Lettuce Cups with Stir-Fried Chicken

These actually only mildly interested me when I decided to try the recipe. I decided to try them because they were pretty easy and I wanted to challenge myself to try something different. I'm glad I did because these were really good, pretty easy, and pretty healthy.

The original recipe is from bon appetit and is online. Here's how I made it:

1 head boston or butter lettuce, leaves removed, washed, and left whole

1/2 cup Asian sweet chili sauce

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into about 1/2" cubes

3 scallions, minced

3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon corn starch

2 tablespoons sesame oil

4 medium shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1/4 cup unsalted roasted cashews, chopped

Whisk the soy sauce, scallions, and corn starch in a medium bowl. Stir the chicken in and marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature, stirring occasionally. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add mushrooms and stir-fry for about 15 seconds. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add the chicken mixture and cook, stirring often until golden brown and cooked through, 6-7 minutes. Place a spoonful of the chicken mixture in each lettuce leaf. You'll probably need 12-16 lettuce leaves. Garnish with cashews. Drizzle sweet chili sauce over the chicken and roll leaves around the filling to eat.

Note: don't be dumb like me and spoon the hot chicken mixture into a lettuce leaf with a tear while holding the lettuce leaf in your hand. Wow, that burned! Sometimes I'm amazed at the things I do...

Brown Bread

I found a recipe for brown bread on epicurious.com and tried it. I love brown bread. It was pretty easy to make, but it does take a while to bake. I wasn't so keen on using an old can to bake it in, so I used a pudding mold.

Baked Beans

Yes, I'm still alive and still cooking a lot. In the last few months Adeline (now 8 1/2 months old) has been demanding most of the small amount of free time I once had. Anyway, I made these baked beans for dinner tonight and David and I loved them. They're sort of a combination and variation on two recipes, so I'm making myself add the recipe now so I'll know what I did for next time I crave baked beans.

1 pound dried great northern beans

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/3 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons molasses

3/4 pound (12 ounces) applewood smoked bacon, chopped

Rinse the beans and pick them over. Put the beans in a large bowl and add enough water to cover the beans by about an inch. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.

Drain the beans and transfer them to a large saucepan and add water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Set the lid askew and reduce the heat to medium-low until the beans are barely tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in the salt after 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a large fry pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook an additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very tender and golden brown. Remove from heat.

When the beans are ready, drain them in a colander, reserving the cooking liquid. Transfer the beans to a bowl. Add the cooked onion, ketchup, mustard, maple syrup, brown sugar, and molasses and stir to combine.

Line the bottom of a 3 quart baking dish or dutch oven with one-third of the bacon. Add half the beans, then half of the remaining bacon. Top with the remaining beans and bacon. Add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to barely cover the beans. Cover and bake for 2 hours. Uncover and bake another 1 1/2 hours.

Makes 8 servings.

BLT Pasta

The first time I made this, it was good. Tonight was the second time I made it and with a few adjustments, it was great. Th
is recipe is my version of a recipe from Food Network Magazine.

12 ounces penne

6 ounces applewood smoked bacon, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 pints grape tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 cups arugula

1/2 cup asiago cheese, finely grated

Cook the penne in salted water until al dente. Reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid. Drain.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon over medium heat until just crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels and reserve 3 tablespoons of the drippings. In a large saute pan, heat the 3 tablespoons bacon drippings over medium high heat and saute the onion about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic. Saute 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 12 minutes stirring often. Add the cream and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add the pasta, bacon, and 1/4 - 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Stir in the arugula until it is wilted. Stir in the asiago cheese. Remove from heat and serve. Serve with additional grated asiago cheese. Makes about 4 servings.

Roasted Beet Salad

Beets are so nutritious, but I always hated them and wished I didn't. I've been really into roasting vegetables lately. It's an easy way to make vegetables taste really good. It's not really quick, but I don't care. So, I was really excited when I saw a section in the October 2011 Food Network Magazine about roasting root vegetables. I used their ideas to come up with a really good salad which is heavy on roasted beets. I also have never liked gorgonzola cheese, but now I like both beets and gorgonzola cheese together in this salad.

8 beets

5 ounces mixed greens

6 - 8 tablespoons crumbled gorgonzola

1/4 cup pistachio kernels

olive oil

red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

Wash the beets. In a large bowl, toss the beets with olive oil and salt and pepper. Wrap each beet in foil and roast for about 45 minutes at 425 degrees. Let the beets cool until you can handle them. Peel the beets and cut into wedges.

Combine the mixed greens, beets, gorgonzola, and pistachios in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and add a splash of red wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss and serve. Makes 4 large servings.

Bacon and Leek Quiche

I made this for the second time tonight and I'm now satisfied with my recipe. The original idea came from Food Network Magazine. A friend recommended the magazine and I've now bought two issues. I like it, so I think I'll subscribe. Anyway, the September issue had a section with 50 things to do with bacon. I liked the basic ingredients for their bacon quiche idea, but I thought the custard part of the quiche would be too rich for me, being made with cream and all. Here's my version:

6 slices applewood smoked bacon, chopped

2 leeks, sliced

0.4 lbs gruyere cheese, finely grated

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

freshly ground pepper

9-inch frozen pie crust

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook the bacon until crisp and slightly browned in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Drain the bacon over paper towels on a plate. Reserve the bacon drippings. Add 2 tablespoons bacon drippings back to the skillet. Saute the leeks in the bacon drippings over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Spread a small amount of the cheese on the bottom of the pie crust. Spread the leeks over the cheese. Add a small amount of cheese over the leeks. Add the bacon over the cheese. Add the remaining cheese over the bacon. Whisk the milk, eggs, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together and pour evenly in the pie crust. Bake for 35-40 minutes until center is set. Let quiche cool and set for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Lentil Vegetable Soup

I have nothing to write about this soup except that it's healthy and delicious. The original recipe is from Cooking Light from maybe ten years ago.

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, finely diced
2 - 3 carrots, finely diced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 cup dried lentils
5 oz baby spinach
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons whole grain Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
finely grated parmesan or asiago cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion, celery, carrot, and bay leaves; saute for 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, salt, and minced garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add vegetable stock, water, and lentils; bring mixture to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer mixture for 25 minutes. Stir in the spinach, parsley, vinegar, mustard, and pepper; cook 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Ladle soup into bowls; top with cheese. Makes 6 servings.

Broccoli Quiche

This is probably my recipe for dinner with the fastest prep time. It's a recipe that until now had scribbled on a piece of paper. The instructions probably make no sense to anyone but me. It's one of several recipes from my mother that I took down when I moved into my first apartment. My one change is the addition of a small amount of cayenne pepper.

As I mentioned in a previous quiche post, I barely made quiche because I was so hung up on making everything from scratch for the longest time. I do still think that my homemade crust is best, but the all-natural frozen crusts I've been buying are good enough for a quick dinner.

1 9-inch frozen pie crust

2 cups shredded colby jack (or cheddar or just monterey jack...) cheese

10 ounces frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained

1/2 cup slivered almonds

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the eggs and mayonnaise. Whisk in the milk, black pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle a little cheese on the bottom of the pie crust. Spread the broccoli over the cheese. Spread the rest of the cheese over the broccoli. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the cheese. Sprinkle the almonds over the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until center of quiche is set. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Cold Peach Soup

I never end up taking a picture of this soup and it's probably because I'm too busy wolfing it down to grab my camera. Maybe next time I'll remember and add a picture. This soup can be served as an appetizer or as dessert. We usually enjoy it as a dessert. I made a couple small changes to my mother's recipe, which may have come from bon appetit in the '80s. Here's how I make it:

7 large peaches, pealed and quartered

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Optional: 1/4 cup peach schnapps

Puree the peaches and sugar in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate. Makes about 6 servings. Garnish with peach slices.

Peach Cobbler with Rum-Pecan Ice Cream

I've got this in the oven as I type. I've made it a few times in the past and it's really quite wonderful. It was originally from a 1999 Cooking Light issue. I've made a few minor changes.

Rum-Pecan Ice Cream

1.5 quarts light french vanilla ice cream (I use Eddy's Slow Churned), softened

1/4 cup rum

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Combine ice cream, rum, and pecans in a bowl. Cover and freeze. (I generally just put the ice cream back in the package that it came in.)

Cobbler

Crust

2 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flaked, sweetened coconut

6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup evaporated 2% milk

2 large egg yolks

Filling

4 to 4 1/2 pounds peaches, pealed and sliced

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Dash of salt

1 tablespoon sugar

Combine 2 cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Add coconut and butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine evaporated milk and egg yolks. Remove 1 tablespoon of milk mixture and set aside. Add remaining milk mixture to the food processor and pulse just until combined. Press mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form a 6-inch square. Wrap with additional plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Roll Dough between two sheets of plastic wrap into a rectangle about 9-inches by 13-inches.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine peaches and next five ingredients in a large bowl. Spread evenly in a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Remove plastic wrap from dough and place on top of peach mixture. Brush dough with reserved milk mixture and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake 35 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving. Serve with a scoop of rum-pecan ice cream. Makes 16 small servings. We are pigs so it's about 8 servings for us.

Zucchini Bread

I have made zucchini bread a couple times this summer and decided that I would share the recipe I found. It's available online.

I made two minor changes. The first is that I reduced the white sugar to 1 cup and added 1 1/4 cups brown sugar. I like brown sugar and I think it adds nice flavor to sweet breads and muffins. The other change I made was to use pecans instead of walnuts. Walnuts irritate my mouth a little, so I usually swap them out for a different nut. Pecans are usually my first choice.

One other note: when you grate zucchini, there's a lot of liquid. Pour it in.

Lentil Cakes with Raita and Roasted Garlic

Another delicious recipe from bon appetit! I especially enjoyed the raita. I basically just followed the recipe tonight, so I'm just going to link to it here and skip typing it in. The only change I made was to not bother using oil when cooking them. With a nonstick pan, I didn't see the need. Aside from that, I'll just caution that with my pan and my stove, cooking over medium-low heat was much better than medium heat.

Next time I make these, I'm making a double batch!

French-Canadian Meat Pie

I grew up having meat pie every once in a while because my mother used to make it. I think true French-Canadian meat pie might have ground pork in it. I don't remember if my mother used to make it with beef or pork or a combination, but I make it with ground beef.

Ever since the farmers' market started in July, I've been getting free-range, all-natural meat there. We're now eating less meat, but better quality, locally produced meat.

Filling

1 large potato, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef

2 teaspoons dried sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Add potato to a medium saucepan and cover with at least an inch of water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and keep partially covered until potato is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain. Mash potato coarsely with a masher or fork.

While potato is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion starts to soften. Add garlic and saute for another minute, stirring constantly. Add ground beef. Use spoon to break up the meat. Add sage, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir often. When meat is fully cooked, skim most of the fat out of the pan. Remove from heat and add mashed potato. Stir until meat mixture and potato are well combined and mixture binds together. Set aside.

Crust

2 1/2 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces.

6-8 tablespoons cold water

Add flour and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times to blend. Add butter to flour and salt and process until it resembles crumbs. Add water 2 tablespoons at a time. Process until the dough sticks together and starts to form a ball in the food processor. Split the dough in half.

Assembly

1 egg, beaten (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out one dough half large enough to cover a 9" glass pie plate. Add meat filling. Roll the other half of the dough large enough to cover the filling and edge of the pie plate. Fold the rolled out dough in half and cut 4 or 5 slits diagonally in the center of the fold to allow steam to escape as the pie bakes. Place the dough on top of the filling. Trim the extra dough to about 1/2 - 1" of the edge of the pie plate. Fold the edges under within the pie plate and pinch the dough along the edge of the pie plate. Optionally, brush the top of the crust with the beaten egg. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or until crust is golden. Makes 6 servings.

Chocolate Guinness Floats

This is an amazing dessert beverage. I wish I could take credit for the idea, but yet again it was a bon appetit idea. When I saw this in the February 2011 issue, I knew I had to try it. I was pregnant at the time, but I finally tried making these about a month ago. I'm not much of a beer drinker, but if I drink beer, I tend to prefer darker, smoother beers and I've liked the beers with chocolate in them. However, my mother doesn't like Guinness at all and she really liked these, so if you're at all intrigued, just try making them!

Since the recipe is available online, I'm sharing it here.

Float

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Kahlua

cocoa syrup

chocolate ice cream

3 bottles Guinness or other stout

Whip the cream and vanilla extract using an electric mixer. For each float, place one scoop of chocolate ice cream in a glass. Pour 1 tablespoon cocoa syrup and 1 tablespoon Kahlua over the ice cream. (Alternative: I prefer 2 tablespoons cocoa syrup and 2 tablespoons Kahlua per float.) Add half a bottle of stout to the glass, pouring gently down the side of the tilted glass to prevent too much head from forming. Spoon a dollop of whipped cream on top and drizzle cocoa syrup over the whipped cream. Serve with a straw. Makes 6 floats.

Cocoa Syrup

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup boiling water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk the sugar, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt together in a small saucepan. Pour 2/3 cup boiling water into a heat-resistant measuring cup. Whisk just enough boiling water from the cup into the cocoa mixture in saucepan to form a smooth paste, then whisk in the remaining water. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring constantly. (I get impatient and use medium heat and it has come out fine.) Simmer syrup 1 1/2 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract. Cool to room temperature. Can be made 3 weeks ahead. Cover and chill.

Black Bean Casserole

I really wish this dish looked prettier than it does. It's really delicious, basically healthy, vegetarian, and quite filling. The original recipe was from a 1999 Cooking Light issue. I'd say it is pretty light if you use half the cheese that I use and fat-free sour cream. I love cheese and I don't worry much about how much fat is in our food, so I use a nice amount of cheese.

I vary this dish a little depending on what I have available. The corn tortillas that I like best come in packages of 8, so I usually just throw 4 extra tortillas in. Last night when I made this, I didn't have enough cilantro and forgot to buy a jalapeno, so I used what cilantro I had and didn't worry about the jalapeno. It was still good because there are so many flavors. I vary the salsa also. I usually use a 24 ounce jar of Tostitos mild salsa, but last night I used the leftover roasted verde salsa that I made the night before.

Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded colby jack cheese

1 cup light sour cream

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts, sliced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

3 cups (24 ounces) salsa

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the brown rice in 1 1/4 cups water for about 40-45 minutes, until soft and water is fully absorbed. Combine the rice, 1 cup of the cheese, and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Spread a couple spoonfuls of salsa on the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish. Dip 6 tortillas in the salsa to coat them and arrange them on the bottom of the baking dish. Spread about half the black bean mixture over the tortillas. Dip the remaining 6 tortillas in the salsa and arrange them over the black bean mixture. Spread a few spoonfuls of salsa over the tortillas. Spread the remaining black bean mixture over the tortillas. Pour and spread the remaining salsa over the black bean mixture. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until bubbly. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Blueberry Crisp

This blueberry crisp is based on a recipe from Cooking Light from back in 2000. One of my changes was to make it less light. Shame on me. Oh well. The original recipe was good, but I wanted more lemon flavor, more cinnamon, and more crisp. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this is a wonderful summer dessert.

3 pints blueberries

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

zest from one large lemon

1 1/3 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup old-fashioned oats

2 teaspoons cinnamon

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 375. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Spoon into a 9-inch square baking dish. Combine flour, brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut butter in with a pastry blender, 2 knives, or even with your hands (my preferred method, though it is messy) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over blueberry mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly. Makes about 8 servings.

Roasted Corn Salad with Manchego

I modified a bon appetit recipe from this month's issue. I was actually especially excited for the farmers' market on Friday so I could get more corn and try this recipe. It was perfect with the beer-brined grilled pork chops and roasted verde salsa. The original recipe is online. Here's my adaptation:

6-7 ears of sweet corn, unhusked

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons unslated butter

coarsely ground sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup finely grated Manchego cheese

3 tablespoons minced cilantro

zest from one lime

Preheat oven to 450. Roast unhusked corn on a baking sheet, turning occasionally until heated through and crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Shuck the corn and cut the kernels from the cobs.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add corn kernels and saute until heated through and light-golden in spots, about 3-4 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer corn to a large wide bowl. Add the jalapeno, crushed red pepper, Manchego cheese, cilantro, and lime zest. Stir until blended. Makes about 4 large servings.

Beer-Brined Grilled Pork Chops with Roasted Verde Salsa

I got two pork chops at the farmers' market on Friday and wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with them. So I did a search on the bon appetit website and modified two recipes I found. The pork chops recipe is an adaptation of a recipe from the July 2001 issue. The salsa is from a recipe in the August 2007 issue. I could really taste the beer in the meat and it was delicious.

I served this with a roasted corn salad with manchego and a whole grain bread boule.

Beer-Brined Grilled Pork Chops

1 cup water

1 cup lager beer

1/8 cup coarse kosher salt

3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup ice cubes

2 pork chops (about 1 1/4 pounds total weight)

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Combine the water, beer, salt, and brown sugar in a bowl and stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add the ice cubes. Place the pork chops in a resealable plastic bag and pour the brine mixture over the pork chops. Refrigerate for about 4 hours turning the bag occasionally.

Mix the garlic, black pepper, and salt. Remove the pork chops from the brine and pat dry. Spread the garlic mixture over both sides of each pork chop. Grill over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes on each side. Makes 2 servings.

Roasted Verde Salsa

about 2 pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed

6 garlic cloves, peeled

2 jalapeno peppers

1 small white onion, chopped

3/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves

salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon was good to me)

Place the tomatillos, garlic cloves, and jalapenos on a baking sheet and broil until tender and vegetables are slightly charred, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool until they can be handled. Stem and deseed the jalapenos. Put the onions, cilantro, tomatillos, garlic, and jalapenos in a food processor and puree until almost smooth. Season to taste with salt. Makes 3-4 cups.

Spicy Grilled Tofu and Roasted Carrots

I'm very pleasantly surprised by how well this grilled tofu came out. I experimented a bit last night coming up with this marinade and it was very tasty. This was my first attempt at grilling tofu and it was definitely a success.

I served the tofu with brown rice, roasted green beans, and roasted baby carrots. Here are the recipes for the grilled tofu and the roasted carrots:

Spicy Grilled Tofu

14 ounce package of extra firm tofu

3 scallions, white part only, thickly sliced

4 cloves garlic

3/4 cup less sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Drain the tofu. Slice crosswise into 8 slices. Let the tofu slices drain on paper towels.

Meanwhile, put the sliced scallions and garlic cloves in a food processor and process until very finely chopped. Whisk together the scallions, garlic, soy sauce, and remaining ingredients. Pour out 1/2 cup to use as a sauce.

Arrange the tofu slices in a single layer in a dish and pour the remaining marinade over the tofu slices. Cover dish and marinate overnight.

Discard the marinade. Brush grill rack with oil and grill over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side. Makes 4 servings.

Roasted Carrots

1 pound baby carrots

2 tablespoons olive oil

coarsely ground sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Arrange carrots on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over carrots and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Toss to evenly coat the carrots with the oil, salt, and pepper. (I generally use my hands) Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes, using tongs to toss the carrots after 20 minutes. Makes about 4 servings.

Green Chile and Red Onion Quiche

This is one of the quickest dinners I make as far as hands-on time goes. I think today I started it and then had it in the oven eight minutes later. That's pretty great when you have two young kids that need oh so much of my time for one thing or another. I got this recipe from a bon appetit issue shortly after Camille was born. I found the heavy cream in it a little too rich for my liking, so I first used half-and-half instead and now I just use whole milk.

For many years I was such a purist about cooking. I hated making anything from a mix or using anything that was already prepared, such as a pie crust. It will be hard to convince me that any purchased frozen pie crust is as good as my homemade pie crust, but by being so rigid I almost never made quiche, something I really like that is otherwise fast to make. I also found that my grocery store sells organic pie crusts and the organic aspect doesn't matter too much to me. What I like is that it doesn't have any lard in it. So now that I have relaxed about not making every bit of a dinner and I found a frozen pie crust I feel okay about, I get to enjoy quiche way more often.

The original recipe is online. Here's my version:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

3/4 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 7-ounce can diced mild green chiles

1 purchased frozen 9-inch diameter pie crust (do not thaw)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until just tender. Cool briefly.

Whisk milk and next 4 ingredients in a bowl to blend. mix in cheese, chiles, and onions. Pour filling into frozen crust. Bake until golden brown and set in the center, about 40 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Olive Oil Cake with Candied Orange Slices

Another bon appetit recipe... Yes, I do get recipes elsewhere, but so many from bon appetit have looked or sounded really good lately. Aside from the time it takes to candy the oranges, this is a relatively easy and quick cake. I actually got the candied orange going and then made the cake batter while the orange slices candied. I just made sure to stir the orange slices every few minutes.

The flavor of the cake sounds a little strange, but it's a very moist and delicious cake. I can't even taste the olive oil in it. I mostly tasted the cardamom and orange flavors. The only significant change I made to the recipe was using ground cardamom instead of the cardamom pods for the candied oranges. We were out of the pods but had plenty of ground cardamom.

The recipe is available on the bon appetit website. Here's how I made it with that slight change in the form of cardamom for the candied orange:

candied orange and syrup

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup orange blossom honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 small orange, thinly sliced

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring sugar, honey, cardamom, and 3 cups water to a boil in a medium heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add orange slices. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, turning orange slices occasionally, until tender and syrup is reduced to about 3 cups, about 40 minutes. Arrange orange slices in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Strain syrup.

Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover syrup and orange slices separately; chill. Return orange slices to room temperature and rewarm syrup slightly before using.

cake

1/2 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar, divided
3 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
zest from 2 oranges
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chopped pistachios, toasted

Preheat oven to 350°. Brush 9-inch springform pan with oil. Whisk both flours and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup oil in a large bowl for 1 minute. Beat in egg yolks, then flour mixture. Beat in yogurt, orange zest, and vanilla. Using clean, dry beaters, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar until firm peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter just to blend in 2 additions. Transfer to prepared pan; smooth top.

Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Pierce hot cake all over with a skewer. Slowly drizzle 3/4 cup warm syrup all over. When syrup is absorbed, slowly pour 3/4 cup more syrup over. Reserve remaining syrup for serving (optional). Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack. Run a thin knife around edge of pan to release cake. Remove pan sides. Arrange candied orange slices over. Sprinkle pistachios over. Cut into wedges and serve.

We found that the cake was so moist that it didn't need more syrup, so I added optional in parentheses above. The syrup is tasty and I did save it. We'll probably use it on vanilla ice cream.

Chimichurri Marinade/Sauce

I totally forgot to take a picture of this meal until I had already cut up all of my meat in preparation to nurse Adeline while eating, so this is definitely not the best picture. So, now that I've explained the less than beautiful picture, tonight's dinner was grilled flank steak with a chimichurri marinade and sauce, roasted potatoes with sage, and roasted green beans with onions. We've been eating a fair amount of beef lately partly because of the wonderful grilling issue of bon appetit and partly because I can get free-range grass-fed beef at the farmers' market. Anyway, the chimichurri sauce is amazing! As usual, I made some changes. For the first time ever I opted to use less fresh herbs rather than more. I almost always add extra herbs and spices to recipes because I love a lot of flavor. However, the original recipe called for such an enormous quantity of cilantro that I could not justify the cost of purchasing all of what the recipe called for -- and I hate picking so many leaves off the stalks. I don't think my chimichurri sauce was lacking in flavor at all. It was delicious.

Here's my version:

1 cup red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

9 cloves garlic, minced

3 shallots, minced

2 fresno chiles, minced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 cup fresh oregano, chopped

1 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine vinegar, salt, garlic, shallots, and chiles in a medium bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro, parsley, and oregano. Using a fork, whisk in the oil. Remove about 1 cup of the marinade to use as a sauce on the cooked meat. Put the meat in a glass, stainless steel, or ceramic dish. Toss with the remaining marinade. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Remove meat from marinade and less it come to room temperature for about an hour before grilling. Pat meat dry, sprinkle with salt, and grill. Spoon the reserved sauce over the grilled meat. Makes enough marinade for 3-4 pounds of beef.

Lemon Cornmeal Cake

I just made this cake for a family picnic on Saturday, but I forgot to take a picture of it, so I'm using a picture from the first time I made it. I really couldn't get my act together and plan something to make to bring. I was actually planning to try an olive oil cake with candied oranges, which I still plan to make soon, but I was really tired on Friday night and was trying to take good care of myself because I had another plugged milk duct (a recurring problem I'm having with Adeline), so I went to bed and figured I come up with something on Saturday morning. By some miracle I thought of this cake and actually had all the ingredients I needed to make the cake and glaze. I didn't bother with the blueberry sauce this time. I really like the blueberry sauce, but I don't think the cake needs it to be really good.

The recipe for this cake came from bon appetit. The recipe is online. It struck me on Saturday morning that this is a really easy cake to make. Not only did I not need my mixer, but it bakes in one pan and you glaze it while it's hot, so no need to let it cool before frosting it like with most cakes.

I followed the recipe just as it was written, so just follow the link above if you decide to try it. I figured I would just add some thoughts about baking/cooking in general.

First is the fastest, easiest way I've found to get lemon (or other citrus) zest. I use a microplane (Microplane 40020 Classic Zester/Grater). It is fantastic. I've also used the small shredding side of a cheese grater and the traditional hand held zesters. The microplane is by far the best I've used. I got mine as a gift from my mother-in-law, but it would so definitely be worth the money if I'd bought it myself. Considering how much I use mine, I don't even think $10-$15 is much to spend on one.

Another thing I thought I'd share is the order in which I whisk liquids together. I also start with eggs in a bowl and whisk them. Then I add the melted butter while I'm whisking. I never worry about the butter being completely cooled. I just melt it as the first thing I do when I start a recipe and then add it when it's time. Next I add the milk and vanilla extract slowly while whisking. I find that I end up with better blended liquids by doing this. Basically, I start with the thicker, fattier liquids and work towards the milk and vanilla extract. When a recipe calls for brown sugar, I always whisk that in with the egg before adding other liquids.

Vegetarian Chili

This is one of those quick, easy, cheap dinners that I make over and over again. I love it with shredded colby jack cheese sprinkled on top. If I have more time available, I make cornbread or corn muffins to go with it. When I have less time, we eat it with tortilla chips. Tonight was one of those nights that I had less time. I actually prefer tortilla chips because of the crunchiness, but I'm pretty sure that the cornbread or corn muffins are healthier. Anyway, here's how I make the chili:

1/2 cup dried lentils, picked over

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 16-ounce cans dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

Put the lentils in a small saucepan and cover with at least an inch of water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

While the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a large saucepan (I use a 5 quart pan) over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and red pepper for about 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, chili powder, paprika, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and lower heat to medium-low. Drain the cooking liquid from the lentils when they are tender. Add the lentils to the rest of the chili and simmer about 10 minutes. Makes about 6 servings.

Cacio e Pepe

This recipe is from the May 2011 bon appetit. I basically followed the original recipe except that I found I needed much more of the pasta water than the recipe called for and I couldn't get Grana Padano at my grocery store, so I used parmesan instead. I also added 2 ounces of pasta so it was half the package (easier to measure) and so we could give some to Camille, who actually ate some.

Here's how I made it:

8 ounces bucatini pasta (it's a thick spaghetti)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup grated pecorino romano cheese

Bring about 3 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 2 minutes less than the cooking time specified on the package. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add pepper and cook swirling pan until toasted, about 1 minute.

Add about 1 cup of the pasta water to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add pasta and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Reduce heat to low and add the parmesan cheese, stirring and tossing with tongs until melted. Remove from heat. Add pecorino romano cheese stirring and tossing until the cheese melts and the sauce coats the pasta. Add more pasta water if the sauce seems dry. Makes 2 large servings.

Sauteed Summer Vegetables

I made these vegetables tonight to go with our dinner. I've been making this basic vegetable dish for years and I vary what goes in it based on what I have or what I'm in the mood for. Tonight's version had onions, red pepper, summer squash, and zucchini. I've added a little minced garlic other times and I've also added a chopped tomato. I just tend to try to balance the colors of vegetables.

Here's how I made tonight's version:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 summer squash, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced

salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion to the pan and saute, stirring often, for about 3-4 minutes until slightly softened. Add the red pepper, summer squash, and zucchini. Sprinkle with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and thyme. Saute, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes until vegetables are soft but not falling apart. About 3 large servings.

Farmers' Market Dinner

Friday was the first farmers' market of the year Lowell and I am already excited to go back this coming Friday. Not only did I get fresh, locally grown vegetables, I got mozzarella cheese and free-range, grass-fed beef tenderloin steaks. I was too pooped on Friday night from a week with Camille and Adeline to cook dinner and then we had other plans on Saturday night, so tonight I got to make a delicious dinner from some of my farmers' market food. Dinner included: corn on the cob, roasted green beans, roasted potatoes with sage, and grilled beef tenderloin steaks. All of the ingredients came from the farmers' market except the fresh sage, which came from my garden.

Grilled Beef Tenderloin (Filet Mignon) Steaks

It's hard to give specific instructions for cooking steaks since the cooking time depends on the size and thickness of the steaks, but I will share some things I learned recently from bon appetit.

First, take the steaks out of the refrigerator at least about an hour before you're going to cook them so they can come to room temperature. About 30 minutes before I grill them, I sprinkle both sides with coarse kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

Heat up the grill so it's good and hot before the steaks go on. The amount of time depends on the grill. Last year, I decided that I wanted to take advantage of the natural gas that we use for our heat, hot water, and clothes dryer for a grill. We had a plumber run a line that goes out to our patio. I sold my old propane Weber grill on craigslist and bought a used natural gas Weber grill on craigslist. Anyway, now I no longer have to worry about how much propane we have, but the best advantage is that I am quite sure the natural gas grill heats up faster than the propane grill did. I don't know that it's a difference between the two fuels as much as that the natural gas grill might just be a better grill. So, the point of all this rambling is that 10 minutes is usually long enough to heat up my natural gas grill, but I think I used to have to heat up the propane grill about 20 minutes before I was ready to grill.

The total time on the grill depends on the size and thickness of the steaks. The steaks I grilled tonight were really thick and I had them on the grill for about 20 minutes total. I started on high heat and then lowered the heat to medium for roughly the last five minutes. For steaks, leave the grill open the entire grilling time. I have an inexpensive, but accurate thermometer that I've been using and for medium-rare steak, I leave it on the grill until the inside reads 120 degrees.

Let the steak rest after it is cooked for ten minutes. The inside temperature rises while it's resting, which is why it only needs to be at 120 degrees for medium-rare.

Roasted Green

Beans

1 pound green beans

olive oil

coarsely ground sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

Wash the green beans and cut the stem end of the bean off. Put the green beans on a rimmed baking sheet and toss them with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, coarsely ground sea salt, and black pepper. Spread them pretty evenly on the baking sheet. Roast them in a 400 degree oven for about 14 minutes. Makes about 4-6 servings.

Roasted Potatoes with Fresh Sage

1 pound red potatoes, washed and cut into chunks with the skins on

2-3 tablespoons minced fresh sage

olive oil

coarsely ground sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with the sage, 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, salt,

and pepper to evenly coat the potatoes. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Stir the potatoes after 20 minutes, scraping up any potatoes that are stuck to the baking sheet. Makes 4-6 servings

Grilled Mojo Chicken and Barbecue Black Beans with Rum

Tonight's dinner took forever to get made because the kids just weren't cooperating. I started preparing dinner at 4:30 and at 6:15 I had put no more than 20 minutes into it because Adeline wanted to be glued to my breast and Camille wanted to test me on everything. But we finally ate and it was well worth the wait. Plus, we'll have leftovers tomorrow, so I can sit back and relax (yeah right..) tomorrow night.

So, dinner tonight was grilled mojo chicken, barbecue black beans with rum, and brown rice. The mojo chicken recipe is from Food Made Fast: Weeknight (Williams-Sonoma), which is one of my best used cookbooks. The recipe is also available on the Williams-Sonoma website. The barbecue black beans with rum is my vegetarian version of a recipe from Cooking Light in 2000. I've been making these beans for

years and they are so delicious.

I'll start with the chicken:

Grilled Mojo Chicken

zest and juice from 2 oranges

zest and juice from 4 limes

1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, minced

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

8 garlic cloves, minced

4 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

8 (about 3 pounds) skinless, boneless chicken thighs

salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine the orange and lime zest, orange and lime juice, parsley, oregano, thyme, garlic, and cumin in a bowl large enough to fit the chicken. Whisk in the olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the marinade and stir to coat the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

About 20 minutes before cooking the chicken, take it out of the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Heat a gas grill to medium heat and oil the grill rack. Place chicken on the grill brushing marinade over the top side of the chicken. Cook, turning once until opaque throughout, about 20 minutes. Makes 8 servings

The original recipe specified grilling on high heat for less time. I prefer to cook chicken at a lower temperature for longer so it doesn't get so charred on the outside while cooking on the inside. I also recently discovered that grilling with the grill open makes meat take longer to cook, but it's less likely to overcook or burn. Yeah, I'm 35, have been cooking for years, and just figured that one out. I probably had the grill closed for a total of 4 minutes while cooking this chicken.

Barbecue Black Beans with Rum

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 vidalia onion, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup rum

1/4 cup dijon mustard

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3 cans black beans (2 - 15-ounce cans and 1 - 26.5-ounce can)

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion and jalapeno for about 5 minutes until onion is softened. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add next 8 ingredients (ketchup through ground ginger). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the black beans. Simmer over low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

I like to serve these beans over brown rice as a side dish.

Grilled Flank Steak and Blood Mary Tomato Salad

This was dinner tonight and we loved it! As I ate this medium-rear steak, enjoying it thoroughly, it occurred to me that I was once a vegetarian. How funny. I'm not a huge meat-eater. I don't eat meat every day -- I just believe in a balance in my diet and I enjoy eating meat too.

Anyway, for a change, I actually followed the recipe as it was written. It's rare that this happens, but it does occasionally happen. The only one thing I did differently was to double the quantities for the bloody mary tomato salad. I like a lot of vegetables and I didn't feel like making another vegetable dish.

So, this entry is easy tonight. The recipe is on the bon appetit website. I'll definitely be making this again!

Orange-Poppy Seed Muffins

I made these muffins on Sunday and they were quite good. I think I might prefer lemon-poppy seed muffins, but I'm not sure. These had a delicious orange glaze that I drizzled over the top and I'm not sure you can go wrong with a little burst of sugar. If this recipe was available online, I'd share it, but since it isn't, I can't. It's from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking: Recipes and Techniques for Succcessful Home Baking, which is a very good cookbook. Even though some of the recipes from this cookbook are available online, I'd still say it's been worthwhile for me to own. For starters, I really enjoy browsing through cookbooks and magazines to find recipes to try. The other reason it's been useful is that I think it wasn't until I got this cookbook that I really understood the meaning of soft peaks and stiff peaks with respect to beating egg whites.

One thing to note with this recipe is that I think there's a typo either in the written instructions or the ingredient list. The amount of orange juice in the ingredient list is 1/2 cup and in the written instructions it's 1/4 cup. I used 1/4 cup and the muffins were good, so if I make these again, I'll stick with 1/4 cup.

Minted Lemonade

I didn't bother taking a picture of this lemonade because it's pretty easy to visualize lemonade. My first attempt at making this had too much lemon flavor and not enough mint flavor. Today was my second attempt and it came out really well. I still may experiment a little more, but this was really good so I thought I'd share it. Here it is:

Lemonade

1 cup lemon juice (about 4 jumbo lemons)

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint

3 cups boiling water

3/4 cup lemon and mint syrup

Put the fresh mint in a bowl and add 3 cups boiling (or nearly boiling) water. Let steep for 5-10 minutes. Pour into a pitcher straining the mint leaves out. Add the lemon juice and syrup. Refrigerate and serve cold with ice. Garnish with a lemon slice and small mint sprig. Makes about 4 large glasses full.

Note: I really like tart lemonade. For sweeter lemonade add more syrup until you reach your desired sweetness.

Lemon and Mint Syrup

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

zest from 2 large lemons

2 tablespoons chopped mint

Combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Strain out the solids. Store in the refrigerator. Makes about 1 3/4 cups.

I think a simple syrup of just sugar and water might work just fine. I like the idea of infusing some of the same flavors into the sweetener so as not to dilute the flavor at all.

White Bean and Swiss Chard Soup

David and Camille had colds earlier this week, so I decided to make soup for dinner. Only problem is that I then got really sick with mastitis and landed myself in the hospital for a day and a half, so I didn't end up making this until David was feeling better. Anyway, this soup is not super-exciting to look at, but it was surprisingly quite delicious. The original recipe is from The Williams-Sonoma Collection: Soup and can be found on the Williams-Sonoma website. Here's my version:

1 1/4 cup Great Northern beans, soaked for 4 hours

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 vidalia onions, coarsely chopped

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 large bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, cut into thin strips

6 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup mini fusilli

4 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

Grated pecorino romano cheese

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and saute for about 3 minutes. Add two-thirds of the Swiss chard and saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, beans, tomatoes, basil, and garlic and simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender, about an hour. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, in a pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Using a blender, puree about 2/3 of the soup in batches leaving the remaining 1/3 for texture. Return the soup to the pot. Heat the soup on medium-high heat and add the cooked pasta, about 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and remaining Swiss chard. Cook until the chard is wilted but retains its color, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle parsley and romano cheese on top. 6 servings.