Bella's new words

Wow... it's been over a month since I posted anything here! It's kind of hard to think of some of the exceptional food we've eaten in the past month while Nick is loudly reading Green Eggs and Ham to Bella, but I'll try.


Bella's saying lots of new words: "squash," "okra," "peach," "peas," "chowchow" (eaten with the peas), "flowers," and "rain" are just a few. We're working on "tomato." Can you tell what we've been eating (and growing)lately? Here are some of the recipes (or links to recipes) that we've especially enjoyed.


Grilled peach and mozzarella salad Sounds strange, but quite yummy. We served this with grilled shrimp skewers and Peppery grilled okra. www.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1806860


www.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1906313


Summer vegetable stacks with gremolata Of course, you could omit the tofu, but you really should try it grilled with gremolata. Yum.
www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/11013?section

Grilled watermelon and prawns Don't let the long ingredient list and multiple steps fool you. We prepared this for my parents and served it with basmati rice-- it was amazingly delicious!


www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cat-cora/grilled-watermelon-and-prawns-recipe/index.html


Watermelon gazpacho The rest of that watermelon went into watermelon gazpacho. I used my favorite gazpacho recipe, substituting watermelon for cucumber. It was the perfect summer lunch-- even leftover!


Zucchini vichyssoise Summer isn't exactly soup weather, unless it's chilled soup. This soup is equally delicous cold or hot.


www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/zucchini-vichyssoise-recipe/index.html


Spicy catfish with vegetables and basil cream We substituted flounder because that's what we had in the freezer, and it turned out great. www.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=426513


The next day I wrapped the leftover vegetable mixture in phyllo dough to make maque choux turnovers. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on a flat surface (I use a large cutting board or baking sheet). Spray with cooking spray; top with another phyllo sheet. Fold phyllo in half lengthwise. Place 1-2 T. filling at left end. Fold one corner over to meet straight edge. Continue to fold this triangle up and toward opposite end as if folding a flag. Spray folded bundle with cooking spray and bake until golden brown.



In Cat Cora's Cooking from the Hip, there's a recipe for a chicken & peach stir-fry. We used tofu and snow peas, and the peaches were a wonderful addition. In that same cookbook, there's also a great recipe for sweet potato latkes.

Finally, a true Southern supper: purple hull peas, fried okra, and fried green tomatoes. I'd never eaten, much less cooked, fried green tomatoes. I was pretty proud of how they turned out! I poured a tiny bit of buttermilk over the okra before adding seasoned cornmeal (I use Tony Chachere's), to help the cornmeal stick. The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook recommends simply dredging green tomatoes in seasoned cornmeal before frying, so that's what I did. For an alternate coating, check out Deanna's Southern supper at http://www.deannasgoodeats.blogspot.com/ .


Upcoming post: Eggplant!

Summer

So, according to my husband, summer has officially arrived. Mind you, he doesn't mark seasons by the calendar but by activities-- such as wearing his seersucker suit and suede bucks, eating blueberry cobbler, drinking mint juleps... You get the idea. I tend to mark seasons by food, so I'm declaring it summer, too, due to peaches and tomatoes from our farmers. Today's lunch was chilled tomato and peach soup with tomato jam & mozzarella tart. (Soup recipe is also courtesy of our farmers; Jill sent it out last summer.)



Recipe, links, and notes

Chilled tomato & peach soup

1 T butter

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 ts fresh ginger, minced or grated

3 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 c chicken or vegetable stock

3 large peaches, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 ts sugar

1/2 c cream

salt, pepper

Melt butter in a medium stockpot. Add tomatoes, garlic, and ginger; cook over medium heat until fragrant. Add stock; simmer 20 mins. Strain tomato mixture, pressing as much liquid as possible through sieve; discard pulp. Season remaining liquid with sugar, salt and pepper. Puree peaches, then add to liquid. Stir in cream. Cover and chill.

Rather than straining out tomato pulp, I added the cooked tomatoes, garlic, and ginger to the blender when I pureed the peaches. Be careful if you do this, because hot liquids really expand in the blender! Try to add as little of the hot tomato liquid as possible, and hold the blender lid with a folded kitchen towel. (Thanks to Cat Cora for this tip, which saved my outfit and ceiling today.) Or, allow the tomato mixture to cool before blending. Or, add the peaches to the tomato mixture and use an immersion blender.



Tomato jam www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10685?section
Make this when summer apples and tomatoes are available at the farmers' market. The apples are naturally high in pectin, so it sets beautifully, like magic! I've tried substituting peaches for apples and adding pectin, but couldn't get the amounts just right, so I ended up with a delicious tomato-peach sauce instead. One substitution that did work-- red pepper flakes for the jalapeno. Try it with grilled fish or pork.

Tomato jam tart
Top 1 sheet thawed puff pastry with diced fresh mozzarella and tomato jam. Fold edges (about 1") over filling. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown.

Vegetables galore!

Whitton Farms CSA is in full swing, which means we have lots and lots of fresh, local vegetables to eat! It's been quite awhile since I've blogged, so I'm looking back over my past weekly menus for highlights. Here are a few:

Sweet potato gnocchi: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/sweet-potato-gnocchi-with-maple-cinnamon-sage-brown-butter-recipe/index.html
Comes together quickly if the sweet potatoes are already cooked. I baked mine a day or so ahead of time.

Calzone of greens of the First of May: Cheesy name, but incredibly delicous. According to Rachael Ray, it's a traditional dish eaten on May 1. Couldn't find a link, so here's the basic recipe:
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Add 1-2 cloves pressed garlic, some red peppper flakes, a little anchovy paste (you could omit this); cook for 1 minute, then add the chopped mixed greens. Saute greens until wilted. Season with salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg. Stir in chopped green olives and capers. Remove from heat and stir in a squeeze of lemon juice. (Emeril Lagasse's "fork a lemon" trick works well here.) Spoon mixture into your favorite calzone/pizza crust and bake until golden brown.

Peppers & greens skillet hash(modified from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics):
4-6 c stemmed sliced Swiss chard or spinach
3 T olive oil
2 c chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
10 c diced potatoes
2 c chopped red bell pepper
1 ts fresh thyme
1 c sliced mushrooms
2 T soy sauce
4 dashes Tabasco
Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion, garlic, and potatoes; stir well. Spread evenly in skillet, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes. Uncover; stir well. Cook for another 5-8 mins. until potatoes are tender and browned. Add bell pepper-mushrooms. Cover and cook 5-10 mins., stirring frequently, until greens are wilted and mushrooms have released their liquid. Add soy sauce and Tabasco. Serve immediately.

Quick cinnamon biscuits (also from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics):
www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/recipes_archive.html#59

Herbed fish in a packet www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/recipes_archive.html#8
Today is my 9th wedding anniversary. Our celebratory dinner was a variation on this recipe (I used flounder, orange slices, rosemary, thyme, and onion), served with roasted potatoes and sauteed spinach and fennel. The plate wasn't as pretty as I'd hoped-- hence, no photo-- but the meal was absolutely delicious. I'd never tried fennel, and absolutely love the orange/fennel combination. Yummy.

I'm sure there are many more noteworthy meals that I've forgotten or am too tired to type up for you... and I need to prepare our anniversary dessert-- peach napoleon (fancy name for sliced peaches and whipped cream on puff pastry shells).

Work with what you've got

I had a frustrating morning yesterday. Everything I tried to do just didn't work. That said, I was almost afraid to attempt preparing lunch, for fear it would be a disaster. We were pleasantly surprised that it was not. I was going to make gnocchi primavera, until I realized that I didn't have any little green peas. I did, however, have some green beans in the freezer, so... gnocchi with green beans and pesto! (Inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe; see link below for Mario Batali's version.) Although I had to rethink the sauce and vegetables, my homemade gnocchi turned out great, and lunch was delicious. The gnocchi recipe I used was from Pampered Chef, but the link I'm posting is similar. If you don't have a food mill, you can use a potato masher or ricer, but I wouldn't recommend a food processor. Don't be intimidated by the length of the recipe. Gnocchi is really easy and quite fun to make. Of course, if you don't want to try your hand, you can buy it in the Italian specialty section of the grocery store.
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/gnocchi-recipe/index.html
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/trenette-with-pesto-beans-and-potatoes-pesto-genovese-recipe/index.html

Breakfast, lunch, & dinner

I'm so proud of myself-- I prepared 3 meals today, and all were delicious! I just realized, though, that we've consumed a lot of dairy today. Breakfast was fresh strawberries with whipped cream and granola (okay, so Nick made the granola last night), drizzled with honey. Lunch was grilled pimiento cheese sandwiches, inspired by the one I ate at Early Girl in Asheville. (I love my bread machine!) Supper was shrimp pesto penne.



Recipes:
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pimiento-cheese-recipe/index.html

Shrimp pesto penne
While pasta cooks, combine 1-2 T each olive oil and butter in medium saucepan. Add peeled, deveined shrimp, enough cream to cover, and 2-3 T pesto. Heat shrimp and cream mixture until shrimp turn pink. Combine with pasta.

A yummy vacation

We just got back from Asheville, NC, where there are fabulous local restaurants everywhere! Unfortunately, one of our favorites was closed for the week, but even without Tupelo Honey, we ate very well. Rosemary braised seitan with truffled parsnip-potato mash and broccolini at Laughing Seed... sweet potato hashbrowns and sauteed kale at Green Sage... lobster mac & cheese, pecan crusted trout, and braised bok choy at Lobster Trap... grilled pimiento cheese sandwich at Early Girl Eatery... and an amazing Indian buffet of dishes I can't spell or pronounce at Mela. When we weren't dining in downtown Asheville, we enjoyed fresh, local (well, mostly local) produce and meats which we prepared at the cabin. If you're ever in Asheville, check out these restaurants and Hickory Nut Gap Farm, which supplies many of them. I'll try to post pictures soon.

Since we couldn't eat at Tupelo Honey Cafe, I decided to try to recreate part of their menu at home. My first attempt-- candied ginger cornbread. It turned out pretty well, but I should have added sugar and more ginger. The cornbread was delicious with sweet potato bisque (a.k.a., Moosewood's Potage Jacqueline; see recipe link below). I used a standard buttermilk cornbread recipe and added chopped crystallized ginger.

Tomorrow I'll be trying to recreate Early Girl's grilled pimiento cheese-- I'll let you know how it goes!

www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/recipes_archive.html#51

Many of the restaurants I've mentioned have posted their menus online. Check out the restaurants section of www.romanticasheville for inspiration.

Happy birthday, Nick!

Nick and I usually celebrate special occasions by preparing and enjoying a special meal at home. For his birthday, Nick requested poblano enchiladas (a.k.a. "those enchiladas you fixed when Keith and Jill came over"), black beans, and guacamole. He's hooked on Haagen-Das mango sorbet, so when I found a recipe in Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa in Paris cookbook, I had to try it for dessert. (I couldn't find the recipe in the Food Network archive, but a search for mango sorbet did turn up some yummy-sounding results.) Here's a link for the enchiladas:
www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10712?section

Spring pasta

The Livers love asparagus, and have anxiously awaited spring so we could enjoy it in season. Here's the recipe from last night's dinner:

Pasta with asparagus and lemon (from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)
serves 6-- total time: 35 minutes (Mine didn't take that long... but I didn't cook this much asparagus or pasta. I also steamed, rather than boiled the asparagus, and didn't bother to rinse in cold water.)

1 1/2 pounds asparagus
1 pound penne pasta
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 c grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
Meanwhile, rinse the asparagus, snap off the tough lower stems, and discard them. Cut of 1 1/2 inches of the asparagus tips and reserve. Chop the rest of the stems. Cook the asparagus tips in boiling water to cover for 3-4 mins, until tender. Remove to a colander with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pot blanch the chopped asparagus stems for 6-7 mins, until tender. Drain, rinse in cold water, and reserve separately.
Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente. While the pasta cooks, puree the asparagus stems, lemon juice, and olive oil in a blender or food processor until smooth. If necessary, add a little of the hot pasta water. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large bowl. Stir inthe asparagus puree, the asparagus tips, and the grated cheese. If the pasta has cooled, stir it in a pot on high heat for 1-2 mins, until hot. Serve immediately.

Shrimp curry

Nick loves Thai food. So, do I , actually. And so does Bella. So, tonight I made a quick shrimp curry. I'm admitting up front that it's probably a far cry from authentic, but it was yummy. There's not really a recipe, so I'll just tell you what I did. I chopped most of a bell pepper in bite-size pieces, then an equal amount of onion in the same size pieces. Stir-fry those in a large skillet over high heat in canola or vegetable oil. Add one drained can of bamboo shoots and one drained can of pineapple chunks. While the vegetables are cooking, season about 1 pound of peeled, deveined shrimp with curry powder, garlic powder, ground ginger, salt, pepper, and a little cornstarch. When the vegetables are crisp-tender, add 1 pressed garlic clove, 1 ts of green curry paste and 1 can of coconut milk to the pan. (Lite coconut milk is healthier, but full-fat is tastier.) Reduce heat to medium and stir until the curry paste is mixed in, then add the shrimp. Simmer until shrimp turn pink. You can finish with some chopped fresh basil or cilantro. Serve over your favorite rice. (We really like jasmine or basmati.) One note: The more fresh ingredients you use, the better this tastes. Fresh pineapple, garlic, ginger and herbs to finish really do make a difference. (If you use fresh ginger, add it with the garlic.)

Old favorites

As usual, my menu is a little off this week... which means I'm ahead for next week. However, tonight's dinner was exactly as planned: flounder meuniere with roasted red pepper mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. I've already posted a link for the fish (fancy name for lemon-butter and parsley). The vegetables are two of our old favorites . We had roasted red pepper mashed potatoes the first time we dined at F. Scott's in Nashville. They were so yummy I had to recreate them at home! Nothing fancy, just mashed potatoes with a little garlic and roasted red pepper puree stirred in. The sauteed spinach is a Barefoot Contessa recipe that's been one of our favorites for a long time. I realized after we finished eating that I forgot to add garlic to both vegetables, but they were still delicious!

Sauteed spinach:
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/garlic-sauteed-spinach-recipe/index.html

Menu

I'm supposed to be cleaning, but feel inspired to menu-plan. Gotta go with inspiration!


M: spanokopita www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/spanokopita-recipe/index.html or www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cat-cora/spanakopitagreek-spinach-pie-recipe/index.html (I actually use puff pastry and my filling is a modified version of these.)

Southwestern Monte Cristos, black bean soup www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/black-bean-stoup-and-southwestern-monte-cristo-sandwiches-recipe/index.html


T: zucchini pancakes, salad

colcannon or rumpledethumps-- Happy St. Patrick's Day! www.foodnetwork.com/videos/irish-colcannon/1345.html or www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/recipes_archive.html#36


W: French onion soup, Caesar salad
slow-cooked squash with herbs (from Local Flavors)


T: deep dish vegetable pizza
cinnamon stewed chicken www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cat-cora/stewed-chicken-kota-kokinisti-recipe/index.html


F: Italian wedding soup www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/italian-wedding-soup-recipe/index.html

dinner out with friends


S:

fish meuniere, roasted red pepper mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/easy-sole-meuniere-recipe/index.html

Budget-friendly menus

I don't normally watch Oprah, but I'd seen commercials for today's episode featuring Cat Cora, Tyler Florence, and Curtis Stone. The idea is that they were helping families (read: moms) learn how to save money on groceries and cook delicious, healthy meals. The featured families were living on frozen processed food, take-out, and junk food. I forget that lots of people don't know how to plan menus and shop for and prepare food. I'm assuming that if you're reading a food blog, you're not part of that group, but I'm going to soapbox for a minute. (Do feel free to pass this along to your friends who may need a little help or encouragement, though.) The professional chefs taught these women what I've learned through experience. Cooking is cheaper and often faster than eating out or preparing frozen dinners. (Okay, it will take longer than heating a Lean Cuisine, but you won't be hungry an hour later.) And cooking isn't hard if you do a little planning first.

As a new bride, I alternated between cooking the way my mom cooked (and buying groceries the way my mom bought groceries) and trying out new recipes (mostly casseroles) in the cookbooks I received as wedding gifts. I worked full time, and Nick and I were both full-time students. I often forgot to take meat out to thaw. I often threw away produce that spoiled before we used it all. And we often went out because I would finally decide what to cook, only to find that I was missing a crucial ingredient. Oh, and it turns out my husband is not wild about casseroles. I realized that the only way to avoid missing and still-frozen ingredients was to plan ahead. I learned to avoid spoiled produce by buying only what I needed for the week, instead of stocking up for the month. (Did I mention that my mom lives 45 minutes from the nearest grocery store?) I also learned that casseroles are not necessarily time-saving, because they usually involve a lot of prep. So... I watched a lot of Food Network, read a lot of cookbooks, and found my cooking style. I like fresh ingredients. I like dishes that look like they took a lot of time and effort, but are actually very quick and easy. And, above all, the food must be delicious. Every recipe must taste better than the amount of effort it took to prepare it. Otherwise, it's just not worth it.

I do my grocery shopping on Monday, so every Sunday I check the fridge and pantry to see what I have to work with. These ingredients are my starting point. I try to plan my menu so that I use what I have, and buy as little as possible. When our CSA is in full swing, I plan the menu around the vegetables we get from Keith and Jill. What if the cupboard is bare? Then I think about what I want to eat, or I flip through cookbooks for inspiration.

For example, the last 2 weeks' menus started with the following inventory: red lentils, basmati rice, no-boil lasagna noodles (I buy 2 or 3 boxes when they're on sale at Kroger), canned black beans, canned tomatoes, a can of cream of mushroom soup (why did I buy that?), wild rice, cornmeal, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses, half a jar of marinara, half a pound of turkey sausage, ham (leftover from making muffuletta pizza), baby carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes (the vegetables were left over from a vegetable tray, also on sale, that I bought last week to use for fondue dippers), frozen salmon fillets, frozen butter beans, frozen corn, frozen yellow squash, and frozen grated zucchini (put up this summer). I always have bananas, butter, flour, milk, buttermilk, eggs, olive oil, and lots of spices on hand.

So, here's the menu-- lunches and dinners. Sunday: butterbeans and cornbread; crockpot Cincinnati chili lasagna (an experiment that turned out surprisingly well). Monday: grilled cheese sandwiches on homemade bread (love my bread machine); stewed lentils over rice. Tuesday: eggs in a basket, cheddar biscuits; salmon with tomato jam (canned this summer). Wednesday: black bean soup, Southwestern Monte Cristos; corn cakes with sauteed shrimp. Thursday: sausage-rice casserole; zucchini orzo. Friday: slow cooked squash with herbs. Saturday: zucchini pancakes. Sunday: mushroom lasagna. Confession: Somehow the menu got a little off... so some of these meals were moved to the next week. We had Sunday lunch with friends. Spaghetti and meatballs for supper. (Yes, I had to buy all of those ingredients except the breadcrumbs, cheese, and eggs. And, yes, I bought a jar of marinara because we're out of Nick's marinara. It's easy to make, though. See link below.) Monday: baked potatoes (planned, but we ended up eating out b/c Bella's dr. appt. took so long); portobello mushroom lasagna. Tuesday: baked potatoes with broccoli; empanadas. Wednesday: leftovers; zucchini pancakes. Thursday: sausage-rice casserole; spanokopita. Friday: squash pizza. We'll be out of town this weekend. That means I've still got recipes and groceries left over to use when we get back! Oh, and in case you're wondering, my grocery list on Monday: orange juice, milk, eggs, bananas, cilantro, onion, broccoli, veggie sausage, and ham (I used it all for the eggs in baskets and had none left for the Monte Cristos).

Before you get overwhelmed, I normally plan just one week at a time. It just so happens that this week and last are a little different for me. Monday and Thursday evenings and Wednesday lunch are crazy for me right now, so I try to plan leftovers or meals that I can prepare ahead of time and Nick can heat or finish while I'm gone. Other than that, the days are more a check to make sure I plan enough meals. I usually leave at least one meal a week open, in case we get a craving for something different or we decide to eat out with friends.

This is a long, rambling post, but it boils down to this: Check your pantry and fridge. Work with what you've got. Make a plan and shop accordingly. You'll be amazed at how much easier and more enjoyable preparing meals can be!

Oh, back to Oprah-- each of the celebrity chefs has posted a week's worth of menus at http://www.oprah.com/ . The dishes they showed looked yummy, and I can personally vouch for Cat Cora's cinnamon stewed chicken. It sounds weird, but is beyond cheat-worthy. Seriously, it's incredible. In fact, I'm putting it on the menu for next week. Below are links for a few of the things I've fixed this week and last.

And what am I serving for dinner tonight? That's a good question... maybe spanokopita... Then again, maybe not, since I haven't taken the spinach out to thaw.


Recipe links:
spaghetti and meatballs: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/real-meatballs-and-spaghetti-recipe/index.html

eggs in a cup: www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Breakfast/story?id=6947204

tangy tomato jam: www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10685?section

I promise to post the recipe for stewed lentils soon. It's super yummy, and super easy.

Empanadas

I couldn't decide which empanadas to fix for supper tonight, so I made 2 different kinds. Don't skip the chimichurri-- it really makes the meal! Recipes follow...

Empanada with Chimichurri Sauce (from Edible Memphis/Summer 2008)
Crust:
2 c all-purpose flour
1 ts salt
generous pinch of baking soda
1/2 canola oil
ice water
Measure flour, baking soda, and salt in food processor. Mix and then alternate oil and ice water and mix again. Dough should easily form a ball in processor. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate to chill.
Filling:
1/2 c hot sliced peppers in vinegar (I omit these)
olive oil
2 small potatoes, peeled
one small white onion
2 large vegetarian sausage links (Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausages or Tofurkey kielbasas are best)(I like Veggie Patch Jalapeno Cheddar)
Preheat oven to 350. Dice potatoes and place in a frying pan with olive oil at medium heat. Stirring occasionally, cook for 6 minutes until brown. Add the onion, cooking until translucent, and then add the sausage. (I add the onion and sausage at the same time because I like my sausage browned.) Remove from heat and ad chopped hot peppers. Set aside to cool.
Divide dough into 6 parts. Roll each into circles. Fill one half of circle of dough with 1/6 of the filling and fold over dough to cover. Crimp edges tightly with a fork. Transfer empanadas to an oiled non-stick baking sheet. Brush each with olive oil. Bake 15-25 minutes until crust is golden.
Chimichurri:
1 c parsley
2 cloves garlic
juice from 2 lemons
1/4 c olive oil
salt and pepper
Place all ingredients into small food processor to mix throroughly.

Banana and Black Bean Empanadas (from March 2009 Vegetarian Times)
There's a whole wheat, vegan crust recipe, but I like the one above. If you're interested in the vegan one, let me know.
Filling:
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1 c)
1 c cooked black beans
1 clove garlic, minced (1 ts)
2 bananas, peeled and dice (1 c)
1 ts ground cumin
1/4 ts cayenne pepper
1/4 ts ground coriander
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 ts Tabasco

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion 4-5 mins until translucent. Add beans and garlic, reduce heat to medium, and cook 3 mins. Stir in bananas, cumin, cayenne, and coriander, and cook 2 mins or until bananas begin to break down and spices are fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and Tabasco.

Fill and bake as in recipe above. Cool 5 mins before serving.

Mushroom lasagna

I'm so proud of myself. This afternoon I assembled a portobello mushroom lasagna that Nick could bake while I was running. It worked out perfectly-- dinner was ready when I got home. Don't let the simple ingredient list fool you or the multiple steps intimidate you. It's surprisingly quick to put together and surprisingly delicous!

Recipe link and notes:
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/portobello-mushroom-lasagna-recipe/index.html

I used one package of "baby portobellos", and coarsely chopped them before sauteing. I use Barilla no-boil noodles. (One box makes 2-3 lasagnas, unless, of course, you make yours really thick.) And I combined the mushrooms and bechamel, so my layering went like this: mushroom sauce, noodles, more sauce, Parmesan, noodles, sauce. Before topping the final layer with cheese, I decided I need another layer of noodles, so I just slid them into the sauce and pressed everything down a little and spread the sauce back over the top.

Shrimp Creole Potpie

Tonight's dinner is a recipe sent to me by me friend-- and longtime fellow foodie-- Lesley. We've shared many a delicious meal together! I have no idea what kind of cook Lesley is, but I know she loves good food, so I totally trust her recipe selections. She also sent me a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, which I have not yet had the opportunity to make, but I'm sure they will be delicious as well.



Recipe links:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=665532

www.yumsugar.com/689007

Zucchini

Zucchini is not in season in March, but, thankfully, I had grated and frozen some this summer. Perfect for Barbara Kingsolver's disappearing zucchini orzo. Even with the vegetable frozen, our supper cooked faster than Bella's super porridge! While the orzo boils, chop and saute a little onion and garlic in olive oil. Add the zucchini. (I didn't bother to thaw it; just cooked it on high to evaporate the extra liquid.) When the orzo is al dente, drain, and toss with the zucchini mixture, salt, pepper, a little Italian seasoning (or fresh herbs), and grated Parmesan. Bella enjoyed it almost as much as we did!

In the same section of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle there's also a recipe for zucchini chocolate chip cookies. Haven't tried it, but I'll bet they're pretty tasty. On the subject of healthy chocolate chip cookies, there's a recipe in the February issue of Vegetarian Times for "The Heart-Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World"-- seriously, that's the name of the recipe. Nick has become fascinated with the concept of vegan baking, so he made some the other night. They are yummy! (They're also so rich that I can only eat one at a time.) We didn't use vegan chocolate, so, technically, ours weren't vegan, but we did use dark chocolate chips, so they're still heart-healthy.

Recipes and links:
www.AnimalVegetableMiracle.com

The Heart-Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World makes 30 cookies
(the recipe hasn't been posted to the VT website yet, so I'll type it out for you)
2 c walnuts
3 T canola oil
1 c light brown sugar
2 ts vanilla extract
1 1/2 c oat flour
1 ts baking soda
1 ts salt
1/4 ts ground cinnamon
2 c rolled oats
3 3.5-oz bars bittersweet vegan chocolate, chopped, or 1 1/2 c vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment.
Blend walnuts in food processor 30 seconds, or until ground into a fine meal. Add canola oil, and blend 2-3 mins more, or until mixture has the consistency of natural peanut butter, scraping down sides of food processor occasionally. Transfer to bowl.
Whisk together brown sugar and 1/2 c water in small saucepan, and bring mixture to a boil. Pour brown sugar mixture over ground walnut butter, add vanilla extract, and stir until no lumps remain.
Whisk together oat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Stir oat flour mixture into walnut mixture. Cool 10 mins. You can skip the cooling step, but some of your chocolate will melt into the cookie. If that doesn't bother you, go ahead. Fold in oats, then chocolate chips.
Shape cookie dough into 2-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten cookies with bottom of drinking glass dipped in water. Bake 8-10 mins, or until cookies begin to brown and tops look dry. Do not overbake! Cool 3 mins on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

King cake

I love Mardi Gras! Truth be told we never really celebrated it growing up... although we did get a couple of days off from school when I was in high school. (It was during state basketball playoffs, though, so I still had to go to school for practice.) Now that I live in Arkansas, it's just a great excuse to cook Cajun food and feel happy homesick. Our delightful friends the Grahams joined us for lunch today to mark the occasion. On the menu: chicken, sausage and okra gumbo; French bread (I love my bread machine!); and homemade king cake.

I'm impressed every year when my king cake turns out like the photo in Chef John Folse's cookbook. Especially when you consider that the first year I made it, I used every bowl in the kitchen and it cooked over the sides of my baking stone! What a mess!
Special thanks to Amy Roscoe, who saved my Mardi Gras by finding just enough purple sugar for my king cake!

There are still 2 more days to celebrate Mardi Gras... I'm posting recipes for gumbo, jambalaya, muffaletta pizza (which we plan on having on Tuesday), and king cake. Laissez les bons temps roulez!



Recipes and links:

Gumbo www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/chicken-ham-and-smoked-sausage-gumbo-recipe/index.html

Jambalaya
I've posted this before, but just in case you missed it the first time... This recipe is from Dr. Randall Wight's Cajun grandmother. You can also add 1 c. chopped celery, but she omitted it because he didn't like it. You can also substitute cream of mushroom soup for either of the cream soups.
1 stick of butter
2 c raw rice
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cans French onion soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 pkg. sausage (not the breakfast kind), sliced, browned
2-4 chicken breasts (as needed or desired), cut bite size
Melt butter in rectangular pan. Add everything else. Mix well. Bake 1 1/2 - 2 hours at 375 (until rice is done).

Muffuletta pizza www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/muffuletta-pizza-recipe/index.html

King cake www.jfolse.com/recipes/desserts/cakes12.htm
Find this and lots of great Cajun and Creole recipes and foods at Chef John Folse's website, linked left. You can even order a king cake if you don't want to make one yourself. I recommend his Hot Beignets & Warm Boudoirs cookbook-- one of my favorite wedding gifts! (Thanks, Kodie!)

Wonton ravioli

So, the crazy pregnancy cravings have finally hit. I've had more junk food than real food today. In fact, I think I've had more junk food today than I've had in the past 6months. Needless to say, by suppertime, I needed some nourishment. Mushroom ravioli with green pea puree to the rescue! It's fast, light, and delicious.

Someday I'm going to get the pasta attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. Until then, wonton wrappers work pretty well for ravioli-- and the extras usually inspire Nick to make these super yummy banana coconut dessert wontons! Just in case you'd like to do the same, I'm including the recipe below.

Recipe and link
Banana wontons with coconut cream sauce from Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking
makes 16 wontons; serves 4
filling:
2 bananas, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 T sugar
1/2 ts ground cinnamon
1 T flaked sweetened coconut
sauce:
1 1/2 c whole milk
1/2 c unsweetened coconut milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c flaked sweetened coconut (optional)

16 wonton wrappers

vegetable oil for deep-frying

1. Stir together filling ingredients, lightly mashing as you mix. The mixture should still be a little chunky.
2. Sauce: Bring milk and coconut milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and set aside. Beat egg yolks and sugar together in medium bowl until pale and smooth, 2-3 mins. Stirring constantly, gradually pour half of hot milk mixture into egg yolk mixture, then stir yolk mixture into milk mixture remaining in pan. Return saucepan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 2 mins. Strain into a medium bowl. For extra flavor, add coconut flakes. Let cool to room temp., then cover and chill.
3. Place heaping ts of fillingin center of one of the wonton wrappers. (Keep the remaining wrappers covered with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out.) Moisten edges of wrapper with a fingertip dipped in water, then fold the wrapper in half to form a triangle. Pinch the edges firmly to seal. Pull opposite corners of the base of the triangle together, moisten one of the corners with water, and press the two corners firmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling, covering folded wontons with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out.
4. Pour enough oil into a wok or 2-quart saucepan to come to a depth of 3 inches. Heat oil over medium heat to 350. Slip a few of the wontons into the oil and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 2-3 mins. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining wontons. Serve hot or cold, with the coconut cream sauce.

Mushroom ravioli with green pea puree www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10335?section

There's a fungus among us!

Nick's comment on the mushrooms I prepared tonight. It's also the name of a mushroom pizza at Tim's in Fayetteville... which sounds so good right now I'm tempted to drive to Fayetteville tomorrow!

Tonight we had an improvised almost-vegetarian version of Emeril Lagasse's poor man's beef Wellington. Basically, we ate the mushroom mixture over pierogi. It was quite delicious. Bella especially liked the mushrooms! I cooked extra mushrooms because sometime this week we're going to have mushroom ravioli with green pea puree. (Not a particularly appetizing name, but if you saw the Vegetarian Times photo, you'd want to try it.)

I'm playing the pantry game this week. (For info, check out Deanna's food blog, linked at left.) Basically, I'm trying to avoid buying groceries this week by using stuff we already have. Lunch today was leftover tomato-pesto soup with marinated mozzarella calzone. You already know about tonight's dinner and the upcoming mushroom ravioli. The rest of the week's menu: salmon-topped hash (from Cat Cora's Cooking from the Hip), rosemary white bean soup (Barefoot Contessa Cookbook) with ciabatta rolls, lasagna, and peas and cornbread. Hopefully that will get us to the weekend, when we will begin celebrating Mardi Gras!



Recipe links and notes:

http://foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/poor-mans-beef-wellington-recipe/index.html

I cooked the chopped mushrooms in a mixture of olive oil and butter, with 2 cloves of pressed garlic and 1 chopped shallot. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chopped fresh thyme. When the mushrooms begin to brown, add a couple of turns of Worcestershire sauce and enough unsalted beef stock to cover bottom of skillet. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. While reducing the liquid, boil frozen potato and cheddar pierogi until they float. Place pierogi in baking dish; top with mushroom mixture and shredded cheddar. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.

The recipe that introduced me to, and made me a fan of frozen pierogi (although I don't use soy bacon... it's just gross):

http://vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10572?section=

Enjoying cooking

Before I talk about cooking, I have to share a funny story. I realize everyone may not find our child as amusing as Nick and I do, but we thought this was hysterical. This evening, Bella grabbed a Vegetarian Times from the coffee table and climbed up on the sofa to sit with us. She opened the magazine to an article on olive oil. Then she looked at a drawing of olive oil and bread, and pretended to pull some bread from the basket and eat it! She even shared with us. Then she moved on to dessert (mini moon pies). We knew she enjoys pretend cooking, but had no idea she was into pretend eating! Oh, and did I mention that one of her favorite words is "yum"?

As you can probably tell from the infrequency of my posts, I have not exactly been enjoying cooking lately. This is probably due to the fact that I haven't been enjoying eating. In fact, the last meal I really enjoyed preparing was the veggie pizza I wrote about. Good news: my appetite-- as well as the joy of cooking-- is returning! As I type, a frittata is baking and extra hashbrowns are browning. And I realized as I sprinkled thyme over the egg mixture that I was actually enjoying cooking again!

Frittata, which is basically quiche without crust, is definitely a go-to meal at our house. We almost always have eggs and potatoes, some sort of cheese, and fresh herbs. Of course, you can add vegetables or meat or change the combination of herbs... it's all about using what you have on hand.

The recipe linked below is a good basic one, and the photo in Barefoot Contessa Family Style always looks delicious to me. While looking up the link, I also found a Paula Deen recipe for hash brown quiche that looked pretty yummy.


Recipes and notes

I've recently discovered that this is even yummier when prepared in a cast iron skillet. I greatly reduce the ingredients in order to feed 2-3; tonight I used 3 eggs and some half-and-half, one medium russet potato, a couple of sprigs of thyme, and a little diced white cheddar.

http://foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/potato-basil-frittata-recipe/index.html

Valentine's cupcakes

No, I didn't actually bake cupcakes for Valentine's Day. Yes, I could have. Instead, I supported our friend Billye White, owner of Meals Matter, and an incredible baker. Seriously, she is gifted. And she makes the most incredible strawberry cream cheese frosting.

Anyway, it turns out that strawberry cake is one of Nick's favorites. I learned that a few months ago when Billye was selling individually wrapped strawberry cupcakes. Hmm... why not? It was so good I licked the icing off the plastic wrap! Then I felt guilty that I hadn't bought one for Nick, who is normally not a big fan of sweets. When he admitted that he really likes strawberry cake-- I had no idea!-- I sent him to Billye's to buy his own. (Sweet boy brought me another as well!) So, when we got an e-mail from Billye about cupcakes for Valentine's Day...

I'm thinking strawberry cupcakes will be our Valentine's tradition.



Recipe

This is not Billye's recipe, nor have I tried it, but it looks pretty good. Also, my Aunt Brenda used to make a pound cake with cake mix and Jell-O-- sweet memory!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/simply-delicious-strawberry-cake-recipe/index.html

Romantic Valentine's dinner

Valentine's Day is not a big deal at our house. We use it as an excuse to prepare a special meal, but that's about it. This year, however, for the first time in... I don't know... years, at least, we are excited about Valentine's Day! Why? Food, of course. Billye White's strawberry cupcakes. I'm drooling just thinking about them! We're so excited about dessert (if we can resist them that long) that the meal is sort of an afterthought. Nick has requested shrimp alfredo, so that's what we'll be having. If I feel really good tomorrow, I may try to recreate Pearl Street Pasta's Cajun shrimp pasta. Anyway, here's my alfredo 'recipe.'

Recipe: Shrimp Alfredeaux
So, this isn't really a recipe. It's also not classic alfredo because I add lots of herbs and spices.

While your pasta is cooking (we like farfalle or penne), melt a T. or so of butter in a small saute pan. Add an equal amount of olive oil. Press in 1 clove of garlic; cook 1 min. over low-medium heat, being careful not to let garlic burn. Pour enough heavy cream to cover bottom of pan to about 1/4 inch depth. (You can, and probably will, add more if this doesn't look like enough sauce.) Keep heat low; you don't want this to boil. Season with a little dried Italian seasoning, 1 sprig fresh rosemary (you can remove and chop the leaves, but I just throw the whole thing in and let it simmer), and some Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning. Add a handful of grated Parmesan cheese (NOT the stuff from the green can); stir to combine. Check seasoning and adjust.

Sprinkle peeled, deveined shrimp with Tony's or Emeril's Essence. Heat olive oil in large saute pan. Cook shrimp just until pink and curled.

Drain pasta. Combine pasta, sauce, and shrimp. Serve immediately.

For Pearl Street pasta (this is a guess), saute chopped green onions, halved cherry tomatoes, and a little bit of corn. Add a little white wine to the sauce; omit the Cajun seasoning and rosemary sprig; go light or omit the Italian seasoning.

Winter comfort food

For some reason, I had completely forgotten about one of our cold-weather favorites: potpie. But tonight I was craving something warm, simple, and delicious, and that sounded like a winner. So, I chopped half a shallot (going light on onion taste and smell these days), sauteed it with a little pancetta and some butter... cooked in some flour to make a blonde roux... thinned it with a little cream, a little whole milk, and some of the liquid from the vegetables (diced and boiled carrots and butternut squash plus some frozen green beans)... seasoned the filling with a little garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and a pinch of mace... topped it all with a quick crust (flour, baking powder, salt, and heavy cream)... baked until crust was golden brown and filling was bubbly. Just what I was craving! Here's a link to a recipe that inspires me-- but remember that the point of potpie is to use whatever you have on hand. (Yep, this is another great way to repurpose leftovers!)

Vegetable Pot Pie from Barefoot Contessa Parties!
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/vegetable-pot-pie-recipe/index.html

Planned leftovers

I rarely eat leftovers. I'll reheat and re-eat anything that improves from sitting overnight: soup (but not potato soup), lasagna, jambalaya, gumbo, etoufee... But sometimes I cook extra with plans to magically transform the leftovers into something entirely different and, occasionally, extraordinary. Last night Nick poached salmon; I had him cook extra so we could make salmon cakes tonight. The recipe that follows simply boils the salmon with the vegetables, which is not a big deal, but it made me feel smart to have planned ahead. You can also use leftover mashed potatoes with great results. Feel free to substitute leftover cooked chopped chicken for the salmon-- it's a great way to use up those leftovers in the fridge!



Dressed-up salmon cakes
from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics

View it in the Moosewood recipes archive:
http://www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/

Why I want a Viking gas range

Okay, I guess it doesn't have to be a Viking... but a gas stove would have been a godsend. We spent the first half of the week in Benton to attend Nick's grandad's funeral. Food highlight-- McClard's barbecue! (We all thought it fitting. Grandad loved McClard's.) We returned to a cold, electricity-less house, so I haven't had a homecooked meal all week (unless you count the generous casserole spread prepared by the ladies at Hot Springs Baptist Church). Imagine my joy when we returned home from eating supper out last night and our power was back on! Nick was kind enough to cook the meal I had planned. He's such a good husband. We forgot to take a picture, but trust me, it was pretty.

Elegant oven-poached fish Moosewood Restaurant New Classics
serves 4-6 prep: 15 mins bake: 20-30 mins
1 1/2 pounds thick fish fillets
2-3 leeks, sliced and rinsed well*
1 tomato, coarsely chopped
3/4 c dry white wine
2 T capers
2 ts chopped fresh thyme (1/2 ts dried)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
cooked brown rice or orzo
*For this dish, prepare about 2 cups of sliced leeks, using only the tender white bulbs.

Preheat oven to 425.
Rinse the fish fillets, pat dry, and set aside.
Spread the sliced leeks on the bottom of a baking dish large enough to hold the fish in a single layer. Scatter the tomatoes over the leeks and pour on the wine. Arrange the fish on top and sprinkle with the capers, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Cover and bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. The fish is done when the thickest part is easily pierced with a knife.
Serve each portion on a bed of rice or orzo and spoon some of the pan juices and vegetables over each serving.

We used salmon and 1 can of diced tomatoes instead of the tomato and wine (because we're out of tomatoes and wine). We served our salmon over saffron chive couscous, but I think it would have been better over plain couscous or orzo. We cooked extra salmon to use tomorrow in salmon cakes.

Cravings

So, I've been craving my friend Blake's red beans and rice. It's not traditional Louisiana red beans and rice (because of the tomatoes), but it's yummy! He kindly shared his recipe with me, and now I'm sharing it with you.

Blake's red beans and rice
I melt one stick of butter in a pan and add maybe four cloves of garlic and one onion chopped. I let that cook for a little bit then add one pound of sausage, some times I use sage sometimes just regular. Once that has cooked through I add a chopped up bell pepper and some chopped up andouille sausage...let that cook down and then I add salt, pepper, cajun seasoning, two or three bay leaves, and a little garlic powder, just to make sure it has that flavor. Then I do a couple of turns of the pan of Southern Comfort. I have also used Jack Daniels and then just added a little sugar to make it a little sweet. I let that cook until you can't smell the alchool. Then I add two cans of red beans with the juice and one large can of diced tomatoes (I know that red beans an rice usually doesn't have tomatoes, but i like it that way). I let that cook and taste and adjust as needed. Then I have Danae...haha...make a pan of rice and I serve it separte with a scoop of rice in the middle and a spoonful of mixture over it.

Note: We have a running joke about rice because Blake and I, who are excellent cooks, cannot cook plain white rice to save our lives. So any meal requiring rice requires the services of either Danae (Blake's wife) or Nick.

Let them eat (vegan chocolate) cake!

Prelude: When we were in Asheville last summer, we stopped in this little bakery downtown. Their cupcakes were so delicious that the next day we went back for more! The guy working there offered us a sample of vegan chocolate cake, which was delicious. I was intrigued by the idea of vegan baking, but had not gotten around to trying it myself.
Melinda called last week to ask if I could make 2 dozen cupcakes for BCM lunch which is, of course, today. No problem. I just wish I could help serve BCM lunch-- always a good time! Except, of course, that there's always a problem. Last night as I closed my eyes to go to sleep, I realized that I had totally forgotten about cupcakes. No cake mix in the house! And only 1 stick of butter... Oh, no! I lay awake awhile plotting how to run to Wal-Mart while Nick fed Bella breakfast, or even to just leave early enough before Bible study to stop and pick up some (inferior to homemade) cupcakes. Then I had a brilliant idea-- why not bake vegan cupcakes? No butter needed.
Brilliant idea was almost a disaster, because, it turns out, I'm runnning a little low on flour, too. (What have I been thinking with the grocery list?) Anyway, I had enough, and the cupcakes turned out beautifully. There were only 18-- oops! Not quite the requested 2 dozen. So, I didn't get to try one. However, the batter was delicious and the smell as they baked was heavenly. I think I'll have to make a batch for us tonight!

Recipe and notes:
Deep Chocolate Vegan Cake (from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics) serves 8 (or makes 18 cupcakes)
prep: 1 mins. bake: 25-30 mins. (15-20 was sufficient for the cupcakes)
1 1/2 c unbleached white flour
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 ts baking soda
1/2 ts salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c cold water or chilled brewed coffee
2 ts pure vanilla extract
2 T cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 375. Generously oil an 8-inch square or round nonreactive baking pan and dust with a little sifted cocoa or line the bottom with parchment.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, soda, salt, and sugar. In another bowl, combine the oil, water or coffee, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until well blended and smooth.
Add the vinegar and stir briefly; the baking soda will begin to react with the vinegar right away, leaving pale swirls in the batter. Without wasting any time, pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25-30 mins.

I used a medium scoop to fill my cupcake liners. I probably could have used the large scoop, but the batter did rise quite a bit. Really somewhere between medium and large would have been perfect. I didn't time the baking, just checked the cupcakes when they smelled done. Finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Half-full or half-empty?

Nick's title suggestion. He informed me that's not so much referring to the pizza stone as our stomachs with the pizza half-eaten. We love pizza. It's a default meal at our house. So, why don't I just keep the ingredients on hand? I don't know. But tonight, as usual, Nick and I both though pizza sounded good for supper. So... to the store I went. The cashier was intrigued by the unidentifiable cheese I was buying (a ball of fresh mozzarella), so I had to explain that it makes pizza so much better than the preshredded kind. She looked doubtful, but politely inquired if my pizza crust was really good and crispy. I replied that I make my own, so, yes, it is indeed delicious. I don't think I converted her to making pizza at home rather than ordering it from some delivery place, but maybe... Anyway, as she was ringing up my mozzarella and tomato sauce (for Nick to make the pizza sauce) and fresh mushrooms and bell pepper-- not to mention the tofu and bamboo shoots for sweet-and-sour-- I noticed the folks behind me piling Banquet frozen dinners on the conveyor belt. The contrast was almost too much. Needless to say, the cashier was pretty sure where my groceries ended and theirs began. And I left the store as quickly as possible so I could laugh. No offense to those of you who depend upon processed food for survival-- I just forget sometimes that my food habits are not the norm.

For the record, I'm convinced that frozen pizza is a racket, just like Jell-O no-bake cheesecake, or frozen cheesecake for that matter. Nick reminds me, though, that that's for another post.

I don't use a recipe for my pizza crust, but I'm posting the one I used until I no longer needed it. It's actually Emeril Lagasse's muffaletta pizza; it's not vegetarian and it's not what we ate tonight, but it is amazing. I'll let Nick write about his pizza sauce, which also is amazing.

Recipes and notes:

Muffaletta pizza
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/muffuletta-pizza-recipe/index.html

I use rapid rise yeast, so I don't wait long at all for my crust to rise. I use King Arthur flour, which really does make a difference. I bake on a 13" round Pampered Chef baking stone. The pizza picture was topped with Nick's sauce, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms-- which Wal-Mart now sells open stock!-- black olive tapenade (which I tossed with the vegetables), mozzarella, and freshly grated Parmesan. Like Nick's sauce, the cheese easily covers 2 pizzas.

Nick here:

I often make the pizza sauce for our pizza. No need to buy a pizza from any pizza chain. Nor is there a need to buy a jarred sauce from a store. It is easy to make it for literally pennies. A small can of tomato sauce is the starting place...about $0.50. Pour it in a small bowl, add a clove of minced garlic, some crumbled dried oregano. If you don't have fresh oregano growing in your backyard, you are missing out, so buy one this March and stick it in the ground...in the meantime, you can stop by, and I will share my fresh oregano...I have fresh and dried. I dry it at the end of the season, and have it year round. Also, add some rosemary chopped up finely....buy a rosemary plant this spring too, another herb everyone needs in their yard. Add a little salt and pepper, whisk together, and presto! you have pizza sauce. One small can makes enough sauce for approximatley 2 pizzas. The sauce gets better if you let it sit overnight.....usually, we use it right when I mix it up, and then leave it a couple days for the second pizza.

All that is a complicated way explaining how to make something really simple. To put it more simply, mix the following ingredients together:

1 can tomato sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh or dried oregano (homegrown if you have it)

1 tablesspoon fresh rosemary

if you don't have the herbs above, use italian seasoning.

Salt, pepper

Done!

After you have had a pizza with good mozzarella and homemade sauce, you will probably never want another chain pizza again.

Nick out.

Dinner with a "pescatarian"

Our friend Catherine is home from a brief stint in Slovakia, and we were thrilled to spend last evening with her! For the new year, she became a "pescatarian"-- in other words, she eats like we do! (Mostly veg, plus fish.) In honor of her resolution and being back in the South, dinner was pecan-crusted salmon, squash casserole, and peach cobbler.
The dessert has its own story. Calhoun Bend is really close to home, so anytime I feel a little homesick, I break out the Calhoun Bend food. (It's available at Kroger on the baking aisle, top shelf.) The peaches (as well as the pecans and squash for the meal) were put up from our CSA. The ice cream wasn't special, but the package boasts "Real Vanilla Bean Specks." We found that rather amusing.

Recipes and notes:
Pecan-crusted fish (Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)
serves 4 prep: 20 mins bake: 30 - 45 mins
4 firm fish fillets (5-6 oz each)
3/4 c buttermilk
3/4 c finely ground pecans
3/4 c bread crumbs
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 T minced fresh parsley
1/2 ts dried thyme
1/2 ts paprika
1/2 ts salt
pinch of cayenne
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil baking pan.
Rinse the fish and place it in a shallow dish. Pour the buttermilk over the fillets. In a separate shallow dish, combine the pecans-cayenne.
One at a time, remove the fillets from the buttermilk, allowing excess to drain off, and then dredge in the pecan mixture to coat all sides. Place each coated fillet in the baking pan.
Bake for 30-45 mins, depending upon thickness of fillets, until the topping is lightly browned and the fish is tender and flakes easily with a fork.
Instead of parsley-cayenne, I used Emeril's Original Essence; of course, I did not measure. I think I accidentally left out the garlic, too. I served the salmon with sweet-spicy tomato sauce that I put up this summer.

Squash Casserole (Savannah Country Cookbook) serves 6
1 large onion, chopped
4 T butter
3 c cooked squash, drained, with all water squeezed out
1 c crushed Ritz crackers, plus additional for topping
1/2 c sour cream
1 c grated Cheddar cheese
1 ts House Seasoning (1 c salt, 1/4 c black pepper, 1/4 c garlic powder)
Preheat oven to 350. Saute onion in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and mix all ingredients together. Pour into buttered casserole dish and top with cracker crumbs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Again, I used Emeril's Essence instead of recommended seasoning. I also did not mix any cracker crumbs into the casserole. Incidentally, Bella loved this dish! (She also liked the fish, and the cobbler.)

Peach cobbler
1 quart frozen sliced peaches, thawed
cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar
butter
1 pkg Calhoun Bend peach cobbler mix
milk
Spread peaches in baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Dot with butter. Combine cobbler mix and milk according to package directions. Pour batter over peaches. Stir to combine. Bake according to package directions. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Two of my favorite Sunday meals

Okay, so pasta carbonara is not vegetarian. But it is quick and always delicious. So, when I don't know what to fix for Sunday lunch, this is usually one of Nick's suggestions. I guess it would be veg if I omitted the pancetta...
I love breakfast for supper, especially on Sunday nights. My favorite is biscuits and eggs with tomato gravy. I usually get either disgusted or intrigued looks when I mention tomato gravy. Here's the story: My Mamaw Octavia makes biscuits every morning for her in-town (Jonesville, LA) kids. (At least she used to; I'm not sure whether she still does.) On Sundays, she makes a big breakfast, including sausage or tomato gravy, or both. Tomato's my favorite, so when I'm home long enough to make it to J'ville, she fixes it just for me! (She also made a pecan pie for me and sent it to me at Thanksgiving. I found out later she also made one for my cousin Laura Beth. Considering that she makes pecan pies for really special people like George Jones, I'm thinking Laura Beth and I must rate pretty high!)

Recipes and notes:
Cajun carbonara
pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed
spaghetti or fettucine
cream
2 eggs
Parmesan, grated
Tabasco
Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning
freshly ground black pepper
parsley, finely chopped

Cook pasta according to label directions.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium-high heat, fry pancetta until almost crispy. Reduceheat, add garlic, cook 1 min. more, being careful not to burn garlic. Drain pancetta and garlic on paper towels.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and cream, using enough cream to make enough sauce to coat pasta. In other words, the amount of cream depends on the amount of pasta. When eggs and cream are well combined, add spices.
When pasta is al dente, drain. Return to pot. Immediately stir in egg/cream sauce, stirring constantly to prevent egg from curdling or scrambling. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Tomato gravy
equal parts oil (or bacon grease) and flour (I usually use 1/4 - 1/3 c)
1 can diced tomatoes (I like petite diced)
water
Tony's
onion and garlic powders
Tabasco
Heat oil in heavy skillet over medium heat. Slowly add flour, stirring until blended and smooth. Continue stirring until roux is medium brown, a little darker than peanut butter. Carefully add tomatoes and enough water to thin, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. (You want the gravy a little thin because it will thicken as it cooks.) Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Season to taste, remembering that peppers and Tabasco get hotter as they cook. Cook until gravy reaches desired thickness. Serve over biscuits.

Weekend meals

Today for lunch we had black beans and yellow rice, and sweet potato quesadillas. I didn't quite follow the recipe, but they were yummy just the same. Supper was spaghetti squash with pesto and peas. Below is the link to the recipe that inspired supper. I cheated on that one as well, using pesto that Nick made and froze this summer. The sticker on my squash informed me that spaghetti squash is "the fun squash." I was mildly amused by the fact that my spaghetti squash came from Mexico.

Recipes and notes:
Sweet Potato Quesadillas (from Simply in Season) yields 8 quesadillas
1 12/ c onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Saute in large frypan in 1 T oil until translucent.

2 ts dried oregano
1 ts each dried basil, marjoram, chili powder
1 1/2 ts ground cumin (optional)
pinch of ground red pepper
Add and cook another minute.

4 c sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
Add and heat through, frequently stirring to prevent sticking. Add salt and pepper to taste.

8 tortillas
1 c sharp cheddar, shredded
Spread about 1/2 c filling and 2 T cheese on half of each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the sides. Fold tortilla in half. Place on oiled baking sheets. Brush tops with oil. Bake in preheated oven at 400F until brown, 15-20 mins. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

I omitted the garlic and caramelized the onion in a little butter instead of oil. I used different spices: onion, garlic, and chili powders + salt and pepper. I stirred the caramelized onion into the sweet potatoes, spread on tortillas, and probably used more cheese than recommended.

Pasta Pesto and Peas
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/pasta-pesto-and-peas-recipe2/index.html
Pesto is one of those things I'm always glad I have on hand. Don't feel inspired to cook? Boil some pasta and toss it with pesto. Or stir it into tomato sauce for pizza. Or serve it with crostini for a quick appetizer. Of course, you can buy it jarred at the grocery store, but it's easy to make, and when the basil is out of control in the summer, it seems like a waste to not use it. (Plus, it's much cheaper to make your own.) Pesto also freezes really well. I've read that you can freeze it in ice cube trays, then pop the cubes out into freezer bags. We freeze it in snack-size ziploc bags, then put the small bags inside a freezer bag. To defrost, I place a bag in a bowl of hot water while I'm cooking my pasta.
To prepare the spaghetti squash, I sliced it in half lengthwise, scooped out the seeds and pulp, drizzled the halves with olive oil, and baked at 400 degrees until the flesh was tender. I think that was probably about 30 minutes, but, as my mom would say, I have no concept of time. When the squash is tender, use a fork to scrape it out of the skin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and serve as you would pasta. (Try it with marinara and turkey meatballs.)

Not for the lactose intolerant

Last night we ate a very late dinner of potato soup and rosemary cheddar biscotti. The soup was supposed to be Florentine, but, alas, I cooked all of the spinach with the orecchiette and butterbeans for lunch, so... it became potato soup with leeks, herbs, and cheese (plus quite a bit of butter and milk). And I got to use my new toy-- an immersion blender! (Thanks, Rob & Marty!) The soup was such a departure from the recipe that I'm not going to post the recipe. I only made one substitution in the biscotti-- rosemary for thyme-- and it was so delicious that Nick, Meghan, John and I ate almost an entire batch!

Notes and recipe:
Savory Cheddar Thyme Biscotti (from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)
yields 12 biscotti prep: 20 mins bake: 35 mins

1/2 c butter, melted
3 eggs
1/2 ts minced garlic
1 ts minced fresh thyme
1/2 c grated Cheddar cheese
2 c unbleached white flour
1 1/2 ts baking powder
1/2 ts salt

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and eggs with an electric mixer or whisk. Mix in the garlic, thyme, and cheese. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt directly into the wet ingredients. Fold in until the dough is uniform. Press together with lightly floured hands.
Use a spatula and your floured hands to scoop the dough onto the oiled baking sheet. Form the dough into a 12x3-inch diameter log shape; then press down on the log, flattening it to a thickness of about an inch. The flattened log should be about 14x4 inches.
Bake on the top rack of the oven for 25-30 mins, until the dough is firm and just slightly brown. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the log to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, slice on the severe diagonal into about 1-inch pieces. Arrange the biscotti cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake for about 5 minutes on each side, using tongs to flip them gently. Cool completely on a rack and then store in an airtight container for us to 2 weeks.

I use King Arthur flour. Crazy as it sounds, we can really tell a difference in pizza crust, bread, etc. My biscotti turned out a little crumbly, so I wouldn't recommend tongs to move them. I used a serrated bread knife for slicing and baked the biscotti on a Pampered Chef baking stone. (Speaking of Pampered Chef and biscotti, TPC has a really great orange almond biscotti recipe; I'll post it soon.) Cool completely and store? Good luck with that. We ate them straight from the oven!

Dinner and dessert

Wednesday night supper was easy and delicious. Nick picked up some fish from the store, so we had orange roughy with cornemal chipotle crust (Moosweood New Classics) with Southwestern mashed potatoes. I had some cilantro paste (Gourmet Garden Herb Blend, lots of varieties in produce section at Kroger-- very handy in dead of winter) and black olive tapenade in the fridge, so I added a little of each and some grated cheddar to my regular mashed potatoes and voila!
Dessert was homemade hot chocolate. I rarely eat (or drink) chocolate because I was allergic to it as a kid, but for some reason I've been craving a really good cup of hot chocolate. Nick was kind enough to pick up some half-and-half as well, and was rewarded for his effort.

Notes and recipes:
Fish with cornmeal chipotle crust serves 4 prep time: 10 mins baking time: 25 mins
4 firm fish fillets (5-6 oz each)
1 T canned chipotles in adobo sauce, minced
1 1/2 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 T fresh lemon or lime juice
1 large garlic clove, pressed or minced
1/4 ts dried thyme
1/4 ts salt
1/2 c cornmeal or 2/3-3/4 c cornbread crumbs
lime wedges
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil a large baking dish for the fish. Rinse the fillets, pat dry, and set aside.
In a bowl, combine the chipotles, oil, citrus juice, garlic, thyme, and salt and stir well. For a very smooth result, whirl all of the sauce ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or mini-processor.
Pour the sauce into a shallow bowl and place the cornmeal in another shallow bowl. Dip each fish fillet in the sauce: the thicker the coat, the spicier the fish will be. Then dredge the fillets on all sides in the cornmeal and arrange them in the prepared baking pan in a single layer.
Bake uncovered for about 25 mins, until the fillets are golden and flake with a fork. Serve with generous wedges of lime.
Don't be tempted to add more peppers without tasting first! Chipotles are quite spicy, and seem to get hotter when cooked.-- I added a sprinkle of Tony Chachere's to my cornmeal. Also, my crust seemed a little dry, so when the fish was almost done, I drizzled it with a little olive oil; back in the oven while the potatoes finished. -- My mom always adds a little onion and garlic powders to mashed potatoes (well, really to just about everything), so I do, too.

Hot chocolate (from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/hot-chocolate-recipe/index.html
I used 1 bar of Ghiradelli semisweet chocolate instead of a mixture of bittersweet and milk chocolates. I also substituted cocoa powder for the espresso powder, which was good, but I'm thinking the coffee would have made it spectacular. And maybe some orange...

Menu changes

First, a confession. I didn't cook at all yesterday. Actually, I did bake a pan of jambalaya which I had frozen for a friend, but I don't think that counts as cooking. Nick did sound a little jealous as we drove to deliver it. "Wow, that smells really good..." So, I'm posting my jambalaya recipe. I got it from my dear friend and fellow foodie Randall Wight; it's his Cajun grandmother's recipe. You can include celery, but she left it out because he doesn't like it. (Don't you just love recipes that have a story?) I modify it a little; the italics are mine. We make it every year for Mardi Gras.

My weekly menu is always flexible. Sometimes I switch days, sometimes I completely change meals... depends on my mood. Monday night, instead of making cornbread, I tried Paula Deen's cornmeal dumplings (from Savannah Country Cookbook). In spite of heeding her advice not to stir the pot, some of my dumplings disintegrated into my butterbeans, which made the dish rather ugly, but nicely thickened the cooking liquid. Most of the dumplings held together, and we all-- Bella included-- enjoyed our one-pot meal. The leftover butterbeans will become orrechiette with butterbeans either tonight or tomorrow...

Notes and recipes:
link for cornmeal dumplings
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/turnip-greens-with-cornmeal-dumplings-recipe/index.html

Jambalaya
1 stick butter
2 c raw rice
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion
2 (can) French onion soup
1 (can) cream of chicken soup
1 (can) cream of celery soup
1 pkg sausage (not the breakfast kind), sliced, browned
2-4 chicken breasts (as needed or desired), cut bite size
Melt butter in rectangular baking pan. Add everything else. Mix well. Bake 1 1/2 -2 hours at 375 (until rice is done).
I add 1 rib celery, chopped. In large skillet, saute sausage, bell pepper, onion, and celery until sausage is browned and vegetables are tender. Don't saute the chicken, or it will be overcooked. Instead of cream of chicken soup, I use cream of mushroom; generic is fine. My favorite thing about this recipe is mixing everything right in the pan-- brilliant! I feel like a cheater every time I make this (no roux for me), but my friends who love Cajun food (namely David McElhaney, Harry Hurst, and Blake Sandusky) rave about it.

Menu for the week

M: red & green sopa seca (Moosewood New Classics)
butterbeans & cornbread
Tu: orecchiette w/ butterbeans (Moosewood)
pasta Genovese (Jamie Oliver)
W: Ethiopian lentil bowl (Simply in Season)
fish w/ cornmeal chipotle crust (Moosewood), Southwestern mashed potatoes
Th: red taters w/ green Grannies (Simply in Season), cheese omelet
Middle Eastern lentils and pasta (Moosewood)
F: sweet potato quesadilla (Simply in Season)
potato Florentine soup, cheddar thyme biscotti (Moosewood)
Sa:
Basque skillet beans (Moosewood)

I don't always use recipes-- really, I don't. It's just that I've gotten a couple of new cookbooks recently and I'm trying to familiarize myself with them. Also, I get really excited and just have to try some of the recipes... Then some become favorites, like Jamie Oliver's pasta Genovese and Nigella Lawson's lemon risotto. For dishes like those, I no longer need the recipe.
Speaking of new cookbooks, I think I'm going to order a couple more this week. I saw a great deal on Cat Cora's Cooking from the Hip, which has been on my wish list for awhile. More about it when it arrives...

My mistake

The potato soup was quite good. However, I realized why I don't normally use turkey bacon. I remembered that last time I did, it made awesome bacon bits... wrong. Apparently my memory is off, because turkey bacon doesn't crumble at all. So, I chopped it, stirred it into the soup, and it was fine.
Pesto pizza for lunch, leftovers for supper... I'll try to post my menu for the week either tonight or tomorrow morning.

Cabbage and noodles

I had half a head of cabbage in the fridge. That was the starting point for tonight's delicious dinner. I decided to try cabbage and noodles from Moosewood Restaurant New Classic. Short ingredient list, few steps... oh, wait. Cook time: "at least 1 hour." Since I don't even start dinner until Nick gets home from work (so it will be hot for him, but mostly so he can entertain Bella), that might be a problem. So, I checked an old favorite, Ina Garten's sauteed cabbage (Barefoot Contessa Parties!). I remembered correctly-- saute for 15-20 minutes. That's more like it. So, I combined the recipes. And it turned out great. Now, mind you, I haven't had the slow cooked 1 hour version, but Nick and I were both impressed with the quick version. The optional sour cream makes it stroganoff-esque, but it's also delicious without the extra dairy.

Notes and recipes:

Since this is a new recipe and-- believe it or not-- I've never cooked with paprika, I did measure the paprika. Since I was not making a full recipe, I reduced the amount to 1 T. I used 3 T of butter (what was left of a stick).

Cabbage and noodles serves 4 total time: at least 1 hour

2 c thinly sliced onions

1/4 c unsalted butter

1 1/2 T paprika

8 c finely shredded cabbage (about 1 1/2 lbs)

2 ts salt

12 oz fine or medium-wide egg noodles

freshly ground black pepper to taste

dollop of sour cream (optional)

In a pot with a tight lid, cook the onions in the butter on medium heat until golden, about 15 minutes. Add the paprika and saute for a few seconds more. Stir in the cabbage, add the salt, and continue to cook for 5 more minutes, stirring now and then. Cover tightly and cook on very low heat for 40 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is very soft and brown.

When the cabbage is almost done, cook the noodles in boiling water until al dente. Drain them and toss well with the cabbage mixture. Add a generous amount of pepper and, if you like, top with a dollop of sour cream.

Sauteed cabbage

1 small head of white cabbage, including outer green leaves (2 1/2 pounds)

2 T unsalted butter

1 1/2 ts kosher salt

1/2 ts ground black pepper

fleur de sel to taste (optional)

Cut the cabbage in half and, with the cut-side down, slice it as thinly as possible around the core, as though you were making coleslaw. Discard the core.*

Melt the butter in a large saute pan or heavy-bootomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, kosher salt, and pepper and saute for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and begins to brown. Finish with another sprinkling of kosher salt or fleur de sel. Serve hot.

*Be green; compost it.

Planning meals

Normally I do my menu planning on Sunday evening, grocery shopping on Monday morning. This week has been a little off due to a teething toddler and unexpected dinners with friends. (I do so love dinner with friends!) So, I've got a head start on next week's menu and grocery shopping!
Unfortunately, I forgot to add to the grocery list the ingredients for the meal I'll be preparing for our annual New Year's get-together with the Lavenders and Skinners-- loaded baked potato soup. So, back to the store today...

Notes and recipes:
Originally, I was supposed to prepare lunch, so I was going to try a crockpot potato soup recipe which could cook tonight while we sleep. Hopefully, the crock would also keep it warm while we drive to Stuttgart! Change in plans means I'm preparing supper, so I guess I can skip the overnight simmering and just make my regular baked potato soup. Both recipes are from Southern Living.

Loaded Potato Soup prep: 15 mins cook: 5 hrs 20 mins yield: 8 servings
(from Southern Living Annual Recipes 2006)
4 lb new potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch-thick slices
1 small onion, chopped
2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
2 ts salt
1/2 ts pepper
1 pt half-and-half
toppings: shredded Cheddar, crumbled bacon, green onion slices
1. Layer sliced potatoes in a lightly greased 6-qt slow cooker; top with chopped onion.
2. Stir together chicken broth, salt, and pepper; pour over onion. (Broth will not completely cover potatoes and onion.) Cover and cook on HIGH 3-5 hours or until potatoes are tender. Mash mixture with a potato masher; stir in half-and-half. Cover and cook on HIGH 20 more minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated. Ladle into bowls, and serve with desired toppings.

Baked Potato Soup prep: 15 mins cook: 1 hr 12 mins yield: 10 c
4 lg baking potatoes
2/3 c butter
2/3 c all-purpose flour
6 c milk
3/4 ts salt
1/2 ts pepper
1 1/2 c (6 oz) shredded Cheddar, divided
12 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled, and divided
4 green onions, chopped and divided
1 (8 oz) carton sour cream
1. Wash potatoes, prick several times with a fork.* Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until done; cool. Cut potatoes in half lenghtwise; scoop out pulp, and reserve. Discard shells.
2. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.
3. Stir in potato, salt, pepper, 1 c cheese, 1/2 c bacon, and 2 t green onions; cook until heated (do not boil). Sprinkle servings with remaining cheese, bacon, and green onions.
*Very important step; otherwise your potatoes might explode!

You can reduce the baking time almost in half if you microwave the potatoes for 5 minutes. I don't have a microwave anymore, but that's what I used to do. Also, when baking potatoes, we make our extra delicious by drizzling with olive oil and sprinkling with kosher salt before baking. Wrap in foil; place on baking sheet or bar pan (so you don't have to place and remove each potato individually. Bake.

Of course, I rarely measure seasonings. In this recipe, I substitute Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning for salt and pepper. I use sharp or extra sharp cheddar, preferrably white because the orange color kind of scares me, and I grate it myself because it tastes better that way. I'll be using turkey bacon because one of my eaters is allergic to pork; I also like how it crumbles. When chives are in season, I'll use chives from our herb garden instead of green onion. Low-fat milk and sour cream are fine, won't affect texture really, but fat carries flavor, so full-fat will taste better.

New Year's resolutions

I hate New Year's resolutions. No, actually, I hate failing at my New Year's resolutions. Every year: exercise more, eat less, read more, write more, think more, talk less, do more for others... You get the idea. But as Nick and I sat down to dinner tonight, I decided to try to blog about one of my passions-- food. I'm a terribly inconsistent journaler; always have been. Maybe I'll do better at this one; maybe not. Anyway, my hope is that blogging will encourage me to cook more and eat out less, and that my blog will inspire and help you to do the same. So, what is my New Year's resolution this year? To eat better, in every sense of the word. For me, that means eating fresh, local products as much as possible, eating more fruit, and savoring every bite.

I love food traditions. In fact, I would consider New Year's a waste of a holiday except that there are special New Year's foods! As a good Southern girl, I believe in eating black-eyed peas for luck, greens for fortune, and pork, though I'm not really sure what it's supposed to symbolize. So, what did I fix for supper? Purple hull peas that I'd shelled and put up this summer, and Paula Deen's steak and greens (made with the last of the venison from my freezer, and a mixture of mustard and turnip greens from the grocery store-- I miss our CSA), and polenta. (I normally serve cornbread with greens and peas, but we were out of eggs.) Not exactly the meal my Mamaw Octavia cooked today, but a delicious nod to tradition just the same.

Notes and recipes:
You can search for and print out the steak and greens recipe on Food Network's website or find it in The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook.

For one quart of peas, I chop and saute 1/2 a yellow onion and 3 slices of bacon. (I know... not vegetarian.) When the bacon is crisp and onion browns I add the (frozen) peas. Add enough water to cover. Season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders, and 2 Trappey's hot peppers. (Find them on the vinegar, olive, etc. aisle.) You can add more peppers-- tonight I added 4-- but start with 2. They don't look like much, but they are spicy!

I love grits. My husband does not. He does, however, like polenta. Polenta is, basically, Italian grits. I always thought the cornmeal was specially ground for polenta, so I've been buying it in the special little Italian section of the grocery store. According to Moosewood Restaurant New Classics cookbook, though, you can use regular (not self-rising) cornmeal to make polenta. So, I tried it. Bring 1 1/2 c water to boil in small saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Stirring constantly, gradually add cornmeal. (A spiral sauce whisk works great and helps prevent lumps.) Add more water if needed. When cornmeal looks thick and smooth, add salt, pepper, and butter.