Me time

Do you feel that you have no time for your own simple pleasures this time of year?  Any time of year?  All the time, all year long?

I feel that way.  Sometimes it's worse than other.  I grin, I bear it, I made these choices.

And when I feel out of control I like to take a minute....

...and take pictures of my food.  There's not much the smell of butter and onions and a camera to capture it can't fix, even if it's just for a brief moment.

I like pearl onions.  I like to buy them frozen so I don't have to go through the trouble of peeling them.  Even the quick peel method where you boil them for five minutes and then pop them out of their skins takes some time.  Frozen pearl onions are the way to go.

And then I added flour, chicken stock, heavy cream, spices and steamed potatoes and veggies to this.  It gets thick and delicious.  Also are chunks of poultry - in this case turkey and cornish game hen.  It's what I had leftover.  This is a great leftover dish.

I like to use individual serving bowls.  I mean, I have them.  Use them.  It makes presentation so much better also.  In my opinion, food is an awful lot about presentation.

I was taking some shortcuts.  I did not make my own pie crust.  My grocery did not have puff pastry, so I improvised with Grands biscuits.  It worked just fine. 

There you have it.  Individual poultry pot pie.  Comfort.  I'm slightly less stressed for having made it, and for remembering to slow down and take pictures of it.

Cookie adventure...the journey continues...

As I mentioned, I'm putting together a little book of my chocolate chip cookie adventure for some friends for Christmas. 

This cookie is THE cookie as far as I'm concerned. 
1.  It came from Cook's Illustrated and they are the end all, be all when it comes to food.
2.  It has a complex flavor profile that no one appreciates. 

I've given this cookie to many people and they tell me it's a fine cookie.
"Do you taste the nuttiness the brown butter has added?"
No.
"Do you get the toffee flavor that the extra brown sugar provides?"
No.
"Could you tell the difference in the texture due to the prolonged mixing process?"
No.
But it's a nice cookie, they tell me.

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated

photos by me

1 3/4 cup ubleached flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

14 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used the whole bag - I like a lot of chocolate chips)

Heat oven to 375

Whisk together flour and baking soda

Heat 10 tablespoons of butter in skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Continue cooking, swirling constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 - 3 minutes. Remove skillet and pour into mixing bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into the hot butter and stir until completely melted.

Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat that process two more times. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon stir in flour mixture until just combines. Stir in chocolate chips giving dough final stir.

Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons. Arrange 2 inches apart. Bake 10 - 14 minutes, until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, edges are beginning to set, but centers are still soft. Cool. Eat. Enjoy!

A new cookbook, a new recipe

I found myself with some time to kill last week and what's a girl to do except walk through Crate & Barrel?  I didn't particularly need anything, but that should not be a deterrent to walking through and browsing.  And, of course, picking some things up like a new wooden spoon and an herb shears.  And this cookbook:

Market Vegetarian by Ross Dobson

Dating a vegetarian has made me want to be more creative in my vegetarian cooking.  For me, it was primarily veggie burgers, tacos made with refried beans and veggie lasagna.  Or, you know, oatmeal.  Since Adam Science is such a great cook I need to step up my game.  I'm confident in my cooking skills, just not my creativity.  So, I found this book, liked many of the recipes as I flipped through it, and bought it.  The first recipe I made was a pappardelle pasta with portobello mushrooms, chestnuts and chives.  

I did make some adjustments.  I eliminated chestnuts.  I added peas.  I used a fresh mushroom fettuccine I bought at the Farmer's Market last weekend.  It was excellent!

Here is the recipe as posted.  I'll tell you what I did to it then.

7 oz fresh chestnuts

1 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves

14 oz portobello mushrooms, sliced

2 fresh thyme sprigs

1/2 c. dry white wine

1 cup light cream

1 bunch chives, cut

2 oz. Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

14 oz pappardelle, or other ribbon pasta

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  Score a cross on one end of each chestnut.  Put them on a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the skins split.  Remove and let cool.  When cool enough to handle, pull off the shells, and rub away the fleshy skin underneath.  Set aside until needed.

Put the oil and butter in a skillet set over high heat.  When the butter sizzles, add the garlic and let cook for one minute.  Add mushrooms and thyme, reduce the heat to medium, and partially cover with a lid.  cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.  Add the wine to the skillet and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.  Add the cream, reduce the heat, and cook for 15 minutes, until the mixture thickens.  Add the chives and half the cheese and stir to combine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well and return to warm pan.  Add the mushroom sauce, gently toss to mix and serve immediately with extra cheese for sprinkling.

I left out the chestnuts altogether.  I added about 3/4 cup of frozen peas I had when I threw in the mushrooms.  Other than that, I followed the recipe.  It was delicious!  I would eat it every night for a week.  Which, I may need to since I have some significant leftovers. 

Cookie adventure...wrapping it up

I thought a great Christmas gift for some co-workers would be a small book chronicling my chocolate chip cookie adventure.  Over the last year I've made almost a dozen different chocolate chip cookie recipes looking for the perfect one.  I've had co-workers, friends and family taste test them, have gotten feedback and input, and have my own (completely amateur) opinion as well.

In order to put together the book I need to remake all the recipes, take photos and document the feedback.  So, here we go.

Cookie #1 came from If You Give a Girl a Cookie.  This one uses three types of sugar: white granulated, brown and turbinado (sugar in the raw) and has a sprinkling of sea salt on top.  My co-workers declare this one their favorite, the best ever.  This cookie bakes up crisp and chewy.  It is an all around delicious cookie.

Recipe from: If You Give a Girl a Cookie
Photos by: me

The Chocolate Chip Cookie
Adapted from Not Without Salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup Turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)
1 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound chocolate, cut into chunks or 1 pound best quality chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until light. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Add the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing until just combined. (Note: I had a heckuva time getting the last quarter cup or so of the flour mixture to blend in, but if you use a rubber spatula at the end to avoid over mixing, it will come together.)

Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate. (I used Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips, but it was a little sweet. Next rodeo - dark chocolate.)

Scoop cookies onto the baking sheet and sprinkle tops with a little bit of sea salt.

For 3 tablespoon scoops - bake for 12-14 minutes.
For 2 tablespoon scoops - bake for 8-10 minutes.

Let cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. These cookies will keep in an airtight container for about 4 days, but they won't last that long. 

 

Cooking with Sarah

The cooking lessons for the girls at work continue!  Back in July I went out of town for a few days with my mom.  My co-worker Ashley was kind enough to watch my baby cat Quinn while I was away.  I had made a quiche the night before I went away and left a note for Ashley to finish it up.  She loved it and has been begging for quiche to be a part of the cooking lessons since then.  Last night, I obliged her. 

MENU

champagne cocktails

Spinach, caramelized onion, gruyere quiche

Sarah's Signature Au Gratin Potatoes

simple green salad with balsamic dijon dressing

Cream puffs for dessert

I put Meg to work on the potatoes.  She was a little afraid of the mandolin at first, but once she got the hang of it, she rocked that dish.  It came out perfectly.

Since Ashley was the one most interested in the quiche, she was assigned that task.  We made two, just so she could bring one home.

Angela really just provides comic relief for all of us.  In addition to very important prep cook duties like grating and chopping and pouring more drinks.

Katie was a big fan of the cream puffs.  Plate licking may have been involved.  

Dinner!

The group.  My girls.  They make me happy daily and I love that I've taken over as a "mother hen".  At least in the kitchen. 

Sarah's Signature Au Gratin Potatoes

3 baking potatoes

2 cups heavy cream

salt

pepper

gruyere cheese

Slice potatoes thinly, I use a mandolin.  Love it.

Place slices of potatoes overlapping into bottom of 8x8 or 9x9 pan

Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Pour enough cream to just cover potatoes

grate some cheese onto the layer

repeat

You should have about 8 layers at least

Place pan onto a baking sheet.  Chances are very good the cream will bubble out of your pan a little and this prevents smoke and things burning in your oven.  Bake on 400 for an hour.  You MUST let the dish sit for 10 minutes when it comes out.  You need it to cool and come together a little.  

You can simmer the cream with a couple of tablespoons of butter and sprigs of thyme and rosemary first also.  I've found the simplest version is always a hit.  And since the goal was to show the girls it can be just this easy, I went with that method.

Cooking with Sarah

Where have I been?  What have I been up to?  I know you can hardly stand the suspense...

Well, loyal reader (that's you Cyndi), I've been having a crazy good summer.  I have made some new friends, solidified growing friendships, taken a quick mother-daughter trip to Jamaica, and hosted a number of small dinner parties.

Let's focus on that part for now, shall we?

I work with a bunch of charming and fun mid-20 somethings at work.  A few of them are cooking impaired.  I wanted to show them how easy it all can be.  I invite them over, make them do the cooking, and we have a great time!

Our menu for the first one was a goat cheese stuffed chicken from Ina.  I've made that before, it was excellent.  We also made a broccoli dish from Ina's cookbook and some dried cherry cous cous.  (Tip from chef at work: soak the dried cherries in brandy overnight the night before.  AMAZING!)

There's the group the first time out.  Angela, Meg, Katie and myself.

Our next adventure was Chicken Saltimbocca and Spinach Orzo.  I also made Sangria and tiramisu for dessert.  I had never made it before.  I think it went well!  This was a classic menu for me - dinner was full of my favorite fool proof recipes.  Also dishes that I knew were easy to make, which is the goal.  To show the girls that cooking isn't hard and doesn't take a lot of time.

I didn't take any pictures of the "before" food, but the mess my kitchen was afterwards should be the indicator of a great night and great food!

Can I tell you how delicious the fruit is after it's been in red wine, orange juice and club soda?   I fished every single apple slice out of the empty pitcher of sangria and ate them.  Wow!

Our most recent dinner party was a tribute to my little jaunt to Jamaica.  I brought home some jerk seasoning and sauce and made jerk chicken skewers as an appetizer.  We made coconut shrimp, pineapple fried rice and a carrot ginger salad for dinner with key lime cheesecake for dessert.  Angela was a total dear and brought these ingredients for some killer pina coladas.  They involve frozen bananas, coconut cream, coconut rum and a glass lined with honey and toasted coconut!!  Holy cow!!  I've never had anything so delicious.

This was my Caribbean themed table setting.  Bright colors and a modified birds of paradise napkin fold.

Our next dinner is going to be French Bistro I believe...Quiche and my favorite potatoes au gratin and a simple green salad with champagne cocktails.  Cream puffs for dessert maybe...

This week's recipe...

My resolution to try one new recipe a week continues...  While the goal was to embrace the cookbooks I have* I also wanted to make a dent in all the recipes I find online and bookmark.  This week was an online recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I'm a newcomer to this blog.  Saw that others raved about her, but never really clicked through to check out what they were raving about.  Until one day at Cyndi's urging.  I read her entire love story in one day.  I spent hours learning about how she met her husband and the challenge of giving up city life for ranch life.  I was hooked.  I've been a regular ever since.  And so glad I am so that I saw this recipe for 'Fancy Macaroni'. 

I took a few pictures as I cooked.  None of them will be as beautiful as what Ree has posted on her sight with this recipe.  Seriously, this is why food photography is another one of my resolutions.  Please visit that recipe and look at her step by step photos.  

I have been looking forward to making this dish since the New Year.  I thought I would make it one night when Colin was home watching football also and I could share it, as macaroni and cheese is one of his favorite dishes.  Every weekend came and went and Colin and I never managed to have the same free time.  I couldn't wait anymore.  I made the dish.  I opened a pretty good bottle of red wine (Frog's Leap Rutherford) and I cooked.  

I used my new cast iron dutch oven pot that I received for Christmas to make the cheese sauce.  The only changes I made to the dish was using whole wheat elbow macaroni and halving the amount of bacon.  

It looked perfect.  It looked just like her photos.  Visit the site, make the macaroni.

::Photo from The Pioneer Woman::

I liked it very much.  When I make it again (because I will make it again) I may omit the bacon.  I think the dish tasted too much like bacon and not enough like all the delicious fresh cheese I shredded.  And the cheese was glorious.   I had to check it for quality many times during the shredding process.

* I bought three more.  I bought three more cookbooks.  I know.  I know.  It's a sickness.  But there was a sale and there was free shipping.  This is the resolution that will never end.  

Accomplishments

I took down the Christmas tree!

I completely de-Christmased the Living Room.

I cleaned the living room and kitchen (dining room and bedroom will have to wait for another day).

I made some brownies.

I did NOT go to work.  A big accomplishment considering I worked 12 days straight recently.


I hung some pictures in the living room.  'Bout time.  Lots of wallspace in my living room.  Very little on them.  

I made dinner.

Let's talk about dinner.

This week's cook book is Classic Home Cooking.   

 Let me tell you why I like this cookbook.  Pictures.  Lots of pictures.  Pages.  Lots of pages.  My sister gave me this book for my birthday a few years ago and it has sat largely unutilized until lately.  My usual go to general cook book has always been Betty Crocker's classic cookbook.  This one is slowly overtaking that.  At the beginning of each chapter, instead of a traditional table of contents there is a small photo of each dish in that chapter along with the nutritional information of the dish.  I'm afraid that the book may be out of print now.  If you ever find a copy, buy it.  Buy it for a new cook, a new couple, for yourself.

I was tempted by a risotto dish and a fennel crusted pork, but then decided to branch out a bit and embrace lots of ingredients I already had on hand.  Namely lemons.  I have a lot of lemons at my house.  I chose to make Sole Florentine, roasted potatoes, Asparagus with Parmesan and hot lemon bread.  Everything but the roasted potatoes came from this book.

I'll post the recipes how they appear in the book, then I'll tell you what I did to alter some of them slightly.  

 

Sole Florentine

4 large sole fillets

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper

3 T butter

3 T flour

2 cups milk

1 1/2 lb spinach

1/4 cup grated parmesan

Sprinkle fish fillets with salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Fold the fillets in half width wise and set aside.

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add flour and cook one minute.  Gradually whisk in milk.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens.  Simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickens, stir frequently, season with salt and pepper.  

Wash spinach and put into a pan with only the water remaining on the leaves.  Cook for 2 minutes or until wilted.  Drain well.

Stir half of the sauce into the cooked spinach and spoon into a shallow baking dish.  Arrange the sole on top.  Pour the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with the cheese.  Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Serve with hot lemon bread.

Lemon Bread

Beat the grated zest of 1/2 lemon into 1/2 cup softened butter.  Work in the juice of 1/2 lemon, salt and pepper to taste.  Cut a baguette into 1/2 inch slices.  Spread butter between slices and a little on top.  Wrap in foil and bake at 400 degrees for 20  minutes.

Asparagus with Parmesan

1 1/4 asparagus

3/4 c. grated parmesan

2 T olive oil

2 T white wine vinegar

3 garlic cloves

salt and pepper

Trim ends of asparagus.  Make marinade in shallow dish, combine the oil, vinegar, garlich, a pinch of salt, and plenty of pepper.  

Roll the asparagus in the marinade, cover and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle the parmesan on a plate.  roll the asparagus in the Parmesan to cover all sides then arrange in a single layer in a large baking dish.

Roast in a 400 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes. 

Whew! 

Things I did a little differently:

1. Divided the fish, spinach and sauce into 3 small baking dishes so I can easily reheat one at a time.
2. Used frozen spinach instead of wilting down fresh spinach.  I bought one 10 oz package of frozen spinach, defrosted it in the microwave, squeezed all the water out of it and then mixed in half of the sauce mixture.  
3. Sprinkled a bit of breadcrumbs on top of the fish along with the parmesan cheese.
4. For the lemon bread - didn't add the lemon juice or salt and pepper - just the lemon zest.  It was still delicious!  
   

Review:
First, did you notice how everything baked at the same temperature for similar times?  My favorite part of meal planning is figuring out how everything will be ready at the same time.  Once I got the fish in, I could mix up the marinade for the asparagus and then pop it in along with the bread with 15 minutes left to go.  Everything ready at the same time!  It's a skill.  I have mad timing skills.


The asparagus was good.  The lemon bread was great.  I am not a huge fan of garlic and this was a wonderful alternative.  The lemon zest gave it a very fresh and light taste.  The fish was fine.  I think it needed a little more flavor.  It just kind of tasted like the sauce.  More salt and pepper perhaps?  More lemon juice?  I don't know.  It was fine, but I probably would have to fix it up a bit more before I made it again.  Loved the asparagus and hot lemon bread.  


Happy eating.

Goat Cheese

Let's talk about one of my favorite things: goat cheese.  Yes, up there with crab legs and chocolate cake as one of my most favorite foods is goat cheese.

Here are things I love that include the creamy, deliciousness that is goat cheese.

* A simple sliced baguette with goat cheese spread on it and a drizzle of honey

* This Goat Cheese, Sun Dried Tomatoe and Pesto Torta.  I first saw the recipe in the New Bride and Groom Cookbook.  I first had this recipe when Cyndi served it at a party in Louisiana.  It was love at first bite.

 * And now this simple baked Chicken with Herbed Goat Cheese from Ina Garten. I have Ina's Barefoot Contessa At Home cookbook and also came across this recipe online.  Starting right in with my New Years Resolution to use my cookbooks, this was dinner tonight along with simple roasted potatoes and green beans.  Her online recipe and book recipe vary in only one spot and that was bone in vs. boneless chicken breast.  Both require skin on.  I went ahead and got bone in chicken breasts as I find that leads to jucier roasted chicken. The online reviews for this dish were spectacular across the board, everyone commenting on the fact that it was a simple way to elevate the standard chicken breast to something elegant and delicious.  And it was!  Easy, delicious, juicy chicken, crisped skin.  And I had enough goat cheese leftover to spread out over a couple of pieces of bread for dessert!

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
• 12 ounces Montrachet goat cheese, with garlic and herbs
• Fresh basil leaves
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers, leaving one side attached.. Cut 12 thick slices of the Montrachet and place 2 slices plus a large basil leaf under the skin of each chicken breast. Rub each piece with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake the breasts for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked through. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Ultimate Comfort Foods

Pot Roast.  Chili and corn bread.  Turkey pot pie.

I love pot pie the most.  I've tried a few different recipes for it.  Some used biscuits as the top, others were thinner than I'd care for.  I'm thrilled to announce that I have found *the* recipe for an amazing turkey pot pie.

I made a 7lb turkey breast on Thanksgiving, and since I am one person, that allowed for a lot of leftovers.  I won't lie, I made the turkey breast just so I would have the extra turkey for the pot pie.

As I was waiting for my car to be repaired Saturday morning (thank you Mazda dealership for having wifi in your waiting room) I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.  I'll post the recipe as found on the site below.  Let me tell you about a few modifications I made to the dish after reading the reviews plus having some pot pie general knowledge.

I added potato.  I diced two russet potatoes and included them in my veggie mix.  Instead of boiling the veggies in water, I steamed them.  I threw potatoes, carrots, celery and frozen peas into my steamer pot and let them go for about 15 minutes.

After sauteeing the onion (more onion than it called for also - I like onion.  I used one medium and one small one), I let the flour cook in the butter for two minutes, creating a golden roux.  Then I added chicken stock, cream instead of milk and about 1/3 cup or so of white wine I had on hand.  I also added poultry seasoning and more pepper to this mix.  I like pepper.

I poured the steamed veggies and cut up turkey into the stock/onion mixture and stirred it all up.  It looked like a lot so I used a 9x13 pan.  Glad I did.  It filled that up.  I did not use a pie crust underneath the mixture.  I think that's overkill.  I topped mine with a layer of puff pastry filling.  I baked at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes.  The puff pastry dough cooks up so high and golden brown.  It looked great.

It was perfect.  It was exactly what I want turkey pot pie to taste like.  I'm ashamed to say I ate about 2 1/2 helpings of it for dinner on Saturday night because it was just so good and hot and fresh.  I woke up this morning still full from dinner last night.  This is an actual picture of mine:

Winter is upon us and I could not recommend this dish more. 

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk
•  
• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.