Here comes the sun...
A sneak peek at our edible garden...
Getting our herbs started...
Hopefully our thumbs will turn green this year... I'll keep you posted!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Pimiento Macaroni and Cheese
This recipe comes from Bon Appétit magazine, the March 2011 issue. The recipe is on the cover and is said to be "Hands down, the tastiest version we've ever made." So I had to try it.
Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, halved, divided
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) --I did not need this much once it was mixed later...
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided (Mine never got to "room temperature" because my kitchen was as cold as the fridge)
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
3/4 cup drained mild Peppadew peppers in brine, 1 tablespoon brine reserved (I could not find these so I used other jarred peppers).
1/4 teaspoon ground ancho chiles
1 1/4 cups (packed) coarsely grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup (packed) coarsely grated mozzarella
8 ounces medium shell pasta or gemelli
Directions:
*Note: I am giving these directions in a different order than the magazine gave. I followed the magazine's timing and ended up waiting for many of the ingredients to get ready.
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter an 8-cup baking dish (or 6 individual dishes).
2. Boil water in large pot. Salt the water and cook the pasta until tender but still firm to bite. Drain and return to pot.
3. Meanwhile, bring 1/2 cup water, bell pepper, and 1 1/2 garlic cloves to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover; reduce heat to medium low. Simmer until pepper is soft, about 15 minutes.
4. Toast panko in skillet over medium-high heat until golden, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to bowl, cool to lukewarm. Rub 1 tablespoon butter into crumbs to coat. Mix in 1/4 cup Parmesan.
5. When the bell pepper mixture is done, transfer it to a food processor. Add Peppadews and 1 tablespoon of brine, 2 TB butter, ground chiles, and 1/2 garlic clove; then add cheddar and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Blend until sauce is smooth; season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. When the pasta is returned to the pot, add the sauce and mozzarella and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Spoon pasta mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle with crumb topping.
8. Bake pasta until topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes (15 for individual). Let stand 10 minutes.
*After 25 minutes I decided to turn on the broiler and let it crisp the top for about 3 minutes.
Enjoy!
Pimiento Mac and Cheese
Photo by Alexa-iPhone
Photo by Matt
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, halved, divided
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) --I did not need this much once it was mixed later...
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided (Mine never got to "room temperature" because my kitchen was as cold as the fridge)
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
3/4 cup drained mild Peppadew peppers in brine, 1 tablespoon brine reserved (I could not find these so I used other jarred peppers).
1/4 teaspoon ground ancho chiles
1 1/4 cups (packed) coarsely grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup (packed) coarsely grated mozzarella
8 ounces medium shell pasta or gemelli
Directions:
*Note: I am giving these directions in a different order than the magazine gave. I followed the magazine's timing and ended up waiting for many of the ingredients to get ready.
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter an 8-cup baking dish (or 6 individual dishes).
2. Boil water in large pot. Salt the water and cook the pasta until tender but still firm to bite. Drain and return to pot.
3. Meanwhile, bring 1/2 cup water, bell pepper, and 1 1/2 garlic cloves to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover; reduce heat to medium low. Simmer until pepper is soft, about 15 minutes.
4. Toast panko in skillet over medium-high heat until golden, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to bowl, cool to lukewarm. Rub 1 tablespoon butter into crumbs to coat. Mix in 1/4 cup Parmesan.
5. When the bell pepper mixture is done, transfer it to a food processor. Add Peppadews and 1 tablespoon of brine, 2 TB butter, ground chiles, and 1/2 garlic clove; then add cheddar and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Blend until sauce is smooth; season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. When the pasta is returned to the pot, add the sauce and mozzarella and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Spoon pasta mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle with crumb topping.
8. Bake pasta until topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes (15 for individual). Let stand 10 minutes.
*After 25 minutes I decided to turn on the broiler and let it crisp the top for about 3 minutes.
Enjoy!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Vegetable Lasagna--mmmmmmmm
This recipe is one that I created myself. I was a little nervous about making a veggie lasagna. I am not sure why, I like vegetables and all, but I thought that I would really miss the meat. As it turns out, I didn't--Matt and I love this recipe, so hopefully you will too!
Ingredients:
lasagna noodles
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 white onion, diced
2 large or 3 small zucchini, sliced
1 1/2 cups of chopped fresh spinach
5-7 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 1/2 jars of your favorite tomato sauce (more if it is very thick)
1/2 cup of red wine (optional)
4 Tb butter
1 Tb olive oil
12 oz container of ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup reserved for topping
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
Directions:
Prepare lasagna noodles according to package. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Sauce
1. In a large pan heat olive oil and half of the minced garlic over medium heat. Tip: Heat the garlic with the olive oil instead of adding it later--this will prevent burning the outside of the garlic. Let the garlic sizzle in the pan for about 1 minute.
2. If you are using wine, add it to the pan now. Let it bubble for about 2 minutes. Then add the tomato sauce and basil.
3. Allow the sauce to bubble then turn it to simmer as you prepare everything else.
Vegetables
1. Melt butter in a pan.
2. Add garlic, onions, and zucchini.
3. Sauté vegetables until tender but not overcooked. Set aside
Cheese
1. Mix ricotta, 1 1/4 cups mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, and the egg together. Add salt and pepper.
Assembling the Lasagna
1. Use a 8x8 baking dish. Put a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce in the dish to coat the bottom.
2. Create layers, making sure to make a complete layer (but not too thick). The layers go in the order: pasta, cheese, vegetables, sauce.
3. When you reach the top layer of sauce, then add one more layer of pasta, sauce, then the reserved mozzarella and a bit of parmesan.
4. Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet. Use foil to tent the dish, but allow for ventilation.
5. Bake lasagna for 40 minutes with the foil on. Then remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes.
6. After the hour of baking, remove the lasagna from the oven. Baked pastas like to rest a bit before being sliced and served. They hold up a bit better. If you can't wait, just don't expect a stack--it will still taste delicious though. Wait for 10-20 minutes, if you can stand it.
7. Enjoy!
Vegetable Lasagna
lasagna noodles
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 white onion, diced
2 large or 3 small zucchini, sliced
1 1/2 cups of chopped fresh spinach
5-7 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 1/2 jars of your favorite tomato sauce (more if it is very thick)
1/2 cup of red wine (optional)
4 Tb butter
1 Tb olive oil
12 oz container of ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup reserved for topping
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
Directions:
Prepare lasagna noodles according to package. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Sauce
1. In a large pan heat olive oil and half of the minced garlic over medium heat. Tip: Heat the garlic with the olive oil instead of adding it later--this will prevent burning the outside of the garlic. Let the garlic sizzle in the pan for about 1 minute.
2. If you are using wine, add it to the pan now. Let it bubble for about 2 minutes. Then add the tomato sauce and basil.
3. Allow the sauce to bubble then turn it to simmer as you prepare everything else.
Vegetables
1. Melt butter in a pan.
2. Add garlic, onions, and zucchini.
3. Sauté vegetables until tender but not overcooked. Set aside
Cheese
1. Mix ricotta, 1 1/4 cups mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, and the egg together. Add salt and pepper.
Assembling the Lasagna
1. Use a 8x8 baking dish. Put a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce in the dish to coat the bottom.
2. Create layers, making sure to make a complete layer (but not too thick). The layers go in the order: pasta, cheese, vegetables, sauce.
3. When you reach the top layer of sauce, then add one more layer of pasta, sauce, then the reserved mozzarella and a bit of parmesan.
4. Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet. Use foil to tent the dish, but allow for ventilation.
5. Bake lasagna for 40 minutes with the foil on. Then remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes.
6. After the hour of baking, remove the lasagna from the oven. Baked pastas like to rest a bit before being sliced and served. They hold up a bit better. If you can't wait, just don't expect a stack--it will still taste delicious though. Wait for 10-20 minutes, if you can stand it.
7. Enjoy!
Very Vegetarian Chili
It is the season of Lent. This year I have given up eating meat for 40 days. I am having fun experimenting with Vegetarian recipes. Hopefully you will enjoy my experiments. As always, if I use a new recipe I tend to change it a bit, so you should feel free to do the same.
This recipe for Chili is inspired by the Moosewood cookbook series. I left out things like bulgur and corn, then I added things like carrots and extra spice!
So here we go:
Vegetarian Chili
Ingredients:
3 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
3 cups chopped onions
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 14 oz can of black beans, drained
1 14 oz can of kidney beans, drained
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes with their juice
1 TB Cumin
1 TB Chili Powder
Cayenne Pepper and salt to taste
(You might add a cup of corn, some black olives, or any other veggie you think would taste delicious in here)
Directions:
1. In a large pot, sauté onions, garlic, and carrots in 1 TB of cooking oil over medium heat until translucent.
2. Add chopped peppers to the pot. Cook the peppers for 2-3 minutes if you would like them to retain a bit of crunch. If you want them soft then put them in with the onions and carrots.
3. When the peppers have reached the desired texture, stir in the beans, tomatoes, and spices.
4. Turn the heat down and allow the chili to simmer for 15-30 minutes. The longer it simmers the thicker it becomes and the more the flavors incorporate.
5. Sprinkle with grated cheese, avocado, cliantro, green onions, or anything else you like on your chili.
6. Enjoy!
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