A few weeks ago Kim mentioned these in one of her blogs. I knew immediately I wanted to try it because who doesn't love cookies and ice cream? A big shout-out to Rebecca for actually mixing the cookies for me - otherwise we would have just eaten ice cream and that wouldn't have been nearly as fun.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2009/04/chocolate_chip_cookies_on_crac.html
I used the recipe that Kim suggests (although any recipe you like would do). It nicely filled 6 4-inch ramekins (see picture). I topped with caramel ice cream and it was heavenly.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Elegant Orzo with Wilted Spinach and PIne Nuts
I found this when I searched allrecipes.com using the ingredients spinach and red pepper. In this case it was calling for red pepper flakes, which I went light on, but caught my eye none the less. This was good warm and cold (the next day as left overs). This strikes me as a very forgiving recipe so adding and subtracting at will is probably OK. I think adding fresh basil at the end would make it very good too.
INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked orzo
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup pine nuts
1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (8 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
1/2 fresh tomato, chopped (I used 1 package of grape tomatoes cut in half)
salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. (Firm or slightly undercooked orzo works best for this dish.) Drain, transfer to a mixing bowl, and set aside.
Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, stirring to blend. Stir in garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes, and reduce heat to medium. Stir in pine nuts and cook until lightly browned. Add spinach, cover, and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, or until spinach is wilted.
Toss spinach mixture with orzo pasta. Portion onto serving plates with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese and chopped tomatoes. Allow guests to adjust seasoning with salt, as needed.
INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked orzo
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup pine nuts
1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (8 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
1/2 fresh tomato, chopped (I used 1 package of grape tomatoes cut in half)
salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. (Firm or slightly undercooked orzo works best for this dish.) Drain, transfer to a mixing bowl, and set aside.
Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, stirring to blend. Stir in garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes, and reduce heat to medium. Stir in pine nuts and cook until lightly browned. Add spinach, cover, and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, or until spinach is wilted.
Toss spinach mixture with orzo pasta. Portion onto serving plates with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese and chopped tomatoes. Allow guests to adjust seasoning with salt, as needed.
Summer Squash Pizza Crust
This was fairly easy and good - however, I would line the pan with parchment paper for easier flipping -Rebecca had the misfortune to watch me try to flip this without it. I shredded the zucchini and yellow squash the night before. Draining excess liquid from the squash is key. I served with tomato sauce and a cheese spread, although pesto would be good too. and of course actually using as a pizza crust would probably be a good idea too.
Ingredients:
4 cups finely shredded zucchini or yellow summer squash
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Once zucchini or summer squash has been shredded lightly salt the squash and transfer it to a strainer. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes and press all remaining liquid out of squash.
3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine squash, flour, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, pepper and salt. Mix well.
4. Spread the mixture into a greased and floured jelly roll pan (line with parchment paper!). Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven.
5. Remove the crust from the oven and change the oven's temperature to broil. Brush the top of the crust with oil, and then broil the crust for 3 to 5 minutes until the top is lightly browned.
6. Allow the crust to cool slightly and slide spatula underneath all edges and under the middle. Place a large baking sheet over the top of the crust and gently flip the crust over so that the bottom of the crust is now facing upwards. Because it can be difficult to flip the crust smoothly, it may be necessary to cut the crust in half to facilitate the flipping of the crust.
7. Brush the top of the crust with oil (I added chopped fresh rosemary) and broil for another 3 to 5 minutes until the top is browned.
Cover with toppings as desired.
Ingredients:
4 cups finely shredded zucchini or yellow summer squash
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Once zucchini or summer squash has been shredded lightly salt the squash and transfer it to a strainer. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes and press all remaining liquid out of squash.
3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine squash, flour, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, pepper and salt. Mix well.
4. Spread the mixture into a greased and floured jelly roll pan (line with parchment paper!). Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven.
5. Remove the crust from the oven and change the oven's temperature to broil. Brush the top of the crust with oil, and then broil the crust for 3 to 5 minutes until the top is lightly browned.
6. Allow the crust to cool slightly and slide spatula underneath all edges and under the middle. Place a large baking sheet over the top of the crust and gently flip the crust over so that the bottom of the crust is now facing upwards. Because it can be difficult to flip the crust smoothly, it may be necessary to cut the crust in half to facilitate the flipping of the crust.
7. Brush the top of the crust with oil (I added chopped fresh rosemary) and broil for another 3 to 5 minutes until the top is browned.
Cover with toppings as desired.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Zucchini and crack
Elegant Orzo with Wilted Spinach and Pine Nuts
Chocolate Chip cookies on Crack
The usual dinner crew with a few additions.
My menu was inspired by 2 different things: zucchini and crack -- one was on sale at the market, the other recently written about in a blog by the lovely Kim O'Donnell http://voices.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/?hpid=news-col-blog-viewall.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Stir-fried chicken with lime and coconut
This recipe was originally published in How to Cook by Delia Smith, but I found it in another compilation of recipes. There are two things I love about it:
1. It tastes complicated, but it's actually really easy with relatively few ingredients, so it makes for a great weeknight meal.
2. It's already scaled for two servings, so I don't have to convert any measurements or end up with a big batch of leftovers. (Not that there is anything wrong with leftovers, but sometimes you just don't want to deal with them, you know?)
Anyway, here it is...
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and lime zest and juice. Stir well and let marinate for 1 hour.
In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden. Add the chile and stir-fry for 1 minute more. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, half the scallions, and 3 tablespoons of the cilantro. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve with jasmine rice and sprinkle the remaining scallions and cilantro over the top.
1. It tastes complicated, but it's actually really easy with relatively few ingredients, so it makes for a great weeknight meal.
2. It's already scaled for two servings, so I don't have to convert any measurements or end up with a big batch of leftovers. (Not that there is anything wrong with leftovers, but sometimes you just don't want to deal with them, you know?)
Anyway, here it is...
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- Grated zest and juice of 1 large lime
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 hot green chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 2/3 c. canned unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 tsp. fish sauce (nam pla)
- 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch shreds (including the greens)
- 6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and lime zest and juice. Stir well and let marinate for 1 hour.
In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden. Add the chile and stir-fry for 1 minute more. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, half the scallions, and 3 tablespoons of the cilantro. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve with jasmine rice and sprinkle the remaining scallions and cilantro over the top.
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This works out really slick... I zest and squeeze the lime while defrosting a couple of frozen chicken breast halves. Once I have chopped the chicken and gotten it marinating, I have about half an hour to get a load of laundry going, check my e-mail, whatever. Then I start the rice, and while it's cooking I chop the chile, scallions, and cilantro. After that I can get out the rest of the ingredients and start the stir-fry. By the time it's done, so is the rice... perfect!
I'm guessing that you could easily substitute shrimp or even tofu into this recipe, though you would need to adjust your marinating and stir-frying time. If you go the tofu route, you can make the dish vegan by substituting light soy sauce for the fish sauce and adding a pinch of sugar. Your dish won't have that distinctive fish sauce twang, but at least you'll get the salty-sweet aspect of it.
Also, I've found that I use less cilantro and scallion than the recipe calls for, only about 4 tablespoons cilantro and 3 scallions. That's still a lot of flavor but fewer leafy bits to get stuck in your teeth.
I'm guessing that you could easily substitute shrimp or even tofu into this recipe, though you would need to adjust your marinating and stir-frying time. If you go the tofu route, you can make the dish vegan by substituting light soy sauce for the fish sauce and adding a pinch of sugar. Your dish won't have that distinctive fish sauce twang, but at least you'll get the salty-sweet aspect of it.
Also, I've found that I use less cilantro and scallion than the recipe calls for, only about 4 tablespoons cilantro and 3 scallions. That's still a lot of flavor but fewer leafy bits to get stuck in your teeth.
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