Squashtastic truly Bombastic

Some things you should know before you read the following recipes.

A) I just got bangs ("fringe" as our French foreign exchange student neighbors in Portka would say, eh Allie Mae?).

B) I just acquired some new Kitchen gadgets such as a vegetable steamer (looks like a UFO), Wire Wisk, and scale (not featured in this hot dish post). One of the happiest days of my life. Please, no one give me a Kitchen Aide mixer, I may keel over and die from cardiac arrest.

C) I'm reading this FAB book "French Women for All seasons: A year of secrets, recipes, and pleasure" by Mireille Guiliano. Basically thee best reference I have found for simple french recipes, weight loss tips, and we have lifestyle similarities in that we love indulging in wine, chocolate, and cheese. She mentions meats briefly and I dont think she truly understands, but well, theres no meat lovers I know like the hot dishers (here come the hot steppas ...Muuuurrrdurrrahh).

So for dinner tonight Dan and I had Asparagus with Mayonnaise and Spaghetti Squash with Feta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

Now, I must say that I personally think that Mayonnaise is the most disgusting and strange substance ever. That was before I read this book and her description of dipping the asparagus into the mayonnaise and licking her fingers had me forgetting all the years of abstaining from mayo on my sammies and the like. Also, I felt like if I made it myself it would not be as gross.

Another strange foodphobia that was conquered in this dinner was Dan's loathing for squash. On our first dinner date, I cooked him a ham hock glazed in honey mustard with a side of butternut squash and paired it with a Zinfandel. He happened to hate squash (he says its the texture). In any case, the spaghetti squash was enjoyed by both of us and we had huge amounts left over.

Now to the recipes:
Asparagus with Mayonnaise
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 egg yolk at room temperature
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1-2 tsp sherry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
2/3-1 c. Canola Oil
sea salt
white pepper (I used black, but I dont discriminate)
16-24 asparagus stalks, blanched

Directions:
1. In a warmed bowl (fill it with boiling water and let stand for a few minutes..really, do this)whisk together the egg yolk, mustard, and vinegar. Slowly, by droplets, whisk in the oil until at least half has gone in (seriously, droplets are of the essence here...i allowed them to spill slowly from my measuring cup, but too much oil at a time will cause the yolk to separate and your goal is to emulsify). This mixture will continue to thicken as you mix if done properly. It will actually come out almost a similar texture to mayonnaise! Or a fluffier hollandaise.

2. Continue whisking the rest of the oil, now in a thin but steady stream until all of it is incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I couldnt get the taste right until I added cumin and ground mustard, but I also used a honey dijon mustard.

3. Serve the blanched asparagus warm on a plate. Add 2 tbs mayonnaise per person and go at it finger food styleeee!

Next Item:
Spaghetti with Feta and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 regular sized spaghetti squash
2 Tb. Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 C. walnuts (hand crushed, just squeeze them into the dish)
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper to your liking
2 oz. Crumbled feta
2 oz. sliced sun-dried tomatoes
(I think this is right, I eyeballed all of it)

Directions: Cut the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds/hairy bits (no recipes that i referenced told me to do this, but when I was cleaning it later I was thinking I should have done it earlier). Place cut side down on cookie sheet sprayed with oil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40mins. take out, scrape the squash out, forming spaghetti like tendrils and place in saute pan with already warmed olive oil and minced garlic. Add the rest of the spices and ingredients and combine. Heat till warmed through and serve. Yummm yumm. I have no idea how many this serves because I have enough leftovers for 2 days at least and lunch tomorrow.

Love you hot dishes. xo

It's all greek to me

I've been dreaming of a Mediterranean getaway. Due to a bad case of the "fundsalow" that will not be happening anytime soon. But I knew as soon as I saw ground lamb at the supermarket that I would be savoring the flavor of Greece ASAP. This tasty treat can be enjoyed with a side salad of feta cheese and olive oil. Opa!

Lamb burgers with Tzatziki sace

Ingredients:
1 pound ground lamb
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 artisan-style hard rolls
4 handfuls of baby spinach leaves

For the marinated onions:
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon unrefined light brown sugar

For the sauce:
1 inch piece of English cucumber, coarsely grated
1/4 cup Greek-style plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Preparation
Put the lamb in a bowl and add the garlic, cloves, cumin, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Mix with your hands until well combined, then shape into four burgers. Chill until ready to cook.

Mix the red onion with the vinegar and sugar. Let marinate while you prepare the sauce. Squeeze the cucumber to remove excess moisture, then mix with the yogurt, garlic, mint, and a little salt and pepper. Chill.

When ready to eat, heat a ridged cast-iron grill pan. Sprinkle the burgers with a little kosher salt and brush with olive oil. Cook the burgers until browned and cooked through, 3-4 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, split the rolls and toast them. When the burgers are cooked, assemble your creation with baby spinach leaves, tzatziki sauce, and the drained marinated onions. BAM.

Oh yesss. so good. Enjoy!!

Happy Apples: The pork party in disguise

This weekend Dan and I hosted our first dinner party in our Philly apartment with Philly people. While nothing can replace the dinner parties of the past, I had about 20 lbs. of apples that had to be consumed after we ran rampant on an apple orchard in Media, PA. I instructed the guests that they must bring something that is made with apples, something that can be consumed with apples, or anything relating to eating apples.

The turnout was great, we made apples 8 ways, and still had some left over to bob with...even though we didnt get to it despite Dan wanting to fill up the apple bobbing stations in the early afternoon.

For an appetizer, one of the MT grad students brought apple salsa and cinnamon chips! The apple salsa had both tart and sweet apples, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, grapes, lemon juice, salt, and avocado. It was chunky and fresh and did not have a saucy consistency. Deelish. The chips were homemade too. They were made from tortilla chips, covered in coconut oil and cinnamon and baked. I did not get the specifics on this, but they were amazing. Could have been eaten as a dessert item as well.

For drinks, we had 3 varieties.
1. Mulled apple cider. There are many ways to go about doing this but we made a spice pouch of nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and lemon zest. Placed the spices in a saucepan full of apple cider (about 1/2 gallon), added apple slices and cinnamon sticks and a heavy pour of spiced rum (Capt'n of course). This was a great treat to sip throughout the night.
2. Hot whiskeys. Two shots of Evan williams in a mug with a lemon slice dotted with whole cloves. also a splash of simple syrup and top off with warm water.

A New Twist on Butternut Squash

If there is one thing I love during the cold months of the year, it is butternut squash soup. The question always is how to prepare it. I have made a variety of butternut squash soups adding and a subtracting various vegetables, stirring in new spices, pureeing the squash, cubing the squash:  the possibilities are endless...
I believe I may have already written a post on another squash soup variety, however, last night I stumbled upon a delectable combination that I had to share. For those of you who do not savor butternut squash soup with the same zest as I, my apologies. For those of you who do, be prepared for a savory sensation.

Butternut Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Heat 1 Tbl. Olive Oil. Add 1Tbl. Curry, 1Tbl. Cumin, 1 tsp Ginger, 1/2 tsp of Cayenne Pepper.
Cook for a few minutes. Add 1 medium Onion and a few cloves of Garlic (chopped). Add a spash of Vegetable Broth and Simmer until onions and garlic are cooked down and your kitchen smells of a spicy aroma.

Add 2 cups more of vegetable broth and a cup of water. Cube 1 Butternut Squash and add to the mix. Cook on medium heat until squash is tender.

In the meantime, cut 2-3 Red Peppers into quarters. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven at 375 for about 15-20 minutes or until browned and roasted looking. Flip halfway through.

Bake to the pot.... When squash is tender, scoop out and puree in your food processor or use an immersion blender if you are so lucky to own one.
When peppers are finished, remove and chop into smaller pieces. Stir into soup and BAM!
Dinner is served!

West African Soup

Brian and I made this soup a few weeks ago and decided that it was one of the best soups we've ever had, let alone made. It satisfies both spicy and sweet, and made great leftovers. So, we are excited to share this on our first post! (Thanks for inviting us!)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 large sweet onion, sliced (about 2 cups)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

4 cups of Vegetable or Chicken Broth

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and sliced (2 cups)

1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup raisins

1 bag (6 oz) spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)

1 can (about 16 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Cooked couscous

1. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender.

2. Add the broth, cinnamon, red pepper, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and raisins. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

3. Add the spinach and chickpeas. Cook until spinach wilts.

4. Place about 1/2 cup of couscous on top of each serving/bowl.

Enjoy!!

Super Bowl of Deliciousnes

For many SuperBowl Sunday is associated with snacky food like nachos, pizza, and wings, sometimes a girl craves a hearty, home-cooked meal. I snacked at Rocco's delightful birthday party and ate some beautiful Elmo cupcakes all afternoon. Upon arriving home, I decided to forgo SuperBowl snacks and football and satisfy my month-long craving for Brussel Sprouts and Richard Gere.

Once again Saturday at the public market, filled my fridge with veggies galore and I snapped up this brussel sprout creation from months of dreaming and reading of brussel sprouts.. Why it took me this long to eat some I may never know.

Winter Brussel Sprout Slaw

Cook up 2-3 or 5 (you'll want to eat some) strips of Bacon until crispy and delicious.
Remove bacon from pan and eat some because you just can't help yourself.

In bacon grease, saute 1 medium Onion diced and 2-3 Apples diced.
Add 1 tsp of Sage and some Garlic.
Shred up 12-15 Brussel Sprouts and add to onion mixture on low heat.

In microwave, heat 1 Tbl. of Honey. Add 1Tbl. of Mustard, 2 Tbl. of Rice Wine Vinegar (Cider Vinegar would prob. be great too), and crumbly bacon! Mix into a sauce/frenzy.

Cook brussel sprouts until limp but not to mushy (T.W.S.S.). Turn off heat and stir in vinaigrette/frenzied sauce and toss it.
Upon completing, I thought some toasted/sliced almonds or pine nuts might be a fab addition as well??

I served this tasty concoction with Sauteed Spicy Sausage and Red Peppers and some Mashed Sweet Potatoes.
Add a side of red wine and zydeco and.... SuperBowl? What's that?

lentil soup

I promised this recipe - it's mighty tasty and filling, even without meat. I have used both vegetable and chicken stock (recipe calls for chicken) - if you use veggie and leave off the cheese, it's vegan...but I MUST say -- adding loads and loads of parmesan to literally every spoonful makes this SOOOO amazing.

• 1 pound French green lentils
• 4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions)
• 4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
• 3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
• 3 quarts chicken stock
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.