Day 365: Pan-Seared Duck Breast & Roasted Red Pepper Cheesecake

I have been thinking for some time about what I would make for my last day cataloging my dinners and recipes.  This past week I let people make requests for what I made, and I thought that Day 365 should be something I've always wanted to make, or something "epic."  You know how in the movie "Julie & Julia" Julie's last meal was Julia Child's beef bourguignon--a classic and elegant dish?  I thought of doing that, but I've made that meal before, albeit a long a time ago and it never made it onto this blog.  It was hard for me to come up with something I've "always wanted to make" because I feel like this whole journey has been about what I've always wanted to make.  But I finally got the idea--duck.  I can't even remember if I've eaten duck at a restaurant before.  But whenever I hear of someone having it, it sounds so fancy and wonderful.  So that's what I made, pan-seared duck breast.  I researched some recipes to find one that I thought looked yummy.  I stumbled upon this Anne Burrell  recipe that looked good, and it was delicious!

For "grown-up time" I served the appetizer that I had wanted to serve for Randy's birthday but wasn't able to.  This recipe was from Giada De Laurentiis, but I didn't follow it perfectly.  For starters, she requires a 4-inch spring form pan.  Who has a 4-inch spring form pan?!?!  My smallest is an 8-inch.  So I used a loaf pan and adjusted the cooking time accordingly.  Secondly, we ran out of eggs this morning.  I go shopping tomorrow.  I had already sent Randy to the store to get a few things, not realizing that eggs was one of the things I needed him to get.  So I decided to be inventive and used about a tablespoon of mayonnaise instead.  The appetizer was still delicious!!!  Here's the recipe:

Roasted Pepper Cheesecake
Remember how I said that cheesecake is Randy's favorite dessert?  That's why I thought it would be fitting to serve this as an appetizer on his birthday, but that didn't happen.  But it was still an excellent addition to tonight's meal!

4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz ricotta cheese
2 oz goat cheese, at room temperature
1 egg (or 1 TB of mayo, like I used)
salt, pepper
2 jarred roasted red peppers, sliced
1/2 cup apricot preserves
pita bread

Preheat the oven to 350*.  In a food processor, combine the 3 cheeses, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper.  Pulse until smooth.  Carefully fold in the sliced red peppers, being careful not to overmix and turn the cheese mixture pink!
Line a bread pan with parchment paper, and pour in the cheese mixture.  Place the pan in a larger pan and pour hot water around the bread pan, until it comes up about halfway.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  (If you are using a 4-inch spring-form pan, you probably want to bake it longer, like 45 minutes.)
Let cool and then refrigerator for a few hours.  Flip the cake out of the pan and top with the apricot preserves.
Cut the pita bread into wedges and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake at 425* for about 10 minutes, or until crispy.  Serve with the cheesecake.

Strawberry Margaritas
Combine equal parts strawberry syrup and tequila, and half as much triple sec or orange liquor.  Shake and serve over ice.  Garnish with orange zest and mint leaves.
To make strawberry syrup, heat frozen strawberries in a sauce pan.  Add 1-2 TB of sugar.  Cook until strawberries are soft.  Mash strawberries up and then strain the liquid into a jar, removing the solid pieces of fruit.

Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Grape Sauce
I knew going into this that the toughest and most important part of cooking a good duck breast was rendering the fat.  Duck has a very thick layer of fat between the meat and the skin which needs to be rendered completely.  The skin should be crispy, but obviously not burnt.  This is a slow process, when compared to cooking other meats.  Randy thought it was absolutely perfect, and I'll admit that the meat and skin of my duck were to die for.  But I did think our meal could have benefited from a minute more of fat-rendering, but then again, I've always had a really weird thing about meat fat in a meal.  All in all, we definitely want to have this again.  The duck was absolutely delicious--easily my favorite meat, now.  Super flavorful and melt-in-your-mouth good!

4 duck breasts (I only used 3--those babies aren't cheap!)

salt
olive oil
2 cups red seedless grapes
2 strips of bacon, chopped
2 TB red wine vinegar
1/2 cup port wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock

Score the skin of the duck breasts with a sharp paring knife.  Season them with salt, and let the breasts sit out for about 10-15 minutes to come to room temperature after being in the refrigerator.  Place a little olive oil in a skillet and then the duck breasts, skin-side down.  Bring the skillet up to medium heat and cook them low and slow to render all the duck fat--about 25 minutes or so.  Then flip the breasts over and cook for another 10 minutes on the meat side.  If you want to finish them in the oven, go ahead, but you may not need to.  Remove the breasts and let them rest for a good 10 minutes.  Add the grapes and the bacon to the pan and cook on medium-high until the grapes are splitting open and the bacon is crispy.  Remove half of the grapes and set aside.  Add the red wine vinegar and the port to the pan and cook until the wine is reduced by half.  Add the chicken stock and continue cooking until that is reduced by half.  Add the grapes back to the pan.  Slice the duck breasts in strips and pour the grape sauce over them.

Day 361: "Italian" Pork Chops

I'm not a huge fan of pork chops, and I don't like onions.  But these onion-smothered pork chops are good!  (Okay, I didn't eat all the onions.)  But I've learned that I can actually eat caramelized onions and like the flavor they give whatever they're eaten with.  We don't have pork often, but I would never completely take it off my repertoire.  It's cheap.  Randy really likes pork (and loves onions) and I want my kids to have broad palettes.  That means introducing them to a wide variety of food, even if I don't particularly like what we're having.  I also get just as much, if not more pleasure out of cooking food as I do eating it, so it really doesn't bother me to make something I'm not anxious to eat.  I still enjoy the cooking process!
This recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis.  She says that it's her "Italian" take on the American classic of pork chops with applesauce.  I guess the sweet, caramelized onions represent the applesauce. 

Italian Pork Chops
Warning: You must start this recipe 2 hours before you want to eat.  The "marmellatta" needs to cook for 2 hours and the pork chops need to sit in the fridge seasoned a good couple hours before you cook them.

Marmellata
4 onions, thinly sliced
1 TB rosemary, chopped
1 TB thyme, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup orange marmalade (I actually used apricot preserves because it's what I had on hand)
salt, pepper
1 TB sugar
2 TB balsamic vinegar

Pork Chops 
4 thick pork chops (I used bone-in, but you can easily use boneless)
1 TB chopped rosemary
1 TB chopped thyme
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt, pepper
olive oil

In a large pan on medium-high heat, combine the olive oil, onions, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Cook for 2 minutes.  Add the marmalade, sugar, and balsamic vinegar and cook on low heat for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to scrape the bottom of the pan.
Combine the rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper and rub the mixture on each pork chop, both sides.  Cover the pork chops with plastic wrap and refrigerator for 90 minutes or so.
Heat a grill pan over medium heat and drizzle with olive oil.  Place the pork chops in the pan and turn after about 5 minutes.  Be sure to only flip them once so they don't get too tough.  If you need to finish them in the oven, that's fine.  Top with the onion marmellatta and serve.

Seasoned Roasted Potatoes
This is kind of my idea of a winter potato salad.  I used some of the same flavors in a summer provencal potato salad, but roasted the potatoes and served them hot.

1 bag small, boiling potatoes
1 shallot, chopped
olive oil
salt, pepper
dried parsley
dried oregano
white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar

Preheat the oven to 400*.  Cut the potatoes in halves or quarters.  Place on a baking sheet and drizzle generously with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, dried parsley, and dried oregano.  Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.  Place in a bowl with the chopped shallot and drizzle with a little more olive oil and some white wine vinegar to taste.

Spiced Blackberry Sour
Our grown-up time special treat.  Serves 2.

Muddle 4-5 blackberries in a cocktail shaker.  Juice 3-4 limes into the shaker.  Add equal parts vodka and spiced rum (about 2 oz each).  Then add some simple syrup (about 1 oz).  Add ice and shake.  Strain into chilled glasses.

Day 359: Apple & Walnut Crostata, Beef Stew with Butternut Squash and much more!!!

Happy birthday to my amazing husband, Randy!!!  He is 31 years young today!  Next to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Randy is the most important thing to me.  We have been together for six years, but have known each other for 9+.  I look forward to many, many more years as your wife, my dear!  You make my life comfortable, relatively easy, and all kinds of wonderful!
Of course I wanted to make Randy's day special with food, so here's how it went...

BREAKFAST: eggs benedict (Randy's favorite breakfast) & spiced Americano
While I was serving breakfast, Randy told me that he secretly hoped I was making eggs benedict.  I love how we know each other so well!

Spiced Americano
This is a great coffee for the very cold months!  The spices in it add an extra warmth--perfect for right before heading out into the cold to go to work!  (Or to sip around the house while doing dishes and laundry.) ;)

1 cup espresso
1 cup boiling water
spiced simple syrup (recipe follows)
whipped cream
cinnamon and cinnamon sticks (for garnish)

Let's talk about espresso.  (First off, it's a pet-peeve of mine when people call it EXpresso.  It's ESSSSpresso.  Ahem, mother.) ;)  I don't have an espresso machine, but you don't really need one to make espresso--especially if it's just going into a different drink like a latte, cappuccino, or Americano.  I just use half the amount of strong coffee grinds as water.  So for 1 cup of espresso, I use 2 cups of water and 1 cup of coffee grinds right in my coffee maker. 
I've been making a lot of simple syrups for drinks lately.  A simple syrup is very easy to make.  It's just water and sugar boiled on the stove until the sugar dissolves.  Generally I like to do 1 cup of water to 1 cup of sugar.  But you can use only 1/2 cup of water, too, for a thicker syrup.  For this spiced syrup, use 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of water, a pinch each of cinnamon, allspice, and ginger.  Once the sugar dissolves you are done!
Combine this syrup with the espresso and the boiling water.  Top with whipped cream (you can make your own with 1 cup of whipping cream and a couple TB of powdered sugar--whip until stiff peaks form) and a dash of cinnamon.  I stuck 2 cinnamon sticks in each Americano.

LUNCH: broccoli & cheddar soup in homemade bread bowls
Randy brought a few of his co-workers home for lunch and I made this soup and bread bowls and served it with salad.  We also had leftover Italian cream cake and coffee dessert.

DINNER: apple & walnut crostata, apply & thyme martini, beef stew w/ butternut squash, and chocolate & brie Panini
I started out the evening disappointed.  The appetizer that I originally wanted to make for "grown-up time" required hours of refrigeration.  I don't know why I didn't read the recipe more thoroughly a few days earlier!  Luckily, I had enough ingredients for a great back-up plan!  I told Randy that it just meant that his birthday food could be extended one more day--we'll have that appetizer tomorrow or the next day. :)

Apple & Walnut Crostata
Randy loves gorgonzola cheese so this was really a great alternative to my original plan.  I adapted this from Giada De Laurentiis' recipe.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
3 TB cold butter
pinch of salt
1/3 cup cold water
2-3 apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
2-3 TB butter
cinnamon

For the crust, place the flour, cheese, cold butter, and water in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until fully combined and the dough comes together.  Pull the dough out and place on a piece of plastic wrap and wrap the dough tightly and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. 
In a saucepan, place the butter and apples and cinnamon and cook over medium-high heat until the butter melts and apples become soft.  Turn off the heat and add the walnuts and gorgonzola.  Stir.
Preheat the oven to 400*.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out and onto a greased baking sheet.  Pour the apple filling in the middle of the dough and then fold over the edges of the dough to form a crostata.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Apple & Thyme Martinis
A martini is Randy's favorite "mixed" drink.  I prefer something a little sweeter than a traditional dirty martini.  This is a perfect compromise, though definitely closer to a traditional martini than a sweet drink.  This was the second simple syrup I made today!

10 oz vodka
6 oz apple juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
5 sprigs of thyme, plus more for garnish

Place your martini glasses in the freezer.  Combine the vodka and apple juice and refrigerate them.  In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and 5 thyme sprigs and bring to a boil.  Simmer until the sugar dissolves.  Allow to cool.  When ready to serve, pour the vodka, juice, and simple syrup into the chilled glasses and garnish with a few sprigs of thyme.  Add ice if desired.

Beef Stew with Butternut Squash

This is a great dinner to come from the cold to and it's a little more elegant than a traditional beef stew or pot roast.

2 lbs stewing beef
2 TB olive oil + 2 TB butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/3 cup flour
salt, pepper
2 TB chopped rosemary
2 TB chopped thyme
1 lb butternut squash, cubed
1 cup marsala wine
2-3 TB sundried tomatoes
3-4 cups beef broth

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt the butter with the oil over medium-high heat.  Cook the onions until they're translucent.  Add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook for another minute.  Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl and toss the beef in it.  Add the beef to the pan and cook until brown on the outsides of the cubes.  Add the marsala wine, squash, and sundried tomatoes.  Cook for a few minutes to let the alcohol cook out.  Pour the beef broth into the pot until it covers the beef and squash.  Simmer for one hour and then serve.

Chocolate & Brie Paninis
I thought this looked like a really cool and different dessert.  Actually, it seems like the perfect, hearty afternoon snack for my kids when they're older.  But Randy and I really enjoyed them as a sweet/savory dessert.  The basil is a great complement to the chocolate and we never would've thought of that!

Make a sandwich with artisan crusty bread of sliced brie cheese, chocolate chips, and chopped basil.  Butter the outsides of the sandwich and place on a grill pan with a weight on it to press it down (or use a panini press).  Flip the sandwich when it has dark grill marks on one side.  Serve warm.

     

Days 356 & 357: Prosciutto & Linguine Frittatas and Italian Cream Cake

 Today we had an "appetizer" gathering for a belated Christmas party with Randy's side of the family. (The crazy side of the family--see photo above.) ;)  Then my parents came over in the evening for dinner and Randy's birthday, so I was up at the crack of dawn preparing food.  I made 2 appetizers and a dessert for our Christmas party and then we had a roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli au gratin for dinner.  His birthday cake this year was an Italian Cream Cake. Sunday (Day 357) was another busy day and it was a "leftover" day food-wise. :)
The appetizers I made for the party were (once again) my jalapeno poppers and these prosciutto & linguine frittatas...

Prosciutto & Linguine Frittatas (Giada De Laurentiis)
1/2 lb linguine
7 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
6 oz diced prosciutto
5 oz mozzarella cheese, diced
1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt, pepper, nutmeg

Cook the linguine in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 8-10 minutes to al dente.  Drain in a colander and use kitchen shears to cut the pasta into smaller pieces.  You should have about 3 cups of pasta in the end.
Preheat the oven to 375*.  In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, milk, cream, and mascarpone.  Pulse until well combined.  Transfer the mixture into a large bowl and add the cut pasta, the prosciutto, mozzarella, Asiago, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg.  Stir the ingredients to mix thoroughly. 
Spray a couple muffin tins with cooking spray.  Fill the muffin cups so the mixture comes about to the top.  Bake for about 30-35 minutes.  Allow them to cool a few minutes before removing from the pan.

I let Abby look through a recipe book of holiday desserts that I have so she could pick what kind of dessert to make for our Christmas gathering.  She picked out an arrangement of cupcakes in the shape of a Christmas tree.  Together we made chocolate cupcakes from scratch with vanilla buttercream frosting.  Here is our creation:

Special Note: We had an "ugly sweater" contest which is why Randy's shirt has a giant bow on it!

Italian Cream Cake (Ree Drummond)
I sometimes struggle to come up with a cake design for a grown man.  Most elegant cakes are kind of girly--I don't want to give Randy a birthday cake with flowers all over it.  I like the birthday cake to somewhat represent the person they're for.  Last year Randy requested a chocolate chip cake with chocolate frosting for his party.  That was perfect because the chocolate frosting with white icing designs looked great and wasn't "girly" at all!  This year, I decided to do this Italian Cream Cake because it required literally no design.  It's more about the flavor and architecture of the cake.  And since Randy's Italian, it was the perfect fit!

5 eggs, separated
1 stick butter
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 TB vanilla
1 cup sweetened coconut
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
Frosting:
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 lbs powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sweetened coconut
1 1/2 pints fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350*.  Butter and flour 2 round cake pans.  Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside.  In a large bowl, cream together the butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy.  Mix in the egg yolks, vanilla and coconut.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Alternate adding the buttermilk and dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Mix until just combined, then fold in the egg whites.
Pour evenly into the prepared cake pans and bake about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.  Then turn the cakes out onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely.
For the frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar until well combined.  Mix in the pecans and coconut.
To assemble, cut each layer of cake in half lengthwise so you are left with 4 layers.  Spread the first layer with frosting and top with blueberries.  Repeat the cake, frosting, and blueberry layers until you have 4 layers of cake.

 

For a fun drink with dessert, I made pomegranate bellinis.  To make, simply combine 1 cup of pomegranate juice, 1 cup of cranberry juice, and 1 cup of simple syrup with 1 bottle of champagne.  Mix and pour into champagne flutes garnished with pomegranate seeds, lemon slices, and mint leaves.  Cheers to Randy!

Merry Belated-Christmas & Happy New Year from this Ugly-Sweater Rockin' Family to Yours!

Day 352: Pecorino Cracker Appetizer, Salad, and Leftover Calzones

Exactly one week from today (Tuesday) is Randy's birthday.  That means this is the start of his birthday week.  I have to call it that because as his birthday approaches and I start pouring through my recipe books trying to decide what to make him for his birthday dinner, I always decide on too many things--so I have to spread it all out over the course of a week or so, culminating in the best of the best for his actual birthday dinner.  I'm pretty sure it's clear by now (so close to the end of my year-long blog journey) that a major way I show my husband love is by cooking for him!
So although tonight we had leftover calzones, which isn't necessarily anything special in this house, I made a new appetizer for us. 

salad and calzone dinner

When Randy comes home from work, we like to try to have what we call "grown-up time."  While I'm cooking dinner, I usually have a little bit of "down time" when something is baking or simmering on the stove.  During this time, Randy and I like to sit down together and have a little dinner appetizer and maybe a drink.  We catch up about our days and reconnect.  This time is so important and precious to us because four nights a week he's rushing off to his second job right after dinner, so we normally don't get any alone time after the kids go to bed.  We also like the fact that our "grown-up time" is generally first in our evening (unless I'm running behind in the dinner-making process).  It's a good reminder to us to keep our relationship with each other a major priority in our lives.  Then if I have to finish preparing dinner, he goes and plays with the kids (usually "couch monster").  That's always a precious thing for me to watch!

Tonight's appetizer was pecorino crackers, a recipe from Giada De Laurentis.  I put out some raspberry jalapeno jam to go with them and I made rum daiquiris.  It was a fantastic "grown-up time!"  Here are the recipes:

Pecorino Crackers
1 1/4 cups freshly grated pecorino cheese
1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup flour

Start by "creaming" together the butter and cheese in a bowl with a hand mixer.  Add the salt, pepper, and cayenne and mix.  Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough comes together.  Pull apart the dough in teaspoon-size sections and place on an ungreased baking sheet (or one lined with parchment paper) and press down gently.  You should get 20-24 crackers from the dough.  Bake at 350* for about 15 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.  Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to cool rack or plate.  Serve with savory jam or crumble over soup or salad. 

Rum Daiquiris (Recipe by John Cusimano, who uses dark rum, but I didn't.)
3 oz spiced rum
1 oz simple syrup
juice of 1 lime
lime slice for a garnish

(To make a simple syrup, simply boil equal parts water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.)  In an ice-filled shaker, shake together the rum, syrup, and lime juice.  Pour over ice in small glasses.  Garnish with a lime slice.

Days 292 & 293: Whiskey Cream Rib-Eye & Rosemary Cream Scalloped Potatoes

I am happy to say that the wallpaper has all been removed from that awful "wallpaper room!"  I returned the rented steamer just this morning (Monday).  We completed the wallpaper removal on Saturday and as a reward for ourselves, Randy and I had an in-home date night.  What was on the menu?  Well we started our night with some good, old-fashioned whiskey sours accompanied by veggie sticks and homemade herb dip.  I grilled up some rib-eye steaks on my grill pan and whisked some whiskey cream sauce to smother them with.  In the oven, I had rosemary cream scalloped potatoes making the house smell absolutely glorious.  And the movie?  DJango Unchained.  We never saw it when it hit theaters and shortly thereafter.  Lucky for us, Randy's brother, Eric, allows us access to his Netflix account!  It was a great couch date!  Here are the recipes:

Whiskey Sours
Using fresh lemons and lime and homemade simple syrup really does make a difference in how cocktails taste!

3/4 cup whiskey
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (3 lemons)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (4 limes)
2/3 cup simple syrup
maraschino cherries

To make the simple syrup, simply boil 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water together on the stove until the sugar dissolves.  Chill before using.
Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake for about 30 seconds.  Pour into glasses with ice and garnish with 1-2 cherries.

Herb Dip
Once you've made 1 creamy herb dip, you've made them all.  Have fun playing with different herbs and flavors and just keep your base the same!
 

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 TB chopped dill
salt, pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.  You may also use a food processor if you prefer.  You may serve the dip at room temperature or chilled.

Rib-Eye Steaks with Whiskey Cream Sauce

This is how we stir the cream sauce.

This recipe, along with the potatoes, are more from my kindred cooking spirit, Ree Drummond: aka, the Pioneer Woman.  They were both super scrumptious!  Investing in a good quality steak is well worth it, too!

2 rib-eye steaks
1 small onion, diced
5 TB butter
1/4 cup of whiskey
1/4 cup beef stock
salt, pepper
1/4 cup cream

Cook the onions in a couple tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.  When they are brown, turn off the heat and add the whiskey.  Turn the heat back on once the whiskey evaporates and set it to medium.  Pour in the beef stock and season with salt and pepper.  Whisk in another tablespoon of butter.  Let the mixtrue bubble for about 30 seconds, then reduce the heat to low.  Pour in the cream.  Whisk and add more cream if necessary.  Let the sauce simmer on low while the steaks are cooked.
Melt the last of the butter in another skillet on medium-high and season the steaks liberally with salt and pepper.  Add the steaks to the skillet and cook them for about 2 minutes on each side for a medium-rare steak.  Pour the sauce of the cooked steaks and serve.

Creamy Rosemary Potatoes
Umm... YUM!!!

1/2 stick of butter
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
5-6 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 onion, chopped
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
salt, pepper
2 TB minced fresh rosemary
3 scallions, chopped
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 TB minced chives

Preheat the oven to 350*.  Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish.  In a bowl, let the potatoes soak in half a cup of both the half-and-half and heavy cream.
In a large skillet, cook the onion and garlic over low heat.  Add the cream cheese and stir while cooking until smooth.   Add the rest of the half-and-half and cream.  Season with salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Add 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese and stir.
Pour the potatoes into the baking dish and pour the cream cheese mixture on top.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for about 1 hour.  Garnish with the chopped chives.

We are ready!

Days 267-268: Mexican Stuffed Peppers, Roasted Vegetable Tostadas, and Blackberry Margaritas

Good morning!  Are you wide awake, energetic, enthusiastic, and ready to go?!  If so, I'll have what you're having.  I'm sitting here with my coffee, doing major blog catch-up (and am actually excited about it because the recipes for the next few weeks are going to be awesome) but I'd still rather crawl back into my warm bed.  I love the house this quiet, and I love being the first one up, but this morning, my coffee just seems to be taking extra long to kick in! 

This past week has been a total blur.  I can hardly distinguish one day from another.  So I guess it's a good thing I have this blog, separating the days by meals--otherwise I'd be totally confused!  I wrote about last weekend's catering job in my previous post.  So let's continue on the daily journey and talk about Monday, Columbus Day.

Columbus Day I spent all day shopping with my mother and aunts--a tradition, like many, in our family.  I read in a book one time, "Some people are happiest when they're saving money, others are happiest when they're spending it."  (or something along those lines)  I'm the latter.  I think it's how I was raised... wink wink, Mom!  I don't think I spend carelessly, nor do I consider myself a "shopaholic", though I suppose those things are pretty subjective.  To the person who rarely buys anything, it may look like I shop a lot, but to the person who loves to shop, I don't shop nearly enough. The truth is, I really DON'T like to shop.  That's why I can only spend 2 full days a year shopping: Columbus Day and Black Friday.  And on Black Friday, I'm up early and generally done by lunch.  Other than that, I'll go out and get a few things here and there that I or someone in my family needs, and I do love to buy presents for people, but I'm certainly not a "browser."  I know what I want and if I don't see it, I don't buy anything.  This is why I can't shop with my husband--he could spend all day "deciding" on what to get and wanting to look here or there for things.  That's the kind of shopping I can't stand.  When I'm at a store or mall, I'm mission-minded!

Collecting fall leaves--this is the kind of browsing I can get into!

Columbus Day, for me, sort of "rings in" the shopping holiday season.  I get into the spirit of buying Christmas gifts, stocking stuffers, and a few fall/winter clothing items for myself, husband, and kids.  You know I love this time of year, and Columbus Day at Wrentham Outlets is just another fall tradition that makes this my favorite season!  Anyway, I suppose I explain all of that to say that Monday's dinner was Velveeta Mac & Cheese, again.  Didn't feel much like cooking, but more like showing off a few key items and carefully hiding the rest.  Randy graciously stayed home with the kids that day, making it a true "holiday" for me, and he even grouted our kitchen's backsplash!  The kitchen is almost done, and I promise I'll have before and after pictures soon!

Tuesday is Mexican night, generally, according to my weekly meal menu.  So for Day 268, I made Mexican Stuffed Peppers, Spicy Roasted Vegetable Tostadas, and Blackberry Margaritas.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Usually I use green bell peppers to stuff, but since the peppers I wanted to serve were going alongside another "main" dish, I decided to use smaller peppers.  Also, since I wanted more of a "Mexican" or "Southwestern" flavor, using poblanos seemed to make the most sense.

4 poblano peppers

3/4 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 lb breakfast sausage
cumin
paprika
cayenne chili powder
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 a red pepper, small diced
salt, pepper

Slice the tops off of the poblano peppers and then dice the tops (minus the stem) to add to the cooked rice.  Crumble the breakfast sausage into a small skillet and season with cumin, paprika, and chili powder to taste while browning.  Once the sausage is browned, add it to the rice along with the diced pepper and the frozen corn.  Stir in some salt and pepper to taste.  Use the filling to stuff the 4 poblanos and place them in pan filled 1/3 of the way with water.  Bake them at 400* for about 20-25 minutes.

Spicy Roasted Vegetable Tostadas
Because it's fall, I wanted to use vegetables that resembled this season.  You can certainly use any kinds of vegetables you'd like, though.

small, round, corn tortillas
1 cup of butternut squash, small diced
1 Italian eggplant, small diced
1 red pepper, small diced
1 medium zucchini, small diced
olive oil
cumin
paprika
cayenne chili powder
red pepper flakes
salt, pepper
hot sauce (if desired)
Mexican cheese
sour cream

On a rimmed baking sheet, place all of the diced vegetables.  Drizzle liberally with olive oil.  Season to taste with the cumin, paprika, chili powder, and just a few red pepper flakes.  Stir to combine.  Roast in the oven at 400* for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through and fragrant.  Meanwhile, toast each tortilla over the flame of a gas stove, or on a dry skillet, both sides, until brown and crispy.  When the vegetables are done, place a generous spoonful of vegetables on each cooked tortilla, top with Mexican cheese, sour cream, and hot sauce (if desired).

Blackberry Margarita
I've had a pint of blackberries in my fridge for sometime.  I meant to use them to make a jam of sorts with strawberries, but little by little, the blackberries started disappearing for simple snacks.  With only a small amount left, I wondered what to do with them.  Then it hit me--drinks!

This recipe is similar to a blackjack margarita, which contains chambord raspberry liqueur (or in our case, sometimes blackberry brandy).  For this recipe, though, I made my classic margaritas.  But before I poured the drinks into the glasses, I muddled 3 blackberries in the bottom of each glass.  It added a great fruitiness to the margarita!  Yum!

Notice the backsplash?!?! :)

Comfort Food: Mac & Cheese, Creamy Salmon, Spaghetti & Meatballs, Apple Pie (Days 251-255)

Food is comforting.  For me, anyway.  Food stirs memories.  A good meal can relieve stress, momentarily, anyway.  When Randy comes home from work, I want him to immediately feel more relaxed when he enters the doors.  I like to have candles burning for a nice aroma, supper cooking, and a relatively clean house (as clean and organized as it can be with my two little ones running around still).  Even when I was working, I would get home before him and create this atmosphere.  And when he worked 3rd shift, he would always comment that he loved waking up to the smell of supper on the stove and the candles that created a coziness in our home.  I talked about this coziness I remember from my childhood and what I try to recreate in a recent post.  I feel the same way about food.  Food can be cozy and comforting just like my candles, music, and overall home decor.  Randy and I have been in need of some comfort food this week.  So here are a few things I cooked up for just that.

Velveeta Mac & Cheese (Day 253)
Ok, so there's baked mac & cheese--a favorite of my husband's, and Kraft Mac & Cheese, a favorite of my children's.  I've made them both.  But I grew up on Velveeta Mac & Cheese--every Sunday after church.  We would come home, and Dad would start making Velveeta Mac & Cheese for lunch.  I don't know how or when this tradition started, I don't ever remember it not existing.  Not only was there comfort in the warm, cheesy taste of the dish, but there was comfort in the consistency of the meal.  We always knew what to expect.  That's comforting.

2 cups or a little over 1/2 box of pasta (my dad used elbow macaroni, I used small shells)
1/2 lb (8 oz) Velveeta cheese
roughly 2-4 TB milk

Cook the pasta as directed.  While it's cooking, you can create a double-boiler over the hot water or you can use the microwave.  I like the double-boiler because the cheese melts evenly and stays smooth.  I just place a glass bowl over the cooking pasta and slice the 8 oz of cheese and add to the bowl.  Once the cheese starts melting, I pour in a little milk to help smooth it out.  Once the cheese is melted and the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and add it to the bowl with cheese.  Toss to coat the pasta completely.  Mmmm... mac & cheese!

Ok, we did NOT have wine with this dish as a kid, but I think it's a nice touch as an adult!

Salmon with Poblano Peppers, and Creamed Corn (Day 254)
I make this salmon a lot--probably about 50% of the time I make salmon, it's this version.  The original recipe can be found here.  I served it with wild rice and snow peas.  Salmon may not have you thinking "comfort", but trust me--the creamy corn and poblano sauce is so luscious and creamy and the heat from the pepper just makes this meal warm you through and through.  It definitely belongs on the "comfort food" list! 

I paired this meal with a nice, fruity cocktail to complement the salmon and the pepper.  It was a nice contrast.  I mixed 1 part Triple Sec, 3 parts rum, and 4 parts orange juice.  I poured the mixture over ice and added a splash of grenadine.  Garnish with a Maraschino cherry.

Spaghetti & Meatballs (Day 255) -- is there anything more comforting than good ol' spaghetti and meatballs?  I think not.  Again, Randy proclaims this to be one of his "favorite meals."  Serving it with a salad and nice glass of red wine is certainly a comforting way to enjoy this classic dish!


I like to have Randy's drink ready for him when he gets home.  That way he can really start to unwind from work right away. ;)  It's idealistic to want to have dinner on the table already since I don't always know the exact moment he'll arrive.  Sometimes that happens, but usually not.  If I'm able, a nice appetizer--just bread, or cheese & crackers is something special that can be on the table waiting for him to enjoy with his drink.  Then we can talk about our days a little bit while supper finishes cooking.  Of course, you have to imagine this with 2 toddlers running around, asking for Daddy's attention, too.  And, being the wonderful father that he is, he's usually able to get in a few rounds of "Couch Monster" before dinner hits the table.  The night we had spaghetti and meatballs, I had a cheese and cracker appetizer waiting (featuring Trader Joe's caramelized onion cheddar cheese--yum!) and one of Randy's favorite drinks: rum & cokes.

This is NOT the appetizer that I had on the table on a weeknight.  But, I wanted to throw in a picture of the cheese platters I served at our Open House over the weekend (Days 252-253).  However, I forgot to take pictures that day!  So you'll have to enjoy my recreation of the setting I used for my kids' snacks on Monday.  For a fun idea, I used leftover ceramic tiles from our floor renovation as cheese platters.  Really cute idea, thanks HGTV! ;) 

THE BEST Apple Pie
In our house, apple pie is not just for Thanksgiving or any other holiday.  Once it's apple-picking season, it's apple pie season.  Imagine finishing off a plate of yummy spaghetti and meatballs and knowing that there's apple pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert.  Now THAT'S comforting--almost Heaven!  This recipe is truly the best.  There is added apple flavor in the crust and technique that helps the body of the pie stay firm.  It's amazing!  It takes a little extra wait-time, but it's worth it!   I've adapted it from an Alton Brown recipe I used years ago when I made my very first apple pie.

Crust
2 sticks of butter, cold, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 3/4 cups flour
2 TB sugar
1 tsp salt
6-7 TB apple cider

Filling
6-8 apples (depending on their size--6 large apples is usually good)
1/3 cup sugar
1 TB cinnamon
1/2 stick of butter, sliced

I start by making the crust.  Using a food processor is literally the easiest way to make a crust or dough.  The machine does the work for you and it will come out perfect every time!  Place the flour, butter, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the butter is the size of peas.  Slowly add the apple cider and continue pulsing until the dough starts to come together.  Use your hands to press the dough together into a nice, sticky ball while still in the processor.  If it's not sticking, you may need to add more cider.  Once you have a ball of dough, divide it in half.  Form 2 round discs of dough and wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Peel and chop the apples.  Place the apple pieces in a colander over a small saucepan.  Sprinkle them with 1/3 cup of sugar and toss.  Cover the apples with a towel and let sit for at least an hour or more.  The juices from the apples will drain into the sauce pan.  This process helps release the juices now and not when their in the pie--so you won't get a super soggy pie.  Plus, you will use the juices on the crust of the pie, also. :)

You can let the apples sit all morning and the dough can hang out in the fridge for as long as you need.  When you're ready to assemble and bake the pie, preheat the oven to 425* and remove the dough from the fridge.  Let it sit out a few minutes to help it come to room temp and make it easier to roll out.  Start with one disc, roll out the dough and place it in the bottom of a pie plate.  Add the apples and toss them with 1 TB of cinnamon.  Place the slices of butter over the apples.  Roll out your second disc and cover the apples with it. 

Trim off any extra dough hanging from the side.  Pinch the dough together around the edges of the pie.

You should have a little apple "juice" in the bottom of your saucepan.  Turn the stove on high and boil the juice to reduce them.  Keep an eye on this because it will happen fast.  When the juices are reduced by half, turn off the heat.  You should have a sticky "syrup" at this point, which you can pour over your pie and spread it out with a pastry brush. 

Use a sharp nice to prick the top of the pie. Cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil.  Bake on the very bottom rack of the oven for about 30 minutes (I place the pie plate on a baking sheet, also).  Then, remove the foil and place the pie on one of the top racks of the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.  When the pie is finished, let stand on a cooling rack for about an hour before serving.

Delish!  (This picture was taken BEFORE my son reached up high and dug a chunk out of the pie before his father got home. Tsk tsk!)  Most of the pie was still salvaged and it, of course, tasted great!