Buckwheat Blini with Smoked Salmon

I ate incredibly well during my semester abroad in Paris.  So well, in fact, that I am amazed my jeans still fit by the end (I may or may not have eaten pain au chocolat on a daily basis).  I think my waistline was saved by two very important things: all of the walking I did while exploring my adopted city, and my French host mom’s cooking. 

Her meals struck the perfect balance between indulgence and moderation that only the French seem to manage with such ease.  Each meal commenced with a pureed vegetable soup to awaken our taste buds, then progressed to a delicious entree, and always concluded with a few morsels of pungent cheese and a small bowl of yogurt.  These three distinct courses set a relaxed pace for eating while simultaneously allowing for lengthy conversations (that I tried my very best to follow).  Each night I left the table feeling incredibly content but never uncomfortably full. 

But sometimes even the French can’t muster this level of sophistication.  One evening my host parents went to a party, leaving my fourteen-year-old host brother and me to fend for ourselves.  Based on my American conception of dinner sans parents, I expected we would probably dine on something in the genre of boxed macaroni and cheese and bagel bites.  But instead of taking a pre-packaged meal from the freezer, my host brother extracted four frozen blini and popped them in the toaster.  He then set the table with crème fraîche (a French pantry staple), smoked salmon, and a bag of minced chives.  The blini emerged from the toaster perfectly crispy, and we sat down to feast. 

The dinner changed my life not only because it introduced me to smoked salmon, but also because it completely shifted my understanding of the exciting and elegant possibilities for a quick meal.  This recipe that I am sharing took a bit longer to come together since I made the blini from scratch today, but now I have eight leftover blini in my freezer ready for future use! 

BUCKWHEAT BLINI WITH SMOKED SALMON
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1 teaspoon dried yeast
¾ cup plain (all purpose) flour
¾ cup buckwheat flour
1 egg, separated
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup lukewarm buttermilk

1 4-ounce package of thinly sliced smoked salmon
1 cup crème fraîche
½ cup minced chives

Combine yeast and ¾ cup warm water in a large bowl and stir to dissolve, then stand in a warm place for 10 minutes or until foamy. Slowly whisk in plain flour, then cover with a clean tea towel and stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl combine buckwheat flour, egg yolk, 1½ tablespoons melted butter, sugar, milk and sea salt and whisk to combine, then gently fold into yeast mixture. Cover and stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until risen by half.

Whisk egg white until soft peaks form and fold through batter. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat, brush with remaining butter and cook batter, in batches, for 1-2 minutes or until bubbles appear, then turn and cook for another minute or until cooked through. Keep warm.

Top with smoked salmon, a dollop of crème fraîche and chives.

Shakshuka [Sarah's Guest Post!]

I was irrationally excited when Emily invited me to write this guest post for her blog. I love Em’s blog, and I am so excited to share this recipe for shakshuka! It is easily my #1 go-to dinner, and there are so many reasons why you should try it. Most importantly it is DELICIOUS. Beyond that, it is healthy, easy to make (only 30ish minutes!), vegetarian if that’s your thing, and it minimizes clean-up time because you can wash most of the dishes while it’s simmering.

I originally got this recipe from food blog titan Smitten Kitchen, which describes shakshuka as an Israeli dish of poached eggs in spicy tomato sauce. Others think the origins of shakshuka are Lebanese. Wherever it comes from, all experts agree that you should make it immediately. Thanks again Emily for asking me to post!

Here are a few things to keep in mind before making shakshuka:

• Shakshuka is saucy, so serve it in a bowl rather than a plate.

• The Smitten Kitchen recipe suggests serving it with pitas, but since the pitas you can buy at the grocery store are not puffy, I’ve always served it with crusty bread instead. I think you need the fluff for dipping and mopping up the spicy sauce. If you are ambitious you could bake your own bread (ahem, Emily), or you could just pick up your favorite crusty, fluffy bread at the store. If you want, warm it in the oven while the shakshuka is cooking.

• Sometimes your shakshuka will be spicy and sometimes it won’t be. There’s just no way to tell if a jalapeno is spicy by looking at it, as far as I know.

• If you are planning to save some for leftovers (which I HIGHLY recommend - best lunch ever), make sure you don’t overcook the eggs, unless you’re weirded out by runny eggs. If they are more cooked the first time, when you heat it up the second day the eggs can sometimes get a little bit overcooked. You could also avoid putting in all 6 eggs initially and just poach them in already-cooked sauce the following day, but that sort of defeats the purpose of being able to have a quick, portable lunch (of paramount importance to those of us in law school, and really, everyone).

SHAKSHUKA
Click here to print
serves 4-6 (in my experience, serves 2 for both a hearty dinner and a light lunch the next day)

¼ cup olive oil
3 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (leave some seeds in for more spicy potential)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes, do NOT drain (I usually use Muir Glen organic)
6 large eggs
Kosher salt to taste
½ cup feta, crumbled (I just dump in however much I feel like)
1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley (flat leaf or curley is fine)*

*About the parsley - I actually think it adds a lot of freshness to this dish, whereas in others it’s just a garnish and doesn’t make much of a difference. I’ve forgotten it plenty of times and it’s always better when I include it.

Chop the onion and stem, seed and finely chop the jalapenos. Heat oil in a large pot or 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the jalapenos and the onion and stir until the onion starts to brown, about 6 minutes. While the onion and jalapenos cook, prepare the garlic and tomatoes as follows.

Crush and slice the garlic. Open the canned tomatoes and pour them into a bowl. Then add ½ cup water to the bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands.  Be careful! This can easily stain your clothes. I recommend putting the bowl in the sink so any juices that spurt just end up in the sink. Put the tomatoes aside.

Once the onion has started to brown, add the garlic, paprika and cumin. Stir it around a lot and smell it, because it smells amazing. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes, until the garlic is soft.

Add the tomatoes with their juice and the ½ cup water. Stir and lower heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. (This is a great time to clean some dishes, make a salad, set the table, etc). Chop up some parsley, and get out your eggs. Season the sauce with salt to taste.

Crack eggs over the surface of the sauce so they are evenly distributed (usually a circle of 5 with 1 egg in the middle). Cover the skillet and cook about 5-6 minutes, until the yolks of the eggs are set. If you don’t have a tight fitting lid, use aluminum foil - it may take longer for the eggs to cook because some air is escaping. Use a spoon to swirl the whites around with the sauce, without disrupting the yolks. Sprinkle parsley and feta into the shakshuka. Serve in bowls with crusty bread or fluffy pitas!

Grandma's Macaroni & Cheese

 My Grandma passed away two weeks ago and today is her birthday.  She was my most loyal blog reader, and I know she loved being mentioned when I wrote about her Company Chicken recipe last year.  I had to share this recipe as well, because it is by far my very favorite of all the things she cooked for us over the years.

Grandparents are of course supposed to spoil their grandchildren.  And Grandma was the best at spoiling us with food.  I have so many memories of sitting at her kitchen table eating fishy crackers (our term for Goldfish crackers), circus cookies, and nuts and bolts.  Whenever Erin and I spent the night she made this amazing cinnamon toast for breakfast that always tasted so much better than mom’s.  Erin and I finally figured out that reason Grandma’s tasted so much better had something to do with the inch of sugar she piled on top of the toast.  We shared this valuable information with mom but she did not adjust her sugar ratio.

This macaroni and cheese recipe represents the pinnacle of just how much Grandma spoiled us.  I know this is probably going to shock quite a few of you given my love of food, but I was kind of a picky kid.  I never reached Erin’s level of extreme, debilitating pickiness, but I admit I was a little high maintenance.  Bananas are really the only modern hold-over from my long list of dislikes.  But I never had to worry about family gatherings at Grandma’s because without fail, no matter what other meal she had prepared for the masses, I could always expect a glorious pan of her homemade macaroni and cheese on the table for me. 

To be clear- this tradition is not just something that I remember fondly from my childhood.   Right before Christmas this year, my whole family gathered at Grandma and Grandpa’s to watch the Seahawks game.  I was really not expecting to have macaroni and cheese, since I knew we were having lasagna for dinner and some people might think lasagna with a side of mac n’ cheese is too much pasta.  But I was foolish to doubt her, because of course there was a huge pan full of melted cheesy goodness on the table when I walked in.  I am 27 years old, and I still got my special dinner.

While I was home two weekends ago, we had a big family gathering to celebrate Grandma’s life.  We spent hours around the table eating her favorite foods and drinking gimlets while we remembered all of the incredible times our family has had together.  Erin made this recipe and everyone said it tasted just like Grandma’s.  Even though we were all missing Grandma, this dinner reminded me of just how wonderful family dinners can be.  My love of cooking is about a whole lot more than the food that I make.  And I know I have my Grandma and the rest of my family to thank for that.

Here is the recipe.  I've provided a translation below since I realize that not all of you have my extensive experience in deciphering Grandma's handwriting.

 

GRANDMA’S MACARONI & CHEESE
serves 12 

1 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups milk
3 cups cut up cheese (half mild and half sharp cheddar)
1 cup soda cracker crumbs
½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese


Cook macaroni and put in greased 13-9 glass baking dish.  Heat milk and cheese together until the cheese is melted.  Pour mixture over the macaroni- add salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Add cracker crumbs.  Bake at 325 degrees 1 hour.

Braised Beef Stew with Red Wine

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you all had fabulous food-filled holidays.  I made it through the end of my epic finals schedule and had wonderful family time in Seattle.  I did quite a bit of cooking over break, and I will share some of those recipes soon. 

I also enjoyed eating many meals cooked by OTHER people- including my Dad’s Beef Bourguignon, which he made for our annual family cookie decorating party.  This is not his recipe, but I have been craving comfort food since getting back to snowy Boston, and this seemed like an interesting take on the classic French stew.  Plus, my second-semester-3L schedule gives me ample time for long braising projects.  So I bought some beef and stuck it in the oven with wine, and my apartment smelled incredible all afternoon! 

This is a Jacques Pépin recipe from Food & Wine, which at first gave me pause.  The beauty of braising is that it’s easy: effortless, one-pot, less-dishes-to-wash, simplicity.  This is especially important for a person like me who is sans-dishwasher!  The problem with gourmet chefs (like Jacques Pépin) is that they tend to complicate the ease of braising by inserting additional steps to the recipe, which inevitably involves more dishes and more stress. 

For example, when I see a braising dish that requires STRAINING of any kind, that is a huge red flag.  Pouring hot liquid through a tiny colander?  This presents far too many opportunities for me to make a huge mess and scald my arm, plus what am I pouring the braising liquid into?  A new dish.  Which equals more dirty dishes.

This recipe does require the dirtying of one extra pan to make the garnishes, but I promise the result is worth it.  Sooooo so worth it.  And the complication of the additional pan is offset by the simplicity of the rest of the recipe.  No stock or demi-glace required!  Just throw in a whole bottle of wine and you will end up with a broth so delicious you will probably consider licking the bowl.

BRAISED BEEF STEW WITH RED WINE
serves 4
adapted from Food & Wine
click here to print

2 lbs lean beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt
Pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon flour
1 bottle red wine (any dry red will do, I used Pinot Noir)
2 bay leaves (I left this out and it was still yummy)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
15 pearl onions, peeled
15 cremini mushrooms, larger ones cut in half (you want all pieces to be roughly the same size)
4 carrots, cut into pieces that are roughly the same size as the mushrooms and onions
5-ounce piece of pancetta (or you can sub bacon), cut into ½ inch dice
½ cup water
Dash of sugar
Chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, oven-safe pot.  Add the beef in a single layer, season with salt and pepper.  Cook over high heat for about 8 minutes, browning the meat on all sides. 

Add one cup of finely chopped onion and one tablespoon of finely chopped garlic.  Cook over moderate heat for an additional five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add one tablespoon of flour.  Mix in well so that the flour doesn’t form lumps.  Stir in one bottle of red wine.  Add the bay leaves and thyme, bring to a boil and cover.  Stir well and place the pot in the oven for 1 ½ - 2 hours.  The meat should become tender, and the sauce will reduce.  The recipe can be prepared up to this point a day ahead. 

For the garnishes, add the pancetta to a skillet and cook over medium heat until it has browned and rendered its fat, about 5 minutes.  Add the onions, carrots, and mushrooms, along with ½ cup of water and a generous dash of sugar, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes; at this point there should be practically no water left.  Uncover and cook over high heat until nicely browned on all sides, about four minutes. 

To serve, mix in some of the vegetables to the stew.  Sprinkle the rest as a garnish along with the chopped chives.

Oven Roasted Cod with Bok Choy, Cilantro & Lime

I wasn’t planning on blogging again so soon (it being finals and all)- but my current procrastination is a testament to how amazing this is.  You should probably make it for dinner right now.  The recipe is from the latest Bon Appétit, but I’ve made a few minor changes: I added mushrooms and onions and I omitted the sake (didn’t want to make an extra stop at the liquor store- stupid Massachusetts laws).  But I think the sake would be very delicious- will try next time.

This is actually an ideal dinner for finals because it is very quick!  Minimal prep, and then the fish cooks very quickly.  The sauce forms a sort of vinaigrette.  I’m thinking it would probably also be yummy spooned over grilled fish. 

OVEN ROASTED COD WITH BOK CHOY, CILANTRO & LIME
serves 4
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Serve with steamed brown or white rice

1 scallion, thinly sliced
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (I used two limes)
3 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons minced peeled ginger
3 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 cup sliced assorted mushrooms
1 lb baby bok choy, cut in half lengthwise
½ cup sake (I subbed 3 tablespoons mirin)
4 4-ounce fillets of cod, flounder, or other delicate white fish

Arrange a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 400 degrees.  Combine scallions, cilantro and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl.  Whisk in 1 ½ tablespoon oil.  Set aside.

Heat remaining oil in an oven-proof skillet until shimmering.  Throw in mushrooms and cook for roughly one minute, until browned.  Move mushrooms to side of pan, then add bok choy, cut side down, and sear until golden brown, 2-4 minutes.  Turn bok choy cut side up and remove pan from heat.  Add sake (or mirin).  Arrange the fish over the bok choy and sprinkle with yellow onion.  Roast in oven until fish is just cooked through, 10-12 minutes.

Serve fish with bok choy and mushrooms over the rice.  Spoon some cilantro-lime sauce over the fish, serve with additional sauce for drizzling. 

I'm BACK!

Hello friends.  I’ve returned from my blog sabbatical [not a real thing].  I have missed you all!  Reasons for my absence?  Well, I had some camera problems…all fixed now thanks to Dad’s technical genius.  I also just needed a little break from taking pictures of everything that I cooked.  Things tend to get cold during my photo shoots.  But now I am back and I have so much to tell you!  Plus…finals are here! My favorite season to procrastinate. 

For my first return post, I need some redemption.  Let me tell you a little story about the time last week when we cooked the turkey for two and a half hours on the grill but then discovered it was still completely raw.  Don’t worry- Thanksgiving was not ruined!  We carved off the turkey sashimi and roasted it in the oven for another hour, which gave me lots of time to relax [i.e. drink three glasses of wine].  But the saddest part was that I had been diligently basting the turkey with this rosemary soy glaze every 20 minutes while it was on the grill but glazing ended when it went in the oven.  We didn’t want to risk opening the oven door and losing heat…plus I was mostly focused on my wine…but the glaze smelled so delicious and was so incredibly easy that I just had to try it again.  I went with chicken this time.  It was too soon to dredge up the painful memories by cooking turkey again.  Give me a year and I’ll get over it. 

ROAST CHICKEN WITH ROSEMARY SOY GLAZE 
Click here to print
serves 4-6
6 tablespoons butter (don’t question it- butter makes things taste good)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
2 sprigs rosemary
1 whole chicken
Half of an onion
Kitchen twine
Basting brush (or use an extra rosemary sprig if you don’t have one)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Remove chicken from refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking so that it can come to room temperature.  This allows the meat to cook more evenly.
To make the glaze: combine butter, soy sauce, mirin in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth.  Add rosemary.  Cover and keep warm over lowest heat. 
Set chicken on roasting rack in a roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels.  Pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pan.  Put the onion in the cavity and tie legs with kitchen twine.  Brush with glaze.
Roast chicken for 60-70 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers at 165 degrees.  Brush with glaze every 15 minutes while roasting.  Remove from oven, let rest for 20 minutes.  Carve and serve! 

Broiled Salmon with Ginger Scallion Soba

What if I blog about a recipe that doesn’t completely revolve around carbs and Italian cuisine? (read: my last four posts...)  I guess my finals comfort food habits have taken over.  At least I’m not relying solely on take-out like I do at the end of most semesters.  Instead I am making brain healthy food to supplement my amazing study habits (read: finding new ways to procrastinate productively).  So let’s have some omega-3s and proteins that stimulate brain activity.  Even if you are not in finals mode, you have plenty of reasons to eat salmon.  According to a recent email from Mom (she likes to send health reminders every so often), salmon is particularly good for your skin (in addition to kale, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes) and will help you keep from aging!   Side note- make sure you get wild salmon- farmed doesn’t contain nearly as many nutrients and it has harmful environmental effects. 

In other news, have you thought ahead to Cinco de Mayo plans??  I had an idea to make churros this year but Addison received it with less than stellar excitement.  I will therefore reserve for another time when I can find people who will exhibit the appropriate level of enthusiasm when faced with deep fried dough rolled in cinnamon and sugar.  I have some other yummy recipes I’m hoping to post before the weekend, but in the meantime, might I suggests some of these options?

BROILED SALMON WITH GINGER SCALLION SOBA
serves 2
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1 ½ cups thinly sliced scallions
1 tablespoon minced ginger
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons sriracha
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin (rice wine vinegar)
2 tablespoons honey
2 Wild Salmon Filets
1 package soba noodles
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Preheat the broiler and cover a baking sheet with foil.  Combine first 8 ingredients and stir together.  Place the salmon filets on the baking sheet and spoon some of the ginger scallion sauce over them.  Broil for 10-12 minutes (depending on salmon thickness) until opaque. 

Meanwhile, cook the soba noodles in a large pot of boiling water, drain and rinse with cold water.  Return to the pot and combine with the remaining ginger scallion sauce.  Serve the salmon over the noodles and top with toasted sesame seeds!

No Knead Pizza Dough

This discovery was so exciting that I couldn’t wait until the end of finals to share it.  What if you were looking for the perfect pizza recipe RIGHT NOW and I hadn’t posted this yet?!  The timing of this post is also ideal because it happens to be Lily's birthday!  And if there is one thing that Lily loves, its pizza.

I’ve been on a search for the enigma that is the crispy pizza crust for quite some time, so I was intrigued when Bon Appétit featured this recipe on the cover of their March issue.  I was planning to wait until this summer to try it (because I will be living at home in Seattle and can take advantage of mom and dad's pizza stone) but then I read a suggestion on Tastespotting to use a cast iron skillet instead!  Worked beautifully- the crust was SO crisp.  Like, more crisp than most restaurants.  And so flavorful-  according to pizza guru Jim Lahey this is the product of letting the dough sit and develop flavor for at least 24 hours.  I kept mine in the fridge for 3 days (which by the way builds a lot of anticipation, so I’m glad it turned out well).  I think I told about half the law school that I was excited to make pizza yesterday.

If you have ever been scared of making bread or using yeast, this is the ideal gateway recipe.  You just mix the dough together and then let it sit for days- no kneading or any other fancy tricks.  I’ve included the exact Bon Appétit recipe below which makes 6 small pizzas but I actually halved it and the dough still turned out perfectly.  I made 4 pizzas- but mine were a bit small.

Here are my tips for pizza perfection:
•    Use this dough recipe!!
•    Either use a pizza stone or another pan (like a cast iron one) that you can preheat
•    Set your oven at its hottest temperature and let it preheat for about an hour
•    If using fresh mozzarella, slice it and then blot it with a paper towel to get out moisture
•    Cook for a very short amount of time: 5-8 minutes tops

NO KNEAD PIZZA DOUGH
Makes 6 10”-12” pizzas
From Bon Appétit and Jim Lahey
Click here to print

7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (1000 grams) plus more for shaping dough
4 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

Whisk flour, salt, and yeast in a medium bowl. While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add 3 cups water; stir until well incorporated. Mix dough gently with your hands to bring it together and form into a rough ball. Transfer to a large clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature (about 72°) in a draft-free area until surface is covered with tiny bubbles and dough has more than doubled in size, about 18 hours (time will vary depending on the temperature in the room).

Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Gently shape into a rough rectangle. Divide into 6 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, gather 4 corners to center to create 4 folds. Turn seam side down and mold gently into a ball. Dust dough with flour; set aside on work surface or a floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining portions.

Let dough rest, covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, until soft and pliable, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Wrap each dough ball separately in plastic wrap and chill. Unwrap and let rest at room temperature on a lightly floured work surface, covered with plastic wrap, for 2–3 hours before shaping.

To Make the Pizzas
During the last hour of dough's resting, prepare oven: If using a pizza stone, arrange a rack in upper third of oven and place stone on rack; preheat oven to its hottest setting, 500°–550°, for 1 hour. If using a baking sheet, arrange a rack in middle of oven and preheat to its hottest setting, 500°–550°. (You do not need to preheat the baking sheet.)
Working with 1 dough ball at a time, dust dough generously with flour and place on a floured work surface. Gently shape dough into a 10"–12" disk.

If Using Pizza Stone
When ready to bake, increase oven heat to broil. Sprinkle a pizza peel or rimless (or inverted rimmed) baking sheet lightly with flour. Place dough disk on prepared peel and top with desired toppings.
Using small, quick back-and-forth movements, slide pizza from peel onto hot pizza stone. Broil pizza, rotating halfway, until bottom of crust is crisp and top is blistered, 5–7 minutes.
Using peel, transfer to a work surface to slice. Repeat, allowing pizza stone to reheat under broiler for 5 minutes between pizzas.

If Using a Baking Sheet
Arrange dough disk on baking sheet; top with desired toppings. Bake pizza until bottom of crust is crisp and top is blistered, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a work surface to slice. Repeat with remaining pizzas.

Turkey Meatballs with Penne

Nothing like the looming dread of finals to inspire me to throw myself into the kitchen... I made these meatballs in the name of “preparation” but it may have actually been “procrastination.”  We will go with the first scenario for now though.  The Food & Wine recipe makes enough for 8-10 people and I made the WHOLE batch (for just me and Addison).  I admit it was quite a production- but now we have a huge ziplock of frozen turkey meatballs in the freezer!  Meatball subs during finals anyone?  Cooking might be the most productive way to procrastinate.


TURKEY MEATBALLS WITH PENNE
serves 8-10
from Food & Wine
Click Here to print


4 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 cups panko
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced
1 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese, plus more for serving
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 pounds ground turkey
1 pound hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
Two 24-ounce jars of tomato sauce (homemade or store bought)
2 pounds dried penne

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk. Stir in the panko, garlic, oregano, 1 cup of the pecorino, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Add the red pepper, ground turkey, and turkey sausage and gently knead to combine.
Form 1 ½ inch meatballs and place them on the baking sheets.  Bake for about 40 minutes, shifting the pans halfway through baking, until the meatballs are cooked through.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water.  Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.  Toss with the tomato sauce and serve with meatballs.  Serve with additional cheese.
 

Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter

I’m sorry the posts have been few and far between lately.  I will reiterate my common refrain: law school gets a little crazy this time of year.  Last spring I actually went on a three month hiatus from blogging so this is a slight improvement.  It’s not that I haven’t been cooking- I actually have a huge stack of recipes to share.  The roadblock has been the writing.  When I get home after a long day of banging my head against the keyboard and checking facebook every two seconds while trying to write the endless stream of papers that I’ve been assigned this semester, the last thing I want to do is to organize my thoughts into a coherent and interesting blog post…but that will all be changing soon and the end of finals is in sight! 

Last weekend I went to Nashville to visit Nora and she said that she would be more interested in reading my blog if I mentioned her.  This made me realize that I really should mention her, because she was a huge part of Navy Blue Kitchen’s first year since I was living with her when I started it!  The problem is that I didn’t really incorporate personal stories into my blog during that first year.  I played it pretty safe while I was finding my ‘blogging voice’, so stories of Nora are past due.

Nora and I lived together for two years in DC where we had a glorious kitchen that could actually fit more than one person at a time.  She was the best roommate because we have a shared love of pasta, prosecco, scrabble, and Harry Potter.  The amazing kitchen plus having Nora as a roommate created the perfect combination of factors for my fledgling blog because I had space to work AND a wonderful roommate who ate absolutely anything I cooked (and tolerated the messes).  Sadly, we had to leave our happy home when we both went to law school, but Nora will always and forever be one of my favorite people to cook for. 

This is a good time to mention that I am going to Croatia and Italy this summer with Nora as well as Smita (mentioned previously in this post) and Sarah (sorry Slicht- I don’t think I’ve introduced you yet!).  I’m considering bringing my fancy camera with me so that I can blog about the trip afterwards.  We are staying in an apartment in Hvar, Croatia for a week so we will probably do quite a bit of cooking!  And I’m sure there will be some beautiful mozzarella in Italy that I will have to document. 

Ok now a few words about this recipe- its deliciousness makes up for the fact that it really has no redeeming nutritional quality.  It comes from my college days where I watched the food network constantly to learn how to cook.  Make sure you use good balsamic- I promise it is worth the extra $.  Or wait for you mom to buy you some (this is my approach and it has worked very well).
I may or may not post again before finals are over.  If not- I’ll see you in May!

RAVIOLI WITH BALSAMIC BROWN BUTTER
adapted from the Food Network
Serves 4
click here to print

18 to 20 ounces store-bought ravioli (cheese, mushroom, or squash)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain ravioli onto a large serving platter.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides, and the butter begins to turn a golden brown, about 3 minutes, turn off the heat. Let cool for about 1 minute. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Transfer the ravioli to the pan saucepan with the balsamic brown butter. Sprinkle hazelnuts and parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.

Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic and Rosemary

I would like to start off by apologizing for my extended absence from NBK.  Sometimes law school gets hard…and sometimes you go on spring break and don’t even bring your computer because you are sick of technology and writing and thinking and just want to curl up on the beach. 

Luckily, I am being forced back into blogging reality because it is the fifteenth of the month, so I have to post my daring cook’s challenge- braising!  I have spoken often about my obsession with braising (which is basically slow cooking in a bit of liquid).  It does take a while for the heat to dissolve the proteins of meat, but you are left with succulent, fall of the bone perfection that is worth the wait.  Plus, it only requires work up front, so you can clean your whole kitchen before eating. 

I also wanted to mention that I didn’t get to post everything I wanted to for Frozen February- so I will be continuing to throw in a few freezable meals from time to time.  Maybe themed months are just too much pressure for me. 

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY
serves 4

4 onions, thickly sliced
4 shallots, thickly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal into thick slices
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 generous tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
4 lamb shanks, about 3/4 to 1 pound each
salt, freshly ground black pepper
all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups dry red wine
2 cups chicken stock (half a carton- use the other half in kale)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 bay leaves (optional)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Heat a dutch oven large enough to accommodate lamb shanks over a medium-low flame. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, onions, shallots and carrots. Sauté vegetable mixture until onions and shallots are very tender and starting to caramelize, stirring frequently to avoid burning, 20 minutes or more. If onions start to brown too quickly, reduce heat.
Meanwhile, pat shanks dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour. Heat a large skillet over a high flame. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and brown shanks thoroughly on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. If cooking more than 2 shanks, brown them in batches, adding more oil, if needed. Transfer browned shanks to a plate and add wine to the skillet. Cook until just heated through, scraping up browned bits in the bottom of the pan.
Add rosemary and garlic to the dutch oven with the onion/shallot mixture and cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add chicken broth, lemon zest and juice and bay leaves. Add the red wine from the skillet and stir to combine. Arrange lamb shanks on top of the onion/shallot mixture; the liquid in the dutch oven should come about halfway up the sides of the shanks. If not, add a little water.
Cover with lid and place in oven. Braise shanks for about 2-1/2 hours or more, until meat is very tender. Turn the shanks once or twice during the braising, adding a little water to the dutch oven if the liquid is evaporating too much.
Remove from oven and serve over polenta or mashed potatoes.

SWEET POTATO POLENTA
serves 4-6

1 sweet potato
1 box instant polenta
Kosher salt

Poke the sweet potato with a fork in a few places, then wrap it in foil and throw it in the oven with the lamb.  Let it cook for about an hour, or until it feels soft.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Meanwhile, cook polenta according to box directions.  Cut the potato in half, scoop out insides, then mash with a fork.  Add the sweet potato to the polenta and season to taste.

RAINBOW CHARD AND PURPLE KALE
serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 bunch rainbow chard
1 bunch purple kale
2 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt

Wash the greens and let dry.  Roughly chop greens into 1 inch pieces.  Heat oil in a large pan and add the garlic.  Cook, stirring, until the garlic softens, about 5 minutes.  Add the greens (you may have to do this in batches until it begins to wilt so that you can fit it) and about 1 cup of the stock.  Stir until the greens wilt, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover.  Let cook for about 40 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes or so. Add more stock when the greens become dry- watch them closely to make sure they don’t burn.  When they taste cooked, remove from heat and season with salt.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

It’s a little funny that I chose to do a frozen food themed month right now.  In theory, these meals should all be prepared when you are not busy, so that when you are up to your eyeballs in an endless list of assignments, you don’t have to worry about making dinner.  But for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to stock my freezer during my busiest month!  I just couldn’t resist the alliteration…I toyed around with calling it March [freezer] Madness, but I’m really not into sports, and it felt a bit forced. 

So we find ourselves in February.  Freezing things.  Things like meatballs stuffed with mozzarella!  Yes, just when you thought meatballs couldn’t get any better, Thomas Keller swoops in like a genius and puts gooey cheese in the middle of them.  Of course, being the perfectionist that he is, TK recommends that you grind all of the meat yourself.  But don’t worry, the recipe I have posted below is for those of us who don’t own our own meat grinders.  I served them with papardelle and the best tomato sauce in the world. 

To freeze, let the meatballs cool and then put them in the freezer while still on the cooling rack (don't let them touch or they will all stick together).  Once they have frozen through, you can transfer them to a plastic bag. 

MOZZARELLA STUFFED MEATBALLS
serves 4-6
from Ad Hoc at Home
Click here to print


olive oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
4 cloves minced garlic
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
12 oz ground beef sirloin
12 oz ground beef chuck
8 oz ground pork
8 oz ground veal
¼ dried bread crumbs
3 tablespoon minced parsley
1 large egg
4 oz fresh mozzarella

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are soft but not brown.  Remove from heat.  In a large bowl, add all of the ground meat and use your hands to combine.  Add the bread crumbs, egg, sautéed vegetables, and parsley and mix gently until evenly incorporated.  Divide into 12 equal balls (just less than ½ cup each).  Cut the mozzarella into 12 equal cubes.  Shape the meatballs and place a piece of cheese inside each.  Place a cooling rack on top of a foil covered cookie sheet and put the meatballs on top. This lets them brown nicely without getting mushy on the bottom.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and bake meatballs for 15 to 18 minutes.  Let rest a few minutes before serving.

Frozen February: Baked Pasta

Exciting news!  Navy Blue Kitchen is hosting its very first theme month!  For the whole month of February, I will be showcasing recipes that you can use to stock your freezer.  I have cleverly decided to call it “Frozen February.”  The plan is to make extra food so that you can enjoy a delicious dinner, and then freeze the rest for later!  If you have any amazing freezer recipes- let me know! 

Before we get started, a few tips on freezing:

1. Get a good storage system!  Plastic is fine for short term freezing but over time it can leech.  I just invested in this set that seals out air and can also go straight into the oven or microwave!

2. Get out as much air as possible to avoid freezer burn.  Freezer burn doesn’t make the food unsafe but it damages flavor and texture.

3. Let food cool completely before freezing.  Warm food will raise the temperature of other foods around it and result in uneven freezing. 

4. Put dates on your food.  Even though you can theoretically freeze food indefinitely without it going bad, flavor suffers over time.  As a general rule I try to use food between 1-2 months after freezing.  For more specifics, you can consult this chart. 

5. Only thaw foods in the microwave, fridge, or cold water.  Leaving them out on the counter to thaw encourages bacteria growth.  My favorite method is in the fridge- but this takes some forethought.  Smaller items can defrost overnight but larger items can take up to two days or more.

One ready to freeze and one ready to eat!

For my first frozen meal, I decided to do some sort of baked pasta but I didn’t want to use a red sauce because I’m making papardelle and meatballs later this week (don't worry I will blog about it!).  But when I went to Tastespotting and Food & Wine (my normal sources for recipe inspiration), I was confronted with a litany of red sauce baked pasta options!  The only recipes I found that diverged from this formula used unhealthy cream sauces.  So I ventured out on my own to come up with this one and it was delicious!

Food Notes:

•  I used chicken to add protein to the meal but you could easily leave it out or sub in more veggies instead. 
• Make sure you don’t overcook the pasta!  It should still be very al dente when you strain it- I promise it continues to cook in the oven.
• Instead of opening a quart of chicken stock that you will then be forced to go through within the week, use the smaller containers that look like juice boxes- they are the perfect size for this recipe.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH ARTICHOKES, CHICKEN, & PROSCIUTTO
makes 6 servings (3 to eat and 3 to freeze)
Click here to print

1lb tubular pasta (rigatoni or penne work well)
4 chicken cutlets, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup flour
canola oil
kosher salt
pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 cups dry white wine
8 ounces chicken stock
2 cups artichoke hearts
1 cup pecorino or parmesan cheese, divided
½ cup fresh oregano, chopped, divided
½ cup panko bread crumbs

6 thin slices prosciutto, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 400.  Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente.  Strain and set aside.

Meanwhile, put the chicken in a plastic bag along with the flour and toss to coat.  In a large skillet, heat the canola oil until it is shimmering.  Using tongs, shake the excess flour from the chicken and then place in the pan.  Depending on the size of your pan you may need to do two batches- you want the chicken to be in a single layer so that it browns nicely.  Cook for about three minutes, then flip and leave over high heat until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove to a plate. 

Add about another teaspoon of oil to the pan and return to medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic, stirring until they soften up.  Return heat to high and then pour in the white wine, using your spoon to scrape up all of the browned bits from the chicken.  Bring the wine to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about five minutes.  Add the chicken stock along with the artichoke hearts and cook for an additional 3 minutes.  Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Add the pasta to the pan along with the chicken, ½ cup of cheese, and ¼ cup oregano.
Divide the pasta into two pans (one to cook now and one for the freezer).  Top with the panko, prosciutto, and the remaining oregano and cheese.  Put one pan in the oven for ten minutes, or until the cheese starts the melt.  Then put it under the broiler for about two minutes or until the panko is browned and the prosciutto is crispy. 

Let the other pan cool completely, then place in the freezer.  When you want to eat it, thaw it in the fridge overnight.  Preheat the oven to 400, and cover the pan with foil and place in oven for about 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling.  Then put it under the broiler to brown.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Egg

I won’t pretend to be immune from the temptation.  Cans of soup line the grocery shelves, seducing me with the promise of a relatively healthy dinner that can be ready in the time it takes to turn on the stove.  I’m so close to shoving them into my basket when the little voice creeps into my head.  The little voice that says- how can you buy something premade when you know that you can make an even better version from scratch?  It’s a curse really.  I didn’t choose to be this way.  My life would be so much easier (and involve a lot less dish washing) if I could just buy frozen dinners.  But then I suppose my blog wouldn’t be very interesting.  So the cans go back on the shelf, and I head to the produce section.

Luckily, this soup only takes about 20 minutes to make before it gets in my belly so I avoid a complete hunger meltdown.  And as I chop the carrots and leeks, I am glad that I didn’t buy the premade concoction with mushy noodles and tasteless vegetables.  When I smell the soup simmering away, I am even more glad that I didn’t succumb to the watery broth fortified with excess sodium.  The complex and subtle flavors of the lemon and egg provide a perfect creamy backdrop for the healthy ingredients.  I can confidently promise that if you put down the can and make this recipe, you won’t be disappointed.  Even Addison loved it- and I could tell he was initially a bit skeptical about eating a meal that consisted solely of soup...although the cheesy bread I made with it probably helped convert him. 

Food Notes:

• You can either roast your own chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
• Feel free to substitute with other types of noodles- you may just need to adjust the cooking time
• You can serve it with grilled cheese or cut a baguette in half and melt cheese on top (the latter is slightly healthier since you aren’t cooking it in excess butter)
• You can either use homemade chicken stock or store bought (my favorite brand is Kitchen Basics) http://www.kitchenbasics.net/

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP WITH EGG
serves 4
Click here to print

8 ounces carrots, cut into small pieces
8 ounces leeks, thinly sliced
8 cups chicken stock
4 ounces cooked chicken, shredded
2 ounces vermicelli (angel hair)
2 eggs
juice of ½ lemon
freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt
chives (optional)

Put the carrots and leeks into a large pan with the stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the chicken and vermicelli to the pan and cook for 5 more minutes. 

Mix the eggs with the lemon juice and add ½ cup of the warm stock from the pan.  This tempers the egg and keeps it from turning into egg drop soup.  Mix it together well, and then add to the pan.  Reheat gently, stirring constantly, but do not allow the soup to boil.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Garnish with chives and serve.

Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs with Olives, Lemon, and Fennel

In order to keep a healthy balance in my life as I start the semester (putting a positive spin on procrastination), I have read quite a few articles about improving the quality of my blog.  One tip that I have seen repeated by many a blog guru implores bloggers to showcase their own voice.  People apparently use fancy words or weird sentence structures when they write that come across sounding contrived and fake. 

This advice immediately made me think of my friend Smita and her work alter ego “Leslie.”   Smita worked at a law firm this past summer and found her alter ego, Leslie, would say ridiculous things in emails to co-workers like “I’d be happy to take care of that” and “ please let me know if I can help with anything else going forward.”   Leslie said things Smita would never say in real life.

I have tried to use my natural voice for most of my posts (I don’t want to have a blog alter ego), but I just realized I have made a serious oversight- whenever I mention my mom on the blog, I call her MY mom.  I don’t do that in real life!  My college friends (actually, mostly just Smita) brought it to my attention that it is weird that I just call her “mom.”  My sister does the same thing and we never thought it was weird.  But we have both refused to change, and this practice has led throngs of our friends to lovingly call her “mom” as well.  So henceforth I will refer to her as just “mom” instead of “my mom.”  I will also never say henceforth again because I never say that in real life either.   Hmm.  Now I'm kind of  wondering what my blog alter ego would be called...maybe it would be fun to have one.  Any suggestions?

So now to the point of all this: I want to tell you about the Thomas Keller cooking class that MOM took at Sur La Table in Kirkland.  The three part class pulled recipes from Ad Hoc at Home, a cookbook that I just so happen to possess.  When mom told me about how amazing the class was, I spent some quality time reviewing the cookbook (I do this with all of my cookbooks from time to time). 

This recipe is incredible and delicious and actually EASY- a rare attribute for a Thomas Keller recipe.  Putting the chicken under the broiler at the end is also an ingenious solution for avoiding mushy braised meat.   Oh- and don’t throw away this recipe because you think you don’t like fennel!  The flavors become very mild when it is cooked and there is absolutely no anise flavor to this dish- I promise.  Remember when I made you try Brussels sprouts and you loved them?!  Just trust me.

  
CRISPY BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH OLIVES, LEMON, AND FENNEL
by Thomas Keller from Ad Hoc at Home
makes 6 servings
Click here to print

 3 fennel bulbs
 12 chicken thighs
 Kosher salt
 Canola oil
 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
 ¼ cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
 1 cup Ascolane or other large green olives, such as Cerignola
 ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
 4 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves
 4 strips lemon zest –  removed with a vegetable peeler
 8 thyme sprigs
 1 cup chicken stock
 About 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

    Cut off fennel stalks. Trim bottom of bulbs and peel back the layers until you reach the core; reserve the core for another use. Discard any bruised layers, and cut the fennel into 2-by-1/2-inch batons. You need 3 cups fennel for this recipe; reserve any remaining fennel for another use.
    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set a cooling rack on a baking sheet.
    Season chicken thighs on both sides with salt. Heat some canola oil in a large ovenproof saute pan or roasting rack that will hold all the thighs in one layer over medium-high heat. Add thighs skin-side down and brown on the skin side, about 4 minutes. Turn thighs over and cook for about 1 minute to sear the meat. Transfer to the cooling rack.
    Reduce heat to medium-low, add onion to the pan, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in fennel, turn heat up to medium, and cook, stirring often, until fennel is crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.
    Pour in wine and simmer for about 2 minutes to burn off alcohol. Stir in olives, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, lemon zest, and thyme, then pour in chicken stock. Increase heat, bring liquid to a simmer, and cook until fennel is tender, about 1 minute.
    Taste the stock and season with salt as needed. Return chicken to the pan skin-side-up, in a single layer. When the liquid returns to a simmer, transfer to the oven and cook for about 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
    Turn on the broiler, and put pan under the broiler for a minute or two to crisp and brown the skin. Remove from oven, and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with parsley leaves.

Merry Christmas!

I can’t believe tomorrow is Christmas!  I have a few recipes that I wanted to share before the big day so I decided to do one big post. 

I will start with the appetizer.  Gougères are my favorite holiday app.  They are incredibly easy and you really can’t go wrong with this much butter and cheese.  If you have ever had popovers, these are like miniature, cheesy versions.  I made these for my friends after our last final on Wednesday and I promised to post them the next day when I was flying home to Seattle so that everybody could get the recipe quickly.  Unfortunately my hangover prevented me from doing anything productive on the flight yesterday.   I blame “L’Chaim!”- a newly invented drinking game involving a dreidel, beer, and cherry vodka… I think it also didn’t help that my dinner consisted solely of gougeres, pigs in a blanket, and mozzarella sticks.  Luckily I have made a full recovery today, so if you are searching for a last minute Christmas hors d’oeuvres, make these! 

CAYENNE GOUGERES
1 cup water
½ cup butter (1 stick), cut into tablespoon sized pieces
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 eggs
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 ½ cups gruyere, grated (feel free to get creative- cheddar would also be delicious)

Preheat the oven to 425.  Combine the water and butter in a medium sauce pan over high heat.  When it reaches a boil and the butter is completely melted, add the flour all at once and stir quickly until everything combines.  Reduce the heat to medium, and continue to stir for about 2 minutes- this dries out the dough so that it can absorb the eggs and cheese.  Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. 

Add one egg at a time, beating to completely incorporate each one.  It may seem like they don't want to mix in at first, but keep stirring.  If you have a stand mixer you can use the paddle attachment to spare your hand.  Once the eggs are in, add the cheese and cayenne.  Spoon small tablespoons onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  You can also put the batter in a large plastic bag, cut a corner, and pipe it onto the sheet.

Now for the dinner portion of the post, which also features gruyère!  As I have mentioned before, my family has an abundance of traditions, especially this time of year.  On Christmas eve eve (the night before Christmas eve), we always eat fondue and decorate cookies with my grandparents.  Upon reflection, I’ve realized that almost all of our traditions revolve around food- nothing makes me happier than prepping in the kitchen all day.  I really can’t take much credit for these recipes though- the fondue is my dad’s territory, salad is mom’s recipe, and my sister rolls out the cookies.  I am always in charge of frosting though! 
My dad doesn’t believe in recipes and never measures so it was kind of hard to nail down the proportions for the fondue.  My advice is to just taste as you go and add more cheese until it reaches a good consistency. 

CHEESE FONDUE
serves 6
¾ lb gruyère
¾ lb emmentaler cheese
1 ½ - 2 cups dry white wine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kirshwasser (cherry brandy)
Pinch of nutmeg
Bread cubes

Grate the cheese into a big bowl.  Add flour and toss to lightly coat the cheese.  Heat ½ cup of wine in your fondue pot.  Add the minced garlic and stir for a minute or two.  Don’t let the garlic brown.  Add another cup of wine and heat until it is almost simmering.  Start sprinkling in the grated cheese, stirring as you go.  Don’t add too much at once- you want it to stay hot enough to melt while you are adding.  As it gets thick add a little more wine and then continue adding your cheese.  Once you finish adding the cheese, add the kirshwasser and the nutmeg.  Light the fondue burner and set the pot over it.  Serve with bread and enjoy!

SPINACH SALAD
serves 6
1 bag prewashed spinach
5 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 hardboiled eggs, crumbled
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
Dressing (see below)

Toss the spinach with the dressing until it is well-coated.  Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine.  Enjoy!

for the dressing:
2 garlic cloves
5 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
Put the garlic cloves in a small food processor and pulse until finely chopped.  Add the next 4 ingredients and pulse until well combined.  Slowly add the olive oil so it can emulsify. 




I wanted to post these cookies not only because the recipe is delicious (usually choices are limited to gingerbread and sugar cookies- so this is nice variety), but also because I wanted to share this ingenious decorating technique from Gourmet.  It requires very little artistic skill and looks so professional!  Using egg whites in the frosting allows it to harden so that you can stack your finished cookies without destroying your designs. 

SPICED CUT OUT COOKIES
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup butter
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla
3 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Cream the butter, shortening, and both sugars using either a stand mixer or hand held beater.  Add eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients.  Then slowly blend with sugar mixture.  Divide into three disks, wrap with plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours (or longer).  Roll out each disc, cut into desired shapes, then bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. 

Eric's interpretation of my mom riding in the tractor to cut down our Christmas Tree (it was pretty hilarious at the time)

ROYAL ICING
makes about 3 cups
1 (1-lb) box of confectioners sugar
4 teaspoons powdered egg whites
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat together all ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until just combined, about 1 minute.  Increase speed to high and continue to beat until icing holds stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.  If not using icing immediately, cover the surface with a dampened paper towel and cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Add food coloring as desired.

Now for some other cookies that I also can’t take credit for- these are my friend Noelle’s famous snickerdoodles.  They are chewy and best served right out of the oven.  If I had to pick one kind of cookie to take with me to a desert island, I would probably choose these. 

NOELLE’S AMAZING SNICKERDOODLES
from Noelle, and food.com
makes about 16 cookies
1/2 cup butter , softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar 
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Topping:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars at high speed.  Add egg, vanilla, and beat until smooth.  In another bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mix well.

Preheat oven to 300° while you let dough rest 30-60 minutes in fridge.  In a small bowl combine topping.  Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball.  Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake cookies 10-12 minutes, NO MORE.  Cookies may seem undercooked but will continue to cook out of the oven.