Thinking ahead to the change of seasons...

Cinnamon, apples and raisins always remind me of cooler temperatures... the aroma of fall came through a dish I made for dessert tonight. We are looking forward to living where there will be an actual noticeable change in the seasons again.

As the Cinnamon Apple Raisin Bread Pudding slowly baked in the oven tonight, the smell had us anxiously eating away at dinner so we could grab a piece for dessert. In some bread pudding recipes, the bread needs to soak overnight, but here it only requires a quick 15 minute soak. The mixture it rests in is a combination of lightly sweet vanilla soymilk, sugar, fresh lemon zest, butter, fragrant spices and eggs. Cinnamon spiced dried apples (the soft, not crunchy kind) and golden raisins are also added, but they are first plumped up with apple flavored brandy.

It took about an hour to be set in the center, but it may be less/more depending on your oven and what you use to bake it in. We agreed that the flavor was spot on, but the texture was a bit too soft (or as Jeff would say, mushy) for him. I'm not sure if it needs a longer soak time or a little less liquid - maybe if we toasted the cubed bread a bit before we soaked it next time?

Golden raisins make another appearance tonight in the side dish, Spinach with Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins. If you like wilted spinach, this is a snap to throw together and was quickly eaten by both of us. Jeff looked at the giant bowl of spinach and said "Who else is coming to dinner to eat all that?!" 3 minutes later I showed him the results and he was pretty surprised it cooked down so much. After garlic quickly cooks in the same pan with a touch of olive oil, the spinach, golden raisins and seasonings are heated through. The juicy raisins were a nice compliment to the sprinkling of rich toasted pine nuts that are added at the end.

While the side dish was good, Chicken with Cashews and Vegetables was the highlight of dinner tonight. Sliced chicken breast starts this dish off by a quick cook in some olive oil and garlic. Cashews, red bell peppers and crunchy snow peas are added, followed by some chicken broth. This mixture simmers until the chicken cooks through and the veggies are tender. I would use more red or maybe some orange peppers for color, but I only had half a small red in the refrigerator. Sadly, the store here is too far away to run and get one or two ingredients if I need them. A scrumptious sauce is made with the leftover pan juices, sour cream, grainy Dijon and shot of honey to impart a little sweetness. If I realized that the sauce here would be so generous, I would have served this over some brown rice to soak up the tangy mixture. I'll be sure to make some tomorrow when I have the leftovers for lunch! Include the crunchy cashews if you can, the flavor they lend really add to this dish!

Recipes

Cinnamon Apple Raisin Bread Pudding
Spinach with Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins
Chicken with Cashews and Vegetables

Whole lotta muffins...

Yup, Wedesday Treat Day eve is upon us, so I got busy and made a couple new muffins for Jeff to bring into work tomorrow. I like to give options, so no plain jane muffins here!

The first muffin has a mouthful of a title - Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Muffins with Chocolate Streusel. Sweetened with honey, the insides of these muffins are moist, studded with chunks of bittersweet chocolate and have a wicked rich chocolate topping. In the streusel I used raw sugar, instead of granulated, as the crystals are a little larger - this helped bring a bit more crunch to the dark crown. Dutch process cocoa deepens the chocolate flavor with melted butter mixed in to create devilish nuggets of the sweet topping. Buttermilk is used in this muffin which adds some tenderness and rolled oats bring a hearty chew. I don't normally like to use muffin liners, as I like the crust the muffins get without them, but I sometimes find muffins that are stuffed with ingredients like chocolate chips tend to stick to the sides more. Though, I do find that it makes them a little more sturdy and helps keep the crown in check as it bubbles up.

The second muffin, Pistachio Crunch Muffins, uses one of our favorite nuts. These are sweetened with brown sugar, which brought a rich golden color to the muffins. Crunchy pistachios can be found inside as well as on top here. Plump golden raisins and more hearty rolled oats can also be spotted inside. To brighten up the flavor, fresh grated orange zest is added to the caramel colored batter. Applesauce, along with canola oil, keep these extra moist without bringing a heavy flavor... although now I wonder if some mashed banana would have been a better compliment to add another dimension. The sweet topping is just simply a bit of brown sugar mixed with chopped pistachios. For most muffin recipes, I like to start them at 400 degrees - I find the hotter oven gives them better lift and helps form a more round crown.

Tonight's dinner has a sauce very reminiscent of pesto, execpt it is made with edamame! Soba with Herbed Edamame Sauce starts off by processing tender cooked edamame, salty cashews, pecorino Romano, fresh basil, cilantro, zesty lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. This mixture is very thick, so hot water is slowly streamed in to thin it out - the original recipe called for 1 cup, but I used just about 3/4 cup. I looked like it would have been almost soupy with the full amount. The recipe uses chewy Japanese buckwheat noodles called Soba, but if you can't find them, you could substitute whole wheat spaghetti. After the soba noodles are cooked (they cook pretty fast, usually around 3-5 minutes) they are tossed with the flavor packed sauce and a sprinkling of crunchy cashews finishes off the dish. Bright, fresh and a different way to enjoy some noodles!

Recipes
Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Muffins with Chocolate Streusel
Pistachio Crunch Muffins
Soba with Herbed Edamame Sauce

Can never have too many naners'

We always have some bananas hangin' around, be it the ones I let go extra ripe so we can freeze them, or ones we eat for morning snacks. We usually have some of the frozen ones in a blueberry smoothie, but I found a new recipe that sounded like a tasty morning snack today.

Banana Cream Pie Smoothie is a thick creamy drink topped with a sprinkling of sweet crunchy honey graham cracker crumbs. The frozen ripe banana adds body to this, while some ice cubes help to thicken it. Vanilla yogurt keeps it smooth and while there are some additional graham cracker crumbs added into the mix, they didn't seem to add much flavor. This was a nice alternative from our typical smoothie and since it comes together in a snap, it would be great for a portable quick snack.

Tonight's dinner is possibly one of the best sandwiches we have had lately! Mozzarella, Ham, and Basil Panini had so much going for it, you just can't go wrong. Chewy ciabatta bread is sliced in half, with the bottom being coated with some tangy Dijon mustard and the top with balsamic vinegar. The layering begins with thin slices of fresh delicate mozzarella, large fragrant basil leaves, deli ham, hot peppers and garden fresh (thanks new neighbor!) tomatoes. Once the top half is placed back on, the heavy loaf went into the panini maker to warm up the insides and crisp up the crunchy ciabatta crust. This sandwich is fresh, cheesy, filling and I think I could could eat this morning, noon and night! The only change I might make would be to substitute the ham with some rich prosciutto.

Recipes
Banana Cream Pie Smoothie
Mozzarella, Ham, and Basil Panini

Finally a chicken sausage replacement...

Thanks for all of the suggestions regarding the blog's name - I think we are just going to keep the url the same, but go with the idea that was thrown around in this post of adding "Country" to the banner and crossing out "Desert".

When we were in Phoenix, we used to be able to get a chicken breakfast sausage at Trader Joe's that Jeff really liked having for weekday breakfasts. Since moving here, we noticed that the closest TJs (30-40 minutes away...) does not carry it and the local stores didn't have anything he liked. I figured we should be able to make something ourselves and we finally found something he really enjoyed.

The original recipe for Chicken Breakfast Sausage used ground turkey, but we switched that out with chicken I ground in the food processor. By doing this myself, I can control the texture, so they don't turn out pasty. I used shredded Fuji apples which brought a bit of sweetness and helped to keep to these tender patties moist. To add a savory compliment to the sweetness, garlic, fresh thyme and fresh sage are mixed in. When you form these into patties, you will need to wet your fingers as they tend to get a little sticky. I've made these twice now and cook them all at once, then freeze into individual portions that we can quickly heat up in the morning for a fast breakfast. Just a reminder... as always, full views tend to show the best image - you can always click on them to see a larger/clearer view!

We are pretty much back to normal in the recipe department - we made 13 new recipes this week! I'm still trying, however, to get used to a new routine for our weekly grocery trips on Sundays. We used to get the weekly ads in the mail, but out here, we don't seem to get any for the local stores. We spent a good part of the morning going through them on-line to figure out where we needed to go. Hopefully we can get into a groove soon so it doesn't seem to take so long to get what we need! I have quite a busy week in the kitchen planned with a lot more new recipes... check back to see what we cook up and bake each day!

Recipes
Chicken Breakfast Sausage

PS... we also officially spotted our first snake since moving out into the country... ack! But, could this mean Snake Breakfast Sausage could be coming soon? Umm... doubt it!

Chocolate Malt Ice Cream that really hit the spot....

We used to make ice cream all the time a few years ago, but we slowly got away from it and would just end up buying some if we wanted it. If I kept the bowl in the freezer I probably would have used it more, but once it was out of sight, I just forgot about it. After we unpacked everything from the move, I cleaned the ice cream machine up and stuck the bowl in the freezer. I went hunting around to see what recipes I could find and figure out if we could come up with something.

We turned Chocolate Malt Ice Cream into a more soymilk based version rather than using cow's milk - but it does have some dry milk in it. Chocolate is used in two ways here; we used chocolate malted-milk powder (Carnation brand) and chopped unsweetened chocolate from Ghiradelli. The base is heated on the stove until it starts to simmer and the chocolate can meld into the liquids. We were looking for a lighter option, so egg whites instead of whole eggs are used which does make it a little less rich. The whites are slowly brought up to temperature by whisking the hot milk mixture in a slow stream so they don't scramble. To get the best finished consistancy, be sure to refrigerate this mixture overnight - if you can't wait that long though, do at least 3-4 hours. We were surprised how much we enjoyed the texture of this - the first day it was smooth, creamy and very chocolately with a malt background. The second day it was a little more icy, but still very good. Jeff commented that it was still rich for being light and the flavor was very remenicient of fudge.

Recipes
Chocolate Malt Ice Cream

Smoky and spicy cornbread...

Jeff always told me in the past that he does not like cornbread - but every so often when I make it, he seems to now ask why we never have it! Hmph! Chipotle-Bacon Cornbread has a hint of sweetness, but what dominates the bread is a surprising smoky heat. Cumin and chipotle chiles pack these flavors, but is kept in check from the tang in the buttermilk. A good amount of crisp salty bacon adds a textural difference and brings its own depth of a smoky flavor. This is definitely a more moist, rather than dry and crumbly, cornbread. I could see bringing this to a summery barbecue picnic or having this as a side to a warm bowl of chili in the cool fall.

It may not be casserole weather, but I have been wanting to try this recipe, Zesty Broccoli Casserole, since we are big fans of broccoli. I used fresh steamed broccoli, as there are always a few crowns in the refrigerator, but it would be easier to use the frozen. When Jeff walked through the kitchen, he asked why there was naked broccoli sitting in a large baking dish... then he walked over and saw the cheesy sauce I was making on the stove and told me to hurry up! I used plain soymilk for the base of the sauce, but you can use milk. Once thick, two cheeses are melted in along with sour cream and plain yogurt to create a silky smooth texture. Sliced water chestnuts are added to bring a fun and unexpected crunch to the sauce. After the naked broccoli is drenched in sauce, a melted butter and panko combination is scattered on top. The casserole is then popped in the oven and baked until bubbly and the panko turns an appealing crunchy golden brown. We both really liked this, but be prepared for lots of different textures!

Recipes
Chipotle-Bacon Cornbread
Zesty Broccoli Casserole

Tiny little blueberries...

I love blueberries... I probably have at least a cup a day with yogurt or in a smoothie. I'm not exactly sure what the fresh season for them are out here, but the prices at the store usually give me a clue when they go for $1/pint or so. I like to stock up when they go that low, but since we have not seen them at that price yet, I often times opt for organic frozen tiny wild blueberries.

I'm sure today's muffin recipe, Blueberry-Maple Muffins, might be better with fresh, but they were execptionally good bursting with the wild blueberries.

They are very wholesome with ground flaxseeds and whole wheat pastry flour, but they are light with a delicate texture. Buttermilk keeps them tender with pure maple syrup as the only sweetener. This keeps them from being too sweet with just a hint of maple - more of a filling breakfast muffin than a piece of dessert. Grated orange rind and fresh juice brighten the flavors, but I couldn't really detect anything orangy. I think using lemon instead next time would compliment the muffins better. A crunch and bit of sparkle is made on top with a sprinkle of raw sugar before baking. Starting them at 400 degrees helps get that sought-after rounded crown instead of flat tops - mine were done closer to the 15 minute mark, so be sure to watch them.

I noticed the smell from tonight's dinner had Jeff often walking through the kitchen see what smelled so good. Orzo with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese was a surprising hit as the combination of flavors came together so well. Once the rice shaped pasta is cooked, thin sliced zucchini caramelizes in a touch of olive oil to start the dish off. Once the garlic goes in, this dish speeds along and is done pretty quickly for a week night meal. Chunky fire roasted tomatoes, mild roasted red bell peppers, fresh parsley and oregano are added in and allowed to simmer until warmed through. The pasta is added back in with nutty freshly grated parmesan and goat cheese. As the goat cheese melts, it lightens the rich red color and gives an ultra creamy texture. The melding of flavors was perfect, although I would lessen the amount of pasta, or bulk up the tomato mixture next time - there just didn't seem to be quite as much sauce as we would have liked.

Recipes
Blueberry-Maple Muffins
Orzo with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese

Just couldn't wait...

We probably should have waited until we had firm plans on what we were going to do with the kitchen, but the fridge that came with the house was just not functional for us. We've been shopping for one and came across this and kept going back to it.

This is a LG french door refrigerator - 25cu.ft and has so much darn room inside!

Since we have a large chest freezer (and now the old fridge...) in the garage, I was not too concerned with the little amount of space lost from not choosing a side-by-side. We both were orginially stuck on having ice AND water accessable on the outside, but when looking at the french doors with that option, the ice maker just took up too much room on the inside. So, the only thing I will miss will be having crushed ice handy, but this one does have 3 sizes for the ice cubes (who knew?!) In our Phoenix house, we bought a fridge that had the titanium finish and we did it again with this one... the clean up is so easy.

Tonight's dinner sadly used up the last of the fresh (frozen...) corn we got at the market. I hope the same people will be there next week with more so we can stock the freezer! The recipe, Chicken and Corn Quesadillas couldn't be simpler as it is just a couple tortillas stuffed with fresh corn, cooked chicken breast, spicy jalapenos (seeds left in please!) and white cheddar cheese. The quesadillas are crisp on the outside with a warm and cheesy filling. We had these with a bit of sour cream, but these would also be great with a chunky salsa.


For the tortillas, we are addicted to a specific brand called Tumaros. We first had them when we were living in Minnesota and have been lucky enough to spot them in Phoenix and here in Frederick. They have a bunch of flavored ones, with our favorite being the Chipotle Chile and Peppers, but we did use the Garden Spinach and Vegetable ones as we were out of the other. Another favorite of ours is the Pesto/Garlic flavor. We have used the La Tortilla Factory ones in the past, but I like the texture of these better. Do you have a favorite kind? We're always looking out for different and tasty ingredients! We spotted some high-fiber ones at Costco a couple weeks ago, but we didn't get a chance to try them before they sold out.

Recipes
Chicken and Corn Quesadillas

Fluffernutter - from a tasty sandwich to decadent bars...

I had my first encounter with a true fluffernutter sandwich after we got out to the east coast and I bought "true" fluff - not marshmallow creme. After one bite of the sticky and sweet peanut buttery sandwich, I was hooked! Jeff kind of snubbed his nose at the thought, but after he tried one, he quickly changed his mind.

When I was deciding what to bake for Wednesday Treat Day, as we always do on Tuesdays, I was excited when I came across the recipe for Fluffer Nutter Bars. A decadent peanut butter mixture forms the crust to these outrageous bars. The dough was a little sticky for me, so I used some plastic wrap to help press the base into the pan. Once patted down, a multitude of the gooey fluff is spread on. Unsalted peanuts scatter the top, followed by a smattering of bittersweet chocolate chips. This is baked until the fluff starts to puff up and has an ever-so-light golden hue on top. As it cools, the middle slowly deflates to allow you to see how the sides of the crust explode upwards to leave a dramatic rim around the bars. I was afraid to try and cut these into squares thinking that the marshmallow would ruin the idea of clean cuts - but I was quite surprised to see how easy it was to cut them.

Jeff eagerly jumped to his role of "Quality Control" and proclaimed he was not going to take them in because they were so good. The rich base has a strong peanut butter flavor which help to cut the sweetness of the fluff. Crunchy nuts add texture and another dimension of peanut flavor - and just because the combo of chocolate and peanut butter is so good, how could you not throw on the chips?

When I brought home the corn on Saturday, I knew it would be a few days before I used it. Because corn can quickly degrade from that luscious sweetness to a gummy starch, I went ahead and blanched the ears in boiling water for a couple minutes. After I shocked them in icy water, I cut the kernels off and portioned out what I needed for the recipes this week. I threw them in ziplocs and into the freezer they went until we needed them to try and retain the freshness. I used the second amount for a side to tonight's dinner. Sauteed corn with Chipotle-Lime Butter takes just a few minutes to throw together for a sweet and spicy side dish. The chipotle-lime added just enough of a zesty heat to change things up. While this corn didn't even need butter, the added flavors were a pleasant change to the palate. Such a snap to throw together since the corn was ready to go.

I didn't intend for it to be a big veggie night, but I ended up serving Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes as well. I coated the potatoes in a touch of oil and coated them with coarse salt before baking. After they were tender, I cut the tops off and scooped out the insides. The potatoes are then stuffed to the gills with a mashed combination of the potato insides, tender-crisp broccoli, sour cream and sharp cheddar cheese. Topped with a bit more cheese, they went back into the oven to warm them back up and allow the cheese to melt. Very filling and definitely hit the spot.

Recipes
Fluffer Nutter Bars
Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes
Sauteed corn with Chipotle-Lime Butter

Baking cookies as a Thank You...

Finally some good news on the Phoenix house... we accepted an offer and the closing went smoothly today! With reports on TV left and right talking about just how bad the market is getting for sellers (and always mentioning Phoenix...), I think we feel pretty lucky given just how many houses were for sale. So one more thing done with the whole move! We used the same company that moved us from Minnesota to Phoenix to move us out here and we ended up with the same person, Crista, who both times made our move as easy on us as possible. I don't think we could thank her enough for all the work she did on her end. So, what could we do? Bake something of course!

I went looking for a big cookie that I could stuff with the new (well, brought back after popular demand...) Dark Chocolate M&Ms that we picked up at Sam's Club. Big, Fat, Chewy Dark Chocolate M&M Cookies is based on a recipe from allrecipes that used chocolate chips. These cookies are as advertised- very big and soft with a sticky chew to them. I did take the extra step while I melted the butter to let it brown just a bit to enhance the nuttiness. I also refrigerated the dough for a good 3-4 hours to help control spreading - they are very much like the large bakery style cookies you would find in the grocery store. Be sure to give these plenty of room on the baking sheets to expand while baking - I let them go long enough to get a light golden around the edges, but still somewhat underdone in the middle to keep them soft with that much-loved chew. We overnighted most of them to her, but had to save a couple because they were so good with the dark chocolate M&Ms. We hope you enjoy them Crista!

Dinner tonight is the first recipe this week that highlights the fresh corn we got at the market. Smoky Corn and Black Bean Pizza is a simple pizza with a crisp whole wheat crust and has a tangy barbecue sauce instead of a tomato base. Instead of using a store bought crust, I made our favorite Whole Wheat Pizza Dough recipe early this morning, let it rise once and then set it in the refrigerator until 20 minutes before I wanted to stretch it out. The dough is made in the food processor and comes together in just minutes - you could even use quick-rise yeast if you wanted to skip the rising. I like the flavor that develops better when you give it a longer time to rise though.

The dough is always very consistent for us - soft and easy to stretch. I prebaked the dough for about 5 minutes at 500 on a pizza stone, slathered the crust with BBQ sauce and then topped with a mixture of fresh corn, black beans and diced plum tomatoes. Smoked mozzarella graces the top to finish the pizza - don't skimp on this part, be sure to use smoked if you can, as it brings so much flavor. After another quick trip in the fiery oven, the cheese is melted, the crust is crisp and we couldn't wait to dig in. Sweetness from the corn was a nice backdrop to the smoky sauce and gooey cheese - the little bit of leftovers may just have to be breakfast tomorrow!

Recipes
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Smoky Corn and Black Bean Pizza
Big, Fat, Chewy Dark Chocolate M&M Cookies

Fresh local sweet corn....

We headed out to one of the local Farmers Markets yesterday and had to pick up some very fresh and local bicolored corn when we saw it. I have at least three things planned for the ears this week, check back to see what we end up doing with them!

Because we are still trying to get into a routine for grocery shopping, I prepared lunch before we left so we didn't have to deal with that when we returned home. I cooked the chicken for the recipe, Creamy Tarragon Chicken Salad, along with the chicken I used for making our normal Saturday Chicken Salads last night. Crisp celery and grapes helped to bulk up the mixture to fill out whole wheat pitas. Toasted walnuts added a nutty richness that paired well with the subtle licorice notes from tarragon. The creamy dressing was not too heavy for this fairly quick and light dish.

We've been too busy to catch up with Netflix lately - I do miss being able to keep up with the DVDs, but until there is more time on the weekends we will just keep adding more to the ever-growing queue!

Recipes

Creamy Tarragon Chicken Salad

*I also finally updated the recipe lists (on the left hand side) - I'm about a week behind now, but I will get that finished up this week. You may have to hit refresh to see the additions.

Rich individual brownie bites...

When we roam through Costco, Jeff always seems to take his time going through the bakery department and makes sure to point out the mini brownies they carry. I kept telling him we could just make some at home, so I finally came through on my promise.

Mini Brownie Cappuccino Bites are individual sized brownie cups baked in mini muffin tins. The flavor of "cappuccino" comes out with the addition of espresso powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Espresso powder (you could use instant coffee as well) amplifies the deep rich chocolate flavor the cocoa adds. Because Jeff loves anything with M&Ms, I scattered mini M&Ms on top after I portioned out the thick batter (which was mighty tasty on its own...). If you wanted, you could just fold them in or use mini chocolate chips - that's less fun though! These intense dark bites do not take very long to bake, so you may want to stay nearby so you can check them. As long as you take them out when they are still slightly wet in the center, they stay pretty fudgy throughout. Jeff gave them two big thumbs up after extensive (he does not share well, I am lucky to get any crumbs!) taste testing.

Recipes
Mini Brownie Cappuccino Bites

Savory rice cakes...

I see it will take a bit to get re-acquainted with a semi-rural life and a big yard. It was pretty muggy today and I had to get the mowing done early in case we had another storm come out of no where. I can't believe how many bugs are out here... just trying to get some trimming done before I brought out the big mower seemed like torture. *Mental note... Must add some sort of bug spray to the shopping list!

Even though we do have central AC, the kitchen gets kinda warm if you have the oven going for awhile. I made sure tonight's dinner was going to keep the oven off... but I did end up using the stove top and toaster oven! Wild Rice Cakes with Bacon turned into a pretty laid back recipe as most of the time was spent waiting for the rice blend to cook. Before adding the broth to cook the rice, it is first toasted in a bit of browned butter to enhance the flavor. Once tender, the rice is bound together with an egg and flour mixture. Here is when you add the gusto to this dish - toasted almonds, green onions, fresh thyme, lemon juice and crisp salty bacon are mixed in. Don't skip toasting the almonds - the richness they get adds so much to these cakes. If you don't want to use the big oven, you can either toast them in a skillet or even throw them in the microwave for a couple minutes! If you felt a little naughty, you could crisp up the bacon first and then use the drippings instead of butter to toast the rice. These could also be easily made ahead of time and gently reheated in the oven for a quick side dish.

Recipes
Wild Rice Cakes with Bacon

Smoky, spicy and a little sweet baked beans... err we had beans again??

Beans... as you know, we pretty much stayed away from any recipes involving them since I started cooking. Now that we've finally tried and liked them - I was still a little suprised when Jeff asked me to make a dish that uses them. He would always ask me to skip recipes that even remotely sounded like they used beans - my how times have changed!

Jeff asked that I make some sort of Baked Beans, so I thought we would ease in with the recipe Honey-Chipotle Baked Beans. I say ease in because this recipe basically dresses up canned baked beans. They are combined with a reduced flavor packed sauce that removes any canned taste. The beans get a smoky background from cumin, have just enough spice from chipotles in adobo, and a little sweet from honey with molasses adding a deep richness. The beans slowly bake in the oven until they are quite thick and bubbling. While I have nothing to compare these to, this recipe sure makes me feel silly for waiting so long to try stuff like this - these were unbelievably good!

I wanted to have a chicken dish to go along side and Santa Fe Chicken used ingredients I already had on hand. This dish is a snap to throw together - just a few minutes to make the marinade and then the chicken sits for an hour or so until you are ready to cook them. Right before you throw them in the oven, white wine is pour on top to add a depth flavor to the liquid. As they quickly cook under the broiler, they are basted in the same marinade to ensure they stay very moist. Garlicky with a light lime flavor, this juicy chicken recipe would also be nice sliced over a taco salad or simply served with a side of salsa and sour cream.

Recipes
Santa Fe Chicken
Honey-Chipotle Baked Beans

Veggie evening...

We have tried out tofu a few times now, but we have never tried the "smoked" variety. When I found a recipe that used it, I didn't realize I was going to have a hard time finding it. I was not able to find it in a regular grocery store, but I did finally spot it at a local food co-op called The Common Market. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the price though... about $4.50 for 6(!) ounces

When I opened the small package of tofu for the recipe, Smoked Tofu and Farfalle Casserole, there was a definite aroma - almost like a jerky smell - not in a bad way though! I noticed that it was very solid and diced easily without any crumbling. The original recipe called for raw yellow bell peppers, but since I already had roasted reds, I went ahead and used those instead. You will notice in the recipe you will use the same Dutch oven from beginning to end, which keeps the dishes down some. The peppers, garlic, baby peas and fresh thyme start off the dish by quickly heating them through - then in the same pot, you start the water for the pasta. Once the pasta is cooked al dente (I undercooked it by about 3 minutes from the package time), the pasta is drained and you start on a creamy cheese sauce by thicking some milk and flour. When the mixture is viscous, sharp cheddar is melted in and the tofu, pasta and pea mixture is thrown in to get coated. To add a crunchy top, panko breadcrumbs are scattered over and the Dutch oven is placed in the oven to allow the flavors to meld and add a golden crust.

To keep the veggie themed meal going, I made the recipe Balsamic Carrot Salad to have along side tonight. Diagonally sliced carrots are marinated in a pungent mixture of balsamic vinegar, oil, garlic and seasonings. Be sure to make this at least an hour ahead so they have plenty of time to absorb the tasty sauce. Fresh, crunchy, and easy to boot - can't beat that in the summer heat!

Recipes
Balsamic Carrot Salad
Smoked Tofu and Farfalle Casserole

Getting back into the groove...

As we slowly get accustomed to the new surroundings, things are starting to fall into place and we are getting back to normal in the kitchen! We are starting the process to get involved with a remodel of the kitchen, which will inevitably slow us down some... but until that starts, I will be making some dents in the recipe piles! Lots to talk about today so let's get started.

Baking on Tuesday for Wednesday Treat Day continues! Looking for a fun cookie recipe, I went browsing through The Cookie Book and found one that caught my eye. This book was published in London and lists weight as well as volume for measurements of the ingredients. I went with the weight measurements and posted the recipe as I made it... I don't think the listed volume measurements in the book are 100% correct.

This recipe, Greek Honey Crunch Creams, uses Greek honey, which has a more pungent flavor and is a bit more expensive. These are a sandwich style cookie that are speckled with flecks of orange zest. The crunch comes from chopped walnuts that are added to only the top half of the cookies before baking - the cookies themselves are more soft and slightly chewy. A creamy rich frosting, with a hint of honey, holds each side together as the sweet filling. The recipe is a little tedious as you need to portion out 40 pieces and roll into balls - but for this recipe, it was so worth it. Since there are a fair amount of people at Jeff's office, I made two batches of the recipe. I did one with orange zest and one with lemon to see if there was a noticeable difference in flavor. I think the orange version has a slight edge over the lemon, but that is probably because I already like that combo.

For dinner tonight, we started out with a twist on hummus with the recipe Soybean Hummus. Instead of chickpeas, Edamame adds a vibrant green color and a new depth of flavor. I did have to add a touch more olive oil and about a tablespoon or so of vegetable stock to get it to blend correctly. I served this with toasted whole wheat pita bread that I rubbed with a cut garlic clove. This was pretty addicting and we both enjoyed how the zesty fresh dip paired with the crispy pita wedges.

I also served Pork Chops with Country Gravy as the main portion of tonight's meal. Thick pork chops are dredged in a coating of flour seasoned with marjoram, thyme, sage and salt. After being cooked in melted butter until the chops gain a crisp golden crust, the leftover seasoned flour is whisk together with milk and added to the pan. As it starts to cook, the flavorful bits left on the pan easily release and help create such a tasty thick sauce. The pork remains very juicy with a slight pink in the center. There is enough sauce to drown the chops if you wish, but you may want to serve these with some good ol' mashed taters to soak up the extra.

Recipes
Greek Honey Crunch Creams
Soybean Hummus
Pork Chops with Country Gravy

Sweet and local peaches make for a superb dinner....

Fresh peaches seem to be pretty abundant out here and we found some at a steal while we were out browsing the markets. I was going to try a recipe that involved pork chops, but I already had something planned for them later in the week. After I went through my stacks of un-tried's, I spied one that sounded really good!

Tonight's dinner, Cornbread Shortcakes with Ham and Fresh Peach Salsa, has a brillant arrangement of colors with an exceptional freshness to it. The cool sweet salsa brought in a complex flavor from smoky cumin that played off the hit of spice from red pepper. Orange and lime juice added a tangy zing to the ripe yellow peaches and helped produce a very juicy dressing. The not-too-sweet cornbread cakes were the perfect backdrop to soak up the thick juice while allowing the fresh flavor shine through. To bring an intriguing smoky and salty twist, sliced ham is crisped in a hot pan and then stuffed in between the cakes. Next time, I would try and crisp up some Prosciutto, in place of the ham, as I am sure that would be a great addition. I did leave the peel on the peaches as we don't mind them, but do feel free to remove it if that's what you like! I can't wait to try this salsa on grilled chicken or some pork chops!

Recipes
Cornbread Shortcakes with Ham and Fresh Peach Salsa

Time to party... Animal house is here again!

After a very long drive through PA and back, we finally have the pups and Miss Kitty back after being away for just about 3 months! While it was nice not to worry about them with all the house junk going on, they are back home and rarin' to go!

Here's Spike and Miss Kitty testin' out the new carpet - they fell asleep shortly after the picture!

Max meets the Alpacas and the stare down begins! Who's gonna win? I wish I could hear what they were thinkin'!

I was thinking about the past puppy treats we have made and was trying to figure out what to make them as a "welcome home" thing. I wanted to do something a little more special than biscuits, so I decided to make them some "Pupcakes" instead! These cakes are made with whole wheat flour, oats, yogurt, granny smith apples and cheddar cheese... hmm, and to think these are just for the dogs! As the smell wafted from the kitchen to the living room, Jeff quickly asked "Oooh I smell something good, when do I get to taste test?" Imagine the look on his face when I told him they were for the pups...

Once cooled, the golden tops are finished off with a swirl of honey sweetened cream cheese frosting thickened with a bit of flour. This allows the frosting to be pipped on or you could just frost them with an offset spatula. For a festive touch, don't forget to add the shredded carrots! So maybe we went too far with these... but we missed them! They would also be a fun goodie to bring to a doggie party (now now... we know they happen!). I will freeze most of them and then cut into quarters before giving them to the pups for a night time treat. Max woofed his down too fast for a picture, but Spike savored each bite!

Recipes
Pupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Don't mess with my Figs...

You may have noticed that we have really taken a liking to figs lately. Even though I have a few recipes waiting to be made with some fresh figs that we have noticed popping up in the grocery stores finally, I already had some dried on hand aching to be used.

As I was sifting through the recipes, I started narrowing them down to muffins as we needed to stock our empty freezer! I had wanted to make this recipe, Oat-Topped Fig Muffins, for some time now... but between the packing and moving I couldn't figure out where some of my untried recipes were at. Instead of trying to dice the sticky figs by hand, they are whizzed with the wet ingredients in the food processor. Be sure not to over-process this mixture as you want visible bits of figs coursing through each muffin. These are dense, but not heavy with a distinct fig aroma to them. To adorn the crowns of these moist and lightly sweet gems is a rich brown sugar and chewy oat streusel.

When Jeff took his first bite, he immediately said "Wow, these are sure figgy... how cool!" As a side note, we actually looked at a couple houses in a town called "Feagaville", pronouced "Figgyville" in Maryland... I wonder if they need an official "City Muffin"!

Recipes
Oat-Topped Fig Muffins

Quick dinner to use up the leftover grilled tenderlion...

I guess around this area, people always mow their lawn on Fridays... is this a common thing in rural areas or just our neighbors? Just so we make nice, we have started doing the same thing (yeah yeah....) Since I knew I was going to be tired after getting the lawn done along with dealing with more unpacking, I wanted to have a quick and easy dinner that I could throw together.

Tonight's recipe, Barbecued Pork Sandwiches, uses up the rest of the Chipotle tenderlion we made the other night. Even though I listed the grilled onions in the recipe, I had to leave them out as we did not have any. The markets here are not very close, so I can't run down the street like we could in Phoenix to pick up one or two things. I am sure they would be even more delicious with them! As I mentioned before, I thought the tenderlion could have used a bit more spice, so I added in some Franks Red Hot. The chewy whole wheat buns along with the tender pork were a snap to prepare and hit the spot after working outside all day. I served them with these tasty and crunchy flat pretzels from "Snack Factory" that we got at Costco this past weekend.

Recipes

Barbecued Pork Sandwiches