squash pasta (don't be scared)

Squash covered pasta. What can I say? I was scared to try it frankly, and anticipated cold cereal for dinner following this culinary disaster. Boy was I wrong. THIS STUFF IS AMAZING. Amazing! So good that Ben (extreme squash hater) took it for lunch the next day, and the children (don't get me started on their hatred for all things vegetabley) thought it was macaroni and cheese and had second helpings. You do not like squash in any form? Try it try it, you'll conform! (wow that was clever)

Squash Pasta (adapted from Giada's Kitchen)

3 Tbs olive oil
1 lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt (I use Kosher)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
3/4 to 1 cup whole milk
1 lb pasta (I used cellentani)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (very optional-- I didn't use it but it would be pretty for color)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (again, mostly for garnish and I actually preferred it without)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add the squash, garlic, the salt, and the pepper. Saute until the squash is golden and tender, 5-7 minutes. Add broth, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook until squash is very soft, another 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a blender (BE CAREFUL, I've had hot things explode in there too many times) or food processor and puree until very smooth.

Cook pasta in salted boiling water until desired doneness.

Combine pasta, squash mixture, and 3/4 cup milk in a large pot. Stir to combine and heat through if necessary. Add remaining milk as desired to loosen the consistency. Add basil and cheese (if using), season to taste with salt and pepper and serve! I served mine with parmesan focaccia and green salad.

cupcakes of all kinds

These are the best homemade cupcakes I've ever made, without question. You MUST try them.

Key Lime Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting
{adapted from CuisineNie, adapted from Food Network}
Makes about 18
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp grated key (or regular) lime zest
1 1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed key (or regular) lime juice
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk

The Frosting:
5 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped into small chucks
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp lime juice (bottled or freshly squeezed)
1/4 cup sour cream
lime zest or candied lime peel for garnish

* Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, key lime zest and juice and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 5 parts total, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and fill each liner almost to the top with batter. A spring loaded 1/4 cup ice cream scoop works great for this and ensures the cupcakes are all the same size. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops begin to barely brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer cupcakes to a baking rack to cool completely.

FROSTING: In a small heat proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, carefully and slowly melt the white chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool until just slightly warm. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar until well combined. Add the salt, vanilla extract, key lime juice, and sour cream and mix until very smooth. Add the melted white chocolate and mix just until incorporated. Frost the cupcakes and garnish with a bit of grated lime zest or candied lime peel.

And speaking of cupcakes, this one is measuring right on target and looks like he won't give us the grief that Banks did. And I'm already to my semimonthly appointments! Best part of the ultrasound today; seeing what appears to be the same pointy and dimpled chin as Banks. It was so so cute and I can't wait to meet this little guy.

Oh and ever so sorry for the photobooth photos of photos... ye olde scanner died 3 days after we turned down our free printer with computer purchase option. Thanks a lot Murphy.

food!

One of my internet friends put together a food/recipe blog a few months ago and asked me to contribute. I was so excited! And then I never posted anything because I'm a rat. But I really enjoyed reading all of the yummy recipes that others contributed. Anway, I finally posted something over there so I thought I'd post a link here so you can check out THE BEST FOOD I'VE EVER EATEN. It's true. If you need something to wow your amazing chef mother-in-law or your boss, this is the recipe for you. Check it out here, and while you are there definitely browse the other recipes and get some inspiration for cooking this week. (added below for book printing- ct)

Chicken with Morels by Ina Garten
Ingredients:
1 - ounce dried morels, soaked for 30 minutes in 3 cups very hot water
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
1/4 cup clarified butter
1/3 cup chopped shallots (2 large)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 cup Madeira wine 1 cup
(8 ounces) creme fraiche
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lift the morels carefully from the hot water in order to leave any grit behind in the liquid. Rinse a few times to be sure all the grittiness is gone. Discard the liquid and dry the morels lightly with paper towels. Set aside. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge them in flour and shake off the excess. Heat half the clarified butter in a large saute pan and cook the chicken in 2 batches over medium-low heat until browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to an ovenproof casserole. Add the rest of the clarified butter to the pan along with the shallots, drained morels, and garlic. Saute over medium heat for 2 minutes, tossing and stirring constantly. Pour the Madeira into the pan and reduce the liquid by half over high heat, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the creme fraiche, cream, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil until the mixture starts to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 12 minutes, or until the chicken is heated through. To make ahead, refrigerate the chicken and sauce in the casserole and reheat slowly on top of the stove.

le blog is getting to be all about food

Inspired by my sister, I decided to embark on a croissant making journey on Thursday.

It took so very long. All my hesitations were proven right. All that laminating (that's the official term)! and the hoping for the proper temperature! and the rolling! and the sticking! Oy vey!

But the end product was pretty extraordinary. And maybe this experience will be like child birth and in a few years I'll think, "Pshaw! It wasn't that bad!"

I used this recipe, if anyone else dares to dance with the devil.

mmmm&mmmmm pancakes

We ate M&M pancakes for dinner last night. They. Were. Awesome. And you should have seen the look on the kids faces when they discovered M&M's in their dinner! Priceless.

did I ever mention that i found the last recipe I'll ever need?

Seriously. This.stuff.will.kill you with it's goodness.

I'd post a picture but the site but it's frowned  upon that without permission, and I didn't get a picture of it when I made it because... well, laziness really but she has lots of photos on the site so go! go! go!

Chocolate Caramel Crackers

• SERVINGS: ABOUT 36 PIECES
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• TIME: 30 MINUTES 
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• SOURCE: smitten kitchen.com

• About 4 sheets matzo or approximately 40 saltine-style crackers
• 1 cup (8 ounces or 225 grams) unsalted butter, cut into a few large pieces
• 1 cup (190 grams) packed light brown sugar
• Sea salt, preferably flaky
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups (9 ounces or 255 grams) semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips, or 9 ounces chopped semi- or bittersweet chocolate
• 1 cup toasted chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts or a nut of your choice (optional)

Prepare your pan: Heat your oven to 350°F. Line an 13×18-inch (half-sheet) pan completely with foil, then line it again with parchment. This seems excessive but the foil will keep your pan near and the parchment will keep the crackers from sticking to the foil. You’ll be glad you did.

Line the bottom of the baking sheet with matzo or crackers, covering all parts in a single layer. [If using matzo, you’ll need to break pieces to fit any extra spaces, which will be annoying because despite being perforated, it does not actually break in straight lines. I have some luck making cuts by gently, carefully sawing with a serrated knife.]

Make the caramel/toffee: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, and whisk it over medium heat until it begins to boil. Once it has begun boiling, let it bubble for 3 more minutes, whisking it the whole time. The butter and sugar will come together, and the mixture will thicken a little as it cooks. Remove from the heat and add a couple good pinches of sea salt and vanilla, if using, and then quickly pour it over the matzo or crackers. Use an offset spatula to spread the caramel quickly over all the crackers, as it will begin to set as soon after it is poured.

Bake: The caramel-covered crackers for 13 to 15 minutes, watching carefully as it will bubble and the corners might darken too quickly and/or burn. You can reduce the heat if you see this happening.

Finish the crackers: Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes, and then use an offset spatula to spread them in an even layer over the caramel. If you’re using them, sprinkle the chocolate with toasted chopped nuts and/or sea salt. (The extra sea salt is great on matzo. On saltines, it’s really not necessary.)

Cool: Once completely cool — I speed this along in the freezer, impatient as should be expected in the face of caramel crack(ers) — break or cut it into pieces and place in an airtight container. When cleaning up, you’ll see a lot of messy crumbs and bits; sweep them all into a jar for the best ice cream topping that has ever existed, trust me.

2 notes before you go:
1. I made it with saltines. Yum.
2. I wouldn't bake it as long as she says. I'd knock off 5 minutes of the baking time to ensure that it doesn't taste burnt.

Earth Day Dinner

We dined alfresco last night. So fun! And wow, clean up was way easier.


Salmon with orzo and ricotta (uh, sorry about the half eaten food, I couldn't force myself to stop eating it until this point)


Caramel macaro(o)ns!

Recipes for you today, dear readers. But first let me ask, have you dined out of doors lately? And I don't mean on a picnic blanket, which is also nice but completely different. I mean have you set a table (or in our case a computer desk) with your usual dishes and such and enjoy your dinner alfresco? Because if you haven't, you should. It's awesome and the kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. Plus our chickens were there to eat anything that fell. I'm now looking for a cheap card table so we can do this pretty much every night. Also, those of you who have been part of the rosemary saga, I'm happy to say that we are still alive today after having eaten some last night so I suppose we really can assume that those huge bushes in the backyard that look and smell like rosemary are, in fact, rosemary. Anyway, recipes:

Salmon with Rosemary and Lemon (from Suzanne Tracy)
This is so freaking good. I'm not joking. Best fish I've ever had, hands down. And my salmon had been chillin (haha) in my freezer for quite some time, so I don't think it was the quality of the fish that made it yummy.

You'll need:
Salmon with skin on one side {fillet, maybe?} (however much you want, and I just buy the frozen junk from walmart)
Fresh rosemary
Red onion, sliced (or if you don't have red, whatever color you have lying around)
1 or 2 lemons, sliced (depending on how much fish you have)
Olive oil
Garlic salt
Lemon pepper
Fresh Thyme (completely optional, i just had it lying around so I used it but you could just use more rosemary)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and place a bed of rosemary down the center of the pan. Cover with sliced onions. Lay fish on top of the onions/rosemary with skin side down. Drizzle with olive oil (I used extra virgin). Sprinkle with garlic salt, then sprinkle generously with lemon pepper and either more rosemary or fresh thyme. Cover with lemon slices. Bake on center rack of oven for 18-20 minutes.

Orzo with Baby Spinach and Ricotta
This is adapted from an America's Test Kitchen recipe to resemble a dish I had recently at my fav restaurant, Zinc

1 Tbs butter or olive oil
1/4 of one onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz orzo (this is a pasta that looks like rice)
2 1/4 cups chicken stock
1-2 cups baby spinach (depending on how much you like it)
1/3 cup ricotta

Saute onion and 1/8 tsp salt in butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and let heat until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add orzo and saute until browned, 3-5 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed. Add baby spinach and toss to wilt the spinach slightly. Put on plates and top each serving with a large dollop of ricotta.

And finally, the macaro(o)ns are from Martha, and I just added my favorite homemade caramel ice cream topping to the centers. Mine went everywhere because I didn't wait for it to cool, but if you refrigerate it beforehand, it stays in the center quite nicely.

oh man oh man

Photo credit: thepioneerwoman.com

We just had this roasted red bell pepper pasta for dinner and it was insanely good! I don't even like bell peppers, in fact I usually leave them clean out of a recipe, so I don't know what came over me when I decided that a whole dish centered around bell peppers sounded like a good idea. But it is. Oh baby, it is. And the only things I changed in the recipe are that the red bell peppers were ridiculously expensive today, so I did a prepackaged trio of red, yellow, and orange and it was marvelous, and half the price. Oh and I used the "parmesan (I can't make that work with spell checker, sorry) cheese" in the green shaker.

Recipe and glorious photos of it all here: the pioneer woman.

Does anyone know the policy for posting other folks' photos on your blog? I did it a long time ago and I got yelled at! So now I'm all skittish about it. So PW, if you are reading this and you don't like your photo on here I'm sorry! I like you! Don't yell at me!

the afformentioned bean buns

World, meet bean bun. Bean bun, meet world. Now let's get cozy.

My brother Mike says that bean buns are the ultimate trailer park food, and really he's probably right. But they are just...so...good.... Mmmmm I want one right now and it's only 8:45. My mom made them for us when we were younger, and she had a tendency to burn them, but I still love them so they really must be good. So, trashy or not, I give you one of my favorite comfort foods:

Bean Buns

Hot dog or hamburger buns (doesn't matter, just use whatever you have)
Canned pork and beans*
Cheddar cheese
bacon (totally optional-- but you'll want to cook first)

Preheat broiler. Put buns on a pan and under broiler for a few minutes while you gather ingredients. Slice cheese, open can, get ready for awesomeness. Get out your buns, put a little pork and beans on them, then top with some cheese and bacon if using. Broil until bubbly and toasted. Serve on your nicest china. Donezo!

*If you want to get fancy, you can use leftover baked beans (SO GOOD)

it's a marshmallow world in the winter

I made homemade marshmallows yesterday and I've been debating for a full 24 hours if I like them even equally to the store-bought variety. Which, I have to admit, is a little weird because if there was ever a thing I could make homemade I will almost always choose to make it at home because homemade just tastes so much better. Then I met homemade marshmallows. Well hello, there. They are beautiful, fluffy, square, and kind of weirdly textured. I wanted to fall in love with them and elope in Paris, but I just.. couldn't... do... it.

But that aaaaall changed this morning, when I put confections in question to their final test. They went for a little dunk in a steaming pool of hot cocoa and... and... Oh baby. They are SO much better than the store bought in there. It's amazing! They are creamy, and smooth, and melty-yummy-delicious.

In conclusion, if you ever come to a hot cocoa party at my house, you can expect homemade marshmallows. But any other time, expect the usual jet-puffed variety.

If you'd like to find out for yourself, the recipe I used can be found here.

(Photo from martha)

pesto pasta

Pesto Pasta

3/4 lb pasta (I use gemelli or spirals), cooked to al dente
1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced or cubed
1/2 c. pesto (I use spinach pesto, recipe follows, but you can certainly use store-bought)
1/2 c. pine nuts
1 c. milk
1 c. half n' half
1/2 c. parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, grated
1 c. mozzarella, shredded
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)

Combine all ingredients and put in a 9x13 or similar size baking dish. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, or until hot.

Spinach or Basil Pesto (makes 3/4 cup)

2 cups spinach or basil leaves, packed (or combine the two however you wish)
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds toasted
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. parsley or 1 T. lemon juice (to retain color)
salt and pepper to taste

Toast garlic in a dry skillet over medium heat until spotty brown. (this mellows the flavor) Peel garlic and put in a food processor or blender with all other ingredients and blend until smooth.

I put the whole batch of pesto into the pasta dish, since there is hardly enough worth saving and I'm saucy like that.

Perfect when served with Star's bread twists. mmmmmmm

about the cake and header

Okay well just kidding! I had this whole schpeal about not wanting to post the recipe and I couldn't find it on Martha's site, but my genius friend Chelsea found it for you. You can get the recipe here.

In other news, the silhouettes are actually pretty simple. I took a photo of everyone in front of a white wall (distraction is key, steph! we had banks sit on ben's lap and look at a toy at the right level). Then I just edited out the background and filled in the head in gimp shop, or photo shop, or whatever program you have. You can get gimp shop for FREE here and although I've only used it for a couple of days, it seems to be really great. Anyway, if you have any other questions about the silhouettes, just leave a comment and I'll answer it as best I can. And although they were simple, they weren't quick. It took me a couple of hours to do all of ours.

What a post of good free things! Thanks again, Chelsea!

in the oven right now...

acorn squash all together.

Soon to go in the sauna to join it: side of salmon.

Hopefully I'll have photos and reports and recipes to follow.

Update

It turned out okay. Mine had too much garlic but I loved the idea of it so I'll probably try it again. You can get the recipe in progress here

And the salmon, which I didn't get a picture of turned out also okay, but I tried a new high temperature way to bake and I have to say I think the tented in tinfoil and baked on a lower temp is way better. We like it smothered in italian dressing, put in a loose tinfoil dress, and baked at 375 for, oh I don't know, 20 minutes maybe. And by "we" I mean "I." obviously. I cooked a chicken breast with mushrooms and garlic for everyone else.

And as always the couscous was amazing. We just buy the Far East brand of garlic and olive oil couscous. Soooo good and it goes with everything. You must try it.

And let me just assure all of you that there are NO other buns in the oven at the moment and as much as I'd love to keep it to myself for a while when there is another bun, I am HORRIBLE horrible at keeping exciting secrets. I'll last about 5 minutes before I announce it to the world.

today a recipe

tomorrow a tag. be excited.

This one is for my pregger sister, but they are super yummy so I thought I'd put the recipe here for all of you to enjoy.

French Breakfast Puffs

1/3 c. butter or shortening
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. milk
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Blend all ingredients in order. Scoop into greased or papered muffin pans (makes 1 dozen) and bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 20 minutes. Do not brown. Remove from oven and dip tops in 2 Tbs. melted butter and then cinnamon sugar mixture. Let cool slightly before eating.

Topping (mix together)
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

a post about food

Firstly, homemade angel food cake is so very scrumptious. If your chickens are laying faster than you can eat them like ours are then you should try it (it requires a full dozen whites). Oh and mom, you were so right. It fell to an inch thick last time because it was undercooked.


Secondly, oatmeal is not good. I've tried so many times to like it, because I've always wanted to be the sort of person who liked oatmeal for breakfast. However today I think I've made a discovery that will change all that (not the wanting, but the lack of liking).

Steel-cut oatmeal.

You can probably find it at wherever you shop but I got mine at Whole Foods because I could buy just a little bit from their bulk bins. And man is it tasty, slightly chewy, and it's got a whole lot more omph than regular oats. And surprisingly it's not too expensive.

Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Spiced Apple Topping

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup steel-cut oats
1/8 tsp salt

Bring water and milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, then add the oats and toast, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant with a butterscotch-like aroma, 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. (I kinda think the toasting is optional so if you don't want to do it, just omit the butter and skip to the next step) stir the toasted oats into the simmering liquid, reduce heat to medium low, and gently simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in the salt and continue to simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed and oatmeal is creamy (or it looks like something you'd want to eat).

Spiced Apple Topping

1/2 tablespoon butter
1-2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped medium
1/2-3/4 cup packed brown sugar
dash ginger
dash cinnamon
dash salt

Melt butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples, sugar, spices and salt. Cooked until apples have softened slightly 2-5 minutes, depending on how soft you like your apples. Spoon over individual bowls of oatmeal.

white bean hummus

this recipe for hummus is quite unlike the chickpea version but I like it so much better we never make traditional hummus now. it is so good I have to restrain myself from eating the whole bowl at once. we eat it with the homemade pitas I posted about a while ago but you could eat it with crackers, vegetables, or plain bread if you like.


white bean hummus

1 (15 oz) can white beans (any kind will work)
1/4 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley (completely optional... I will add it in the summer when I have it in the garden but otherwise leave it out and it's just as good, possibly better)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (use fresh if you really like lemon flavor)
1 clove garlic (use fresh, it lends a lovely heat to the dip)
1/4- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (I use a 1/4 cup but the recipe calls for 1/3 so use what you like)

Put beans, parsley (if using), lemon juice, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper into food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped. While the processor is running, gradually add the oil and process until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve cold or at room temperature.

eat this for dinner

We had these lettuce wraps for dinner last night and they were so good! They look hard to make because the ingredient list is kind of long, but they are really easy (if you can chop and stir you can make these) and we only needed to buy mushrooms and lettuce because the rest are pretty basic ingredients. And the recipe doesn't call for it but we fried up some rice sticks because that's what they do at PF Chang's. They are so fun to fry! Oh man this one is probably cooler to watch than the pita bread. Definitely try it but make sure your oil is hot enough. The magic happens pretty much instantly so you'll know if it is the right temp. Anyway happy cooking!

while we are being domestic...

we should try this recipe for homemade pitas. Actually I already made them for dinner with hummus and chicken salad. They are super easy and sooo much better than the store-bought ones.

Ps. I forgot to mention that if you have kids you should definitely have them watch the pitas in the oven. Actually husbands should watch too. And don't miss out on the action yourself. It's pretty cool.

have this for dinner

Suz's Sweet and Sour Chicken

chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces (just use however much you will eat)
1 beaten egg
approximately 1 Cup corn starch
cooking oil

Beat the egg in one bowl and put the corn starch in another. Dip chicken in egg, then in corn starch, pressing to adhere. Fry in oil until golden brown and place in glass baking dish.

Sauce: Suz doubles this and so do I.
3/4 C sugar
4 TB ketchup
1/2 C vinegar (I just used plain white distilled)
1 TB soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Pour sauce over chicken in baking dish and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. I serve with brown rice, but if you are a wimp you could use white. Steamed broccoli is a good side with this.

pizza time

So everyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE the America's Test Kitchen cookbook. (that is where the chicken fingers recipe comes from) Our latest love from the book is their recipe for deep dish pizza. It takes a little time to make but TRUST me, it is worth the effort. This is like pizza hut but better. We do his and hers with mine topped with spinach, sauteed mushrooms, and fresh tomatoes and Ben's with all kinds of meat. Wow. This cookbook continues to deliver the best ways (albeit sometimes complicated) to make our favorite foods. If you like to cook, this one should be on your Christmas list.