My Baking Adventures

I’m supposed to be packing for our short adventure to L.A. tomorrow, but I’d rather write about this chili instead.

Is that strange?

Not if you know me.

We aren’t leaving until early afternoon, so I can power-pack first thing in the morning – and we aren’t going to rush, because the weather forecast is rain, rain, and more rain. We are allowing extra time for the drive – my mom’s birthday party isn’t until 7 o’clock tomorrow night, and I can watch rain fall here just as easily as I can watch it from a hotel room.

All this talk of rain is making me wish for a big bowl of chili……. with cornbread……..mmmm, cornbread…….

* ahem *

I’ve been making this chili for several years now, but decided to really shake things up this time around and do something totally different. The original recipe called for beef broth – but I channeled my inner “Dinner-Impossible” creativity and used a bottle of beer instead. I figured, since it works so well in my brisket recipe, why not here?

And as luck would have it, it worked perfectly! (Phew! That could have been a big disaster if it didn’t!)

Just so you know, you cannot taste the beer in the finished product – it harmonizes with the spices to create a rich, hearty chili that is superior to anything in a can – plus, there is very little hands-on work involved.You can add beans if you like – sometimes I do, and sometimes I throw caution to the wind and leave them out. Depends upon how daring I feel that day.

I like to walk on the wild side.

6 Hour Chili – adapted from Williams Sonoma

2 ½  lb. ground beef
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 – 14 oz. can chopped tomatoes with juices – (I puree it so the kids don’t see chunks of tomatoes)
4 tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tbs. cornmeal
1 – 12 oz bottle beer

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, brown the beef, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a slow cooker.

Add the garlic, yellow onion, tomatoes with juices, chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, cornmeal and beer to the slow cooker and stir to blend. Cover and cook for 6 hours on high.

Ladle the chili into warmed bowls and garnish with sour cream, red onion, cheese and/or cilantro.

Last week, while browsing the aisles of Costco, I came across a package of jumbo shrimp that immediately sparked my memory bank to this recipe – which I had set aside the day before.

Cosmic coincidence? I wish – it was merely a matter of finding something to make for dinner that didn’t require using the ovens, because they were still dysfunctional at that time.

And yes, I really meant to say dysfunctional – because there is no such word as “unfunctional” (even auto-correct says so), and non-operational is just so……. industrial sounding.

I have got to give up the cold medicine. My vocabulary is starting to make my head spin.

Shrimp with Cannellini Beans and Spinach - adapted from Food and Wine

2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 pound baby spinach (7 cups)
1 lb. large shrimp, shelled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Spread the spinach on a large platter. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbs. olive oil. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and cook it over moderately high heat until just white throughout, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, season with salt and pepper and toss until heated through, about 1 minute. Scrape the shrimp and beans onto the bed of spinach.
In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the shallot and cook over moderately low heat until softened, about 1 minute. Add the mustard to the skillet and whisk in the red wine vinegar, then whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Season the dressing with salt and pepper, pour it over the salad and serve.

This year, one of my goals is to cook something that I really love at least once a week, even if I’m the only one that will eat it. After all, I’ve mastered the ability to scale down recipes, so I no longer have any excuses about the quantity of a particular recipe (and yes, I’m looking at YOU Ina Garten!).

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables, but I usually have it parmesan-style. However, making eggplant parmesan is extremely time-consuming, and free time is an oxymoron in my world, so I simply had to come up with an alternative.

I think I hit the jackpot with this one – eggplant, peppers and shallots – all covered with a light blanket of Fontina cheese.

Ok, ok, it was more like a heavy winter coat of cheese. Ahhhh – but it was so good!

Eggplant and Fontina Gratin - adapted from my recipes.com

4 tbs. olive oil
1  large eggplant (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
½ red bell pepper, chopped
½ yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 shallot, sliced thinly
2  cloves garlic, minced
3  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley
1/2  teaspoon  fresh-ground black pepper
1 cup grated fontina cheese

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring frequently, until the eggplant is soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the bell peppers, shallots garlic, parsley, and cook 3 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer mixture to a greased shallow baking dish or gratin dish

2. Heat the broiler. Sprinkle the cheese over the mixture, and broil until the cheese melts and starts to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Whew! What a great game last night! I was rooting for the Saints (much to the dismay of the rest of my family) – but, like every year, I think I enjoy the commercials more than the game itself. My favorite one was the Doritos commercial at the very beginning of the game – when the dog was begging for a chip, but had a bark collar on – and the guy says, you have to bark for a chip – so the dog takes his collar off and puts it on the guy, then starts barking so the guy gets zapped! I almost spit out my drink laughing – I know, I know,  I’m easily amused!

Oh, and explaining “The Who”  to the kids – now that was comical. When the band first took the stage they both looked at me and said, “Who are these old guys?”

Um, yeah.

So after a night of excess (I‘m not pointing any fingers), let’s start off the week with something healthy. But this post is actually dedicated to my dad – because he thinks my children are unusual due to the fact that they ask for seconds of vegetables. I’ve always ascribed to the theory that vegetables should taste good – not mushy or overcooked. After all, I don’t like them that way, so why would they?

I was feeling creative the other night, and found myself not wanting to cook spinach the same way I usually do – in olive oil with a splash of lemon juice. And because we’ve recently become enamored with shallots – they aren’t as pungent as regular onions but add a pleasant flavor that isn’t sharp or astringent, I decided to toss a few into the pan along with several strips of bacon that I found in the fridge.

The result? Utter chaos – forks flying, the platter being passed back and forth at blinding speed – and when the dust finally settled, the platter was empty.

And both kids declared this to be the only way they want spinach prepared from now on.

Spinach with Shallots and Bacon – our new family recipe!

2 tbs. butter
2 tbs. olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 lb spinach

4 strips crisply cooked bacon, crumbled

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallots, and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are lightly golden. Add the bacon, and continue to stir and cook to incorporate the flavors. Once the bacon is heated through, add the spinach and stir and toss until the spinach is cooked but not limp. Season with fresh black pepper and a pinch of salt. Serve hot!

I have a confession to make.

No, I’m not hiding a stash of chocolate in my closet. Who said that?

This is the first time I’ve ever cooked lentils.

Ever.

In my entire life.

And I cooked them perfectly.

Score! I recently learned that David really likes lentils, and you know what? I didn’t know I liked them so much either. This soup is very hearty and warming and full of flavor. Just the ticket for a cold and rainy day – and we had plenty of those last week.

And in case you were curious – Sabrina couldn’t eat it (she’s allergic to lentils) and Alexander took one look at them and said, “No way”. I think it was the color that turned him off, because he does like most beans.

I didn’t change too much within the recipe – I used extra lean sausage from Fresh and Easy Market (no MSG or preservatives thankyouverymuch), and cooked it in the oven instead of browning it on the cook top. I just sautéed all the vegetables in the olive oil and added the sausage at the end of the recipe. In fact, next time I make it I might leave the sausage out completely. It was nice, but not 100 percent necessary. Some warm, crusty bread? Absolutely necessary.

And one more thing – a warning, actually  – this makes a lot of soup! Since it rained all last week, though, it made a perfect lunch. But there was still a lot leftover. Does anyone know if you can freeze lentils? I didn’t even think to try it. Oh well.

I’m submitting this to Deb from Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sundays post – check it out!

Lentil Soup with Spicy Italian Sausage - adapted from Bon Appetit

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fully cooked hot Italian sausage, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped (about 3 cups)
2 large carrots, peeled, chopped (about 1 3/4 cups)
2 large parsnips, peeled, chopped (about 1 3/4 cups)
2 large celery stalks, chopped about 1 cup
21/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning blend (I used Mrs. Dash Tomato/Basil/Garlic)
1 pound brown lentils (about 2 1/3 cups)
3 quarts (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1 5-ounce package baby spinach leaves

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to bowl. Add onion, carrots, parsnips, celery, and Italian seasoning blend to drippings in pot; cook until onion is translucent and vegetables begin to soften, stirring often, 7 to 8 minutes. Add lentils; stir to coat. Add 3 quarts broth. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally and adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if soup is too thick, 20 minutes.
Add sausage to soup and simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors blend, 10 to 12 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.

I don’t have too much to say today – I’ve come to the end of a very long and tiring road. It’s a relief, to say the least – and I can feel the weight of the last few weeks evaporating from my shoulders.

But instead of giving you a long, drawn out, complicated and sometimes almost comical “Explanation of the Situation” (and no, not the guy from the Jersey Shore), I will tell you that last night, David had surgery – and after a battery of tests and a misdiagnosis, he will indeed be just fine.

Which is good, because I threatened to kill him if he didn’t get better.

Where is all this going? I have no clue. I don’t know how this dialogue started, but let’s get to the point here – I found it very therapeutic to make and form a pastry crust last weekend after all the test results came back negative. I was in the midst of  half-supervising Sabrina as she formed paper into the various stages of paper airplanes for her Science Fair project. I couldn’t just stand there, I had to do something.  And after I had the crust all ready, I realized I wasn’t in the mood for a sweet pie, so I figured, hey, I’ll make a quiche! After all, what could be better than vegetables mixed with cheese baked into a crust?

Chocolate cake would be better! Well, I asked, didn’t I?

However, my doctor has advised me that as much as I’d like to, I simply cannot live on chocolate alone.

Little does he know…………

Mwah ha ha ha ha ha!

* ahem *

Back to the quiche  – in my opinion, it’s a good way to use up whatever stray vegetables are laying around – and in this case, it was a bag of spinach that was threatening to unionize with the zucchini if I didn’t get them out of the cold. Ha! So I cooked them instead. That will teach them not to complain.

The biggest difference for me this time around was the crust. I recently discovered Gale Gand’s pastry crust, and I think this one is “it”. I was skeptical about the use of red wine vinegar, but I couldn’t taste it in the final product. It was so light and crispy – the perfect surrounding for the creamy quiche filling.

I’ve given my version of the crust utilizing all purpose and white whole wheat, but if it suits you better, just use all purpose flour.

Pastry Crust - adapted from Gale Gand

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¼ cup ice water
1 tsp red wine vinegar

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flours, salt and sugar – process just to combine. Add the butter, and process using on/off turns until you have a crumbly, sandy mixture – you should still be able to see pieces of butter.

Combine the water and red wine vinegar – and pour into the processor with the motor running. Process just until the dough comes together. Dump the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, and form it into a flat disk. Wrap it up and chill it for an hour. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board into a 10 inch circle. Gently place the dough into the pie pan, fold the edges under and crimp them decoratively. Chill while preparing the filling.

Ricotta Spinach Pie - adapted from Bon Appetit, 1996

3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 10 oz bag fresh spinach
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
8 ounce mozzarella cheese, grated
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 large eggs, beaten to blend

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Mix in spinach and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add zucchini and continue to cook until almost all liquid from spinach evaporates, about 3-4 minutes.Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Mix in eggs. Add cooled spinach mixture; blend well.

Spoon cheese mixture into pie crust and smooth the top. Bake until filling is set in center and brown on top, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut pie into wedges.

What you are about to see may shock you, so those of you with weak constitutions might want to leave the room.

Still here?

Good – because you are about to witness Sabrina and Alexander’s all time favorite vegetable side dish.

I know what you’re thinking (and shame on you!) – corn and lima beans? What’s the big deal?

Well, it’s not, I suppose – but how many kids do you know that admit to liking lima beans? Uh huh – that’s what I thought.

In my limited experience with young, impressionable palates, I have converted more kids to the veggie side of the world with this dish than any other vegetable.

I think it’s the fact that the sweet corn tames the flavor of lima beans (however, that fact has not been scientifically proven, as my kids will eat limas straight) – but I haven’t met a child yet who can resist this.

Perhaps it’s simply my winning personality that really sells it (stop laughing)  – or the fact that I threaten dinner guests with no dessert if they don’t at least try it. Once they get past their own self-imposed mental block, they discover that hey, they like it! And, as my kids will tell you, one of the secrets to great vegetables is NOT to overcook them. Who wants to eat mushy veggies?

As a side note, you may notice that there is green onion mixed in there – I happened to have some on hand, but I’ve also used red onion too – it’s delicious! Simply add a small handful of finely chopped red or green onions to the skillet.

Corn and Limas - by me!

1 – 16 oz bag of frozen limas
1 – 15 oz can sweet corn – drained

2 tbs. butter
Salt and fresh black pepper

Place the frozen lima beans in a medium sized saucepan and add enough water to just cover them. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the limas are still firm – about 3 minutes. Drain well.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, and when it starts sizzling, add the limas and drained corn. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn starts to get crispy around the edges, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve while hot!

Yield: 4 servings

Man!

This past week has just left me completely and totally wiped out. I mean it. I’m dead. You may not think I am, because I’m still typing, but I’m dead.

I’m used to posting every day, but the month of January is almost over, and I’ve posted like 12 times. Yes, I checked. Between work, home stuff, medical issues with David, school, and basketball/cheerleading schedules, I don’t know who I am or where I’m going sometimes.

I need a vacation from my life, and STAT!

Either that, or a stiff drink. Hmm, the latter might just work……………..

In the interest of preserving the mother motto of “Always Be Prepared”, I made 3 batches of soup the other night. I figured this way, we’d have something nutritious and warm and ready at a moment’s notice. With all the rain we’ve had (I know, I know -  California’s getting slammed right now), soup has been the perfect antidote for the weather. I actually like the rain, don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice change – but the dogs are miserable – and let’s face it, the smell of wet dog isn’t exactly something to be excited about.

Moving on.

While figuring out just which soups I wanted to make, Sabrina told me that when my parents took her and Alexander to Islands Restaurant a few weeks ago, she enjoyed a bowl of Mexican Tortilla Soup – which gave me the idea to try Ina Garten’s version.

This soup, easily made vegetarian by substituting beans for the chicken, was absolutely delicious. In fact, the kids each had a bowl after school today, while I took a 20 minute power nap on the sofa.

Much to my husband’s dismay, I am one of those people that can nap in the middle of the day, and easily go to sleep by 9 o’clock tonight.

Hey, I’m making up for lost time – you know, from when the kids were little!

A few notes about the recipe: I used my trusty slow cooker to poach the chicken, instead of roasting it – and used the resulting stock for the soup (a first for me!). I also pureed the soup with my stick blender, to avoid any issues with the kids about chunky stuff. Other than that, I followed the recipe as is.

I’m sending this to my buddy Deb, from Kahakai Kitchen,  who always inspires me with her super healthy posts.

Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup - adapted from Ina Garten

4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
1 tbs. canned roasted hot chile peppers
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas

For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts skin in a 5 qt. slow cooker, cover with water, add a bay leaf and about a tablespoon of whole black peppercorns and set the machine to high for 4 hours. Remove the chicken from the crock, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside. Strain the liquid from the slow cooker and use for the soup.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, chile peppers, cumin, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Puree with a stick blender for a smoother consistency.  Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.

I confess, I’m not much of a TV watcher. It’s hard to get involved with a program when you are interrupted every 2.6 minutes from someone asking if they can change the channel because they don’t like what you are watching.

And no, Spongebob Squarepants doesn’t qualify as educational television.

My only real TV time is when I am on the treadmill or stationary bike. Oh, there are still interruptions, but they are less frequent because I have the channel set to the Food Network and the remote is hidden from sight.

If I time it right, I can catch Barefoot Contessa and 30 Minute Meals back to back during my workout – and then, if I like what they’ve made, I can go right to the computer to print out the recipes I want to try.

Last week, during my 12 mile ride, I watched Rachael Ray make these Chicken Bacon Bites for a fondue party – and while I skipped the fondue part, I modified the chicken just enough to make these a perfect part of my Christmas Day Buffet.

The only issue I had with them is the cooking process. Rachael instructs you to place spinach on top of raw chicken, then wrap bacon around the two and bake for 20 minutes.

Well……..that’s good in theory. But the reality is that the bacon doesn’t get crispy enough during that time. I ended up broiling them for a few minutes just to brown the bacon a bit more. Flavor wise, these were a hit – and I’ll definitely make them again, but I think I’ll precook the bacon to the point where it’s still flexible but way past the raw stage.

Chicken Bacon Bites - adapted from Rachael Ray

1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach (I used fresh spinach that I sautéed first)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
6 slices good quality smoky bacon, halved
12 chicken tenders, cut in half (I used 2 whole breasts, cut into large chunks)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil Garlic seasoning

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil and set aside.

Defrost spinach in microwave. Halve the chicken tenders and set aside. Wring out the spinach in a clean dish towel and put the spinach in a small dish. Top each piece of chicken with a little spinach and wrap with bacon. Arrange, seem side down, on the baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with pepper and Mrs. Dash. Bake until golden and firm, 18 to 20 minutes.

As much as we love mashed potatoes in this house, they can get a bit…….. boring. Roasted potatoes are great too, and grilled is fabulous as well, but in the interest of my ever-expanding culinary repertoire, I am constantly on the hunt for new ideas.

And as luck would have it, the day I went grocery shopping the market had some wonderfully fresh leeks just coming out of the shipping box. I sorted through and picked out the best ones, then sifted through my mental list of “recipes to try”.

I have had this particular recipe in mind for quite some time, so with the help of David’s razor-sharp mandoline, I got to work. Layers of potatoes with sauteed leeks and cheese – ahhh, as Ina would say, “How great is that?”

I don’t know why I had a fear of this being a super complicated recipe, but truthfully, the hardest part was setting up the mandoline. Otherwise, it was a cake-walk.

First, line the pan with a round of parchment, then make a row of potatoes. As you can see, I made it extra fancy:

Cover with a layer of the sauteed leeks, and season with salt and pepper:

Cover with a layer of cheese:

Then another layer of potatoes:

Another layer of leeks:

A bit more cheese (which you can’t see, because I forgot to photograph it, and I wasn’t going to take it apart), then the last layer of potatoes, and season again with salt and pepper:

Bake at 375 for at least an hour. Mine actually took longer – I think it ended up being about an hour and a half – but just start checking after an hour. The potatoes should be tender all the way through – and if the top gets too browned, just cover it with a sheet of foil (I had to do this as well).

Ta-da! Fresh from the oven:

And gratuitous interior shot:

The kids verdict? Two thumbs up. David’s verdict? A big grin, because his mouth was full.

Potato Leek Galette - adapted from Everyday Food

3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 pounds (5 to 6 medium) baking potatoes, peeled
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 leeks, white and light-green parts, well washed
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack set in top third.

Slice the leeks into ¼” slices, then saute in a small pan over medium heat with 1 tbs. butter and 1 tbs. olive oil until tender and just turning golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside while preparing the potatoes.

Line bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with a round of parchment paper. Place melted butter in a large bowl. Using a mandoline or cutting by hand, slice the potatoes 1/8 inch thick, and add to bowl with butter. Season potatoes with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. In prepared pan, arrange some of the potatoes around edge of pan, overlapping the slices.
Fill center of pan with more overlapping slices. Sprinkle with half the leek and half the cheese; season with salt and pepper. Repeat with another layer of potatoes and remaining leek and cheese; season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining potatoes. Using a spatula, press galette down firmly.
Bake until potatoes are tender, 70 to 80 minutes, pressing down firmly twice with a spatula during cooking. Run knife around edge of pan. Remove sides of pan, invert onto a cutting board, remove parchment paper, and reinvert onto serving plate. Cut into wedges, and serve.