Pumpkin Spice Bread with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

We made a double recipe and got 2 regular sized loafs and 2 mini loafs, which would have been good for giving away, except that we ate it all.  It did not last long.

 1 1/2 c flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp baking powder

6 T butter, softened (3/4 stick)
1 c sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1/3 c milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c pumpkin puree

Whisk dry ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter for 30 seconds. Add sugar and mix until light in color, about 3-4 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, and incorporate fully. Mix the pumpkin puree and vanilla.  Mix in the flour mixture a little bit at a time, at a low speed.  Grease loaf pans generously. Divide into1 large loaf pan (8 inch) and 1 small mini-loaf pan (4 inch). Bake at 350 for 1 hour for the large loaf. The smaller loaf should be done after about 45 minutes.  Remove from oven for a few minutes, and then remove from pan and let cool before frosting with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, below.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
1 x 8 oz package of cream cheese
1/2 c honey
1 T cinnamon

In a medium mixing bowl, whip above ingredients together. Frost pumpkin loaves and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Please leave a comment and let us know how long it took before the whole loaf was gobbled up.

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me: Peach Pie and Puff Pastry

Claire took her boys and my two oldest kids out to pick peaches.  Their peach picking was cut short, according to my daughter, by a swarm of killer bees, but they nevertheless managed to acquire a ton of beautiful tree-ripened peaches that smelled wonderful. When Claire went to pay, she was expecting that it would be over $20 (as her similar haul the previous year was about the same size), but to her surprise, the total was $4. She suspected that the cashier felt sorry for her, with all those ragamuffin kids running around. With all her savings, she spent another 25 cents on a baseball bat-sized zucchini so she could make more zucchini noodles, zucchini fry cakes, zucchini lasagna, and zucchini bread. After getting their free Otter Pops from the cashier, the kids regaled Claire with their, um, game of who could make the loudest fake bodily emissions on the way home. A game suggested by the little lady in the car, my daughter. So so proud. The upshot is that we had all these great peaches to use up quickly, and this is what we came up with.


Peach Pie
Claire is a cinnamon fan.  I love cinnamon, but I insisted that this pie be made with almond. I won her over on this one. I used premade crust from the freezer section, for convenience.   We can debate the wonders of the homemade crust, but here's the thing. With a premade crust, I can get a virtually homemade pie in the oven in a few minutes. It takes me a lot longer to make the crust also, and the end result is no pie. So, premade crust is an acceptable compromise to me.  Trader Joe's has really nice ones.

Peach pie is notoriously messy. Put the pie plate
on a baking pan if you want to keep your oven clean.

6-8 peaches, peeled and sliced
1/4 c tapioca
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp almond flavoring
Pie crust, your choice

Prebake your piecrust for 5-8 minutes at 400 degrees.  Peel and slice the peaches.  If they are not uber-ripe, you might want to consider blanching them first.  Pot of boiling water, dunk the peaches in for about 45 second.  Take them out and the peel should be a cinch.  Mix the peaches with the tapioca, sugar, and almond flavoring.  Place the top crust accordingly.  I used amother crust to make a lattice, but made a second pie with crumb topping.   Bake for 45-50 minutes at 400 degrees on a baking pan lines with foil.  These will bubble over. Wrap the edge of the pie crust with foil if you don't want it to burn.

Peach Cream-cheese Puff Pastries
These are heavenly.  They were gone in the blink of an eye. Blink. Gone. That fast.

2 peaches, sliced/mashed and tossed with a little cinnamon
1 8-oz package cream cheese
6 T confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c whipped topping

Prebake puff pastry according to instructions.  Shell out inner layer, and put in a dollop of cream cheese mixture, and then another dollop of peach mixture.  Replace top.  Bake for 20 minutes, or according to package instructions.

This one was a crumb topping.
I was trying to be artistic with the edge of the crust.
In the bottom of this pie, there is a layer of
the cream cheese filling for the puff pastries. Mmmmmm. 

Would you vote for cinnamon or vanilla? Please leave us a comment!

Faux-fried Drumsticks, Zucchini Corn Cakes, Wheat Berry Salad, and Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp

This is an amazing summer meal, with yet another way to use up zucchini.  We actually made one other complete meal, as well as several dessert items containing peaches, but you'll have to wait for those to post. In the meantime, here are some recipes to keep you from starving to death.

Faux-fried Chicken Drumsticks
Delicious.  The original recipe calls for 6 drumsticks, but we doubled it and added cornflakes for the extra crisp. Six drumsticks would be a joke for our family. A super funny joke that would end in people crying because there was no bawk-bawk left. So be sure to make enough. The ironic thing about this recipe is that it's oven-baked, but you dip the drumsticks in melted butter, so I kind of feel like something gets cancelled out. You could try olive oil or egg wash, but let's face it, butter adds such a great aroma and flavor.  I've never been tempted to leave it out. http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1826,148166-231196,00.html

1 c flour
1/2 c cornflakes, finely crushed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
12 chicken drumsticks
1/2 c butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix flour, cornflakes, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper in a bowl. Dip the drumsticks in butter and roll in flour to coat. Arrange on an ungreased baking pan.  Like with foil to easy clean-up.  Bake uncovered until done, about 50 minutes.

Zucchini Corn Cakes
Wow.  These were amazing. They are best served immediately.  We thought there should be a light dip that went with it, so we whipped one together.  Recipe follows. It was hard to stop snacking on them, and they were a hit with my kids.  The original recipe calls for only 1/2 c flour, and makes thinner pancakes. We like these- a little heartier and easier to handle.  http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1850,142181-230206,00.html

4 large eggs
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 c mayonnaise
1/3 c Parmesan cheese
2 1/2 c flour
1 small finely diced onion
4 c shredded zucchini
2 T fresh chopped basil
1/2 c corn
1/4 c chopped yellow pepper (for color)
salt and pepper
1-3 T each butter and salad oil

Beat eggs with a fork in a large bowl until well-blended, then beat in lemon juice, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, flour, and onion. Stir in zucchini until well-combined.  Season with salt and pepper.  In a 10-12 inch frying pan, heat 1 T each of butter and oil until butter melts. Drop 1 heaping T of zucchini mixture at a time into the pan, let it spread out slightly.  Cook until golden brown, and gently flip.

Basil Cilantro Yogurt Dipping Sauce
You could just serve with sour cream and chives, or you could make this.  We used leftover stuff from all our other dishes. Fantastic!

1/3 c yogurt
2-3 basil leaves, chopped
smidge of minced garlic (scraped it off the cutting board)
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 T chopped cilantro

Whisk it all together.

Wheat Berry and Barley Salad with Smoked Mozzarella
Our friend Robi made this with us. Delicious and satisfying, with lots of protein. Substitute regular mozzarella if you must, but the smoked mozzarella flavor brings it all together. You may want to cut back on the red onion a little if you have little guys.  Or consider adding more if you don't want to be bothered with having to talk to people. Whatever works for you. From http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wheat-Berry-and-Barley-Salad-with-Smoked-Mozzarella-12251?mbid=ipapp

1 cup wheat berries
1 cup pearl barley
1 small red onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
6 scallions, chopped fine
1 1/2 cups cooked corn (cut from about 2 large ears)
1/2 pound smoked mozzarella cheese, diced fine
1 pint vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives

Into a kettle of salted boiling water stir wheat berries and cook at a slow boil 30 minutes. Stir in barley and cook grains at a slow boil
40 minutes
While grains are cooking, in a large bowl stir together onion, garlic paste, vinegar, and oil.
Drain grains well and add to onion mixture. Toss mixture well and cool. Add scallions, corn, mozzarella, tomatoes, chives, and salt and pepper to taste and toss well. Salad may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before serving. Serve salad with parsley salad.



Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp with Pistachio Crust
This was also Robi's contribution.  We love when she joins us.  This was extremely popular with the kids, who did not pause to hear the answer to their question, "What's rhubarb?" http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Blueberry-Rhubarb-Crisp-with-Pistachio-Crust-101793?mbid=ipapp

1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 pound rhubarb
2 cups blueberries (about 11 ounces)

For topping
1/3 cup shelled natural pistachios
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish.
In a bowl stir together sugar and flour. Trim rhubarb and cut enough of stalks into 1/2-inch pieces to measure 2 cups. Add rhubarb and blueberries to sugar mixture, tossing well, and spread mixture in baking dish.

Make topping: Finely chop pistachios. In a bowl whisk together flour and sugars. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes and with your fingers or a pastry blender blend into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add pistachios and toss well.
Squeeze a handful of topping together and coarsely crumble in chunks over filling. Squeeze and evenly crumble remaining topping over filling in same manner. Bake crisp in upper third of oven until filling is bubbling and topping is crisp and golden, about 50 minutes.

Serve crisp warm or at room temperature.


Please leave us a comment!

Mango & Red Pepper BBQ Sauce, Orzo Salad with Basil, Zucchini Lasagna,and Grilled Peaches

We haven't yet put away our grills, and with so much of the country feeling the heat, this week we're back out on the grill with a cool summer orzo salad that was difficult to stop tasting before it got served. We've also got an original lasagna dish in case, like so many with home gardens, you have zukes the size of little league bats coming out of your ears. 

Grilled Chicken with Mango & Red Pepper Barbecue Sauce
We let the chicken marinate while getting everything else ready. Once dinnertime rolled around, the chicken went on the grill, adding the BBQ sauce right at the end. I served it with the orzo salad and a side of stir-fried broccoli.  I didn't have 2 lbs of chicken breasts, so I used a pork tenderloin and 1 lb. of chicken breasts.  Lesson learned:  it works great on pork too!


Easy Chicken Marinade


2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts
1/2 t salt
1/2 t thyme
pepper to taste
1/3 c red wine vinegar
1/3 c oil
garlic powder



Marinate for 2-4 hours.  Grill.  If using Mango BBQ Sauce (see below), grill until 2-3 minutes from being done, and dunk the chicken pieces into the sauce, or baste if you prefer. Grill until done, and pour reserved sauce over to serve. 


Mango and Red Pepper Barbecue Sauce
We adapted this slightly from epicurious.com.  It's simple and good, with more of a Caribbean flavor than Asian. If you have a habit of putting every other mango chunk in someone's mouth, you might want to buy an extra mango for this recipe. 

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium red bell pepper chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1/3 c red wine vinegar
3 T molasses
2T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 medium mango, peeled and cut into chunks
2-3 jalapeno diced, with seeds removed

Saute onions and peppers in olive oil. Add salt and cook until veggies are soft.  Stir in vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, and allspice.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for one more minute. Let cool.  Spoon into blender, add mango, and blend until smooth.  Use as topping or basting for meat, but reserve some extra sauce for dipping or drizzling before you serve.


Orzo Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing
This salad was so light, unlike a lot of summer pasta salads. The original recipe calls for feta and olives, but we adapted it to the ingredients in our fridges and really liked this version. It kept well for the next day, too.

12 oz. orzo pasta
3 T olive oil
1 c finely diced red pepper
1 c finely diced zucchini
4 green onions, chopped
2 T capers
1/2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 c shredded parmesan cheese

Dressing

3 T lemon juice, fresh squeezed if you have it, with a bit of lemon zest for extra pop
1 T white wine vinegar
1 T minced garlic
1/4 c fresh chopped basil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp ground cumin

Cook pasta according to instructions (al dente preferred) and drain. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with olive oil.  Add red pepper, zucchini, green onions, tomatoes, and capers.  Whisk together dressing ingredients, and pour over top. Season with salt and pepper.  Garnish with fresh parmesan and toasted pine nuts if you have them.

Zucchini Lasagna
At the last minute during our cooking session this week, we threw together a zucchini lasagna that was the sleeper hit of the month. Inspired by a coworker's description, and saddled with a large number of zucchini on their last legs (a few had actually started growing legs), we came up with this dish that was a complete hit. And, after making a loaf of zucchini bread as well, no wasted zukes. I had some leftover red sauce, and for convenience, used a jar of premade light alfredo sauce. You can make your own if you like. This makes enough for 2 dinners so you can freeze one for later.  As an added plus, if you are doing a low-carb thing, this has no pasta in it!

2 large zucchini, sliced as thinly as possible lengthwise
32 ounce tub of ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 c spinach, chopped
3 T fresh basil, chopped
1 small shallot, sliced (or 1/4 large onion, sliced)
1 lb. sweet italian sausage (we used turkey sausage)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c tomato sauce
1 jar alfredo sauce (15 oz)
1 1/2 cup total grated white cheese (mozzarella, havarti, gouda, parmesan)

Mix the ricotta, egg, spinach, and basil together in a medium mixing bowl. Saute the sausage with the onions and garlic until cooked. Using two 8x8 baking pans or one 9x13 baking pan, layer the zucchini along the bottom. Add the red sauce. Press the ricotta mixture into an even layer. Sprinkle the sausage mixture, then add a zucchini layer. Pour a thin layer of alfredo sauce and press another layer of ricotta mixture. Top with another layer of zucchini, the rest of the alfredo, and generous sprinkling of the white cheese blend.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes covered, then 25 minutes uncovered until cheese is golden brown.

Grilled Vanilla Almond Peaches
I know this is probably obvious. but serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Oh my.

4-6 peaches, cut into thirds
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
3 T brown sugar

Mix the vanilla, almond, and brown sugar together, and drizzle over peaches.  Toss gently if needed so they are evenly coated. Grill with cut side down until the peaches have nice grill marks. You may have to turn them a little so that both sides are evenly grilled.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Zucchini Bread
I gave Claire the zucchini that didn't make it into the lasagna, and she returned volley with this.  It didn't last long. 

3 eggs
1 c canola or vegetable oil
3 tsp vanilla
2 c sugar
2 c grated zucchini
3 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp grated orange peel

(1 c chopped walnuts optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Beat eggs until light in color. Add oil, vanilla, sugar and zucchini.  Mix well, then blend in dry ingredients.  Grease and flour 2 large loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour.  Also makes 4 mini-loaves, but reduce baking time.


Strawberry Pretzel Dessert
No doubt about it.  This is a retro, women's magazine, summer classic that kids will love. Strawberry jello and Cool Whip, universal kids' treat. Mmm.  Fair warning:  if you let toddler twins self-feed this dish, it might take you over an hour to clean up the kitchen.

1 1/2 c crushed pretzels
4 T sugar
3/4 c butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla

1 c white sugar
2 x 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 x 8 oz container Cool Whip
1 tsp vanilla

1 x 6 oz package strawberry flavor jello
1 c boiling water
1  c cold water
1 x16 oz package fresh cleaned, trimmed, and quartered strawberries (can substitute frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together crushed pretzels, 4 T sugar, melted butter, and vanilla.  Press firmly into 9x13 pan.  Bake for 10 min. Let cool completely. In medium-sized bowl mix, sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla.  Fold in Cool Whip.  Spread evenly over cooled crust, pressing out to the edges so you can't see any of the crust.  Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.

In a bowl stir jello and boiling water together. If you are using frozen strawberries, mix them in with the jello at this point. Pour jello/strawberry mixture over cream cheese.  If you are using fresh strawberries, pour the jello mixture over the cream cheese, then layer in the strawberries. (They will sink a little.) Let set at least 4 hours or overnight.

Please leave us a comment!  We love comments!

Peanut Chicken Kabobs, Cucumber Salad, Quinoa Pilaf, and Chocolate Pudding

It's still summer, so hopefully your grill is still out and feeling the love.  You can make just about everything here ahead of time, and reheat the quinoa at the last minute. We love your comments, whether they are in person, by email, or on Facebook.  Please leave us comments on the blog as well, as we want to know if things worked really well, or you tweaked the recipe, or it was a total flop.  It keeps us motivated!

Peanut Chicken Kabobs
These are so yummy on the grill. I used dark soy sauce to make them, so the marinade came out darker than usual.  I like to reserve some of the excess marinade, heat it over the stove, and use it as extra sauce. We usually serve it with rice, or in this case, Quinoa Pilaf, below.  It's also great with Ginger Noodles.  This was a huge hit with Claire's family. 

Before tossing them on the grill...

2-4 chicken breasts, cut into kabob-sized chunks
1 c peanuts
2 T coriander seeds
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp red pepper
1 c green onions
3 T lemon juice
1/4 c soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 c butter, melted
1/2 c chicken broth

Place all ingredients (except the chicken) into a blender or food processor until the peanuts are ground to your liking. Do it in batches if necessary. In a mixing bowl, let the chicken sit in the marinade for a few minutes while you slice other ingredients for the kabobs, such as zucchini, onions, or peppers. Load the chicken onto pre-soaked wooden skewers (to prevent burning), alternating with whatever other ingredients you have. Grill until the chicken is tender.

Cucumber Salad
This gets better if it's allowed to sit for a few hours ahead of time to let the ingredients blend.  My daughter had 3 helpings.  My son loves the ginger.  It's a great, refreshing summer side dish.  The sesame oil and ginger give it an Asian flair, but it's not overwhelming, so you can pair it with non-Asian main courses as well. 

3-4 medium to large cucumbers, quartered lengthwise and then sliced into chunks.
2-3 radishes, julienned
1/2 tsp grated ginger
2 scallions, chopped

1/3 c rice wine vinegar
1/4 c canola oil (not olive oil)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste, about 1/2 to 1 tsp

In a small mixing bowl, add rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and salt. Whisk in oil until emulsified. Toss with the other ingredients.

Quinoa Pilaf
Quinoa is high in protein, and has more flavor than couscous.  It's always good, but especially if you are tired of rice. Quinoa (keen-wah) is also a super fun word for kids to say. Nothing better than a silly meal.

Quinoa has a denser, chewier texture than couscous. 

1 1/2 c quinoa
1 small carrot, diced
1/2 c diced onion
1/2 c diced zucchini
1/2 c chopped spinach
1/2 tsp salt
2 3/4 c total liquid, either water or chicken stock

I steam it all in a rice cooker.  You can also cook it on the stovetop.  Bring all ingredients to a boil.  Turn the heat down to simmer, and cover with a lid.  Cook for 15 minutes, remove from heat, and allow to sit another 5 minutes before removing lid and fluffing with a fork.

Easy Chocolate Pudding
I love chocolate pudding, but I really hate the stuff that comes out of a box.  It's got a weird aftertaste.  This pudding takes about 10 minutes- really.  Claire made it while I was still wrangling kabobs, and the next thing I knew it was done.  It takes almost as long to make the kind out of a box, and this is so much healthier. Okay, so maybe that's going a bit too far. But it tastes better, and it's from scratch.

1/2 c sugar
1/2 c cocoa
1/8 t salt
1/3 c warm water
1 oz semisweet chocolate chips
       (this is about half of a 1/3 c measure)
2 c (total) milk or half-and-half
3 T cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, cocoa, and salt together in heavy saucepan. Gradually stir in water, making a smooth runny paste.  Bring to a boil while stirring constantly over med heat, then remove from heat.  Whisk in semisweet chocolate chips, and stir in  1 3/4 c half-and-half or milk.  In a separate bowl, whisk cornstarch and 1/2 c milk or half-and-half.  Whisk this paste into the chocolate mixture.  Stir contantly over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken.  Reduce heat and simmer for one minute. As mixture is cooling, add in vanilla. Serve with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

My Trusty Little Friend

Meet my trusty little friend, my Cuisinart Mini-Prep. I have had this for about 10 years.  I pull it out every time I need to blend or food process something because, quite frankly, my larger Cuisinart is too heavy and cumbersome, and I have burnt out more than one blender so I am always nervous about using the blender. I keep this in a drawer, and it serves me well. Claire thought I should take a picture of it and include it on the blog, because I pretty much use it every time we cook.

Cuisinart DLC-1 21-Ounce Mini-Prep Food Processor, White

Sweet and Sour Pork, Chinese Noodles, and Pear Custard Tart

Claire's been hankering for my Chinese noodles, so this week is an Asian post.  I take the rhythm and proportions of stir-fry somewhat for granted, but trying to write down these recipes has really forced me to think about it.  The order in which you do things is important.  Despite the implications of the term "stir-fry," you really cannot just throw everything into the pot and stir it all around.  Your veggies will be mush, and the meat won't be properly browned.  First, brown the meat. Don't be afraid to use oil, and don't stir it around for the first few minutes- it's got to brown! Next take the meat out, and set it aside. Heat oil, add garlic. Don't burn the garlic or it will ruin the flavor of your whole dish. Next add onions, and the firmer vegetables, like carrots or broccoli stems. When these are nearing tender, make a clearing in the center of the pan and add the meat.  NOW you can stir it all together. Add some chicken stock or water that's been mixed with a little cornstarch. (Or else you won't get a nice sauce to mix with your rice. Kids love this sauce!) At the very end, fold in the green onions. And spinach if you're obsessed with spinach like I am.

Homestyle Sweet and Sour Chicken or Pork
This sweet and sour recipe is not your thickly breaded sickly sweet sauce that you get at the grocery store or in bad Chinese restaurants. If that's your favorite, forget it and move on.  This is my mom's recipe.  You don't need to buy a jar of sauce with HFCS and who knows what else in it.  You just need ketchup. If you want to save some calories, you can skip the cornstarch and frying and just saute the pork (or chicken!) chunks first. But it won't taste as good.  Claire's oldest boy ate 4 helpings of this.  For lunch. 

1 1/2 lbs of pork or chicken, cut into 1" chunks
1/2  20 oz can pineapple chunks, 3/4 c juice reserved (I don't like to use the whole can- it's too much pineapple for my tastes.)
1 green pepper, cut into 1" chunks
1 carrot sliced diagonally into bite-sized pieces
1/2 onion, cut into 1" chunks
1 large clove of garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)
1/2 to 1 c cornstarch for dredging
1/2 c chicken stock
1/2 c ketchup
2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
1-2 green onions, diced
canola or vegetable oil for frying

Dredge the pork or chicken chunks in the cornstarch until they are coated and squeaky-feeling.  Heat the oil in a pan; use enough so that the meat can float a little.  It's hot enough when you flick a drop of water in it and it sizzles.  (Too cold and the meat will be greasy. Too hot and the meat will burn and be raw in the middle.)  Fry the meat chunks in batches, and as they finish, put them on a plate lined with a paper towel.

In a clean large saute pan or wok, heat 1 T of oil and add 1 tsp minced garlic. Add ketchup and whisk in 3/4 c reserved pineapple juice.  Add in soy sauce, sugar and a pinch of salt, taste. Adjust the seasonings to your liking.  BRing the sauce to a boil; it will thicken a little. Set aside.  Heat an additional 1 T of oil and add the rest of the minced garlic. Add the onion then the carrots. Stir until tender, adding a little liquid if necessary, then add green peppers and the meat.  Stir 1-2 tsp of cornstarch into the chicken stock, and add to the pot and saute until the sauce has thickened a little more. Fold in the scallions at the last minute and serve with your favorite rice.  (I like short grain sticky white rice.)

Chinese Stir-Fried Noodles
This is a go-to dish for us that uses up old veggies that can serve as a one-dish meal or as a side.  You can add chicken or beef or shrimp, but just cook that first, separately, and add at the end. I like to use Chinese noodles that are square and about the thickness of regular uncooked spaghetti.  Here, we can get them at the grocery store.  If you can't find them, you can substitute regular spaghetti noodles.  This is very popular with Claire's boys, although it took a backseat to the sweet and sour pork when we served it.

The noodles, if you look very closely, are square.
They cook very quickly.

1 carrot sliced thinly on the diagonal
2 heaping c total broccoli, zucchini, or sugar snap peas (or other vegetable except celery)
1 large handful chopped baby spinach leaves
1/2 onion, sliced into 1 inch pieces
2 tsp sesame oil
2-3 scallions, diced
2 T soy sauce
1 T cornstarch
1  c chicken stock or water
Chinese noodles, 1 package, cooked (about 12 oz uncooked)
salt to taste
dash white pepper (skip if you don't have it)

Boil the noodles al dente, about 3 1/2 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat oil in a large wok or saute pan. Add the garlic. Add onions, then carrots.  Add a little liquid if it's too dry. Add the broccoli or sugar snap peas, then make a clearing in the center and add the noodles. (You can add cooked meat at this point if you are using meat.) Drizzle in the soy sauce and toss.  Add the cornstarch to the cup of chicken stock or water and stir, then add to the noodles. Add sesame oil and salt. Toss in the spinach and the green onions. Add a dash of white pepper, toss and serve.

It's tempting to add a lot of vegetables,
but you want the final proportions to work.

Purple flower courtesy of my daughter.

Pear Custard Tart with Macadamia Nuts

This was unbelievably good, and leaves you wanting another piece. It's a great dish for company, yet it doesn't take very long to prepare.  The macadamia nuts are a splurge, but worth it.

Crust

1/2 c butter, softened

3/4 c sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts
3/4 c flour

Filling

1 package 8 oz. cream cheese, softened (reduced fat is fine)

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 can 15 oz pear halves in heavy syrup

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in flour & vanilla until combined.  Stir in nuts.  Press into greased 8 inch square baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes.  Increase oven heat to 375 degrees.

Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add sugar, egg & vanilla.  Pour over crust.  Cut pears into 1/8" slices and arrange over filling.  Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over pears.  Bake at 375 degrees for 26 to 28 minutes.  Cool on wire rack for 45 minutes.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting.  (This is the most difficult part.

Meatless Monday: Economical Spinach Pesto, Goat Cheese Croquettes, and S'mores Bars

My almost 9 year-old son asked whether or not vegans could wear wool.  I had to think about it, but it launched a whole conversation about vegetarianism, and I brought up the concept of Meatless Mondays. http://www.meatlessmonday.com/  The kids got really excited.  REALLY excited, to the point where it was almost disturbing. My son started talking about how we should do a whole meatless week at least once a year. My 5 year-old daughter was a little apprehensive about this, and asked, "But what about bacon???" I told her that we could probably live without bacon for a week. She's still skeptical. This week, coincidentally, Claire and I didn't really have any meat recipes anyway, so we decided to make it a meatless post. It's not a vegan post, so feel free to wear wool socks while you eat.

Goat Cheese Croquettes
I buy the cheese at Costco, where you can get a pound for about $6. These are unbelievably good. Freezing them for a bit before you fry them up helps them hold their shape a little better. Slice, dip, freeze, fry, eat.  That's really all there is to it.

With Balsamic Rooster Vinaigrette (recipe below).
I also added a few chopped scallions
and a handful of pistachios and ripe figs.

1-2 logs of Chevre cheese
1 - 2 cups bread crumbs, any type
canola oil for cooking

Slice the Chevre logs into 3/8 inch circles. Press each circle, front and back, into the bread crumbs and lay out on a plate. Put the plate in the freezer until you are just about ready to serve.   Heat enough oil in a small sautee pan so that the Chevre discs have enough to float. When the oil sizzles with a drop of water, carefully put the Chevre circles into the oil. Let them brown on one side, and flip after a few seconds.  You want the oil hot enough so that the cheese browns quickly. If you have it in the oil too long, it will melt and disintegrate. Serve immediately.

Balsamic Rooster Vinaigrette

Blanche, a co-worker who loves to cook, gave us this little hint for a nice variation from boring vinaigrette. The Rooster Sauce is easy to find in the Asian aisle, and just a few drops will not make the dressing spicy.  Keep this on file when you're tired of everything else, but once you've tried it it will become a go-to recipe.

1/3 c balsamic vinegar

2/3 c olive oil

1/2 tsp sugar or honey

2 squirts of Rooster sauce

1/4 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

Shake or whisk all ingredients until emulsified.

Spinach Basil Pesto
When my boyfriend, now husband, and I were just out of college, we had a lot of strategies for stretching our dollar. At that time, fresh basil and pine nuts were specialty items and tended to be on the expensive side.  They can still be pretty pricey especially when out of season, and so one way to make the basil stretch is to use mostly spinach.  I also substitute sunflower seeds for pine nuts, and the flavor is still wonderful.  The spinach gives it a more saucey consistency, so I am able to use proportionately less oil. I've made an occasional batch with a handful of pistachios, which adds a wonderful fullness to the sauce. You can eyeball the ingredients.  My kids love this, and it also makes great dip!  Claire's boys listed this as one of their top three dinners. No joke.

1 cup fresh basil leaves
6 cups spinach leaves
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 c sunflower seeds or pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
salt (don't skimp, but if the nuts are salted, don't overdo it)
freshly ground pepper

Chop the garlic finely in a food processor. Add the sunflower seeds or pine nuts and chop them with the garlic. You may need to add a little oil to get it to process well.  Take out half of the garlic/nut mixture and add in a handful or two of the spinach and basil leaves. Process in batches, adding oil as necessary, until the mixture is almost frothy. Salt and pepper to taste.  Drain and rinse your pasta, and put the pot back on the burner. Add the appropriate amount of pesto, and stir just for a minute before adding your cooked pasta and turning off the heat. Toss in fresh grated parmesan, and serve!

This is much lighter and less oily than traditional pesto.
It is more of a "sauce," yet retains that fresh basil nutty flavor.
I also like to use it as a pizza "sauce." The kids love it! 

Putting it together...

Tired of pasta?  Try these other tasty combinations... My recipe for Roasted Mini Sweet Peppers is on an earlier post, http://lomomacooking.blogspot.com/2011/04/verde-chicken-in-red.html.  I used regular sized red and yellow peppers this time.

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Sandwich 

(with Spinach Pesto Spread)

Kale chips on the side!

Spinach Pesto and Roasted Sweet Pepper Pizza 
I added some pistachios and grated mozzarella cheese.  
This is also great with a combination of mozzarella and smoked Gruyere.

You can make your own dough, or in a pinch,
pre-made pizza dough is easily available at the grocery.

Kale Chips
You may find this hard to believe, but once you make these, it's hard to stop eating them.  They are crisp and light.  I like them just shy of burnt.  My kids LOVE them. My toddlers will jam fistfuls into their mouths. The basic premise is high heat, short time. My son reminded me to mention that it's better if you trim the stems, which don't crisp well.  And the flatter the kale, the better. 

I usually like them just a little more done than this.
The reason there are so few kale chips in the photo is
that we ate a lot of them between the oven and the table.

Wash and prepare kale by trimming off the stems and breaking the leaves into bite size pieces.  If you have Russian kale or another flat-leafed variety, you can use the whole leaf, but still trim the thick stem. Toss with a light drizzle of olive oil and arrange on a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake at 450 degrees for 4-5 minutes, until they are dark green.  You can also broil on high for 4-5 minutes.


S'mores Cookie Bars
Claire found this recipe on another cooking blog, and we had to try them. You may want to just make two batches up front. http://www.lovintheoven.com/2008/12/day-11-smores-cookie-bars.html

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.  Makes 16 cookie bars.

Rooster sauce.

Slow Cooked Ribs, Asian Slaw, and Easy Shortcake Biscuits

This was our Father's Day Dinner.  We went to the Farmers' Market, and the strawberries were half gone by the end of the night.  Something about this menu says "summer," even though it was a cloudy day.   Make the ribs and cole slaw ahead of time, and then it's only about 30-40 minutes to get everything together at the end. 

Slow-cooked, Dry Rub Baby Back Ribs

The dry rub is an adaptation of the Neely Family Seasoning Mix (Food Network).  It's simple and good.  You probably have the ingredients already.  I wanted a recipe that you could make in the oven, and not have to stand out in the rain attending to the grill or own a smoker. The meat was so tender.  Not a single rib left. You can speed up the cooking time by increasing the heat to 350 degrees. 

1 rack of baby back ribs

Dry Rub Mix (Neely's Dry Rub, slightly adapted)

    1/2 cup smoked paprika (original recipe calls for paprika)

    1/4 cup sugar

    1 Tbs onion powder

The night before, rub the dry rub mix into the ribs.  Keep refrigerated overnight.  Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Place the ribs meat side down, bone side up on a baking sheet, covered in foil, into the oven for 3 1/2 hours. Remove foil and carefully flip the rack over so the meat side is now up. Bake another 1 hour uncovered.  

Look at that lovely, lovely crust.

Asian Cole Slaw with Spicy Thai Vinaigrette

adapted from Joe's Farm Grill via Guy Fieri

Use whatever you have on hand, and toss with dressing.  Being a "slaw," cabbage should probably be one of the priority ingredients.  You can also use napa cabbage, red cabbage, red pepper, or bean sprouts. The dressing has a list of ingredients a mile long, but it's complex and wonderful. The only thing I didn't have was mint leaves, so I left them out.   It's better if you make this ahead of time, like when you put the ribs in the oven, and then let it sit in the fridge so that the flavors can marry.  This is also great on sandwiches or turkey burgers. 

2 cups finely shredded cabbage

1/2 c matchstick cut carrots

1/2 c diagonally sliced sugar snap peas

2 scallions, diagonally cut

1/4 c cilantro, chopped

1/2 c spinach leaves, thinly sliced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

Spicy Thai Vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (to taste)
• 2 -3 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• salt (or fish sauce if you have it) to taste
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 cup canola oil (or peanut oil)

Combine the veggies in a large mixing bowl.  In a smaller mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dressing except the canola oil.  While whisking, drizzle the canola oil into the other ingredients in a small stream until it is emulsified. Mix the dressing in with the veggies. 

Garlic and Parsley Potato Wedges aka Home Fries

You can't have ribs without some sort of potato to stick to them. And this was faster than potato salad.  The kids dipped theirs in ketchup.  I also added 1/2 c of chopped spinach to the mix, because I like to add spinach to everything. 

6 potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch wedges

Handful of carrots cut similar thickness

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c chopped parsley

1 sliced leek or 1/4 c chopped onion

1/4 c olive oil or enough to lightly coat potatoes

salt and pepper

Toss all ingredients together and place in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Take out and turn.  To finish them off, broil on high for 3 minutes or until golden.

Orange Vinaigrette
No dinner is complete without at least two veggie side dishes.  And the potatoes don't count. I'm always looking for new salad dressings. The kids love ranch dressing, but ranch gets so boring. This one is a great salad dressing, quick to make with ingredients that are already on hand. Adapted from allrecipes.com

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 c olive oil

In a small mixing bowl, mix the all the ingredients together except the oil.  Whisk while drizzling the oil into the other ingredients until emulsified. 

Easy Shortcake Biscuits

My family used to sell fresh strawberries at our roadside stand.  In the spring, we had strawberries just about every night for dessert. We used to use Hungry Jack biscuits for our shortcake.  We would bake them with a small pat of butter and a sprinkle of granulated sugar. I used to love hearing the *pop* of that can.  I still use Hungry Jack biscuits, but my husband thinks this is weird. Unfortunately, many recipes call for buttermilk or shortening, and I just don't keep those on hand.  This recipe is quick and uses ingredients that you already have. It took me less than 10 minutes to put it all together, and 10 minutes to bake.  I garnished these with some cane sugar crystals. 

2 c flour

pinch salt

4 T sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 c cold butter

3/4 c milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.  Cut the butter into chunks and blend into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal or breadcrumbs. Do this quickly so that the butter doesn't get too warm!  Blend the milk and vanilla mixture in with a fork just until the flour is moist.  Take large spoonfuls of dough (bigger than a golf ball, smaller than a baseball) and place on a greased baking sheet, about 1-2 inches apart.  Bake for 10 minutes. Makes 8 biscuits.

Something's missing here...

  

There we go.  We didn't have whip cream on hand,
but vanilla ice cream always saves the day.

Please leave any suggestions or comments!