My Summer Favorite

So I jumped the gun a little bit on this one. My favorite summer food is Tomato Basil Pizza, especially when all I have to do is walk out the garden and pick the tomato and basil. My garden isn't quite ready yet - but I am.

I'm working on perfecting my pizza crust recipe, tonight's recipe follows.

Pizza Crust:
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1 cup hot water
1 tsp salt
2 Tblsp EVOO
1 Tblsp honey (if you use the same measuring spoon and measure the oil first the honey slides right out - a little trick I accidentally discovered.)
2/3 cup white flour
2/3 cup wheat flour
1/3 cup corn meal
1/3 cup oatmeal
Then add alternating 1/3 cup portions of wheat and white until you achieve bread dough consistency. Knead for about 10 strokes (with a bit more flour) and let rise.

Butternut Squash Risotto

I've made this one a ton of times, but I guess I've never blogged it! Mary is responsible for introducing this delicious dish. It's Butternut Squash Risotto - I think she got it from an Everyday Food magazine. This one could be a side dish or an entire meal.

I've lost the actual recipe - but here's how I make it.

Cut up one medium sized squash into about 1 1/2 inch cubes. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat with 2 Tbs. of butter.

Add 1 cup of Risotto rice and mix in with 1/2 cup white cooking wine.

When all of the liquid is dissolved add warm chicken broth in 1/2 cup increments. About two cans of Chicken broth are needed.

When the rice is all cooked (this takes about 45 minutes) add approx. 1 Tbs. of fresh Sage and 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

I had this one tonight in my new pottery bowl from the empty bowls luncheon for the Food Bank. Isn't it a great bowl??

Fruit and Lemon Cheesecake

I just put the finishing touches on a Memorial Day cheesecake! I can't wait to take a bite of it. Doesn't it just look spectacular??

Mom had a great cheesecake recipe with fruit and a lemon glaze on top - that is still the best cheesecake I've ever had. She couldn't find it so I came up with my own version.

This is a New York Cheesecake - here's the recipe. This recipe is for a 10 inch pan - I only have a nine inch pan so I made 4/5 of the recipe. (Ah, see - this is why we are forced to learn to divide fractions in middle school!) This particular recipe calls for a shortbread crust - I used it even though usually I make a graham cracker crust.

Then, I toped it with strawberries, kiwi, and Lemon Curd. Here's the recipe for the Lemon Curd - I only used half of the recipe. You should surf around on this blog while you're checking out the Lemon curd - this girl takes the best pictures!

One more picture just to make your mouth water!

Beef Bulgogi

Here's a recipe I found in the Everyday Food cookbook. All I have to say is - Delicious!! I am definitely going to make this one again!

Beef Bulgogi
1 1/2 pounds rib-eye steak, trimmed of excess fat
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon hot chile sesame oil (or add a dash of red pepper flakes to 1 Tbls toasted sesame oil.)
2 Tbls dark brown sugar
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbls finely grated peeled fresh ginger
2 medium red onions, halved and cut lengthwise into 1-inch wedges
1 green bell pepper, seeds adn ribs removed, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
4 teas EVOO
1 small head Boston lettuce, separated into leaves

1 - Freeze the beef for 20 minutes; transfer to a clean work surface. Slice diagonally (across the grain) into 1/8-inch-thick strips. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Place the onions and peppers in a small bowl; toss with half the soy marinade. Toss the steak int he remaining marinade; let stand for 15 minutes.

2 - Heat 2 tsp EVOO in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3 - Heat the remaining 2 tsp EVOO over high heat. Cook half the meat, turning often, until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cook the remaining meat. Return the first batch and any accumulated juices to the pan; add the onion mixture. Cook, tossing, until heated through, about 1 minute. To serve, roll up the beef mixture in lettuce leaves.

That's the recipe as its written. I didn't have any lettuce so I cooked rice and served it on top of that. Though I think it would have been great in a lettuce wrap! I only used one onion and that was plenty.

I've never heard of Bulgogi before - Its a Korean dish - I found that out from wiki!

Ginger Carrot Soup

This one reminds me of a great vacation...

Last summer when Ed, Linda, Bill and I went to Duluth we stopped at this "fancy pants" restaurant on the way back. After looking at the menu I was less than excited about my choices. I finally settled on a bowl of Ginger Carrot soup and some bread. Best soup ever, well maybe not ever - but close. It was served in a teapot, with a dollop of cardamom ice cream.

Tonight's recipe is Ginger Carrot Soup. Here's the recipe. I used a dollop of vanilla yogurt because where does one get cardamom ice cream anyway? I didn't serve mine in a teapot - in fact my tea kettle has lots of spurts of the soup splattered on it - ah well - it was worth it. I got a kitchen to clean up - let me know if you try this one.

Broccoli Tortellini

Tonight's recipe is from the book Stylish One-Dish Dinners - I got it at the Library.

The meal is Broccoli Rabe with Italian Sausage, Tortellini, and Fresh Cherry Tomatoes. It was tasty - although if I made it again I'd add about twice as many tomatoes. It is also very pretty - lots of colors! Check out the cooking pic - I took it because it was so pretty.

Here's the recipe:
2 Tbls. EVOO
1 Pound Italian Sausage
2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 Onion, coarsely chopped
2 (13-ounce) cans chicken broth
2 Cups water
1 Pound fresh tortellini filled iwth sausage or cheese
1 bunch broccoli Rabe, chopped and without stems
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly shaved Parmesan

In a 12-inch skillet, heat the EVOO and saute the sausage and onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more. Remove from the pan and deglaze the pan with the chicken broth and water, scraping up all the bits from the bottom.

In a large sauce pot, bring the broth and water to a boil, add the tortellini, and cook for 5 minutes, then drain.

Return the sausage, onion, and garlic to the skillet, add the broccoli and tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes more. Top with the Parmesan. Serve immediately.

If you've got 20 minutes...

...I think this is definitely worth your time.

(click here) What's Wrong With What We Eat.

This video presentation is by New York Times food writer, Mark Bittman. His presentation is somewhat similar to Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," in that it doesn't seem like much more than a really nice Power Point presentation, but it does inspire you to stop and think, and even make some changes at how you look at food.

After you have watched it, leave a comment on how you might change your diet. Who knows, publishing your comment might just help you stick to your plan and also give someone else a good idea to eat smarter? Myself? I am really going to try to eat no more than a half pound of meat a week.

Scones - Part 2

Here's my picture to go with Martha's Scones recipe. (As in Martha my sister, not Stewart.) I use the same recipe, its from Betty Crocker. Today I made Cinnamon Chip and Walnut Scones as well as Raspberry and White Chocolate Chip Scones. And check out how nicely they are displayed on the platter Mary gave me for Christmas.

The Cinnamon Chip ones I made according to her recipe. The Raspberry ones I used about a cup of frozen whole raspberries and then mixed it very gently. I couldn't really knead it (as it would crush the berries.) That one turned out sort of crumbly and if I did it again I'd probably make them individually instead of in a pie shape.

Good stuff. They are all gone except one which will be my breakfast tomorrow.

Peanut Sauce

The main course to go with my Strawberry Spinach Salad is Grilled Pork Tenderloin & Asparagus With Peanut Dipping Sauce. Delicious!

I tore the recipe out of a friend's Family Fun magazine. Here's a link to the recipe. I basically only used half of it and there was more than enough of the Peanut Sauce.

Here are the ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 pound fresh asparagus
• 1 pound pork tenderloin

And the best part is I have enough left over for lunch tomorrow too.

Spinach Salad

Ed gave me the suggestion on my post about my garden fresh Spinach to make a Strawberry Spinach Salad with Candied Pecans - that's just what I did.

I got the recipe here. But since I don't really use much salad dressing I didn't use this recipe. Instead I just mixed some Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, and Poppy Seeds together and poured it on.

Fresh From the Garden

I spent the morning digging up more weeds in my garden. But it is pretty muddy out there, so I didn't make a great amount of progress.

However there was a good amount of Spinach ready to pick.

I guess tonight I'll have to make something with Spinach in it - any suggestions?

And to go with the Biscuits!

Another great recipe from Rachael Ray. It is called: Chicken in a Pot, No Pie! It is basically really thick chicken soup. The asparagus and peas are my favorite parts!

Here's the recipe.

Whole-Wheat Biscuits

These are super simple Whole-Wheat Biscuits. I remembered after I had started baking these that I only have a rolling pin for Flatbread - so the biscuits got a little texture!

Here's the recipe.

Sara

Baked Sole (or Flounder or even Tilapia) and Roasted Asparagus with Sesame

This Asian inspired duo passed the Turnage test with flying colors...all 3 wee people were in the clean plate club. We used tilapia. Here's the recipe.

Mango & Black Bean Salad

We had this with shredded beef wraps. It was supposed to be a side, but it ended up inside lot of wraps so it works well as a fruity salsa too. Sara was very brave and tried it, even though it's a lot like a condiment.

Mango & Black Bean Salad

1 1/2 cups chopped peeled ripe mango

1 cupthinkly sliced green onion

1/2 cup cooked wild or brown rice

3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

2 Tbsp. roasted tomatillo or fresh salsa

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp. EVOO

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss gently to mix. Serves 6.

Tomato Basil Soup

Sorry it's taken me so long to post this, Sara. The Spicy Hot V8 is the secret...regular tomato juice just isn't the same.

Tomato Basil Soup

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
11.5 oz. Spicy Hot V8
14.5 oz. chicken broth
15-20 fresh basil leaves cut into thin strips
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup butter

Combine tomatoes, V8 and chicken broth in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil. * Puree in blender or with immersion blender. Add the cream and butter, return to medium-low heat, and stir until butter melts completely. Serve immediately.

*We've added basil before and after pureeing....both are good.

Spinach Polenta Topped with Tomatoes

I'm totally digging trying new recipes. I used to have about four main dishes that I just cycled through, its a whole new world.

Last night I tried this Spinach Polenta from Moosewood's Simple Suppers. Delicious.

Spinach Polenta
2 cups water
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup polenta cornmeal
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces fresh baby spinach

Fresh Tomato Topping
4 large tomatoes or 8 to 10 plum tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 Tablespoons oliver oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

In a saucepan, bring the water, milk, and salt to a boil. Add the cornmeal in a slow, steady stream while whisking. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until polenta is thick. (mine took about 20 minutes.)

Meanwhile, prepare the topping: Cut the tomatoes into wedges. In a saucepan on medium-low heat, cook the garlic in the oil for a minute. Add the tomatoes, salt, oregano, and vinegar and simmer for about 5 minutes, just until hot.

When the poletna is thick, reduce the heat to low and stir in the cheese (I only used about 1/2 a cup of Parmesan cheese) until melted and smooth. Fold in the spinach, a couple of handfuls at a time, until just wilted.

Serve the polenta hot, topped with the tomatoes and more cheese if you wish.

I thought this was a great meal. I would serve it in a bowl next time as the tomatoes were a bit runny. Otherwise - perfect!

Sausage, Mushroom & Pesto Polenta Lasagna

Lasagna is definitely a comfort food, but this one has a little twist. Polenta replaces the lasagna noodles, making it that much creamier and comforting.

It's was hard to get a good photo of this "lasagna", but it tastes better than it looks....Just look how much Rick loves it!

Here's the recipe.

We used the last variation with some of our own homemade pesto. Rick also made the polenta himself. Here's how:


Bring 2.75 cups water to boiling. In a bowl combine 1 cup cornmeal, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 cup cold water. Slowly add cornmeal mixture to boiling water, stirring constantly. Cook and stir till mixture returns to boiling. Reduce heat, cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes or till mixture is very thick, stirring occasionally.

Mixture will have a consistency like a thick bread pudding. Spoon polenta onto sheets of wax paper and roll to make a tube that is 2-3 inches in diameter. Chill overnight.


OR make your life easier and buy the prepared polenta the recipe calls for.

Either way, enjoy it with a class of wine and a fresh green salad!

Green Curry - Part Two

Green Chicken Curry.

After making the curry paste - I marinated about a pound of chicken breast strips in a couple Tablespoons of the paste.

Then I sauted one yellow onion with a bit of garlic and oil until the onion was clear. I added 3 Tablespoons of the curry paste and cooked that for about 2 minutes. Then I added the chicken and cooked that until it was about 80% cooked. Then I added 1 can of Coconut Milk and 3/4 cup of chicken broth and cooked the whole thing for about 10 more minutes. Finally I added some fresh Spinach and frozen peas. And served it on top of steamed rice.

The coconut milk I'd never used before and when I opened the can it was solid - which I hadn't expected. I chunked it out and found liquid at the bottom. (yes - I made a phone call to Mary to see if this was normal.)

This was actually a really delicious meal! Again, I would have added just a little more kick to the curry paste and If I did it again I'd make some broccoli or some other veggie to go with it.

Green Curry - Part One

Ever since my return to the restaurant scene after Easter, and my subsequent trip to The Blue Orchid, and getting to sample Mary's delicious green curry dish - I've been on a mission to make my own green curry. Saturday was my first attempt.

Part One - Green Curry Paste. After a trip to our new HyVee store, which conveniently hosts Lincoln's only Caribou coffee shop - I had most of the ingredients I needed. I was still missing lemon grass and fresh coriander. The lemon grass I got in a tube - not sure if that was a good decision or not - I'm going to have to try to find the real thing. The fresh coriander was a learning experience for me.

I found an Asian grocery store and asked for the fresh coriander and was told they had nothing like this. I found a second store - called "Homeland Food Market" - and again asked for fresh coriander. The clerk seemed to know nothing of this product. A customer leaving the store over heard my question and enlightened me - "you need cilantro," he said. I promptly began to think of him as an idiot, like I don't know what cilantro is. Turns out Cilantro and Fresh Coriander are the same thing! Learn more here. I left that store with a jar of Coriander Chutney. Not sure if I'll ever use it - but I felt stupid so I bought something. (Turns out most people already know this - thanks for telling me!)

Here's my green curry paste: (I just found this recipe on the internet - there are tons!)
2 Fresh Green Chillies
1 Small Onion
1 Tsp Ground Coriander
1 Lime, juice and rind
1 Stalk Lemon Grass
1 Clove Garlic
1 Tsp Soy Sauce
1 Tsp Ground Cumin
1/4 cup Fresh Coriander, stalks and leaves
1 Tblsp grated fresh ginger
2 Tbls oil

Place all in blender/food processor and blend until paste.
(When I make this again I'll use more chillies and more lime.) I had plenty left over so its in a jar in my fridge - perhaps I'll freeze it.