Orange, Cranberry and Endive Salad December 31, 2007

Don’t try to focus your eyes on this picture, it won’t work. I took a terribly fussy, out of focus picture! But I wanted to include it since it shows the wonderful color of the salad I made for Christmas Eve dinner. This is completely simple and isn’t an actual recipe since I didn’t make the dressing, just used store bought raspberry vinaigrette, but it was good.

2 bag salad mix
3 endives, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 oranges, segments cut out
1/2 cup dried cranberries

I made two bowls of salad with this. I tossed the cut endives on top to add flavor to the lettuce and add a nice crunch. To cut the segments out of the orange, first cut off the white pith and then carefully cut out the segments so you just get orange and none of the extra. This shows how to do it. It’s a great way to include citrus in salads. Toss onto the salad along with the cranberries and enjoy.

Notes: Adding nuts to this salad would have been a nice addition.

Servings: 10 servings.

Goat Cheese Potatoes December 30, 2007

This was one of the sides I served for my families’ Christmas Eve meal. It’s a decadent version of scalloped potatoes that is very rich and creamy. It’s not healthy. I found this recipe on Food Network and followed it prety closely.

1 cup heavy cream
1/2  cup milk
1 1/2 cups canned chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup minced shallots
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 log soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled (8 ounces total)
4 pounds potatoes, thinly sliced

Mix first 7 ingredients in large pot. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Add half of cheese and mix with a fork until smooth. Transfer potato mixture to prepared dish, spreading evenly. Cover with foil; bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake until potatoes are very tender and liquid bubbles thickly, about 50 minutes. Dot potatoes with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese softens, about 5 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Notes: If I make it again I’ll cut back on the liquid. It was a bit runny for me so maybe it needed to bake longer too. It tasted great though!

Servings: 10 + left overs

Veggies and Eggs December 30, 2007

I threw together a quick breakfast this morning for Chris and I. A piece of toasted whole grain bread with orange segments complimented one of my favorite breakfast entrees, eggs with a bunch of sauteed vegetables. This dish is all about the vegetables with the eggs just adding a little protein and flavor.

1/4 red onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 cup broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
3 whole eggs and 1 egg white
1 T. olive oil
Salsa on the side

Saute onions and bell peppers in oil until they get soft, then add the mushrooms and broccoli and continue cooking until all vegetables and done. Whisk eggs with about 1 T. water and add to the hot pan with the vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste. The eggs should cook very quickly on the hot pan, just a few minutes. Serve with a side of salsa and enjoy.

Notes: I will use almost any vegetable I have on hand for this to make a yummy and quick breakfast, mushrooms and spinach being my favorite combination.

Servings: 2 big servings

Lentil Quiche December 28, 2007

After the gluttony of Christmas, I’m excited to get back to cooking healthier and eating more vegetables and less meat! I wanted to cook with lentils last night but didn’t want to make soup. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and added some extra vegetables to the mix. It turned out well and was a fast and easy dish.

1 cup chopped onions
Olive oil
3/4 cup dried lentils
2.5 cups water
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chopped tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes)
3 whole eggs and 2 egg whites, beaten
1 cup milk
salt and pepper
basil and parsley
1/4 cup grated fontina cheese (optional)

Sautee the onions in oil in a cast iron skillet for several minutes, adding the mushrooms at the end and cook until soft. Boil the lentils in the water for about 20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain most of the water off and place the broccoli on top. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. This will dry out the lentils and steam the broccoli.

Mix the lentils, broccoli and tomatoes into the onions and mushrooms. Season with herbs and salt/pepper. Whisk together eggs and milk and pour over the vegetables in the skillet. Mix in cheese at this time and bake in the oven at 375 for 45 minutes or until the center is firm when the quiche is jiggled. Cool before slicing.

Notes: This was a great, easy dish. I put it together in about a half hour and then it cooked for 45 minutes. We ate it with a nice salad and it was a good meal.

Servings: 4 servings

Roasted Brussels Sprouts in Cream of Balsamic December 26, 2007

I made a meal on Christmas Eve for my family that included an appetizer of pesto crostini, pomegranate sparkling wine cocktails, winter salad, roasted brussels sprouts, goat cheese scalloped potatoes and roasted coco and spice pork.  My sister made some delicious rolls that went with.

The first recipe I’ll post is for the roasted brussels sprouts. This is the first time I’ve made brussels sprouts, ever, and they’re delicious. I didn’t work off of a recipe but just kind of roasted them and seasoned them and they were perfect.

30 small brussels sprouts
1-2 T. olive oil
Salt, Pepper
Cream of balsamic

Turn the oven on to 400 degrees. Slice each sprout in half, cutting of a bit of the end as well. Peel off any of the larger, outer leaves to get to the nicely colored, tightly wrapped center leaves of the sprout. Wash and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Once sliced in half and cleaned, drizzle some olive oil over the sprouts and toss to cover. Pour sprouts onto a cookie sheet covered in tin foil. Season with salt and pepper and put into the oven for about 10 minutes. Check to see if the sprouts are cooking and soft, almost done. Drizzle cream of balsamic on top of the sprouts and place back into the oven for 5-10 minutes more. Take out of the oven and serve.

Notes: These were great. It’s a perfect winter vegetable that’s very tasty and great with cream of balsamic. I’d love to try this recipe as well from 101cookbooks.com when I have more time and am not making a whole big meal.

Servings: 8-9 servings with paired with a large meal.

Favorites: Global Santoku Knife December 19, 2007

We’ve been eating left overs to clean out the fridge before leaving for Christmas, so I haven’t made anything new since Sunday. So let me share with you another one of my favorites.

Global Santoku Knife

This is my multi-purpose, do anything, favorite knife. Global is my favorite brand, as I really like the look, the weight and the grip of the handle of the knives. I like the santoku style, which originated in Japan, because of the angle of the blade, the length (shorter than the average chef’s knife, although I know they come in all sizes), and the balance. And I like to say santoku.

I also use an 8 inch Global Chef’s Knife and a Global Bread Knife. I have a paring knife that is made by a different brand and Chris hates it, so I won’t recommend it.

Having a well made knife is great in the kitchen, but it doesn’t do any good if you don’t keep it sharp. I purchased a Global sharpener that uses ceramic wheels and water and is basically fool proof.

I try to sharpen my knives once every couple weeks, and I can tell when they are starting to wear down and need to be re-sharpened. Working with a dull knife is far far more dangerous than working with a sharp knife. The extra force needed to use a dull knife, coupled with the dull blade that may slip instead of slice, is bad for fingers and hands!

The last thing I need to add to my cutlery is a honing steel.

This is often mistaken for a knife sharper, but its purpose (most often) is to hone the edge of the blade, or make it true and straight.  This should be done after sharpening with the ceramic sharpener and each time before cooking. My knives are in need of a honing steel, as the blade tends to bend in on direction from the way that I hold and knife and cut, making it less perfect than it should be.

Sausage and Mushroom Ziti December 16, 2007

I got some venison sausage from my brother in law Kent while home over Thanksgiving. It mixed in wonderfully with this baked ziti recipe I found off of Bon Appetite.  I skipped out on the pork butt and couldn’t find any pancetta at my local grocery store, but I made do and it turned out well.

5 slices of bacon, diced
1 pound hot venison sausage
2 cups chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
dried thyme, about 1 T
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 cups dry red wine
1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes in juice, tomatoes chopped, juice reserved 1 1/4 pounds ziti pasta
2 cups (packed) coarsely grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese (about 8 ounces)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, cook bacon until crisp. Take out and cook the sausage in the same pan. After browned, add all the vegetables and spices and cook on low for about 10 minutes until soft. Add bacon back in. Add wine and scrap up any bits on the pan. Turn heat to high and boil. Add tomatoes after dicing, along with juices. Continue cooking on high heat for about 5-10 minutes, until the sauce reduces a bit.

Boil water and cook the pasta. In a  15 by 10 inch dish, mix the sauce with the pasta and top with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Notes: It didn’t need that much cheese on top, but other than that it was great. Maybe add more crushed red pepper for a little more of a kick.

Servings: A lot. It served 5 tonight with over half of the pan left over. 10+ servings!

Roasted Garlic Butter December 16, 2007

I love roasted garlic. I love how the house smells while it cooks and the complete change in texture and flavor of garlic after it’s been roasted. Mixing it with butter and salt only make it better!

4 heads garlic
Olive oil
1/3 stick unsalted butter
sea salt to taste

Cut the tops off of all four heads of garlic. Place on a sheet rack covered with tin foil and drizzle oil on top of all four. Roast in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees. It will look similar to this when done:

Let cool for about 15 minutes before squishing all of the garlicy goodness out into a bowl. Mix in butter and mash together with salt. Spread on fresh bread and enjoy!

Servings: 7-8 servings

Cranberry and Apple Salad December 16, 2007

I had my former roommates over for a little holiday dinner this Sunday. Ted brought over a tasty appetizer of BEER CHEESE, which I didn’t get a picture of, Emily brought some wine and Kim brought Texas Sheet Cake, which was chocolately, frosting covered goodness (also, no picture). I put together a meal of a winter salad, roasted garlic butter on french bread and a big pan of sausage and mushroom ziti. I’m stuffed.

1 large bag of mixed lettuce, washed
1 crisp apple, diced
1/4 red onion, sliced
hand full of pecans, toasted
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Raspberry Walnut Vinegarette

In a big bowl, top cleaned lettuce with apples, cranberries, nuts and onion. Top with your favorite dressing and enjoy.

Servings: 6 servings

Orange Chicken Stir-Fry December 15, 2007

I was looking for a different stir-fry recipe beyond the basic mix I normally make. I came across this orange beef-style tofu stir-fry recipe on Allrecipes and decided to try some of it out.

1 large chicken breast, cut into small pieces and cooked
1 cup red cabbage, sliced
1/2 package mushrooms, diced
1 large carrot, cut on a bias
1/2 cup snow peas
3/4 cup broccoli, cut into small pieces

Sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
3 + tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon chili paste
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Cook the chicken and then place in a bowl. Sautee  all the vegetables in a little oil in a large wok or skillet on high heat. Mix the sauces in a bowl and then add to the vegetables. Add the chicken back into the mix. Sautee until the sauce cooks down a little.

Notes: The orange flavor isn’t intense at all. Let the sauce cook down enough so it’s not runny. I didn’t eat it over rice, but I’m sure it would be great.

Servings: 2 servings