Christmas Treats - Dec 14, 2010

Peppermint Bark and Marshmallow 'Wreaths'

I made a couple batches of Christmas sweets over the weekend. First is a new favorite recipe from last year, published in Bon Appetit and online here. The peppermint bark is easy to make, tastes fantastic, and looks quite festive.

The next I have no excuse for, other than I was experiencing some hard-core food nostalgia. These childhood favorites seriously danced through my head as though they were sugar plums; frighteningly and artificially green sugar plums. I actually went to three different grocery stores looking for those little red hots, known as 'cinnamon imperials' in some circles, because we all know that they absolutely 'make' the marshmallow wreaths. Although actually, I can't in good consciousness even call what I made wreaths. I was far too impatient and the medium was far too sticky for that kind of high class sculpting. No, Dinner Clubbers, my creations are affectionately referred to around here as Christmas 'clumps.' And, in the interest of full disclosure, sometimes I call them lovely lady clumps. The fact that I used high fiber multi-grain breakfast flakes purchased from the bulk aisle at the Co-op, fortified with omega-3's and folic acid, doesn't come close to making up for the fact that these lovely little clumps stand for nearly everything I am apposed to in our collective diets. Oh well, sometimes, against all reason, I need high fructose corn syrup-packed, artificially colored, and highly processed foodstuff in my life. I also really love Cheetos. You're my friends, so I know you'll forgive me my cravings.

Rosemary Orange Allspice Gin and other Beverages - Dec 13, 2010

Rosemary Orange and Allspice Infused Gin

I have been busy infusing various liquors for gifts and for consumption around our house. Of the several I've done, this mix is currently my favorite, as you might be able to tell from the nearly empty bottle above. It makes for a fantastic winter gin and tonic. If you're looking for a quick homemade gift idea, or a fun cocktail to serve at your holiday soiree, I would highly recommend giving this a try. Here's a loose recipe to follow, although you must keep in mind that I rarely measure anything and you should tweak to your own tastes.

Recipe:

2 cups gin (use a good, middle of the road gin...we used New Amsterdam because it was on sale)
zest of one orange, avoiding the pith as much as possible
1 fresh sprig of rosemary
1 tsp whole allspice, crushed slightly

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and let sit, covered for 24 to 36 hours (the longer it sits, the stronger the flavor). Strain into a clean bottle using a fine mesh sieve or a funnel lined with a coffee filter. Use this to mix a gin and tonic however you like it. We chose to omit the limes in this case, but a wedge of orange served in the glass might be a fun addition. Also, if you belong to the category of people who despise gin, this can easily be done with vodka, rum, tequila, whiskey, or any liquor of your choosing.


Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

This is my other current beverage obsession and a perfect little luxury on weekend mornings. Oranges are really delicious right now!

Falafal Sandwiches - Dec 13, 2010

Falafal in Pitas with Cucumbers, Lettuce, Hummus and Yogurt Mint Sauce

Ever since my visit to Madison last month I have been craving these. JJ made them for lunch one day and they were so satisfying. I have tried making falafal from scratch, but it always seemed to turn out too mushy. This time around I procured a pre-packaged mix. Saturday, after shoveling out our driveway (for the first time), Nick and I came in and enjoyed this for a hearty lunch. After cooking up some garbanzos, I made a quick hummus and mixed up some yogurt mint sauce, using some freshly made yogurt. I cooked up the falafal JJ style, which is to say I omitted making patties and just pan fried it as if it were ground meat. We stuffed some freshly toasted pitas with slices of cucumber and leaves of lettuce, and then piled in the hummus, falafal and yogurt sauce. This little bit of garbanzo on garbanzo action filled us up so completely that we didn't even make dinner because we were still full. That's pretty impressive on a day that we shoveled 13 inches of snow, including that heavy crap down at the end of the driveway that the plows push up. We got the remaining 4 inches of snow shoveled yesterday, bringing our grand total to 17 inches here in Minneapolis. I hope all you upper Midwesterners are dug out and I hope all the rest of you aren't too jealous of our awesome blizzard!

Adobo Rice with Tomato and Poached Egg - Dec 10, 2010

Brown Rice with Adobo Sauce, Tomatoes and Poached Egg

Can you tell that I'm getting my cooking juju back? This was a little bowl of goodness that came together somewhat intuitively, if you will permit me. I mixed a minced chipotle pepper and some adobo sauce into brown basmati rice. To this I added fresh thyme, chopped peanuts, pickled onions, a poached egg, and the last of our garden tomatoes, which took it's sweet time ripening on my window sill. It would have been better with some cilantro and black beans, but I didn't have any. Despite this, it was pretty tasty and satisfying.

Minneapolis is set for a huge winter storm, with 6 to 10 inches of snow predicted for tonight and tomorrow, followed by some truly frigid temperatures throughout the weekend. I ran all my errands today, along with half the city it seemed, and am prepared for a weekend spent home bound. The pantry is stocked and I am planning some quality time in the kitchen. Happy weekend to you all. Be safe and stay warm!

Sweet Potato Blue Cheese Gratin - Dec 10, 2010

Sweet Potato Blue Cheese Gratin with Pepper Toast

We have approximately one metric shit ton of sweet potatoes in our 'root cellar' due to a hugely abundant crop from our CSA this year. In an effort to work my way through some of them, I made this meal a few nights ago. It was completely inspired by this recipe that Rima made for Thanksgiving last year, but of course I changed nearly everything, starting with swapping out the butternut squash for sweet potatoes. The leeks also found themselves replaced by a combination of onions and shallots, and chevre got the boot in favor of blue cheese. I decided the hazelnuts could stay. Despite all these modifications, this dish turned out just as rich and delicious as the original, and worked great for an entree along with some pepper toast on the side.

*I don't know if you peeps can tell, but I'm having fun editing photos in a little something called 'picnik' which seems to have appeared in picasa after a recent update. This photo got the winterization treatment. I will try to use my new editing tool sparingly and refrain from putting santa hats on top of everything/making everything look like a polaroid. No promises, however.

Cauliflower and Kale Salad - Dec 9, 2010

Cauliflower and Flowering Kale with Warm Grain Salad

It's been so long since I've posted that I am trying to rack my brain to remember what was in this dish. I used the last of our CSA cauliflower and some flowering kale, which I sauteed. The grains are the last of a bag from Trader Joe's that I found on my pantry and the mix included cous cous, red quinoa, millet, and orzo. The dressing was some tasty orange infused olive oil from Vinaigrette. It was delicious and vibrant.

I don't know what's been wrong with me lately. I am really in a cooking slump. It's time to get my Christmas baking done and I am dragging my feet. Perhaps a solid day in the kitchen tomorrow will get me back on track.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Pizza - Dec 2, 2010

Turkey and Cranberry Sauce Pizza

Yes, you read right. After you're tired of turkey and mashed potato sandwiches, give this a try with your leftovers. Inspired by a similar pizza made by Fay and me two years ago in the very same kitchen, I whipped this up for me, Nick, Chip, and Nan on our last night in South Carolina. I topped the pizza dough with olive oil and herbs (fresh rosemary from just outside the kitchen door!), shredded turkey, dollops of cranberry sauce, caramelized onions and Harvarti cheese (it's better with Brie, which we used on the original, but Havarti isn't bad either). It's a fun and crafty way to use up some of those massive quantities of leftovers. It tastes good too, trust me.

Stuffing and Sweet Potatoes - Dec 1, 2010

Stuffing and Roasted Sweet Potatoes

We were at Nick's parent's for Thanksgiving this year, and Chip and Nan know how to do Thanksgiving up right, let me tell you. It was great having no cooking duties, however, I found myself craving stuffing in the days before we left town. I ended up making a batch one night last week. I cut up some whole wheat bread, onions, and celeriac and combined with some walnuts, chicken broth and butter and roasted until it was good and toast-y. Certainly, I could have eaten just a whole bowl of that and been happy, but I also roasted some sweet potatoes to balance things out a bit. I put butter and a dash of Chinese Five Spice powder on top of the potatoes, which is my new favorite stand-in for cinnamon. It was very tasty. I hope you all had happy and delicious Thanksgivings!

The Muddy Mary - Nov 27, 2010

Happy Birthday Anna!

This is a bit belated, but we need to celebrate the last Dinner Club Birthday of 2010 in style. Happy Birthday Ms. Anna! Nick and I crafted this signature cocktail in your honor. For those of you who don't know, Anna is our resident cyclocross star, racing her bicycle over hill and dale and getting deliciously muddy in the process. We thought a kick-ass athlete deserved a kick-ass drink. Cue the Muddy Mary, the perfect sports drink to replenish a drained body. Based on the Bloody Mary, we tweaked things a bit until they were to our liking.

Muddy Mary (makes 2)

1 cup tomato juice
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Bragg liquid aminos
dash of hot sauce (we used Cholula)
pinch of Old Bay Seasoning
pinch of Penzey's Fox Point seasoning
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated horseradish root

Mix these ingredients together and fill a glass halfway. Top off the glass with a favorite beer, we chose New Glarus Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale, because Anna certainly isn't coasting out there on her bike. Mix again and top with a favorite blend of veggies, which in Anna's case would probably mean broccoli, but we used pickles and radishes. The result is a fantastically spicy blend that is lower in alcohol than the original vodka version and perfect for sipping post cyclocross race or for a holiday brunch.

Cheers to you Anna, our dear friend! We wish you the happiest of birthdays and would love to be drinking this with you in the lush green hills of Oregon, after cheering you on to another successful race finish!

Maple Chipotle Drummies - Nov 17, 2010

Maple Chipotle Drummies

Mmmm...these were a football watching snack this weekend. We've posted wings/drummies before, but really, it's a good idea to revisit this tastiness every so often. I just have to say that these are one thousand times better than any wings I've ever had out at a bar or restaurant. Making them at home means we get to control the level of heat, as well as mix up awesome flavor combinations including maple chipotle, among others. It also means we can roast them instead of frying. Food & Wine posted a bunch of wing recipes last winter and they are still my favorites. You should also check out their sweet and sticky, ginger honey, and Thai green curry recipes.

Affogato - Nov 16, 2010

Affogato

Over the weekend, I made a batch of vanilla bean ice cream specifically for the purpose of pouring espresso over it to make this dessert. I used the recipe that came with my Kitchen Aid ice cream attachment, and tweaked it ever so slightly. Instead of using vanilla extract, I used a vanilla bean, which I split to scrape the seeds, putting both bean and seeds in the custard to infuse. I threw in four whole coffee beans to lend subtle flavor to the custard as well. All of these assorted beans I removed before freezing the custard. Once the ice cream was done, all I had to do was brew some espresso and pour it over the ice cream for a super simple and tasty treat. It's like a root beer float's sophisticated Italian aunt.

Baked Sugar Loaf Radicchio - Nov 15, 2010

Baked Sugar Loaf Radicchio with Sweet Potatoes

Since Sugar Loaf Radicchio was completely new to me, I took a cue from the HVF newsletter and made this baked casserole. First I chopped up the radicchio and sweet potatoes. I mixed these two together and filled a ceramic casserole dish. Next, I poured about 3/4 cup of cream over the veggies and topped with toasted bread crumbs, pine nuts, and Pecorino-Romano cheese, and seasoned with salt and pepper. I baked this in a 375 deg oven for about 45 minutes. The radicchio's flavor is that of a bitter green, very similar to endive, so this bitterness combined with the sweetness of the potatoes and creaminess of the cheese and cream made for a complex and tasty dish. Nick is a huge fan of the bitter greens and really enjoyed this. I must say, I am a fan as well.


Snow Day!

In very exciting news, Minneapolis got a ton of snow on Saturday! Nick and I took advantage of being 'snow bound' and totally piled on the blankets and had a cozy weekend of watching football (yeah Badgers!) and Battlestar Galactica on Netflix. Even though everything is melting now, I am so excited for the cross country ski season ahead of us. The first big snow always makes me a little giddy. I hope you all had great weekends.

Cashew Veggie Stir Fry - Nov 11, 2010

Cashew Veggie Stir Fry over Jasmine Rice

Last night I decided to pull out the wok. It's been a little while since we've used it but I thought it'd be perfect for tackling a big pile of veggies. I used 3 medium carrots, 2 beauty heart radishes, 3 small onions, 2 very small heads of broccoli, and 2 small heads of baby bok choy, along with 2 handfuls of cashews. Once I chopped everything to it's desired size and separated the stalks from the leaves of bok choy, I heated up 3 tbsps of grape seed oil over high heat in the wok (this oil is better for frying than olive oil because of it's smoke point). When this was smoking hot, I added the veggies in this order: carrots and radish slices; onions; broccoli; bok choy stalks; bok choy leaves. I also tossed in the cashews towards the end and added some tamari for seasoning. Once the veggies were cooked, we piled them into big bowls of jasmine rice and enjoyed a fresh and vibrant stir fry. The veggies were still 'al dente' and retained some crispness as well as their delicious flavors because I followed my stir fry rules...high heat, short cooking time, proper veggie order (those that take longest to cook go in the wok first). Works every time.

In other news, I just spent the better part of the afternoon organizing some kitchen shelves. Why am I so bad at staying on top of kitchen clutter? At least I feel a little better now, although I'm not sure my clean shelves will stay that way for long. I really am a horribly unorganized person.

Brussels Sprouts Salad Two Ways - Nov 9, 2010

Variations on a Theme

"Two ways" might be a stretch, since the only difference between the bowls is the topping. Nick wanted some smoked trout on top of his salad, and I opted for some Pecorino-Romano cheese. So there you have it. This can be categorized as another autumn salad meal. We used Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend which includes Israeli style couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans and red quinoa, for our grain base. To this we added a little chopped bacon, some Brussels sprouts (both the sprouts and the leaves), and toasted walnuts. We added a some fresh orange zest too. We came across this amazing flavor combo at Bar La Grassa a couple weeks ago in a gnocchi dish, loved it, and promptly decided to copy it in our home kitchen. Next time you're making anything in the cabbage family (broccoli, cauliflower...) add some orange zest and give it a try.

White Beans with Sausage and Kale - Nov 8, 2010

White Beans with Kale and Sausage

I was craving this combination after seeing it in soup form on a menu recently. Since I didn't have time to make soup, I decided to make this dry. I made sweet Italian sausage meatballs and fried them up. Next, using the fat rendered from the sausage, I tossed the kale into the pan to wilt a bit. After a few minutes, I returned the sausage to the pan, along with the cooked beans and warmed everything together. We topped our bowls with toasted breadcrumbs and Pecorino-Romano cheese.

Replenishing Sodas - Nov 7, 2010

Soda Fixings

Over the weekend I made a couple of batches of infused simple syrups for soda making. The first is an old favorite from Bon Appetit (although I have yet to find the recipe online), Thyme Pink Peppercorn, which is a great spicy, herbaceous blend including cloves and star anise in addition to those flavors mentioned in the name. I was able to use some thyme from the yard despite a few hard freezes that have left a rather barren landscape outside. For the second, I tried my hand at punching up my standard ginger soda by including toasted coriander and a black cardamom pod along with the chopped fresh ginger. I really like the result. It reminds me a little of Vernors Ginger Ale, which has a unique flavor among store bought ginger ales. The cardamom is subtle, which is what I wanted, but I might add just a little more next time. The coriander brings a nice citrus-y brightness. Infused simple syrups are so much fun. Just add some soda water and you're set. Of course, various spirits can be added too, to make a great cocktail. Cheers!

New Delivery - Nov 4, 2010

Lovely Veggies

I have just picked up our latest box of veggies from Harmony Valley and I am excited. Pictured above are some of the goods, including: beauty heart radishes (aka watermelon radishes); broccoli; Brussels sprouts!; lacinato kale; sugar loaf radicchio; beets; garlic, and carrots. Veggies not pictured include baby bok choy; sweet potatoes; butternut squash; salad mix; and spinach.

Can I just say yum? I am giddy with delight that we got some Brussels sprouts because I love them. I am also excited to make something with the sugar loaf radicchio, which is a new veggie for me. This week's newsletter has some fantastic ideas for how to prepare all of these guys and I'm looking forward to giving some of the ideas a try.

As always, thank you to the hard working crew over at HVF that puts these veggies on our table, and ultimately in our bellies.

Cranberry Wild Rice Salad - Nov 4, 2010

Warm Wild Rice Salad with Kale, Cranberries, Walnuts and Bacon

Here it is, another autumn salad. I have been following my 'golden ratio for autumn salads' when whipping these up. This includes roughly 2 parts grain of choice to 1 part green of choice to 1 part protein of choice (which often ends up being some combination of nuts/meat/cheese/beans for me). This formula allows for countless possibilities when creating dinner. Last night I came up with wild rice for my 'grain' and kale for my 'green'. My 'protein' ended up being a slice and a half of chopped cooked bacon, a handful of toasted walnuts and, just for good flavor, a handful of dried cranberries. I mixed all of this up together and made sure it was heated through before serving. It was delicious with the earthy, smoky flavor of the rice mixing with the rich walnuts, salty bacon and sweet cranberries. The kale added just a hint of bitterness to round everything out. Very satisfying.

Garbanzo Bean Curry - Nov 3, 2010

Garbanzo Bean Curry with Carrots, Potatoes and Broccoli

While perusing the Kitchn last weekend, I came across this recipe and it sounded perfect for dinner. I have made many a curry in my day, and I like almost all of them. This recipe was interesting because it seemed to be a combination of a Thai coconut milk-based curry, and an Indian tomato-based curry. I worried a bit at first thinking the finished product might have conflicting flavors, but upon tasting it I realized all this worry was completely unfounded. It was amazingly tasty with a nice richness from the coconut milk and a good tangy heartiness from the tomatoes. I substituted broccoli for the cauliflower called for because it's what I had on hand. If I make this substitution again, I would add the broccoli a little later in the cooking process since it cooks faster than cauliflower. Other than that, my only recommendation is for you to give this recipe a try.

Indian Spiced Tofu Scramble - Nov 2, 2010

Indian Spiced Tofu Scramble with Broccoli Romanesco and Yukina Savoy

If this looks familiar to anyone it's probably because I have made this recipe before. In fact, I found it posted awhile back on the blog and seeing it inspired me to have another go at it. The original recipe can be found here. This time, instead of using the cauliflower and spinach called for in the recipe, I used Broccoli Romanesco and Yukina Savoy from our most recent CSA delivery. It turned out deliciously and I quite enjoyed eating this rendition of it as much as my first go around. It's currently my favorite thing to do with tofu.