Sweet Potato Pancakes November 28, 2008

Here is an easy brunch recipe  that is great for using up leftover sweet potatoes, which some people may have  right now after Thanksgiving. It’s a simple recipe that is lightly flavored with spices and makes a great breakfast.  This recipe is from SouthernFood.com.

• 1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. salt
• 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes
• 2 eggs – beaten
• 1 1/2 C. milk
• 1/4 C. butter – melted

Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Combine remaining ingredients; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop by tablespoons onto hot greased griddle or skillet and fry, turning once, until browned on both sides.

Notes: Great with maple syrup. Mmm! Syrup is not great for type 1 diabetics though… Ahem.
Servings: Makes about 24 pancakes.

Sweet Potato and Bacon Biscuits November 25, 2008

A couple years ago some friends of our threw a party, a Bacon and Bourbon party. What is a Bacon and Bourbon Party, you ask? Well, it’s a party where you drink bourbon and eat lots of bacon. Bacon wrapped, stuffed, infused… It’s decadent. The party was revived this year by a couple of other friends. I wanted to make something with some sweet potatoes I had on hand and I found this lovely recipe for sweet potato and bacon biscuits. The biscuits ended up tasting great, even though I had to improvise a bit with the recipe…

• 2 C. all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter – cut into pieces
• 1 C. mashed cooked sweet potatoes – cooled
• 2 T. packed light brown sugar
• 5 slices cooked bacon – drained and crumbled
• 3/4 to 1 C. buttermilk

(I’m pulling this directly from the site again. It’s baking! Follow exactly!)

“Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet and set aside.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and work in with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a bowl, whip the sweet potatoes with the brown sugar until very smooth. Add to the flour mixture and mix in lightly but thoroughly with your fingers. Add 3/4 cup of the buttermilk and the bacon and gently work to make a smooth dough, slightly sticky, being careful not to overwork and adding more liquid as needed 1 teaspoon at a time.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat out into a large rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 10 large biscuits and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and risen, 15 to 18 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve hot with butter.”

Notes: Alright, the section where it says “turn out onto a lightly floured surface…” is a total lie. I added the 3/4 cup buttermilk and it was a sticky mess, no way to roll out. I improvised and bam! drop biscuits.

Servings: 24+

Sour Cream Apple Cake November 23, 2008

I’ve never made a sour cream cake before. But when I bought a container at the store and ended up not making the recipe I originally planned, well, I had to find a recipe. An abundance of apples in the fridge helped me decide on this sour cream apple cake.

It was a good decision. Thanks to Bunny’s Warm Oven for this great recipe. It was a wonderful mix of nuts and apples and spiced. I had to bring some in to work so that Chris and I didn’t just have cake for dinner for a week.

Apple-Nut Filling

• 1 1/2 C. chopped apples
• 1/3 C. packed brown sugar
• 1 T. flour
• 2 T. butter
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1/2 C. finely chopped nuts (I use walnuts)
• 1/2 t. cinnamon

Coffee Cake

• 1 1/2 C. sugar
• 3/4 C. butter, softened
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 3 C. flour (all purpose)
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 1/2 t. baking soda
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1 1/2 C. sour cream

(Copied directly from the original recipe):

“1 Preheat oven to 325°F; grease a 12-cup Bundt pan or a 10×4-inch tube pan.
2 Prepare apple-nut filling: Cook all ingredients, except nuts, over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until apples are tender. This will take approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in nuts. Set aside.

3 Combine sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed, 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

4 Alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat well between each addition on low speed.

5 Spread 1/3 of the batter (about 2 cups) in the baking pan. Top with 1/3 of the filling. Repeat this pattern 2 more times, until all batter and filling have been used.

6 Bake at 325°F for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turnout onto a serving plate and cool completely.”

Notes: I had a hard time with this cake batter. It was far thicker than anything I’d made before, so the “spreading” in the baking pan was more like dropping in clumps. It wasn’t as pretty as it could have been but it tasted great.

Servings: 8-12 slices of cake

Pear, Blue Cheese, and Walnut Salad with Balsamic Vinigarette November 21, 2008

This salad was one of the first things I made from Bittman’s new cookbook. I love that the book just gives me new, basic ideas, like the fruit, nut, cheese salad. There is also a list of different varieties. I get bored with my green salads loaded with raw vegetables. This was a nice reminder after getting stuck in a rut.  I also made the balsamic vinegarette, which is just so easy and simple and doesn’t have any of that crap that’s in the store dressings (although I still buy and use those…)

• mixed greens
• ripe pear
• blue cheese – crumbled
• walnuts

Just plate the greens and toss on the pear, blue cheese and walnuts. Top with your favorite vinegarette and enjoy with a side of fresh bread.

Notes: I ate this kind of salad for a week after this. So. Good.

Servings: As many as you want to make. Duh.

How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian November 20, 2008

I got a new cookbook. I don’t use cookbooks that often. I love Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking, for the recipes as well as the beautiful book and pictures. Beyond that, I find recipes from cooking blogs or websites. One of the sites I follow is Mark Bittman’s from the NYTimes.com. Bitten. I also got into the PBS show, On The Road Again, where Bittman, Mario Batali, Gwyneth Paltrow and some attractive Spanish actor named Claudia Bassols drive all over Spain and eat and talk about food.

So, I decided to buy a Mark Bittman cookbook. The one that interested me the most was the vegetarian cookbook. I really do try to limit the amount of meat I cook for many reasons. I’ve recently read Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma and am now reading In Defense of Food. All of these things are just pointing me towards more whole foods and less meat. This new cookbook covers everything! I am actually sitting down and just reading the cookbook. He has so much information on the basics of food. And it will be perfect for next summer’s CSA. When I get some random vegetable that I really don’t know what to do with, I’ll just go to the back of the book and find 5-10 great recipes.

This book is a tomb. That’s the only reason for this picture. It’s giant. I’m already marking recipes I want to try and have made 5 out of this thing already. Hurray for new cookbooks!

Carmelized Onion and Mushroom Goat Cheese Tart November 19, 2008

Mmmm. A savory tart. I have been saving The Wednesday Chef’s recipe idea for a while. And the, all the sudden, I had mini portobello mushrooms, goat cheese and puff pastry on my hands. This makes a filling weekday entree or a great appetizer. The flavors are pretty basic but wonderful.

• 2 onions – sliced
• 1 package mini portobello’s – sliced
• 4-6 ounces goat cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 sheet puff pastry
• olive oil
• salt/pepper

Start by carmelizing the onions. In a big skillet, toss in the onions with a little olive oil and even some butter. Stir, cooking slowly at medium to medium low, until they start to brown and carmelize (20 minutes). Add the mushrooms and some salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms cook and get a little of that carmilized flavor.

While the onions are cooking, bake the puff pastry. Take the sheet and let it thaw. Unfold it and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Trim edges by 1/4 inch strips and set aside. Break one egg into a bowl and beat slightly. Brush the egg over the puff pastry. Lay on the strips on each side and brush them with more egg. It will create a little edge to your tart. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes. If the center puffs up, don’t worry, it will go down when you spread on the goat cheese mixture.

Mix together one egg with 4 ounces of goat cheese. Spread onto the cooked puff pastry. Top with the carmelized onions and mushrooms. Break off some extra goat cheese to put on top of the vegetables and bake for about 5 minutes.

Notes: Savory and filling and delicious. Don’t eat too much. Serve with a nice salad.

Servings: 4 entree sized servings.

Kale and Garbanzo Bean stuffed Delicata Squash November 17, 2008

I made these stuffed squash over a week ago. Maybe even two weeks ago. I think that butternut and delicata are now tied as my favorite squash. Butternut is more versitile, but I do love the creamy, slightly sweet flavor of the delicata squash. A hearty filling of beans and greens and a little cheese made these squash a full meal in one. I found the recipe here and changed up the kind of beans I used.

• 2 delicata squash – cut in half and scooped out
• 1 clove garlic – minced
• 1 can garbanzo beans – drained and rinsed
• 4 large handfuls of greens (kale or spinach)
• dried sage
• 1/2 C. breadcrumbs
• 1/4 C. Parmesan – grated

Start by roasting the squash. Heat the oven to 350. Place the squash, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Roast for about 45-60 minutes, until the squash is fully cooked (check with a fork).

Next, make your filling. Saute garlic in a little olive oil. Do this for about 30 seconds before throwing in the beans and greens. Season with sage, salt and pepper. Turn off heat and mix in 1/4 cup bread crumbs and the cheese.

Fill the squash with the mixture and top with a little bread crumbs and cheese if you’d like. Return to the 350 oven for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Notes: Chris told me that he’s never very excited about stuffed squash, until he starts to eat it. I, on the other hand, was very excited about this recipe even before I tasted it. It’s so simple and a perfect vegetarian meal with a side salad.

Servings: 4 squash halves – 2 large entrees if you’re very hungry.

Cinnamon Apple Scones November 13, 2008

I made scones. For the first time, I made scones.

My kitchen filled with the smell of cinnamon. I love the smell of things baking.

For the past several weekends we’ve had these scones. I baked one batch the first weekend and put the other set in the freezer and baked them the next weekend. It’s so wonderful to have a cup of coffee and a warm scone and not pay $7 for them in a coffee shop. Next time, I’m interested in making some pumpkin scones…

• 2 C. all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 C. wheat flour
• 1/2 C. sugar
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 1/2 C. cold unsalted butter – cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 C. buttermilk
• 1 T. ground cinnamon
• 2 C. peeled and diced apples
• 1 egg – beaten
• 2 T. milk
• cinnamon & sugar mixture to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 400°. Line  2 baking sheets and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. (Alternately, use a food processor with a metal blade to cut in the butter.) Stir in cinnamon and chopped apples. Do not overwork the dough.

Add 1 & 1/4 cups of buttermilk. Mix until combined and the dough begins to stick together. Add remaining buttermilk if dough is too dry.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll or pat dough into two 6-inch rounds about 1 & 1/2 inches thick. Cut each round in half, then cut each half into 3 triangles. Place on baking sheets.

Mix together beaten egg and milk. Brush the tops of the triangles with egg wash. Then, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Serve immediately. (You can freeze the unbaked scones for a month or so, tightly wrapped.)

Notes: Yum! I like scones!

Servings: 12 scones

Cheesy Potato Spoon Bread November 11, 2008

Cheesy potato spoon bread. This title is an acurate description of this creation.  I’ve had this recipe from 101cookbooks.com sitting in my recipe list for ages, waiting for a decadent holiday meal. Let me just say that this is a messing dish, that uses up pots and bowls and electric mixers and oh my gosh I did so many dishes. Was it worth it? I *think* so. Actually, I’m not sure. It was good, but the amount of prep work and the amount of cheese within was maybe a bit too much for me to want to make this again. I’m going to copy and paste Heidi’s recipe since it’s so detailed and I followed it pretty closely. This can be made in individual ramikins, but I didn’t have enough so I used a big pan.

4 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 cup all-purpose flour
3T butter
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup minced parsley
6 oz. Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
8 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Generously butter  2-qt. souffle dish or casserole.

2. If using cold mashed potatoes, warm in large nonstick skillet or saucepan over medium heat until very hot, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

3. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Put flour, margarine, onion powder, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper in mixing bowl, and pour boiling water over mixture. Using electric mixer on low, beat for 1 minute, and add very hot mashed potatoes. Beat again well. Add eggs, and beat again, until thoroughly combined. Set aside to cool slightly.

4. Mix parsley, shredded cheese and cream cheese in mixing bowl. Put 4 cups into prepared casserole. Make a well in center, and spoon in parsley-cheese filling. Top with remaining potato mixture.

5. Bake 50 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with sprigs of parsley if desired.

Notes: This was just… so much! So much cheese. It was good, I swear, but… you know. Cheesy.

Servings: 8 + leftovers

Wilted Spinach and Edamame Salad November 10, 2008

In addition to the big hung of ham I served for the dinner party last week, I served this wilted spinach and edamae salad from Kalyn’s Kitchen. I swear there is edamame in there, they just fall to the bottom of the bowl!

• 1 bag fresh baby spinach
• 1 red onion – sliced
• 2 T. vegetable oil (not olive oil, something neutral flavored)
• 2 T. rice vinegar
• 1 T. Agave Nectar (or honey)
• 2 t. sesame oil
• 1/2 C. shelled edamame
• salt
• sesame seeds

Whisk together vinegar, Agave nectar, sesame oil and salt.

Heat 2 T of oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until onions are well-browned on both sides, about 5-7 minutes. When onions are nearly done, add edamame and heat through, about 1 minute. Add dressing mixture and heat about 30 seconds.

Pour hot dressing-onion-edamame mixture over spinach and toss to coat. Toss on sesame seeds (after toasting) and serve.

Notes: This was a tasty salad and I’ll be making it again. It looks very pretty too.

Servings: 8 side salads