I drug the boyfriend, James, shopping with me on a night I did not feel up to braving the meijer alone. I sent him for the buttermilk. This recipe calls for a cup plus two tablespoons. I expected to buy a pint, and hope another recipe called for 3/4 cup or so of buttermilk, and that I wouIld have the rest of the ingredients magically on hand. Does this ever happen? Not in my world. So after a little deliberation, we bought the half gallon of buttermilk, and I decided to make Brown Irish Soda Bread, which uses whatever amount of buttermilk I desire as long as I have enough flour on hand. I was making the Tomato Tartare soon anyway, and that called for two cups of whole wheat bread crumbs. I decided Brown Irish Soda Bread would work well in this recipe. Now I have to give away some bread, too.
In making this recipe, I exchanged 3 cups of all-purpose flour for two cups of wholewheat flour and one cup of enriched all-purpose flour. I plucked a sprig or two of fresh Rosemary from the boyfriend, James' herb garden to add. There really is nothing like fresh herbs added to your scones.
I took them to class of women, heard accolades of "awesome" more than once and “I want that recipe.” One person thought they tasted cinnamon, and though I use cinnamon almost to the point of abuse, I didn't add any this time. I think they’re a success. I definitely will make these again.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Recipe 3: Tomato Tartare with Micro-greens and shallot vinaigrette
I encountered two challenges when making this recipe. One, you are encouraged to search out heirloom tomatoes. Meijer, the local large supermarket that might have this stuff wanted $6.00 a pound for these tomatoes. Pretty and exotic they were, but I found myself at the local farm market paying $1.50 a pound for the quality tomatoes primarily brought in from local farms. I was really hoping my own tomatoes had ripened during my vacation.
The other challenge was the Micro-greens. I'd maybe seen a reference to them once or twice, but never paid real attention to them. Now I had to research them and find out what they were. My boyfriend,James, has heard of them, even seen them in our small town neck of the woods atime or two. In the end, I purchased mixed baby greens and used those.
I made my own Brown Irish Soda Bread for the wheat bread. Outside of the soda bread, there are a lot of steps and a little waiting with each step, so it took longer than I expected to prepare. I made up most of the components the night before, and refridgerated them to assemble the next day. Use a dense wheat bread if you do this though. I was probably quite lucky my bread did not turn soggy in the fridge, even after a light toasting. A lesser or store-bought bread might have.
I loved therecipe. "A little oily," James said, so next time, I’ll leave off the drizzle onthe top, or use a little less oil in the tomato mixture, but definitely a goodflavor. I don’t really want to share them, except with boyfriend James, as I can’t eat it all by myself. I definitely will make this recipe again.
The other challenge was the Micro-greens. I'd maybe seen a reference to them once or twice, but never paid real attention to them. Now I had to research them and find out what they were. My boyfriend,James, has heard of them, even seen them in our small town neck of the woods atime or two. In the end, I purchased mixed baby greens and used those.
I made my own Brown Irish Soda Bread for the wheat bread. Outside of the soda bread, there are a lot of steps and a little waiting with each step, so it took longer than I expected to prepare. I made up most of the components the night before, and refridgerated them to assemble the next day. Use a dense wheat bread if you do this though. I was probably quite lucky my bread did not turn soggy in the fridge, even after a light toasting. A lesser or store-bought bread might have.
I loved therecipe. "A little oily," James said, so next time, I’ll leave off the drizzle onthe top, or use a little less oil in the tomato mixture, but definitely a goodflavor. I don’t really want to share them, except with boyfriend James, as I can’t eat it all by myself. I definitely will make this recipe again.
Recipe 4: Cheesy Herbed Pop-overs
The entire house smells like baked cheese...of course, after this latest adventure...it better be good. So, this recipe calls for whole milk, which I never drink, and heavy cream I rarely use as well. It also calls for medium cheddar and parmesan-reggiano cheeses. Yummy, mixed with fresh herbs. Extra yum. Its making me want to put yummy in a category listing. Alas, the tale of finding cheese. I begin at an amish discount store my brother told me about. Duh, the amish don't import. And they didn't have any of the other cheeses I needed for the week. I thought I found a pint of whole milk in a glass jar there. It would be pricey, but worth it. There is a $2.00 deposit on the jar itself. When I got to the counter, I found out it was cream. I only need 3 tablespoons of cream for this, I'm not buying a whole darned pint. I purchase some farm fresh eggs....four of which just went into the popovers, and I go on my way. I go to meijer where I can get most of the stuff I need. They do not have medium cheddar cheese in the deli area. I check the back, and after nearly giving up, I do find it. I also found the fontina there, and of course the mozzerela. Now I cannot find any Parmigiano-Reggiano. Why? Because its made in a special region in italy. It's $16.99 a pound on-line and I'd rather buy local. Plus, there's shipping cost and time to wait for it to arrive. Finally, I decide to check road-side stands for my tomatoes and onions, and end up at the farm market because I know they have some of the things I want.
I get some free annuals, so I come home with onion, tomato and sweet potato plants and a fuschia. Now i need dirt, but that is a gardening blog. I go back into mount pleasant, and make my way to Ric's as they have had some tough to find cheeses and specialty items in the past. After looking, I find the only mentioned substitute in Grand Parma, but its really expensive. And then I see it, and I hear the angels singing...Parmigiano-Reggiano. $21.99 a pound. Lucky for me they are sold in half pound wedges as I only have $10.00 on me. I also notice Pancheta and praise whatever gods are smiling down on me today. I almost buy the Pancheta because they are selling it. But I'm not using any this week, so it will wait until I need it.
So, what puts this in my local category, besides buying the imported cheese from a local retailer instead of regional, or online retailer? I walked two blocks over to my boyfriend, James' house and plucked the parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme from his organic herb garden right on his front porch. Then I walked back home, chopped them up, and added them to the batter. Oh, yeah babe. More yum.
I will definitely make this recipe again. It may be a fast favorite, too.
Just bit into the popover...its almost heaven. I'm wishing it was a little warmer, but its a great amount of eggy-milky goodness...yummy. The smell of these babies baking made me want to open the oven and stick my spoon into the muffin cups as they baked. Oh, yummy!
P.S. This is probably not diet food. I better get in a walk and a jog tomorrow!
I get some free annuals, so I come home with onion, tomato and sweet potato plants and a fuschia. Now i need dirt, but that is a gardening blog. I go back into mount pleasant, and make my way to Ric's as they have had some tough to find cheeses and specialty items in the past. After looking, I find the only mentioned substitute in Grand Parma, but its really expensive. And then I see it, and I hear the angels singing...Parmigiano-Reggiano. $21.99 a pound. Lucky for me they are sold in half pound wedges as I only have $10.00 on me. I also notice Pancheta and praise whatever gods are smiling down on me today. I almost buy the Pancheta because they are selling it. But I'm not using any this week, so it will wait until I need it.
So, what puts this in my local category, besides buying the imported cheese from a local retailer instead of regional, or online retailer? I walked two blocks over to my boyfriend, James' house and plucked the parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme from his organic herb garden right on his front porch. Then I walked back home, chopped them up, and added them to the batter. Oh, yeah babe. More yum.
I will definitely make this recipe again. It may be a fast favorite, too.
Just bit into the popover...its almost heaven. I'm wishing it was a little warmer, but its a great amount of eggy-milky goodness...yummy. The smell of these babies baking made me want to open the oven and stick my spoon into the muffin cups as they baked. Oh, yummy!
P.S. This is probably not diet food. I better get in a walk and a jog tomorrow!
Recipe 5: Welsh Style Cheese Toast
Hello, I learned a couple of things from this tasty and satisfying recipe. First, it takes a good deal of effort to hand-grate a pound of cheese, soft or hard. Second, sweet pimenton or smoked spanish paprika is hard to find. There is even a specialty spice shop four blocks from my house. They are closed for ten days.
I considered that regular paprika might work in a pinch, but that would be too easy. So, I looked up smoked pimenton and sweet paprika on the internet and concluded i could "smoke"/roast my own bell pepper in the oven overnight and grate it. I did. I found a sweet smell to the grated roasted pepper that I never found with a regular, store-bought paprika. And now I have a couple of teaspoons for the next time I make this meal. The recipe only requires a 1/4 tsp, but what else will you do with a whole roasted pepper?
James, my boyfriend, enjoyed it and wondered what I would do to make it lighter. Part of me wonders if that's to get me to make this recipe again. He did that with the cheesy popovers and he was very clear that wanted me to make those again.
To make this recipe lighter, I'd use less fontina cheese, about half the amount, and trade about half of the monterey jack cheese for a part-skim, low moisture mozzerella or part skim ricotta. I could also slice the bread a little thinner. I could use less bacon, or turkey bacon, but only 4 slices were needed for 6 pieces of toasts or 6 servings. The bacon alone will not sabotage your diet...unless you eat the rest of the pack as a side dish. (I cook it up and give it away, allowing myself a small indulgence of one piece, or I put it in the freezer for next time).
Overall, an excellent dish with great flavor. I'd definitely make this dish again, just not every week. Its a treat;-)
I considered that regular paprika might work in a pinch, but that would be too easy. So, I looked up smoked pimenton and sweet paprika on the internet and concluded i could "smoke"/roast my own bell pepper in the oven overnight and grate it. I did. I found a sweet smell to the grated roasted pepper that I never found with a regular, store-bought paprika. And now I have a couple of teaspoons for the next time I make this meal. The recipe only requires a 1/4 tsp, but what else will you do with a whole roasted pepper?
James, my boyfriend, enjoyed it and wondered what I would do to make it lighter. Part of me wonders if that's to get me to make this recipe again. He did that with the cheesy popovers and he was very clear that wanted me to make those again.
To make this recipe lighter, I'd use less fontina cheese, about half the amount, and trade about half of the monterey jack cheese for a part-skim, low moisture mozzerella or part skim ricotta. I could also slice the bread a little thinner. I could use less bacon, or turkey bacon, but only 4 slices were needed for 6 pieces of toasts or 6 servings. The bacon alone will not sabotage your diet...unless you eat the rest of the pack as a side dish. (I cook it up and give it away, allowing myself a small indulgence of one piece, or I put it in the freezer for next time).
Overall, an excellent dish with great flavor. I'd definitely make this dish again, just not every week. Its a treat;-)
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Recipe 9: Cilantro Pesto
This recipe may obtain credit for breaking my blender. Oops. When you do not own a food processor, you find yourself using the blender in its place. I wonder if there is a chef out there who uses good old elbow grease over fancy breakable machines...Probably not many. On the simplicity hand, I can't blame them. I will say this, its my fault, not the cilantro's or the blender's. I simply should have chopped everything that went into the blender. Now I need to post my need for a blender on freecycle;-).
Alas, I didn't realize this until after I realized just how good and dreamy the cilantro pesto was. I'll be looking for excuses to finish it off. Its a quick, easy, and simple recipe--and the best ones are. I enjoyed making this recipe, the pumpkins seeds are a great addition, and I sometimes catch myself sneaking into the fridge and eating this stuff on a spoon by itself. I probably shouldn't, but as long as I have only a bite or two, I'm still being healthier than if I made pasta to go with it.
I may try it over new baby potatoes though. I think it would be a healthier use for this excellent dish that will have a fun and interesting flavor.
I will make this dish again, probably as soon as I have a blender or food processor.
Alas, I didn't realize this until after I realized just how good and dreamy the cilantro pesto was. I'll be looking for excuses to finish it off. Its a quick, easy, and simple recipe--and the best ones are. I enjoyed making this recipe, the pumpkins seeds are a great addition, and I sometimes catch myself sneaking into the fridge and eating this stuff on a spoon by itself. I probably shouldn't, but as long as I have only a bite or two, I'm still being healthier than if I made pasta to go with it.
I may try it over new baby potatoes though. I think it would be a healthier use for this excellent dish that will have a fun and interesting flavor.
I will make this dish again, probably as soon as I have a blender or food processor.
Recipe 8: Farmer's Market Frittata
So good, I've already made this dish again! And right now, while you have your pick of farmer's market veggies for almost dirt cheap, or your garden is overflowing with you needing to reap what you have sown...there is no better or cheaper time to make this dish.
I made this dish at Andrea's last Sunday morning for breakfast. I wake up hungry and Andrea takes her time to get hungry. Plus, making food gets me out of doing dishes...yay! Andrea and I each had some, and I recommend making this with a good whole wheat or whole grain toast. Its good, but not as filling as I like. But it goes great with breakfast toast. One of the beauties of this dish is that you can have it for lunch or dinner too.
Its relatively easy to put together, however it is best with an oven ready pan, which I don't own, nor does Andrea. So, I began the butter melting. I melted too much butter the first time and was left with a burned mess. Then I started the butter again and added onions and bell peppers in the skillet, next the mushrooms and corn get splashed into the pool, after a bit the ham was ready to join us and a little more butter. Finally the egg and cream mix arrived at the party; then herb and his friends, basil, thyme, parsley and whoever herb keeps around the house were able to join in the fun. Add the cheese and allow the bad jokes and puns to continue about 3 minutes, until the egg begins to set.
Now, it can get tricky, if you have an oven-proof pan for this zany group, just shimmy it into the sauna(broiler) and let them sweat it out for a few minutes. about 3-4. If you do not, or you plum forgot to use it, you have to coax herb, his friends and all their cheese, even the chickeny eggs into an oven safe pan and then let them sweat it out for about 3 or 4 minutes. But when the party's over and everyone has sweated it all out, you'll find a fun after party being held right in your own mouth. Lucky for you, everyone likes a good water-slide;-).
I did bring James home a sample of this, like a good girlfriend, and when I was debating what to make for Wednesday night dinner, he told me I could make this frittata again. And so, we replenished the ingredients that needed replenishing, and held another party for eggs, veggies, herb and friends and told them to bring all the cheese and puns they wanted to our sauna and after-party water slide. James was impressed that this dish was quicker to put together than the cheesy creole tomato pie he last helped me with.
Recipe 7: Roasted tomato Tapenade
Yum, yum, yum...will have to make this again, but when I have friends over. Its a great party dish, but James does not much like Kalamata olives, and he says he's not picky. So I went to Grand Rapids to visit some friends and gave them the choice out of the three recipes I had planned. Melissa came over to Andrea's and since she was kind of a guest, and because she's pregnant long enough to have announed the baby(and has been having trouble with vegetables) she got to pick the first recipe of the weekend. So, here we are. This was a pretty easy recipe to make, with a little waiting for the roasting of the tomatoes. Only the kalamata olives were expensive-$6.00 for a jar, but I needed a quarter cup or about 10 olives. With my love of olives, I may have used twelve or more for this dish. Add in some herbs, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper, and you have a dish worth the effort. It was very good, and andrea and melissa both liked it. I'll definitely make this again, especially since I have kalamata olives, and its easy.
Oh, and my sister-in-law just handed me a bag of tomatoes and a bag of apples...Where were these in the last two weeks? Alas, I'll check other recipes and make some again...right after I put some pie crust to rest for this week's quiche. Plus, the roasted tomatoes on their own were incredible.
Oh, and my sister-in-law just handed me a bag of tomatoes and a bag of apples...Where were these in the last two weeks? Alas, I'll check other recipes and make some again...right after I put some pie crust to rest for this week's quiche. Plus, the roasted tomatoes on their own were incredible.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Recipe 6: Chessy Creole Tomato Pie
Wow...this recipe requires planning, but its all worth it in the end. The crust has to be made...then allowed to rest overnight, or for at least an hour...then it gets rolled out, which I talked James into and then gets to rest again...for 30 minutes to overnight...next, bake pie crust for 13 minutes with aluminum foil covering the crust with beans in it. The crust gets baked naked for 3 more minutes, and washed with egg. Then you get to slice the onions and tomatoes, which I got James to do(he has to work for his food somehow)..., then you get to grate the cheese, which is always better fresh grated. We used medium cheddar and goat cheese. It was what I had. A slight miscalculation with the fontina led to none.... and I left the mozzerela at work. It was still great.
Don't forget the herbs, or to mix the mayo and egg yolk in there somewhere, and the herbs and breadcrumbs...then you get to layer everything...into a mountain of a concoction topped with bread crumbs, olive oil and parmigiano reggiano cheese, freshly grated...and bake for 50 minutes.
But guess what...you're still not done. It has to cool for at least 30 minutes...we gave in to the wonderful smells at 25 minutes...and dug in to an excellent dinner, without meat. But it was excellent and worth the effort...Next time, we will make this on a weekend, starting with the pie crust on Friday night.
I will have to make this recipe again, over a weekend, with the right cheeses on hand. It was entirely worth the wait. And shall make a great lunch tomorrow. YUM, vegetarian food to the max, and wonderful too. I will definitely make this recipe again.
Recipe 1: Orange Mint Tea
For Entry 1, Mint , I will jump right in, just as I did with this recipe. I had to go buy an orange, which I only needed two slices of. The rest of the orange made a healthy morning snack and a bit of an addition to my lunch. It was all very enjoyable. I added too many cloves when I made the recipe, and was glad I really, really like cloves. The recipe was excellent. I served this warm for a couple of days in place of my normal Irish Breakfast Tea. Most teas leave me missing the Irish Breakfast tea when I have to substitute. This one didn't. I will definitely have to keep some mint on hand in the future. Maybe I'll try growing it in a pot. I will definitely make this recipe again.
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