Holiday Potatoes

Thanksgiving is less than a month way, and I have been making a tentative list of sides for the big day.  I have had a potato dish on the brain that I made for a supper club about 10 years ago.  It was a baked dish of mashed potatoes, carrots, and cheese; and, it was absolutely delicious.  I spent this past week reinventing those potatoes. I wanted them to have a depth of flavor that the old dish was lacking, and I wanted to eliminate the cheese but not lose any flavor. (I'm sure you are wondering why on earth I would want to eliminate the cheese? Don't worry, I haven't lost my mind! It's just that I already have a side dish planned in which cheese is the star, and I was looking for a balance among all flavors.) I played around and came up with a dish that has potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and Greek yogurt.  It is a wonderful comfort food that is rich without being too heavy. I gave it a taste run as a side dish at dinner this week.  All four of my children and my husband raved over it. I guess that makes it a keeper! It has earned a spot on my Thanksgiving table and hopefully your table, too.

Holiday Potatoes
6 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. sea salt
3/4 cup Greek Yogurt
1 tsp. dried dill
1 cup bread crumbs
3 Tbs. butter, melted

Boil the potatoes, carrots, and parsnips over medium high heat for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Drain.  Mash the potatoes, carrots, and parsnip together with the butter.  Stir in the salt, dill, and Greek yogurt.  Spray an 11 x7 dish with cooking spray.  Spoon the potato mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Stir the bread crumbs with melted butter. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the potatoes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through.


Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by OXO.

How To Tuesday - Hummus

Hummus, mmmmm.  Possibly the best snack on earth.  Sure, hummus is convenient to grab on the go at the grocery store, but the hummus you make from scratch has the velvety texture that can only be replicated at really good Mediterranean restaurants.

To make hummus you really only need a few things:  dried chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, seasonings, and patience.

Sort through 1 cup dried chickpeas making sure there are no rocks or other things you would not want in your hummus.  Soak the chickpeas in water overnight.  The next day, drain off the water.  Transfer the chickpeas to a large saucepan or dutch oven.  Cover with water. Add 1 teaspoon baking soda.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer 2-3 hours.  Add more water as necessary. 

Drain the chickpeas.

Reserve the liquid drained from the chickpeas. Place the peas in a food processor.

Add 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup tahini, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the juice of 1 lemon. Blend well on high.  Taste.  Adjust seasonings, and thin to desired consistency using reserved chickpea water. Hummus will keep 3-4 days in the refridgerator and can be frozen.

Variations:
Sometimes, I add lemon zest and dried oregano before processing.  Then I stir in feta at the end.

It is also wonderful with a few roasted red peppers dropped in and processed.

For this batch, I roasted a head of garlic and used 6-7 cloves.

This Week's Menu 10/24/11

Monday - Spinach-Cheese Manicotti, Salad

Tuesday - Mexican Casserole, Fruit Salad

Wednesday - Italian Wedding Soup, Crusty Bread

Thursday - Gnocchi with Squash and Kale

Friday - Fried Okra Tacos, Corn Relish

Saturday - Roast Chicken and Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Ooey, Gooey Apple Cake

Sunday - Spinach - Mushroom Strata, Orange Rolls, Citrus Salad


Notes:
Monday's Manicotti - No need to cook the manicotti, it will cook itself while it bakes. Put filling into a gallon size ziploc bag, clip off a small piece from one corner and pipe your filling into the manicotti. This cuts the total prep time to under 15 minutes!

Tuesday's  Mexican Casserole - I am using meatless crumbles, but you can use ground, beef or ground turkey in it's place.  With the meatless crumbles, the prep time is less than 10 minutes and the bake time is only 13 minutes.

Thursday's Gnocchi - I am substituting Swiss Chard for the Kale.

Sunday's Strata- Breakfast for dinner!  I an adding mushrooms to the strata.  I will add them when I saute the onion.

Vegetable Chowder - Slow Cooker

The slow cooker: a powerhouse in the kitchen; breaks down expensive, tougher cuts of meat into something sublime; never overheats your kitchen; and, best of all, you close the lid and walk away. Load your ingredients in before work and come home to a delicious dinner. I use my slow cooker year round. My favorite thing to cook in the crock pot is a spiral ham. You can get a replica of a Honey Baked ham for one-fourth the cost! This week I was craving chowder. I constructed a spicy chowder chock full of potatoes, corn, carrots. It was delicious served with cornbread on a cool evening! What are your favorite slow cooker meals?

　
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups corn
6 small potatoes, diced
1 can tomato with chile, drained
3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup half-and-half (optional)

Saute the onion in 1 tsp. olive oil until softened. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add to slow cooker. Add corn, diced potatoes, tomatoes, and stock. Cover and cook 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Remove 1-2 cups of mixture. Process remaining chowder in a blender or food processor until smooth (or desired consistency). Stir back in reserved vegetables. Serve with shredded cheese on top and a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by West Bend.

Notes:I used an immersion blender to puree my chowder. If you use a blender, be very careful blending the hot ingredients. Keep a dish towel on the lid, and hold it down while blending.

I used Rotel brand tomatoes.

I stirred in 1/2 cup half-and-half at the end to give the chowder a little richness.

You can substitute chicken broth/stock for the vegetable stock.

This would be awesome with shredded chicken.
　

This Week's Menu 10/17/11

Monday - Roasted Fennel and Ricotta Gratin with Tarragon, Citrus Salad

Tuesday - Swiss Chard-Potato Enchiladas, Coleslaw

Wednesday - Corn Chowder, Cornbread

Thursday - Broccoli-Cauliflower Tetrazzini, Salad

Friday - Sweet-Hot Tofu with Brown Rice, Sugar Snap Peas

Saturday - Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Goat Cheese Toasts

Sunday - Quesadilla Bar

Notes:
Wednesday's Corn Chowder is my own slow cooker recipe and will appear on the blog on Wednesday October 19, 2011

Thursday's Broccoli-Cauliflower Terazzini Recipe:
8 oz. dried whole wheat spaghetti, broken
1 frozen package broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix
2 tsp. olive oil
1 package button mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
2 1/2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x13 pan with cooking spray. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Cook vegetables in microwave according to package directions.  Saute mushrooms in olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until softened.  Remove from pan and set to the side. Melt butter in same skillet over medium heat.  Stir in flour.  Add milk. Whisk for one minute until combined well. Stir until starting to thicken and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan, salt and pepper. Toss the pasta with 1/2 cup of sauce in a large bowl. Stir in mushrooms and vegetables. Add remaining sauce and mix well. Spoon into 9 x13 dish and top with additional Parmesan.  Bake 15-20 minutes until heated through. Serves 4 as a main dish, or 6 as a side.

Saturday's Soup preparation can be greatly reduced if you have pre-made stock.  I make both chicken and vegetable stock monthly and store it in the freezer, but store bought chicken stock will work just fine in this recipe as a substitute for the homemade vegetable stock.

Sunday's Quesadillas - A great way to use up all those odds and ends in the fridge! Some of my favorite combinations are:

• feta, shredded zucchini, and olives
• chicken, pesto, and mozzarella
• ham and swiss with a drizzle of honey mustard and melted apricot jam
• shredded chicken, sliced jalapenos, salsa and black beans

I cook mine on a large griddle so that I can cook a large number of quesadillas in a short amount of time.

Butternut Squash-White Bean Chili with Goat Cheese

I love to cook.  I mean, I really love to cook.  I love planning the meals, the grocery shopping, and the actual cooking. But, like everyone else, there are only so many hours in the day and with four children, my days fill up fast.  There is not always enough time to prepare the meals that I have in mind.  That's why I love a one pot meal.  Especially a one pot meal that can be prepared in about 30 minutes. Plus, with a one pot meal, clean up is minimal.  Win-Win!  I have two chili recipes that I love.  One involves black beans, Swiss chard and butternut squash. The other is a chicken-based white bean chili.  Recently, I needed a quick dinner, and wanted chili, but lacked the ingredients to make either dish. With a little bit of this and a little bit of that, I had a delicious chili on the table in 30 minutes.  I must say it was incredible! The chili is meatless, but you won't miss the meat at all.  Roasted chunks of butternut squash, white beans, green chili are a great combination of flavors.  A small amount of goat cheese stirred in at the end gives the chili a velvety texture. Try this instead of your regular chili and you are sure to get rave reviews!

Butternut Squash-White Bean Chili

1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
3 cups roasted butternut squash cubes
1/2 - 1 cup chopped green chile
1 cup chicken stock
Juice of 1 lime
3 oz. goat cheese, divided
fresh parsley, chopped

Saute onion in a dutch oven over medium heat until softened. Add garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes. Add drained beans, tomatoes, butternut squash, chicken stock, and chile.  Simmer 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in lime juice.  Stir in 1/2 of goat cheee. Stir until cheese has melted. Garnish with remaining crumbled goat cheese and fresh parsley.

Notes:
I keep roasted butternut squash in my freezer and give it a quick minute or two in the microwave to thaw.
If your chili gets too thick as it simmers, add water or additional stock until the desired consitency is reached.
I used local roasted hatch green chile.  If you cannot get chile, feel free to substitute pobalono peppers.  You can also substitute a can of Rotel tomatoes in place of the tomatoes and green chile.

This one pot dish is perfect for this week's Holiday Recipe Exchange. Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Exchange sponsored by Le Creuset.

How To Tuesday - Easy Rosemary Focaccia

I used to pick up focaccia in the grocery store or at the bakery on a regular basis.  Slice the focaccia horizontally, spread with pesto, top with fresh mozzarella and tomato slices, and give it a quick heat on the grill and you have a pseudo-gourmet lunch in less than five minutes. It also is a great compliment to Italian dinners.  I played around with a basic pizza dough recipe and have come up with a quick and easy way to have focaccia any time I want.

Easy Focaccia
1 tsp. granulated whited sugar
1 package active dry yeast (.25 oz) or 2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 cups all purpose flour
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. chopped rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced

Place the sugar and yeast in a small bowl.  Add the warm water. Give a quick stir and set to the side for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the flour.  Add the salt and olive oil. Add additional water up to 1/3 a cup and stir until dough comes together. Add in the chopped rosemary.  (I make it easy on myself and place the ingredients in the bowl of my stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Then I beat the dough at  medium speed for 1-2 minutes until the dough forms.)

Rub a large bowl interior with olive oil.  Place the dough in the bowl and cover with a cloth. Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. ( I have a trick to the perfect rise.  I know it sounds crazy, but it works! Turn your empty clothes dryer on for 1 -2 minutes.  Stop the dryer, and place the covered dough bowl into the dryer and close the door with power off.  Your dough now has a warm draft free place to rise.)

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Once the dough has risen, punch down the dough and turn out onto a floured counter top.  Give the dough a quick knead. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle.

Poke the dough with your finger to give it a dimpled effect.

Warm the minced garlic in a small saute pan with 3 Tbs. olive oil.  Brush the bread with the garlic oil mixture.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. 

Bake 10 -20 minutes. (12 minutes is the magic number for my oven:)

Variations:  Use any combination of dried herbs in the wet dough. Kalamata olives and sundried tomatoes are also delicious.  You can top the dough in the last 5 minutes of cooking with your choice of cheese.

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Red Star Yeast

This Week's Menu 10/10/11

Monday - Chicken with Goat Cheese and Basil, Tomato Mozzarella Salad

Tuesday - Ratatouille, Focaccia

Wednesday - Ragout of Mushrooms with Creamy Polenta, Apple-Fennel Slaw

Thursday - Chicken Burgers with Poblano Peppers, Sweet Potato Fries

Friday - Turkey-Quinoa  Meatloaf, Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

Saturday - Butternut Squash Lasagna, Mixed Green Salad with Goat Cheese and Pecans

Sunday - Short Ribs Braised in Balsamic, Caramelized Cauliflower Steaks, Apple-Pear Crisp

Chocolate Scones with Dried Cherries, Pecans, and Bourbon

If you know me, you know that I love to bake.  And there is nothing that I like more than a baking challenge.  So last week when I saw that GoodLife Eats and My Baking Addiction were hosting a Holiday Recipe Exchange, I was excited.  Once I saw that the first  week's sponsor was Scharffen Berger and the first week's challenge was to create a recipe using chocolate, I was sold.  I ran through different ideas all last weekend. 

One of my favorite parties to host during the holiday season is a brunch. Most of the dishes can be made ahead of time and friends can drop in and out on their way to finish their holiday shopping. Best off all, it doesn't take up a weekend evening during a typically busy holiday season.  I love to serve scones at a brunch. They can be prepared the night before and then baked the next morning before your guests arrived.  I typically make cranberry-orange scones during the holiday season, but the chocolate challenge made me envision a chocolate scone.  I love dried cherries in brownies and thought that they would work well with the scones.  Next, I wanted the addition of chopped pecans for a slight crunch.  Finally, I added bourbon, because, well, it's bourbon.  It also seemed to be a perfect match for the other ingredients.  The scones turned out tender and flaky with little bursts of flavor in each bite.  Incredibly tasty!

Come join the fun at My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Exchange sponsored by Scharffen Berger.

Don't you just want a bite?

Chocolate Scones with Dried Cherries, Pecans, and Bourbon

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. baking powder

1 stick (8 Tbs.) cold butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup dried cherries, chopped

3/4 cup mini chololate chip morsels

1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped

2-3 Tbs. bourbon (or substitute vanilla)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.   In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.  In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and bourbon.  Cut the cold butter into the dry mixture.  The butter should remain the size of large peas.  Stir in the wet mixture, cherries, chocolate morsels, and pecans. Do not overmix. Place a piece of parchment paper on a large baking sheet.  Pat the dough out until it is about 1/2 inch thick.  I did mine in 2 7-inch circles and cut it into wedges.  You could easily pat into a rectangle and cut into squares. Seperate the slices abut 1/2 inch apart.  Brush with 1 tablespoon of milk. Bake at 425 degrees for 8 minutes.  Turn the oven off. Do not remove the scones.  Leave the scones in the oven for an additional 7 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.  Makes 16 scones.

How To Tuesday: Making Ricotta

This week I have several recipes that call for ricotta including a Potato Basil Frittata for breakfast and a Cheese Lasagna for dinner.  I used to buy ricotta at the grocery store before I discovered jut how easy it is to make your own and how incredible it tastes!  Store bought ricotta cannot compare.

Quick ricotta takes just three ingredients: a gallon of milk, 5 cups of buttermilk and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. The milk for ricotta can be any type:  whole, 2%, 1 % or skim.  I used 2% for my batch this week.

The only equipment that you will need are a candy thermometer, a large stockpot (6-8 quart), a colander, slotted spoon, and a piece of cheesecloth.

Step 1:  Combine the milk and buttermilk in a large stockpot. Cook over medium-high heat until a candy thermometer reaches 170 degrees.  This typically takes 20-25 minutes. While the milk is heating, stir gently every 4-5 minutes with a slotted spoon. Once the milk reaches 170 degrees, stop the intermittent stirring while continuing to heat until the thermometer reaches 190 degrees.

Step 2: Remove from heat. Line a colander with a dampened cheesecloth. Place the colander in a bowl.  Carefully scoop out the curds with a slotted spoon and place in the lined colander. Only scoop curds from the top and do not scrape the bottom of the pan.  Drain for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Gather the sides of the cheesecloth and tie into a bag.  Secure with kitchen twine or a rubber band.  Hang over the kitchen sink and drain for 15 minutes.

Step 4: Scrape the ricotta from the cheesecloth into a storage container.  Stir the cheese gently with a fork and salt to taste.  Presto!  Ricotta will keep in the fridge 3-5 days.

Recipe source: Cooking Light Way to Cook Vegetarian

This Week's Menu 10/3/11

Monday - Calzones (made a few weeks ago and frozen for dinner on a busy night)

Tuesday - Tex-Mex Turkey Burgers with Zuchinni Salad

Wednesday - Goat Cheese, Lentil, and Brown Rice Rolls

Thursday - Turkey Meatballs with Quick and Spicy Tomato Sauce and Whole Wheat Spaghetti, Salad

Friday - White Bean Stuffed Portobellos, Slaw

Saturday - Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup, Artisan Bread

Sunday - Vegetable Lasagna, Garlic Bread  (As part of Unprocessed October, we are using homemade ricotta and made from scratch marinara.)

Carrot-Raisin Cookies

These are one of my children's favorite cookies (and mine too)! I get a lot of requests for these. I have been baking them for about 15 years and have modified them quite a bit over the years. The Carrot-Raisin cookies are a humble cookie. They probably won't win any beauty contests, but they will win in best taste! The cookies are a soft cookie, studded with carrots and golden raisins. The crowning glory comes from a drizzled glaze. Fresh orange juice mixed with powdered sugar, orange zest and the optional touch of cream elevate these simple cookies to sublime. I hope you'll try them and love them as much as we do.

1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour, but all-purpose works just fine)
scant 1 /4 cup milk
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup finely shredded carrot (2 -3 medium carrots)
1/2 cup golden raisins

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and beat in. Beat in flour and baking powder. Slowly add enough milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, up to 1/4 cup until dough comes together. Stir in carrots, raisins, and nuts if using. Roll teaspoonful of dough into balls. Bake 10-15 minutes. Thirteen is the magic cook time for my oven. Allow cookies to cool. Drizzle with orange glaze.

Orange Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
zest of one orange
4-6 Tbs. fresh orange juice
1 Tbs. heavy cream (If desired)
In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar and orange zest together. Add 1 Tbs. of cream (or milk) if using. Add the orange juice one tablespoon at a time whisking until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Let frosting set about 15 minutes. Store in a sealed container.

Notes:To grate the carrots quickly, I toss them into a food processor bowl and pulse with a regular blade until fine.  I have made this as a drop cookie and it bakes just fine.  Rolling the cookies into balls just produces a more even, smooth cookie.  Drop them by the teaspoon, for a more rustic look:)