Time well spent on a dinner laced with citrus flavors...

Tonight's dinner is one that might be best left to prepare on a weekend when you have some extra time for prep work. Even though there was a lot of time spent chopping and waiting for things to progress, it was certainly worth it, if a little time consuming.

For a side tonight, we started out with an exquisite way to spice up carrots with a recipe for Cumin and Orange Glazed Carrots. After sectioning and squeezing three juicy and sweet navel oranges, a mess of carrots are given a fancy look by cutting them on the diagonal and then rotating them forward 90 degrees before making the next cut. If the directions in the recipe sound confusing, try to picture a trapezoidal log as you prepare them. Once a skillet coated with olive oil is hot, a healthy pinch of cumin seeds are added and allowed to briefly toast. The carrots, along with water, fresh lemon juice, a dash of sugar, salt and fresh ground pepper are added into the skillet. Since these carrots will cook for almost an hour, a large piece of parchment is placed on top to cover the carrot, still allowing some liquid to evaporate, but keeping most of it in. After about half an hour, the parchment is removed and the carrots are left to simmer until the liquid reduces to a thick and shiny glaze. Jeff was a little concerned with this process as he really dislikes vegetables when they are mushy - however, he was quite surprised that even after 50 minutes, the carrots were tender, but still had a pretty firm texture to them. Behind the smoky hint from the cumin, the carrots shined with a bright sweetness and tangy citrus bite that transformed simple carrots into a classy side dish.

To continue the citrus theme, we also added some flare to pork chops in this dish for Pork Chops Stuffed with Feta and Spinach. The filling for these chops is a mixture of garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach that has been cooked until heated through. To give the stuffing a creamy texture and a bit of tang, cream cheese, feta cheese and a pinch of lemon zest is stirred into the mixture. A pocket in each chop is then created by using a sharp knife and cutting through the thickest portion, almost to the other side. A generous scoop of filling is stuffed in each chop and they are then coated in a citrusy mixture of fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard and a dash of oregano. Instead of cooking these in a skillet, they are quickly done under the broiler in just about 8 minutes. The lemon flavor was pretty strong, which we liked, but you may want to reduce the juice a bit if you're not a big fan. If you want to make the pocket-creating process a little easier, it may help to freeze them for about 15 minutes to firm the chops up. Rich and a little salty, the creamy filling makes for a dramatic presentation and was a fun way to change up boring ol' pork chops.

Recipes
Cumin and Orange Glazed Carrots
Pork Chops Stuffed with Feta and Spinach

Just when the weather is starting to warm up, we bring a little taste of fall...

I had to put off the weekly Wednesday Treat Day post until today as I didn't get it made until late yesterday and it had not sufficiently cooled enough to taste and then get the pictures done. While I did make a new recipe for dinner, I'm putting that off too because this superb Double Apple Bundt Cake deserves a post created just for it alone.

Taking a bite from this dark cake was like a rush of cool crisp air you expect to feel around apple season in the fall. It was remarkably moist, quite dense and lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg with an alluring bite from ground ginger. The double apple in the recipe comes from the additions of shredded apples and a generous amount of apple butter. While packing an abundant punch of apple flavor, the apple butter also ensures that this cake stays very moist over time. After a bite or two, you begin to notice the complex nature of the cake from crunchy toasted pecans scattered throughout each slice.

For a hint of sweetness and contrast in texture, a handful of juicy golden raisins can also be found in the cake. If you would prefer the apples to disappear into the cake, you can finely grate them - but I wanted them to have more of a presence, so I just used my food processor to quickly shred them. I used Granny Smith apples for a slightly tart edge; however, I think this cake would be just as great with the apple of your choice. This will absolutely be made again, especially after we go for our first apple picking of the season later this year. We may even go crazy and make our own apple butter just for this cake!

Recipes
Double Apple Bundt Cake

If only all whole grain items tasted this good....

I know Tuesdays are the day that we talk about what we made for Jeff to bring in for the weekly Wednesday Treat Day that we've been doing at his office. I did get a little something baked, however I'm still waiting for it to finish cooling so we can get pictures - I'll post about it tomorrow!

Since I didn't (and still don't!) know what my schedule will be like this week due to jury duty, I put a batch of dough for these Soft Barley-Sugar Cookies into the refrigerator last Sunday. Since the dough needed to rest overnight anyway, I went ahead and got it ready since I had some extra time. This is, yet again, another recipe from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book that I've had such success with and this recipe did not disappoint! These are thick and giant (just over 4" across) soft cookies that have a distinct old-fashioned flavor to them.

Sour cream in the dough makes the cookies extremely soft and tender with a dose of fresh grated nutmeg, lemon juice and vanilla adding to that old time-y essence. Try not to skimp on resting the dough; letting it rest overnight allows the whole grain flour to fully absorb the liquids and gives the butter a chance to firm back up to allow the cookies to have an extremely light and delicate texture. I got 12 cookies out of my batch today and used a large (about 1/4 cup) cookie scoop to divide out the dough. Before baking, each ball of dough is rolled in coarse crystal sugar or turbinado sugar - I decided to do half of each kind just for fun... they are then squished down so they will cook evenly. The cookies bake in a hotter than normal oven and cook quickly, so be sure to watch carefully - you want them to be just lightly golden around the edges with the middle of the cookies still looking soft (they should spring back if you lightly touch them). They then need to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes so they can firm up enough to move them.

The sugar on top adds a delicious sweet crunch and while the texture of these is quite soft, they do not break apart when you pick them up. These cookies do not have that light pale-lemon color to them as you would see in a regular sugar cookie... this is because the barley flour has a tan tinge to it. However, it is just appearance alone as there was no aftertaste or unpleasant "wheat-y" flavor. We couldn't stop nibbling on them plain, but if you wanted, you could certainly dress them up with some icing and sprinkles for a semi-healthy bake sale item! If you happen to have some sugar being assimilated with vanilla beans hanging out in the pantry, I think this would be an excellent way to showcase that vanilla sugar!

Recipes
Soft Barley-Sugar Cookies

Wrapping up the first day of jury duty with spicy tacos!

Nothing too exciting to report on the jury duty front today... I spent 6 1/2 hours waiting, while tortured and forced to watch the TV Land channel I might add, and was then sent home. A group of 40 people did get chosen to go in front of the judge - the clerk told us after they left that whoever was picked from that group were going to be involved in a 2 week trial! Wow! Guess we'll see how tomorrow goes...

Thankfully, tonight's dinner was pretty laid back and didn't take too much time to come together. I loved the fact that in this recipe, Crispy Taco Shells with Lean and Spicy Meat, you actually create your own hard shells which you lightly season with chili powder and salt. Once you warm a few tortillas in the microwave, they are simply spritzed with canola oil spray, seasoned and then draped over a rack in the oven to form the shell. The tops of mine did seem to fold in a bit more than I would have liked, but nonetheless, the results were very good! To lighten the meat for the tacos, ground sirloin is cut with ground turkey - this way you still get that beefy flavor, but it is not as heavy. The meat is first browned with an onion, then diced tomatoes with green chiles, smoky cumin and oregano are added. To give the mixture some heat, ground chipotle chiles are also added in to season the meat - if you don't have this or don't want heat, you could always use chili powder instead to give it that rich "taco" flavor.

Once you stuff the crispy shells, feel free to top them with your favorite additions - we opted for crisp shredded romaine and a bit of grated sharp cheddar. We were pleased with how crispy the shells stayed against the juicy taco meat - they had that shattering effect when you bit into them. That little extra bit of seasoning on the outside was just the perfect touch to tie all the flavors together.

Recipes
Crispy Taco Shells with Lean and Spicy Meat

Could be a slow week... well at least in the kitchen!

We are certainly starting off May with a bang - 11 new recipes this week. Our favorites this time were the Cranberry-Nut Mini Loaves with Flaxseeds, Crispy Prosciutto, Scallion and Goat Cheese Frittata and the Peanut Butter Granola. I highly doubt we will make near that amount this upcoming week... something has thrown a wrench into my plans and I will not know if I will have the time to get much done.

I've been summoned for dun... dun... dun.... Jury Duty! I have no idea what to expect as I've never had to go before, but Jeff seems excited and wishes they chose him! I guess I have to check every day for a full week to see if I have to report (I've already been called for Monday!) - but if I get picked for a trial, then I've fulfilled my duty and excused the rest of the week. I'm hoping to still get baking done for the weekly Wednesday Treat Day, but we will just have to see!

I spent most of the afternoon getting the lawn mowed since I won't be able to do it tomorrow, so I was not looking to put much effort into dinner tonight. I chose this dish of Fettuccine with Creamy Red Pepper-Feta Sauce as there was minimal work and it came together in a flash. A savory full-bodied sauce is started by cooking onions and garlic until they have softened - then, a mountain of sweet roasted red peppers are added in. To create the smooth sauce, this mixture is then pureed with vegetable broth and a healthy dose of salty feta cheese. While you're waiting for the sauce to finish up, thick whole-wheat fettuccine is thrown into boiling water to cook until al dente. As the sauce is fairly thick, be sure to remove 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water before you drain the pasta, this way you can thin out the sauce as needed without diluting the flavors. Finished with a bit more feta and fresh parsley, I especially appreciated how the tangy sauce in this dish clung to the noodles like there was no tomorrow! Jeff isn't especially fond of red peppers, but he made short work of his plate (and even snuck a couple bites from the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!) - we both agreed that this dish was delightful for how easy it was to prepare!

Recipes
Fettuccine with Creamy Red Pepper-Feta Sauce

This is why we have to have a chest freezer in the garage...

I've been known to overbuy seasonal ingredients that freeze well and stash them away in the freezer so I can bring them out to play when I can't get them fresh. One of these ingredients that I always do this to every year is cranberries! I know some people can find them frozen at their grocery stores, but I've never had much luck with that. Cranberries freeze well and most recipes state you can use them fresh or frozen.

Jeff loves the combination of cranberries and oranges, so I knew I was going to make this recipe for Cranberry-Nut Mini Loaves with Flaxseeds at some point... I just had to figure out when! I needed to make something today to give away as part of a gift package for a friend, so I figured I would make these and keep some for us too.

This golden bread packs a good nutritional punch too by using part whole wheat pastry flour, with the addition of ground flaxseeds, in the dry ingredients. Since we wanted the loaves to pulse with an orange zing, we used a mess of fresh zest along with a good amount of the sweet juice. To give the bread a bit of crunch, chopped walnuts are tossed into the batter and also blanket the crowns of the baked mini loaves. When I cut off a piece for us to try, I loved how the cranberries formed a sort of tart ruby mosaic on each moist slice. Quite light and not too sweet, I almost didn't give the other two away as Jeff pretty much demolished the loaf we were keeping... but since I still have a good supply of the cardinal jewels in the freezer, I'll just have to make us some more!

Recipes
Cranberry-Nut Mini Loaves with Flaxseeds

Taking bulgur south of the border...

We're heading south tonight for the final trip around the world in recipes we've been doing this week. While none of them have really been all that authentic to what the recipe title implies, it was a fun little game!

One of the things that drew me to this recipe, Mexican Bulgur Salad with Citrus-Jalapeño Vinaigrette, was the fact that I already had almost all of the ingredients on hand! I did need to buy a jalapeño, but everything else was something I had in the pantry, freezer, or an ingredient we just buy every week because we use it so often. There really is no cooking involved here, but you do need a cup of boiling water to soften the bulgur! Since it takes about 30 minutes to absorb the liquid and soften, you have plenty of time to finish preparing the rest of the dish. Tossed with the chewy bulgur are shredded carrots, corn kernels, chunky pieces of Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro and black beans. A bright and zesty dressing is prepared by whisking together fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice, a seeded jalapeño, olive oil, salt and a touch of cumin. This makes a generous coating for the salad and is the highlight to this dish. Since the jalapeño is seeded, it just adds flavor with very little heat - now we like things spicy and would have usually just chopped up the whole thing, but we both thought this was delightful as-is and glad we took the seeds out. The original recipe did call for zucchini instead of carrots, but the ones at the market just did not look good... so in went some carrots instead!

Recipes
Mexican Bulgur Salad with Citrus-Jalapeño Vinaigrette

More asparagus and a new favorite frittata...

While I was in the market yesterday, I spotted some dazzling not-too-thin, not-too-thick asparagus and decided to grab a couple bunches... however, this meant I had to change dinner plans around for tonight. So we're taking a small break from our "traveling around the world in recipe titles" tonight and will finish up the trip with tomorrow night's dinner instead.

When fresh vegetables are in season like this, we try to make the best of it and really work on recipes in my to-try piles that highlight them. This would be why you've seen more than a couple asparagus recipes in the past few weeks! Jeff has proclaimed this snappy side dish, Chile-Spiced Asparagus, his new favorite way to eat this veggie. Quite simply prepared by cooking them in olive oil and a touch of water for just a few minutes, the diagonally cut pieces are then seasoned with chili powder, garlic powder and salt. Once crisp-tender, the asparagus are removed from the heat and given a sour edge with a generous splash of sherry vinegar. If you want a deeper flavor than what the chili powder can add, I would love to try this dish again by using a bit of smoked paprika powder instead!

I've mentioned in the past how much we love frittatas, but tonight's Crispy Prosciutto, Scallion and Goat Cheese Frittata made the others pale in comparison. Even though there are just a few ingredients, this dish has so much flavor and lets each ingredient radiate through the mild eggs. We began by sautéing green onions in a bit of olive oil, followed by the addition of large salty pieces of prosciutto that are left to cook until they begin to crisp. The two are then combined with a mixture of eggs, egg whites, a couple splashes of milk, sharp Parmesan cheese and a pinch of black pepper. This goes back into the same skillet and is slid into the oven to bake for a short time. Just when the frittata is almost set, we showered the top with crumbled goat cheese to give the dish a delicious creamy tang. Since my other skillet was being used for the asparagus, I ended up having to use a very large skillet (12") which left our frittata a bit on the thin side - if you use one that is smaller, it may take a few extra minutes to bake. We usually prefer to enjoy prosciutto without cooking it, but this dish has totally changed our mind - I can't wait for lunch tomorrow!

Recipes
Chile-Spiced Asparagus
Crispy Prosciutto, Scallion and Goat Cheese Frittata

Homemade granola and day three of our adventure....

At some point during each day, I have a snack of yogurt and blueberries with an addition of something crunchy - usually some sort of cereal or whatnot. I go through phases of what I like to add in and I've been trying to figure out something new that we could make instead. The first idea that came to mind was of course granola, which just happened to be perfect since it had been quite some time since we've made a batch!

Most granola recipes are not all that low in calories, though this recipe is not too bad; they usually have quite a bit of oil or may be sweetened with a lot of sugar. This Peanut Butter Granola is a little different as it is sweetened with apple cider along with honey. To get that sought-after crunchiness, you do need to add some fat to the recipe - but instead of using oil, smooth natural peanut butter makes a fine stand-in. Along with adding a healthy fat, it also gives the granola a rich nutty flavor. Now what would granola be without some nuts and dried fruit...so we added sliced almonds, dried cranberries and chopped dates which brought their own unique textures and a bit more natural sweetness. As we made it, this granola does not clump together in large clusters, which we both happen to prefer, so you may need to tweak the recipe if that is something you want. I thought it went paired very well with my yogurt mixture, but I found myself going back for dry handfuls to snack on throughout the day... dangerous!

Tonight's dish of Asian Rice with Shrimp and Snow Peas brings us to day three on our trip around the world in recipe titles! With very little effort, this dish came together quite fast with the majority of the time spent waiting for the fragrant brown jasmine rice to cook. While waiting, a mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, hot sauce and minced garlic is combined to dress the finished dish. Once the rice has almost finished cooking, peeled shrimp and snow peas are quickly cooked in a pot of boiling water. They are then added to the floral rice and the combination is then tossed with thinly sliced green onions and the salty Asian dressing. With a scattering of nutty toasted almonds on top, dinner was on the table and our plates were cleaned in no time! Since there is nothing to thicken the dressing, it is really on the thin side - we thought it was more of a way to season the dish rather than to thoroughly coat the ingredients. I also think we might have liked just a dash of sugar or squirt of honey to help balance the flavor a little more in the dressing.

Recipes
Peanut Butter Granola
Asian Rice with Shrimp and Snow Peas

Can never make enough cookies!

We've been off-schedule these past couple of weeks for the Wednesday Treat Day for Jeff's co-workers... but we are back to normal this week! Since we've been doing this for quite awhile now, it is not as easy to pick out recipes that are not too similar to ones we have brought in before. For this treat day, we opted to go with a cookie that has not one, not two, not three, but 4 marvelous mix-ins.

The original recipe for these White Chocolate Butterscotch Oatmeal Chippers calls for using all butter, but I split the amount in half and used spectrum organic shortening to give the cookies a firmer bite. The cookies have a crisp texture on the outside and are decidedly chewy on the inside - a lot of that chew comes from using a large amount of rolled oats. With a half cup of shredded coconut in the dough, I don't think I would say these have much of a coconut taste at all... this added more to the chew along with an intriguing layer of sweetness.

Let's get to the best part now - the mix-ins! Crunchy toasted pecans add a nutty factor along side of the creamy, good-quality (look for cocoa butter!) white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and sweet toffee bits. I used the "bits 'o brickle" variety that does not have the addition of chocolate on the buttery bits. We tossed a handful of these into the dough as we thought their caramel undertones would match well with the butterscotch chips - you don't have to add them though. Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, I got about 48 cookies from the batch and they were quite satisfying at this size. Although, you certainly couldn't go wrong by making them a bit bigger if you like!

As I mentioned yesterday about traveling around the globe with the titles of our dinners this week, tonight's choice is no different with this dish of African Ground Nut Stew with Sour Cream-Chive Topping. I'm not certain what to think about this dish - we both thought that it almost had too much going on. That's not to say it didn't taste good, but it was a bit distracting and had an unusual texture. This dish is a chunky stew mainly composed of cubed sweet potatoes, quartered red potatoes and tomatoes. Also included is a very generous portion of chopped peanuts - while they did lend a pleasant nutty flavor, I think this might have been better if they had been ground and used more as a thickener. Most of the potatoes were just tender enough to be easily scooped through using a spoon, with a few of them dissolving to add some body to the stew. Using a full teaspoon of crushed red pepper did appease our need for some heat - but adding a dollop of sour cream, mixed with chives, kept the heat in check bringing a cool and onion-y finish. I do want to let it sit overnight and see if the leftovers can win me over!

Recipes
White Chocolate Butterscotch Oatmeal Chippers
African Ground Nut Stew with Sour Cream-Chive Topping

Stuffed up nose? Try something spicy for dinner!

Even though it was unplanned, during the next few days, it may seem like we are having dinner around the world with the titles of the recipes this week! We start off on our excursion tonight with this dish of Indonesian Beef Curry with Coconut Rice.

Since I was using brown basmati rice, I ended up starting it first since it can take 40-45 minutes to cook. Instead of using all water, half of it is replaced with coconut milk to give the rice a soothing cool flavor. While waiting for the rice, I started working on the curry by browning thin strips of top round in a bit of canola oil. Since there is a fair amount of beef, you want to do this part in two steps - if you don't, the beef will expel too much juice and begin to steam instead of properly searing. When the beef is done and removed, shallots, ginger, six garlic cloves and two whole serrano chiles are added to the skillet and allowed to soften. Using the whole chiles gave the dish quite a hit of heat - however, if you prefer just the flavor more than the heat, you can tame it by removing the seeds and ribs before adding them.

Instead of using a prepared blend of curry spices, this recipe calls for adding the individual spices of coriander, salt, cumin, cloves, pepper, a few cardamom pods and a cinnamon stick. After these are given a quick toast in the same skillet, the beef is added back into the pan along with vegetable broth to help finish cooking. The broth also creates the thick sauce that coats the curry once finished - right before serving, a splash of fresh lime juice is added to brighten the flavors. While this spicy curry is somewhat soothed by serving it over the refreshing coconut rice... don't let its homely appearance fool you - it still packs a wallop and is a delicious way to clear your sinuses!

Recipes
Indonesian Beef Curry with Coconut Rice

Nutty bread with a spicy dinner...

We had a total of 9 new recipes this week - our favorites this time were the Mississippi Mud Cake, Thai Chicken Pizza and the Egg Salad BLTs. I hope you don't mind reading a novel today... I seem to have way too much to talk about! Better grab a drink and maybe a snack...

*I've also gone ahead and brought the recipe section to the left up-to-date... you may need to hit refresh to see the new additions!

We ended up going to the grand opening of the new organic market that opened up yesterday - it is called My Organic Market. We have been going to a local Co-op called The Common Market since there are no Whole Food type stores within a reasonable driving distance for us and this market will be in direct competition with them. Unlike The Common Market though, MOMs is not a Co-op.

MOMs seemed to have a good layout - I thought they had a larger and more varied grocery selection than The Common Market, however, MOMs bulk section is lacking in comparison. At first look, I thought the prices were on par with a Whole Foods or The Common Market, though they did have a few items that were cheaper. They did have quite a few very friendly workers out and about to see if anyone needed help or had questions - they also had a few stations set up around the store for samples. Before they had any signs up on the building, we thought they were going to be a pretty big store, but they did not take as much up of the building as we had hoped. It is a nice store, but I was more impressed when The Common Market did their grand re-opening - they gave away many more items for the first however many customers that day. Here's what MOMs gave out -

We appreciated the very large re-usable shopping bag! We tried the chocolate bar today, but did not like it much at all... not being a big fan of milk chocolate, it was too sweet and had an almost sour taste to it! Oh well, I guess I can't complain as it was free!

Once we got the grocery shopping done today and had lunch, I cracked open the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book to find a bread to bake since it had been a few weeks since I've used it. I found a bit more unusual whole grain bread to try with this recipe for a Toasted Sesame and Sunflower Loaf. You may notice a little different step in this recipe - the book recommends that with most whole grain yeast breads you mix the ingredients together just until combined and then to let the batter rest for awhile. Since whole grain flours tend to absorb liquid more slowly, this step allows the dough to thoroughly take on the liquid and will help prevent you from feeling that you need to add a lot more flour than you actually need when you work the dough. This also gives the yeast a head start - I found the dough much easier to knead and only had to add just a sprinkling of extra flour to keep the dough from sticking.

Jeff's first comment when he smelled a slice was that it was almost like peanut butter! The bread is studded with a plentiful amount of sunflower and sesame seeds - the toasting of the sesame brought out a such a nutty aroma that I also thought was very reminiscent of peanut butter! I thought the use of toasted sesame oil in the dough was perfect - while it was baking, the nutty aroma that filled the kitchen was mouth-watering. With butter and milk added, this loaf is soft and tender - perfect for use in sandwiches or toasted and eaten plain for a snack as it has a very assertive flavor. If you want to keep the crust ultra-soft on this bread, be sure to give the outside a good brushing with melted butter as soon as it comes out from the oven. While we had a slice or two along with dinner tonight, my plan is to use this for a killer peanut butter sandwich for our lunches tomorrow!

Tonight's dinner, Lentils with Chickpeas and Couscous, was only our second time having lentils and even though it was hard for Jeff to admit, he really liked them! The first time we had them, they were pureed into a soup, but in this recipe they are left whole and they were quite tasty. I used green French lentils so their texture would be a bit more firm as Jeff has an aversion to some foods that are too mushy. The cooked lentils are combined with a fiery sauce made from chipotle salsa, cilantro, tomato paste, cumin, onions, carrots and chickpeas. You can control the heat by using whichever salsa you like, but we wanted it spicy! To help soak up the chunky piquant sauce, we served the mixture over golden whole-wheat couscous that was prepared with a handful of juicy golden raisins - the raisins added a touch of sweetness against the smoky heat in the salsa. To give the dish one more punch of flavor, a scattering of lush toasted pine nuts top each serving.

Recipes
Toasted Sesame and Sunflower Loaf
Lentils with Chickpeas and Couscous

Getting back into baking with pistachio muffins...

Since I was not able to do much baking in the past couple of weeks, I've really been itchin' to get a few things made that I've had on the top of my to-make lists. I'm always trying to keep the freezer stocked with different breads or muffins so we can have them on hand whenever the mood strikes - they always freeze well and do not take long to thaw at all.

Today's Honey and Toasted Pistachio Muffins have lots of good-for-you ingredients packed inside with a nutty sweet topping. To boost the nutritional content, whole wheat pastry flour and flaxseed meal is used - I like using the pastry flour as it still gives you the nutritional benefit, but gives the muffin a lighter texture than using the heavier whole wheat flour. I like to keep whole flax seeds in the freezer and then use a small coffee grinder to process them whenever I need the meal. You could buy flaxseed meal, but it can go bad fairly quick and we find it just as easy to grind it ourself. Whole seeds tend to just get passed through your system, so you want to use the meal as your body is readily able to absorb the benefits.

These muffins themselves are not too sweet with just a half a cup of brown sugar and are quite tender with the addition of buttermilk as the main liquid ingredient. Lightly spiced with nutmeg and allspice, plump golden raisins are also tossed into the batter to add another texture to the muffins.Topping these muffins are finely chopped pistachios for a little crunch on the crowns - while I normally toast nuts before using them, we opted not to since these will be exposed directly to the heat and will toast as they bake. There are just enough pistachios to cover the crowns, but not too much that they all fall off as you try to remove them from the pans or while eating them. A drizzle of sticky honey grants a final kiss of sweetness to add to the appeal of these moist muffins.

Recipes
Honey and Toasted Pistachio Muffins

Eggcellent twist...

Another weekend is quickly approaching and we will hopefully get caught up on a bunch of errands that have been nagging at us since we've been sick. There's a new organic market opening up tomorrow that we are going to try and sneak into in the morning - I've never heard of it, but I guess they have a few stores closer to the DC area. More on this later if the store is any good!

We go through quite a lot of eggs from all the baking we do and we also tend to use them in some form for breakfast. Sometimes we buy eggs from the farmer behind us with the Alpacas, but we usually end up buying the 5 dozen packs they sell at Costco. We'll have to pick up another pack this weekend as we almost used the last of them in tonight's dinner of Egg Salad BLTs. What I liked about this dish is that it came across much lighter with nice tang from the sour cream. Along with using light mayonnaise, two yolks from the eight eggs are removed to reduce the calories a bit - but since you're still using 6 yolks, it doesn't lose that rich mouth feel. A quarter teaspoon of lemon zest brought just enough lemon to taste, but not too much to distract from the other flavors.

The base and top of the sandwich are toasted slices of hearty whole wheat bread and are filled with the egg salad, crisp salty bacon slices, juicy red tomatoes and a couple crisp lettuce leaves. We both really enjoyed this refreshing take on BLTs and since you could prepare most of the ingredients ahead of time and keep them separate, I think this would be great for a delicious lunch that would just take a couple minutes to toss together.

Recipes
Egg Salad BLTs

Keeping it simple and fresh...

Since getting over this sickness, I've really been seeking fresh, bright and filling foods to try and get us feeling back to normal. The two dishes we had tonight certainly filled those categories and ended up making a good dent in a small pile of lemons I had waiting to get used up on the counter.

Just like last night, tonight's first dish, Sugar Snap and Green Peas with Lemon and Mint, makes use of those excellent spring vegetables that are starting to pop up around the markets. If green peas are not ready in your area yet, frozen would work just as well in this recipe - add an additional minute or so before you toss in the other peas. The vibrant green-colored vegetables are cooked just until crisp-tender and then lightly sautéed in a hefty pat of good ol' butter to lend a hint of richness. For a snappy finish, lemon zest and mint are tossed in for one more fresh and cool layer of flavor.

Tonight's other dish, Pine Nut and Lemon Orzo, was probably intended to be a side, but we just increased the portion size a bit. Fresh lemon dominates the rice-shaped pasta with a simple and clean profile from the use of the juice and zest. Extra-virgin olive oil gives the dressing some body with chopped parsley tossed in right before serving for a pop of color. A scattering of toasted pine nuts brought a delicate flavor with a mild buttery crunch against the tender pasta. When we were about halfway done, I did think that the dressing could have used a small shot of vinegar or something to give it a little more bite... Jeff also agreed when I mentioned this. If you want, you could add a grilled chicken breast for some protein, but this was pretty filling as is. I definitely think this dish would be a great picnic item and will have to mark it down to remember and make it in the summertime.

Recipes
Sugar Snap and Green Peas with Lemon and Mint
Pine Nut and Lemon Orzo

Another way to take advantage of that beautiful spring asparagus...

I had to rearrange the meals for this week since Jeff ended up catching the same bug I had last week... instead of the more spicy dinner I had planned, I decided to make a more mild Barley Risotto with Asparagus and Parmesan. However, this did mean I had to run to the market this morning to get some fresh asparagus!

Instead of using arborio rice as in a classic risotto, this version uses the plump and chewy barley... but the way it is prepared is the same. Before you start adding the broth, make sure that you warm it up to a low simmer - this will help the grain more readily absorb the liquid as it will take slightly longer than rice to cook. I loved how the barley brought an earthy nuttiness while the white wine infuses a sharp undertone to the grain. Fresh spring asparagus is diagonally cut into pieces and is added with the last half cup of vegetable broth to keep them crisp-tender and not mushy. While not as creamy as a traditional risotto, Parmesan cheese added at the end does work that loved texture into the dish. This was very filling and I'm really looking forward to having this veggie dish as lunch tomorrow!

Recipes
Barley Risotto with Asparagus and Parmesan

A couple quick breads for Spring...

I spoke too soon... while I'm back to normal, Jeff seems to have caught the same bug I had. So, needless to say, tonight's dinner was leftovers for me and nothing much at all for Jeff. We doubt that he will be going into work tomorrow, but I have already gotten the Wednesday Treat Day baking done... so we are going to try and see if one of his co-workers would be able to stop by and bring it in for us tomorrow.

While menu planning this past weekend, we talked about what would be good to share with them and Jeff asked if I had some sort of bread that would be a good morning snack in mind. I found a few recipes that looked good and ended up narrowing down the list to two. The first recipe, Oatmeal Breakfast Bread, has a spicy background from the addition of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

There is a good amount of applesauce added that makes the bread extremely moist with rolled oats keeping the loaf sturdy and lending a hearty texture to each slice. To pair with the spices, we added diced dried black mission figs for another layer - before you add the fruit to the batter, toss them with a bit of the flour mixture. The figs tend to clump together, so if you toss them with a small amount of the flour, it will help to keep them evenly dispersed in the baked loaf. To give the bread a special touch, brown sugar, crunchy walnuts and cinnamon are sprinkled on the batter to add a sweet and nutty topping.

This second loaf, Walnut-Strawberry Quick Bread, will also be inducted into the extremely moist category and had quite a different flavor to it. Instead of applesauce like in the previous bread, the majority of the liquid comes from a good amount of smashed juicy red strawberries. For a bright background, a full tablespoon of lemon zest is added to the batter along with some toasted walnuts for crunch. With just a dash of nutmeg for spice, the main flavor here comes from the delicate strawberries which also gave the baked loaf a light pink hue. As with most quick breads and muffins, a light hand is best when mixing the wet ingredients into the dry - you want to stir by hand just until combined. You don't want large amounts of the flour to remain, but some lumpy bits are better than over mixing. Since both of these loafs are so moist, it is best to wait until they completely cool before you try and slice them into thick pieces. I will have to make this again and work some rhubarb into this bread... I would imagine that would be a killer combo!

Recipes
Oatmeal Breakfast Bread
Walnut-Strawberry Quick Bread

Hmm... peanut butter on pizza?

The Alpacas behind us have grown very hungry since spring has hit and they ran out of grass in their pen! Farmer Jon and family were out over the weekend and they now have lush green muchies on the ground again... and guess what? They are able to come right up to our fence now! Woo! Max was a little unsure of these big guys sticking their heads over the fence to sniff him out, but he seems to be having fun watching them.

Jeff thinks we should talk the neighbors into letting us open the fence into our backyard... I mean, who needs to cut the grass when you could just let these guys go nuts and have a buffet?

Since we're getting back into the groove we wanted dinner tonight to be fun, different and of course, very enjoyable. Since I had plenty of time last week to catch up on new magazines, I found this recipe for a Thai Chicken Pizza and I just couldn't wait any longer to give it a go. The original recipe calls for prepared pizza dough, but I just made my favorite whole wheat dough recipe that really comes together without much effort. While it also did call for a 20 ounce piece of dough, the recipe we used makes about 16 ounces and we left it at that - it was still enough to easily stretch out to the requested size. Once we stretched the dough out, it went into a very hot oven to give the crust a chance to crisp up as it really only needs to go back in to melt the cheese. A Thai peanut sauce takes the place of pizza sauce in the recipe - it is a combination of creamy natural peanut butter, water, soy sauce, rice vinegar, fresh ginger and a clove of garlic. After the nutty crisp crust has been coated, a generous mixture of sautéed chunks of chicken breast, sweet red bell peppers and thin sliced green onions are scattered on top. A shower of shredded mozzarella cheese seals the deal and it slides back into the oven to finish cooking.
I loved how the salty peanut sauce off-set the mild toppings and was able to stand out under the cheese and with a crispy thin crust, we were in pizza heaven! I think you could take one or two more steps to dress it up even further - I think I'll try the leftovers with a small handful of chopped peanuts and maybe some thin slices of Thai basil on top!

Recipes
Thai Chicken Pizza

I had to fight for my piece...

Another short week as far as recipes go, but I've got quite the pile sitting next to me anxious to be made this week! I would have to say our favorites this week were the Creamy Cauliflower with Roasted Garlic and Chipotle, Turkey Mini Meat Loaves and the Mini Peanut Butter Cup Bars.

If I was counting today's recipe though, I would most definitely be adding it to that list! Eating this Mississippi Mud Cake almost felt a little naughty, but the stats are not too bad for what you get. To give the chocolate a boost, natural cocoa powder is first mixed with boiling water to allow the flavor to develop - however, you want this mixture to fully cool down before you use it. Once the cake tests done, miniature marshmallows are scattered all over the surface of the hot cake and it goes back into the oven. The marshmallows will expand to fill in the spaces and begin to soften, but you're not really looking to get color on them. To fulfill the title, we now need to make a bit of mud to throw on top... and unlike something you would find outside, this is some sweet and enticing mud!

This pitch black mixture of Dutch-process cocoa powder, evaporated milk, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla lights this cake on fire! This is a cooked frosting that takes just minutes to prepare - when it is ready, it is thick, but it has just the right consistency to flow correctly. As soon as you take it off the stove, don't mess around - drizzle it right on the cake... as it cools, it will be too thick and start to set. The texture in each bite is very intriguing -a chocolate-y moist cake topped with squishy marshmallows that is set off by a thick, rich and firm icing. We cut ours into 15 and the size was generous and quite satisfying - any bigger and it could almost be too much to finish! Jeff has fallen in love with this cake and I doubt any piece will leave the house to share... I think I'm lucky I got a piece to try this evening!

Recipes
Mississippi Mud Cake

Peanut butter bars...

We finally hit the jackpot with a wonderful sunny and warm weekend! It is already in the 70's and it is supposed to keep getting warmer... hurray! We're using this time to get ready to try our hand at a garden this year - while it won't be anything too fancy, we hope to get things going in the next couple of weeks and see what we can do!

Jeff has been working from home as I was sick this past week and I felt bad that his co-workers were kind of expecting a Wednesday Treat Day that never came. Since I was feeling better, I figured I could at least make a little something for him to take in yesterday and decided to make these Mini Peanut Butter Cup Bars. This is just your basic layered bar cookie - the base is slightly sweeter than most and is a mixture of flour, sugar, salt and of course a mess of softened butter. While most of it is pressed into a baking pan and given a quick pre-bake, we reserved a small portion of the mixture to be sprinkled on top later. As it cooks, a simple mixture of sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter chips are warmed together until they completely combine and then it is spread over the hot crust. The reserved crumb mixture is then tossed with some mini chocolate peanut butter cups and scattered on top.

However, I took a bit too long to scatter this on and the crumbles started to melt into the warmed peanut butter layer and it looked a bit reminiscent of a leopard print... oops! While the baked bars are on the sweeter side, they are dense, cut cleanly and the peanut butter flavor shines through the rich base. The mini peanut butter cups are an added bonus and are just the right size for a bar like this, but you could get away with using chopped chocolate chunks or chips if you want - the chocolate and peanut butter combo is always delicious!

Recipes
Mini Peanut Butter Cup Bars