Dark Chocolate-Ginger Pear Muffins

This recipe is adapted from one by Nigella Lawson in her book, Nigella Express. The original is unbeatable, and amazing with (as she recommends), "some sharp, hard cheese, a Cheddar maybe ..."

I was desperately in the mood for some chocolate, however, and thought I would try her original recipe and add coco powder. As it turns out, they were delicious! I also used a can of pears slices that I then cut right into the batter. Normally when I make this (original) recipe, I just cut an un-peeled pear into it. Use whatever you have around.

I also used plain Greek yogurt rather than the sour cream the original recipe calls for. I'm not sure it will matter much either way. Again, it just happens to be what I had around.

Finally, this recipe could really stand up to having some chopped walnuts and/or dark chocolate chips added.

Dark Chocolate-Ginger Pear Muffins

1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbl packed light brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
3 Tbl good quality, dark cocoa powder
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbl honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped pears (around 1/4 inch dice)

Line or grease a 12 cup muffin pan.

Put all of the ingredients but the pears into a mixing bowl (you can do this by hand -- a mixer is really not necessary) and fold everything together with a wooden spoon. Don't overmix! The secret to light and fluffy muffins is to just barely get the ingredients incorporated.

This mixture will be dry, but fold in the pears and they will offer more moisture. This batter is not intended to be very wet. This is another trick to having light, fluffy muffins. We are not making a cake batter.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and then bake for 20-25 minutes. Use a toothpick to make sure they are cooked through -- stick the toothpick into the center of a larger muffin. If the toothpick comes out clean, then they are done; if it does not come out clean, cook another couple of minutes and try again.

Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes then move to a cooling rack. Eat them warm and reserve the rest for a light dessert.

Clatite (Klah-tee-t-suh)

You may know them better as crepes. A friend of ours call them "Bubba's Pancakes" because his grandmother made them and they ate hers with Nutella. Call them what you want and they are delicious regardless.

Clatite (Crepes)

4 eggs
1 Tbl sugar
1 Tbl salt (I always use kosher)
4 cups flour
4 cups milk

Beat the eggs, sugar, and salt together (I use my stand mixer to make this batter), then gently add 1/2 a cup of the milk. Add a cup of flour at a time and 1 1/2 cups of milk. Whisk until well blended. The mixture will be thick so add the remaining milk to the batter until it is very thin.

Heat a non-stick skillet (I use an 8") with some vegetable oil and a dab of butter. Ladle the batter into the skillet and twist the pan so the batter spreads evenly into a thin cake. This will take practice! I usually need to spread the batter out with the back of a spoon or a spreader I use for icing cakes.

Once one side is golden brown, flip and let cook on the other side. Once cooked through, move to a plate and make the next one. The first crepe never turns out right, which is fine -- cook's treat!

This recipe turns out quite a lot of crepes, so it is perfect when you are feeding a crowd! They can be made ahead of time and allowed to sit on the counter until you are ready to use them. You can set out a variety of jellies or jams, a chocolate/hazelnut spread like Nutella, fresh fruit, powdered sugar ... whatever you have around or sounds good. You can also use these as a more elegant way to serve chicken salad for a luncheon -- I'm imagining a bridal shower or a light weekend brunch with friends. My favorite way to eat these, though, is with "rich cream" and syrup-y strawberries as pictured above.

Rich Cream

Cottage cheese, soft ricotta cheese, or softened cream cheese
Vanilla (real and of good quality)
Sugar

The measurements above will depend upon how much cheese you want to flavor. My preference is the soft ricotta -- fresh or store-bought. Flavor the cheese, whichever one you use, to taste. Start small -- a few drops of good vanilla go a long way -- and if you are starting with a cheese like the ricotta you probably won't need much sugar. Cream cheese will require a bit more. Just taste along the way until you find your balance.

Syrup-y Strawberries

Strawberries, hulled and sliced
Sugar

Sprinkle the berries in a bowl with a tablespoon or two of sugar -- it does not need to be a proper measuring spoon here. I use the spoons we eat soup with. Gently turn the berries over in the sugar and let sit on the counter while you work on everything else. Even ten or fifteen minutes will give you sweet strawberries with a bright red syrup. Put them in the refrigerator if you have any leftovers and you can spoon them over some vanilla ice cream later.

Keeping it Simple

I love my tiny charcoal grill. For some reason, using it makes me feel like grilling is no big deal. Tonight I grilled some pork chops from my butcher as well as a couple pieces of chicken from the same butcher. 

Alongside, I made a carrot "slaw" dressed with just a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper. I also served sautéed mushrooms and pan-roasted garlicky broccoli. 

To make the mushrooms, simply clean and cut in half 1 1/2 lbs of whatever mushrooms you want to use. I had white button and baby bellas on hand. Heat some olive oil in a pan then add in the cleaned and cut mushrooms. Squeeze half a lemon over top then let cook for a few minutes (stirring occasionally throughout). Add a tablespoon of butter and let cook a few more minutes. You will have a bit of a "sauce". Turn off the heat and add a bit of chopped parsley or cilantro. These, I feel, are best at room temperature. This is an adaptation of the recipe by Mireille Guliano in her book "French Women For All Seasons." I highly recommend it!

Dessert was some homegrown strawberries I picked up from a roadside stand. I served freshly whipped cream and graham crackers alongside. This was a great feast to celebrate the first day of summer. 

Umm, Yeah, It's Been a While

Sorry about that;) Life has been uber-crazy over the last two months. I haven't had the mental capacity to take pictures or do any writing. I'm trying to get back at it though, and while I don't have any pictures I have lots of ideas to share!

Lent is wrapping up right now for many, it is only beginning for Orthodox Christians. We have a far more strict practice than many others too. To follow the Great Fast strictly, we are to be essentially vegan, though we are allowed shellfish. According to the strictest traditions, there are even days we are not supposed to use oil for cooking. However, the strictest version of this practice is generally expected only of monks and nuns.

For the most part, those of us with families will try to go without meat throughout the Great Fast. Well, that is what my family and I have as a goal anyway. What I try to do, as far as shopping and cooking goes, is to avoid purchasing and cooking with meat products. I've included here a sample menu from the last couple of days.

Potato pancakes (platki)
- I can't share this recipe because I didn't get it until I married into my husband's family

Sauerkraut and noodles
- Boil kluski or other egg noodles, drain, and add some sauerkraut. Mix together with some melted butter and serve.

Polish Cucumber Salad
- Salt sliced cucumbers and sliced onions, stir and let sit for at least 10-15 minutes. Drizzle with oil and stir gently. Add some white vinegar (a lot of you are like me), and stir gently again. Chop and add some fresh dill, check the salad's seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a plate of fresh veggies (radishes and green onions work perfectly) and maybe some brick cheese or rye bread with cream cheese.

Oranges and some dark chocolate make for an absolutely perfect dessert here, and believe me, you don't even miss the meat!

Lemon-Yogurt Muffins

This is from the Williams Sonoma Baking Book that my mother-in-law bought me for Christmas. I adapted it slightly, of course, but I highly recommend either version!

Lemon-Yogurt Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/4 cups plain yogurt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
5 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp pure lemon extract or lemon oil* (optional)

For the Topping

1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans*
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground mace*

* I used sliced almonds instead because I love lemon and almond together. I also added just a hint of almond extract to my muffins instead of the lemon extract. Further, you can opt for cinnamon instead of mace if it is all you have on hand.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with baking cups.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. Make a well in the center and add the yogurt, eggs, melted butter, lemon juice, and lemon/almond extract. Fold together just until combined. The batter should be fluffy and lumpy. Spoon the batter in to the muffin cups.

For the topping, mix together the nuts, sugar, and mace/cinammon. Sprinkle each muffin with an equal amount of the topping.

Bake the muffins until golden around the edges and when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Around 15-20 mins. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes then remove the muffins from the pan and let cool again on the wire rack. You can eat these while they are still warm though too:)

Convenience Breakfast

This morning I decided to use up the french toast sticks and sausages someone had given me, but I didn't have enough maple syrup to go around. So, I improvised with something else I had in my freezer -- frozen strawberries. I put them in the microwave for a few minutes to soften them and then blitzed them in my blender with a few normal tablespoons (not my measuring spoons) of powdered sugar.

For myself, I put a dollop of whole milk ricotta on the bottom of a shallow bowl, layered a few french toast sticks on top and drizzled it all with my strawberry sauce and added a side of sausage. It was so perfect!

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

I thought I would share a few of my favorite websites from which I like to purchase things. One is a bakery in Paris that will ship overnight (sort of, barring any discussion of time and such) to the USA. I surprised my husband with this once for his birthday (he is of French heritage) and sent some to my father-in-law once for his birthday and again for a holiday (my father's father, which is where the French heritage comes from).

Yes, it is a little bit of an expense to order from Poilane, but consider how much you might spend on flowers for someone as a birthday gift and then consider that this is fresh bread from Paris. Further, it is a huge loaf of bread, so what I do is cut it into pieces and wrap with foil and saran wrap, then freeze. It has lasted me well over a month and believe me we eat a LOT of bread in this house.

The other place I love to order from is Martin Rossol's in New Britain, CT. The kielbasa is the absolute best, as is everything else the offer. Order some kabanosy and you will eat it all within the first ten minutes of arrival! And don't forget the horseradish -- it is by far the best as well.

Bad, Bad Blogger

Ok, so I know I have been absent for a while, and there is lots of food I've missed out on sharing. I've been doing some cooking, but haven't had the time to do any writing:/

This, however, is for my friend who asked about making stroganoff. This can be made with beef or mushrooms, as we discussed!

Beef/Mushroom Stroganoff (or both!)

1 medium onion, chopped
1 or 2 cloves of chopped garlic
Around 1 lb. beef - cut into bite sized pieces*
*Alternatively, a few cups of assorted mushrooms or whatever you can find
Red wine (sub water or beef stock if you prefer)
Some vegetable oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
Paprika (a sprinkle or around 1tsp)
Dried dill (around 1tsp)
Fresh chopped dill or parsley
A dollop of sour cream

Rice or noodles for serving

Season and brown the meat (or mushrooms) in a hot pan with some oil - whatever you need for the pan you are using. Remove the meat (or mushrooms) to a warmed plate -- it is OK if the meat is not cooked all the way through yet! -- then add the chopped onion and garlic (add a few mushrooms here if you like to go with the beef) with a little salt (this helps the onions sweat and not get brown too quickly). Lower the heat a little, if necessary so your onions and garlic do not burn. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula and pick up as much of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as possible.

When your onion mixture is soft and lightly golden, return your meat to the pan (with the accompany-ing juices) and deglaze with the liquid of your choice. Stir some more with your wooden spoon/spatula to get the remaining goodness that might still be stuck to the pan and lower the heat to low. Let the liquid reduce to about half then stir in a dollop or so of sour cream. I'm not identifying here how much liquid or sour cream to use because it is really going to depend upon you how much you need/want especially depending upon the type of pan you are using. I tend to not add much liquid so I end up with a thicker gravy though not as much of it.

As you are stirring in the sour cream, sprinkle in your dill and paprika as well as salt and pepper - as always, to taste. Serve over egg noodles or rice - I love wild rice here but basmati us gorgeously scented as well -- and sprinkle some fresh chopped dill or parsley. A little red wine is perfect here. Make a little green salad to go alongside, or better yet, serve some radishes and green onions with a bowl of salt:) Perfectly comforting and elegant enough for dinner guests.

Half-Way Take-Away

Take advantage of the little ethnic markets that most areas have tucked away in a strip mall somewhere. Italian, Greek, Asian, Ukranian ... whatever you have take full advantage of walking in, talking to the shop owner (because that is generally who you will see when you go in) and learning about the various foods they sell and how to prepare them. In the Canton area we have all four of kinds of stores that I mentioned here and I regularly shop at all of them.

This weekend I went into the Asian market for a few specific items ... tom yum paste (for tom yum soup), soy sauce, miso paste (for miso soup), and tofu. Not only did I get quality items for far less than I would have paid in a regular supermarket, I also picked up a few tips from shop owner. He was able to direct me on which ingredients he offered in the store would be the best for the particular recipes I was making and he gave me some direction in how to use these ingredients and then what to do with potential leftovers.

My husband loves miso soup, and I have learned to like it. What I made this weekend was fantastic, largely thanks to the perfect direction I was given in the store. The miso paste was full of flavor and the tofu I bought was an excellent quality. Tofu is something that I have had a lot of trouble learning to enjoy, but after tonight I might actually be able to say that I like it.

To round out our meal, we bought some sushi rolls from Jasmine Asian Bistro (spicy tuna for my husband and I as well as a cucumber roll for the kids to try). This was surprisingly filling and the kids all actually tried and enjoyed the miso soup! All that I was missing was some Choya (a really great plum sake) from B Side Winehouse, but I did not make it that way until after the shop was closed:(

Miso Soup

Ingredients:

- 6 cups of chicken stock (though water would do just fine)
- 1/3 cup miso paste (your choice -- I used yellow)
- 2 large or 3 medium button mushrooms, thinly sliced (shiitake mushrooms are better, I just forgot to pick some up)
- 1 sheet of nori (dried seaweed, generally used for making sushi rolls) ripped into approximately 1 inch squares or, alternatively, a small handful of spinach leaves
- 1 Tbsp good quality soy sauce
- 2 or 3 chopped scallions (white and green parts)
- 8 oz firm tofu, chopped into 1/4 inch chunks

As instructed by the shop owner, pour just a little of the stock or water (maybe a cup) into the bottom of the pan and add the miso paste. While you heat the stock, whisk in the miso paste. Once the miso is incorporated, then add the rest of the water or stock. Don't be tempted to skip this step as doing it this way, apparently, makes it easier to ensure that the miso is properly incorporated. I trust my friend knows what he is talking about!

Gently heat the stock now, but be sure to not allow it to come to a full boil. Too much heat will turn the flavor of the miso and it will not be so tasty (or so I'm told). While heating the stock, add the mushrooms and allow them to steep for a few minutes before adding the remaining ingredients. Drop in the rest of your ingredients and turn the soup off the heat. Serve in heated bowls and enjoy!

Breakfast with My Boy

I got up a little late on Saturday morning after being up most of the night with my daughter who is sick with a cold. I still wanted to try to make something for breakfast after the major fail that it was last week. One of my boys came into the kitchen to see what I was doing and he ended up inspiring me to turn a bread recipe into a batch of muffins.

I fully intended to follow the recipe I had in front of me to the letter, but of course I rarely ever accomplish this task. The original recipe was for maple pecan bread but it turned into almond-walnut-pecan-maple muffins. Even my husband, who "hates" almonds, walnuts, and pecans loved these!


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups mixed nuts
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, beaten
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk*
1/2 cup real maple syrup

Whir up half of the mixed nuts and 3/4 cup of the flour until the nuts are finely ground then mix this nut flour with the remaining 1 3/4 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a little well in the center and pour in the eggs, melted butter, buttermilk, and maple syrup. Fold everything together just until everything is incorporated. Do not over-stir! The batter will be a little lumpy and that is a good thing.

Pour the batter into a muffin pan either lined with cupcake liners or greased with cooking spray. I actually ended up with 14 very large muffins as this made so much batter. Chop the remaining mixed nuts that did not end up in the food processor and sprinkle them on top of the filled muffin cups. Bake in a 350 degree oven (Fahrenheit) for about 30 minutes, turning the pan halfway through.

Check that the muffins are cooked through by poking one with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean they are done. Allow to cool for a few minutes on a rack before removing from the muffin pan.

* A note here about the buttermilk the recipe calls for. I did not have any buttermilk, so what I do when I find this is the case (which is often) is measure out an equal amount of regular milk and pour in just a little white vinegar before I begin with everything else. By the time I get around to adding in the milk it is lightly sour. It is ok that the milk is a little "chunky".

Sea Bass over Arugula

I was working from home the other day and made this for myself for lunch. If you have never had chilean sea bass, you are missing out! It is rather expensive per pound, especially as compared with the other versions of white fish available at the fish counter, but it is well worth it. In any case, a little goes a long way so you don't need to buy very much. I suppose I like it in big part because it does not have the "fishy" taste that I had to get used to with other fish (like salmon, though this is always amplified by overcooking most fish. In fact, I now really enjoy salmon since I learned this!). However, I also like the texture. It is not light and flaky, but has a firm texture to it while still remaining very light. I also love this when I make fish stew of various kinds because it holds together so well.

In any event, I had picked some up for myself to make for lunch and I chose to put it over some arugula. I simply sauteed the fish in my copper skillet with some flavorless oil (though a non-stick skillet will do fine) and some salt and pepper. When it was done I placed it right on top of my plate of arugula, squeezed a clementine over top of both the fish and arugula leaves and then a little oil. Lemon would work just as well but I really wanted to get the sweetness of the clementine. I included some chopped red onion (don't use much -- a shallot would be ideal here), cucumber, and pomegranate arils as well.

This alongside some of the tom yum soup I had made the day before and a clementine for dessert made for a really nice light lunch.

Weekday Dinner

 I really, really, really wanted to go pick up carryout for dinner tonight. I was daydreaming of all the different options I had and just could not decide. I got so frustrated that I ended up at the grocery store. I formulated a plan before I went in to make a salad with a piece of salmon. Healthy, very little effort, and very delicious.

I bought 2 good sized pieces of salmon and seared them in a copper skillet (you could use a non-stick -- I just love how the skillet my husband got me for Christmas puts a nice crispy sear on the outside of my fish) with some salt and pepper until they were cooked through to my liking.

Using some baby arugula, some pomegranate arils, chopped English cucumber, chopped red onion, crumbled Feta, a few olives, and various dressings, dinner was served!

For the children, I put their arugula and salmon on Sponge Bob plates (for the boys) and a Dora plate (for my daughter) with Ranch dressing. I can get them to eat anything this way!

For my husband, I put out the Greek dressing and for myself, after I placed my salmon on top of my salad, I squeezed a clementine on top and drizzled some oil and more salt and pepper. It was so perfect!

We had some clementines and bananas for dessert and a few teeny cookies before bed for the kids. It was all almost as easy as walking in with the food already made from a restaurant but healthier and cheaper:)

Starting the Week Out Right

Sunday turned into a mini-party somehow, but that is more than welcome in our house! I love to have people over during the working week as well but that is rarely feasible when all of our friends not only work but also have young children who need help with everything. Sunday night really was perfect though, because the children all kept each other busy and wore each other out. We adults had the opportunity to sit and talk while we ate and drank. Having people over on Sunday evenings really helps avoid what my husband likes to call Sunday night depression. He describes this as those nights before school starts when the house is too hot because of dinner, you are dreading the fact that you have to get up and go to school in the morning, and you forgot to even look at your homework for the next day.

Thankfully, I had enough warning about the number of people who would be stopping by and so I was prepared. I find that when I am expecting a crowd, but everyone will be arriving at different times, it is easiest to make a very large batch of pasta. When it's hot, it's wonderful, when it's lukewarm, it's wonderful, and when it's cold, it's wonderful. I also made a salad with kale as I knew that it would stand up to sitting out for a while, already dressed.

This pasta is largely borrowed from one of Nigella Lawson's (go figure), but I actually cannot remember which one and I have adapted and remade this so many times that it really is mine at this point. So, here is my version:

Bacon and Pea Rigatoni for a crowd

Ingredients:
- 3 lbs rigatoni
- 1 package of frozen peas
- 1 package of thick cut bacon, cut into lardons (strips)
- 2 large cloves of garlic (unless you are using garlic oil)
- Lots of olive oil (I am not specifying here because it will depend on your pan) or garlic flavored oil (this is recommended)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Around 1/3 - 1/2 cup dry white wine
- Shredded parmesan cheese (or a brick, which is I use to then shred myself)
- Chopped parsley (optional)

Boil the pasta in a large pot. You may need to work in batches if you don't have a large enough pot. Be sure to reserve plenty of the pasta's cooking water. I reserve around 2 cups for this. Then, as the pasta drains, get out a roasting pan -- I use the one that came with a rack inside for a large roast or a turkey (do not use the rack for this recipe;). You can see pictures below.

Put the pan onto the heat with the oil in it. When the oil is hot, I then cut the bacon into the oil right over the pan using my kitchen scissors. Be careful if you are doing this! The oil will splatter out at you. If you have cut the bacon prior to this, that is great. I just tend not to take the time. Still, be careful.

Push the bacon around until it begins to crisp. This will probably take some time since there is quite a bit of bacon. As you begin to get near this stage, you can now put in the chopped garlic, unless you are using the garlic oil (which I recommend because the garlic might burn, though that is not something I really mind). Once the bacon is to the desired level of crispiness (I don't turn it into bacon bits, but I like the pieces to be more ham-like with some crisp edges), pour in (carefully! and not right from the bottle) the wine and about 1 cup of the reserved pasta water. Let this bubble for a bit until it thickens a little (and I mean a little). Then turn in the peas and the pasta and push around with a wooden spatula to allow the pasta to pick up the bacon-wine "sauce".

Turn the pan off the heat, sprinkle in the shredded parm as you are turning the pasta in the sauce. When you feel that the pasta is properly coated, give it one more layer of shredded parm. You could put this in a hot oven for a few minutes to let the top layer of cheese get crisp but that is up to you. A sprinkling of chopped parsley is excellent here but not necessary and I like to put out crushed red pepper flakes for anyone to use for themselves if they like a bit of heat.

You may find that the pasta is too dry. In this case, pour in more of the reserved pasta water as well as some more oil if you feel it is necessary. I usually need to do this, but I also am a little conservative in the beginning since I do not want to have oily pasta (in the wrong way).

Make up a salad of your choice. What I made, as I mentioned, was kale to which I added some pomegranate arils and slivered almonds. I used a pre-made Greek dressing just because it is what I had on hand was very good -- I knew everyone would like it.

I served cupcakes for dessert and everyone was very happy! Including me:) I was able to sit and enjoy our company without hopping up to make sure everything was properly served. I knew that everyone could get what they wanted and get whatever amount they wanted, which with small children running around, also allowed me to keep an eye and ear on them!

Eggplant Spread

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 smaller eggplants
1 small-medium regular onion, chopped finely
1 dollop (or more as needed) of mayonnaise
1 small dollop of sour cream
Some lemon juice, to taste
Vegetable or other tasteless oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
Chopped parsley (optional)

Turn on your broiler and place the eggplant, on a pan covered with foil, underneath. You want this pretty close because, ideally, you should be doing this on a grill (charcoal or gas, it doesn't much matter). If you can do this (grill), then do it. Believe me, it is worth it!

Basically, you want to let the eggplant(s) completely deflate, so to speak. Carefully turn them every so often. When they are burnt and crusty on the outside, take them out of the oven (or off the grill) and let cool.

Once cool, cut through the skin and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Stir in your chopped onion using a wooden spoon. This is very important because otherwise the spread will take on a bitter flavor. Try to "mash" the onion a little bit in the process, but if you can't, it is not a big deal.

Stir in your lemon juice, maybe a few teaspoons -- to taste, as well as the salt, pepper, sour cream, and mayonnaise. I like to garnish with some chopped parsley, but it is not necessary. Serve with fresh, good, bread.

Birthday Meal

It's my mother-in-law's birthday and I decided to make her dinner and a cake. I had seen a recipe through Bon Appetite on Twitter for a meal with chicken and another tweet for a kale and grapefruit salad. You can find the chicken recipe here and the kale/grapefruit salad recipe here.

Everything was delicious, though I found that for the salad I needed closer to 1 1/2 grapefruits (so, more than the 1/4 cup found in the recipe), and I should have waited to put my avocado into the salad at the end. It really was a great combination though and I would recommend it for lunch anytime!

The chicken was really fantastic and I love the concept with the chicken thighs. These are an under-utilized cut of meat. They are inexpensive, full of flavor, and as versatile as their white meat counterparts (haha -- no pun intended).

I also made a lemon sponge cake with whipped cream icing for dessert. It was a nice, light way to end our meal.

Lemon Sponge Cake 

- 5 room temperature eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Beat the eggs and sugar with a wire whisk until tripled in volume. Using a stand mixer is ideal here but electric hand-beaters will work too. Gently fold into these light, fluffy eggs the flour, sifted, as well as the lemon zest and butter. Pour into 2 small round cake molds and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 mins.

Allow the cakes to cool on a wire rack in their pans for a bit. When the pans are able to be handled, flip the cakes out and onto the rack to complete cooling. This should not take long as they are thin cakes.

Whipped Cream Icing

- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbl powdered sugar

While the cakes are cooling, whip all of the ingredients together until peaks form and hold. Layer some of the icing (a little under half) between the two cakes and then cover the cake top and sides with the remaining icing. I sprinkled some more lemon zest on top as decoration.

Genius

This is going to become a weekly meal.
http://ow.ly/gJY81

Sometime You Have To Give Up ...

I wanted to make something for breakfast this morning but had to tap out. Everything I'd originally wanted to make, I realized I did not have all of the ingredients for. I finally decided upon a maple-pecan-walnut bread

I started making the batter and, as I was starting to pour the maple syrup, I somehow broke the measuring cup over my batter:/ (The measuring cup was a ceramic cup)

So, I went to pick up some doughnuts instead. I fried up some bacon and cut a grapefruit to go alongside. It made the family happy and I can't say I didn't enjoy my meal:)

Plenty of Time ...

For cooking, but not for blogging! Wow has this week gone by quickly. I cannot remember for the life of me what I made this week. I did not take pictures or anything! Tonight, however, I did:)

We had a dinner guest coming over around 7pm. I'd already pretty much decided what I was going to make but had not had the time for shopping. So, I was out of work a little after 5pm, on my way home, and realized I needed to go get dog food. Well, my dog has tummy issues and only one specific kind of dog food works for him -- at Target, the opposite direction from where I was going.

I turned around, went to Target, got what I needed, and headed for the grocery store. It was nearly 6pm by this time. I went through the grocery store, somehow not forgetting anything, and went home. My family, thankfully, cleaned up the house quite nicely (yay!) and so I was able to go straight to cooking. The menu tonight was all vegetarian, because it is Friday and we are Orthodox Christian (if you don't know, the Orthodox tradition is to abstain from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays -- generally). In any event, here was my menu:

- Olives, peppers, and marinated baby artichokes (from the deli counter)
- Grilled Zucchini
- Green salad
- Mushroom Stroganoff with wild rice
- Pumpkin seed brittle and Adult Syllabub

I largely borrowed from Nigella Lawson here (she is a lifesaver!) in her book Feast. She has a section labelled "Vegetarian Feasts." I regularly refer to this section when I need to prepare a very quick but nice vegetarian meal. Anyhow, I changed the type of salad I decided to make because of what I already had on hand.

Grilled Zucchini

Slice a smallish zucchini or two longways about 1/4 of an inch thick (or as thin as you can). Heat a grill pan (or even a skillet -- it doesn't really make that much of a difference here; I just love the way the zucchini is flavored by the cast iron grill I sit on top of my stove) and lay the zucchini on the pan. Turn as needed so that the zucchini is cooked but not to the point of being mushy -- this is really only for practical reasons! If you let them cook too much you will not be able to get them from the pan. Layer the zucchini on a pretty serving dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper then drizzle with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and a little chopped parsley. It is absolutely wonderful any time of year!

Green Salad

I keep bags of pre-washed lettuce in the refrigerator. I buy them at Aldi for $1.99. Tonight, I squeezed about 1 1/2 or 2 lemons over a little more than one bag, drizzled some olive oil, and turned the leaves around with salt and pepper (to taste).

Mushroom Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 largish onion
2 good sized cloves of garlic
4 packages of assorted pre-cleaned and sliced mushrooms (lifesavers when you are short on time!)
Vermouth (or white wine, or water, or vegetable stock)
Paprika
Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Heavy cream
Wild rice, cooked according to package instructions

Chop the onion and cloves of garlic then soften in a pan with some oil, salt, and pepper. Drop into the pan the mushrooms and stir occasionally. The mushrooms will eventually release their juices but it won't be enough to give a sauce. Help them along, once they are "wilted" with a little vermouth, white wine, water, vegetable stock (the choice is yours). Simply pour in whatever you think is enough to reduce down a bit and give you a nice little sauce -- you don't need much here, just enough to have almost a gravy. Let everything reduce a bit, sprinkle on a little paprika, nutmeg, and more salt and pepper as needed.

Serve over the rice with some freshly copped parsley.

I do not feel at liberty to copy the recipe I used for the pumpkin seed brittle as I used Nigella Lawson's directly. You can look up how to make brittle (it's very easy, don't be intimidated!) and switch out whatever nuts or seeds the recipe calls for with some pumpkin seeds.

I also decided to make an Adult Syllabub again as I published the recipe for here, but I used clementines instead of lemons and did not take the time to include any zest from the clementines.

All in all, my total time was right around 45 minutes to make everything. The brittle, of course, I made and then allowed to sit and cool while we ate dinner. Cooking time though was overall very short. I love to get olives and other things like marinated garlic, peppers, whatever from the deli at the grocery store and set them out as a beautiful starter to any meal.

A New Staple

Kale has become a new staple in my house. As of a week or two ago, I can't say I'd ever even had it (I may have and not realized it), but I had certainly never cooked with it. Now, however, I buy the giant bags of the stuff pre-washed and cut for less than $2 and use it for EVERYTHING! I now know what all the fuss is about. I just stopped home for lunch before I head out to a meeting for work and put some kale on a large plate, sliced up my leftover steak from dinner Saturday night and topped the kale, along with the leftover potatoes and veggie side (I kept everything cold), drizzled a little Ranch dressing on top and had a really lovely meal. Now with a clementine and piece of 72% dark chocolate for dessert, I am a happy woman and geared up for the rest of my long afternoon of work!

King's Cake

Tomorrow is the Feast of the Epiphany - the day many celebrate the 3 Kings, or Wise Men, arriving to meet the newborn King. I signed up for coffee and donuts at Church for tomorrow and thought it would be appropriate to bring a King's Cake, or Galette de Rois.

The King's Cake is a traditional French cake eaten on the Epiphany and includes a small token baked inside. A bean, a coin, a little doll ... And the child lucky enough to get the piece with the token gets to wear the crown that adorns the cake.


The cake I chose to make is a recipe by Nigella Lawson - so easy, do delicious, so unique. I included a token from Chuck E' Cheese inside. We will serve it after Liturgy with a crown along with the 24 cupcakes and babas a rhum.

My phone died so I have no pic for a bit. I will post tomorrow along with pics of my sarmale and ciorba.

Light, Fluffy, and Spiked

The children are all in bed and I really wanted something light and fluffy for dessert. I remember seeing Nigella Lawson's numerous recipes for Syllabub on her website and in her cookbooks.

Syllabub is a traditional English dessert that would include heavy cream, white wine, some sugar, and perhaps some lemon. I knew I had heavy cream, lemon, and some Buckeye Vodka. So I dumped about a cup of heavy cream, a tablespoon (give or take -- using a soup spoon, really) of sugar, half a lemon (juice and zest), and a scant tablespoon of vodka into my stand mixer and whisked everything together. I scraped all of it into a bowl and allowed it to set in the fridge for about ten minutes.

What I ended up with was exactly what I wanted -- a light, fluffy, dessert. If only I had some shortbread cookies ...

Pizza Party!

After a loooonnnggg day of work, I had not really made plans for dinner. So, what does anyone do when you are tired, don't know what you want to cook, or even if you are not sure you actually want to cook? Pizza, of course!

I knew I had salad mix at home and bottles of Ranch dressing, plus some fruit, wine, and (hardly any) milk. So, I picked up the kids, picked up some pizza, dumped some salad into bowls for the kids, and voila -- a semi-healthy meal! I knew the salad would keep us all from eating too much and it worked:) Now I have plenty of pieces leftover for my husband when he gets home and for lunch tomorrow! Yay!

Have a great Friday night!

Breakfast of [Lazy] Champions

Even those of us who enjoy cooking do not always want to cook in the morning. In fact, I hardly ever have any desire to cook before noon. So, I keep it simple. Yogurt with some fruit, toast, or microwaved oatmeal - not instant either.

You can step up your morning oatmeal just a little without that much more work at all. I put a bowl into the microwave with 1/2 cup of oatmeal and 1 cup of milk. Cook for 2 1/2 - 3 mins (watch it because it might bubble over and make a bit of a mess - mine does every time!) Then stir and add whatever you want.

Consider unique toppings and flavors. Add some peanut, cashew, almond, or other nut butter. Also use honey or maple syrup as sweeteners instead of sugar or sugar substitutes.

One unique topping I recently saw was pomegranate seeds. This would be fantastic with a little honey and orange juice.

What I did this morning was oatmeal with honey, lemon, a little butter, and some sliced almonds.

Serving Up Leftovers ...

Still. I won't be home tonight so I won't be making my cabbage rolls. I plan to tomorrow night though and I will post my recipe at that time.

The kids are finishing up the carrot and potato soup while I finish some Red Beet Borscht alongside a salad and leftover Alouetta.

Boxed Lunch

I went to the salad bar at the grocery store since I didn't have time to go home today for lunch. I put together what I think is a really nice "boxed lunch". Using a takeout container with 3 sections, I made a nice little salad with some veggies plus a little oil and vinegar, some olives (for healthy fats) and a little cottage cheese topped with strawberries. To make the berries a little extra special, I put some fresh ground pepper and balsamic vinegar on top. If you have not tried this before, don't be put off - take a risk and try it! Consider how good tomatoes are like this - tomatoes and strawberries are very similar in a number of ways. At least just try one or the other - maybe the pepper only? It makes for a really unique dessert and that little something extra makes it even more special. A little dark chocolate is the perfect finish for such a light (but yummy) lunch:)

Bon Appetite Cleanse

I really think I might try some of this. I am not good at following menus exactly (or recipes for that matter) but all of these things sound amazing! I wish I could take credit for the idea of putting pomegranate seeds on my oatmeal, but that might just become a staple!

http://bonap.it/Rt4nBx

Hopefully this link works. I'll have to test it later.

Chaos

This morning was chaotic (unusual? No.) as the kids were back to school today. The discovery of a few crayons in my batch of laundry did not help anything. I don't think I will be able to get red and purple crayons out of our clothes:/ But I'm trying.

Anyhow, I did manage to get the family their banana cream pie but never got around to getting something together for myself. So I am having a Mediterranean Egg White breakfast sandwich from Panera. These are so delicious and a real treat for the first working day of the year!

Maybe tomorrow ...

I had the greatest intentions to make sarmale, or cabbage rolls, for today but I have so much food in the fridge that I don't even know that I could fit another pot of anything in there! I think I will make them tomorrow night as I have a long day planned at work and will probably need the relaxation:)

In the meantime, the family is eating up the macaroni, salad, and other food lingering in the refrigerator. So, nothing exciting going on in the kitchen today!

Happy New Year!

I've been absent the last day or so, sorry;) I have been resting after a really fun New Year's Eve. My menu ended up being:

Shrimp Cocktail
Pate
Brie, Blue Cheese, and New York Cheddar
Mac n' Cheese
Alouetta
Mashed potatoes
Buche de Noel
Assorted candies
Champagne and Port wine