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.

     

Day 317: Turkey Bowtie Soup w/ Cornbread Croutons (Day 2 of T-Day leftovers)

Last night we used up the last of the sausage stuffing in my sausage bechamel shells.  Tonight, I used about half of the turkey that remained and a good portion of the turkey stock we made on Thanksgiving night to make a turkey soup.  We also had our cornbread stuffing leftover, so we turned those into croutons for a soup topping.  Randy did that for me by following my instructions since I had to leave to deliver food for a small catering gig.  (I'll include some of those recipes at the end of this post.)  So here's the original recipe for the cornbread stuffing:

Cornbread Stuffing (Tyler Florence)
1 loaf cornbread, cubed (6 cups)
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 TB softened butter
1-2 tsp fresh sage, chopped
salt, pepper

In a small bowl, mix the soft butter with the sage to make a "sage butter."  Melt the seasoned butter in a sauté pan over medium heat and add the onions.  Cook for about 15 minutes, or until soft and golden.  Place the cubed cornbread in a large bowl and pour the cooked onions on top.  Mix the egg and heavy cream together and pour over the bread and onions.  Season with salt and pepper. 
I used this stuffing to stuff my turkey and then baked the rest of it at 375* for about 25-30 minutes.

Cornbread Croutons

To make the croutons, take the leftover stuffing and add a little olive oil or chicken broth to moisten it again.  With your hands, take clumps of the stuffing about the size of a tablespoon and squeeze slightly (to help them maintain their form) and place on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with a little extra olive oil if desired and season with salt and pepper.  Bake in a 350* oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until brown and fragrant.



Turkey Bowtie Soup
5 cups turkey stock
3-5 large carrots, sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
about 1 cup or more of leftover turkey (blend of both white and dark meat)
3/4 lb of bowtie pasta
salt, pepper to taste

In a stockpot, boil the stock with the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.  Once the broth comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the carrots to cook for at least 5 minutes.  (You can do this step earlier in the day and then let the broth and vegetables sit until you're ready to finish preparing dinner.) 
Bring the soup back up to a boil and add the pasta.  Season with salt and pepper and let the pasta cook for a few minutes.  Add the already cooked turkey and allow the soup to simmer for a few minutes.  Taste to adjust the seasonings.  Serve with the cornbread croutons on top.

To some, this picture is a lonely sight--dinner on a TV tray, solo.  But to a mom of littles, it is pure bliss.  My kids were in bed when I got home and hubby was off to work.  I enjoyed a few moments of peace while watching "Chopped" and sitting in front of our newly trimmed tree.

Intimate Catering Gig... A Few Recipes...

Goat Cheese & Onion Tartlets
I often serve these as appetizers for get-togethers, especially around this time of year.  I served them for Thanksgiving this year and last and they are always a big hit!

1 package (2 sheets) of puff pastry, thawed

1 TB butter
1 TB olive oil
1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 TB chopped scallions
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 egg
salt, pepper
3-4 oz goat cheese

Out of 1 sheet of puff pastry, I'm able to get 9 circles cut out with a circular cookie-cutter.  This makes 18 circles, total.  Cut them out and place them on a greased mini-muffin or tartlet pan and push them in to create small shells.  Preheat the oven to 350* and place the prepared shells in the refrigerator.  In a small skillet, melt the butter and drizzle in olive oil.  Place the red and white onions in the skillet and cook over medium heat until caramelized, about 15 minutes.  When good and brown, add the scallions and cook for just another minute and then turn off the heat.  In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and heavy cream.  Season with salt and pepper and add the onions.  Divide the onion/custard mixture among all of the tartlet shells.  Break up the goat cheese and divide equally among the tartlets.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Serve warm.

Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce
Randy and I love crab cakes as an appetizer.  There's a restaurant in Maine called Yellow Fins and their crab cakes are amazing.  But I have to brag a little and say that Randy claims these are better than Yellow Fins' cakes. ;) And now I have to be completely honest and say that the recipe belongs to Ina Garten, who can do no wrong in the kitchen and provides fool-proof recipes!  I leave out capers and Old Bay seasoning, but you can add them if you want.

2 TB butter
2 TB olive oil
3/4 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)
1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
1/4 minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 lb lump crabmeat
1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsps Dijon mustard
2 eggs, lightly beaten

In a large sauté pan, cook the butter, olive oil, onion, pepper, parsley, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until the vegetables are softened, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Cool to room temperature.  Add the crabmeat, mayo, breadcrumbs, Dijon mustard, and eggs.  Mix well.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  When ready, melt 4 TB butter with 1/4 cup of olive oil in a skillet to fry the crab cakes.  I use a small melon-baller to make mini crab cakes, but you can form the cakes however works for you.  Fry for a few minutes on each side, then remove and place on a paper towel to drain.  Serve hot with remoulade sauce.

Remoulade Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 TB small-diced pickles
1 tsp course-grain mustard
1 TB white wine vinegar
pinch of salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in the food processor and pulse several minutes until the pickles are well-minced and the ingredients are combines.  But do not puree.  This can be served cold or at room temperature.

I also served grilled lemon chicken skewers.  Chicken on a stick--fun stuff!

Day 281: Mmmm, Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

It's that time of year--time to break out the soup recipes!  We've been blessed with such a beautiful and seasonal autumn so far this year, I think!  It's been hard for me to know what days will be better soup days--like today I think we got close to 70 degrees!  I'll take it.  I love walking outside in autumn and just feeling comfortable.  And my kids can play at the parks and playgrounds even longer into the season which is a huge bonus!  Every other day my daughter asks me if we can build a snowman or when it's going to snow.  On the opposite days she asks why the lake is closed.  haha!  At least she's getting some good, well-rounding experiences.  Here's a recipe that's sure to warm you up this winter while you're missing the lake...

Day 281: Broccoli & Cheddar Soup in Homemade Bread Bowls

Homemade Bread Bowls
2 TB sugar
1 package dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
3 1/2 - 4 cups of bread flour
1 egg white + water for egg wash

In a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, dissolve the sugar and yeast into the warm water and let stand for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the milk, oil, salt, and eggs.  Mix on low.  Slowly start to add the flour, pacing yourself and letting the dough come together between scoops.  Make sure you don't add too much flour.  Knead with the hook about 8 minutes until it comes together and isn't too sticky.  Place the dough in a large bowl coated with butter and turn the dough to cover it on all sides with the butter.  Let rise, covered with a damp cloth, for about 1 hour.
After an hour, punch the dough down and divide into 4 or 5 sections.  Form round balls and then mounds onto a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Cover again and let rise another 45 minutes.
Whisk together the egg white and water and brush over the mounds of dough.  Bake at 425* for 20-25 minutes.  Cool completely before cutting off the tops and middle.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This was the first time I made this soup and Randy fell in the love with it.  He had thirds and brought it to work with him the next day.  The kids even devoured it.  I was never liked the broccoli/cheese combo as a kid, but I have to say, this soup rocks!  The recipe is from my kindred spirit, Ree Drummond--aka: The Pioneer Woman.  Her original recipe is for 10 servings, so I cut it in half.  Here's my version:
2 heads of broccoli, chopped

olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 an onion, diced
1/4 cup of flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
pinch of nutmeg
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Place the broccoli on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Bake at 375* for about 15 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.
Melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions.  Cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes.  Sprinkle the flour on top and cook until the flour is absorbed, about 1-2 minutes.  Add the milk and half-and-half.  Add the broccoli and season with the nutmeg, salt, and lots of pepper.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the broccoli is tender.  Stir in the cheese and allow it to melt.  Taste to test for seasonings.  You can serve the soup as is, blend it a little with an immersion blender or potato masher, or blend it completely in a blender in batches.  I just mashed the broccoli up a bit.

Day 65: Pinwheel & Pancetta Soup

Tonight I have the rare privilege of eating alone.  Please don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't want to eat with my husband, it's that I'm glad my kids are in bed!  Eating by myself is a rare occurrence that I used to take for granted.  Not anymore.  So I eat my soup as a I write this blog and catch up on my email correspondence.  Hoping for a relaxing night!  I'm also hoping that his is my last soup recipe until fall.  I know it's supposed to snow tonight, but, enough is enough.  Maybe if I start cooking summer meals, it will draw summer near.

I've said before that neither Randy or I like beans or lentils very much.  He can tolerate them.  I pretty much can't.  It's a texture-thing.  But when I made my "Mighty Minestrone" soup, I added beans anyway, and then picked around them to eat.  That's when Randy asked me to make Pasta E Fagioli soup, which is kind of like minestrone.  He said his mom had an awesome recipe for it that he remembered from childhood.  So when she came for a visit last weekend, he asked her about it.  Apparently they both remembered that it had a lot of garlic.  (We like garlic in this family!)  So she mailed us her recipe a few days letter with a note that said, "I didn't remember the recipe being so vague."  Bless her heart, there were absolutely NO measurements written down, and the title read "Pasta Fazool."  (She is so cute!)  But this soup also has beans in it, obviously since "fagioli" in Italian means "beans."  Because of that, I didn't really want to make it exactly like the recipe (even if I could have) but I wanted to still use some of the ingredients and then add my own.  So, I came up with this:

Pinwheel & Pancetta Soup
This is A LOT like the minestrone soup I made on Day 7, however, it's not vegetarian.  That soup had vegetable stock and no meat.  This soup uses chicken stock and pancetta.  There are a couple other differences, also.  I was at the gym tonight when Randy ate it with the kids.  When I got back in the car, I had a text from him saying "Wow, Mom has to try this!  It's fantastic!"  I guess I did good... ;)
2 cups chopped pancetta
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped and separated
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
2 tsps chopped rosemary
2 tsps chopped thyme
12 cups (or more) chicken stock
1 lb pinwheel pasta
1/2 bunch of kale, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In the bowl of a food processor, combine 2 cloves of garlic, the rosemary, thyme, and can of tomatoes.  Pulse until smooth.
Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil in a pan on the stove and cook the onions 1-2 minutes.  Add the remaining garlic and pancetta and cook until the onions are translucent and the pancetta is browning.  Add the carrots and cook a minute longer.

Pour in the white wine and cook the alcohol off (about 1 minute).  Then add the tomato sauce.  Pour in the chicken stock and bring the soup up to a boil.  Add the pasta and boil for 3-5 minutes.  Turn the heat down and add the kale, salt, and pepper.  Serve hot when kale is tender.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

 

Day 49: Maple-Oatmeal Scones, Tortellini Soup, Jalapeno-Cheddar Cornbread

This morning I made scones again!  I actually haven't made this recipe in a while, even though it is one of our favorites.  Randy has requested that I attempt writing my own scone recipe for him, which will be a fun project for me to do in the near future. :)  For now, here's another Ina Garten inspired fool-proof recipe:

Maple-Oatmeal Scones
4 1/2 cups flour
1 cup oats, plus more for sprinkling
2 TB baking powder
2 TB sugar
2 tsp salt
1 lb cold, unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1/2 maple syrup
4 eggs, beaten
1 egg + water for eggwash

Glaze:
1 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanillla

Preheat oven to 400*.  Combine the dry ingredients (stand mixer is good for this recipe) then add the diced butter.  Mix until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the buttermilk, syrup, and eggs and mix them with the dry ingredients.  When completely incorporated, dump sticky dough onto a floured surface and roll out to about 1/2-1 inch thick.  Cut circles out of the dough and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Brush with egg wash.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  When cooled, drizzle the glaze over the scones and sprinkles with additional oats.  (Makes 14-16 scones.)

For Ina's exact recipe, visit http://barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=188&S=0.

Tortellini Soup
This recipe is almost never the same when I make it.  I'm constantly changing amounts of ingredients or making minor adjustments as I go.  Here's how I made it tonight:

12-14 cups chicken broth
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 carrots, sliced
1 small bag of frozen corn
1/3 box frozen spinach (or 1 bag fresh spinach--I will probably do it this way next time)
2 bags of frozen tortellini
salt, pepper
shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the onions, garlic, and carrots in the broth over medium heat until tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the corn, spinach, and tortellini and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve.  Season again with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread (Ina Garten)
3 cups flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 TB baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 lb melted butter
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 scallions, finely chopped
3 small jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

Whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add the eggs, butter, and milk and mix until just incorporated.  Add most of the cheese, the scallions, and jalapenos, and mix together.  Let the batter sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350* and grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Pour the batter into the pan and sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Day 36: Cheddar Corn Chowder w/ Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

Cheddar Corn Chowder
This could almost be a vegetarian meal, if vegetable broth was used instead of chicken stock, and if you leave out the bacon.  But no one in this house ever wants to leave out the bacon (myself included)!  This is a very smooth, creamy chowder that is very simple to make.  The original recipe is from Ina Garten, but I adjusted the amounts and other details to suit our needs (I'm writing out the quantities I use).  I also don't cook up all the bacon, only what we'll need for 1 dinner and leftovers.  I'll freeze half of the soup, so there's no point in chopping and cooking all that bacon.

8 oz bacon, chopped (less if you want to freeze half the soup)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 - 1 large onion
4 TB butter
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
10-12 cups chicken stock
6 medium potatoes, medium-diced (bite-size)
1 lb frozen corn (1 small bag or 1/2 large bag)
2 cups half and half
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the bacon in the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  When the bacon is crisp, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Cook the onions in the leftover grease and oil and add salt, pepper, turmeric, and butter.  When the onions are translucent, add the flour.  Cook 1 minute.  Add the chicken stock and potatoes and bring to a boil.  Cook over medium for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.  Add the corn and half and half.  Add the cheese and cook for about 5 more minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with a little extra cheese on top and bacon for garnish.

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits
I think this is another Ina Garten recipe.  It's been in my own family recipe book for so long--we love it!  You can make the dough up ahead of time and keep it refrigerated, but there have been nights when I've made it all at once right before dinner.  If you make the dough in a food processor, it's so easy and quick.  One thing I love about biscuits is that shape doesn't matter.  You can literally just plop a handful of dough down on the baking sheet and move on--no need to roll it or shape it or fuss with it at all.  After the egg wash, I sprinkle some extra cheddar cheese on top and some sea salt.  Randy likes to break these apart and add to his soup.

2 cups flour
1 TB baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
12 TB cold butter
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1 cold egg
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg + water for an egg wash

Preheat oven to 425*.  Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt with the butter either in a food processor or an electric stand mixer.  Mix until the butter is the size of peas.  Mix together the buttermilk and egg.  Add to the flour/butter mixture and pulse just until the dough comes together.  Add the cheddar cheese and pulse a few more times.  When the dough has come together, break into 8 pieces and place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Brush with the egg wash.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Day 26: Valentine's Day Dinner for Two

Our romantic post-child-bedtime-dinner includes: Cheese & Crackers Appetizers, Homemade New England Clam Chowder & Salad, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Asparagus Risotto, Individual Red Velvet Cakes

Drink Pairings: Sauvignon Blanc (for the girl), Zinfindel (for the guy), Decaf Coffee, Brandy "Night-Caps" 

Forgot Corduroy

Putting kids to bed...

Homemade New England Clam Chowder (Devon Fredericks & Susan Costner via Ina Garten)
It's hard to find fresh shucked clams around here, so I bought frozen.  I wasn't really up for shucking clams myself with everything else going on!

12 TB butter, divided
1-2 onions, chopped
2-4 stalk celery, chopped
4-6 carrots, sliced
8 potatoes, chopped
1-2 tsp thyme leaves
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 qt clam juice
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
3 cups clams (fresh or frozen--not canned)

In a large stockpot, melt 4 TB butter and add the onion to cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.  Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 more minutes.  Add the clam juice, bring to a boil and simmer uncovered until the vegetables are tender. (20 minutes)
In a small pot, melt the remaining 8 TB butter and whisk in the flour, cook on low for 3 minutes.  Whisk in a cup of the hot broth from the soup and and then pour the whole mixture back into the soup pot.  Simmer until the broth thickens (a few minutes).  Add the milk and clams and cook a couple minutes until the clams are cooked.  Add more salt and pepper if desired.

Chicken Cordon Bleu (for 2) (Tyler Florence)
2 chicken breasts
2 slices prosciutto
1/4 lb Gruyere cheese, grated
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme
1 small clove of garlic
1-2 TB melted butter
1 egg
extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 350*.  Pound out the chicken breasts between wax paper until about 1/4 inch thick.  Layer with prosciutto and cheese, and roll up like a jellyroll.  In one bowl, season the flour with salt and pepper.  In another bowl, beat the egg and season with salt and pepper.  In a third bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper and add the melted butter.  Dip the rolled chicken in the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.  Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and bake the chicken for 20-25 minutes until browned and cooked through.  Cut into pinwheels.

Asparagus Risotto
I love making risotto.  It may seem like a challenge, and too fancy of a dish to have at home, but really, it's all about the technique.  Yes, there are fancy "risotto" rice grains out there, but really, you cam make risotto with regular long-grain white or brown rice if you want.  When you make a pot of regular rice, you start with water and boil it and then add the rice and cook down.  With risotto, it's the opposite.  You simply start with the rice in the pan with some butter and oil.  Have chicken stock warming in a pan nearby.  Slowly add the stock a ladle at a time.  Add 1-2 ladles, then stir the rice vigorously for about 30 seconds to a minute, releasing the starches.  Then when the liquid has all been absorbed, add more stock and repeat the process.  Adding the liquid slowly and stirring the rice will release starches that make it so creamy.  For added flavor, incorporate onion, garlic, white wine, and of course, parmesan

cheese at the end.  Once you have the basics for a good risotto, you can easily add squash, asparagus, or a different type of vegetable for a new twist.  Here's my recipe:
1 cup arborio rice
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped and blanched
(*To blanch asparagus, chop it first.  Prepare a pot of boiling water, and a bowl filled with ice water.  Boil the asparagus 2 minutes or until just tender.  Immediately pull out of the boiling pot and place in the ice water.  This will stop the cooking and preserve the bright green color of the vegetable.)
Drizzle some olive oil in a large saucepan and add about 1 TB butter over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent.  Stir in the rice.  Add the white wine and reduce the heat to low.  When the wine is just about cooked off, start adding the chicken stock which should be warming in a small pan nearby.  Add 2 ladles and stir vigorously.
After about a minute, leave the rice alone to absorb the liquid.  Check back in a few minutes.  If the liquid of mostly absorbed, add another ladle of stock and stir again.  Then leave it alone.  Repeat this process until all of the stock is used, or the rice is cooked through and is no longer crunchy.  Then add the parmesan cheese and asparagus and mix together.

Individual Red Velvet Cakes (Emeril Lagasse)
This recipe is for one large cake, but I filled 4 ramekins to make 4 small cakes, and used the rest of the batter for mini-cupcakes for Abby's friends at daycare.
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsps cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 oz red food coloring
1 tsp distilled white vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 lb confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
chopped pecans


Preheat oven to 350*.  Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs.  Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk while mixing on low.  To finish, add the food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.  Mix together.  Bake 20-30 minutes.  (In the individual ramekins, I baked the cakes for 25 minutes.)
Cream together the butter and cream cheese.  Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix together until fluffy.  You can add the pecans to the frosting or use as a topping.
I split the individual ramekin cakes in half to make little layered cakes and topped with pecans.

We had to share one because we were so full at the end of the meal!

 Happy Valentine's Day!

Day 14: Chipotle Chili, Beer-Battered Onion Rings, Homemade Guacamole, Knock-You-Naked Brownies

There are so many game-day dips, dinners, and designs that are so much better than my humble spread!  Thanks to social media and pinterest, people everywhere tonight are putting together guacamole dips in the shape of a football field, snacks laid out like stadiums, and cakes in the shapes of footballs.  Maybe it's because the Pats aren't in the superbowl this year and I'm not a Bruno Mars fan, or maybe I'm just too partied-out thanks to a very crazy pre and post holiday season, but there's not much going on over here for the big game tonight.  In fact, I'm quite certain I'd much rather start watching season 8 of Dexter than the superbowl, but we did invite a few people over, and I'd been asked numerous times what I'm making for the game, so in the spirit of the game, here we are!  The good thing about making a "traditional" dish at the "traditional" time is that all the ingredients are on sale at the grocery store!  Avocados were at an awesome price, chili ingredients were all marked down, and of course tortilla chips were a steal.  Here's what we're serving at the Dattolo house tonight:

Chipotle Chili
2.5 lbs boneless stew meat (cut into chunks)

1/3 cup masa harina (or cornmeal or flour)
1 TB cumin
1/4 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lg onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 TB canned chipotle chiles, chopped, plus 1 TB of the adobo sauce
3 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes w/ green chiles
14.5 oz beef broth
1 TB brown sugar
*Garnish: cheese, sour cream, avocado
Toss the meat with the cornmeal, cumin, and salt.  Place in slow-cooker.  Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on high for about 2-2.5 hours.  Serve with sour cream, cheese, and sliced avocado.  Serve with cornbread.  For skillet cornbread recipe, see Day 7.

Beer-Battered Onion Rings
Slice an onion into thick rings.  Soak in buttermilk with hot sauce, salt, pepper, and some thyme and refrigerate for a few hours.  When ready to fry, heat vegetable oil in a large pot on the stove.  For the batter, combine 1 cup of flour with 12 oz medium-bodied beer.  Mix to rid of any lumps.  To test that the oil is ready, you can drop a little batter into the oil.  If the batter sizzles and rises right to the top, the oil is hot enough.  Dip the onions into the batter to coat, and then in the oil until golden brown.  Remove from oil and place on a paper toweled-plate.

Onion Ring Dip

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
juice of 1/2 - 1 lime
hot sauce (to taste)
salt, pepper (to taste)
chipotle chili powder (1 tsp or to taste)
Mix well and refrigerate.

Homemade Guacamole
4 avocadoes
1/2 jalapeno, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
juice of 1/2 - 1 lime
hot sauce, to taste
salt, pepper, to taste
chipotle chili powder, to taste
Mix ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.  Blend until desired consistency.  *Be liberal with the salt!  Avocados are very mild, so the salt will really help to bring out the flavor.

Knock-You-Naked Brownies (recipe courtesy of one of my biggest culinary inspirations, Ree Drummond)
German chocolate cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/3 cup evaporated milk, plus 1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 pkg chewy caramel candies
1/2 cup (or more) chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350*.  Over a double-boiler, melt the caramels with 1/2 cup evaporated milk.  While the caramel melts, combine the cake mix, butter, pecans, and 1/3 cup evaporated milk.  The dough will be thick!  Press half of the dough into a greased 8 x 8 baking pan.  Bake for 8-10 minutes to set.  Remove from the oven and let cool about 1 minute.  Pour the melted caramel over the dough, and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.  Press the remaining dough into the shape of a rectangle on a cutting board, then carefully place on top of the chocolate chips.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool and refrigerate to set.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Enjoy!

Happy Superbowl Sunday and may the best team win! :)