Sprouts and Seeds

This is the reason I watch Good Eats.

Okay, that’s not really accurate.  I also watch it because it’s entertaining and I like learning.  So let me rephrase that: this is how watching Good Eats pays off in tasty, healthy ways.

I wanted to make beets the other night, but Chris couldn’t find any fresh beets at the grocery store.  What he did find was Brussels sprouts on the stalk, and, remembering that Alton said that’s the best time to get them, he picked them up.  And, not quite remembering how to store them and how he recommended cooking them, I went back and watched the episode to get the low-down on this little cabbage.  I then used inspiration from Alton’s show (and the recipe we made before that was so tasty) and combined it with the best preparation of Brussels sprouts that I’ve ever had, a fried sprout with bacon and balsamic glaze at Root 174.  I tried to recreate it–and while I was only partially successful in duplicating it, I did come up with a pretty tasty side dish!

Yesterday, I was feeling adventurous, so during my trip down the street to the grocery store, I picked up two pomegranates.  And then I went back and watched Alton’s episode on them to refresh my memory on how in the world I was supposed to get to the edible bits.  (They were delicious, by the way.  Every time I walked by the kitchen while they were drying on the counter, I ate another handful. And another.  And I’m looking forward to a bowlful at lunch today.)  I like feeling handy in the kitchen.  And I like feeling that, even with an infant and a minimal amount of time/flexibility to cook right now, I’ve still “got it.”

Here’s my Brussels sprouts preparation:

1. Cut sprouts off of stalk, if necessary. Trim the end so it’s a perfect little sphere, then peel off any leaves that are brown, withered, etc. Cut in half.
2. Put the sprouts and 1/2 to 1 cup of water in a pot (Alton recommends 1/2 for 1 pound of sprouts).  Cook over high heat so that the water boils for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, drain.  (This can be done ahead of time–like, during the morning when the little one is more amenable to being worn in her wrap.)
3. When you’re ready to cook the sprouts, cut 3-6 rashers of bacon into small pieces.  Cook over medium-high heat until crispy.  Remove bacon from pan and set aside; drain some of the drippings, leaving about 2-3 Tbsp in the pan.
4. Return the pan to the heat.  Toss in sprouts, cooking 5-10 minutes or until the sides are browning (and, ideally, a little crisp).
5. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and toss with the reserved bacon. Serve immediately.

Being Thankful: The Little Things

Thanksgiving morning found us in Pittsburgh for the first time ever, celebrating as a family of three.  (Well, a family of three humans at least.  A family of four if you count the furry one.)  But it was a sunny morning, and while the little one slept, a bit tentatively, and while Chris took a turn holding her, I started in on making my first Thanksgiving feast.  I had taken advice from my favorite Food Network celebrities and made a timeline of what needed to get done and when, and my morning was to be dedicated to chopping carrots, parsnips, squash, leeks, potatoes, and bread cubes.  And so, I tested out my new little speakers, turned on The White Album, and got to work.

And lo and behold, when Chris and the slightly-fussy little one came in to check on me, and she heard the music and got into the warm sunniness of the kitchen, she settled down, alert but listening contentedly.  So we put her in her little chair and we did what we do best–we got to cooking together.  Eventually, she was done with the chair and ready to be held, so she and I danced around the kitchen, humming along to the Beatles and keeping Chris company while he finished up the chopping.

Later, the house would be filled with the smells of a home–the warm spices of the pumpkin pie, the rich herbiness of the turkey.  And even later than that, our table was full of delicious food.  The new recipes and preparations we tried were all winners.  The turkey was moist and flavorful, the stuffing was indeed sweet and savory, and all of the herbs in all of the dishes played off of each other wonderfully.

We had a beautiful morning, and I’m thankful for that warm moment in the kitchen, a glimmer of perfection.  I’m thankful for my beautiful little family, and for the wonderful food we shared together.  I’m thankful that we made the time to cook together again, and I can’t wait for the time when the little one will be able to join in–snapping green beans, stirring cookie dough, learning her way around the kitchen, and generally being a part of how much her mommy and daddy love creating and experiencing good food together.  I’m thankful for the day’s unseasonable sunshine and warm weather, our walk around the neighborhood, and (finally!) getting to dive in to the last of the beers we brought back from our honeymoon.  I’m thankful for the friends and family who called, texted, and were thinking of us, those who enriched the holiday and our lives.  I’m thankful for today, and I can’t wait for the tomorrows to come.

Our menu:
Herb-roasted turkey breast
Sweet and savory stuffing with root vegetables
Mashed potatoes
Asparagus
Gravy
Cranberry sauce
Pumpkin pie
Gueuze (Belgian lambic beer)

A whole bunch of new recipes with a very autumnal theme

Call me lazy.  Or just really busy.  But I’m going to mush my five (yes–five!) new recipes we’ve tried in the past three weeks or so into one gargantuan post.  But each individual review will be fairly short.  I’ve been slacking on my camera duties when we’re done cooking, and for most of them, I followed the recipe exactly, so there’s not going to be too much to say.  Ready for my delicious fall spread?

The first thing we made, and this was a while ago, was this Chicken and Vegetable Lasagna.  I won’t lie–this was time consuming.  It wasn’t hard, but there was a fair amount of chopping and cooking even before we could put the whole thing in the oven for 45 minutes.  That being said, it was delicious!  It was rich and creamy and chickeny, very different from a traditional lasagna and a little bit heavier.  The vegetables were great–I was generous with the amounts that I used, and I might even use a bit more next time.  The one definite change we would make is either cooking the chicken whole and then shredding it, or maybe even just using a rotisserie chicken.  The pieces we cut to saute were too large, which made it a bit difficult to eat.  Shredding into smaller pieces would be the way to go.  Another plus to this dish?  It makes a lot, so there were lots of leftovers–and it reheated well for another dinner or for a hearty lunch.

Next up was these Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies.  I needed something to bring to a departmental work day at school.  Last year I made pumpkin hummus and it was a huge hit, so I felt like there was some pressure to deliver something good!  (I could have brought the hummus again, but how predictable would that be?)  I found these cookies and thought they looked like a nice fall treat, and they definitely were!  They stayed nice and soft, and there was a hint of pumpkin without it being overwhelming.  I liked the tartness of the cranberry and the sweetness of the white chocolate; Chris said he thought they’d be better with dark chocolate.  I think that could certainly work…but he also just isn’t a huge fan of white chocolate.  Oh, and as a side note, this recipe makes a lot of cookies!  I probably ended up with 3 dozen respectably-sized cookies.  I’m glad I didn’t decide to double it!

Next on our list of culinary adventures was this Chicken Noodle Soup.  We have a bunch of homemade chicken stock in the freezer, but for some reason, I’m waiting for the “perfect” opportunity to use it.  So, I thought I would try to recipe for chicken soup and see if it still provided a flavorful enough base, even with just simmering for an hour.  And the answer?  I added a little bit of Penzey’s chicken soup base to ramp up the flavor, but with that extra boost, it absolutely did!  This soup was fantastic.  Flavorful and filling, stuffed with tender meat and fresh vegetables and lots of noodles.  Comfort food at its best.

Our next endeavor was one that took a little more effort on our parts.  We kept putting it off because our weeknights have been late and hectic, and who wants to eat dinner at 8:30 on a school night?  On a Friday, though?  That’s apparently okay.  So on Friday we undertook this Pumpkin Risotto.  The recipe calls for scallops and candied pancetta (which I’m sure would be delightful), but we opted for a roasted pork tenderloin, something we could season, throw in the oven, and not worry about while we busied ourselves with the risotto.  The risotto was wonderfully creamy and delightfully pumpkin-y, and I really liked it with the pork.  There are two adjustments I would make to the recipe, if you’re thinking of trying it.  First, we were lazy and opted not to blend up the pumpkin puree and butter–and we couldn’t tell the difference.  As long as you melt the butter in a little at a time and make sure it’s mixed up really well, I don’t think the blending is necessary.  Save yourself the extra dishes!  Second, make sure you taste the risotto for doneness before adding the pumpkin puree and the final ingredients.  We didn’t do this–we should have known better–and we ended up with slightly al dente rice.  It probably could have used another ladleful of broth.

The final fall recipe I’ve got to share with you is for your weekend mornings, something to munch while you curl up with a warm beverage of your choice.  Check out these Pumpkin gingerbread biscotti.  (If you’re fall-crazy like I apparently am this year, one large can of pumpkin should see you through the oatmeal cookies, the risotto, and a double batch of the biscotti.)  I made them yesterday as a splurge to myself–besides, I had all of the necessary ingredients, so I considered it something like fate.  I was initially a bit concerned about all the spices, but the cookie’s flavor isn’t too heavily spiced at all.  And the smell as they’re cooking?  Amazing.  (Chris came in from walking the dog and pronounced that it smelled like home.)  I think I skimped a little on the first cooking time, and so my cookies could be a little firmer.  Another change I made that might have thrown the texture a bit was chopping the walnuts and adding them right to the batter, along with a dollop of extra pumpkin because the batter was so dry, I couldn’t get all of the flour incorporated.  I was going to mix in white chocolate chips, too, but I forgot, so I “iced” them with white chocolate after they cooled.  They don’t look as pretty as the picture on the website, but they’re still really tasty.

*Phew!* So, that’s my fall rundown.  For now, at least.  I hope if you’re looking for something with an autumnal twist that you can find something here that you’d like to try!

Fall! And new recipes!

Fall is officially upon us, the air is cool, the leaves are changing, and I’m in the mood for heartier dishes using some of those great fall flavors.  We’ve tried three new recipes lately (and we’re trying a fourth tonight), so I’ve got some good blogging fodder for the moment.  Only some of these come with pictures, though, so I’ll start with a simple recap.

The first of our new fall adventures was a Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese from the Two Peas and Their Pod blog.  I’ve had this recipe pinned for months, but it was finally getting to the time of year when I wanted to give it a try.  I won’t repost her recipe here, because this time around, I followed her directions as closely as possible.  I’ll just add some of my own commentary.

This dish was really good.  The squash made it super-creamy and silky in texture without bringing an overbearing squash flavor.  (It felt a little bit tricky, sneaking all that squash in there.  It reminded me of my college roomie who would have to disguise veggies–for herself!–in order to eat enough of them.)  I did want more cheese, however.  Chris and I agreed on what we might change next time–we would add about another 1/2 cup of cheese to each of the layers, and we would mix in 1 or 2 cups of cheese to the squash mixture before adding the macaroni in.  That would really make this incredible.  As it was, the slightly crunchy, cheesy bits along the top and sides were just the best.  And it actually reheated really nicely over medium high heat in a frying pan, with a little bit of milk and plenty of extra cheese sprinkled in.  Once we added more cheese, it had the creamy texture of Velveeta mac and cheese, which is one of our guilty pleasures.  And any time I can get that texture with a vegetable instead of processed cheese product, it’s a good thing!

So, if you’re looking for a good fall recipe with a hidden veggie punch and a rich and creamy texture, give this mac and cheese a try.  I’m looking forward to trying it out again soon!

Preserving the End of Summer

Sorry about the long writing hiatus, folks.  Of course I’d pause the blogging over the summer, only to pick back up during the school year when I have things to grade and prepping to do and all that other great stuff, right?  As such, (and as life is soon going to get much crazier than ever), these posts will certainly be infrequent, but I recently ran into something too good to not share.

Throughout the summer, our tomato plants had been dragging.  I saw the green fruits, but they weren’t doing anything.  Then, all of a sudden, about two weeks ago, we had an overabundance of tomatoes.  But of course, by that point in time, summer was dragging to a close, I was back in school, and I was out of the summery eat-all-the-tomatoes-I-can mood.  I didn’t know what to do with them.  So, I found this lovely way to preserve all that great flavor for another day!

Check out how I did it, courtesy of from Gina at SkinnyTaste.com: Oven Roasted Tomatoes.

We made a small batch and had it with pasta, and we liked it so much that we made another, larger batch and froze it for later.  I’m hoping I might possibly be able to squeeze one more batch out of my tomato plants before they give up for the fall.  There were two adjustments (especially the second time around) I made to the original recipe that I thought helped.  I found it difficult to get the tomatoes off of my baking dish if they were flesh-side down; it worked better for me if they were skin-side down.  I may have sacrificed a bit of flavor that way, but I had more tomato to work with.  Second, I don’t know how she was able to keep her tomatoes in the oven for 30 minutes!  After 15 minutes the first time around, I set off the smoke alarm.  The second batch was much larger, but it still only took about 20 minutes total–I turned the pan halfway through.  I’d set the timer for 10 minutes and check on them before assuming they’ll take the full half hour.

If you’ve got leftover tomatoes, or your local farmers’ market has some stragglers left, this is such a delicious way to capture that summer flavor.  Absolutely worth checking out.  I can’t wait to do this again next year–it’s just that good!

 

In Which Pinterest Makes Me the Star of the Picnic

Okay, so that’s more than a slight exaggeration.  But still.  The end of the school year was defined by Pinterest recipes for my gatherings, and both of them were a pretty big hit!

First up, this orzo salad.  I made this for our faculty picnic, and it was wonderful.  I was inspired to “pin it” and then try it because Giant Eagle makes this wonderful orzo salad that I can’t pass up any time I see it, and this recipe looked a lot like it.  It tasted similar–perhaps even better–and I will absolutely be making it again.  It was a great picnic contribution, and the leftovers worked really well as a side dish, too.  I used kalamata olives instead of green, but otherwise, all ingredients were the same.  Actually…that’s not entirely true.  I doubled the amount of dressing, partly because recipes never seem to dress things quite enough for me, partly because I had a grand orzo mishap.  The first batch of orzo that I made went mostly down the drain–literally–because it slipped right through the holes in my pasta strainer.  Not one of my shining moments.  Luckily, I had bought a second package of orzo, but neither package was the amount called for in the recipe, so I just guesstimated.  Still turned out pretty tasty, though!

The second and final dish for today is these cheesecake cookies.  I brought these to a post-graduation gathering at a friend’s house, and they were pretty decadently delicious.  We used both cherry pie filling in some and blueberry in the others; the cherry was definitely my favorite.  And, amazingly, they really do taste just like little mini cheesecakes!  They were rather difficult to transport, and slightly difficult to eat, because they were fairly soft, though apparently they should be stored in the refrigerator, which has the added benefit of firming them up a bit, too–that’s an important note for next time.  They were rather time-consuming, but so tasty!

Pinterest, you may be my  new (dangerous but oh-so-creative) cooking buddy.

Off Our Beaten Path: Smoke Barbeque Taqueria

Last week, we decided to try something we’ve heard great things about but something that was totally different for us: Smoke barbeque taqueria in Homestead.  They’re apparently known for their unique tacos wrapped in house-made tortilla–and for their macaroni and cheese.  I was intrigued.  Tacos aren’t something we normally do, and I’m a real wimp when it comes to spicy food.  But we kept hearing how wonderful it was, so we went to see what all the hype was about–and when all was said and done, I was definitely impressed.

We headed across the bridge to Homestead and missed the restaurant the first two times we went by it.  The sign is low in the window and the lighting inside was dark enough that it really didn’t stand out.  We nearly missed it even walking by, on high alert for it.  When we went in, surprisingly, we were the only customers there, though a fairly steady stream of people came in while we were eating, both for take-out and to sit down and eat.  It’s a small place with a throw-back sort of feel–the tables and chairs are neat, antique-y looking pieces in a delightful mismatch, the colors are rich and dark, and a giant staircase on one side of the restaurant leads to nowhere.  It’s small, about 5 tables and some seats at a bar–and really, it seemed like they could fit 2 or maybe even 3 more tables in without feeling crowded.  But it did make the place nice and open, which was refreshing.  It’s BYOB, but we hadn’t brought anything, so Chris just got a lemonade–which I was later envious of, as it came with freshly-grated lime rind and really refreshing flavor.

On to the food.  Of course we ordered the mac and cheese, which was pretty awesome.  It wasn’t drowning in cheese, but the cheese they used was still rich and flavorful.  There was a blend of cheeses–including white cheddar and mascarpone, so it was a little sharp and a little nutty.  Some of the cheese was just grated into the macaroni, so it melted together without being too much of a sauce.  It wasn’t what I was expecting, but I think it was better–more real and fresh-tasting, if that makes any sense.  I was also intrigued by their chili and mac–chili on top, mac and cheese on the bottom, and the chili sounds pretty quality, with a different kinds of meat than your standard ground beef (that’s just too boring!).  I might get it next time–and I don’t know if I’d be sharing or not.  ;)

And then there were the tacos.  All of the meats were house-made (house-smoked?), and in fact, a new batch of ribs had just come out when we came in to eat, so the whole place smelled amazing.  Chris and I each got two different tacos.  He got an apple, chicken, and bacon taco with a smoked jalapeno mayo.  This was quite tasty, and as I got to try a bite, I can say that I would absolutely try that for myself next time.  He also got a chorizo taco with pinto beans, potatoes, and a smoked pepper pico de gallo sauce.  I didn’t try that one, but Chris said it was a little dry; he would have preferred a bit more sauce with it.  As for me, I got the special that night–a chicken taco with strawberries, toasted pecans, and a strawberry-serrano sauce.  It was awesome, but perhaps a little more heat than I was expecting.  I don’t know what I was thinking (serrano pepper was totally in the description…), but the thing that I liked about it was that, despite the heat, there was a lot of flavor.  It wasn’t just an overwhelming heat for the sake of blowing out your taste buds, but it was well-balanced between the heat of the pepper and the sweetness of the strawberry–it kept me coming back for more.  My second taco was a rib taco with pickles, onions, and porter barbeque sauce, which was also quite tasty.  The pickle was an interesting addition that I never would have thought of, but again, it added a nice contrast and balance.

Overall, we really enjoyed this little place.  I hear that it can get pretty busy at prime dinner time and I know people who’ve tried to eat there only to find that there were no tables left.  Chris and I might even do take-out, as it’s so close, and then we can avoid the possibility of not getting our tacos.  It was spicy, but flavorful, and there’s enough interesting things to keep us coming back to try something new.

A Simple Burrito, but So Delicious

This is just a quick post to share what might become a favorite summer recipe this year.  Chris and I tried this recipe for Vegetable and Rice Burritos a few weeks ago, and we liked it so much that we turned around and made it right away again the next week.  (This was made especially possible because the amount of ingredients that the recipe calls for left plenty to make it again–we still had half a zucchini, half of a container of sour cream, plenty of cheese and tortillas, etc.)  The recipe doesn’t sound like a big deal.  In fact, we almost didn’t try it, but I was just looking for something different and didn’t feel like making a meat dish, so we “settled.”  But it was truly a recipe where the whole was far greater than the sum of its parts.  Once they were cooked up, the cheese melted and the sour cream worked its way throughout, and everything just melded wonderfully.  Chris didn’t even miss the meat!

I’ll just link up to the recipe, as we really didn’t change anything.  For those of you who might be concerned about the heat (I’m looking at you, Mom…), while it wasn’t really too hot because of the sour cream, I imagine you could omit the jalapeno and could probably substitute some fresh parsley for the cilantro.  Also, we used a shredded Mexican blend of cheeses, as I can’t have the soft cheeses right now.  It was probably significantly cheaper and still made for a great burrito.

Check it out: Vegetable and Rice Burrito with Quesadilla Cheese from Cooking Light Magazine

New Restaurant Adventures: Alma

A couple of weekends ago, Chris and I finally had some time to try out a new place for dinner. We decided on Alma in Regent Square, a relatively new place that describes itself as a “Pan-Latin Kitchen.”  I had remembered reading Snickie’s review of it (which you can find here if you’re curious) and thought it sounded good, so it’s been on my radar.  It was a pleasant night and we knew they had seating outside, and it was one of the few times we were able to get our act together at a decent dinner hour so we thought we might have a chance at getting in without a wait.

We were well rewarded.  Almost as soon as it got there, it started drizzling, so we opted for  table inside, but we got to sit by a window, so that was nice.  The restaurant is across the street from Frick Park, so it’s a pleasant view, and the inside is split into two sections.  The front section is very light and open, with big windows overlooking the sidewalk, brightly colored walls, and light wood tables and chairs.  The back looked a little fancier–the colors were richer and darker, the furniture was black, and it just seemed a little classier.  I was happy by the window.    (Actually, I suppose the whole place is really split into three sections; they also have a Cantina area with drinks.  For tonight, we stuck to the food.)

And the food was excellent.  First, the appetizer, which may have been my favorite part of the meal.  We got the papitas rellenas, which hails from Perú; the restaurant describes it as “yuca and potato pillows stuffed with seasoned beef.”  What they don’t mention is the delightfully crisp fried outside of these little “pillows.”  They were delicious, and the sauce that they were served on was savory and flavorful but not too spicy.  I would absolutely get those again!  (There were one or two others that also looked really tasty, but they had soft cheeses–something I can’t be eating right now.)

For an entree, I got marinated skirt steak with chimichurri sauce on top and black beans and rice (from Argentina).  It was quite good.  I really enjoyed the freshness of the sauce on top–it was more of a salsa than a sauce, really, and like the appetizer, it was flavorful but not hot.  It was a refreshing touch with the beef.  (The beans were a little firm for my taste, but if that’s my biggest complaint, I think we made out pretty good!)  Chris got a beef brisket with rice and pigeon peas (from Cuba/Puerto Rico).  The meat came shredded, looking almost like a pulled pork would look, but it was so juicy and flavorful!  It wasn’t what I expected, but the bites I had were great and Chris really enjoyed it.

We were still up for some dessert, so we tried the tres leches cake (three milk cake) from Honduras.  It was quite interesting, and very tasty.  It was a dense-but-not-too-heavy cake, topped with evaporated and/or sweetened condensed milk (I think that’s what we decided it was) and with whipped cream and berries on the side.  Somehow, though, the cake didn’t get soggy, and the fact that the cake itself and the whipped cream weren’t overly sweet helped balance the sweetness of the glaze on top.

It’s nice to not only have interesting, international cuisine around, but to have it so nearby our house.  I’m looking forward to coming back again and trying some of the other dishes!

Thai Beef Marinade

Just posting a quick recipe recap for a meal we threw together last week.  We didn’t marinade the meat for the full time allotted in the recipe, and it was still quite flavorful and delicious.  I might marinade it longer next time, both for some added flavor and some tenderness.  The flavors all came through nicely–lime, soy, ginger and garlic–with nothing really being overpowering.  We had it with the longest-cooking batch of brown rice I’ve ever made (delicious though it was) and a veggie, and it made for a lovely meal.

Thai Beef Marinade

• 1 pound top-round London broil or flank steak, about 1 to 1 1/2-inches thick
• 3 tablespoons lime juice, divided
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger (or 2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons red curry paste or chili-garlic sauce (or a few grinds of curry powder)

Rinse and pat the meat dry. Place in a sealable plastic bag or small glass dish. In a medium bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, soy sauce, canola oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and red curry paste. Pour half the mixture into the bag with the meat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice to the bag. Seal tightly, and marinate meat in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Reserve the rest of the mixture refrigerated, to dress the salad.

Spray grill or grill pan with cooking spray and preheat. Grill steak until medium-rare, about 5 minutes per side, depending on desired doneness. Let rest until room temperature then slice thinly against the grain.