In the Rotation

Reading the recipes I post on this blog is not necessarily the best reflection of what we are eating in my house.  There are a lot of new recipes that I've made that haven't made it on the blog for many reasons (too ugly to photograph, I'm too lazy to photograph it, or its just not quite good enough).  I probably cook on average about two new recipes a week.  The rest of the week is filled with leftovers and some of our tried-and-true favorites.

This Kale Salad, above, is on the menu literally almost every week.  We eat the remainder of the baguette that goes into the croutons alongside the salad to fill us up.  If you haven't tried it, I definitely recommend it.

Curried Butternut and Red Lentil Soup is also a favorite in our house, and I've made it three or four times this fall/winter already.  It's really easy, tastes great, and the lentils make it quite filling.  If you like spicy soups, definitely try this with the diced tomatoes that come with chiles.  Yum.

While this is technically a recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Chipotle Tacos, I've made this meat many times for nachos and enchiladas too.  It's the easiest and most delicious way to make chicken meat for Tex-Mex food.  The enchiladas I just made with it were the best I've ever made.

It's not really the time or the place for zucchini, but I do truly love this Zucchini Linguine recipe.  I'm sure it would still be wonderful with sad out-of-season zucchini.  I made it a month or two ago and we scarfed it down.

Broccoli Basil Mac and Cheese

I'm not out to go out and ruin something perfect like mac and cheese.  I like healthy food, but I like food that tastes good more.  And if it tastes great, all the better.

I used to think that the only way to improve upon mac and cheese was to add bacon.  And perhaps more cheese.

As it turns out, a helping of vegetables actually improves mac and cheese, bringing some depth to the dish.

This isn't like Jessica Seinfeld sneaking vegetables into food for kids, making nobody happy in the process.  This is making a basil crumb topping to brighten the flavors.  This is pulsing together creme fraiche, cheese, and cherry tomatoes to create an irresistible filling.

I'm the first to admit that cutting up a butternut squash isn't my favorite activity, but if you aren't up to the task, feel free to buy some pre-cut squash.  Roasting the squash before adding it to the mac assures that it is completely tender by the time you're digging in.  

This is no "healthified" mac and cheese that takes away everything delicious about mac and cheese.  Instead it just adds to the beauty of an already great dish.  Dig in!

Broccoli Basil Mac and Cheese

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 small butternut (or other winter) squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into tiny pieces

Olive oil

1 bunch of basil, stems removed

2 slices good wheat bread, stale or dried out in oven

Small head of broccoli, roughly chopped

1/2 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream)

3 cups white cheddar cheese, grated

3 cups gruyere, grated

1 pint or yellow cherry tomatoes

3 cups (300 g) dried whole wheat macaroni

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  

Place pieces of squash on a cookie sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, pulse half the basil, all of the dried out bread, the broccoli, and a glug of olive oil in a food processor until a fine crumb forms.  Remove crumbs to a bowl and rinse out the food processor.  

In a separate bowl, combine grated cheese and creme fraiche.

Place the cherry tomatoes and the remaining half of the basil in the food processor.  Pulse a couple of times to break things up.  Stir in the grated cheese and creme fraiche mixture.  

Boil macaroni in salted water until just slightly undercooked.  Drain, reserving one cup of pasta water.  Return the pasta to the pot it was boiled in and stir in the cheese mixture.  Add pasta water, as needed, to thin the mixture to the consistency of cream.  If it is runny, the pasta will soak it up in the oven.

Transfer pasta mixture to a large baking or casserole dish.  Sprinkle with green crumbs.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the topping is crunchy.  Wait ten minutes before serving.  

Apple Tart

Incoming news bulletin:  You Do Not Need To Make That Second Pumpkin Pie.

Why would you make two pumpkin pies when you could make one of these easy and delicious apple tart/galettes?

Everyone likes a little variety, and besides, when there are two different desserts you get to eat two slices.  At Saturday there were four desserts, and I had four slices.  That's how the rules work, people.  Don't judge.

I am making this for one of our three Thanksgiving desserts.  And if you follow Kathy logic...that means I get to eat three desserts on Thursday.  Shucks.

This was actually my first time making "real" crust.  I followed the recipe closely (though I needed less cold water than it called for) and the dough came together more simply than I ever imagined.  Rolling out the crust is much easier than rolling out most other things I have rolled out, too.  Who knew pie crust was actually not rocket science?  (Almost everyone, it turns out, knew this before me.)

I don't have a tart pan (hint, hint), so I just threw it together in a pie dish lined with parchment paper.  In the end I just let people grab slides from the dish instead of using the overlapping parchment to lift the galette out. The pieces came out surprisingly smoothly.

The recipe is super simple and perfect just as it is.  No cinnamon is even added (though you can if you want), which will please my cinnamon-hating-but-apple-pie-loving dad.  It tastes just like the ingredients - butter, sugar, and apples - coming together in a bubbly mass straight out of your oven.

So spread the word, this apple tart is perfect for you Thanksgiving table, or any fall table.  It's just a tad more complicated than an apple crisp, but much more festive and beautiful.  That's news that's fit to print.

Alice Water's Apple Tart
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Dough:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, just softened, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3-3 1/2 tablespoons chilled water

Filling
2 pounds apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
2 tablespoon butter, melted
5 tablespoons sugar

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in bowl of stand mixer.  Add two tablespoons of butter and mix until the dough resembles coarse cornmeal.  Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and mix until the biggest pieces are the size of peas.  Dribble in the water one tablespoon at a time until the dough just holds together while mixing on low.  Form the dough into a ball and flatten into a 4-inch disk.  Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

While the dough is chilling, peel and slice apples.

Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to soften a minute.  On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to form a 14-inch disk that is 1/8 inch thick.  Dust off excess flour from the dough with your hands.

Place dough in a 9-10 inch tart pan or 9-10 inch pie dish lined with overlapping pieces of parchment.  Place apples in a ring around the edge of the dish and then fill in the center circle with apples.  (I had leftover apples - perfect for snacking!)  Fold excess dough over the top of the apples.

Brush 2 tablespoons of melted butter over apples and dough.  Sprinkle roughly 2 tablespoons of sugar on the edge of the dough and 3 tablespoons of sugar over the apples.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the dough and apples have browned.  Rotate every 15 minutes.  Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before digging in.

Mashed Potato Casserole

It's Thanksgiving week, people, and it's time to start figuring out how you're making your mashed potatoes.  Not if you are making them - not making them is not an option.

The beauty of this casserole is that you can still have mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving without standing at the stove, a masher in hand, when your guests are pretending to patiently wait for dinner.

The thing about mashed potatoes is that they don't really keep well.  If you mash them earlier in the day, they will be stiff and gluey by the time dinner rolls around.  And then, what's the point?

Mashed potato casserole is the perfect make-ahead dish because you can actually make it tonight (i.e. a few days before Thanksgiving) and then bake it off on Thanksgiving to share with your family.  I admit it's not exactly the healthiest recipe I've ever posted, but this is mashed potato casserole, guys.

On Saturday morning I got up at 7:30 and left about a pound of butter on my counter to soften while I went to the gym.  I needed the gym.  I was softening a pound of butter and planning on using about a pound and a half that day.  That's my kind of day.

Natalie and Mitch were having their annual pre-Thanksgiving potluck and I was bringing mashed potato casserole, crack pie, and apple tart.  No, we didn't need all those dishes, but I wanted to make them.  It's hard for me to explain to people why I love cooking so much, I just do.  I enjoy it so much that I will prepare so much food to bring to a potluck that I am cleaning out my stand mixer four times in one morning to get through all my recipes.  I guess I didn't love peeling 6 pounds of potatoes, but I didn't hate it either.  Just being in the kitchen with my toes getting covered in flour and my knuckles getting sore from all the chopping makes me happy.  Even if you're not a cooking fanatic, I promise that you'll enjoy at least the eating aspect of this mashed potato casserole.  The accolades around the Thanksgiving table are well worth the effort.

Mashed Potato Casserole
From the NY Times

14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
6 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons, plus one teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
2/3 cup bread crumbs
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Lightly grease a 9x13 pan with butter.  In a large pot, bring the potatoes, roughly 4 quarts of water, and 2 tablespoon of kosher salt to a boil.  Boil 15-20 minutes, until tender.  Drain potatoes.

Mash the potatoes with 10 tablespoons of butter, sour cream, 1 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.  Stir in the diced chives.  Taste for seasoning.  Spread potatoes into greased pan.  Cover and refrigerate for up to three days or use immediately.

In a small bowl mix together the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese until coarse crumbs form.  Crumbs can also be refrigerated for up to three days or used immediately.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Sprinkle crumbs on potatoes and bake for 30-40 minutes until crumbs are crispy and brown.  If baking the casserole right away (instead of out of the fridge), you can bake it for 20 minutes instead.

Sweet Pepper Soup

Karaoke is not my thing.  I have a huge embarrassment complex that does not make me compatible with getting up in front of people and belting out songs from the 80s.  My mom would say I need to "get over myself," but I haven't quite found a way to do that just yet.  

I actually don't mind that I'm karaoke adverse.  When I'm enjoying a night of karaoke viewing, I feel no pangs of jealousy at the people making fools of themselves (or for the few that actually do a good job).  It's who I am, and I embrace it.

John, on the other hand, does not either acknowledge that he is tone deaf or does not care.  He even has his very own karaoke songs he goes back to again and again.  His "good" ones, I suppose.
(I love you, honey!)

"Suspicious Minds" (originally sung by Elvis) is one of them.  It's a song I'm not sure I had ever heard until I heard John belting it out.  And the second is "Sweet Caroline."  A karaoke favorite for men who enjoy singing songs in one note.

This soup doesn't remind me of the Neil Diamond tune for being one-note, but rather because I can't see the title "Sweet Pepper Soup" without singing it to the tune of Sweet Caroline.  Sweet Pepper Soup.  Bum Bum Bum.  Good times never seemed so good.

This recipe requires sweet peppers, my friends.  That means no greenies allowed.  Red, yellow and orange peppers are your friends.  As well as fresh herbs - thyme and chives - to be exact.  No cream is necessary to make this soup bowl-lickin' good.  It comes together in a flash and tastes perfect alongside some crusty bread and butter.  Enjoy sitting next to your favorite karaoke singer.  Reachin' out, touchin' me, touchin' sooooooooup!

Sweet Pepper Soup
From Happy Yolks (adapted from The Art of Simple Food)

1 1/2 - 2 pounds of sweet peppers (red, yellow, and orange), seeds and veins removed
1 small hot red pepper (optional)
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup brown rice (uncooked)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chives, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a dutch oven.  When oil is heated, add in onion and peppers.  Saute for ten minutes until softened but not browned, stirring frequently.  Add garlic and thyme and cook for another minute or two.  Pour in stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to release the brown bits.  Stir in the rice and the apple cider vinegar.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to let the soup simmer for 25 minutes.  When everything is soft, puree in a blender or with an immersion blender.  Season with lots of salt and pepper.  Serve topped with chopped chives and with lots of bread.

Caramel Chocolate Pumpkin Blondies

"Fall Foods for $300, please."

"A handheld pumpkin dessert better than cookies."

"What's caramel chocolate pumpkin blondies?"

"YES!"

Oh did you miss that episode of Jeopardy?  Well, I'm pretty sure that happened.  

These blondies start with a cakey layer of pumpkin...

Which is followed by a thick dose of caramel and oodles of chocolate chips.  It's topped with another layer of cakey pumpkin before being popped in the oven.

Out of the oven comes an ooey gooey fall treat not to be matched.  It definitely is the answer to Your Coworkers Will Love You for $600.

I made this as dessert for a dinner party we had a couple weekends ago.  Paired with sweet pepper soup and broccoli basil mac and cheese, it was the perfect fall meal.

I've never been much of a Jeopardy watcher (we don't really have the TV on at 7:00 PM), though I did enjoy the Nintendo video game in my youth.  I doubt I would've succeeded on any food questions back then, but nowadays I've got Fall Foods covered.  With this recipe, now so do you!

Caramel Chocolate Pumpkin Blondies

From Tasty Kitchen

3/4 cups butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 12 oz. jar caramel (or 14 oz bag of caramels and 1/4 cup cream)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 baking sheet.

Cream softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Mix in eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin until combined (it will be very oozy at this point).  Add in cinnamon and nutmeg.  Slowly add in 1 3/4 cups flour until just incorporated.  

Pour 2/3 of this batter mixture into your greased pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over batter - use as much as you'd like.  If using a jar of caramel sauce, simply pour evenly over the chips and batter.  If using caramels, unwrap a bag of caramels and place in a microwave safe bowl with 1/4 cup cream.  Microwave in 20 second intervals until completely melted, stirring every 20 seconds.  Place dollops of remaining pumpkin batter over caramel layer and spread evenly with a knife or spatula.  

Bake for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (other than some caramel).  Cool completely before serving.

Provencal Tomato Soup

At the farmers market two weeks ago...
Me:  Oooh look, tomatoes.  I'm going to make tomato soup this week.
(Rushing over to the tomatoes and filling up two bags.)

John:  You know I don't like tomato soup, right?
Me:    (Holding two pounds of tomatoes.)  Come again? 

I didn't know tomato soup was something people didn't like.  I always thought tomato soup was a universal truth.

Everyone eats Campbell's tomato soup as a kid for weekend lunches, preferably with saltines.  They progress to cream-laden tomato soups, which admittedly are a step-up from the Warhol period, but still aren't tomato soups at their best.

We're grownups here, folks, and it's time for real tomato soup.  Either fresh tomatoes or canned work well in this recipe - just make sure they are good ones either way.  Instead of cream, the soup is flavored with basil sprigs and a Parmesan rind (both removed before pureeing).  To thicken the soup, rice, tapioca, or quinoa can be used.

I went with quinoa because I'm a rebel.  This is grownup tomato soup after all.

I was too lazy to make grilled cheese to go with this hearty soup, but I made do with a thick layer of Parmesan on top and a baguette to dip deep into the bowl.

John made do with room service, since he was out of town when I made it.  Lucky guy got to avoid the horror of tomato soup.

I've always loved tomato soup, and homemade is best.  This rustic recipe is a great way to use the last of this year's tomato crop.  I highly recommend you make this soup when your tomato soup-hating roommate is out of town.  It's not to be missed.

Provencal Tomato Soup
From the NY Times

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt, to taste
2 pounds tomatoes, cored and diced (or one 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes with juice)
Pinch of sugar
2 large sprigs basil (or 14 leaves)
1 quart (4 cups) water
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Parmesan rind (optional)
1/2 cup quinoa, rice, or tapioca
Parmesan, grated, for garnish

Heat olive oil in medium Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Stir in half the minced garlic and a big pinch of kosher salt.  Cook for 30 seconds to one minute, until the garlic is fragrant.  Add the tomatoes, basil sprigs (whole), the other half of the garlic, and sugar.  Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down a bit.

Add a quart of water to the pot, the Parmesan rind, and a pinch of salt.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce the heat to low.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the quinoa, rice, or tapioca and cook another 15 minutes until the grain is tender and the soup is fragrant.  Remove the basil sprigs and Parmesan rind.  Puree in small batches in a blender or with an immersion blender.  If you used fresh unpeeled tomatoes and you want a silkier soup, push the soup through a mesh strainer.  (I didn't bother)  Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper.  Serve garnished with Parmesan and basil.

Pumpkin Dog Biscuits

We like to sing a little song in our house entitled "Mean Mommy."  It goes along to the tune of "My Buddy" or "Kid Sister" if you are familiar with those commercials form the eighties.

Mean Mommy
Mean Mommy
Wherever I go
She's gonna go
Mean Mommy
Mean Mommy
Mean Mommy and meeeeeee!

I usually break into this tune after I take away something Harper is very much enjoying.  Usually a toy she is destroying or on the brink of destroying or maybe her antler chew toy.  I usually try to replace what she was chewing on with something else, but I will be admit it doesn't really fill the void.

Luckily for Harper, now that I have a box of pumpkin dog biscuits in the fridge, what I'm most likely to replace her toy with is a homemade treat.

Granted, Mean Mommy doesn't just hand out treats for no reason.  So I hide it within a toy within a toy so she has to work to get it out.  That's Mean Mommy for you.

These are great treats for dogs (not humans - I tasted the batter and ick) - they love them and they actually have some healthy nutrients too.  Pumpkin is full of vitamin A and helps dogs who have upset tummies.  Cinnamon and molasses are high in nutrients too, surprisingly enough.  But really it's just fun to bake something for my favorite pup and watch her enjoy it.  Having a Mean Mommy has its perks sometimes.

Pumpkin Dog Biscuits
From The Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook

1 c. oat flour
1 c. brown rice flour
1 c. pumpkin (canned or fresh)
2 tablepoons molasses
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients and mix until a cohesive dough forms.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick.  Use cookie cutters to cut into shapes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  The cookies can be placed very close together, as they do not spread.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge.