Pumpkin Rolls - Oct 29, 2010

Pumpkin Rolls

I finally got around to making a batch of these just in time to post for a little Halloween treat. The recipe is courtesy of the Kitchn and it's a good one. One thing I question, however, is how do people get cinnamon rolls done in time for breakfast? I started these the night before and they still didn't get out of the oven until slightly after noon. Not that I have a problem eating these at any time of day. Happy Friday to everyone and have a fun Halloween.

Cheers!

Quinoa Squash Gratin - Oct 26, 2010

Quinoa Squash Gratin

Nick found a recipe for a squash gratin online somewhere which I used for inspiration, but didn't really follow at all. I ended up roasting my squash in the oven until it became soft. Next, I scooped out the squash flesh and mixed it in with about 2 cups of cooked quinoa, some crumbled feta cheese, salt, pepper and smoked Spanish paprika. I eyeballed all of this, people, so I have no exact measurements to report. Once this was mixed to my liking, I spread it out in a 8 x 8 inch pan, sprinkled a mixture of toasted bread crumbs, pepitas, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper on top, and broiled for a couple of minutes. It was a little bit of an experiment, but the flavors worked well together and it filled our bellies, so no complaints here.

Warm Farro Salad with Sherry Mushrooms - Oct 25, 2010

Warm Farro and Spinach Salad with Sherry Mushrooms

Okay Dinner Clubbers, I did do some cooking over the past few days so I have some things to update here on the old blog. First up is this little autumn salad. I combined a couple favorite recipes together to come up with this dinner. The sherry mushrooms are a favorite around here and usually served over toast with a poached egg. This time, I prepared the mushrooms as usual, by sauteing in butter and oloroso sherry. Next up I cooked the farro. Once that was cooked, I stirred in the mushrooms, some toasted walnuts, and a handful or two of fresh spinach leaves. I mixed everything together over low heat, just to get everything combined and to wilt the spinach slightly. This I seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. I like the idea of warm, grainy autumn salads that incorporate some fresh greens, or other cooked fruits and veggies. This might be a recurring theme in the next few weeks.

New Veggies - Oct 21, 2010

CSA Delivery

I just picked the box up and found these lovely treats inside. Identification is as follows: Escarole? This looks like lettuce, but the newsletter states it is a broad leaf endive; red radishes; yukina savoy; onions; broccoli Romanesco; sweet potatoes; kale; and delicata squash. Veggies not pictured include carrots; salad mix; arugula; and broccoli.

I must admit I've been in quite a rut lately, hence the lack of posts recently. I spend the past two weeks painting our kitchen, which meant it was the last room in which I felt like spending any more time. I am hoping that these new veggies, along with our latest issues of Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, and Cooks' Illustrated, all of which arrived in the past week and a half, will help motivate and inspire me to get cooking.

As always, a wholehearted thank you goes out to everyone at Harmony Valley Farm for providing us with such delicious vegetables.

Cardoon Gratin - Oct 18, 2010

Cardoon Gratin

Another (delicious) use for the cardoon from Harmony Valley. I quite enjoyed this vegetable baked in cheese. As usual, I boiled the cardoon first, which is supposed to remove the bitterness. Despite it's reputation, I must say I did not experience any bitterness with this veggie...maybe because I boiled it. Anyway, after boiling I tossed the cardoon pieces into a baking dish with a little salt, pepper, smoked Spanish paprika, pine nuts and olive oil. Next I layered on the cheeses: fresh mozzarella, smoked provolone, and grated Pecorino-Romano. I baked this in a 400 deg oven until the cheese was melted and starting to brown, about 25 minutes. The result was very tasty with the nutty flavor of the cardoon accented by the pine nuts and complimented by the cheese.

Cardoon Fritters - Oct 11, 2010

Breaded Cardoon Fritters

The adventure continues, Dinner Clubbers. Over the weekend we fried up some bits of our new found veggie. This cooking technique almost always turns out well, and it gave us a chance to pull out the Fry Daddy (or in our case, GranPappy). Again I was impressed by the mild and nutty flavor of the cardoons. They also have the perfect texture: soft, but with just the right amount of resistance upon biting into them. The recipe we used had us boil the cardoons first, then dredge in flour, egg and breadcrumbs. I added a bit of salt and pepper to the breadcrumbs and would do a little bit more seasoning in the future. These might also be good with some freshly grated parmesan mixed into the batter prior to frying. Ultimately, the mildness of this vegetable makes it an excellent foil for mixing with stronger flavors, which we have plans to do...

Chicken and Cardoon Stuffed Squash - Oct 8, 2010

Squash Stuffed with Chicken, Cardoon, Rice and Smoked Provolone

After receiving my cardoon and the helpful instructions from HVF, I promptly included some with last night's dinner. While the squash was roasting, I cleaned, chopped and boiled the cardoon. Once this was finished I mixed it with roast chicken, leftover brown basmati rice and grated smoked provolone cheese. I also added a little oregano, salt and pepper to this mix. It went into the roasted squash and cooked all together for another five minutes or so. It was quite tasty. The flavor of the cardoon was soft and nutty, reminiscent of sunchokes. It was not bitter at all and added a nice texture to the stuffing. I am so far enjoying my experimentation with this new-to-me veggie. Stay tuned for more to come.

Recent Delivery - Oct 7, 2010

Fresh Veggies

I have been having trouble staying up to date with my blogging of late and I apologize. So, without further ado, here are this weeks veggies. We got a lovely assortment including lemongrass; carrots; *cardoon*; broccoli; radishes; squash; peppers; and chard. Let me confess that I raced to my pick-up site yesterday and was the first one there just so I could get my hands on that cardoon, which was a very limited choice item. Apparently it is related to the artichoke, but it looks like celery on steroids. The Farm is growing it as a test batch this year. It is something completely new to me and I am so excited to get a chance to try it. All of the other veggies look amazing as well.

Veggies not pictured include spinach; salad mix; and baby beets. Thank you to Harmony Valley for what is sure to be a grand kitchen adventure!

Chili - Oct 5, 2010

Three Bean Chili with Pork

I was craving chili over the weekend due to a combination of the cool weather, watching football, and seeing chili on a restaurant menu that I didn't end up ordering. So, on Sunday afternoon I threw a motley crew of pantry items into the crock pot and let that marvelous appliance work it's magic. Into the pot went black, pinto and red kidney beans; a bunch of chopped red peppers from our farm share; the remainder of the ripe tomatoes; a tiny bit of ground pork dug up from the nether regions of the freezer; chopped onions; water; and various and sundry spices. This concoction happily bubbled away all afternoon and made the kitchen smell amazing (much better than the fresh paint smell from a recent coat of ceiling paint). We supped on big bowls topped with freshly grated smoked provolone cheese. It was so good it almost made up for both of my teams loosing close games over the weekend. Almost.

The Great Pumpkin Breakfast - Oct 4, 2010

Pumpkin Waffles with Maple Syrup and Walnuts

We are embracing October here in Minneapolis. This weekend I made a batch of pumpkin waffles for a fun breakfast. I used Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix and followed the directions on the box, except I used milk instead of water as my liquid. These were quite yummy, especially with some grade B maple syrup and toasted walnuts on top. And, just to make things extra pumpkin-y, when I poured half and half into my coffee that morning, it created a little pumpkin design in the foam.


Coffee with Pumpkin Art

This occurred completely by accident, and will hence forth be known as the Great Pumpkin Miracle of 2010.

Grape Soda - Oct 1, 2010

Concord Grape Soda

Some of you may recall that Nick and I picked grapes at an orchard the last time we visited Madison. Serendipitously, a friend of mine who knows I like to make my own sodas, emailed me a recipe she had found for a Concord grape fizz. Needless to say, I was pretty excited about the concept. Upon our return home from Portland, I whipped up a batch of the grape syrup, using Concords plus all of the other varieties we had picked. It is delicious and I have been rationing myself to one grape soda per day for the last week or so. I can't think of a better way to transition between my late summer obsession with limeade and fall's crisp apple cider. If you have your own Concord grape source, I would highly recommend you give this a try. If you don't have access to said grapes, I think this would also be good made with Concord grape juice.


Another shot to highlight the rich color.

Octoberfest - Sept 29, 2010

Roasted Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Nick and I attended an Octoberfest themed party this weekend at Ben's to celebrate local beers and German inspired food. I made a roasted potato salad with some of our HVF potatoes. The idea for roasting the potatoes instead of boiling them was in the CSA newsletter and Nick found a recipe online. I omitted the bacon for our vegetarian friends but otherwise followed the recipe pretty closely. The mustard vinaigrette was delicious and the fresh parsley added a nice bit of brightness. Being a non-vegetarian myself, I ate mine alongside an expertly grilled brat.


Homemade Pretzels

Ellen made these super yummy pretzels, which were great dipped in mustard. They were the perfect snack to accompany our afternoon of beer drinking.


New Glarus Gueuze

Nick and I brought along one of the bottles we got on Greg's recommendation when visiting New Glarus Brewing Company a few weekends ago. This particular beer was spontaneously fermented, similar to Belgian Lambics. It was sour but delicious.

Udon Soup - Sept 27, 2010

Udon Noodles in Spicy Broth with Mushrooms, Bok Choy and Sprouts

Last week we had some wet and windy weather that really made me want to make soup. Since we had some Bok Choy in the fridge from our last veggie delivery, I decided to make this version. I picked up some mushrooms, sprouts, and noodles from the new Linden Hills Co-op (which is super lovely). The 'cheater's Asian broth' out of How to Eat Supper is a great, quick standby. In addition to the cloves, allspice, ginger, garlic and onions, I also added some fresh lemongrass (also from HVF) to scent the broth. I cooked the noodles, which were packaged delightfully, and sauteed the mushrooms. The bok choy I cleaned and put in the bottom of our soup bowls, piled the noodles on top, and the mushrooms on top of that. I poured the broth over everything and topped with bean sprouts and cilantro.


Beautiful Noodles

Latest Veggies - Sept 23, 2010

Fresh Veggies

I picked up the latest CSA delivery yesterday afternoon. Some lovely items were in the box, including: Parsley root; celeriac (celery root), Hong Vit radish greens; red leaf lettuce; cauliflower (a fun surprise!); and festival squash. Veggies not pictured include onions, potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, and salad greens. All these root veggies make this a definitive autumn delivery. I must say I am quite excited for a season of roasting to begin.

As always, a huge thank you goes out to our Farm!

Cornbread with Arugula Salad and Poached Egg - Sept 23, 2010

Parmesan-Thyme Cornbread with Arugula Salad and Poached Egg

This meal was a bit of a cheat. I spent the majority of my day getting some yard work finished before the rain started, and come dinner time, was uninspired. Luckily, poached eggs are always a good stand-by. I tossed the arugula with olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper and Pecorino Romano cheese and made little nests for the eggs. Also on hand was the leftover cornbread, which I put in the toaster oven to warm up a bit and then added it to the bowl as well. Not very fancy, but always delicious and good in a pinch.

Roasted Veggies and Cornbread - Sept 22, 2010

Roasted Tomatoes, Peppers and Onions with Thyme-Parmesan Cornbread

I made a batch of skillet cornbread two nights ago because I felt like baking something. Fall weather always motivates me to turn on the oven. I stuck to a basic recipe and added a little fresh, chopped thyme from the backyard and a dusting of cheese on top to make it a bit more savory. To accompany the bread, I roasted a batch of tomatoes, red peppers and onions tossed with olive oil, a splash of balsamic, fresh summer savory and salt and pepper. It was a tasty combination with the hints of sweetness in the bread and veggies playing nicely against the fresh herbs.

Gnocchi - Sept 21, 2010

Potato Gnocchi with Simple Tomato Sauce and Fresh Basil

Here in the Midwest, we are in the height of tomato season, while potatoes are also starting to show up, signaling the inevitable transition from summer to fall. I decided to embrace the shift in seasons with this meal. I made the potato gnocchi from scratch, having fun with my thrift-ed potato ricer and using a recipe from The New Basics cookbook. It's a great kitchen reference and has been on Nick's shelf since long before we met. Nick made a simple tomato sauce using fresh tomatoes, onions and a little salt and pepper. That simmered for about 15 minutes before I tossed it into a pan with the cooked gnocchi. I let the sauce and gnocchi inter-mingle over low heat for 3 or 4 minutes and then served it up in pasta bowls with some fresh basil and Pecorino-Romano cheese for garnish.

Pacific Northwest - Sept 10-18, 2010

Oregon and Washington Highlights

Sorry for the long absence, Dinner Clubbers. Nick and I just returned from a week long trip to the Pacific Northwest to visit family and friends. We had an amazing time and took full advantage of the food and drink opportunities to be had. We started our week off right with a trip to Willamette wine country and a picnic at the lovely Domaine Serene Winery, complete with local delicacies including Tillamook cheese (we visited the creamery); a bowl of Bob's Red Mill (we visited the factory) Steel(er) Cut Oats decked out in full Steeler colors including black blackberries and yellow bananas, along with some toasted hazelnuts in honor of Dennis Dixon's start (he's from Oregon), that we ate while watching a Steeler victory; a Mighty-O doughnut from our Seattle excursion; crabs at Pike Place Market; a honey lavender ice cream sandwich with lemon cookies from Ruby Jewel in Portland; the line-up of our beer sampler at Bailey's Taproom; and a shot of the Oregon Coastline at Cape Meares. Other highlights not pictured include coffee cupping at Stumptown Coffee; tasting brandy at Clear Creek Distillery; and beer tasting at Ambacht Brewery in Hillsboro which has exclusively Belgian style beers...my faves!

We had so much fun seeing my sisters and their respective SO's, plus Dinner Clubbers Anna and Rima! Thanks to everyone for making our trip so memorable.

Happy Anniversary Dinner Club! - Sept 8, 2010

Raspberry Apple Crisp with Wisconsin Belgian Red

Nine years ago tonight was the first official meal of the Madison Dinner Club, with all six original members present and accounted for. Nine years! It's hard to believe, I know. Thus, in celebration of a most fortuitous meeting, dessert is served! A raspberry apple crisp (inspired by breakfast at Greg and JJ's), with a hint of thyme and Chinese Five Spice Powder, and a dollop of yogurt, is this year's homage to the Club. Alongside it, a glass of New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red with which to raise a toast:

To my dear friends, may we share many more delicious days together, both in person and in spirit.

Dinner Club Forever.

Labor Day Weekend in Wisconsin - Sept 4-6, 2010

Weekend Highlights

Nick and I headed over to Wisconsin this past weekend. We did a bunch of really fun stuff including visiting an apple orchard to buy apples, pick grapes, and pet sheep. I also snagged myself some wool for future knitty projects. In addition to our orchard visit, we drove to New Glarus to check out one of my favorite Wisconsin breweries. New Glarus Brewing Company has moved into some beautiful new digs. While visiting we took a self guided tour, sampled some delicious brews, and picnicked in the lovely autumn sunshine.

We also managed to attend a wedding reception at Capital Brewery (another favorite) and swing by Wollersheim Winery for a tasting and a picnic in the wine garden.* All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable weekend!

*not pictured