pantry2plate

Gluten Free Angel Hair Pasta with Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Pumpkin Sauce

2011-11-02T17:14:00.000-04:00

I could only think of pumpkin on Halloween night which turned out to work in my favor. I had seen a recipe for a pumpkin lasagna that sounded fantastic so I went to the drawing board with what I had in my pantry. The end result was a creamy, well-balanced pumpkin sauce accented with roasted garlic and flecked with roasted mushrooms. I’ll be making this one over and over this fall.

Ingredients:
1 pint crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 head of garlic, still in paper
8 leaves of fresh sage, diced
3 strips of thick cut bacon, diced into bit sized pieces
1 can pumpkin puree or 1 cup fresh puree
1 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and more for topping
1 package brown rice angel hair pasta
4 stems chives, diced for topping

Preperation:
Set oven to 350°. Arrange sliced mushrooms on a baking sheet and toss in 1 tbsp olive oil with 2/3′s of the chopped sage, salt and pepper. Chop the top off of the garlic head, place on roasting pan and then top with about 1 tbsp olive oil. Roast for about 25-30 minutes or until garlic is soft to the touch. Stir mushrooms occasionally.
Meanwhile, pan fry the bacon in a large skillet. Once crisp, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Leave the drippings and add the pumpkin to the skillet over low heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir and pick up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Next add in the roasted mushrooms, bacon, remaining sage, milk and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Dice up 1-2 cloves of the roasted garlic and add to sauce.
Cook the brown rice pasta to just under al dente. Drain and add directly to skillet with sauce. Add the parmesan cheese and use tongs to combine the pasta and sauce over low heat. Plate in serving bowls, sprinkle with a little extra cheese and the diced chives. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Honey Sweet Potato Pie

2011-10-06T16:31:00.000-04:00

A classic recipe emerged from a trip to the local Farmer's market. Walnut Hill Farm had a plethora of earthy, massive sweet potatoes spilling out of buckets on the table so I picked up a few to work with. I also made a stop by one of my favorite vendors, Alfredo’s Honey, and picked up a tub of whipped cinnamon honey (I think I am working on my 7th tub from him). The two market picks just seem to be a marriage made in heaven, right? Having not made a sweet potato pie before, I did a little research online and found a recipe that seemed to be in-line with what I had in the pantry and what I had picked up from the market. I modified it slightly by using a homemade gluten-free crust which will be featured on glutenfreerichmond.com, my new website created with a fellow Richmonder and lover of all things tasty and gluten-free. I also changed up the cinnamon portions since I was working with a cinnamon flavored honey. Here’s my take:

Cinnamon Honey Sweet Potato Pie
Filling Ingredients:

2 large, roasted sweet potatoes removed from skin (about 3 cups)
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup Alfredo’s local cinnamon honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup melted butter

Preparation:
Start by dry roasting the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet in an oven set to 375° for about 50-60 minutes or until soft to the touch. Once cooled, scrape flesh from skin and place into a food processor, pulse until broken down. Add remaining ingredients, except butter and pulse until smooth. With the food processor on, drizzle in melted butter until combined.

Fill a par-baked, gluten-free pie crust (will fill a 10″ pie) and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. A knife inserted into the center should come out clean or the center of the pie should spring back when touched.

Italian Style Brisket and Zucchini Stackers

2011-09-08T10:11:00.002-04:00

A modified take on Tyler Florence’s brisket recipe and a side dish to complement any entree…
Italian Style Brisket
Ingredients:
4 Roma tomatoes, halved
8 springs fresh thyme
1 garlic cloves, smashed and finely minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, needles striped from the stem and chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 lb brisket
Fresh cracked black pepper
6 basil leaves, shredded
2 cups carrots, rough cut
2 celery stalks, rough cut
2 small white onion, quartered
1 cups dry red wine
1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes with basil
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300°. Half Roma tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and place thyme stems directly over each half. Drizzle with olive oil and oven roast for about 25-30 minutes or until edges brown lightly.
Kick the heat up on oven to 325°. Combine the chopped rosemary leaves with 1/8 cup olive oil, finely minced garlic, 1/4 tsp kosher salt and about 1/8 tsp fresh cracked black pepper to make a thick paste. In a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed large pot, add olive oil to coat bottom. Season all sides of the brisket with salt and pepper and add to hot oil to brown.

Once a good color has formed on all sides, cut the heat and evenly coat the top of the brisket with the rosemary paste mixture. Next add roasted tomatoes (with thyme stems), basil, carrots, celery, onion, canned tomatoes, wine, bay and top with parsley and more rosemary if you have it.

Top dutch oven with a lid or wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Transfer to oven for 3-4 hours cooking time, baste with sauce every 30 minutes. If liquid drops too low, add beef stock or water in small increments to keep the brisket mostly covered.
Once cooked, transfer the brisket to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes. Return pot to stove top, set the heat to low and use a hand blender to blend all ingredients thoroughly (remove bay leaves and herb stems first). Add 1/4 tsp fresh red pepper flakes for a spicy kick (optional).

Serve sauce along side sliced brisket and use it in the side dish…
Zucchini Stacks
Ingredients:
1 ‘One Ball’ zucchini, 1/4″ slices
1 red pepper, sliced in rings
1 green pepper, sliced in rings
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 cup homemade tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Season the sliced vegetables with olive oil, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Grill them on medium-hi until grill marks form, flipping once.

Next, transfer to an oiled baking dish by stacking the vegetables – zucchini on the bottom, topped with the pepper rings. Cover each stack with tomato sauce, top evenly with cheeses and bake until the brown and bubbly.

Given the current power outage due to Irene, I cooked mine covered with foil on the grill and it took about 20 minutes.
The braised brisket becomes very tender after hours of cooking and absorbs a punch of flavor from the wine and roasted tomatoes. They really work together, the sauce and the brisket, each lending their flavors to the other. Even when topped with the rich tomato sauce, the veggies hold their own earthy flavors. The zucchini resembles a pumpkin in looks, taste and seeds which can be removed if you are not a fan. I think I’ll pick up a few more next week at the Farmer’s Market, stuff them with a bacon and grain combination and roast them…

Pesto and Goat Cheese Spread

2011-07-07T12:43:00.000-04:00

I started salivating earlier this week, dreaming up all of the wonderful treats I could make with a nice crusty baguette and a fresh bunch of basil that I brought home from our local Farmer's Market. I came back to a go-to dip that hits the spot all summer long. Rarely do I go without homemade pesto in my kitchen, especially when I can buy basil in bulk and make tons to freeze. So, with the two huge bunches I picked up and a tasty roll of black peppered goat cheese, I put together a fresh, bright dish that would be a perfect summer evening snack or compliment to any Sunday brunch.

Pesto
Makes about 2 cups

4 handfuls fresh basil leaves
1/2-2/3′s cup toasted, unsalted walnuts
1 wedge parmigiano reggiano
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
pinch salt
Pulse all ingredients in a processor except oil until chunky. Next, slowly drizzle in the olive oil – add as much oil as needed to get to the right consistency. I tend to keep it a bit tight because you can always add a little more oil to each dish when using the pesto and for the purposes of a dip, the less oil the better.

Pesto and Goat Cheese Dip
Servings: 4-6

Remove all but 2 tbsps of pesto in processor and store separately. To the processor, add zest and juice of 1/2 lemon and 4 oz of black peppered goat cheese. Blend until creamy. The black peppered goat cheese adds a sharp tang to the dip which is balanced out by the freshness of the lemon. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with toasted, oiled baguette rounds.

Anna B’s gluten-free baguette had the perfect texture for this dip. Toasted on a low heat with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt, the crusty outside and slightly chewy inside made for a great base to the creamy, sharp flavors of the pesto and goat cheese.

Not only did the basil provide a summer fresh taste, but the pale, vertical blooms made a modern and fragrant bouquet for the kitchen.

Tender Mock Steak with Fried Green Tomatoes and Garlic Leek Cream Sauce

2011-06-24T11:16:00.000-04:00

We picked up green tomatoes from Walnut Hill Farm at our local farmer's market just before they ran out and I am so glad we did because I was ready for a southern fried treat. We also headed over to Victory Farms and grabbed a bunch of leeks and a garlic bulb from Fertile Crescent. The last stop was back to Deer Run Farm of Amelia where we picked up an interesting cut of meat – Mock Tender Steak which, unlike it’s name suggests, is not inherently tender. We were given some great info on the cut and told to marinate, so marinate we did! Here’s how we pulled it all together:

Gluten-Free Fried Green Tomatoes
2 sturdy green tomatoes, sliced thick
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 cup Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs (suggested to me by a fantastic Forest Hill neighbor!)
3 tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
3 stems of thyme
kosher salt
pepper
After slicing the tomatoes, set up the dredging stations by grabbing two shallow bowls. In one bowl, combine buttermilk, egg and pinch of salt and pepper and whisk until combined. In the second bowl, combine breadcrumbs, flour, thyme leaves that have been removed from stems and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Dredge each tomato slice first in the buttermilk mixture and then in the breadcrumb mixture until well coated (pressing with fingers will help the crumbs to stick). Next, add a few tbsps canola oil to a fry pan and once ripples form on the oil, add the tomatoes two at a time. Cook on each side for about 1-2 minutes until a golden crust forms. Transfer fried tomatoes to a casserole dish and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.

Garlic Leek Cream Sauce
2 leeks, diced and rinsed
1 clove fresh garlic, diced
1/2-2/3′s cup milk
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2-3 tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
salt and pepper
Start by putting the milk in a sauce pan over low heat to warm slightly. Next, lightly sauté the leeks and garlic in a sauté pan over medium-low heat for just 1-2 minutes. Begin to add the flour 1 tbsp at a time and whisk vigorously until a paste forms. Once a good consistency is reached, raise the heat slightly and slowly add the milk to the sauté pan, whisking as you go. Continue to stir to keep the milk from burning and until the sauce thickens to desired consistency.

Testing, testing

When the sauce is ready, you should be able to coat a wooden spoon with the sauce and draw you finger down the back to form a line. At this point remove from heat and strain leeks and garlic from the sauce. Use the spoon to force all the liquid from the vegetables. Discard the leeks and garlic and set sauce aside until ready to serve.

Tender Mock Steak Marinade
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup dry red wine
3 stems rosemary,
1 clove garlic, rough chop
2 stems of thyme
salt & pepper
Combine all ingredients above and add to a plastic ziploc bag. Add the steak and marinate on the counter in a sealed bag for about 20-30 minutes prior to grilling over medium heat for just a few minutes for medium-rare. Be sure to let the steaks rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. The longer you are able to marinate the steaks the more tender they will be but ours had a great texture and the rosemary really permeated the meat.

Drizzle the cream sauce over the warm, fried tomatoes and top with the steak…just try not to go back for seconds on this one!

Jalapeno Ranch Slaw Burgers

2011-06-15T16:45:00.000-04:00

This is a delicious and non-traditional topper for a burger, great crunch and loads of flavor!

Jalapeno Ranch Slaw Burgers
Slaw

(makes 4-6 servings)
1/2 small red cabbage, shredded
1/2 pint sun gold tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
3 spring onions, greens and whites diced
Dressing:
(makes 1 cup – save remainder to top salads, sandwiches, eggs, chips, chicken, what have you…)
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp fresh chopped chives
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp fresh dill, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 jalapeno, diced
1 Serrano chili, fresh grated
pinch of salt
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, tomatoes, chives and parsley. Set aside. Combine all ingredients for ranch dressing in a separate bowl, use a hand grater to grate the entire Serrano chili into the dressing. Mix well. For the slaw, add about 1/4 cup of dressing and combine. Add more dressing if desired and finish with a little extra salt and pepper to taste. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before serving to let the flavors come together. Store remainder of ranch in a separate, air tight container in the fridge.

For the burgers, we keep it simple – scant 1/4 tsp garlic salt and 1/4 tsp pepper per 1 lb of meat. Form into patties and add a sprinkle of kosher salt to the outside of the burgers just before grilling. Grill for about 4-5 minutes on each side over 400° grill for medium to medium rare burgers. The Faith Farm ground beef we picked up at the farmer's market came out perfectly - so much flavor for so little work and the burgers were perfectly juicy.

Plate it up on a whole wheat bun with a heaping mound of the Jalapeno Ranch Slaw, nothing else needed!

Farmer's Market Omelette

2011-05-25T16:11:00.000-04:00

It’s so satisfying to bike over to the neighborhood Farmer’s Market to pick up a few fresh ingredients for breakfast. At South of the James you can find every ingredient needed for a hearty, healthy start-to-the-day. My quest started with fresh eggs so I ended up at Deer Run Farm of Amelia where my husband got a lesson in ground meat for burgers from a friend of the farm (she raved so much about the farm we thought she was an employee) and I learned about their grass-fed, grass-finished beef and the health benefits of eating eggs from their free-range hens. It was a perfect stop, start to finish, so we walked away with a dozen eggs for omelettes and a brochure for ordering ahead for next week.

Deciding on an omelette was the easy part of the morning, choosing what to fill it with took a little more time. Spinach & mushrooms? Tomatoes and peppers? Luckily, across the way from Deer Run Farm was a group I hadn’t seen before, Manakintowne Specialty Growers. They had a great set up, tables and baskets full of fresh herbs. They also had little bits of information typed out on paper for some of the less recognizable greens, one of which was a few bunches of garlic scapes. The woman manning the table told me they added delicious but mild garlic flavor and were a great accompaniment to spinach or squash. So I grabbed a bunch and went off in search of the final additions – a shiitake mushroom from Casselmonte Farm (purchased by the ounce), a container of baby squash and zucchini and a bunch of basil from Victory FarmsVictory Farms and finally, some goat cheese from Bonnyclabber Cheese Company.

Here’s how it all came together:

Farmer’s Market Omelette

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2

4 farm fresh eggs
1 tbsp water
1 baby squash, diced
1 baby zucchini, diced
1 shiitake mushroom, diced
2 garlic scapes, bulb discarded and green stem diced
6 basil leaves, sliced in ribbons
salt and pepper
2 ounces goat cheese (or however much or little you like)
Start by heating a non-stick omelette pan that has been sprayed with canola cooking oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, squash and mushrooms to sauté, season with salt and pepper. While the veggies cook, whisk the eggs with water until fully incorporated. Once a good color has developed on the squash, add the chopped garlic and basil and stir to distribute evenly. Cook for an additional minute and then transfer the cooked veggies to a dish and set to the side.
In the same pan, add half the eggs for one omelette and turn the pan to evenly distribute. Using a spatula, skim the outer edge of the pan and force the uncooked egg to the side until all liquid is cooked through. Next, scatter half the sauteed vegetables and herbs in the center of the omelette and top with goat cheese. Using the spatula, gently fold both sides over the center to close and then transfer the omelette to the serving plate. Enjoy while hot!

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2011-05-17T12:44:00.000-04:00

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 tbsp canola oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp lite rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 jalapeno or bird chili sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
6 white button mushroom caps, sliced
4 spring onions (whites and greens) diced on the diagonal
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 tin water chestnuts, diced
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 tbsp cilantro, rough chop (and more for garnish)
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 head butter leaf or bibb lettuce, core removed and leaves separated and washed
toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Start by warming canola oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Season sliced chicken with salt & pepper and brown in skillet. Once browned, transfer to plate and discard any remaining oil in pan. Combine hoisin sauce, tamari, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil and transfer to skillet, reduce heat to medium low. Add jalapeno, red bell pepper, mushrooms, half of the green onions and carrots to soften for about 4-5 minutes. Once softened but still colorful, add cabbage, water chestnuts, cabbage, cilantro, garlic and chicken. Turn to coat in sauce and continue to cook over medium low heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

Line a serving dish with the lettuce leaves and transfer the spicy chicken mix to the middle of the plate. Top with remaining spring onions, toasted sesame seeds and a garnish of cilantro…serve with Sriracha for an added kick!

Project Garden Grow - Year 2

2011-05-11T15:47:00.000-04:00

We've really begun to see some of the benefits of moving our herb garden last summer. Even though it was a lot of work, I think it's totally paid off. What do you think?!

Year II-Phase II involves 4 raised garden beds for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, greens, etc. So far we have 1 box in, 3 to go. Pics to follow...

Garlic Cannellini Beans with Fresh Spinach

2011-05-11T15:34:00.000-04:00

Our local Saturday Farmer's Market is back! My first purchase of the season was a big bag of spinach from Broadfork Farm (based in Chesterfield, VA). The leaves were large and tender with a mild but distinctly earthy flavor. The taste made me feel like I was standing in the rows of greens, plucking the foliage straight from the ground to devour on the spot. Loving spinach like I do, it didn’t take me long to decide how to enjoy it and enjoy it quickly!

Garlic Cannellini Beans and Fresh Spinach
Prep time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 can Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
2 handfuls fresh spinach, washed and dried
salt & pepper
1 tbsp fresh basil chiffonade

Preparation:
In a sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the beans to warm, stirring occasionally. Once warmed through, add minced garlic, tomatoes and spinach. Use kitchen tongs to ‘toss’ the mixture together and flavor with salt and pepper. Lower heat and cover with lid for 3-5 minutes (just long enough to let the spinach reduce). Pile on the basil, give a final toss and serve warm…drizzle with another swirl of olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan for a little extra kick.

Sweet Honey Ham Pizza with Fig Jam and Carmelized Shallots

2011-04-27T15:10:00.000-04:00

Like many in the South, we had a delicious spiral-cut honey ham glazed in a honey mustard mixture for our Easter dinner. I look forward to it every year, mainly because there are lots of leftovers and since Easter was at my house this year, those leftovers were mine all mine! I did (begrudgingly) share with my husband this time around and with his love of all things pizza and my love of new recipes, we came up with a good use for the mounds of ham left in the fridge. Honey ham pizza, who knew?! I added a few other items that have become staples in my house because they are tasty and can help to create some pretty fantastic dishes: fig spread and shallots. I first had fig spread smeared over a hard, sharp Parmesan and served with wheat crackers. It is perfectly sweet with a melt in your mouth texture which compliments lots of cheeses. Shallots are a no-brainer. They are a little milder than a regular onion and truthfully, I think I like them most for their compact size. Usually one or two are the perfect amount for any dish which means no leftover, diced up, ready-to-dry out onion pieces to store. But I digress...onto the pizza compilation!

Homemade pizza dough:

1 1/2 cups water (80°-90°)
1 1/2 tsp honey
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tbsp active yeast

Mix, knead and rise in a bread maker or add the above ingredients in a stand mixer with dough hook. Mix until combined, cover with a damp towel in warm spot to rise. Deflate dough and form into rounded disk. Cut in 1/2 for two 12" pizzas. To make a pizza round, form back into rounded disk on a floured surface. Using fingertips. press edges out all the way around the outer edge, rotating the dough as you press out. Push the center out and repeat pressing edges out until large enough to cover pizza stone or pan without going over.

Toppings:
extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp fig spread
1 medium to large shallot, caramelized in olive oil and butter and deglazed with dry white wine (sauté until cooked out)
1/2-1 cup cubed honey ham
3/4 cup pizza cheese blend
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

Transfer formed pizza round to stone or pizza pan. Add 2 turns of extra virgin olive oil and smooth over entire dough surface, including crust. Spread fig jam over pizza, add caramelized shallots, honey ham and cheese. Bake at 400° for about 10 minutes until bubbly in the center. I like to flip the broiler on at the end and get it nice an browned on top...but that's really up to you and your desire for under or over!

Bloody Mary Flat Iron Steak with Scallion Potato Cakes

2011-04-12T12:48:00.000-04:00

I am in love with Flat Iron Steak. Really. I might marry it. Okay, instead I will marinate it in a bloody mary cocktail blend and grill it to perfection. I actually let this one marinate overnight which is hard for me because I am impatient when it comes to food. It worked in my favor though so maybe I'll take a lesson learned. The meat turned out tender and less tough than it has in the past. The flavor showed the perfect hint of tomato, horseradish and all-around-goodness. I also reserved some of the marinade to reduce with honey and pour over the cakes and steak at the end. Here's the blend I used:

Spicy Bloody Mary Marinade

1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup Spicy Hot V8
1 tbsp pickle juice
1/2 lemon, fresh squeezed
2 tsp creamy horseradish
1 tsp celery seed
1 garlic clove, diced
dash of Frank's hot sauce
salt & pepper

Whisk together all ingredients and set about 1/4 cup aside. Place the flat iron steak in a gallon sized ziploc and pour marinade over, moving around to coat all sides. Place in a shallow dish to prevent spillage and refrigerate overnight, turning once to marinate both sides equally.

When ready to cook, remove steak from the marinade and pat dry. Grill over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side depending on how well done you prefer your steak. Let rest for 10 minutes and slice on a bias to serve.

Bloody Mary Steak Sauce

Using the reserved marinade, place in saucepan over medium-high heat and add about 2 tbsp of honey to thicken and sweeten. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer, whisking often while the steak rests. Serve in a gravy boat for each person to pour over servings.

Scallion Potato Cakes

6-8 red potatoes
2 scallions, chopped in thin slices
2 tsp creamy horseradish
salt & pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Boil potatoes with skin-on and in salted water until soft. In a large mixing bowl, mash potatoes, add chopped scallions, horseradish and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth. Using hands, form into patties as you would hamburgers (will make 4-5 cakes).

In a frying pan over medium heat, add olive oil to warm. Transfer potato cakes to oil and cook until golden brown on both sides, approximately 4-5 minutes per side.

Spicy and Crunchy Peanut Noodles

2011-04-06T13:31:00.000-04:00

For years I've been searching for an Asian inspired noodle recipe with a salty/sweet peanut sauce and, finally, one from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) appeared on Food Network . I tried her version first and then adjusted the ingredients according to my own tastes and preferences. I've made this dish several times now and each time someone has asked me for the recipe, which is my own personal gauge of a successful conversion, so I figured it was time to share.

Below is a list of the ingredients I use to make the recipe gluten-free, the first of which is brown rice spaghetti pasta. While I am a fan of rice pasta, this is the first recipe I've tried where I would say the brown rice spaghetti is a natural fit. If you aren't gluten free and would like to save some cash, stick with the traditional angel hair pasta and swap the tamari for straight soy.

Spicy and Crunchy Peanut Noodles

Serves: 6
Time: 25-30 minutes

1 lb brown rice spaghetti noodles
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup lite rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup gluten free tamari
3 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup organic smooth peanut butter (I like Trader Joe's because it pours from the jar which makes it great for sauce)
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded and sliced in thin strips
1/2 pound fresh snow peas, cut on an angle in half
4 scallions, cut on an angle
3 tbsp fresh cilantro
2 tbsp unsalted peanuts, chopped
1/2 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

Start by dropping the pasta into salted boiling water and follow the instructions to cook to al denté. While the pasta cooks, whisk together the oil, vinegar, tamari, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, zest, peanut butter and seeds. In a large mixing bowl, toss red pepper, peas, 2/3's scallions and shrimp. Add cooked pasta and cover with sauce (use half or all of sauce depending on personal taste). Top with remaining scallions, cilantro and peanuts to serve.

A few things to note:

This recipe makes a lot of sauce. If using the full pound of spaghetti, you can definitely use all of the sauce and there will be some left at the bottom of the bowl. If you like less sauce, jar the remainder and use it as a dip for spring rolls, chicken satay or grilled shrimp. Also, this dish is great served warm, cold or at room temperature. Leftovers will work for a day or so but the longer the noodles sit, the more they will break down because of the acid in the sauce. And finally, for an even bigger punch of flavor - serve lime wedges on the side to squeeze over the noodle bowls.

Balsamic Reduction Two Ways

2011-04-05T13:21:00.000-04:00

It's one of the easiest and most versatile tricks in the kitchen - balsamic reduction. All it takes is the vinegar, a sauce pan, a whisk and heat and you have a syrupy topping that can be used on anything from chicken to ice cream. I recently discovered white balsamic vinegar which is essentially the same as it's darker counterpart but a little less thick, a little less sweet and, as you would imagine by the name, clear. It's processed in a similar manner with white grapes and white wine vinegar and simmered over low heat to develop the syrup and then aged to enrich the flavor. In my opinion, the real advantage to swapping for the clear version is purely aesthetic; you get the flavor without changing the coloring of your food.

To make a reduction, simply pour the balsamic vinegar into a sauce pan and bring to a boil, whisking often so as not to burn. Reduce the heat to let it simmer until the liquid reduces by half. Word to the wise - stand back when the heat hits the vinegar unless you are looking to clear your sinuses.

Balsamic Glazed Asparagus Spears

14-16 thin, fresh Asparagus spears
1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
1 tbsp balsamic reduction
2 slices honey ham
1 plum tomato, seeded and diced
1 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Snap asparagus spears at the bottom at natural breaking point to remove tough stems. Coat with olive oil and salt and pepper and place over indirect heat on a preheated grill. Baste with balsamic reduction while the spears cook for approximated 6-8 minutes. Halfway thru grilling, divide spears equally and place one slice of ham over each group to warm. Pull from grill and roll spears into a 'log', folding ham over the group and placing seam side down. Top with diced tomato and grated cheese to serve. The sweetness of the ham is the perfect compliment to the balsamic reduction.

Balsamic Glazed Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
2 tbsp balsamic reduction

Clean and trim the chicken breasts, salt and pepper liberally and place in a shallow container. Whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and pour over chicken. Let the meat rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

Preheat the grill to about 400° and oil grates prior to placing the marinated chicken on the grill. While the chicken cooks (about 5 minutes on each side), baste liberally with the balsamic reduction. Let chicken rest for about 5 minutes prior to serving.

You'll find yourself using this reduction on everything...promise!

Prosciutto and Spinach Gnocchi

2011-03-30T17:26:00.001-04:00

Fluffy, store-bought pillows of potato, slathered in a Parmesan cream sauce and topped with prosciutto and fresh spinach. It's a delicious Italian dinner in less than 15 minutes, a perfect weeknight meal. Here's how it came together:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 oz, thick sliced prosciutto, cut into strips
1 clove garlic, diced
2-3 tbsp chicken broth or dry white wine
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
pepper
1 package store bought gnocchi (go gluten free!)
1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
1 tbsp fresh basil chiffonade

Bring salted water to a boil on the stovetop. While the water is coming up, start the sauce by crisping the prosciutto strips in a little olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-hi heat. Once crisp, add in garlic to saute lightly and reduce heat to medium so as not to burn. When the mixture becomes fragrant, add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Reduce for 2 minutes and add milk. Mix until it starts to bubble and then add the shredded cheese and stir to melt. Season with pepper (the cheese and pasta will be plenty salty so no need to add additional). Reduce heat to low and then drop the gnocchi to cook for 2 minutes in the salted water. Once they start to float, strain and transfer into the sauté pan with the sauce. Add the spinach on top, stir to coat until the spinach is wilted. Top with the parmigiano reggiano and give a final toss. Plate and top with the basil chiffonade.

Sinful Cinnamon Toffee Pinwheels

2011-03-10T10:36:00.000-05:00

Working on a few sweet treat recipes for a new contest, I came up with these little pinwheels. These would be a great addition to a Sunday brunch or coffee meeting- a decadent bite with a crisp outer edge and chewy center. Plus, using a store bought dough really cuts down on the prep time and (in my kitchen) the mess. Here's how they came together:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

2 tbsp melted unsalted butter
1 tube of Pillsbury crescent rolls
1/8 cup toffee bits
1/8 cup slivered raw almonds

Preheat the oven to 375°. Mix 1/4 cup sugar with 1/4 tsp salt and sprinkle liberally over a 13 x 13 space on a clean counter or work area. Roll out the dough over the sugar/salt mixture, pinching the seams together to keep together as one sheet and using the rolling pin to spread the dough and push into the sugar. Next, using a basting brush, liberally brush the dough with the melted butter. Mix together the remaining sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkle generously over the entire surface (you'll have some leftover which will be used to top the pinwheels when they are fresh out of the oven). Next, cover the surface area with the toffee bits and almonds. Once the dough is evenly covered, roll the dough onto itself to form a log. Using a sawing motion, cut the dough into 1/2 inch discs and place on a silpat on a cookie sheet, pressing each one down slightly to form more of a cookie than a roll. Bake for 9-11 minutes until golden brown and the sugar has caramelized. Pull out the pinwheels, brush with the remaining butter and sprinkle some additional sugar/cinnamon mixture on top for a little sparkle and crunch!

Serve with a little cinnamon whipped cream - heavy cream whisked together with confectioner's sugar and cinnamon to taste.

Garlic Cheese Grits with Drunken Peppers and Sausage

2011-03-09T10:44:00.000-05:00

Super quick weeknight meal with only a little prep - my kinda deal! Two things that make this one cook up in a flash: quick cooking grits and hot Italian sausage links. Get out one large fry pan with a lid for the peppers and sausage and a sauce pot for the grits. You'll be eating in 10 minutes flat!

Garlic Cheese Grits with Drunken Peppers and Sausage
Serves 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 large green pepper, thinly sliced
1 lb hot Italian sausage
1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 tsp fresh oregano

Grits
3 cups water
3/4 cup quick cooking grits
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 tsp garlic paste
salt
fresh cracked black pepper

Green onion for garnish

Start by coating the bottom of a non-stick fry pan with the olive oil and let it warm up over medium-hi heat. In the meantime, get the water boiling in the sauce pan for the grits. Add the sausage links to the center of the pan with oil and spread the sliced peppers and onions around the outside of the pan with a little bit of salt and pepper over the veggies. Brown the sausages on both sides, taking about 3 minutes per to really develop good color and flavor. Once browned, hit the pan with the red wine and toss the vegetables around until equally coated. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to let the veggies and sausage finish cooking in the liquid and steam. Stir in the chopped oregano at the end of the cooking process for a burst of flavor.

Onto the grits - once the water comes up to a boil, whisk in the grits, butter and salt. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook for 5-7 minutes (stirring occasionally). Unlid, stir in the cheese, garlic paste, salt and pepper.

Plate the grits first in a low bowl, slice 2 sausages in half, at an angle and place on top of the grits. Spoon the veggies and sauce over everything and garnish with some fresh green onion. Bon appetit!

Double Chocolate Gluten Free Cookies

2011-03-01T09:55:00.000-05:00

On Saturday mornings, I like to sneak downstairs and turn on the Food Network to get some inspiration for the weekend. I see chefs and shows that aren't on weeknights so it's like a special little treat for me to kick off my weekend. This Saturday was even brighter because the theme was 'comfort foods'- isn't that what the weekend is all about?! For those of you that missed it, Giada De Laurentiis did a little dessert that will now be archived into my index of cooking fame - Double Chocolate and Espresso Cookies. Keeping on my gluten-free train, I modified the ingredients and baked them up before my husband was even out of bed. Here's the original recipe and my swaps:

Double Chocolate and Espresso Cookies

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:: 12 min
Inactive Prep Time:: --
Cook Time:: 19 min

Level:: --

Serves:: 10 to 12 cookies

Ingredients

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (recommended: Ghirardelli)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup dark chocolate-covered espresso beans (I used a little less than 1/3 cup instant ground coffee)
1 cup flour (I used Red Mill's Gluten-free All Purpose Flour)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (I used Kosher Salt)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (recommended: Nestle Toll House - I used Milk Chocolate)

Directions

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats - my silicone mat worked like a charm for this recipe. They slid right off with no trace of chocolate behind.

In a small bowl, combine the chocolate bar and butter. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
In the bowl of a food processor, finely chop the chocolate covered espresso beans (or instant coffee). In a medium bowl, whisk together the chopped espresso beans (coffee), flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, water, and vanilla extract. Gradually add the dry ingredients and stir until thick and smooth. Fold in the melted chocolate. Stir in the chocolate chips. Using a cookie or ice cream scoop, scoop level 1/4 cupfuls of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets (I used my small cookie dough scoop which yielded slightly smaller cookies, about 22-24 in total). Bake until slightly puffed and the tops begin to crack, 18 to 20 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets and serve.

Thank you, Giada, for this amazing and simple recipe!

Lean Chicken Meatloaf

2011-02-23T12:46:00.000-05:00

Winter is rounding out her days but we try not to complain and just enjoy the quiet comforts of cold, dark days. The upside to the dreary days of February definitely is the hearty foods that beckon from the kitchen and it doesn't get much heartier than meatloaf. Always looking for a healthier version, I used my old staple - ground chicken - and added lots of fresh veggies to 'beef' it up. Remember the Eddie Murphy skit about his mom's homemade burgers? Yep, it looked just like that...green bell peppers and red onion chunks popping out all over the place.

The vegetables gave it great flavor and texture and I threw in a little chipotle pepper to add some smoky heat to the loaf. Served alongside canellini beans sauted in sundried tomato oil and finished with arugula, this meal was fit for the darkest of winter nights.

Lean Chicken Meatloaf

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4-6

1/2 medium green bell pepper, small dice
1/2 red onion, small dice
4 baby bella mushrooms, small dice
2 sundried tomatoes (in oil), small dice
1/2 small chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, small dice
1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 lb ground chicken
1 cup marinara
3 slices thick cut bacon, halved

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the above ingredients, reserving the marinara and the bacon for the top. Combine by gently 'folding' the vegetables, spices and egg into the ground chicken so as not to overwork the meat. Once combined, form into a loaf in a baking dish with raised sides. Cover the loaf with the marinara and arrange the 6 slices of bacon over the top. Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven to bake. At 25 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes for the bacon to crisp. Finish on a low broil for approximately 2 minutes if the bacon doesn't cook through.

Transfer to a serving dish, slice at each strip of bacon for the perfect serving size and enjoy!

Bring the Heat! Adobo Turkey Chili

2011-01-25T15:58:00.000-05:00

Just in time for the Super Bowl (shhh...don't tell I said that...not approved by the NFL for official use)! This chili will knock your socks off with a little heat and a whole lot of flavor. Perfect with a cooling station full of avocado, sour cream and any other toppers of which you can think. I had roasted a turkey earlier in the week but it would be even easier to dash to the local grocer and pick up a store-bought roasted turkey breast or chicken. Here's how it all came together:

1 tbsp canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper; ribbed, seeded and diced
1 tsp finely chopped fresh oregano
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp smoky paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
6 cups chicken stock
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
1 15 ounce can great northern beans
1 10 ounce can mild Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
2 cups diced roasted turkey breast
Pinch of ground cloves
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lime

On the stovetop, place a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat, add canola oil. Sauté the onion and jalapeno pepper together with oregano, cumin, paprika and salt and pepper until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Add in 4 cups chicken stock to deglaze, stir using a wooden spoon to scrape brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add beans, tomatoes, turkey and stir together. Add additional stock to thin chili if desired. Bring to slow boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Finish by stirring in a pinch of ground cloves, zest and juice of lime. Serve with your favorite chili toppers or better yet, set up a buffet for the big game with the chili in a crock pot and bowls of sour cream, avocado, cheddar and jack cheeses, spring onions and tortilla chips. Let the guests make their own heaping chili bowls and you can relax with a Modelo!

Gluten Free Adventures-Holiday Cookies, Take 1

2010-12-21T17:56:00.000-05:00

No, you aren't wrong...it's everywhere. Gluten free pasta, gluten free breads, cookies and treats. For reasons not worth going into, I've gone gluten free for about 10 days now. No need to bore you with the specifics but I am hoping for feedback and recommendations as I enter a new phase in my kitchen wizardry. Tonight, I experimented with gluten free, triple chocolate and cranberry cookies and so far so good. However, they are pretty crumbly so I am sure there is a way to remedy this (preferably it's a low cost fix). Let the recommendations commence!
Here's the recipe I converted:

* 1 cup all purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup old-fashioned oats
* 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
* 2 ounces milk chocolate or white chocolate, chopped (for drizzling)

In full disclosure, I dropped 1 tbsp of butter and added about 1 tbsp of cinnamon pear jam. The cookies are delicious but they fall apart easily. Instead of me sharing my conversion, who cares to share how they would convert to gluten free? Thanks for the advice!

Deal of the Week - About a Million of 'Em!

2010-11-23T13:39:00.000-05:00

There are so many amazing deals this week due to the holiday push. Amazon has got deals like you wouldn't believe...click the 'Amazon's Amazing Kitchen Deals' link below and you will see all the great Kitchen deals they have in store - Up to 40% off popular small appliances, knives and kitchen tools. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Amazon's Amazing Kitchen Deals brought to you by Pantry2Plate

Amazon.com Widgets

Deal of the Week - Cool Mom Picks for Foodies and Bakers

2010-11-17T12:25:00.000-05:00

Shopping shopping shopping! Check out the banner to the right 'Cool Mom Picks'. I included their holiday guide link here because I was perusing their selections and they chose some really great stuff for the foodies and bakers in your life. Be sure to click through and let me know what you see!

Farmer's Market Find! Osage Oranges

2010-11-15T11:42:00.000-05:00

Quick post to share what I found at the market this weekend...osage oranges or green brains. They made such a cool centerpiece with clementines in a shimmer bowl from Crate & Barrel. It's hard to find a lot of information about these online but what I've found is that they are inedible fruit that grow on thorned trees. Apparently they fell out of favor with the invention of barbed wire. Prior to that, farmers used them for hedges to keep cattle out or in but it wasn't a fail-safe plan since cattle were lost due to choking on the fruit. Some sites claim the fruit is a natural insect repellent, especially for spiders. We'll see about that...for now, I just think they're purdy.

Tri Tips with Red Wine Reduction and Garlic Fries

2010-11-12T10:11:00.000-05:00

Steak and potatoes. Yum. Tri tips are a versatile cut of beef that are affordable and can be prepared in many different ways. It's often used in chile con carne but is equally tasty grilled, baked, however you like. Served with fries, well, it's just a good ole classic but kicked up with a 'gourmet' olive oil and you've got something special.
Olive oil infused with garlic and rosemary does wonderful aroma things in the kitchen...add it to a julienned baking potato and you are in some kind of foodie heaven. It's such an easy trick but a powerful one, you'll want to start infusing everything into oil. Start with a few tablespoons of olive oil into a sauce pan over low heat, crush a few cloves of garlic and throw them in. I added some rough chopped rosemary sprigs because I wanted to carry that flavor through the meal. Let it hang out for a bit on the stove and your nose will tell you when it's ready to be used. You don't want hi heat for this one because the garlic will burn easily. Just keep it low and let it do it's thing for a few minutes.
From there I took one baking potato (I was cooking for 2) and sliced into shoestring sized french fries. Start by cutting it in half lengthwise and then cut each half into strips (a little smaller than a 1/4 inch thick), usually you can get about 8 strips per half. Stack the strips together an slice them lengthwise into even smaller strips and you have shoestring fries. Once you've removed the oil from the stove and discarded the garlic cloves, drizzle the oil over the fries to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake at 425° for about 10-15 minutes or until crisp. Once baked, remove from the baking sheet and transfer to paper towel to help remove some excess oil. Be sure to add more salt while they are still hot.
While those are baking away, use a cast iron skillet over medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil to sear the seasoned tri tips on each side (just salt and pepper liberally). Once the tri tips have seared, they'll go onto a baking sheet to finish cooking in the oven for about 5 more minutes or longer if you like them closer to medium or well done.

Using the same cast iron skillet, add about 3 turns of a dry red wine to deglaze the pan and get the bits of flavor up from the bottom. Heat should be low to medium and it should reduce for about 2 minutes. Next add 2 tbsp of butter, 1 tbsp water, chopped mushrooms and thin sliced shallots. Reduce for another 3 minutes and finish with chopped rosemary and salt and pepper.

Use the remaining infused olive oil to sauté broccolini and you've got a steakhouse meal in under 20 minutes.

Shopping List:

Tri tips
1 baking potato
broccolini
cremini mushrooms
1 shallot
olive oil
rosemary
garlic cloves

That's it!

Deal of the Week - Etsy.com Cupcake Jars by Nummy Crummies

2010-11-08T13:47:00.000-05:00

Cupcake in a jar?! Sign me up. What a perfect gift or pick-me-up for a friend having a bad day. Nummy Crummies brings you a wide selection of Cupcakes in a Jar through Etsy.com (either click below or search on Etsy) and they even have a 'buy-rent-return' option to encourage people to reuse the jars. For just $25 you, or one lucky friend, gets 5 Cupcake Jars with flavors to choose from like s'mores, pancake with maple frosting, red velvet with cream cheese frosting, double chocolate, and plenty more. These are awesome little treats for you or someone you ♥.

Nummy Crummies Cupcake Jars

Local Market Pan Roasted Kohlrabi and Brussels Sprouts

2010-11-03T15:46:00.000-04:00

It was a crisp Saturday morning at the market and there were still plenty of foodies to be found plus a few new selections in the produce department-one of which being a cousin to cabbage, kohlrabi. For those of you not familiar with kohlrabi, it is a crazy looking, softball-sized, bulbous vegetable that resembles a turnip in shades of either purple or light green color. The leaves can be eaten but the flesh of the vegetable is usually what people are after. It has a taste similar to that of the stem of broccoli, soft enough to eat raw once peeled but also delicious when cooked.

Cooking for two, I grabbed kohlrabi from Thistledowne Farm and a small bunch of brussels sprouts from Pleitez Produce to make a delicious and seasonal side dish. Here’s how it came together:
Pan Roasted Veggies:
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp cubed pancetta
1 tbsp butter
1 kohlrabi head
8 brussels sprouts, halved
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
hot sauce
salt & pepper
Start by removing the stems and leaves from kohlrabi and peeling outer layer. I used a paring knife and trimmed the outside much like I would a mango (trim the bottom to create a flat surface to stand veggie upright, use knife to trim about 1/4 inch off flesh, working from the top of the veggie down and rotating until all exterior is removed). Cut into bite sized pieces that are roughly the same size as the halved brussels sprouts.
Add tsp olive oil and pancetta to a skillet over medium heat to brown. Once a good color has formed on the pancetta, transfer to a plate to reserve and drain excess grease. Add butter to the same skillet and transfer brussels sprouts and kohlrabi, season with salt and pepper. Using a spatula, move the vegetables around to coat all in the butter and pancetta drippings. Continue to cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to develop caramel color. To finish, lower heat, add apple cider vinegar and a few dashes of hot sauce and add the pancetta back into the skillet. Toss to coat and serve warm.

Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy and Pan Roasted Kohlrabi & Brussels Sprouts

We also picked up a quart of Apple Cider from the Thistledowne booth (cider from Morris Orchard in Monroe, VA) for Hot Spiced Cider (cider + Captain Morgan’s + cinnamon + cloves + warmed on the stove = delicious) and a half loaf of 1/2 Whole Wheat bread from Norwood Cottage Bakery, whose last SOTJ market appearance was last Saturday. Not to worry though, they now have two online ordering options for Fall and Winter, be sure to check out their website for more details.

Deal of the Week-Sur La Table Revol Sale

2010-11-02T10:49:00.000-04:00

This one is going on until December 1st, which makes it the perfect Holiday planning sale reminder. The baking and serving dishes are beautifully crafted and can be used in a variety of situations. Be sure to check out the bakers, the lids can be turned into trivets to take straight to the table...ingenious!

Sur La Table Revol Sale Up to 20% Off!

Pancetta Pumpkin Fritters with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

2010-10-27T11:22:00.001-04:00

Delicious, sweet and salty, non-traditional seasonal dessert that comes together in no-time flat!

Pancetta Pumpkin Fritters with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Fritters:

1 cup pumpkin*

2 tbsp melted butter (unsalted)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 large egg

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup breadcrumbs made from cinnamon bread (cut into bite size pieces and toast in oven until dry. Once toasted, whirl in blender to make crumbs.)

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup Pancetta, small dice

Cinnamon Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp + 1 tsp powdered sugar

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

To make whipped cream:

Add heavy whipping cream to a medium size mixing bowl and begin to incorporate air into the cream using hand mixer on low. Increase speed and once thickened slightly, add sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.

Continue to blend until stiff peaks form, cover bowl with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

To make batter:

Blend pumpkin and butter until smooth and then add sugar, salt & cinnamon. With a whisk, blend in egg until fully incorporated. Slowly whisk flour and breadcrumbs into batter. Using a spoon, fold Pancetta into mix.

To fry:

In a large, heavy bottomed pan, add 50/50 canola, vegetable oil blend until at least 1" deep. Heat the oil to 325°. Working in batches, use a small cookie scoop to drop rounded spoonfuls of batter into the oil. The fritters will start to float when they need to be flipped. Cook approximately 1 minute per side or until golden brown. Keep warm in oven while working through remaining batter. Serve warm with Cinnamon Whip Cream and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Pancetta Pumpkin Fritters With Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Makes approximately 20-25 fritters.

*Fresh roasted pumpkin is best, roast in oven with a sprinkle of 1 tbsp brown sugar at 350° for about 20-25 minutes or until soft to touch. If fresh pumpkin is not available, substitute with canned.

Deal of the Week - Williams Sonoma Festive Cornucopa Bundt Pan

2010-10-25T10:35:00.001-04:00

I had to post this one because it is a good deal for a seasonal kitchen item and the cake would make a fantastic centerpiece for Thanksgiving. Here's the description and the deal:

Grapes, gourds and corn cobs spill out of our cornucopia basket, a timeless symbol of the harvest. Even children will find these fruits and vegetables irresistible, as they’re actually buttery cake that’s baked in our autumnal variation on the classic Bundt pan.

    * The pan’s intricate design means a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar is all the decoration the cake needs.
    * Crafted of durable, heavy cast-aluminum for efficient, even baking.
    * Premium nonstick interior ensures perfect detail, effortless release and cleanup.
    * Made in the USA by NordicWare, renowned creators of the original Bundt pan and a family-owned company since 1946.
    * A Williams-Sonoma exclusive.

Normally $34.00, on sale for $19.99!

Click here for the website listing. I think I'll use it for our rum cake...

Pumpkin Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce

2010-10-21T14:20:00.000-04:00

Pumpkin Everywhere! If you've never cooked with fresh pumpkin, it is time to try it. I've seen an abundance of sugar pie pumpkins this year so I grabbed one and turned it into two successful recipes to date. One of which was enjoyed for last night's supper club: Pumpkin Ravioli with Alfredo sauce.

To start, you'll need to slice the pumpkin into manageable wedges. Scrape out the pumpkin seeds and don't even think of tossing them, they make a delicious treat all on their own. In an oven at 350°, roast the pumpkin wedges with a sprinkle of brown sugar for about 15-20 minutes or until brown and slightly caramelized on top. Let it cool so you can handle easily.

Here's the recipe for the ravioli filling:
2 cups pumpkin
1/4-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1/4 cup Pancetta diced & sautéed until browned
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

All ingredients go into a mixing bowl and are combined with a spoon or spatula until fully incorporated.

Now the fun part - stuffing the wrappers! Usually near the refrigerated soy products in your grocery store, you can find wonton wrappers. I used the brand pictured below last night and they were just the right thickness. On a clean surface, layout individual wonton wrappers in a row. Scoop a small amount (about 1/2 tsp to full tsp), onto the center of each wrapper (a small cookie dough scoop works really well for this step). Next, wet your pointer finger in a bit of water and trace you finger over the outer edge of the entire wrapper. Fold the wrapper over from corner to corner to form a triangle, the water will act as a glue. Push down slightly around the filling to try and remove as much air as possible and press the edges to form a seal. Finally, bring the bottom two corners together to form an envelop shaped ravioli. Transfer to a cookie sheet for holding.

Once all ravioli are stuffed (this recipe makes 48 ravioli with a little filling leftover), they can either be transferred to the freezer or cooked immediately in salted boiling water (ravioli will float when cooked through). If freezing, freeze in a single layer on the cookie sheet so that the ravioli do not touch. This will prevent them from sticking together. Once frozen, they can be transferred to a plastic ziploc for freezer storage.

Alfredo Sauce:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 & 1/4 cups Parmesan-Reggiano
Salt & Pepper
Parsley to finish

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over low to medium heat. Add cream and combine with whisk. Let simmer for about 3 minutes and add cheese, whisking to blend. Keep temperature on low and when ready to serve, add salt and pepper to taste and chopped parsley.

Unfortunately, my pictures were deleted but trust me when I say that this is a seasonal favorite that will be a big hit!

Pork Roast with Lemon Sage Sauce and Candied Carrots

2010-10-19T13:13:00.000-04:00

Today's recipe is a throw back to my childhood, when parents and grandparents alike fought to get kids to eat their vegetables. This recipe, along with the 'carrots help you see at night' story, definitely got us into veggies. So, I picked up a small bunch of baby carrots from Fertile Crescent Farm and paired the side dish with roast pork finished with citrus/herb sauce. Here's the fix:

Candied Carrots:

1 bunch of baby carrots

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp brown sugar

salt & pepper

canola oil

Simple, simple, simple. Preheat the oven to 350°. Chop stems off carrots, rinse and peel. In a sauté pan over medium-lo heat, add a drizzle of canola oil and the butter to melt. Add carrots and toss to coat. Cook for approximately 2-3 minutes and then add brown sugar, pinch of salt and a crack of black pepper. Toss to coat and then transfer to a non-stick roasting pan and place in oven for about 10 minutes or until a nice caramelization forms. Flip once to get all sides evenly browned. Serve warm.

Pork Roast:

1 1-1.5 lb pork roast

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Zest from 1/2 lemon

Juice from 1/2 lemon (or whole if it does not render enough liquid)

1 tsp capers (with liquid)

4-6 leaves fresh sage chopped

bay leaf

salt & pepper

Start by brining the roast which will make the meat moist and flavorful. In a large ziploc, add olive oil, lemon zest, juice and sliced lemon, capers, chopped sage and bay leaf. Towel dry the pork roast and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the roast to ziploc, add about 1/2 tbsp more salt, seal tightly and toss the mixture, massaging the liquid into the roast. Make sure all liquid is equally distributed around the roast and place bag into the refrigerator for 20 minutes (the acid from the lemon will start to 'cook' the meat so it should be removed from the brine within 30 minutes at the most). Remove from the refrigerator, pull the roast out, pat dry and discard the liquid. Let the meat come to room temperature.

Warm a cast-iron skillet over medium heat with about 1 tbsp olive oil. Sear the roast on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Next, transfer the skillet with roast into an oven at 350° and roast for 15-20 minutes. The roast should rest under an aluminum foil tent for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Meat should come out juicy and slightly pink in the middle. For safety, internal temperature should be reach 160°.

I finished the pork with a super simple lemon sage sauce...combine 2 tbsp 2% plain Greek yogurt, 1 tsp olive oil mayonnaise, zest from 1/2 lemon, 1 tsp lemon juice and 3 leaves fresh chopped sage. Season with a little salt and spoon over sliced roast!

Introducing Deal of the Week!

2010-10-18T11:34:00.000-04:00

There's a new tab in town! I've included a 'Deal of the Week' tab that will showcase some amazing kitchen deals that I find while surfing the interweb. I'll try and keep it to brands I use and also let you know if it's something I've mentioned in a previous post. I think it's safe to say that all the world loves a deal so happy shopping and please sharing your findings, too! I hope these links are helpful.

This week's deal o' the week:

Crate & Barrel is hosting their annual cutlery sale and, if you've shopped for kitchen knives before, you know 30% off is a huge deal! Check out the great selection they have and if you aren't sure what you need, their sales staff is very well-versed in the 'cutting edge' technology of all things sharp and slicey.

Roast Chicken with Herb Butter and White Wine

2010-10-07T13:49:00.000-04:00

I like posting recipes like this one because I think our generation is scared of the classics. Maybe because we grew up eating full meals first pulled from a freezer and then 'prepared' in a microwave. Maybe it's because we are busy. Maybe it's because we don't think we can cook them as well as our mothers or grandmothers. Well, I can't argue with that last point - meals remembered are always better than meals self-prepared -however, I can say that it's not as hard as we make it out to be. And truthfully, though it takes a while to get to the finish line on this one, the bulk of the time doesn't include you being anywhere near the kitchen. The bird sits in the oven for 1.5 to 2 hours so really you have time to sit down, relax and enjoy some delicious smells wafting through the air while your dinner cooks away without your constant attention.

Roast Chicken with Herb Butter & White Wine

1 oven roaster
1 stick butter at room temperature
fresh herbs - rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage
olive oil
white wine (one you would drink)
root vegetables - parsnips, carrots, potatoes
celery
onions
salt & pepper

Parsnips add a touch of sweetness without breaking down like sweet potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Start by taking the chicken out of the fridge and taking the chill off. It's important to remove whatever innards are left in the bird and to thoroughly pat it dry using some paper towels. The bird should be fully seasoned with salt and pepper all over, even inside the cavity. Don't be shy with the seasoning. While the bird is coming up to room temp, strip the herbs from the stems and rough chop them into small pieces (reserve the stems, they can go into the roasting pan for flavor). Add the herb mixture and a shake of salt and pepper to the softened butter until it is well blended.

Starting with the breast side of the chicken, use your fingers to loosen the skin by running your fingers in between the meat and the skin. This 'pocket' will hold a majority of the herb butter. Push the butter mixture under the skin and massage into the chicken and do the same on the reverse side, spreading the butter all over the bird and under the skin where possible. Be sure to also get some of the butter into the cavity of the bird. Next, drizzle the breast side of the chicken with olive oil and lay it breast side down into a roasting pan. Cook this way for 15 minutes.

Sebastiani Roussanne - great with roasted vegetables

While the breast side of the chicken gets nice and toasty in the oven, cut the vegetables into bite size pieces and all roughly the same size. Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

When the buzzer rings at 15 minutes, pull the chicken out of the pan and deglaze the bottom with about 1/2 cup to cup of white wine (while pouring, stir the wine and scrap the pan with a wooden spoon to release the brown bits from the bottom). Transfer the veggies to the pan and add the chicken back in, either directly on top of the vegetables or on a roasting tray. Depending on the size of the bird, it should remain in the oven for approximately 1.25 to 2 hours (follow timing instructions on packaging) or until juices run clear when a knife is inserted between the thigh and chicken breast. For added deliciousness, dip a basting brush in the wine/butter mixture formed at the bottom of the pan and baste the chicken 2-3 times during cooking process. Also, allow the chicken to rest under foil or a paper grocery bag for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Too hungry to stop for a photo!

Tasty, tasty! And if it's just two of you like it is for us, you'll have plenty of leftovers for the next night. Do you have a George Foreman grill? Try chicken paninis with fig spread and brie cheese. Yum!

Maker's Mark Apple Tart

2010-10-06T10:19:00.000-04:00

Comfort, comfort, comfort. Is there anyone that doesn't like to hunker down, throw a few logs on the fire and smell apples and cinnamon in the air? If so, I'll challenge them to try this combination and defy the odds of a smile making its way to the corners of their mouth.

I've mentioned a few times before that the apple pie has gotten the best of me. Not one to take defeat lightly, I went back to the drawing board and this time came up with a winning combination of flavor and texture. I visited Victory Farms again and picked up a container of Smokehouse apples in the hopes of making this go-round an apple treat to be proud of. They've brought in a variety of Henley's Orchard Apples and as was told to me, Smokehouse make great baking apples because they are middle of the road - not too sweet, not too tart. Here's the recipe I created:

1 store bought pie crust
4-5 smokehouse apples
2 tbsp Maker's Mark bourbon
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/3 tsp cinnamon
1/3 tsp nutmeg
1/3 tsp allspice

Preheat the oven to 450° and transfer the pie crust to buttered tart pan. Lightly press the crust into the pan, try not to stretch the dough since it will just shrink back to it's original shape when baked. Press the overlap against the pan edge and pull off, reserve for decoration. Fork the bottom of the crust to prevent it from bubbling up and bake for 5-7 minutes.
For the filling, start by mixing the bourbon, brown sugar, 2 tbsp flour (reserve 1 for another step), cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice. It should give you a moist but lumpy mixture. Next, slice the apples. I left the skins on for this since it's a rustic kind-of tart and well, I am sometimes lazy when it comes to these types of things. The easiest way to get the right slice, is to cut each apple in 1/2, use a melon baller and extract the core and stems. Next, use a mandolin to get thin, uniform slices. Pile the slices into the bourbon mixture and mix them up, making sure each slice is coated. Once the apples have been coated, sprinkle the last tbsp of flour over the slices and use a spoon to mix everything up again. At this point, there should be a good amount of liquid in the bottom of the bowl which can be discarded or drizzled it over the finished product.

Once the pie crust has finished it's first bake, layer the apple slices from the middle out until they are just over the top of the crust . Using leftover pie crust, I made a little flourish for the top...do whatcha like. Bake the tart for 20-25 minutes, let cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!

My husband and I had a discussion that went something like this: Me, 'The timer buzzing means pull the item out of the oven.' Husband, 'It buzzed at me, I turned it off.' No matter...it was still delicious.

And the winner of the Neela Bags Market Totes is....

2010-10-04T10:23:00.000-04:00

Erika Fiest! As a follower of Pantry2Plate on Facebook, your name was randomly selected as the winner of these awesome totes...we know you'll enjoy them! Please email us at pantry2plate@gmail.com to let us know where they should be sent. Thanks again for being a fan!

Smothered, Stuffed and Steamed Chicken Breast over Spaghetti Squash

2010-10-01T11:30:00.000-04:00

Fresh basil on top would have been great but it was pouring rain, I wasn't headed to the garden!

The rain was coming down in sheets last night so there was no chance of us venturing out. We hunkered down and went for a new comfort food for dinner, stuffed chicken breasts. This time we chose proscuitto and mozzarella for a salty bite and then smothered the rolled chicken in a sweet plum tomato sauce and topped it all off with caramelized shallots. The best part of this dish is that it's a one pot wonder. A few steps to get to the prize but they are all easy and fun.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 lb thin sliced proscuitto
4-6 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1 28 oz can peeled & steamed plum tomatoes with basil and in juice
white wine
olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
scant 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 spaghetti squash, roasted and shredded
parmesan cheese for topping
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350° for both roasting squash and cooking chicken. The squash should be halved, scraped free of seeds, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. It goes into the oven cut sides up and roasts for about 30-40 minutes until soft.

In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan with lid that can be transferred to the oven, add a whirl of olive oil and 1 tbsp butter over med-hi heat. Toss in thinly sliced shallots and let reduce until a caramel color has developed, season with a touch of salt and pepper. Be sure to move the onions around with a spoon so that they all get coated with the butter and have a chance to cook evenly.

Depending on size of chicken breasts, either pound entire piece flat or slice in half vertically and pound the two pieces flat. Let out that aggression from the day! Get a bacteria resistant cutting board out and place the chicken breast on top. Lay plastic wrap over the chicken and use a mallet to flatten, pushing out from the center of the meat when you strike.

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper and lay 2 pieces of proscuitto and 2 slices of mozzarella over the middle of each chicken breast. From top to bottom, roll the breast onto itself, tucking in the stuffing and securing with toothpicks. Try to secure the ends by weaving a toothpick in and out of the meat so as to keep as much of the cheese in the roll as possible.

Once the shallots have finished caramelizing, transfer to a plate to reserve. Add an additional tbsp of butter to the same pan and add the rolled chicken breasts to brown on all sides. The meat will release from the pot when a good color has formed...let it do it's thing rather than moving it around constantly. The idea of this step is to develop flavor, not cook the meat entirely so a 2-3 minutes on each side should do the trick. Once browned on all sides, transfer to a plate to open the pot up for the sauce.

First hit the pan with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup white wine and watch it sizzle! Get out a wooden spoon and scrap at the bottom to loosen all the flavor. Once the pan is sufficiently deglazed, add the canned tomatoes, fennel seed, red pepper flakes & garlic powder. Use your wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes into large chunks and to stir the sauce to combine. Season with salt and pepper as needed and let simmer for a few minutes to bring the flavors together. Add the chicken breasts (and any liquid on the plate) back to the sauce mixture which should cover about 2/3's of the chicken. Add the shallots to each of the chicken breasts, top the pot with a lid and transfer to the oven to cook for 10-15 minutes.

If you're good, it'll come out a few minutes before the squash is done and it can simmer away on the stove (not over heat) while you shred the veggie into spaghetti like threads. Just use a fork to work the squash out of it's skin, top with a drizzle of olive oil, parmesan cheese and a little pepper. Next, top the squash with 1 chicken roll with the shallots on top and a generous helping of the tomato sauce.

Get it while it's hot, this one is soul warming and you'll be fighting for seconds!

Butternut Squash and Ricotta Gnocchi

2010-09-28T11:19:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday I picked up a butternut squash from Victory Farms and knew exactly what I wanted to make...warm, fluffy pillows of gnocchi, full of flavor and perfect for a rainy Fall night. This recipe requires a little prep time but is worth it in the end. Even though there is flour in the recipe, it's especially great for those craving pasta but watching the flour intake since the bulk of the gnocchi is made up of ricotta cheese and butternut squash. Here's the fix:

1 butternut squash, cubed
1 16 oz. tub of part skim ricotta cheese
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp nutmeg (plus more for roasting the squash)
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1/2 - 1 cup and more for rolling gnocchi
salt & pepper

Start by roasting the squash. For those of you that haven't worked with it before, I like to peel it first and then cut it in 1/2 lengthwise. It has seeds just like a pumpkin that need to come out so you can either spoon them out or cut around them. Cut into equal size cubes, sprinkle with a touch of nutmeg, S & P and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast in the oven at 425° for about 15 minutes, flipping once or twice to help get the caramel color on all sides. You'll want it a little brown on the edges for great flavor so go longer if necessary.

Once out of the oven, transfer to paper towels to soak out some of the oil. The squash should be as dry as possible before adding to the dough. After drying, transfer to a food processor or use a potato masher to blend the squash until smooth. Place the mixture in the fridge to allow to cool before beginning on dough.

The ricotta will also need to be prepped which can be done the night before by wrapping in a cheesecloth and suspending over a bowl to properly drain or, if you are like me, the 'super-quick because don't always think ahead' way - wrapped in a clean, thin kitchen towel and squeezed with your hands until every last drop of liquid runs out. The ricotta needs to be as dry as possible to form a dough that will hold its shape.

In a large mixing bowl, add the 'dried' ricotta, egg, parm, nutmeg and blend together until smooth. Next add about 3/4 cup of the roasted squash mixture and fold into dough. Add salt & pepper for proper seasoning. This will loosen it up considerably but the flour will help to bind the dough together again. Start with 1/4 cup mixed in and slowly add more until the dough can hold it's shape.

At this point, the dough should be refrigerated for about an hour. Prep a baking sheet with a healthy amount of flour distributed over the pan and a separate pan lined with parchment paper. Once the dough comes out of the refrigerator, form into dough balls by rolling in your hands or roll into a small tube from which to pinch off about one inch sized pieces in the form of traditional gnocchi. Either shape will then need to be 'rolled' in the flour, sifted of any excess by tossing back and forth in hands and then transferred to the baking sheet lined with paper. Once formed, the gnocchi will then go back into the refrigerator for at least another hour or longer.

To cook, bring up a pot of salted boiling water and carefully drop the individual pieces into the water. They will cook for approximately 3-5 minutes and are done when they float to the top. The gnocchi should be scooped out with a mesh strainer and transferred to a paper towel before plating with sauce.

Speaking of sauce...this one goes beautifully with the butternut squash: 1/2 stick unsalted butter browned (over low-medium heat) in a sauté pan with ribbons of sage leaves and a small dice of a cured meat like Pancetta (season with salt and pepper to taste). Watch the edge of the pan for browning and promptly remove from heat. Spoon over gnocchi and top with grated Parmesan.

Would love to show you a picture of the finished product but our eyes and stomachs were focused in on the feast and there was no stopping 'em!

Neela Bags and Market Totes - Review & Giveaway!

2010-09-23T18:08:00.003-04:00

It seems apparent that the world is moving to all things 'green'. For those of you who've had some trouble thinking of easy ways to get with the movement, and even for those of you who are heading the movement, I've got a great product to share. A year ago, my sister-in-law treated me to a birthday lunch and gave me a gift that I've used almost everyday since. She presented me with this little bag, decorated in a funky, modern, giraffe print and bordered in hot pink. Inside were 5 more neatly folded bags, the only difference being when you open the inside bags up, they unfold into extra large carrying totes! Neela Bags have made a world of difference for me at the grocery store. For one, I was always the person to forget my reusable totes at home, leaving them scattered all over my pantry and storage areas. Neela Bags fold and roll back into the same condensed shape, secure with velcro, and get tucked right back into the matching bag. The fabric is soft enough to fold easily but sturdy enough to a) hold a billion groceries and b) keep the original folding creases so that it practically folds itself when you are done. I fold them one by one while putting away the groceries and place them back in the carrying bag. Then the carrying bag goes on my front door handle so that I remember to take it back to the car for the next use. They look so cool, I don't mind having them as added decoration for a night!

Neela Market Pack in Circles Kelly Green

So, in addition to the neatness factor, they are strong, strong, strong! I can't emphasize this enough. I've had a gallon of milk, a couple of bottles of wine and various other groceries all in the same bag and I have never worried about the bottom dropping out. The straps are long enough to make it easy to carry multiple bags at a time and 5 bags, plus the little guy for smaller items, is more than plenty for one run to the store. I use them in other capacities, too - they are great for the farmer's market, toting anything to and from the car, lunch carriers, you name it, they work and look good working, too!

So, I wanted to share here because I have had so many people asking me about the bags and how to get them. I also think that using reusable, recyclable bags instead of plastic or paper bags is one easy way we can all help. And if we are gonna turn this world green, let's work in some style while we are at it! Click here to see all that Neela has to offer, you won't be disappointed.

But wait...there's more! To show you just how much we love this product, we are giving away one Market Pack to a lucky reader! Sign up to become a follower of the blog by clicking on the 'Follow with Google Friend Connect' button and entering your information. You'll see your online handle show up as a follower to the blog and get updates in your blog feed when a new post is available. Once you are a follower, you will be automatically entered into the drawing (current followers are also eligible). Or, become a Facebook fan by hitting the 'like' button on our page. Either way you'll be entered! Contest ends October 1st at 5 p.m. EST.

Let's see your love for Mother Earth and all Neela Products! And be sure to tell us what changes you are making in the kitchen to 'go green'...

The Quick Cookie with Nutella & Toffee

2010-09-22T09:22:00.000-04:00

Seriously, I think all family baking talents were funneled to my sister. Did I mention that my grandmother used to sell holiday fruit cake right out of her kitchen every year? She had recurring orders starting in August so they must have been delicious. We never met her but I am sure we are channeling her in the kitchen....apparently, I just need to focus a little more on the baking side.

So, to get up to speed with the baking skills train, I have put myself on a strict 'bake something at least 3 times a week' schedule. Let's just say this week's first two tries this week fell short...way short. I'll catch you up on those once I identify the issue and how to fix it- apple pie, I'm coming back for you! In the meantime, I decided a little confidence booster was in order so nothing easier than a dressed up sugar cookie! Really, it took less than 10 minutes thanks to a well know friend, Betty Crocker. These babies are quick, quick, quick. Equally tasty, little bit of crunch and melt in your mouth goodness. Sometimes you just have to be thankful for pre-made mix.

1 package Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix
1 stick butter
1 egg
Heath Toffee Bits
Nutella Hazelnut spread

Prepare the cookie mix according to instructions on package for drop cookies with the butter and egg. Using your cookie scoop, drop cookies on non-stick baking sheet (Airbake sheets are great for sugar cookies), top with as many little bits of toffee as you would like and bake at 350° for 7-9 minutes or until browning around the edges. Let stand for 1 minute and then transfer to a cooling rack. Spoon some nutella into a piping bag or a ziploc and snip the tip off. Once the cookies have cooled, pipe the hazelnut spread over the top anyway you like. See...nothing but easy. Confidence restored!

Football Party Mac & Cheese

2010-09-21T09:07:00.001-04:00

Football Mac & Cheese

If you have a guy in your house or kids, this one is a winner. It's a go-to meal because chances are you have the ingredients in your kitchen already, especially if you love cheese the way we do in my house. I call it Football Party Mac & Cheese because it's a manly type meal and perfect for a few friends crowded around a TV rooting for their favorite team. Check it out:

1 lb whole wheat rotini pasta
5 turkey hot dogs
7 tbsp unsalted butter
6 tbsp all purpose flour
4 cups 2% milk
2 tsp of dried mustard
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
fresh black ground pepper
10 ounces shredded Wisconsin white cheddar
4 ounces shredded extra sharp cheddar
1 cup Italian style breaded crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Bring salted water to a boil for pasta and cook to al denté based on package instructions (usually 7-9 minutes). If hot dogs are frozen, throw into boiling water for the last minute. In heavy bottomed sauce pan, melt 6 tbsp butter over low heat and whisk in flour until fully incorporated. Stream in milk, continuing to whisk and raise temp to medium to medium high. Bring milk mixture to a boil, whisking along the way to prevent milk from burning. Cut back heat to low to low-medium and add in mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper, whisking occasionally until mixture thickens. Adjust S & P if necessary.

Drain pasta thoroughly and cut hot dogs into small bite sized pieces. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in milk mixture, white cheddar and sharp cheddar.

Grease a shallow baking dish with butter and transfer all to dish. Mix together bread crumbs and Parmesan and spread over the top of pasta. Cut up remaining tbsp of butter and distribute pieces over breadcrumbs. Bake for 20-25 minutes, comes out bubbly and golden. Serve it up alongside a mixed greens salad with a mustard vinaigrette to compliment the flavors in the mac & cheese.

Dig IN!

Football Party Mac & Cheese

Honey & Cinnamon Pear Granola

2010-09-20T12:01:00.002-04:00

Since I skipped the market this past Saturday for one last weekend at the beach, I decided to write about a treat I made from a previous pick-up. Knowing I have a tendency to let healthy eating go out the window when I visit the beach with friends, I wanted to make a healthy, crunchy snack that was portable and easy to share. Granola sounded perfect… sweet and crunchy but made with healthy oats, nuts and dried fruits. The binder is where the market item comes in, I used Alfredo’s Beehive whipped honey stirred into a delicious pear jam made by one of my parent’s friends – it smells like Christmas in a jar. Back to the honey though, I am sure you’ve seen the honey cart parked smack in the middle of the market with a beehive display and a kind man passing out samples. Be warned, if you sample you will buy! The honey is smooth, perfectly sweet and there are a few options to choose from. As I mentioned before I choose the whipped option because the consistency is a little fluffier and I like the way it melts when it hits my mouth. Aside from eating it all by it’s lonesome, I’ve been baking away with it all summer (see the whole wheat muffins mix from a previous post) and it seemed like a perfect fit for a healthy granola. Here’s what I did to achieve the right mix:
3 cups oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup chopped dried dates
1 cup golden raisins
4 tbsp whipped honey
3 tbsp pear jam (made with cinnamon)
3 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350° and start by combining the oats, almonds and sesame seeds in a large mixing bowl. I like to rough chop the almonds and here’s a tip, spread them in a thin layer on your chopping board rather than a pile and keep your knife tip on the down while running through the nuts. It’ll keep your kitchen free of little almond missiles. Next, over low heat, combine the honey, jam and butter until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to mixing bowl and stir until oats are coated thoroughly.
In a non-stick jelly roll pan (at least 9″x13″), spread the mixture into a thin layer and bake for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until oats are golden brown. Will still warm, sprinkle salt and cinnamon over the mixture. It will crisp as it cools down and when it is back to room temperature, add in chopped fruit. It will keep for weeks in an air tight container in the pantry. Enjoy and check out Alfredo’s Beehive next time you’re at SOTJ!

Fettucini Pie

2010-09-15T12:50:00.000-04:00

Football is back and so is the need for comfort food! This one fits the bill and is an easy use of ingredients you have in your pantry and fresh market finds. We picked up fresh made pasta from the Bombolini stand this past Saturday and Roasted Red Pepper Flake and Parmesan bread from The Norwood Cottage, both of which are the stars in this week’s dish, Fettuccini Pie. Here’s how I put it together:

1 bundle Bombolini Roasted Red Pepper Fettucini noodles*
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
½ medium white onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1 package frozen spinach
10 eggs
3 tbsp whole milk
1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 thick cut slice (about 2”) slice of Norwood Cottage Red Pepper Flake and Parmesan bread, cubed*
2 tbsp parmesan/asiago/reggiano blend
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400° and start by slightly cooking the pasta. Since it’s fresh it should only take a little over 1 minute in salted boiling water. Be sure to not overcook since it will be baked in the oven also. While the water is coming up to a boil for the pasta, heat the olive oil and butter in a cast iron skillet or one that can be transferred to the oven. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet to sauté until translucent (it helps to add the garlic a little later than the onion because it can burn easily). If using frozen spinach like I did, defrost in the microwave, and drain in a clean kitchen towel by adding to the center of the towel, folding over and twisting until all the liquid runs out. Add to skillet and stir into the onion garlic mixture. If using fresh, add right into skillet and let wilt down.

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat 10 eggs with 3 tbsp whole milk, a pinch of salt and a few cracks of fresh ground black pepper. Add in 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and the drained pasta. Mix together until all noodles are coated. Transfer to the skillet and toss the mixture together with the spinach, onion and garlic until equally distributed.

Top with the cubed bread and the remaining blended, shredded cheese. Cover with foil to bake for the first 15 minutes and then remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the center is set but still moist. Let set for 5 minutes before slicing.

The bread will give it a little extra zing and crunch when baked on top and the ‘pie’ resembles a fresh frittata with a great texture added from the pasta. We served it up alongside a grilled sausage we’d purchased on a previous Farmer’s Market visit and a salad but it is hearty enough to be served on its own while watching a good ole football game, of course!

*For those of you not in the area, a prepackaged fettucini noodle (cooked as instructed for al denté) and a store bought french bread can be used as a substitute. I would also add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the egg mixture to get it a little heat.

Market Pie - Tomato and Goat Cheese Pizza

2010-09-06T21:51:00.000-04:00

We saved this week's Farmer's Market treats for our last possible holiday weekend hurrah, Labor Day dinner. After a few days of grill favorites, we wanted to turn to another staple - pizza. Fortunately, our market supplies us with wonderful products outside of the produce stand. We picked up prebaked pizza dough from the Countryside Bakery's table. Each week they have a great deal on two pizza rounds for only $6. Buying it prebaked saves time and a mess to clean up. We also wanted to savor those heirloom tomatoes a little longer, so we stopped by Amy's Garden and got a basket of varietals. The last stop for this go-round was at a favorite, Sullivan's Pond Farm, to pick up fresh made, straight-from-the-farm, tangy goat cheese. We've sampled most they have to offer but since I was planning to combine this with other flavors, I went with a plain Isabel-Moonshine chevrette wrapped in corn whiskey macerated corn husks. Their cheese never disappoints and can be used in a number of different ways, aside from just being enjoyed own its own. Delicious!

We took these ingredients and put them together for one half of the pizza and for the other half, we used a store bought alfredo and topped with grilled chicken. Here's how we put together the Farmer's Market pizza (measurements below calculated for a full pizza):

1 Countryside Bakery pizza round

3 tbsp pesto (leftover from last weekend's recipe)

8-10 Roma or cherry tomatoes depending on size

3-4 tbsp Sullivan's Pond goat cheese

Since the dough is prebaked, the ingredients go right on the pizza dough and it bakes in half the time. Start with a layer of pesto spread thinly over the entire round, add sliced tomatoes and top with crumbled goat cheese. Bake at 375° for about 8 minutes and if baking in a standard oven, hit it with a LO broil at the end for about 3 minutes to really get the edges brown and the cheese smooth. Serve it warm and watch out, those tomatoes hold some heat! I burned the roof of my mouth with the first bite, but it didn't stop me from devouring the entire half!

These are market vendors we will definitely be visiting again for quick, easy, tasty weeknight meals.

Celebrate Good Times! Pantry2Plate WINS Cuisinart's Get Cooking! Contest

2010-08-31T14:00:00.000-04:00

Polenta Fries with Parmesan Dipping Sauce and Basil Oil

I am more than thrilled to announce that Pantry2Plate has won the latest series of Cuisinart's Get Cooking! Contest. This contest makes it easy to get excited about being in the kitchen and the winning recipe truly came from one of the greatest pleasures of cooking...sharing good food and great times with remarkable friends. The feedback from the Cuisinart Chefs is on point and something I've heard from another faithful reader (Squints, you call 'em like you see 'em!), so I will work on being a bit more descriptive in my posts. How about the rest of you? Anything else you would like to see? Thanks for your support...I am grinning from ear-to-ear!

Check out the link below for what Cuisinart Chefs had to say:
http://www.cuisinart.com/recipes/get-cooking-contest/winners.html

The winning recipe post can be found in my archives and linked below:
http://pantry2plate.blogspot.com/2010/06/polenta-fries-with-basil-oil-and.html

Spaghetti Squash with Pesto

2010-08-30T13:56:00.000-04:00

We found this weekend that the coming of fall is palpable. What it means for our kitchen is scooping up the last of our favorite summer treats and transitioning into a new fall lineup. I started to think ahead to how I can preserve the flavors of summer and enjoy them for a few months longer. So in this week’s ‘Saturday’s Basket’, greens abound! Our trip to the South of James Farmer’s Market always starts with a large coffee from Blanchard’s to help get the creative juices flowing and help us sort through what tastes we want for the week. After we started to wake up, we picked up arugula & green beans from Victory Farms and a squash and basil bunch from Pleitez Produce. The arugula and basil blended together make a healthy portion of pesto and pesto makes for a great freezer food. Once blended, portion the sauce into ice trays and freeze. Pop out individual cubes whenever you are craving that summer sweetness. Pesto paired with spaghetti squash was on plate for a great homemade Sunday dinner. It’s an easy side dish and makes a great pasta substitute for those curbing the carbs. Here’s the fix:

1 spaghetti squash

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 425°. Slice the squash in half and scoop out the strings and seeds (as you would for a pumpkin). Place the squash on a baking dish, slice side up and drizzle olive oil over, sprinkle with salt and pepper. That’s it! Roast the squash until the fibers start to break down and you can easily shred the ‘meat’ with a fork. It should fall right out of the shell when scraped. I’ve found the easiest way to scrape the veggie out is by leaving it in the dish and holding one side with my kitchen tongs. Shred right in the shell and then transfer to a serving bowl.

Basil and Arugula Pesto:

2 handfuls of fresh basil leaves

1 handful of fresh baby arugula

¼ cup walnuts

¼ cup parmesan cheese

Olive oil

Pinch of salt

A few cracks of fresh ground black pepper

In a food processor, add the greens, nuts and cheese. While the processor is on, stream in olive oil until the pesto reaches a creamy, loose consistency. Pesto is a preference food meaning, some like it chunky, some like it loose. Some like it with a lot of cheese, some with a little. It is a versatile sauce and dip and taste testing is always necessary. On the last whirl around the processor, add a little salt (go light, salt is already a big contributor in the cheese so seasoning began with that addition) and a few cracks of pepper to taste. The arugula will also help to give it a little bite so be sure to taste test as you go so as not to overdo the pepper.

Bring the two together by topping the roasted, hot spaghetti squash with a dollop of pesto. Turn to coat and serve warm. It’s a nice nod to summer flavors with a hint of what’s coming for fall.

Basket from market: basil, jalapeno cheddar bread, speghetti squash, arugula and green beans.

Fresh Herb & Sunflower Chicken Piccata

2010-08-28T11:04:00.000-04:00

Lemon and chicken go naturally together. Throw in some fresh herbs and it's an end of the summer party. I really wanted to go alternative on the breading and experiment with anything that would infuse flavor and texture. Sunflower seeds and oatmeal worked really, really well. So well in fact, there was no need for the 3 step breading process (flour, eggs, breading), I just pounded the chicken flat and pushed them right into the seed, oatmeal and herb mixture. It was clingy enough to stick and browned up beautifully. The crunch was perfect and the herbs from the garden perfumed the kitchen and added fresh flavor to the chicken. Here's the new, healthy take on chicken piccata...

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat

For 'breading':
1/4 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds
1 packet instant oatmeal
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 stem (about 8-10 leaves) fresh oregano
4 fresh basil leaves
1 sprig rosemary
3 stems chives
fresh cracked black pepper

For sauce:
1/4 cup chicken broth (may use more for additional sauce)
1 fresh lemon
1 tsp capers
fresh cracked black pepper

Olive oil & butter for cooking.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Remove the stems from the herbs and rough chop. Add herbs to a food processor and pulse with seeds, oatmeal and a few cracks of black pepper until coarsely ground. Spread the mixture onto a large prep plate and dredge the pounded chicken through the mixture. Use your tongs to press the mixture into the chicken to help it stick. In a non-stick pan, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp butter. Once melted, add chicken breasts and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to a non-stick baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes.

In the same non-stick pan used to pan-fry the chicken, add chicken broth to deglaze. Use a wooden spoon to loosen up all bits from pan. Slice one lemon in 1/2 (reserving a few rings to top the finished chicken) and squeeze all juice into the sauce. Add the lemon halves into the pan while the sauce reduces. Reduce on med-lo for about 8 minutes and stir in 1/4 tsp corn starch and a few cracks of black pepper. Add 1 tsp capers and keep on low until ready to serve. Add more chicken stock to balance flavor if necessary.

Top cooked chicken breasts with slices of lemon and then spoon sauce over top. The chicken goes really well with rice or whole wheat pasta and a side of steamed broccoli which can also topped with a spoonful of sauce. Fresh, healthy, full of vitamins and minerals!

What other breading substitutes have you tried? Walnuts? Almonds?

Healthy, Hearty Veggie Pasta Casserole - Freezer Friendly

2010-08-26T15:41:00.000-04:00

I had a request for this earlier and it's something I've made to take to friends and neighbors in need of a little help. It is a great casserole style pasta with lots of healthy veggies and protein that feeds a bunch or will freeze well for leftovers.

1 box whole grain rotini or ziti
1 1b ground chicken
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil
1 zucchini
¼ cup red onion
½ pint button mushrooms
1 package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and dried
1 roasted red pepper (I use the jar version in oil)
1 clove garlic
Basil leaves or basil paste
Tomato paste
Bay leaf
Olive oil
Fennel seed
Red pepper flakes
Salt and white pepper
Shredded mozzarella
Grated aged parmesan

Dice zucchini, onions, garlic, red pepper and quarter mushrooms.

Start by browning the ground chicken in a large skillet with palm full of fennel seeds and shake of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Do not strain. Halfway through browning add zuchinni and mushrooms and let sauté but don’t overcook since the whole dish will be baked.

For sauce: in a medium sauce pan, add enough olive oil to coat bottom of pan. Add red onion and garlic, sauté until translucent, add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and begin to simmer. Add bay leaf, 2-3 chopped basil leaves or 1 tblspn of basil paste and 1 tblespn of tomato paste. Stir in roasted red pepper. Let sauce simmer for at least 10 minutes.

Transfer sauce to skillet with chicken and veggies, add spinach to sauce and mix it all well. Don’t forget to take out the bay leaf!

Cook pasta to al denté. When done, transfer drained pasta to large casserole dish. Add sauce over pasta and toss to coat. Sprinkle mozzarella over entire top and grate parmesean over. Bake until bubbly and cheese starts to brown (at 350°).

I think it would also be really tasty ‘Greek style’ with feta cheese baked in and just the parm on top. Enjoy and make it for someone in need of a helping hand.

Who Wants a Cookie? Chocolate Melt & Toffee Bit Cookies

2010-08-24T15:38:00.000-04:00

My husband is a routine kinda guy and apparently his new routine involves finishing dinner and asking me when the cookies will be baked. "What cookies?" is usually how I respond, but last night I was feeling the sugar craze myself (not that his sugar cravings are any less important than mine, but I am the one baking them so I say when...I say whoooo...I say wheennn. Anyone? Anyone?). As you guys know, baking does not come naturally to me, but my friends might say that the one sugary treat I am confident in making is a delicious batch of toffee cookies. The recipe used to be on the back of the Heath Bar Toffee Bit Pieces bag and it makes the most indulgent, chewy, buttery-goodness bites you've have ever had. Last night called for chocolate though so the recipe got a few modifications and shake ups and the outcome was nothing short of a cookie masterpiece.

Here's what I put together:

2 sticks butter
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 & 1/2 cups brown sugar
1.5 tsp pure vanilla
3 eggs
3 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 bag toffee chips
1/4 - 1/2 cup shaved semi-sweet baking chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350°. In your favorite stand mixer, blend the 2 sticks, room temp butter (I used salted butter for this recipe which I think is ok because these are toffee and chocolate AND I am not sure how much I buy into the salted vs. unsalted baking controversy). If you are taking straight from the fridge, pop the butter into the microwave for 10 seconds to loosen it up. Put the mixer on low and add in sugars, vanilla and eggs one at a time.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the sifted ingredients. Hopefully your kitchen won't end up looking like the North Pole as mine did, but baking is meant to be messy, right? Once the ingredients are incorporated fold in the chips and as much chocolate as you like.

Drop mounds on a non-stick or airbake sheet and bake for 8-11 minutes or until a beautiful golden color and should make about 3-4 dozen cookies. They'll deflate a little at the very end and definitely when you bring them out to cool. Served up warm with milk, you will be in heaven. I also thought about sandwiching two together with a marshmallow center...maybe I'll try that tonight...

I also froze the dough I didn't bake last night so I will be sure to post if those are just as tasty as the fresh. What's your favorite cookie recipe?

Cuisinart's 'Get Cooking' Contest - who will be the winner?!

2010-08-23T13:51:00.000-04:00

I can't wait to hear the results of Cuisinart's 'Get Cooking!' Contest. Pantry2Plate was selected as a finalist and they are expected to announce the winner this week! Have you tried the Polenta Fries yet? One bite and you'll be hooked!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

2010-08-22T11:31:00.000-04:00

I've been in carb denial over the past 3 weeks and I woke up this morning craving pancakes. Rarely do I reach for something sweet in the morning, not even sugar in the coffee, so this was an urge I didn't want to pass up. However, trying to defeat my love of all things white flour, I went for a whole wheat alternative and it turns out white flour is for suckers. Two silver dollar pancakes later, I am filled to the brim with fiber packed goodness.

Here's the recipe:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
6 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
6 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt
1 egg
1 + 1/4 cup 2% milk

Sift the dry ingredients together first (just add the brown sugar after sifting), make a well in the center of the dry mix and add the egg, applesauce and yogurt. Using a hand mixer or a whisk, begin to add the milk, 1 cup to start and then the remaining as needed to thin out the batter (use up to 1.5 cups if necessary).

In a non-stick pan, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat. When bubbles start to form in the butter, add 1/2 a soup ladle of batter to make small sized pancakes, more if you like large rounds. The pancakes are ready to flip when the bubbles that have formed in the batter begin to pop. The edges will be browned from the butter and the second side will take less time than the first. When making pancakes, I use my Le Crueset covered casserole dish to store the pancakes and keep them warm while I cook the remaining batter.

This mix is a great with accompaniments! I added rinsed blueberries to mine but bananas and walnuts would be delicious or chocolate chip pancakes. Nutella anyone?

Supper Club Apps - Grits Toast with Soy Chorizo & Tomatillo Topping

2010-08-20T12:20:00.000-04:00

So if I had access to Trader Joe's Vegan Soy Chorizo everyday, I may seriously consider going vegan or at least vegetarian. I promise you, you would be hard pressed to taste the difference between this plant based product and it's piggy counterpart. It would be delicious in breakfast burritos or maybe even somehow formed into a pattie for a new take on a spicy burger. For last night's Supper Club Surprise, we had it atop grits toast, mashed with roasted tomatillos and topped with a little dollop of my favorite - 2% plain Greek yogurt. Grits toast is a cinch and fun to do. Here's how it came together:

Quick Fix Grits - 3/4 cup
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp of salt (can be omitted, chicken broth is plenty flavorful)
1/3 link of Trader Joe's vegan soy chorizo (or 1/2 cup when crumbled and cooked) or your favorite chorizo
8 tomatillos
1/4 hot pepper
olive oil
garlic salt
pepper
1 tbsp lite cream cheese
1 tbsp olive oil mayo
2 tbsp shredded monterey jack/cheddar blend and more for topping
2% plain Greek yogurt

Start by fixing the grits...and as Paula always says, stir your little heart out in the beginning or you'll end up with lumpy grits. Once the broth comes to a boil, it should take about 5 minutes to get them to a creamy consistency. They should pour easily into a jellyroll pan and smooth out evenly. Too long and they'll be one big, pasty lump. The grits then go into the fridge for at least 30 minutes. I would have liked for the final 'toast' to be a little thicker, so next time I will either use a smaller pan (I used a 9"x13") or make more grits. Here's the jellyroll pan shot:

While the grits are chillin', move on to the topping and try not to eat it all before you can put the final product together (I struggled a little with this step). Cook up the chorizo in a fry pan and roast the tomatillos and hot pepper with some olive oil, garlic salt and pepper at 400° for about 10-15 minutes until you have a little char (flip on the broiler if you need to). If you haven't had tomatillos, they add a cool green color and a little tartness to a sauce or salsa. You'll usually find them near the tomatoes, look for a smaller fruit in an earthy green husk. The husk comes off and they need a good rinse to remove the stickiness. I think the insides look like an eggplant which is confusing but who cares? They are very cool and tasty. So, after the roasting is done, give them all a rough chop and then transfer the veggies and the chorizo to a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients (except for the Greek yogurt, that's for the top). Give them all a stir to combine.


Crumbled Chorizo

Now, take the chilled grits from the fridge and use a medium sized cookie cutter to form the toast rounds. Transfer to another non-stick cookie sheet and bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes, flipping once. The grits will get a little browned around the edges...delicious. Now they are ready to be topped with the chorizo blend, a few shreds of cheese and baked again until heated through and the cheese is melted. Top with the yogurt and serve it up warm! The chorizo and pepper give it a hit of spiciness, the tomatillos a little tartness and the yogurt cools it right off. These were a supper club hit!

Aren't they cute on Woo's pretty polka plate?

Eat, Pray...Love - well, at least the food

2010-08-18T15:32:00.000-04:00

So a few of us went to see Eat, Pray, Love last night and I have to say it wasn't my favorite. But then again, neither was the book so why did I think the movie would be better? Maybe that old saying, 'the movie's never as good as the book' was stuck in my head and by hope of reverse interpretation, I thought the movie had to be better. I thought by some divine producing intervention, I would enjoy the story more as it was acted out before my very eyes. And to be honest, the story wasn't the issue. But I digress.

The point of me sharing this is to talk about the food. That's the one part of the story I firmly support and believe...Italy is meant to be experienced through the food. To see antipasti plated in front of some lucky patron is to be inspired to serve something simply and tastefully using a few good ingredients from the environment by which you are surrounded. Maybe I was hungry going in but I found myself daydreaming during the Rome scenes of a day where they have smell-a-movie or cinema scent-sations. We could have all been in Rome last night if they had opened the vents and pumped in the smells from the trattoria...basil, olive oil, ragu, espresso....I can almost taste it.

So, tonight's dinner will have an Italian theme for sure. It won't be as delicious as the meal we had from Trattoria der Pallaro last fall while in Rome but I just can't take it anymore...I need a heavy dose of carbs and vat of vino.

Winner of the Kitchen Gadget Giveaway!

2010-08-17T08:46:00.002-04:00

We have a winner of the first ever Pantry2Plate Kitchen Gadget Giveaway! Thanks for following, Suzie, we hope you enjoy your new kitchen gadgets. Happy cooking!

Rosemary Crusted Lamb Chops with Lemon Minted Peas

2010-08-15T20:50:00.000-04:00

So, I have to start by saying that I can count on one hand the number of times I've had lamb. However, while at the store this morning, I found a small rack of lamb for less that $2 and it was the perfect amount for two. Knowing 3 things: I like peas, I have an abundance of mint and I'm a fan of a tender cut of meat with almost any kind of sauce - I decided to go for it. With that out in the open, I have one thing to say - what, for the love of Pete, was I waiting for? The combination of peas, mint, lamb and rosemary could quite possibly be sent from Heaven. Here's how it came together for us tonight...

For the lamb:
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, coarse chop
1 tbsp dijon
1 tsp garlic salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
freshly cracked black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Trim the fat from the rack, pat dry and season both sides with salt & pepper. Combine the ingredients above, whisking the olive oil in until a thick paste forms. Smear the mixture over all sides of the lamb and refrigerate for at least an hour, longer if you have the time.

Preheat the oven to 375° and in a heavy bottom sauté pan that can be transferred to the oven (I use my cast iron skillet), warm 2 tbsps of olive oil over medium-hi heat. When the oil starts to ripple, add the rack of lamb fat side down to brown, turning once at 3 minutes and doing the same on the opposite side. Transfer the entire pan to the oven and let it cook for 12-14 minutes depending on your temperature preference. Remove the lamb from the pan and place on a chopping board, cover with foil and let rest for at least 5 minutes.

For the sauce:
Move the sauté pan back to the stovetop with the drippings and warm through on medium-low heat. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and sauté. Using a whisk, add 1 turn of a dry red wine, 1/2 cup of chicken stock, 1 tbsp butter and 1 sprig of rosemary, coarsely chopped. Let the sauce reduce down over heat and to finish, add 1 tbsp of plain greek yogurt. Keep warm until you are ready to serve.

Lemon Minted Smashed Peas
2 cups frozen young peas, blanched
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup chicken stock
8-10 leaves fresh mint, finely chopped
1/4 tsp of freshly chopped rosemary
1/4 tsp garlic salt
freshly cracked black pepper

Blanch the peas first and then transfer to a sauce pot. Over low heat, warm all ingredients above through. Using a hand blender, gently mash the peas, leaving some whole. Finish with a little pecorino romano.

To plate, layer the smashed peas first, top with 3 chops and then drizzle 1-2 tbsps of the sauce over the lamb. Top with chives to make it pretty.

Clean Out Cabinets Bean Dip

2010-08-15T14:38:00.001-04:00

Staring down a lazy Sunday and one actually in town, I did what I always do...tackle a kitchen clean out and pantry reorganization job. After I quick trip to the grocery store this morning, I found that I was running out of room in the pantry...not a problem I often run into but it happened today. So, out with the old and in with the new. I had cans upon cans of beans that needed to see the light of day so a quick fix was in order. I love Southern Caviar, (Paula Deen is the southern cooking queen!) so here's today's variation on the tailgate favorite based on what I had to use:
1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can northern beans
1 small can Rotel with green chilis
1 medium yellow onion
1 pint sunburst tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
10 leaves fresh basil
1 bottle of Trader Joe's Tuscan Italian Dressing
Salt and Pepper

Dice the onions and garlic, half or quarter the tomatoes and roll the basil leaves together for a chiffonade. Drain all the beans and rinse. All goes into one bowl, toss with the dressing and salt and pepper to taste. I love this dip or bean salad or whatever you want to call it because it is so versatile. Today, I enjoyed it with soy and flax seed tortilla chips but I think it's great over romaine lettuce with grilled chicken or even served bruschetta style over grilled garlic bread. It's a great way to empty the cabinets and enjoy a protein packed snack!

PS- Don't forget to sign up as a 'follower' to the blog to be entered into the Kitchen Gadget Giveaway!

Clean Out the Cabinets Bean Dip

Kitchen Gadget Giveaway for Pantry2Plate Followers

2010-08-12T12:34:00.000-04:00

It just so happens that I have two brand-new, stainless steel, favorite kitchen gadgets ready for someone to enjoy! Since I've moved over to Blogger, I've decided to host a GIVEAWAY as a thank you to those who are continuing to read Pantry2Plate posts. To be eligible, you have to sign up as a 'follower' to the blog by Monday, August 16th at 5:00 p.m. EST. I will then randomly draw a name from the [chef's] hat and email the winner! The package will arrive with the two gadgets and tips on how to use them. This, hopefully, will be the start of many giveaways but you must be a follower to be eligible! Hope you guys are having a cook-happy week, I just made it back from Trader Joe's and am planning a delicious dish for tonight...stay tuned!

Project Garden Grow- Phase I, Step 2

2010-08-09T12:51:00.000-04:00

To say I am thrilled with this change is an understatement! Yesterday, I transplanted my current herb garden to the area we demo'd last weekend. It was a ridiculous amount of work from the digging, cultivating, covering, weeding, digging again and finally planting but in the end, the result looks fantastic. It's so late in the season, I hope these herbs I've moved will make it through - I've got two varieties of sage, thyme, oregano, two varieties of lavender, rosemary, sweet basil, Thai basil and chives. And the best part is, these guys have room to grow. I can't wait for next year!

The last step to finishing this area is to fill in the empty space around the bird bath. I'm probably going to end up with just a ground cover...I am thinking elfin thyme, it's like a carpet of tiny flowers in the spring and the green leaves are lush and abundant. That will have to wait for now while I figure out the best time to plant....any thoughts? I think I am also ordering this seed starting system and this guide book to help me get ready for next year. I'm like a kid at Christmas...

Baked Zucchini Casserole

2010-08-09T11:16:00.000-04:00

So a friend & frequenter of the blog, has a very cool garden at the bottom of a little hill in her backyard. Apparently, it is the prime spot for zucchini and squash growing because it produced a whopper of a vegetable that was harvested last week. As a thank you for watching her pup, she saved this ginormous zucchini for me as long as I promised to write about what I made. It was so bigger than an acorn squash! I got a little creative and decided to do that oh so fun trick of serving the finished product in the shell of the vegetable from which it was made. Take a look at the finished product:

Now, it was tasty, but it could have been better. What I learned was that I should have prebaked the zucchini boats to soften them a little. I did bake the finished product but it wasn't in long enough to really soften the veggie. So, lesson learned. Here's what I did do:

Sliced the veggie in half and scooped out the 'meat'. This was diced along with 1 shallot, 10 grape tomatoes, 1 garlic clove and 2 handfuls of arugula. In a sauté pan, I added about 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and 6 small links of turkey sausage. I browned the sausage over medium-hi heat until it was almost cooked through and then added the veggies to sauté. For seasoning I added 1 palmful of fennel seed and a few shakes of crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Yumm. The veggies released a fair amount of liquid packed with flavor, so instead of draining, I added 1/4 cup of Italian flavored breadcrumbs and a handful of parmigianno reggiano.

Next I drizzled the zucchini boats with olive oil and seasoned with S & P. I transferred the stuffing to the boats (divided equally between the two) and topped the boats with breadcrumbs, shredded mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano.

It went into a casserole dish and into the oven for 15 minutes at 375° and came out toasty and delicious. It was a complete meal for me but I also made a side dish of pasta drizzled with garlic infused olive oil and topped with a little more cheese for the man. He was a happy camper and if he couldn't see the boats, he wouldn't have known he was eating a veggie-full meal. He ate it up just the same though!

Zucchini with Arugula Pesto and Summertime Tomatoes

2010-08-05T12:38:00.000-04:00

Summer Beauty!

Summer veggies everywhere! SOTJ Farmer's Market provided me with a big bag of arugula this past weekend so I, being the lover of pesto that I am, decided to blend it up and make a little peppery delight. Here's what I did:

Into my Cuisinart food processor, I added two handfuls of arugula, a handful of walnuts, 2 cloves of garlic and a generous heaping of parmigiano reggiano. The arugula is peppery enough and the cheese is plenty salty so really there is no need for extra seasoning. While pulsing away, I drizzled in some extra virgin olive oil until it was a beautiful, vibrant green paste. I could use this on anything (who am I kidding, I could eat it by the spoonful) but this time I decided to add it to the side dish. I topped the hot sauté of summer tomatoes and ribbons of zucchini that had their turn in a hot pan with a couple of turns of olive oil. While the blend was still piping hot, I added a dollop of the pesto until it lightly coated each bite. Finished with a sprinkle of the cheese and deliciousness was served!

Finish it up Fudge

2010-08-04T20:22:00.000-04:00

So, two nights ago, I made one of my favorite meals of all time. My friends and I are frequent visitors to a well known Richmond Vietnamese restaurant, Da Lat and I have developed an healthy addiction to #42 - no noodles, all veggies. #42 happens to be a noodle bowl topped with pork and shrimp and it is fan-can't say it enough-tastic! Lucky for me, my brother is dating a foodie that knows what gifts go straight to my heart. For my birthday she gave me a great cookbook that, much to my surprise, had the recipe for this Vietnamese treat. Now, I am who I am in the kitchen so modifications were made but, without the book, I would have never guessed how to make the marinade. More on that later. The recipe called for sweetened condensed milk and as an added bonus when the dish was done, I had leftover. And as a girl with a husband who is always up for sweets, I tried to think of what's quick and easy and uses up leftovers in the pantry. Drum roll please......Fudge! Here's what I did:
2/3's can sweetened condensed milk (little can)
1 and 1/3 - 16 oz package of semi sweet chocolate
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz milk chocolate toffee bits
coarse grain salt
In a double boiler, or a glass bowl atop a sauce pan with about two inches boiling water, melt down the chocolate. Remove from heat and keep stirring. Slowly add in the condensed milk and vanilla while stirring. Add half the toffee bits to the chocolate mixture and combine.

Smooth the mixture into a baking dish and top with the remaining toffee bits and a sprinkle of coarse grain salt. I used an 8"x8" ceramic baking dish lined with wax paper for easy removal. Here's the sweet, crunchy, indulgent finished product. I could almost bite the screen....

Cuisinart's Recipe Swap - Come on East Coast, Get Involved!

2010-08-04T14:08:00.001-04:00

You guys have read many a post referencing Cuisinart kitchen products that I love, to say I am a fan is an understatement. I've been following them on Twitter and Facebook and recently learned of their many contests for readers and food lovers like you and me. The next one up is an online take to an old-fashioned exchange and you can benefit as soon as you submit. It's a Recipe Swap! Here are the details:

Cuisinart is proud to host the East Coast vs. West Coast Recipe Swap on Tuesday, August 10th between 11:00am - 5:00pm EST. Simply enter a recipe into the swap and - when you do, you will be emailed a new recipe, submitted by a Cuisinart.com user. Another Cuisinart.com user will receive your recipe via email.
What is the East-West battle? One entry, from whichever coast submits more recipes, will be randomly selected to win the Countertop Elite Set.

Entering is easy...just go to Cuisinart.com and under the 'Recipes' tab, you'll see 'Special Features' in the left nav. Click on 'Recipe Swap' for details and to submit. Let me know what you get good!

Gardening for Gastronomic Delights – Project Garden Grow, Phase I

2010-08-02T07:42:00.001-04:00

With a break in the heat, my husband and I set out to begin Phase I of a major overhaul of our yard. We have the perfect urban yard for gardening but not always the perfect soil, so we've decided to start fresh in a few areas. The first phase began yesterday and involved a deconstruction of an area we refer to as the 'Tea Garden'. It's a great portion of our yard that is off to the side of our house and, thankfully, fenced off from our dogs constant trampling. You step down into a level yard that is walled-in with ivy, hostas and spring flowers. There is a sidewalk that runs the length of our house which sits atop a stone wall that I am sure was built decades (if not almost a century!) ago. The wall is in great shape, the perennials, however, were not. So, we ripped, we tore, we dug, we raked and we kept a close eye out for snakes. Surprisingly, there were none to be seen. After 5 hours of digging and sifting, we stood back and admired what will soon be our new herb garden. Of course, all of this work is a little late in the season, but we are looking forward to having everything prepped and ready for the spring. Phase II is slated for next weekend and involves a second area of the yard, a rented cultivator and some serious tools. Or it may involve hiring a professional, we'll see where the week takes us....

The purpose of all of this labor intensive and back-breaking work is twofold. One, our yard needs a little love and two, I want to be able to cook with foods that I've grown. While my family didn't farm when I was growing up, we were in the country and surrounded by wild blackberries, apple orchards and area farmers. We had some tomato plants in the yard, cucumbers hanging from the back fence and a neighbor that plotted out a healthy sized garden of corn, tomatoes, peppers, etc. and usually delivered a basketful each summer. This is the great reward I am seeking... to work diligently on something that I (and my neighbors) can benefit from directly!

So, that's our goal. I am looking for advice on what to plant in a central Virginia climate and advice on how to keep the garden healthy and environmentally (and economically) friendly...all comments will be greatly appreciated and taken into full consideration!

Frothy Goodness paired with a Breezy Day

2010-07-30T07:37:00.001-04:00

Sometimes you just have to write about things you enjoy, things you love. Today's entry is one of those times. Coffee is a connector, a mediator, a meeting maker. It's become a daily indulgence for lots of us and life long passion for many. I'm sitting outside on this beautiful, 'after the storm' summer day, at a place that I would love to call my own, Ellwood's Coffe e. How many of you have thought about how great it would be to own and operate a coffee/wine bar/social gathering spot/community based business? I have. Many, many times...starting in college when I lived in a sleepy little Virginia town that tried to balance community and an ever-growing college population. Ellwood's has done it right, from the organic coffee right down to the energy efficient bathrooms.

And let me tell you, this latte I'm working on (my second) couldn't be better. Thank you, Ellwood's...Bellissimo!

Balsamic Glaze Take 2 - Eggplant Topping

2010-07-27T07:53:00.001-04:00

I can see this eggplant topping off grilled bread, whole wheat pasta, sticky rice...so many possibilities! Since I had some of the glaze leftover from dessert last night, I took a look in the fridge for a veggie combination that could stand up to the intensity of the vinegar reduction. Only needed 4 fresh ingredients to make this one work and here's what I did:

1 whole eggplant diced

1/2 yellow onion sliced into thin rings

2 garlic cloves minced

1/4 mexibell pepper diced (a medium hot bell pepper to counter the sweetness in the sauce)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup to 1 cup balsamic reduction from last night's recipe

olive oil

In a cast iron skillet, add a few turns of olive oil over medium heat. Start by sauteing the onions until translucent. Next add the diced pepper, garlic cloves and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in the eggplant and the balsamic reduction, stirring frequently until the eggplant is broken down and the liquid is absorbed.

I topped it off with sweet basil and had a few bites already - sweet and delicious! I can see spooning this over grilled bread with a little prosciutto and gorgonzola later today. My mouth is watering!

Grilled White Peaches with Balsamic Glaze

2010-07-27T01:37:00.001-04:00

Supper Club! We grilled and we grilled, and then we grilled dessert. The glaze is a make ahead so the dessert goes from grill to plate in a matter of minutes. Here's what you do:
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
Pinch of salt
Few twists of black peppercorn
Bring it up in a boil on the stovetop or grill, stirring to blend the sugar, honey and liquid. Turn back the heat to a simmer and let it reduce down to about 1/2. Once this is done, pull it off the heat and add a little to the bottom of a baking dish. 1/2 the peaches, remove the pit and place them (cut-side) into the glaze. Let them soak up the flavor for at least 10 minutes, more if you have time.
Take them to the grill, place them on the grates cut-side up first. Flip after about 2-3 minutes, then grill cut-side until you see those caramelized tracks. Serve it up with a scoop of vanilla and top it with as much of the balsamic reduction as you can handle!

Spinach and Chickpea Soup

2010-07-26T11:14:00.001-04:00

With that recent cold snap (down from triple digits), I figured it was time for a hot lunch. We just got back from a long weekend away and I had a bag of fresh spinach that needed to be used up quickly. I didn't feel like having a salad so the next best thing was a quick and super simple soup! The base of this soup is really tasty and the add in's can be changed up. However, I really liked the combination of the leafy, green spinach and the protein-packed peas. It comes together in about 10 minutes so its a good one if you are in a hurry. Here's what I put together:

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1/2 lemon (zest and juice)

1 piece of parmagiano reggiano rind leftover from some other fantastic meal

2 cups fresh spinach

1/3 cup chickpeas

4 basil leaves

Start by bringing the stock, water, lemon juice, zest and rind up to a simmer. The rind adds a nice saltiness to the soup and gets every, last bit of flavor out of that pricey block of cheese. Add in the spinach, peas and, at the very end, the shredded basil. Told you it was easy!

Sesame Pretzel Chicken with a Sweet Heat Sauce

2010-07-20T07:18:00.001-04:00

I am always looking for new things to use as 'breading' for poultry or pork and, in my pantry, I had just the fix. When we went on vacation, I went a little crazy on the snack aisle, stocking up for the long plane ride and days on the beach. I happened to pick up sesame pretzels at Trader Joe's thinking they were peanut butter pretzels on sale. Wrong! No matter, they turned out to be tasty. With so many leftover though, I was looking for an innovative use and scored with a 'breaded' chicken dinner. These pretzels were multi-grain and packed quite a crunch so I pulsed them in the food processor until they were mostly crumbs, leaving a few larger pieces that aided in texture that resembled southern fried chicken. To pair with the sesame flavor, I opted for an Asian inspired sauce made from mustard, honey, crushed red peppers flakes and rice wine vinegar. Atop snow peas and mushrooms finished in sesame oil, this was a meal not soon forgotten. Here's the fix:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups sesame pretzel nuggets

3 tbsp sesame seeds

1 cup all purpose flour

1 egg

salt and pepper

Sauce:

1 tbsp whole grain mustard

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 cup raw honey

3-4 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp red pepper flakes (less for less heat)

fresh cracked black pepper

Side:

canola oil

garlic clove

2 cups snow peas

5 baby bella mushrooms, quartered

sesame oil

toasted sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375° and start by using a basic breading technique for the chicken. First set up your breading stations with one plate for the ground pretzels mixed with the sesame seeds, one plate for flour seasoned with s & p and one bowl for the egg (beaten). When you are ready to go, pat the chicken breasts dry, season with salt and pepper and then start by dredging in the flour. Shake excess flour off and pull the chicken breast through the beaten egg. The last step is to lay the chicken breast in the pretzel mixture, pressing the crumbs over the entire surface on both sides. I wanted to retain the crunch of the larger pretzels pieces and simplify this dinner so I transferred the chicken breasts to an lightly oiled baking dish and baked them off for about 25-30 minutes.

The rest of the meal came together easily. All the sauce ingredients listed above go into a sauce pan on low heat and simmer away while the chicken cooks, stirring to help incorporate the honey with the mustard. About 5 minutes before the chicken is done, grab a sauté pan, add a little canola oil and a broken garlic clove. Over low to medium heat, add in the mushrooms and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the snow peas to gently warm. To finish, add a touch of sesame oil (a little goes a long way), a pinch of red pepper flakes and top with toasted sesame seeds. Plate the snow peas and mushrooms first, add the chicken on top and then smother in the sauce. Yum!

Macerated Melon and Basil

2010-07-19T07:50:00.000-04:00

One more great summer recipe this week from the SOTJ market! Love this one and it couldn't be any simpler. We picked up a seedless Vanessa melon which yielded about 3-4 cups of melon balls. To that, I added 2 tbsp of granulated sugar and 1 tsp salt. A chiffonade cut of basil really added depth and a refreshing flavor. The taste only gets better as the melon continues to macerate in the sugary fruit juice and because of that, I will be enjoying it for dessert again tonight!

Salsa Me This

2010-07-19T07:06:00.001-04:00

This is a quick one and provided by Amy's Garden at our favorite Farmer's Market, South of the James. They sell salsa baskets complete with onion, tomato varietals, peppers and garlic. We like to kick up the heat so they threw in a hotter pepper (wish I could remember the name of) that had a great finish that packed the heat but didn't leave you running for the milk jug. When I got home, I first diced the onion (small, white) and 3 cloves of garlic. The mixture went into a glass prep bowl and I doused it with a hit of Merlot, salt and pepper. Then I went to work on the tomatoes - chopping, slicing, dicing. I pulled it all together with about half a tbsp of cumin, salt and a generous helping of black pepper.

This one is easy and tasty but the best part is talking with the folks at Amy's Garden booth during the market. They are friendly and helpful and provided info on the produce and tips on the recipes. Definitely one to hit up next time you are in town.

Grilled Caesar! You've been wondering...

2010-07-06T05:16:00.001-04:00

Now I know why everywhere I turn I see claims for 'a traditional Caesar turned up,' it's taste is over the top! This meal came together in about 20 minutes but the flavors were all intensified by the char from the grill.

While the grill was heating up, I prepared bread to make croutons and on hand, we had a most delicious selection to stand up to a grilled salad. Of course we headed over to the SOTJ Farmer's Market Saturday morning and saw THE bread man of Norwood Cottage Bakery. We slept in this weekend so we missed his Black Bean bread premier, however, we scored with a half loaf of Garlic Clove. Perfect for croutons for a Caesar Salad! I took 1/4 of the loaf and chopped it up into large square pieces, tossed them in olive oil, salt and pepper and put them into a 350° oven for about 10 minutes and then shifted the oven to the 'warm' setting to allow them to continue to crisp while I put dinner on the grill.

For the remainder, I seasoned a boneless, skinless chicken breast with canola oil, salt & pepper. Since it takes the longest to cook, I put that on the grill first for about 5 minutes on each side. My grill was topping the 400° mark so it went pretty fast. While that was grilling away, I sliced a large head of romaine lettuce in half vertically so that the root was still in place to hold the leaves together. It was also seasoned with oil, salt and pepper but this time I used garlic salt, it is a Caesar Salad after all. I also cut two lemons in half to place on the grill with the lettuce (on lowered heat) when the chicken was almost done.

It all came off the grill with beautiful grill marks. We each got a half of the lettuce head topped with sliced chicken, the Garlic Clove croutons, parmesan cheese and a drizzle of classic Caesar dressing (if I am only having it every so often, I like Kraft's traditional dressing & dip), and two of the lemon pieces. Now, the biggest kick to this salad is the squeeze of the grilled lemon right before serving. The char from the grill adds a depth of flavor that is hard to explain but it is smoky & tart and because of the heat, you end up getting every drop of juice.

And just a heads up...when I went to get another napkin from the kitchen, my husband took about 1/2 of my croutons off of my plate and added them to what was left of his salad. Needless to say, the bread is that good! For those of you that don't live in Richmond, you may want to visit just for the bread.

A Bellini for Everyone!

2010-07-03T06:54:00.001-04:00

It's the perfect summer cocktail...or winter...or Sunday brunch...or special occasion...or, I feel like having a drink, Drink. I started by putting 3 fresh peaches in the freezer over night so they would be nice and cold for blending. I also had on hand some of the basil simple syrup from the Lime-Basil Sorbet recipe. I peeled the peaches, gave them a quick chop and popped them into my blender with the simple syrup (about a cup, maybe a little more). I blended until I just couldn't blend anymore and then I added the mixture to a nice, chilled Prosecco, equal parts of both. It is sweet and sinful and something I will be enjoying throughout the weekend!

Comforting Calzones

2010-06-30T05:24:00.000-04:00

[caption id="attachment_171" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="After."]

Before the bake...

[/caption] Sometimes it's just about recreating an old favorite. When it comes to my husband's hunger and taste buds, that couldn't be more true. He is a fan of all things cheesy & tomato sauce related so last night I surprised him with a make-your-own Calzone bar. I just bought premade pizza dough, sliced and diced up some toppings and put out the cheese and sauce. After that it was up to him to stuff away. He got so excited he took a few pictures to post on the blog...attached are his 'before and after' pics: He made more of a Stromboli with sauce, toppings and cheese and I made a Calzone with reduced fat ricotta, light sauce, turkey pepperoni, arugula, onions, mushrooms and basil. We topped both with extra virgin olive oil and dried Italian herbs and spices and baked them at 425 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Served up with the same homemade marinara I included in the homemade ravioli post, they were warm, comforting, tasty, cheesy, filling, little pillows of yum. [caption id="attachment_173" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Calzone Dinner"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_174" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Layers of flavor. "][/caption]

Chilled Gazpacho Soup

2010-06-29T09:58:00.001-04:00

Remember the marinated and grilled veggies post from the other weekend? I recently had an opportunity to make it again when we had some friends over to welcome them back to town (yahoo!). While at our favorite farmer's market Saturday, we bought a brown bag full of summer squash and baby zucchini so we threw those on the grill with spring onions, mushrooms and a baby eggplant. We used the same balsamic marinade and they came out just as tasty as the first time.

We had almost a pound of the grilled vegetables leftover so last night I decided to try making Gazpacho which, surprisingly enough, I've only ever tried once. We'll be changing that this summer! Here's how it came together:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 raw white onion, diced

1/2 large green bell pepper, diced

2 garlic cloves

leftover grilled, balsamic-marinated summer vegetables

1-26 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups low sodium chicken stock

2 cups water (or more if you want to thin it out)

fresh chopped herbs - I had basil, oregano and thyme on hand

crushed red pepper flakes

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper

I started by sautéing the onion and green pepper in the olive oil with a little S & P in my Martha Stewart Collection Enameled Cast Iron Casserole Pot until the onions were translucent . Next I turned up the heat on the stove a bit and added the crushed garlic, grilled vegetables, tomatoes, tomato paste and chicken stock. I broke out my trusty Cuisinart cordless hand blender and blended all the veggie bits together until there were no big bite-sized pieces left (although I left it a little chunky because I like that texture). Next I added the water, the fresh herbs, the bay leaves (these will come out before serving), a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch more black pepper. I brought the soup up to a boil and then put the lid on and took it off the heat to simmer for about 30 minutes.

From there the whole pot went into the fridge overnight and then the chilled soup went into my belly over lunch. With these 100° days, I've been craving ice-cold lunches and this one hit the spot. It's a great way to help meet your veggie quota for the day and enjoy a refreshing, cool meal.

Fresh Lime-Basil Sorbet

2010-06-28T06:57:00.000-04:00

I found this recipe a few weeks ago while I was doing some research on different varieties of basil. One could say I am a little obsessed with the bright, versatile summer herb that can be used for anything from pizza to dessert.

Couple things to note on this recipe:

1. Delicious.

2. You must like lime.

3. You must love basil.

Here's the recipe I found and some of my modifications listed below (pics to follow shortly):

Fresh Lime-Basil Sorbet
1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (8 to 10 limes)
1 cup water
1 cup simple sugar syrup (1 cup sugar plus 1 cup water, boiled then cooled)
12 whole basil leaves
1 egg white (optional)

Combine all ingredients, except egg white, into a freezer friendly container and freeze 6 to 8 hours or overnight.

Remove from freezer and allow to soften a little. Put chunks of frozen mixture into a food processor and process until all crystals have disappeared and mixture is smooth. Re-pack into container and keep frozen until needed. This will keep for up to 2 months. If you prefer a lighter, less icy sorbet, add 1 egg white during processing. Yields 4 servings.
(Recipe from Herbal Gardens’ website)

In terms of ingredients, the only thing I modified was adding basil leaves to infuse the simple syrup (I pulled 8 leaves, gave them a quick chop and added to the water sugar mixture before it started to boil) . Using equal parts sugar to water, I made a little extra syrup because I thought it would be a really tasty topper for fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream and I wanted to try making a lemonade basil cocktail with it. More to come on those...

My changes in process included using my handy-dandy Cuisinart Ice Cream and Sorbet maker because I am not a patient person and it helped to speed the process up significantly. I froze the initial liquid for about 4 hours, transferred to the blender and processed with one egg white and then transferred it to the ice cream maker. My machine takes about 20-25 minutes to get the sorbet to a good consistency and then it only took about 2 hours in the freezer to get to that right serving temp. I also like the texture that's created while churning away in the machine.

One last note, I think the 'yields 4 servings' is an understatement. I was able to pack my quart-sized ice cream freezer container to the brim with the quantities listed above. Also, because the sorbet is so tart, it is best served as a tasting rather than a heaping scoop which means you can get a lot more than 4 servings out of this recipe.

One thing is for sure, it is a delicious and refreshing way to kick off summer!

2010-06-24T06:46:00.000-04:00

We are so happy to have two weekends at home so we can partake in one of our favorite summertime rituals - Saturday at the South of the James Farmer's Market! We bike over early, head straight back to coffee from Blanchard's and then walk a straight shot across to our favorite bread-man, Norwood Cottage Bakery. By then we are starting to wake up and we take a tour of all the goods. We've never left without a full basket and then some. Come to think of it, we need to travel with backpacks to get everything home. Note to self...buy additional travel bags.

Anyway, one challenge I have is making sure I use every last drop of what I buy. It would be a shame to waste all that sweat equity the farmer's put in, week in and week out. This week I had an abundance of squash, mushrooms, onions and snow peas (already in my freezer) and it sounded like a good stir fry to me! One other thing was on my mind though - little pillows of heaven. I have an amazing friend by the name of Choo who has greatly contributed to my learning experiences in the kitchen. Her mother taught her how to make homemade dumplings and Choo has been gracious enough to teach all of us over the past few years. We love it so much that she, on occasion, will throw a Dumpling Party where about 10 girls crowd around her kitchen island to drink wine, stuff dumplings and well, have a ridiculously good time. So, thanks to Choo, I was able to use the same ingredients listed above to make dumplings for an appetizer.

Here's what I did for these:

Wonton wrappers (usually found near the fresh herbs or tofu or tempeh in the produce section)

Added to the food processor:

Baby bella mushrooms

Scallions

Squash

Grated fresh ginger (I used about 1/4" of a knob)

I also added a tiny bit of rice wine vinegar since the mushrooms would soak it up and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

After the ingredients were pulsed, I dolloped a spoonful in the middle of the wonton wrapper. To seal, you dip your finger in water and run along the edges of the wonton, then fold. I did these like little envelopes by pinching the corners together but we usually fold over into a triangle shape. Just be sure to seal the edges tightly so the filling doesn't have a chance to escape. From here you can either steam them or get a nice crunchy exterior by pan frying in canola oil. Yuuuuummm. Choo makes the most amazing dumplings of all; sometimes pork, sometimes ground chicken, sometimes veggie for our Veggie friends. She might share those recipes if you're nice.

The other nice thing about having Choo as a friend is that it means you gain her parents as friends also. They are very thoughtful and when my husband and I were married, they gave us a rice maker for a wedding gift. I hadn't seen one before but as a person that never, EVER, is able to make rice on the stove without having to toss out the pan due to the ultimate rice burn, I am very thankful. The rice goes in with double the amount of liquid and you walk away. Done. Comes out delicious and fluffy everytime...even brown rice! So for this dinner, cook the rice first because it takes the longest. And then....

Stir Fry:

Beef strips for stir fry seasoned with salt, pepper and flour. Brown in a saute pan with a touch of canola oil but be sure not to over-cook. Move the beef to a plate to sit while sauteing the other ingredients in the same pan. Throw in quartered mushrooms, sliced squash, quartered onions with two turns of soy sauce (I use lite, reduced sodium so I can still feel my fingers in the morning), one turn rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp ground ginger, a pinch of red pepper flakes and one clove minced garlic. The flour from the beef should help the sauce to thicken but you can always add a little cornstarch to do the trick. Add the sugar snap peas last to heat through so they retain their color. Add the beef back in and toss all together. These quantities make enough for two servings so you can always play around with it for more sauce if you are a saucy kind of person.

Transfer the brown rice to two plates and divide the stir fry mixture over both. Top with fresh-cut scallions and sesame seeds. Quick and delicious!

Polenta Fries with Basil Oil and Parmesan Dipping Sauce

2010-06-22T06:38:00.000-04:00

The last time we were in Philly visiting friends, we made a pit stop between sports bars at a swanky little restaurant to get some tasty treats. One of which came in the form of a french fry served with a fondue dipping sauce and a drizzle of basil oil. It was probably one of the best small plates I've had so I decided to give it a try for Supper Club. Still working with the premade polenta I bought last week, I sliced the brick into fry sized pieces and tossed them in olive oil, sea salt and cracked black pepper. We baked them at a really high temp in the oven until they came out crispy and golden on the outside and still fluffy on the inside. As a base, I made a parmesan dipping sauce that could be made ahead and warmed through on the stove at a later time. Here's the fix:

Dice 1/4 white onion and saute in about a tbsp of olive oil. Once the onions are cooked through, add 1/4 - 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup italian cheese blend, 1/4 cup shredded parmesan, cracked black pepper and 1 tsp nutmeg. Whisk until the cheese is melted completely and the sauce is creamy. Once at supper club, I transferred the mixture back to a sauce pan and warmed it through again on the stove top. I started a bit too early so I ended up adding a few tbsps of white wine to loosen it up again. I am convinced that wine only makes everything better, so I'll add that to the recipe moving forward. Delicious!

The basil oil couldn't have been easier. I have globe and sweet basil in my garden so I gathered a few handfuls and blanched the leaves in a little salted water. Once I patted them dry, I added the leaves to a food processor, blended and added oil until I felt I had the right consistency. The blanching brings out the basil flavor and helps to retain that beautiful green color.

When we were about to serve the 'fries', I placed the glass container of basil oil in a sauce pan with about an inch of hot water to help steep the basil even more. I left it on the stove for about 10 minutes to warm through.

Plate it up! I smothered the parmesan sauce over a dinner plate and placed the fries directly on top of the fluffy, creamy goodness. Topped it all off with a little drizzle of the oil and then I forgot my manners. I couldn't resist grabbing one immediately off the plate before everyone else was served. Whoops!

And because we take supper club seriously, we had many more delectable delights. I am hoping Alison will share her bbq sauce recipe...and Squints her gouda mashed potatoes and corn bread...or maybe we can just have another supper club, PRONTO!

Heart of Palm – a delicacy

2010-06-17T13:46:00.000-04:00

I was just reading up on Heart of Palm and how it's harvested. Things appear to be different today that even just a few years ago but I would say it's still a delicacy. There is nothing else I can think of that matches it's texture and flavor and it's nutrient rich goodness. This is a quick summer salad for lunch any day of the week:

1 can heart of palm

1 avocado

8 grape tomatoes

olive oil

red wine vinegar

basil

S & P

Toss it up and serve it cold!

Lime Chicken with Polenta Cakes and Salsa

2010-06-15T09:29:00.000-04:00

I look for any excuse to use my new citrus juicer from C & B. There is something really satisfying about squeezing every last drop of juicy goodness from a lime and this recipe gave me the opportunity, 3 times over.

Lime Chicken marinade (for 2 boneless chicken breasts):

1/2 cup Canola oil

Juice of 2 limes

1.5 tsp cumin

dash of cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

I let it sit for 30 minutes before throwing on high heat on the grill.

Before I doused the chicken in the marinade, I separated a bit to brush on the polenta cakes (I just added a bit more canola oil to coat evenly). I found pre-made polenta in the grocery store that you can slice into strips, the flavor and texture turned out surprisingly great. The marinade was painted on and the strips tossed onto the grill for about 5 minutes on each side to get some good grill marks.

The final piece of this easy and quick meal was the homemade salsa. I change my recipe every time I make it depending on what's in my fridge, pantry and garden. Last night I used grape tomatoes (halved), 1 can of Rotel tomatoes with chilis, 1 can of mild chilis, 1/4 white onion (diced), 1/2 avocado, chopped chives, fresh cilantro, lime juice, cumin, hit of cayenne and cracked black pepper.

Um, yum. Really. Wanna make it again tonight.

Summer Veggies, compliments of f-ANNE-tastic!

2010-06-14T08:20:00.000-04:00

We spent the weekend at my parent's house with my sister, brother, my brother's lady and, of course, my parents. It's hard not to feel happy and content there, especially when they special order great summer weather complete with sunshine galore and one 'love to watch it roll in' summer thunderstorm. It's even harder not to feel full when we are home, the Blue Ridge has a plentiful supply of homegrown veggies and herbs and yumminess. We popped over to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning and ended up with zucchini, squash, green onions, eggplant, peppers and potatoes. My sister brought her recipe for a vegetable marinade and we finished them off on the grill for a little extra flavor. You have to check these out!

Marinade:

Olive oil

Balsamic Vinegar

White wine

Garlic

Fresh herbs- we used basil, thyme, green onion tops - some for the marinade and some to top the veggies when cooked.

S & P

Equal parts olive oil and vinegar with a splash of white wine. Dice up the herbs and as much minced garlic as you like, salt and pepper to taste.

Slice up the vegetables but keep all the cuts fairly large so they can get plenty of surface area on the grill. The potatoes should be boiled first to soften (don't cook all the way through). The veggies should marinade for at least an hour but the longer the better. When you put them on the grill, reserve the marinade at the bottom of the bowl to pour over the finished product. Top with the remaining herbs and you are set! The veggies and a few slices of specialty bread were plenty for the ladies but don't feel bad for the guys, we grilled some chicken that had soaked in an equally delicious marinade for the afternoon.

Marinade for grilled chicken breast with skin, bone-in:

Olive oil

Red wine vinegar

2 tbsp dijon mustard

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 tbsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

Marinade for 2 hours in the fridge. The chicken comes off the grill moist and flavorful (okay, okay, I had a bite).

Did I mention that I love summer?