfine sugar1/4 C freshly squeezed orange juice2 C mixed seasonal berries, such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. (We used raspberries and bananas and were happy as clams!)Preheat the oven to 425. Place the eggs and egg white in a large, shallow dish and whisk together with a fork. Add the cinnamon and allspice and whisk until combined.Soak the bread slices in the egg mixture for about 1 minute on each side. Brush a large baking sheet with the melted butter and place the bread slices on the sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn the slices over and continue to bake for an additional 2-3 minutes.Meanwhile, place the sugar and orange juice in a medium pan and bring to a boil over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the berries, turn off the heat, and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve spooned over the toast.Seriously, a real treat.
15 May 2009
I'm in the middle of fixing one of my all-time favorite meals for dinner tonight. I've been distracted, though, by the urge to post the recipe to share with y'all because I'm so looking forward to sitting down at the table tonight. I want everyone else to get to enjoy a tasty treat of a meal too! It's great because, in a pinch - and as long as I have chicken - I usually have all the ingredients on hand. It's a great go-to.
So, since I haven't posted a recipe in a while, here is one of the best:
Sweet Curry Chicken
Ingredients
1+ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
2/3 C butter, melted
2/3 C honey (use local honey!)
4T mustard
2t salt
2t sweet curry powder
(This is the KEY ingredient to it's deliciousness! I use Penzey's Sweet Curry Powder, but you can also find this in your local grocery store.)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut chicken into 1" cubes. (I like to hold it in the air with tongs and snip it up with scissors. I think it's faster and it keeps me from having to touch the chicken.)
- Combine melted butter, honey, mustard, salt and curry powder in a separate bowl.
- Add mixture to chicken cubes and stir to coat.
- Bake 45 minutes or so until the chicken looks good and done.
- Meanwhile, steam a few cups of rice in a steamer.
- Serve chicken over rice and enjoy.
(Note: Yes, I know, there are no vegetables in this meal. I have added zucchini before and been very pleased. I've also sometimes added broccoli. Coconut milk also adds a nice layer of flavor if you cook it with the chicken. Play with it! It's comfort food at it's best. And, the leftovers actually rival the original meal!)
(Another Note: For kids, just stick some of the cooked chicken and sauce into a food processor with some cooked rice. Blended roughly it's a winner even with Oliver.)
Bon Appetite!
And now, back to preparing dinner for my own family...
06 January 2009
Per Christine's request:
White-Cheddar Corn Chowder
Serves 6
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup dry white wine
3 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 2½ cups)
2 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
1 cup nonfat milk
3 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 6 ears of corn)
1 ¼ teaspoons coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated (about ¾ cup)
6-12 slices bacon, diced and crisped
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add coriander, cumin and cayenne. Raise heat to medium-high, and add wine. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add potatoes, stock, and milk, and bring to a boil (skim any foam from surface). Reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Add corn, and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer 2 cups soup to a blender. Let cool slightly, then puree. Return puree to pan, and stir. Reheat if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into bowls, and top with cheese and bacon.
Chowder can be stored in refrigerator up to 3 days.
(Today I added half a jalapeno pepper (diced) for a little extra zip and it was good!)
28 December 2008
As promised, the world famous:
Grandma Tillie's Christmas Cookies
Cookies
2C sugar1C butter
3 eggs
1 C carnation evaporated milk
2t vanilla
1 1/2t salt
Cream the above ingredients together.
Add gradually the following ingredients to the creamed mixture:
2 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
6C flour
Chill overnight (this is a must!)
Roll out on floured surface and cut out cookies. Make sure you use lots of flour when rolling them out. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes. Make sure cookie sheet is in middle of oven. Bottom of cookie should be very light brown.
Frosting:
2 lbs powdered sugar
1 C butter flavored Crisco
1/2 C milk
1 t vanilla
1/2 t cream of tartar
Blend ingredients and frost cooled cookies. Now, get creative with colors and toppings!
18 December 2008
Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies!
(from the December issue of Martha Stewart Living)
makes six dozen
Ingredients
1C all-purpose flour, plus more for surgace
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
5 T unsalted butter, softened
1/4 C sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 t pure peppermint extract
8 large candy canes or 30 peppermint candies, crushed
2 pounds white chocolate, coarsely chopped
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add egg, then yolk, beating well after each addition. Beat in peppermint extract. Slowly add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
- Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut out circles, and place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Roll and cut scraps once. Freeze cookies until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining disk.
- Bake until cookies are dry to the touch, about 12 minutes. Transfer parchment, with cookies, to wire racks, and let cool. (Undecorated cookies will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.)
- Sift crushed candy, and separate larger pieces from dust, reserving both. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. Remove from heat. Dunk cookies into melted chocolate. Using a fork, turn to coat, let excess drip off, and gently scrape bottom against edge of bowl. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of either candy pieces or dust on top. Repeat, sprinkling half the cookies with pieces and the rest with dust. Refrigerate until set, up to 3 hours. Decorated cookies are best served the same day.
We'll let you know how they turn out! (They smell great!)
Update: So, they taste great, but they are a LOT of work! Sort of an all-day project. And, all the white chocolate isn't cheap! Maybe we'd be better off buying a box of thin mints and spending the time playing a game or reading or something. Whew!
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