Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro

Tonight was the first time I have cooked quinoa. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I have always thought it sounded good (particularly this recipe), so I gave it a try. The verdict? It was easy to cook and very tasty! I had only one complaint about this recipe - I did not like the cilantro cooked into the dish. It added a nice flavor, but the texture of cooked cilantro didn't really mesh with the other textures. Next time, I'll just use the fresh cilantro after cooking. This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit; the original recipe can be found at epicurious.com.

Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup chopped white onions
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
Crumbled Cotija cheese or feta cheese (optional; I used feta)

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and red pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in next 4 ingredients. Add water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until quinoa is almost tender, about 14 minutes. Add beans and 1/4 cup cilantro (I will omit this next time); cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is fully absorbed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro and cheese, if desired. 4 to 6 servings.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Analysis is based on using 1 ounce crumbled Cotija cheese per serving. Calories 391; Fat (g) 13.16; Cholesterol (mg) 25.23; Carbohydrates (g) 53.04; Fiber (g) 10.24; Total Sugars (g) 5.56; Protein (g) 16.20.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

I made these peanut butter cup brownies to take to the football game last Friday night. There is a tradition of tailgating for high school football games in our small town. The weather - and the team's performance - left a lot to be desired, but at least we had some good food!

This is a "no recipe" post. Simply prepare your favorite brownies (either from a recipe or a mix), bake them in muffin pans, and insert a peanut butter cup during the last 5 minutes of baking. Yum!

Post script: Be creative with this! Use other bite-sized candies . . . or bake the brownies in a regular pan and "tile" the top with squares of Ghirardelli chocolate (the peanut butter-filled squares are good for this!) . . . oh, and if you must use a brownie mix, use either the Barefoot Contessa brownie mix or a Ghirardelli brownie mix (widely available in grocery stores, even here in rural Missouri).

Burnt Sugar Ice Cream

If you're thinking about putting away your ice cream maker because summer is over - don't do it! Burnt Sugar Ice Cream is the perfect way to transition your ice cream maker into fall. I made this for my friends Adam and Becky, as a post-birthday celebration for Becky and a pre-wedding celebration for both of them. It was really inspired by Adam, however, because I remembered him mentioning (more than once) that a burnt caramel cake made by his grandmother was one of his all-time favorite treats.

This ice cream is wonderful - rich and creamy, perfectly sweet, and surprisingly complex, given the simple ingredients.Burnt Sugar Ice Cream

1 cup sugar
3 tbsp. water
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
optional: 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1. Stir together sugar and water in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over medium-low heat and cook until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and boil, without stirring, until the syrup turns a deep amber color. From time to time, brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush and swirl the pan (but do not stir!). Depending on your saucepan, this should take about 8 minutes.
2. Lower heat and carefully add cream and milk. Don't be concerned when everything bubbles and seethes and the caramel hardens - it will calm down and smooth out as you heat and stir. Continue to heat and stir until mixture is smooth; remove from heat.
3. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk egg yolks and salt until blended and slightly thickened. Still whisking, slowly drizzle in 1/3 of the hot liquid (this will temper, or warm, the yolks - it is important to do this slowly so you don't cook the eggs). Continue to whisk and gradually add the remaining liquid. Pour mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium (medium-low) heat until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Immediately remove the pan from heat and pour into a clean heatproof bowl. Stir in vanilla, if using.
4. Refrigerate custard until well-chilled; freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Pack ice cream into a freezer proof container and freeze at least 2 hours, until it is firm enough to scoop (I recommend 4-6 hours, minimum). Enjoy!

Storage: Frozen and packed tightly in a covered container (I also put a layer of Press-n-Seal directly on the surface of the ice cream), it will keep for up to two weeks.
- Recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking, From My Home to Yours

Barefoot Bloggers: Grown Up Mac and Cheese

This installment of Barefoot Bloggers was chosen by Heather of Randomosity and the Girl.

I was excited to try this recipe. It reminded me a lot of my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe (from the Stonewall Kitchen Favorites) cookbook. However, this recipe disappointed me just a little bit. It was good, but just not as great as the Stonewall Kitchen recipe, which is a little cheesier and more flavorful. For some reason, my final product seemed to need a little bit more cheese and seasoning. I also like the thyme in the Stonewall Kitchen recipe better than the basil in this one (which I'm actually surprised about, because I love basil). Overall, I liked this recipe - but I think when I feel like splurging on mac & cheese, I'll stick with the Stonewall Kitchen version.

Ina Garten's Grown Up Mac & Cheese

4 ounces thick-sliced bacon, cooked 2 oz. pancetta
Vegetable oil omitted
Kosher salt
2 cups elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled 2 ounces Fontina
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed toasted
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cook macaroni in salted water, according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, Fontina, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes.

Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.
- Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten, via the Food Network

Note: The original recipe says this serves two . . . those "two" would have to be incredibly hungry! I filled up the small corningware dish above, the next larger size corningware dish, and two individual-sized aluminum pie pans (the latter three I froze for later). I initially thought about halving the recipe, but decided not to . . . and I'm glad I didn't, because I did get many, many dishes dirty in the process of making this - so I'm glad we'll get more than one meal out of it!

P.S. Today is Patriot Day, so please take time to think about the families who lost loved ones on 9/11, as well as the troops fighting for our freedom. Little things we take for granted, like home cooked meals, are just one tiny part of the huge sacrifice soldiers make while protecting our nation.

New (Quick) Poll - Time Up!

Help! What should I make to take to the football tailgate tomorrow night?

Note: Thanks for voting!
Brownies with peanut butter cups received the most votes, followed by pecan pie bars, then homemade Tagalong (peanut butter filling, chocolate-covered) cookies, and finally, sugar gem cookies. Looks like I'll be taking brownies to the football game.

Muffin Makeover

Since I've been blogging - and reading other cooking blogs - I've come across hundreds (thousands?) of great recipes. I've flagged a lot, tried many, and found a few that have become favorites. The Banana Crumb muffins from Annie's Eats quickly made it on to our "favorites" list. However, blogging about food can be hard on your diet plan . . . so I've been working on making some of our favorites a little more healthful. I made a few easy ingredient swaps and eliminated the original crumb topping; I haven't calculated the nutritional difference, but surely the changes helped a little bit! Here's my version:

Banana Muffins
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tbsp. butter, melted
4 tbsp. plain yogurt (I used low-fat)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Line 12 muffin cups with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, cinnamon, yogurt and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

P.S. I loved this "madeover" version of banana muffins . . . but I forgot to ask Ken what he thought of them. When I got home from work yesterday evening, I realized I didn't need to ask . . . the evidence was in the empty muffin papers . . .

Did I mention . . .

. . that I also made the Pioneer Woman's/Pastor Ryan's Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes last week? No? Hmm, I guess I forgot to add those to the anniversary dinner post. Or perhaps I didn't include them in that post because we didn't actually eat them with our anniversary dinner. Here's the truth: I made a small batch and ate them (ALL) before dinner, while I was cooking. I don't think Ken would have liked stuffed and cooked tomatoes. I'll just keep telling myself that . . These tomatoes were very tasty. Looking back (and comparing my pictures to those on the Pioneer Woman's blog [which is never a good idea, really, for your self esteem]), I should have added more fresh herbs, and maybe salt and pepper. Otherwise, a very delicious way to use some Roma tomatoes!

2009 Taste Trends

This week, Specialty Food Magazine released "The Most Important Flavor Trends of 2009." One interesting portion of the article was a little sidebar of "30 to Watch" - spices and fruits "that will be gaining influence in 2009."

How many of these are you familiar with?


Spices
Cardamom
Curry
Garam masala
Lemongrass
Tumeric
Saffron
Saigon cinnamon
Shiso
Star anise
Za'atar


Fruits
Acerola
Blood oranges
Camu camu
Cherimoya
Coconut
Cupuacu
Guanabana
Guava
Jackfruit
Kalamansi
Kumquats
Lulo
Passionfruit
Pineapple
Pomelo
Prickly pear
Sudachi
Tangelos
Tangerines
Yuzu


I included wikipedia links for all the things I wasn't familiar with (how did we survive before Wikipedia?); as you can tell, my knowledge of exotic fruits is pretty limited! It would probably be a challenge (to say the least) to find these items in rural Missouri . . .

Happy Anniversary

It's good to have your anniversary fall in the middle of the week - we got to celebrate twice! Last Saturday night, Ken took me to eat at the Garth Mansion's Woodside Restaurant. The food was awesome and we got a tour of the mansion, where Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was a guest. You can even sit in a chair he once sat in - how cool!

On our actual anniversary, I made dinner for Ken - "mock" beef wellington and crisp roasted asparagus with gremolata. It was a really good meal (and I got to cross two items off my list of 101, so that made me happy). I couldn't find liver pate around here, and I wasn't about to go to the trouble of making it myself, so I just did without. They turned out to be tasty without pate, and we enjoyed our dinner out on the deck . . .
For the "beef wellington," I baked puff pastry cups (as directed on the package) and filled them with beef (kabob meat) and mushrooms cooked in butter, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, and a splash of wine.

The crisp roasted asparagus with gremolata was a recipe from The Silver Palate. I didn't get a good picture of the gremolata, so you'll have to use your imagination . . .
Crisply Roasted Asparagus with Gremolata
Gremolata
2 tbsp. chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
2 tsp. garlic, finely minced

Asparagus
1 pound asparagus (woody ends removed)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
optional: 2 lemons, halved crosswise, for garnish

1. Prepare gremolata by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Place asparagus (on foil) in a roasting pan in a single layer, facing the same direction. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake 10 minutes; remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. Place asparagus in a serving dish and top with gremolata. Serve with lemon halves, if desired. - The Silver Palate

Tuxedo Cake

Mmm . . . this is an awesome cake! It is from The Pastry Queen (Rebecca Rather in Fredericksburg, Texas). We visited her bakery-cafe when our friends Matthew and Gretchen got married. I thought this Tuxedo Cake would be a perfect treat for our third anniversary - and it was! Ken loved it (and so did I)!

Although it does require a little advance planning (mostly to cool before and between frosting), it is really pretty simple to make. And the results are definitely worth all the work and dirty dishes.

Tuxedo Cake
Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups water
1 cup canola oil
4 cups sugar
1 cup [high quality] unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups flour
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. vanilla

Whipped Cream Frosting
4 cups heavy whipping cream, well chilled
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate Glaze
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup
2 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of three 9-inch or two 10-inch cake pans with parchment paper, grease with butter and dust with flour (or spray with Baker's Joy).
2. Combine butter, water, and canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together sugar, cocoa, and flour. When butter has melted, pour the butter mixture over the sugar mixture; whisk until smooth. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, then whisk in buttermilk. Whisk in baking soda, salt, and vanilla all at once. Transfer batter to prepared pans.
3. Stagger cake pans in the oven so that no layer is directly over another.
Bake 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Layers may be done at different times; monitor carefully.
4. Remove cakes from oven, cool about 15 minutes before inverting on to baking racks. Cool the cakes completely, at least 2 hours, before frosting (I cooled the cakes overnight in the refrigerator, in the cake pans).
5. For frosting: Using a mixer with the whisk attachment, whip cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and whip until thoroughly combined. On a platter, frost first layer of cake, add and frost second layer (repeat with third, if applicable), then frost sides. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow whipped cream frosting to stabilize.
6. For glaze: Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is very hot and just beginning to steam. Pour hot cream over the chocolate; stir until chocolate has completely melted. Stir in syrup and vanilla. Allow glaze to cool for 10 minutes (not longer, as it will become too stiff to pour). Slowly pour glaze over cake, making sure to cover top of cake completely.
7. Refrigerate the cake until the glaze is set and the whipped cream frosting is firm, at least 1 hour. Slice cake with a long knife, dipping in hot water between each slice. Cake will keep 2-3 days in refrigerator.
- Recipe from The Pastry Queen

Notes: This recipe made enough for 3 layers of cake (I froze the third) and 12 cupcakes. I also had WAY too much whipped cream frosting (but I only frosted 2 layers and 4 cupcakes).

Sneak Preview

Barefoot Bloggers: Butterflied Chicken

The second August Barefoot Bloggers recipe was Butterflied Chicken, chosen by Stephany of Proceed with Caution. I had to make some modifications . . . the original recipe (below) calls for grilling the chicken, but since we were having monsoon-like rain, grilling wasn't an option. So I decided to roast it in the oven, and also decided not to debone the chicken.

Ina Garten's Butterflied Chicken
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus 2 sprigs
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 roasting chickens (2 1/2 to 3 pounds each), deboned and butterflied
(or 1 chicken - about 4.5 lbs. - butterflied but not deboned)
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

Mix the chopped rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl to make a paste.

Place the chickens on a sheet pan, skin side up, and loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers. Place 1/2 of the paste under the skin of each chicken. Rub any remaining paste on the outside and underside of the chickens.

Turn the chicken skin side down and scatter the lemon slices and sprigs of rosemary over each chicken. Season with salt and pepper.

I followed the recipe up to this point (see below for my alternate cooking method).

Roll each chicken up, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat a grill with coals. Spread the coals out in 1 dense layer and brush the grill with oil. Unroll the chickens, place them on the grill and cook for 12 minutes on each side.

My method: Instead of proceeding as directed, I put the chicken in a roasting pan, skin side up, baked it at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then 325 degrees for about 40 minutes. I made sure it reached at least 165 degrees internally.

I was happy with the end result - the chicken was seasoned well, slightly crispy on the outside and moist inside. I'm sure it would have been equally good on the grill!

(Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten/www.foodnetwork.com)

Quick Fixes

It's not always possible to spend hours (or even one hour) in the kitchen on summer evenings . . . but you can still have a good meal! Here are two of our most recent quick dinners:

1) Kabobs









What makes these kabobs special? We used pre-seasoned skewers, which are awesome! I found them at Main Street Kitchen in Hannibal (check in your favorite kitchen store or upscale grocery store). The kabobs above are on the honey bourbon flavored skewer. I would not recommend placing tomatoes on honey bourbon skewers - it resulted in a . . . weird taste. The skewers are especially good for chicken and shrimp, which usually need a little more flavor boost than beef (in my opinion).

I didn't use the seasoned skewer for the bread (if I had used the garlic herb flavor, I would have!) . . . if you have never put bread on a kabob - try it! To make the bread kabob, I cut baguette slices in half, brushed them with olive oil, and sprinkled a little sea salt on them. We placed them directly on top of the meat skewers for the last 4-5 minutes of cooking (which as you can tell, was a few minutes too long in this case!). Yummmmm!

2) Skirt steak with crispy garlic potatoes & asparagus









Skirt steak & garlic potatoes
2 garlic cloves
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound red new potatoes, sliced 1 inch thick
12-14 oz.skirt steak, cut into 2 equal pieces

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Finely chop garlic, and sprinkle with salt. Using a chef's knife, press flat side of blade back and forth across garlic to make a paste. Transfer to a small bowl; stir in thyme and 1 tablespoon oil. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss potatoes with garlic mixture; bake until browned on underside, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet or grill pan over high. Season steaks with salt and pepper, and cook until medium, 4 to 6 minutes per side (depending on thickness of steak). Transfer to a plate to rest (allow ~10 minutes before serving).
- Adapted from Everyday Food

For asparagus:
Wash asparagus; snap off ends. Place on foil-lined baking sheet; toss with 1-2 tbsp. olive oil (depending on how much asparagus you use). Sprinkle with coarse salt. Add to 450-475 degree oven for 5-6 minutes (my asparagus was thin - it came out perfectly tender, yet crisp, after 5 minutes). Optional: add freshly-grated Parmesan cheese. I love freshly-grated Parmesan and added it to the potatoes as well . . .

Garden Surplus Pasta

I think I flagged this recipe the moment I saw it in the July issue of Gourmet magazine. Not only was it a good way to use corn and zucchini from the garden, but you also top it with bacon and cheese - what's not to love about that?

Zucchini, Corn, and Basil Pasta with Bacon

6 bacon slices

1 pound pasta (*see note)

3 ears corn, kernels cut from cob
1 1/2 pounds zucchini, coarsely chopped (1/2-inch pieces)
1 (5- to 7-ounce) container basil pesto (or homemade pesto)
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp. Drain on paper towels; discard drippings from skillet.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quart water) until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then add vegetables to pasta in pot and cook, partially covered, 2 minutes (water will stop boiling). Drain.

Add pasta with vegetables to skillet along with pesto and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water and toss. Season with salt and moisten with additional cooking water if necessary.

Top with crumbled bacon, grated cheese, and freshly ground pepper.

Note: The original recipe calls for fusilli pasta . . . I used linguine, which worked okay - but next time I make it I will probably use fusilli, ziti, or even plain old macaroni. The long, slender noodles didn't work very well with the big pieces of zucchini and the small pieces of corn.

Easy Peach Cobbler

Fresh local peaches + a little sugar, flour, butter, and milk = VERY tasty!

I took this when we went to eat lunch with my in-laws, so I didn't get a picture of the individual portions - although I'm sure it would have looked better that way! Regardless of how it looks, this recipe is a great way to use up some fresh peaches!








Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler
4 cups peeled, sliced peaches

2 cups sugar, divided

1/2 cup water (may need to be reduced if peaches are very ripe and juicy)

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Ground cinnamon, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. (Dumping the peaches on top of the batter doesn't seem like a great idea - but it really did work!) Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.