Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Herring Pate




We have been trying to eat more fish lately in addition to our weekly salmon dinner (now that Baby O is here!) and one of my more recent creations can either be served as an appetizer or as a main dish for a casual meal. Yes, I know that smoked herring does not sound appetizing at all but it is oh so good for you.

Ingredients:

7.5 can smoked herring
3 oz. lite cream cheese
1/2 lemon, squeezed
a few dashes of hot sauce
1 T of tomato paste (buy the tube of TP... it is much more economical than the cans)

Mix in a foot processor until it reaches a smooth consistency, about 30 seconds. Serve on toasted baguette rounds. We had a meal using leftover ingredients last night so I served this with roasted sweet potatoes and a salad.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

The Best Peach Cobbler Ever... and so easy

Peaches are BIG in southern North Carolina and they are oh so delicious this time of year. In fact, local farmers are reporting that this is one of the best crops they have seen in years so of course I have been stockpiling them in our freezer as fast as I can. I also decided that I should put them to good use in a traditional southern dessert... peach cobbler! I found this recipe online and it had...881 reviews (almost all positive). That Paula Deen really knows here stuff! Unfortunately it was so good that it was all gobbled up before I could get a photo... but I am sure there will be another pan of this soon.

Ingredients:

* 4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
* 2 cups sugar, divided
* 1/2 cup water
* 8 tablespoons butter
* 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* Ground cinnamon, optional

Directions


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. We served it with Breyer's all Natural vanilla!

Paula Deen's Homecooking http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/peach-cobbler-recipe/index.html

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Sweet Potato Fries and Dip

I LOVE sweet potato fries and never pass up an opportunity to try them out if we are out at a restaurant because surprisingly, they always taste different. My favorite part is the dipping sauce(s) that accompany these fries. The best dipping sauces I have tried are served at Bar Cento in Ohio City in Cleveland, Ohio. Sadly, I don't think I will make it back there any time soon. For a few years now I have been trying to find the perfect dip recipe to make at home to accompany the sweet potato fries that we grill or roast in the oven. Finally, last night I hit the jackpot. This sauce was amazing!


Avocado Dip:

* 1 avocado
* 1/3 cup mayonnaise
* 1/3 cup cream cheese
* 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped.
* 2 scallions, white and light green part only, chopped
* 1 lime, juiced
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the avocado, mayonnaise, cream cheese, jalapeno, scallions, and lime juice into a blender or small food processor. Blend for 1 minute or until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Recipe courtesy Ingrid Hoffmann, 2007

Monday, June 21, 2010

Greek Pasta Salad


We are moving! In anticipation of the big packing and moving day I am trying to prepare foods using the ingredients we already have stocked in our cupboard or refrigerator.... Luckily I have been craving this staple of the 1980's for the last few months and we had most of the ingredients available. The only substitution I made was to prepare the salad with prosciutto instead of pepperoni!


Ingredients


* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
* 2 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
* 3 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
* 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1 cup sliced red bell peppers
* 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 1 (4 ounce) can whole black olives
* 3/4 cup sliced pepperoni sausage, cut into strips

Directions


1. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, black pepper, and sugar. Add cooked pasta, mushrooms, tomatoes, red peppers, feta cheese, green onions, olives, and pepperoni. Toss until evenly coated. Cover, and chill 2 hours or overnight.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Edamame with cranberries, feta & basil


We had this salad at a friends' house a few months back and I have been craving it for the last few days since I found a bag of edamame way in the back of my freezer. It is simple, healthy and oh so delicious!

Ingredients

1 16-oz bag frozen, shelled edamame
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (sliced into thin strips)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup reduced-fat feta crumbles
Salt to taste

Directions

Bring small pan of water to boil and remove from heat. Put cranberries in water and let sit for 5 minutes to rehydrate. Drain well, removing as much water as possible (I squeeze lightly in paper towels) and set aside.

Cook edamame in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Pat dry.

Toss edamame, cranberries, basil, olive oil and pepper together. Add salt, if desired. Gently stir in feta cheese. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Serves 4.

www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Monday, April 12, 2010

Flank Steak with Artichoke-Potato Hash with Aleppo Pepper Aioli

With only a week to go until our induction Mr. E. decided to go all out with a steak dinner--this meal was delicious and definitely one we will be making again... The aioli would be the perfect accompaniment for sweet potato fries and I have been on the hunt for a good sweet potato fry aioli for awhile!

Ingredients
AIOLI

* 2 garlic cloves, pressed
* 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (see note at the bottom)
* 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon Sherry wine vinegar

steak


* 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
* 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper
* 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 1 1/2- to 2-pound flank steak
* 1/2 lemon
* 8 baby artichokes, stems trimmed (we used one can of baby artichokes since we did not have access to fresh nor the time!)
* 1 1/4 pounds unpeeled small yellow potatoes (such as baby Dutch or Russian Banana)
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 fresh thyme sprigs
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
* 1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Preparation
aioli

* Mash garlic, Aleppo pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt to paste in mortar with pestle or in small bowl with back of spoon. Whisk in remaining ingredients. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

STEAK


* Mix thyme, Aleppo pepper, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in small bowl. Rub seasoning mixture into steak; set aside. DO AHEAD Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.

* Squeeze juice from lemon half into medium bowl of water. Cut 1/2 inch from tops of artichokes. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, break off dark outer leaves until only pale yellow leaves remain. Cut artichokes lengthwise in half; cut each half into 1/2-inch wedges. Place in lemon water to prevent browning.

* Place potatoes in heavy large saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover; sprinkle with salt. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-high and boil until potatoes are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain. Transfer to baking sheet until cool enough to handle. Halve or quarter potatoes.

* Drain artichokes; pat to dry well, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add artichokes and sauté until browned, about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, thyme sprigs, and garlic. Cover skillet and simmer over medium heat until artichokes are tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover and boil until no liquid remains, stirring often, 2 to 3 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and potatoes; stir to coat. Add cream and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are heated through and browned in spots, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Season hash to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

*Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat peanut oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add steak and cook until bottom is brown, about 2 minutes. Turn steak over; transfer to oven and roast until cooked to desired doneness, about 7 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to work surface; tent with foil to keep warm. Let rest 10 minutes.

*Meanwhile, rewarm artichoke-potato hash gently over medium heat. Stir in chopped chives. Thinly slice steak crosswise. Divide steak and hash among plates. Drizzle some aioli over steak. Serve, passing remaining aioli alongside.

**We did not have aleppo pepper seasoning so Mr. E. found this website to be helpful http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/280141*

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting


For Christina's birthday we went to a local Hibachi restaurant not only for the food, but also for the show! We had a great time and Brett took home the longest Saki shot award with 42 seconds! We concluded the evening with these yummy cupcakes--very Hibachi right?

Ingredients
cupcakes


* 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 very ripe large bananas, peeled
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 large egg
* 1 large egg yolk

frosting


* 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
* 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or freshly ground)
* Chopped lightly salted roasted peanuts (optional)

Preparation
CUPCAKES

* Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Mash bananas with fork in another medium bowl until smooth. Mix sour cream and vanilla into bananas.
* Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and beat until well blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with banana-sour cream mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until blended after each addition. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups (generous 1/4 cup for each).
* Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack and let cool completely.

FROSTING


*Sift powdered sugar into large bowl. Add cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until smooth. Spread frosting over top of cupcakes, dividing equally. Sprinkle lightly with chopped peanuts, if desired. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

www.bonappetit.com