Sweet-and-Sour Pork Stir-Fry...

We have done a couple sneak peeks into our pantry before, but we haven't gotten to the spices yet and we've been asked a few times how we store them. I found this handy door-style rack at one of those stores that deal in storage and knew immediately I had to have it to contain our spices.

We installed it on the back of the door that leads to the walk-in pantry - this keeps them out of direct sunlight and more importantly, close to where I prep and away from heat sources (the stove, refrigerator, microwave and heating vents!). I buy spices from all over, but get quite a few of them from either Penzey's or in bulk from a local natural foods co-op. I do often buy more than will fit in one of those fantastic clear glass jars, so I do keep the extra stashed in air-tight bags in the freezer to extend their lifespan.

Moving on.... for tonight's dinner, Sweet-and-Sour Pork Stir-Fry, I got a pot of water going on the stove before I started prepping so we could do our no-fuss method of cooking brown rice.

While that was working, I cooked thinly sliced pork tenderloin until one side was browned, without turning the slices. This takes just a short minute, then the slices are scooped out of the skillet and set aside on a plate. Since the pork is so lean and it is thinly sliced, it really cooks in a flash!

Scallion whites and a duo of orange and red bell peppers were slid into the hot skillet after the pork was out and stirred around until the vegetables were just about crisp-tender. Try not to let them get too soft at this point as they will still be in the pan for a few more minutes and you want them to retain a bite. The pork is added back into the pan, along with broccoli florets and chunky pieces of pineapple. Be sure to pour any juices that leaked out from the pork on the plate when you add them - also, if you want the broccoli to be a little more tender by the time you are done, feel free to use thawed, frozen pieces or just lightly steam them first.

A homemade sauce for this stir-fry is then added, which is a combination of bright pineapple juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch and a bit of water to thin it out. Bringing those liquids to a quick simmer will thicken the slick sauce and allow it to cling well to the pork and veggies. We both enjoyed the contrast between the sweet pineapple juice, the salty soy and the tang in the vinegar - served over the tender grains of nutty brown rice, this dish was also pretty filling and colorful! For next time, I would think about adding a few other elements into the dish to give it a rounded flavor - a couple cloves of garlic, a few grates from a knob of ginger and maybe adding another step: I thought it might be worth taking the time to caramelize the pineapple chunks a bit before tossing them in, intensifying their sweetness and giving them more of a contrast to the rest of the dish.

Recipes

Sweet-and-Sour Pork Stir-Fry

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi...

Shrimp are always one of those ingredients I try to keep stocked and handy in the freezer for those nights when we need to make a speedy dish. When I came across this Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi, I made sure to set it aside in the "dinner done in a hurry" stack of recipes... and since I wasn't going to have much prep time tonight, it was nice to know I wasn't going to have to worry about trying to find a recipe that didn't require a lot of effort or time.

Since the little buggers cook in a flash, we brought a pot of water to a boil and seasoned it well with salt to cook a handful of orzo pasta. When the pasta was al dente, we drained away the water and tossed it with fresh parsley and a knob of butter. The original recipe didn't add any butter at this point, but what fun is that? Besides, that little richness does wonders and helps keep the orzo groovin' on the plate.

Once that was ready and covered to keep warm, a bit more butter was added to a skillet, followed by the addition of peeled shrimp. Our skillet was large enough to do this in one batch in the pool of butter, but if they would crowd the pan too much, split the shrimp up into two batches instead. You'll want to let them go until they are almost cooked through, but not quite. The shrimp are scooped out and another pat of butter added to the skillet to take the harsh edge off a few cloves of minced garlic. After the garlic has infiltrated its presence into the butter, the shrimp are tossed back in and allowed to briefly sit over the heat to finish cooking through.

Finished by sprinkling fresh ground black pepper and squeezing a lemon half over the top to add a burst of brightness, the shrimp and butter are set over the bed of green-speckled orzo to serve. Ready in less than 20 minutes, I can see several servings of this snazzy shrimp dish in our future. While nice for a light dinner, this would also be a perfect and refreshing lunch to make when our refrigerator is void of leftovers from the night before!

Recipes
Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi

Bananas, Toffee and Rum!

Toffee, bananas and rum... could it get any better? That's what was going through my mind as I was preparing the Toffee-Banana Rum Bread I made today for the Weekly Wednesday Treat Day.

Along with your usual suspects found in banana bread, I did swap out some of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat pastry to bump up the stats a tad. To get the infusion of rum, we mixed in a couple tablespoons worth into the wet ingredients - if you'd rather not use rum or don't want to buy any for just two tablespoons (those "nips" you can find would work well here!), you could certainly use rum extract, but lower the dose to 2 teaspoons.

To get the best sweet bang for your buck, let your bananas go as dark as you can before smashing them up to use in this recipe. I'll often buy extra and just set them aside to ripen and then freeze them to use at a later date. If you do this too, once you have thawed them, make sure you do not toss out the sticky juices that come out of the banana. Mash them right back in as you'd be throwing away all the good stuff you worked to get by ripening them.

I always remember Mom throwing nuts into banana bread, but I'd usually end up eating around as I was so darn picky growing up. However, nowadays I do like to add them as I realize how much they add to the bread, especially when toasted first! Toffee bits are used twice here - they first come into play as a generous hidden layer inside, while the rest are added on top before sliding the banana bread into the oven. Those coarse nuggets on top melt and bubble as the heat from the oven cooks the bread, creating a sweet, caramel-esque layer on top.

It seems that bananas can get lost when strong flavors are included in breads like this, but the combination of spicy rum and that buttery toffee seemed to accentuate the banana and allowed it to be the star, while they had their own little spotlight lingering through each bite. Moist, without being gooey or gummy in the center, this twist on banana bread was a fantastic change of pace to your ordinary loaf. Now we'll have to see just how many pieces actually make it out the door and to the office in the morning!

I'm trying to play catch up from the meals I didn't get a chance to post about a couple weeks ago... and we had one of our favorite types... breakfast-for-dinner! Which happened to be a perfect choice that night as I had a few other things to take care.

I didn't even have to dirty any bowls to make it, but I did bring out our blender to create the batter for this Dutch Baby Pancake!

A simple combination of eggs, milk, flour, sugar and a splash of vanilla were added to the jar and blitzed to smooth out the batter and add some air to the eggs. Instead of cooking this on the stove, the batter was poured into a skillet of warmed butter and set in the oven to bake. Turn on the light so you can see the magic happen, because as the heat hits the skillet, the batter explodes up the sides of the pan, making for quite the experience to watch! Jeff looked and out flooded a million questions - "What the heck happened? Is it suppose to do that? Isn't it going to spill out all over the floor of the oven? Am I going to have to clean it?". So, after I assured him everything was good and he wasn't going to be stuck cleaning, he pulled up a chair, with Gus in his lap, and watched the pancake grow!

Sadly though, seconds after we removed it from the oven, it deflated rather quickly and were not able to get the effect on camera - it actually looked a little sad and wimpy out of the skillet too! See?

To brighten up the pancakes, we squirted over fresh lemon juice and showered the top with granulated sugar for a little crunch - also top it off with just a few thin pats of butter before serving for a little richness. This pancake is not "weightless and fluffy" like a buttermilk pancake, but a bit more dense, hearty and egg-y. However, that fit it quite nice with having it as a dinner treat! You could probably get 4 servings out of this, but Jeff and I ate through two and then proceeded to dip into the third before we knew it... such an easy and tasty dish!

Recipes
Toffee-Banana Rum Bread
Dutch Baby Pancake

Sausage and Potato Lasagna...

I seem to have accumulated a bit too much hot Italian turkey sausage in the freezer and I made sure to pick out a recipe this week when I was menu planning to use a pound or so in. I looked through different soups and other meat dishes, but nothing caught my eye until I came across this Sausage and Potato Lasagna.

While one would usually use pasta sheets in lasagna, this dish uses thin slices of potato in the layers instead! I know I've seen those sliced refrigerated potatoes in the market before, which you could use and speed up the process, but I just hauled out the food processor and used the slicing blade to burn through a few whole potatoes. To ensure the potatoes cook in the proper amount of time ala lasagna style, the slices are dropped in a pot of boiling salted water for just a few minutes to begin the process.

As I waited for those get going, I had another skillet busy browning the spicy sausage with onions and garlic. Now, if you don't have a 'shroom hater you will be serving, toss in a couple cups of thinly sliced mushrooms at this point to anchor the sausage with an earthy element. However, Jeff had an eagle eye out as we were shopping and I couldn't sneak any into the basket. I still tried, but he whisked them out and put them back before I knew it... and you know what? He likes the darn fungi since he has eaten them before (without knowing it anyway), but just won't admit it! I think he has issues... hee hee!

To those meaty crumbles, I sprinkled in flour, along with salt, fresh ground black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Since we're making a quick milk sauce and adding spinach later on, nutmeg is one of those key secret ingredients where if you add just a little, the background notes it brings heightens the flavor. However, you only want to add enough that it serves this purpose, but couldn't be specifically picked out. Once the milk is added and has thickened, the skillet is set aside while we began the assembly process.

Before layering, we whisked together a mound of ricotta cheese, spinach, Parmesan, an egg and a few flakes of crushed red pepper for a touch of heat. Starting out with a layer of those quickly-cooked potato slices on the bottom, that ricotta filling is spread on top, followed by a portion of the juicy meat concoction. Shreds of mozzarella cheese were next, then came another layer of the remaining potatoes, the ricotta and finally the meat sauce. Baked, covered, until hot and bubbly, the dish is taken out and uncovered to add a bit more cheese. Back into the oven it went for just a few minutes more, giving the heat time to melt that top layer of cheese.

As with any lasagna, be sure to plan for at least a 10 or 15 minute rest once it has come out of the oven to give it time to set. You could dish it out right away, but it would be fairly messy and not hold together well. We let it sit about 10 minutes and couldn't wait any longer, but we were still able to get tidy squares out! I thought the potatoes might end up making it a gut-bomb (classy, huh?), but actually it wasn't as heavy as I feared. I don't know if it was the egg in the filling that helped to keep it lighter, but this was such a complete comfort dish. Cheesy, meaty and plenty of potatoes to go around, I do think those mushrooms would be a nice addition to break up the richness. However, even without them (though especially so, I bet Jeff would say), we were both full and satisfied by the time we finished our plates!

Recipes
Sausage and Potato Lasagna

Garlic potatoes and pork tenderloin...

With eight new recipes flowing from the kitchen this week, it was a tough choice to decide what were the favorites... I let Jeff choose this time and he picked those tangy Lemon-Lime Bars, the birthday Coffee Pecan Meringue Cake and those Roasted-Garlic Pierogi with Shallot-Browned Butter

Basic mashed potatoes are often seen as a side on our plates - tender boiled russets, a splash of milk and a couple pats of butter, mashed with a potato masher and seasoned heavily with salt and fresh ground black pepper are the norm. Mashers were on the menu tonight too... though we made them a bit more swanky with a recipe for Roasted-Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Before I started hacking at the buttery Yukon Golds we were going to be using, we sliced the tips off a couple heads of garlic, drizzled them with oil and wrapped the heads in foil. Since we were going to be using the oven anyway to cook the main portion of tonight's meal, I went ahead and snuck the packet in there to roast. However, I typically just bake them in our convection toaster oven so it doesn't use much juice. When the garlic was close to being done, we made sure the potatoes were just coming to a boil to cook them through.

One of the best tips I've ever used for mashed potatoes is to make sure you toss them back into the hot pot and stir them around for a minute once you've drained them. Besides keeping them warm, it allows any of the excess liquid to quickly evaporate off, making sure potatoes remain light and ready to soak in the milk and butter. We used warmed milk to get the potatoes groovin' in the pot, but for a special occasion, toss in some half-and-half or even cream if you are feeling especially naughty. Or, if you've already been a bit too naughty and need them to be not as rich, use a combo of half milk and half stock or broth.

Those heads of garlic that produced such sweet, caramelized and mellow cloves from roasting are given a good squeeze to extract the pulp and are smashed into the mix when you pour in your liquid of choice. If my stomach wouldn't fill up so darn much, I probably would have been able to eat the whole pot of these mashers myself! Although, Jeff loves potatoes as much as I do, so I'd have to fight him for it. We like using our handy potato masher most to prepare potatoes in this fashion as we don't mind, and even prefer, a bit of texture to them. If you can't stand lumps though (and believe me when I say I was a picky eater in my youth because growing up I wouldn't go NEAR lumpy mashed potatoes!), you could certainly pass them through a ricer or food mill to get an extra silkiness to them.

To go with those potatoes, I also prepared this Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Honey Mustard. Let there be no doubt about it... while mustard sounds like an afterthought in this dish, it definitely plays the main role!

We placed whole mustard seeds, fennel seeds and a pinch of crushed red pepper into our heavy mortar and used the pestle to crush and crack the seeds. While you do want to open them, don't take out your aggression too much on the seeds - keep them on the coarse side so you know exactly what you are getting when you serve the pork.

After scattering those spices on a large baking sheet, two lean pork tenderloins were placed on top and rolled around to thoroughly encrust them. Cook your pork as far as you need to feel comfortable, but I don't take ours much past 140 to 145 degrees. After letting the tenderloins rest for at least 10 minutes, giving their juices a chance to redistribute back though the meat, we sliced them to reveal their juicy insides that retained a light pink hue to the center.

To play off that mustard in the crust, we set the sliced tenderloin into a speckled saucy pool of homemade honey mustard that was combined from grainy Dijon mustard, traditional Dijon and a couple generous spoonfuls from our jar of honey. Tangy with a spicy bite and a kiss of sweetness, the sauce was a delightfully bright pairing to the tender meat. Pungent and strong, Jeff and I did leave some of the sauce behind on our plates - a little went a long way on the pork and we felt if we coated a piece too much, the delicate meat seemed to loose its weight and fall behind to the background.

Recipes
Roasted-Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Honey Mustard

Browned Butter Oatmeal-Cranberry Bars

Classic oatmeal raisin cookies are a favorite around here and while I was going to make a batch today, I thought a change was in order to shake things up.

Instead of individual cookies, we thought a thicker bar would be a good jumping off point - then we thought we'd make one other important change... we browned the butter first! If you've never tried it before, this process gently heats the butter until the milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan and turn a dark golden color. Why do this? The browning amplifies the richness and brings out such a nutty, toasted depth in the butter that makes the product you use it with more unique and memorable.

We made sure to brown the butter first so it had a chance to cool off while we were preparing the rest of the ingredients for these bars. Using a higher ratio of oats to flour ensures these bars will end up chewy and dense, while the proportion of brown to white sugar keeps them moist with a little crispness to them. Rather than using raisins, we swapped those out for sweet-tart dried cranberries. With just a couple shakes from our jar of cinnamon and a few sweeps of a sturdy wooden spoon to prepare the dough, we scooped it into the pan and let it bake until we tested it with a toothpick and it came out with a few moist crumbs attached - don't wait until the toothpick comes out impeccably clean because you want these to remain moist.

Got to have chocolate? Don't be afraid to toss in a handful of chocolate chips instead of or even in addition to the cranberries (or raisins if you so choose). If you're looking for more of a crunch or to appease a nut fan, walnuts, pecans or for a buttery touch, chopped macadamias, weaved into the dough would pair well too in these upscale oatmeal bars!

Recipes
Browned Butter Oatmeal-Cranberry Bars

Tex-Mex Calzones...

Thank goodness it is Friday because that means pizza night is here again! Is that cheering I hear? We got an assembly line going too tonight so we could get these Tex-Mex Calzones into the oven as soon as possible.

I could go on and on again about the dough, but I'll bite my tonight and just say that we indeed used our favorite whole-wheat pizza dough for these calzones. While we left the dough to rise, I heated up a skillet to begin browning a half pound of ground turkey. If you want to keep the filling extra lean, use all ground breast meat, but it can dry out pretty quick. Since I usually grind meats at home when we need them instead of buying them from the market, I used about roughly an even ratio of light to dark for this dish to keep it a little more juicy. I do this not only for the fact that I know what exactly is in it, but I'm also able to have more control on the texture.

Once the meat was crumbled in the skillet, we tossed in an onion, a few cloves of minced garlic and a cup of chopped red bell pepper. The original recipe did call for using half green bell pepper, but neither of us care for its harsher tone. It also seemed pretty light on the spices, so we changed the amounts of the cumin and chili powder, while also adding a touch of ancho chile for a smoky note. Cooked until the vegetables were crisp-tender and the meat cooked through, we added a scoop of salsa verde (tomatillo salsa) into the skillet for a tangy zip.

For the mentioned assembly line, I quartered the relaxed dough, pressed out each malleable piece into a rectangle and then had Jeff dividing out the filling on top. Before hiding the juicy meat inside, we added shreds of cheese on top, then stretched the dough over and sealed the edges shut. Giving the calzones a quick massage with olive oil before sliding them onto the baking stone will make them shine, but this is certainly optional and not required. Because the salsa verde packs a punch (at least ours did as the jalapeños in it left a sizzle in our mouths!), I do recommend serving these with a dollop or two of sour cream for its cooling nature. While we just finished our plates a little while ago, is it sad that I'm already tossing around ideas in my head for the next new pizza recipe to make next Friday?!

Recipes
Tex-Mex Calzones

Gnocchi in the skillet...

I knew today was going to be pretty hectic here later in the day, so I made sure to schedule a dinner that was not going to by fussy or make too much of a mess! Looking through the pantry while I was menu planning, I spotted some gnocchi we had waiting to be used and remembered that I had been wanting to try out this Skillet Gnocchi with Chard and Chickpeas dish.

Instead of boiling the gnocchi to prepare them, this recipe took them in a different direction by sautéeing them until those dumplings began to plump up and turn golden brown. The gnocchi are then scooped out of the pan and in their place went a little more olive oil and a handful of thinly sliced onion. After stirring the slices around the pan for a couple minutes, a healthy amount of minced garlic was stirred in, along with heavy splash of water. Once the onion had softened, sturdy chopped leaves of swiss chard were added and allowed to cook until they began to wilt down.

Diced tomatoes, seasoned with Italian spices, chickpeas and fresh ground black pepper loosen up the chard mixture and are left over the heat until the juices begin to bubble. The dumplings are added back into the pool and the full skillet is finally topped off with grated Parmesan and shredded mozzarella cheeses. Covering the pan to trap the heat, this dish needed just a couple more minutes to melt the cheese and bring the gnocchi back up to temperature.

We thought this deserved bonus points right out of the gate for using one skillet the entire time and being able to finish the dish in under half an hour! The original recipe called for using white beans, like cannellini or Great Northern, but as I've learned from past experience, Jeff really doesn't care for them one bit. Knowing that, I used chickpeas instead and that did the trick for him here! Pretty filling as is, if you feed people that don't think a meal is a meal without meat, I bet you could easily crumble and brown some hot Italian turkey sausage and toss that in at the end with the gnocchi. If you're not a fan of chard, you could certainly use spinach in its place or how about turning up the volume by using blanched broccoli rabe? While we don't make a ton of recipes more than once or twice, I can see this versatile and veggie-friendly dish being made around here often when need a speedy meal!

Recipes
Skillet Gnocchi with Chard and Chickpeas

Lemon-Lime Bars...

After a nasty snow storm last week and with chilly temperatures abound, we wanted to shine a few rays of sun into this week's Wednesday Treat Day by making a batch of these Lemon-Lime Bars.

For the platform underneath the bright filling of these bars, we needed to prepare the rich base and give it a head start in the oven. Made by combining softened butter with a dose of moist brown sugar and fresh lemon zest, the creamy concoction was firmed up by adding flour and a couple pinches of salt. We patted the buttery crumbles into the pan and slid it into the oven to bake until it was lightly golden and almost set.

While that was happening, the zesty filling was prepared by mixing a combination of several eggs, granulated sugar, fresh lemon juice and a couple of surprise ingredients (if you could see me, I'd have one eyebrow raise in a sinister tone...); baking powder and nutmeg! I'll get back to those in a little bit though. When the sweet and tart mixture was combined, we whisked in a bit more lemon zest to punch up the power, along with a touch of lime to broaden the line. Poured over the hot crust, this needed to bake until the edges were lightly browned and the center just set. You can't just go and slice this into pieces though... it needs time for the flavors to meld and the eggy filling to firm up. This is why I wasn't able to talk about these bars yesterday as they needed to sit in the refrigerator for at least a couple hours first. With a blanket of confectioners' sugar coating the top, you could certainly stop here with a delicious set of tangy bars, but we wanted to add another level.

For a fun element on top, we candied thin slices of key limes, along with strips of fresh lemon zest in a heavy sugar syrup. It may sound like extra work, but really, it took just a few minutes and it adds such a decorative finish! The syrup is made by heating together sugar and water in a 3:1 ratio - the strips of zest and slices of lime were tossed in and after simmering for two minutes, they are removed and spread out over a rack to cool.

I found the bars to sliced well and loved how well the balance of sweet to tart was. The baking powder in the filling allowed it to be light and airy - not as dense as you might find in a traditional lemon bar. The nutmeg? Hmm... that's a loaded question - if I didn't know it was in there, I definitely couldn't pick it out, but we both thought we tasted an extra zing in the bars that made them even better. Forgo the candied citrus if you must as it doesn't make or break these, but why not give it a try? It's those little unexpected touches like this that can make all the difference!

The other day we had this Asian Pear and Apple Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette as a side to dinner and I never got a chance to talk about it.

To coat a duo of tender salad greens and crisp romaine that created the bulk of this salad, we dressed the salad in a mixture of extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, a dash of sugar, minced garlic, paprika, dry mustard, basil and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

For juicy, crunchy bites threaded throughout, we cubed a large Asian pear and complimented it with tart chunks of Granny Smith apple. We also tossed in raw arcs of mild red onion for added zip, while creamy crumbles of goat cheese are strewn over the top before serving. Red onions might not be mild enough for everyone, but I've found that soaking them in icy water for a few minutes before using takes a little edge off. Jeff and I both liked this, but thought the dressing was on the skimpy side - I would probably increase it by at least 1 1/2 times if we made this again. Not so much that it would make the salad soggy, but we thought a little extra would have helped this along. The dressing did perk up our taste buds as it was well-flavored with those added seasonings! If you're a nut-fiend, toasted walnuts or pecans would be a nice touch to finish off this lighter salad.

Recipes
Lemon-Lime Bars
Asian Pear and Apple Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

Birthday dinner...

We typically post the Wednesday Treat Day item on Tuesdays, but I got a late start on making it today and it is still chilling out in the refrigerator. We'll get the details posted tomorrow!

Rather than going out, we decided to just hang out with the pups last night and make my birthday dinner instead. We originally talked about doing a beef tenderloin, but I had a bit of sticker shock when I went to the market and they were charging $27 per pound. I could have splurged for my birthday, but it just didn't make sense in my mind - maybe I'm just cheap?! So, we browsed through the meat section and Jeff picked out an nice looking Eye of Round roast.

Only one problem... I've never cooked one! While we do have a pretty broad array of recipes, there are plenty of ingredients I still have yet to work with and several of them include popular cuts of meat! After checking around, I found a popular method to cook this cut using a high heat method. All you needed to do was season the meat, place the roast in a fiery 500 degree oven, reduce the temperature slightly and let it cook seven minutes per pound. Once that time expired, you turn the oven off and let it hang out for 2 1/2 hours. Intrigued by the method, we gave it a go - you can season the roast as you please, but I raided our spice supply and used a combination of salt, black pepper, garlic, coriander, dill weed, paprika and crushed red pepper.

After a dreadfully long time of breathing in the alluring aromatic scent that filled the kitchen during the cook time, I could hardly wait to slice into the roast and see how we did. After I took the first thin slice off, Jeff and I knew we struck gold seeing that beautiful rosy pink hue the beef had! Even though it is a very lean cut of meat, it was plenty juicy and being sliced thin, still fork tender. Now, of course it was not as meltingly tender as a tenderloin would be, but really, we were quite pleased how well this turned out! And at less than half the price per pound of the tenderloin, we are sold on this cut and method to prepare it... I'm excited to try it again! I also got to check one more off the list of things I've yet to prepare. Paired with a baked potato last night, you can be sure I was more than satisfied with my "meat and potatoes" birthday meal at home!

Recipes
High Heat Eye of Round Roast

30 doesn't have to be evil...

I've always felt older than what my actual age is and it is no surprise to me that turning 30 today doesn't make me feel any different either....more like it's about time! Bring it on, I say!

As I always end up doing, I made my own cake again this year - though Jeff did help this time... helped to taste test anyway! I've never been very traditional in picking out what to make, so I randomly picked out this Coffee Pecan Meringue Cake to try! What's funny is that I don't enjoy coffee much at all, however, I love desserts and treats that have that pungent brew in them - I don't get it either, but it works for me.

Rather than actual "cake", the layers are made from a flour-less sweet meringue that we spiked with finely chopped pecans. To ensure the layers were roughly the same size, we traced a 10" circle on to a couple pieces of parchment paper, flipped them over and used the outline as a guide to smear on the meringue. We found a dinner plate was just the right size for this - the edges of the meringue will probably be fairly ragged, but don't worry or try to get them perfect as they'll be trimmed off later on. After baking the meringues until they were golden, we set the two discs aside while I got working on a smashing filling.

Instead of a super-sweet buttercream made from loads of confectioners' sugar and butter, we prepared a Swiss Meringue that we infused with two types of coffee. This frosting is a little more work, but extremely worth the effort. We needed to heat egg whites and sugar over boiling water to start out - this first warms up the egg whites so they will whip to a greater volume, but this process also melts the sugar into those whites, making for a stable mixture. They are then whipped until the bowl is no longer warm to the touch on the outside. As soon as that happens, you swap out the whisk attachment and move to the paddle as you've incorporated plenty of air into the eggs at this point.

Butter is added slowly, a tablespoon at a time, until all of it has been tossed in. It may look a odd when the butter goes in - almost curdled and sloppy, but this is just how it works. As you continue mixing, the butter will emulsify into the airy whites and it will gradually transform in front of your eyes into a smooth frosting. To slip the coffee flavor in, we combined strong espresso powder into a few tablespoons of prepared coffee and added that into the frosting a tablespoon at a time. It will look messy again, but it absorbs quickly and you'll see just how shiny and spreadable the frosting becomes. Jeff did plenty of quality control checks at this point - he was surprised with just how light, yet rich, buttery and not tooth-achingly sweet this type of frosting is! The coffee is directly up front, but it was also not bitter or overwhelming.

Assembly of this cake doesn't get any easier - all we had to do was scoop the generous, silky buttercream on top of one crunchy meringue and top it off with the other! If you assemble the cake a day or so ahead of time and let it sit in the refrigerator, the meringue softens ever-so-slightly - this makes slicing this delicate treat easier, yet the meringue retains a satisfying bite. I was wondering if the flavor in the meringue would just disappear into its buttercream center, but those tiny pecan nuggets studded throughout gave the layers enough strength to hold their own. Different, I agree... but what a spectacular way to celebrate with a little decadence minus the guilt!

Recipes
Coffee Pecan Meringue Cake

Taking a shot at Roasted-Garlic Pierogi...

We prepared a total of 8 new recipes for the week - looking back, our tops this time were the Chocolate Chip-Pretzel Cookies for us salty/sweet people, that Black Bean Nacho Pizza and those nutty Toasted Oat and Coconut Biscotti.

Tonight's dinner was one of those recipes where you'll need to set aside plenty of time, have a glass of your favorite beverage handy and either play some good tunes in the background or put on your favorite television show. While there was not anything difficult about this Roasted-Garlic Pierogi with Shallot-Browned Butter dish I made, it did take quite a bit of time from start to finish.

Before making the homemade dough for the pierogi, we had get a pound of starchy potatoes and a whole head of garlic into the oven to start roasting. When both were tender, we skinned the potatoes and mashed them simply with a scoop of sour scream and the sweet, mellow pulp from the head of garlic, along with the obligatory salt and fresh ground black pepper.

While the bowl of taters was off cooling down, we made a basic dough consisting only of flour, a couple eggs and plain yogurt. After pressing and pulling the dough to knead it together, the smooth mound was divide into 24 small bits and each was rolled into a ball. Each ball then needs to be rolled out into a small circle - while you are doing this assembly process, be sure to keep the dough covered to prevent any drying out that might otherwise occur. On top of each round, a heavy tablespoon of the potato mixture was dropped on top and then hidden by enclosing the circle, forming a half-moon. This part is pretty tedious to do 24 times, so take any help you can get!

Cooked by dunking the filled pierogi into a large pot of boiling, salted water, they have one more step to make them even more appealing. While the are floating in the water, we had another skillet on the stove, gently melting and browning a few knobs of butter we tossed in. The butter is ready when an intense nutty aroma lifts off the skillet, the color begins to turn caramel and the milk solids that have fallen to the bottom begin to well, brown! Once that happens, finely chopped mild shallots are tossed in and heated just long enough so they soften. The drained pierogi are added in and gently fondled in the toasted butter until each is coated and has taken on a slight golden hue themselves.

While I've never had them myself before (let alone made them!), Jeff used to eat them all the time several years ago. He couldn't stop eating these, so I guess we did it right, or good enough! The dough was nice to work with and didn't shrink back when I rolled each piece out. The pierogi were tender, quite hearty with their tangy roasted garlic potato filling and taking them for a ride in the golden pool of melted goodness (Jeff's word!) was the perfect match to let them sing. Ideal to make on a lazy weekend, I'm betting that since you can buy them at the market frozen, you could make a whole batch or two, freeze them in a single layer on baking sheets and then toss them into a zip-loc bag. This way you'll have them ready for a handy meal that could be ready in a flash on those hectic weeknights!

Recipes
Roasted-Garlic Pierogi with Shallot-Browned Butter

Toasted Oat and Coconut Biscotti...

While Jeff saved some of those pretzel cookies we made for him to take into the office, they didn't last long and we were raiding the freezer to see if we had anything else to snack on this weekend. Nothing we found sounded too interesting, so some baking was in order this morning!

I thought about what we haven't made lately and it seems it has been awhile since we made ourselves a batch of biscotti! After taking note of what we had handy in the pantry, we ended up with these Toasted Oat and Coconut Biscotti.

What makes these more interesting is taking the time to toast the oats, coconut and pecans before we used them. Besides changing their texture, their flavor is heightened and brought to a new level. I added them all on one of our larger baking sheets, just making sure to keep them in their own spots - you will need to stir them occasionally so they are able to toast evenly. They are ready when the oats are a pale golden, the coconut is well colored and the nuts are very fragrant. If your baking sheet isn't large enough, you can toast the nuts in a skillet on the stove or just re-use the same sheet when the others are done. Since you need to process that trio of toasted dry ingredients until finely chopped, be sure to let all of the ingredients cool down first. The remaining dry ingredients are tossed into the food processor and pulsed in to combine them all together.

To finish creating the dough, the wet ingredients, consisting of light coconut milk, a splash of vanilla and a couple large eggs, are whisked together and added to the dry. Being not as wet as other biscotti, I mixed this dough by hand to gently work the ingredients together - it may seem a little crumbly at first, but it will come together. Formed, baked, sliced and baked again as we normally do (don't forget that spritz of water before slicing - it does make a difference!), the nutty aroma of the slices had us very much in anticipation of them cooling down so we could take a bite.

Since there is no butter or oil, these biscotti are especially crisp (bonus!) and perfect for dunking. The use of coconut in two forms brought a delightful profile, but they don't scream "I'm stuffed with coconut!!!" either. Toasting of the oats and nuts allowed their inner flavor to burst out and flow through the biscotti, making these a bit more rich than they might otherwise be. If you want to take these one step further, dunk the bottoms in a shallow bowl of melted white chocolate or scoop that melted chocolate into a zip-loc bag and drizzle it over the cut sides to add some pizazz!

Recipes
Toasted Oat and Coconut Biscotti

Black Bean Nacho Pizza...

Jeff walked through the kitchen after hearing the hum of the food processor and immediately shouted "Oh yea! It's Friday isn't it? That means pizza - woohoo!". This week's Friday Night Pizza took a spin at transforming a favorite snack, nachos, and turning it into this Black Bean Nacho Pizza!

To represent the crunch from chips, we used the twelve-ounce version of our favorite whole-wheat pizza dough and stretched it out pretty thin into a large circle. You can use the pound version for a more substantial base, but we wanted to keep it snappy and crisp. What I love about this dough is the fact that it is like putty in your hands - smooth, soft, no rolling pin required to work with it and we've never had much of a problem with it tearing when we want an especially thin crust.

We did give the pizza base a quick zap on top of the baking stone to give the crust a head start - at this point you are not trying to cook it, but you want just the faintest golden color on the bottom. Once out of the oven, the base is flipped over so you will now be working on the side that had contact with the stone (aiding in keeping the crust crisp through and through). Instead of a tomato sauce, we slathered the crust with a dynamite pureed combination of black beans, roasted red peppers, garlic and two types of chili powder.

Layered over the sleek "sauce" are chopped pickled jalapeños, Monterey Jack cheese, chopped plum tomatoes, scallions and a few chopped olives for a striking contrast. Slid back onto the hot stone, the pizza is allowed to continue baking until the crust turns a rich golden and the shreds of cheese connect into a divine gooey pool.

While we have quite enjoyed the more simple pizzas we've had lately, the complexity of the bean sauce was a decidedly nice change of pace - I also liked how the chunky tomatoes added a fresh contrast to that darker sauce underneath. Since we groove on spiciness, the punch from the hot chili powder made this that much more exciting for us, but the pizza's success isn't dependent on that. We felt the creamy mildness the Jack cheese offered fit well with the theme, but I could see cheddar, mozzarella or for a racy bite, your favorite pepper Jack, would also mingle well. We didn't happen to have any in the refrigerator (next time!), but a dollop or two of sour cream on top would have been a decadent treat!

Recipes
Black Bean Nacho Pizza

Edamame Griddlecakes...

Jeff and I first tried edamame a few years ago on a whim and have loved working the green soybeans into a variety of dishes or just popping them in our mouths as a snack with a sprinkling of salt. Tonight's dinner took them in a direction we've never used them before - savory pancakes!

These Edamame Griddlecakes with Teriyaki Sauce have you prepare shelled edamame and then drain them very well as to not make the batter too wet. So the beans have a chance to incorporate a bit more into the batter, they are roughly mashed - just use a sturdy fork and leave some chunky pieces for texture. After being mixed with milk, an egg and a couple tablespoons of melted butter, a cup of flour is stirred in just until it absorbs into the liquids. You want the mixture to be close to a thick pancake batter, so if it looks a bit too thick, add in another splash of milk.

Cooked just like a regular pancakes, you'll notice that they won't get as nicely golden like a regular pancake would as there is no sugar added - you'll know when to flip them when the edges turn from shiny to matte and bubbles come up to the surface. Since we had to do these in batches, I kept the griddlecakes warm by stashing them into the oven heated to the lowest temperature it would go to.

While not necessarily bland as you get ripe edamame in each bite, the plain bumpy griddlecakes do benefit from a dipping sauce. We prepared a homemade Teriyaki Sauce to go with these by heating soy sauce and mirin until they just began to bubble. Mirin is a sweet rice wine with a fairly low alcohol content - if this isn't a condiment you have access too, you could replace it with the same amount of honey to balance the soy. To the warm sauce, pungent grated fresh ginger and a clove of garlic are added, along with a chopped scallion or two. If you want to vary these, swap out the edamame for your favorite cooked bean and season the cakes with fresh herbs or your favorite spices that would compliment your bean of choice. If you opt for another bean, like black, how about serving them with a bowl of salsa on the side instead of the tangy sauce we made? Or pick another a lighter type of bean and serve with a dollop of pesto?

Recipes
Edamame Griddlecakes with Teriyaki Sauce

White-Cheddar Corn Chowder...

After freezing all that corn from the sweet crop late summer, we're sadly coming to the last few cups we have stashed away. The supply especially took a big dip tonight after making this White-Cheddar Corn Chowder!

I was hoping the corn would stretch us into the spring, but I'll just have to take note and remember to freeze a bit more this year. Starting with a base of softened onions and celery that we finely chopped, ground coriander, smoky cumin and a dash of cayenne pepper are tossed into the pot to start layering the flavors. Upping the heat on the stove a bit, a couple splashes of dry white wine were added in and allowed to concentrate briefly.

Chunky bits of buttery Yukon Golds (peeled or not... that is completely up to you), vegetable broth and milk are stirred in, adding volume and texture to the chowder. After letting the liquid bubble away in the pot, transforming the potatoes from firm to fork-tender, an ample amount of corn kernels were dropped in and left to warm through. Somewhat thin as is, the soup is taken off the heat and given a voluptuous body by taking out a couple cups worth of the chowder, then smoothing it out in a food processor or blender. The thick puree is stirred back in, the pot moved back over the heat, re-seasoned and allowed to cook for a couple extra minutes to bring the temperature back up.

After ladling the chowder into the bowl, we gave the tops a sharp dose of shredded white cheddar cheese for a finishing touch. I appreciated that the chowder still had some contrast since there were chunks of potato and bits of the corn present, thanks to pureeing only a portion of the mixture. I thought about upping the cayenne a touch, but the faint zing of heat turned out to be just right as any more would have taken away from the freshness in the corn.

Recipes
White-Cheddar Corn Chowder

Sweet cookies with a salty surprise...

There is a certain flavor combination that both Jeff and I adore. For this week's Weekly Wednesday Treat Day, we fulfilled our own love of salty-sweet treats by making these Chocolate Chip-Pretzel Cookies.

While the ingredient amounts have been fiddled with a bit, these cookies are based on that classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, though there is one additional star ingredient - crushed pretzels! When we make chocolate chip cookies just for us, we usually cut half the butter with shortening to get a crispier/firmer texture and to control spreading issues. However, since that texture doesn't always groove with everyone, we decided to use entirely butter for that fat in these cookies. Instead of an equal ratio of white to brown sugar, we bumped up the brown for a little extra depth and chew.

Once the creamy dough was beaten together and smooth, we added a generous amount of crushed pretzels and let the mixer run briefly to disperse them throughout the dough - then we folded the same volume of bittersweet chocolate discs. I tested a couple cookies before loading up the baking sheets to see how they would bake - the look and texture was what I was looking for at the 10 minute mark, but I felt they could use a helping hand by slightly flattening the dough before baking.

If you want a softer cookie, take them out when they are set around the edges and the center looks slightly underdone. For a bit more crispness, let the center become set and the edges turn lightly golden, which is what we did. This gave our cookies a crisp perimeter, but they still had a nice chew as you reached the center. Using a tablespoon cookie scoop gave us well-portioned cookies that had decent thickness - however, if you are into big, fat cookies (good for bake sales!), use a quarter cup to measure out the dough and extend the baking time slightly. The coarse nubs of pretzels, with their delightful salty crystals attached, balanced the sweetness of the cookies well and shed light onto how well those two profiles mingle together.

For dinner tonight, we had a fun take on burgers by making them veggie-friendly and without any meat. Jeff was quite skeptical - burgers without the meat? He then muttered "Ugh, does that mean there are mushrooms in it?". I told him to raid the refrigerator and he was relieved there were none in there.

With the help of our food processor, the method to make these Cashew Burgers was a breeze! Chunks of an onion were up first in the processor bowl to be finely chopped - cashews, old-fashioned rolled oats and a couple spoonfuls of tahini were next and they were processed until chopped, but not too fine. If you've never had tahini before, it is usually one of the key ingredients in hummus for its nutty quality - it is an oily pale paste made from sesame seeds. You can use whatever kind of binder you want here though - other nut butters, tomato paste or even miso to vary the background notes. Also tossed into the mix to act as a binder is an egg - seasoned with chili powder, the chunky mixture is pulsed together just until the ingredients are combined. You don't want to process this to oblivion - keep it fairly coarse for the best texture.

Right out of the processor, the burger mix may seem excessively damp - however, as it sits, the oats will absorb more of the moisture and firm up. You can let it sit for awhile before working with it, but I just lightly wet my fingers, formed four patties and let them hang out in the refrigerator to let the oats their thing while I was off taking care of the pups' dinner. When we were ready to eat, I slid the patties into a hot skillet that had just enough canola oil to cover the bottom. After a few minutes, we flipped the patties to reveal their rich golden bottoms and let the other side cook for just a couple more minutes. Thanks to that rest in the refrigerator, the burgers held together remarkably well and we had no issues with them falling apart in the pan.

Serve these as you would a regular burger with a bun and your favorite condiments if you like, but we had them simply with a dollop of sour cream and set them atop a few leaves of baby spinach. Not dry, but not leaking with juices as a meat burger would be, this turned into a happy compromise between the two. Nuts and oats certainly make for a filling combination and both of us found we liked the cleanness of these veggie burgers. Season these as you like, but Jeff and I enjoyed the spice the chili powder brought - enough to come through and lift the burgers, but not too much that it muddled the nuttiness of the tahini and cashews.

Recipes
Chocolate Chip-Pretzel Cookies
Cashew Burgers