Homemade Ravioli...

We worked with 8 new recipes this past week and looking back over what we made, Jeff chose the favorites this time, picking those Raspberry Jam Bars with Macaroon Topping, the Italian Wedding Soup and that Tamale Pizza from our Friday Night Pizza. Honorable mention goes to the Rhubarb Streusel Bread that we made for a surprise treat day... good stuff!

I had been asking for one of those hand-crank pasta machines that you attach to your counter and I got one as a present a few months ago. With good intentions, I kept trying to remember to set aside a recipe we could use it with, but it took me setting the thing out on the table so I wouldn't forget to look for one! I was going to keep it simple with a fresh fettuccine, but then decided to go all out after I came across this Homemade Ravioli with Herbed Ricotta Filling dish!

I do need to state right off the bat that the recipe for the pasta did call for Italian 00 flour (soft wheat flour), but none of the markets around here carried it (I did check a couple of the specialty stores too)! Maybe I just didn't look in the right stores? I know you can order it on-line, but now that I finally picked a recipe to make, I didn't want to wait around for it to arrive. So, instead of that, I compromised with a combination of all-purpose flour and semolina.

The dough was very straight forward, only consisting of those two dry ingredients, salt and a couple eggs. Just be sure that you give it time to rest and absorb the liquid once you've put your hands to work kneading it together - 20 minutes or so is good enough. After dividing the dough into eight little balls, we passed it through the handy rollers on the machine until we finally got down to that last notch, dusting it with flour if at any point it seemed to be sticky. Once your first strip is done, set it on a lightly floured surface and cover it to keep the dough pliable, then continue on seven more times!

Since this was the first time working with the pasta rollers, it felt like this process took me forever, but after I got through the third sheet, they started flying out of the machine! Taking one of those long pasta sheets, we dolloped on the filling consisting of smooth ricotta cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, fresh basil, lemon zest, an egg, fresh ground black pepper and just a touch of crushed red pepper for bite. On that same pasta sheet, we took a little water on our fingertips and spread it around any areas that weren't covered by the filling. We gently placed another pasta sheet on top, taking care to keep the edges as even as possible and pushing out any air pockets as we went to seal the two sheets together. We used our fancy fluted pastry wheel to trim and cut the pasta into squares, but you could just as well use a knife or if you wanted to give them shape, use a round biscuit cutter and stamp them out!

Fresh pasta cooks in a hurry, so make sure you have everything ready when you are ready to go - once they hit the boiling, salted water (don't forget the salt... be generous!), the ravioli squares were done in less than 2 minutes! Unless you have a gigantic pot, since you end up with roughly 20 squares, cook them in two batches so they are not too crowed.

Because we wanted the pasta to stand up and be noted, the sauce to dress this is simply oil that we laced with a few cloves worth of minced garlic. Once warmed through and very fragrant (you don't need to let the garlic gain any color here), we drizzled the oil over each serving and freshened the dish up with a little fresh basil and a smattering of salty Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Using the combination of semolina and all-purpose flour worked well I thought as a substitution for the specialty flour, but do note the texture will be slightly more firm and not as silky - I'll have try the two side by side someday once I place an order and see just how different they may be!

Lots of work, yes, but having the satisfaction of making this entirely on your own is completely worth the time and effort! I especially liked how just that small touch of lemon zest in the filling brought a little unexpected brightness that cut through the richness. This is definitely one of those recipes you'd want to make on a lazy weekend so you could commit enough time to prepare it without feeling rushed. I do think that the next time I'm going to prepare this homemade ravioli, I will plan to double the recipe, leaving me with enough extras to freeze for a later date!

Recipes
Homemade Ravioli with Herbed Ricotta Filling

Rhubarb Streusel Bread...

Earlier this week, one of Jeff's co-workers brought in a lavish pile of crimson rhubarb stalks for him to bring home as her plants have been growing like wildfire. I took advantage of them right away and prepared this Rhubarb Streusel Bread for him to bring back in to share as an extra treat for the week!

Because the streusel is used twice in this bread, I wanted to get that out of the way so I wouldn't have to stop halfway through and get that together. Rich brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour and our favorite Vietnamese cinnamon were tossed together with just a touch of melted butter until the ingredients were thoroughly moistened and a little crumbly. You won't need this for a few minutes, so set it aside and continue on.

My plan was to incorporate a bit of whole-wheat pastry flour, until I went to the pantry and found its container empty! It was on the list to get this weekend, but still I had plenty of all-purpose flour and that worked just fine. If you have some and want to incorporate it in, try replacing a half cup to a full cup of the all-purpose with it for a bit of extra nutrition. Since fresh orange juice was used as the liquid to bring the dry ingredients together, I did blend in a bit of its oily zest while the butter and sugar were creaming together to reinforce its brightness. I will warn you that once you pour in the juice, the butter will most likely have a curdled appearance - don't go crazy trying to beat it smooth though. Once the dry ingredients are added, its smoothness will come back.

Just before those dry ingredients fully disappear into the batter, toss in the diced rhubarb and gently fold just until the rhubarb looks evenly distributed to keep from overworking the mix. Since we want a swirl inside the loaf, half the batter is added to the loaf pan, followed by a portion of that streusel we had already prepared. The remaining thick batter is spread over the top, with the rest of that sugary streusel scattered on top. Done place the pan in the oven just yet - to make your life easier when you go to turn the baked bread out and slice it, take a minute to gently press that streusel into the raw batter slightly to give it some sticking power. That quick action will help the batter grab hold and let it sink in slightly as it bakes, allowing it not to crumble off nearly as much. Unlike most muffins or a clean-topped quickbread, you can't expect to check for doneness by simply pressing on the top to see if it bounces back at you. The streusel on top melts a bit, creating a sugary, somewhat crisp topping that creates a barrier - use a long, thin skewer to check instead.

Since I only made one loaf, Jeff and I just split a slice so we had enough to go around when he brought them in. That was such a mistake on my part - if I were to replay Wednesday when I made this, I would have totally doubled this recipe so we would have had one loaf just for us to devour! The orange juice was a nice touch to this bread because not only did it add dimension, but how its natural sweetness partied along side the tart rhubarb was refreshing! With its moist interior and nice tight crumb, Jeff tried to convince me that we could make another one later for him to share and he would just keep it hush hush. However, I had enough rhubarb that I knew I was going to scratch my plans for this morning's treat and make this again!

Recipes
Rhubarb Streusel Bread

Tamale Pizza...

This week just flew by - I can't believe it is time already for another Friday Night Pizza! The recipe I made for tonight, Tamale Pizza, was definitely one of the simpler ones we have prepared lately, but it was quite interesting for a meatless pizza!

While we fully cooked our favorite whole-wheat pizza dough before we even topped it for that Strawberry Pizza last week, this time it only went in naked for a quick five minute or so pre-bake. When you take it out, be sure to give it a flip so the lightly golden side is up and what was the top side, will now become the bottom. This will help the crust retain a crispy quality since the toppings are on the heavier side and have more moisture.

The first layer we spread on the crust is a combo of smashed chili beans that we laced with chopped green chiles. Chili beans are beans that have been cooked in a light chili sauce and usually come in a variety of intensities - we chose hot since we love a little burn, but we noticed that they do come in medium or mild too. While we drained away most of the liquid as we typically do with canned beans, with these you won't want to rinse them completely clean as you want to retain some of those juices they are packed in!

After giving the crust a hefty smear of the robust spread, the next topping to go on was corn kernels, followed by shreds of mozzarella and sharp white cheddar, a smattering of sliced scallions and meaty nuggets of Roma tomatoes. Since the crust is already partially baked, it needs to bake just long enough to warm through the toppings, making the cheese bubble and brown in spots. Just before serving, we thought a scattering of chopped cilantro would be an appealing way to add a a little freshness and contrasting pop of color on top.

Since we usually aim for a thin, crisp crusty (though there have been exceptions!), we did opt for the twelve ounce version of the dough, but you could of course up that to the pound version for more of a chewy crust. I was a little weary since I've actually never used this type of canned bean before, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the result! Jeff commented that the beans had just a slight kick instead of being "hot" as advertised (I'm guessing a lot of that heat went down the drain?), but he noted that was actually good since it worked as a satisfyingly thick backdrop to the corn and tomato, which in turn didn't get lost in the mix!

Recipes
Tamale Pizza

Brown Butter Gnocchi...

Yes, you'll find yet another browned butter recipe in today's post! However, unlike many of the ones we have made before, this one is not a sweet recipe! For dinner tonight, I prepared this Brown Butter Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine Nuts dish.

There isn't too much work involved here at all as the little prepared potato dumplings take just a couple minutes to cook once you have the salted water boiling in the pot. As those were working, we swiped two tablespoon pats from a stick of butter and set them into a skillet, along with the same volume of raw pine nuts. The butter and pine nuts toast at the same time, releasing an intense nutty aroma as they turn from pale to an enticing golden brown color. Before it went from being toasty to well, burnt, three cloves worth of minced garlic were stirred in and left just long enough to dismiss a bit of its raw harshness.

To finish this off, the gnocchi are tossed in the browned bath with a generous dose of torn fresh spinach to wilt down. Right after I divvied the gnocchi and spinach onto the plates, we scattered the top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese to serve. See those browned specs all over those pillow-y nuggets of gnocchi? Even though there was only two tablespoons of butter used, there was still plenty to go around - using the technique of browning it first concentrates its robust essence, so you won't need an excessive amount to taste it. Besides bringing a nice crunch against those softer textures, adding the pine nuts in this works completely in your favor, echoing that rich buttery flavor!

This dish would be perfect for those nights when you need dinner to be on your table in a hurry, yet you crave something a bit more special than a burger or sandwich. The recipe stated that this served four, but that would have been fairly light for us - we portioned it out to three to keep our stomachs happy!

Recipes
Brown Butter Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine Nuts

Turkey burgers with Goat Cheese Spread...

I could see us making tonight's dinner, Grilled Turkey Burgers with Goat Cheese Spread, quite a few times throughout the summer for different cookouts or picnics! I know some may not like turkey burgers all that much as they can tend to dry out, but this recipe may change your mind. Let's jump right in and see why you should give them a try!

I've told you before about how we like to grind our own chicken (and often beef) using the food processor and we did the same here with the turkey so we could control what goes in it. While you could certainly use extra-lean ground turkey (which is simply ground turkey breast) in this recipe and most likely end up fine, you may want to cut that with an equal amount of regular lean ground turkey to impart a bit more moisture and depth.

To man-handle plenty of zip into these burgers, we mixed into the meat minced garlic, lemon zest, lots of (thawed from it's frozen state) spinach and an egg white to help hold everything together, along with the obligatory pinches of salt and fresh ground black pepper. Keep in mind that you want to work with this as little as possible to keep the burgers light, but don't drive yourself crazy - just get the ingredients distributed (especially the spinach) as evenly as you can. Formed into four hefty patties, we set them on the grill and left them be while I got working on the tangy spread.

To give the spread some staying power, we used luscious Greek yogurt as the base, then stirred in crumbled goat cheese, parsley, fresh oregano and to keep your tongue entertained, a bit of fresh mint. Assembled by anointing each toasted English muffin with the spread (that is just what we used, any type of bun is fine), we added a leaf of crisp romaine onto the bottom of each muffin, followed by the cooked burgers and a ring or two of zesty red onion. Raw red onion can be a little much for Jeff, so I often soak his pieces in icy water to mellow them out.

Using the duo of dark and light meat did give them an advantage to stay juicy, but the real secret was adding that spinach into the mix, which ended up being an ingenious way to keep these burgers moist. We don't usually put a sauce on our burgers, but we may have to start rethinking that as this one definitely tempted our taste buds! We made this into four portions, but you could certainly stretch this out to make 6 servings and still have it be plenty filling - just note that you may only have enough of the delicious spread to coat one side of each English muffin (or bun if you so choose).

Recipes
Grilled Turkey Burgers with Goat Cheese Spread

Raspberry Bars with an attitude...

As I was planning out this week's menu Saturday night, I gave Jeff the option to shuffle through some sweet recipe stacks and see if any of the them sounded good to make for the Weekly Wednesday Treat Day. I asked for one, but he came back with eight and said "Too overwhelming... here are some I randomly grabbed and I'll let you choose!". Welcome to my world - hee hee!

He did pick out some wonderful sounding treats and I ultimately pinned down these Raspberry Jam Bars with Macaroon Topping to make. Why these? Everything else I would have had to buy one or two things... but with this recipe, I had everything in the pantry. The jam? No problem... always have that. Lemon zest? Yup, always got a stash of at least 4 or 5 lemons worth in the freezer. Graham crackers? Check! Doesn't everyone dip theirs in Nutella or fluff and peanut butter for a snack?

On the bottom of these bars, you'll find a crumbly base made from ground graham crackers (honey this time - cinnamon would be groovy too), flour, granulated sugar, chunky bits of butter, bright lemon zest and a couple eggs to bind. The best part of this? All the work is done in the bowl of a food processor! When you combine this, it shouldn't be dough like - it should look more like damp sand. When you press it into the baking sheet, if it happens to be on the stickier side and you find yourself pulling it up, lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the top or wet your fingertips lightly to help you along. Once you've gotten that done, a thin layer of raspberry jam is worked over the top.

Base and jam layers done... just one final piece! To create the coconutty topping, butter and sugar are creamed together until they are light and fluffy. I added salt here since I used unsalted butter, but if you do opt to use salted, delete that out. Eggs are added, followed by a heavy bag of sweetened shredded coconut. Dollops of the macaroon mixture are dropped all over the top - try and cover the jam as best as you can, but don't strive for perfection. Let it be a little ragged and homey. Bake the bars until the top is set and the strips of coconut begin to take on an attractive golden tone.

Allow the pan to cool completely first, then set the bars into the refrigerator to chill down before you attempt to cut these. This will help firm them up and aid in getting cleaner slices. These can be on the richer side for some, so you could cut the bars into smaller, bite-sized pieces to stretch out the servings. We went with a slightly larger slabs though, so you could fully experience this fun treat and save a few bites for later if you wish!

I liked how the crust, with a light lemony zing, was firm enough that you could pick up the bars to eat them if you didn't want to dig out a fork and plate. The topping was sweet, slightly chewy and dense with coconut - a brilliant match with the sticky berry layer underneath. If you want to go take this over the top, drizzle to your hearts content with melted bittersweet chocolate for a decadent, showy finish.

Recipes
Raspberry Jam Bars with Macaroon Topping

Making a dent in our jar of curry powder...

For a side tonight, we tried out this Curried Cauliflower Flatbread - I needed a recipe that didn't have a lot of hand holding as I would be busy preparing the main dish.

There was a bit of prep work put into this by first hacking away at a head of cauliflower to break it down into finely chopped pieces. The vegetable were dressed with oil, cleanly seasoned and spread out onto a baking pan to roast until the bits had become tender and taken on a golden color. To ensure sure the pieces cook evenly, do take a minute or two and toss the cauliflower halfway through.

As the vegetable roasted, we stirred together a mixture of whole wheat flour, cornmeal, salt and light coconut milk. Don't be overly shy about getting this combined - use a whisk and do your best to try and get out the lumps. Since there are a few variables with how much liquid you need, hold back on the amount of coconut milk when you pour it in - you want to add enough that the batter ends up being the consistency of pancake batter. Once the cauliflower did its business in the oven, we tossed the browned bits with the aromatic curry powder and stirred it into the prepared batter.

To get the best crust on this flatbread, add the oil called for (which I know it may seem like more than what is needed, but don't skimp on this!) into the skillet and place it into the oven to heat up for a few minutes first. Besides giving it a head start, isn't it always gratifying to hear that stimulating sizzle as soon as whatever you are using hits a hot pan? Placed back into the oven, you'll want to let this bake until the crust is a rich golden brown and the center is pretty firm to the touch. Other than looking for those markers, the flatbread should easily release from the pan when its ready.

Sliced into wedges, we thought the flavor coursing through each bite was brilliant with the curried roasted cauliflower paired along side the subtleness in the coconut milk. The crust was crispy as advertised, but the center seemed almost more creamy in texture, rather than having a bread-like crumb as I expected. I wonder if my pan may have been a little smaller than what the recipe called for or if there was too much moisture? It didn't throw us off though, the flavor was delicious enough that we were each sucked back to the counter to grab another wedge!

Since we were already using curry powder in the dish above, I thought it might be nice if the main dish we were going to serve would echoed that flavor, but in a different fashion. Jeff had been asking for a shrimp recipe sometime this week and as I was menu planning this past weekend, I thought of this Shrimp with Scallions and Crispy Potatoes dish that I grabbed from a recent magazine.

We had to get the potatoes working before the shrimp as they took up most of the time needed to get this on the table. We cubed the potatoes into bite-sized pieces, then slid them into a healthy layer of olive oil and let the heat slowly soften their centers, while at the same time creating a rich golden brown crust on their outsides. Once in the skillet, try not to toss the cubes too often so they get enough time in contact with the skillet to form that crust. As soon as they were ready, we added the whites of a couple scallions and left them sit for just a minute to round off their sharper bite.

As the pan was pretty full right now, we slid the potatoes out to allow enough breathing room for the incoming shrimp. After a touch more oil to the empty pan, we slid the shrimp in and immediately dusted them with the curry powder. You won't want to step away once they are in either as the shrimp are done in the blink of an eye - when they start to curl and have almost cooked through, the potato combo is stirred back in. After a quick re-seasoning, the dish was ready to go with a shower of the leftover green tops from the scallions. With a simple five ingredient list, plus salt and pepper of course, this dish was on the table in just under thirty minutes! The golden fried potatoes were crispy on the outside, while remaining tender and soft on the inside. The shrimp were plump and complimented by just enough zip from the curry powder to add a charismatic bite, which left us with nary a piece left on our plates.

Recipes
Curried Cauliflower Flatbread
Shrimp with Scallions and Crispy Potatoes

Italian Wedding Soup...

With plenty of events keeping us busy this past week, we squeezed out 6 new recipes - our tops this go-round were that sweet-with-a-slight-smoky-kick Chipotle-Maple Peanut Brittle, the fun Strawberry, Pistachio and Goat Cheese Pizza and those Peppery Cheese Crackers.

While we love having soup on a chilly day, we still enjoy it when the weather is sunny and the temperatures are climbing... though maybe just not as often! Since I knew I was going to have extra time to be in the kitchen tonight, I decided to make this Italian Wedding Soup for our dinner.

I say that because there is quite a bit of messy work to get this on the table and it might be tough to do on a regularly busy weekday night! For the meatballs that go into this soup, we made them a little lighter by combining lean ground chicken with hot Italian turkey sausage to add a zesty quality, without adding too much fat. Fresh parsley, a couple cloves of minced garlic and two strong cheeses, Pecorino Romano and Parmesan, are thrown in to make the meatballs stand out, while fresh bread crumbs, an egg and a little milk are added to bind and keep them moist. When all the ingredients are in the bowl, work them in with your fingers enough that they are evenly distributed, but try and keep it to a minimum so the meat doesn't get too compacted.

Now you are almost done with the messy part - the meatballs are then formed, dropped onto a baking sheet and slid in the oven to cook through. This way they gain color, cook at the same time and you don't have to keep busy with turning them in a skillet. While those were workin' away in the oven, the base of the soup was brought together by softening finely chopped onions with diced carrots and celery. An abundant amount of broth was then added, with a heavy shot of dry white wine following right behind to blend its acidic nature in. As soon as the liquids came up to a hard bubble, we added a cup of pasta - I used orzo, but any small pasta would do... ditalini, stars or alphabet pasta would be fun!

To perk up the soup with a more unique spin, fresh dill is stirred in during the final moments, along with the cooked meatballs to warm them back up. Just before you are ready to serve, a mountain of fresh baby spinach is stirred into the pot - it literally looks like a ton, but the warmth from the broth will quickly wilt down the leaves to what seems like next to nothing. You could use a few different greens if spinach doesn't do it for you - torn escarole would be pleasant (and I think more traditional), but a heartier green like kale might be a nice change as well.

Those tender meatballs (which I have a feeling will be making more appearances here in other dishes!) shined in this soup. While I know many recipes out there may have you simply drop them raw into the soup to cook them through, I thought roasting them first gave this dish a more matured core. However, I can see why one would opt to drop them in raw - it would allow their character to spread more evenly throughout the soup's liquid. I was eager to see how well the dill would fit in - we were both happily surprised to note that its mild caraway-like flavor was a welcoming addition that didn't become obtuse or distracting.

Recipes
Italian Wedding Soup

Time for more pup treats!

We were way overdue for homemade pup treats, so I needed to carve out time to get into the kitchen today and come up with another batch to satisfy our poor treat-deprived (yeah... right!) Gus and Max.

After checking our the pantry to see what was handy, I threw together these Peanut Butter and Rye Biscuit Treats. I started out with a combo of dry ingredients - whole-wheat flour, cornmeal, old-fashioned rolled oats and a bit of rye flour to give them a variety of flavor and texture. To make the dough a little easier to work with, I did add some nonfat dry milk powder, which will also add a tender quality to the treats. I also included a couple teaspoons of baking powder to give them a tiny lift as they baked

To moisten those ingredients and form a cohesive dough, I simply used water and a secret agent to really lure those pups in... creamy peanut butter! For a light dose of sweetness and color, we also mixed in a single robust tablespoon of molasses. Once everything has been stirred around the bowl, you should find the dough somewhat sticky - turn it out onto a floured surface and punch it around, adding enough additional flour to get you to a consistency where the dough isn't sticky, but isn't bone dry either (slightly tacky to the touch is fine). Try and keep the dough to about 1/4" thickness when you are rolling it out - this will keep the treats a consistence size and won't take too long time to bake. Use your favorite appropriately sized cutter to divvy out the dough into treats - I went with a bone, circle, heart and of course, a miniature fire hydrant, shaped cutters. Don't throw out the scraps once you cut out your first treats either; keep re-rolling the dough to use it all up!

I think I ended up with almost three and a half sheet pans worth of treats! If your oven can't handle that many, the pans can sit, covered, until the first ones bake through. We keep most of the baked treats in the freezer to extend their life since the pups really don't get that many (plus we make sure to share them with other pups!), but you could also halve all of the ingredients for a smaller batch. These came out quite crunchy, though they are not too hard as they easily snap to break them into smaller pieces. If your pups like their biscuits extra crunchy, instead of pulling them out to cool, leave them in the oven and just turn the oven off, with the door slightly propped open, to let them slowly cool down completely.

Recipes
Peanut Butter and Rye Biscuit Treats

Strawberries on pizza!

I was going to save the recipe for tonight's dinner until later in the year when our strawberry patches (hopefully) start to produce. However, that didn't last long as I couldn't resist making this Strawberry, Pistachio, and Goat Cheese Pizza for our Friday Night Pizza when I noticed how red and juicy the berries looked (I asked for a taste to make sure they were sweet first as well!) at the market today!

Preparing the dough (which of course was our favorite whole-wheat pizza dough) is somewhat different than your ordinary pizza, as the dough is fully cooked before you begin adding any of the toppings. Once I had prodded the dough enough to stretch it out, I drizzled a couple teaspoons of oil on and smeared it all over to coat the entire surface. Seasoned lightly with salt for extra zing, I took a trusty fork and pricked the dough all over the top to keep any bubbles at bay while it cooked. If you want a heartier crust, use a pounds' worth of dough - we wanted this crispy and thin, so I used twelve ounces. Bake it long enough to cook it completely through and give the crust a rich golden hue.

As soon as the crust was ready, we retrieved it off the stove and immediately scattered the top with crumbled goat cheese, which happens to soften slightly from the residual heat. Up next came sliced fresh strawberries and tender leaves of baby spinach that we drizzled with oil and fresh lemon juice, seasoned simply with salt and fresh ground black pepper and then gently tossed the salad together before arranging it over the goat cheese. For a sharp bite, shaved Asiago cheese was thrown on top, followed by toasted pistachios for a nutty contrasting crunch.

I think this pizza speaks for itself! Clean, crunchy, sweet and salty with an irresistible tang from those creamy goat cheese crumbles. Quite attractive with its colorful array on top, you could serve this cut into smaller wedges as an intriguing appetizer (and if you do, you may want to make at least a couple of these as they will fly off the table!), or do as we did... gorge ourselves into summery bliss by almost polishing the whole thing off! I bet this pizza will be even better when we have the satisfaction of walking out to the backyard and picking the berries right off the plant to make this again later in the season!

Recipes
Strawberry, Pistachio and Goat Cheese Pizza

Rhubarb... in waffles!

We planted a few rhubarb plants fairly late in the season last year and their stalks have finally busted through the ground and are starting to flourish! While it is a bit too soon to use the rhubarb up here, the markets have been getting the stalks in and I couldn't resist picking up a few so we could make these Rhubarb Waffles with Rhubarb Sauce as a breakfast-for-dinner night.

Before we can get started on the waffles, we needed to work on preparing the rhubarb for the crazy simple sauce. With just a mixture of the diced rhubarb stalks and what may seem like an awful amount of sugar, the two are heated in a saucepan until the juice starts to work itself out and the rhubarb softens. At this point, some of the tender rhubarb is swiped out of the pan (sans juices) to be integrated into the waffle batter. The remaining juice and bits of rhubarb are then brought to a boil and left to bubble until it thickens enough to make a spoon-able sauce. Back to that amount of sugar for the sauce - rhubarb by itself is powerfully tart and that sugar really is needed to tone it down and make it more palatable. Saying that, Jeff has been known to chew on raw rhubarb!

There isn't anything too unusual to be found in the waffle batter - though we did add some soft whole-wheat pastry flour to nudge in a bit of nutty nutrition. We also used only the whites from the eggs, which we just beat with a whisk until they were pretty frothy to give the waffles an airy quality to them. You don't need to worry about getting them to any peak form, simply frothy will do. When the batter was combined, the rhubarb that was stolen from the sauce was folded in to impart its unique essence into the waffles themselves.

We used an American-style waffle machine since that's what we like, but I wouldn't be opposed to using a deeper-pocketed Belgian-style with this recipe. Once the batter is added and the lid closed, you'll know when the waffles are ready when the whispers of steam stop flowing out from the sides and the waffles are a rich golden brown. Eat them as they come from the waffle iron if you like, but if you want to get them all done before you dig in, heat your oven to the lowest setting and set the waffles right onto the racks inside to keep warm and crispy until you're ready.

We found the sauce to be of good consistency for us (though Jeff's first comment was "Hey, it looks like ketchup!), but if you find it needs some help, don't be afraid to make a quick slurry of potato (or corn) starch (maybe a teaspoon or two?) and water - just stir in into the sauce and bring it back to a boil to activate the thickener. Also, it does still have some texture to it, but if you wanted a smoother coating on the tongue, you could give it a quick buzz with an immersion blender or toss it in the food processor. While the ruby mixture is sweet, the natural tartness from the rhubarb isn't hidden entirely and still comes through for a lip-smacking tangy sauce. I've already got plans to make the sauce again soon as a wicked good topping for fresh strawberry or vanilla bean ice cream!

Recipes
Rhubarb Waffles with Rhubarb Sauce

Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken...

When Jeff saw me grab a package of rice noodles and place it in our basket at the market this weekend, I noticed a little later he picked it up and eyed it real well with almost a slight grimace on his face. He perked up and proceeded to ask "Um.... what are these things for? Are you sure you meant to get these?".

After some assurances, he reluctantly put them back in the basket, but I knew if I didn't pay attention they wouldn't make it to the register and suddenly "disappear into thin air". Uh huh... can you tell this has happened before? I needed those noodles so I could get around to making this Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken I've been meaning to try out for dinner!

To prepare the noodles, you'll want to follow the directions on the package, but all we did was soak them in hot water until they had softened, yet still had a slight bite to them. This took about 10 minutes, but it will depend on the thickness of the noodle you use. Don't boil these like you would pasta - you'll end up with a sticky blob that doesn't look or feel very appealing (and yes, I've done that myself before we knew what to do with them! It was several years ago and thankfully Jeff had no memory of that incident!). Once they had soaked, we rinsed them in cold water and took a knife to them, making them easier to incorporate and eventually eat! I should have a pair of good kitchen shears, but I don't - they would have made this job less messy!

To cajole an aromatic wave out of the fresh garlic and ginger, we heated a couple teaspoons of toasted sesame oil and slide the duo in to swim around for a short minute. The warmth lifts their flavor and mellows out the garlic, making a base for the sauce that also consisted of chopped scallions, fresh cilantro, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin and sambal oelek, which is simply a fresh chile paste. We tossed that sauce with the chopped noodles, along with shredded cooked chicken, which stretched this dish out and made it more hearty. For a touch of crunch, chopped peanuts are tossed on just before serving - if you plan on having leftovers, save those peanuts and wait to add them until you eat the dish so you don't lose their contrasting texture.

I am wavering on how "spicy" this should have been - as is, with two teaspoons of the sambal, I didn't get as much of a burn as I was expecting. If you wanted more of a kick, I'd suggest tasting the sauce before you add the noodles and chicken, then adjust with additional sambal or maybe even a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes if you like. Other than that, we thought it was fairly well balanced and Jeff gave two enthusiastic thumbs up to rice noodles! See, listen to me... I knew you would like it!

Recipes
Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken

Peppery Cheese Crackers...

For the most part, I usually make sweet items for the Wednesday Treat Day each week - however, every now and then, we like to throw in a more savory treat to shake up the routine. Jeff has been asking for some sort of cracker or cracker bread and after giving him a few options, I picked out a recipe for these Peppery Cheese Crackers.

You will need seek out a specialty ingredient for these crackers - Mimolette cheese.

Orange in color with a medium rind, almost a lookalike for a wedge of cantaloupe, this hard cheese has a bold, nutty flavor to it that has a buttery finish. If this isn't a cheese you can come by, you could try using a harder Edam cheese or perhaps a sharp Parmesan.

Mixing these crackers is a snap, thanks to the use of a food processor! Along with the usual suspects, bread flour and instant polenta is used in the dry ingredients to add texture to the crackers and strength to the dough so you are able to roll it out thin enough. Paprika aids in retaining the fun coloring that the cheese adds, while just a touch of baking soda brings a slight lift. Once you start pouring in the buttermilk, process the dough just until it begins to form a ball inside the food processor bowl. To finish bringing it together, scoop the mixture out into a lightly floured surface and give it a few hearty kneads with your hands to smooth it out. Because you've now gotten the gluten all bothered in the dough, wrap the dough well and set it aside for a few minutes to give the gluten time to sigh in relaxation.

To keep the pieces manageable as you roll them out, we divided the dough into quarters and rolled each out until it was almost paper thin. If you want round crackers, by all means use a fluted round cookie cutter to stamp out the shapes. However, I simply used a pastry wheel to divvy the sheets out into squares, which left me no scrapes to deal with. This makes a fair amount (depending on the size you make them of course), so you may want to do enough to fill up two sheets with crackers first and while they bake off, finish rolling and cutting the remaining quarters.

As soon as the crackers turn golden and crisp, take them out of the oven and immediately slide them onto a wire rack so the air can have access to all sides to cool the crackers and retain that crunchiness. Besides reacting with the baking soda, using buttermilk in these crackers gave them a tenderness even though they had a crispy texture - it also entwined its notable tang into each piece. Now, I had one thought running through my mind as I tested these crackers - was it really worth the $20/pound price I paid for the cheese? And actually, I do think it was - I've never had this type before and its particular gusto was quite pleasing! We'll have to try out this savory treat day more often I think!

Recipes
Peppery Cheese Crackers

Chipotle-Maple Peanut Brittle...

I didn't get a chance to talk about it last Friday, but other than the pizza I made, I also prepared a sweet treat for us to enjoy throughout the weekend! Peanut brittle on its own is pretty darn tasty, but the Chipotle-Maple Peanut Brittle I made threw some gas onto the fire and made this brittle a bit more unique.

The maple part was actually not in the original recipe, but we thought it would be a fun introduction as we've had maple and chipotle in savory dishes before and they play off each other so well. You will need to dust off those neglected candy thermometers and if you've never used yours yet (go out and pick one up if you don't have one either - you don't need a super duper deluxe model either), this recipe is well worth dipping your toes into the world of candy making!

It is usually better to go a little bigger in the saucepan you use, rather than using a smaller one and risk having a hot molten mess of sugar all over your stove. For this recipe, I used a five quart pan and there was no fear of that happening and I think you could even get away with a 4 quart if you have one. To create this crunchy candy, you'll need to combine the sugar, corn syrup, pure maple syrup and a pat of butter and bring it up to a good bubble over medium heat. The heat is somewhat important - don't turn it up full blast as you may risk it scorching. When the thermometer jumps up to 275 degrees, in goes a generous amount of roasted, salted peanuts - stir, stir, stir to get those peanuts coated in the sticky syrup and let it continue to cook until it reaches a fiery 295 degrees.

Now the fun really happens! You'll notice that the mixture in the pan is getting darker and quite viscous - baking soda and the key ingredient, chipotle chile powder, are stirred in off the heat and the candy slowly starts to climb up the pan and begins to turn lighter. Working quickly, but very carefully, you need to dump the mixture onto a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper (foil would probably work fine too). Instead of spreading the hot sugar out with a spatula or trying to stretch it with your hands as it cools down, the recipe has you use a clever trick move it around.

We immediately laid another sheet of parchment paper on top and used a rolling pin to push and maneuver the candy underneath to an even thickness as the bumpy peanuts will act as a guide from letting it get too thin. While this is a great technique that I know I'll be using over and over, please do remember just how molten that brittle is as it will start to heat up the rolling pin pretty fast! Left alone to cool, it will turn into a very firm slab that can easily be broken into individual chunky pieces.

The first piece I had I let roam around my mouth to get full exposure on my tongue - sweet and slightly smoky right off the bat, I didn't get any heat! However, when I finished crunching through the candy and the nutty peanuts, I felt my temperature rise as a slight tingly burn began in my throat... bingo! It wasn't overwhelming at all, but there was just enough there to catch you off guard and force your hand to grab another piece to see if it happens again. The maple was fairly submissive to the other ingredients, but it worked well to add different layer of sweetness and depth. I wonder if using a mix of granulated sugar and maple sugar would act to impart a more noticeable mapleness? Do be sure you use a salted nut here - it is the only salt added and it is there to help keep the sweetness in check.

We went down to the farm on Sunday to pick up a bunch of strawberry plants (which have been planted in the back yard - more on that later!) and brought some down to share - Mom gave these solid approval and even asked for the recipe! Woo! If you wanted to be really trendy, I bet some crispy pieces of smoky bacon, stirred in near the end, would rock this brittle right out of the park!

Recipes
Chipotle-Maple Peanut Brittle

One wonderful day...

We did it! Yesterday was the walk to support the Animal Humane Society - with a stunning weather forecast, they were expecting over 7,000 people to come! Care to indulge me while we forgo our typical food post and take a visual a trip through our day?

Right after we arrived at the registration area, we came upon this giant bone that Gus wanted to try and tackle, but we convinced him that it was just too big for his little self. A little annoyed, he settled for a picture!

While the sun was shining its warm rays down, the air was still fairly chilly this early in the morning... however, we were given these snazzy hooded sweatshirts since you guys helped us cross over the $1000 mark for Team Gus!

So, who was one of the lucky doggies that got to meet Gus for the first time?

That's one big dog in a tutu! I wish I could have heard what was going on in our tiny pups head when this giant was lookin' back at him.

So, while we had the big guys dressed in their best duds, the tiny ones were also showing off the latest fashions as well!

Now, this is the Animal Humane Society after all, so there wasn't just dogs here... we then spotted this cutie.

Who was quickly out done by this buggy full of bunnies!

So, now we've got dogs and bunnies... what else?

A couple of horses of course! And then?

This couple not only had two dogs, but a bunch of beautiful birds along for the long walk! There were also rats (! and not very photogenic I might add), a couple snakes, a gaggle of ferrets (literally) in a stroller, a few lizards and I heard later on there was even a wallaby there, but we didn't get to see it.

A couple of friends, Dawn and Chad, joined us for the walk and Gus made a new buddy! Look at these two...

What a pair! Gus is already asking to have a play date with his new long-haired friend, Diego.

A little further down the road on the walk, we came upon this guy who had it made!

Gus was jealous for a minute, but then moved on to see what else was up ahead. Was that such a bright idea? Next in line was this guy...

Yep, there were several goats there too! Lots of dogs tried to go say hello, but none of the goats wanted to reciprocate! Goats like to buck and boy did they show it today!

At the halfway point, we saw several pups who decided they had enough with the trotting and decided it was a fine time for a long break...

After we were done walking, we took a trip through the "bone yard" so Gus could snatch a treat.

But, they only give you 45 seconds to grab one and the humans can't help! Sadly, he was too overwhelmed and couldn't make up his mind on what looked the best! The volunteers did give him a small treat for trying though!

When we finally got home, Gus, who walked almost the entire 5 miles with his bud, grabbed his favorite chew toy, crawled halfway up the stairs into his sunny spot and quickly zonked out with thoughts of all his new friends he got to play with today!

And with that, let me end with this sign at the walk that says it all to every one of you that helped support this well deserved cause!