Let’s Get Crack(er)in’

Posted on November 27, 2013 by melsmosaic

Pre-dinner, appetizers, crackers. Go to store, reach for X box. Get home, open cardboard then bag (or just rip open the bag of pita chips — don’t lie). Why must we always do this?

I am crafting ideas for an event in a couple weeks and wanted to do a test pilot recipe for homemade super crisp crackers. Did some googling and an Alton Brown recipe came up on Food TV‘s site. How can you go wrong with Alton? I used the basics and threw in some lemon zest and vodka to complement some of the fish I aim to serve the crackers with.

Ingredients

5 ounces whole-wheat flour
4 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling

<used all whole wheat because I was out of regular!>
1/3 cup poppy seeds
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 1/2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 1/2 ounces water
<used 1.5 ounces vodka and 5 ounces water>
added 1.5 teaspoons lemon zest

I went with the awesome Penzey’s dry lemon peel for my zest that I wanted to add. Add water, 15 minutes later, voila!

Then, you just mix the dry ingredients, blend in the wet ones, knead a few times and break into 8 small balls of dough.

You let them sit for 15 minutes then roll them out to desired thickness, based on what kind of cracker you’d like.

Put the entire piece of dough in the oven. You’re supposed to flip them half way but I love baking stuff on oven-proof racks to avoid the flipping need. After 6-15 minutes, depending on what you choose (based on Alton’s specs), take the crisps out of the oven, let cool, then break into desired size of crackers.

The recipe (online) got rave reviews. I think my effort to put my own flavor into it altered it a bit in an off way (the vodka made them a bit ‘soggy’) but they are still darn edible. I just always love tweaking things. But, give them a try! Very easy to make and a fun alternative to store-bought crackers.

Tired of Mashed Potatoes?

Posted on November 18, 2013 by melsmosaic

As I was going for new dishes this weekend, I came across a recipe that sounded delicious that I had to try. With Thanksgiving around the corner, I like testing recipes and/because my family definitely doesn’t stick to conventional dishes during the holiday. This recipe could definitely replace mashed potatoes! I found a Cooking Light recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Cranberry-Chipotle Dressing. What a blend of flavors. From a little sweet to a bit of heat.

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup water

2 teaspoons honey
1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkinseeds) — I used almonds because I couldn’t easily get pepitas
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Place sweet potatoes on a large jelly-roll pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until tender, turning after 15 minutes.

3. Place remaining 1 tablespoon oil, cranberries, water, and honey in a saucepan. Remove 1 or 2 chiles from can; finely chop to equal 1 tablespoon. Add chopped chipotle and 1 teaspoon adobo sauce to pan (reserve remaining chiles and sauce for another use). Place pan over medium-low heat; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 10 minutes or until cranberries pop, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Mash with a potato masher or fork until chunky.

4. Place pepitas in a medium skillet; cook over medium heat 4 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan frequently.

5. Combine potatoes, pepitas, onions, and cilantro in a bowl. Add cranberry mixture to bowl; toss gently to coat.

Great, great recipe! Will totally make this again and it will likely be on Turkey Day.

Salt Cake Red Snapper…oh my!

Posted on November 18, 2013 by melsmosaic

I have been on a mission lately to make a salt cake fish and finally got it done. I did some research and various recipes came up with different takes on the concept. Type of fish varied, what to stuff the fish with, how to make the salt cake, cooking temp & time. So, between the research and the guy at the fish shop, I went at it. I opted for a nice red snapper and for 2 people the fish shop suggested about 2 lb. fish (jumping ahead, there was a good amount left).

For stuffing it, I opted for peppercorns, bay leaves and grapefruit.

Next, the caking! For this one, I took a recipe suggestion and put salt (only) on the baking sheet, then the fish on top of that, then caked the fish in salt.

Threw it in the oven at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes (roughly 9 minutes/pound per some recipes). When it was done…nicely browned salt around the edges.

Then, break it apart and enjoy!

This was delicious. So easy to make, so moist, great flavors, highly recommend it!

Cold Weather = Hot Stew

Posted on November 14, 2013 by melsmosaic

The nerve of November to bring cold weather! It has gotten me in the hot soup/stew mood and I finally made some the other night. I flipped through several cookbooks and recipe binders I have and found one that I couldn’t remember if I’d made before so checked it out. So Monday night I crafted some of Cooking Light’s Dijon Chicken Stew with Potatoes and Kale.

It took a good hour+ and was well worth it. First, the aroma of leeks and garlic made my mouth water then the simmering for ‘way too long’ made it nice and warm in my apartment. When I got my first taste, despite my tongue getting burnt (OW!), very tasty! The recipe says it’s 6 servings and that is a good call. I have been enjoying leftovers for lunch all week.

My next thought for soup/stew is either posole or a lemon-type soup a friend gave me a recipe for a couple years back.

Mushroom & White Bean Crostini

Posted on November 14, 2013 by melsmosaic

A cold afternoon can only get better with the amazing aroma of mushrooms and fresh herbs! I was having some friends over the other day and we always enjoy hummus as one of our snacks so had to do something different. I came across a new recipe that has one of their favorite foods in it — mushrooms — and then it has the beans of hummus, too. Perfect! So I whipped up a Mushroom & White Bean Crostini. I made a few changes to the original recipe based on what I had on hand and lactose intolerance.

Ingredients

1 (French) baguette, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3/4 cup garlic infused olive oil — just used the regular stuff and sprinkled the bread with garlic powder
1 Tablespoon butter — didn’t use any
1 Tablespoon olive oil — ‘some’ — accounting for no butter
8 ounces sliced mushrooms, cleaned and patted dry — picked up a pack at Trader Joe’s
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch Kosher salt
1 15.9 ounce can Bush’s Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed — used Cannellini Beans
2 Tablespoons Italian Herbs — went with flat leaf parsley and fresh rosemary — totally more than 2 tbsp
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese — nixed that for my own reasons — let me know how it tastes

Time to cook!

I put the slices of baguette under the broiler — translation nice and quick vs. extended toasting.

Next, per the recipe, heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil, <butter> and mushrooms. Sauté for 5-10 minutes or until mushrooms release their moisture and begin to shrink. Continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated. The kitchen started smelling so good!

Then, get those herbs ready! Now, aroma overload. This is one of the reasons we cook!!!!

Next, add minced garlic, salt, herbs and beans. Stir and cook over medium heat until mixture is heated through.

Finally —

I served this in a bowl and let guests dish it onto bread on their own or just put it on their plate and eat it with a fork. Otherwise the recipe mentions…To assemble each piece of Crostini, place a spoonful of mushroom bean mixture on top of a slice of toasted bread. Top with shredded baby swiss cheese.
This was so, so good. Would be great to serve at upcoming parties and can be easily transported if not served on bread if you want to take it somewhere. You can easily make it ahead of time and heat it up when you arrived at required location.

You say dolmades, I say dolmas

Posted on October 29, 2013 by melsmosaic

In the end, they’re all the same. I was making dolmas the other night for a supper club, for the 2nd time in about 8 years because they are a food that I do not enjoy preparing but thought I’d give them another try. I have wondered about the difference in the two names so did a bit of research. And, it’s not rocket science. Based on various sources, dolmas OR dolmades is just the plural form of dolma. So on we go.

I checked out several recipes and after weighing my options I went for Tyler Florence’s.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/dolmades-stuffed-grape-leaves-recipe/index.html

I made a couple substitutions because I had them on hand and they wouldn’t alter the taste too much:

-almonds vs. pine nuts

-veggie vs. chicken stock

-dry vs. fresh dill

So to begin, prep the onion, fennel, lemon zest.

Saute the onion, fennel, nuts, zest and rice…ahh, smells good. Then add some stock and when done stir in dill, parsley, S&P.

Then you blanch the grape leaves. I think this is what the recipe I used years ago didn’t have me do so that caused tearing (both ripping and water coming out of my eyes from frustration) issues. You do that for 5 minutes.

Then the true work begins. Get those leaves separated. Have one ready, put about 2 tablespoons of mixture in the center, be strategic in rolling (all in the recipe), then place in a dutch oven. You roll and roll, then roll some more. Eventually you run out of filling.

You put the pot on the stove, put some stock to cover the dolmas half way, some olive oil and lemon juice.

They cook for about 30-40 minutes and voila! I was a bit disappointed in mine. The rice wasn’t quite done, but I didn’t determine this until too late. I made, I ate, I will next time and thereafter forever enjoy them from elsewhere (aka restaurant or storebought).

Curiosity…

Posted on September 9, 2013 by melsmosaic

…might kill the cat, but it only creates a (better) cook.

I had this huge bunch of basil left from a recipe I made yesterday and was trying to figure out what I could/should do with it. Didn’t want tomato-basil salad, pesto wasn’t striking my fancy so decided to walk into my kitchen and see what I could do. I opened the freezer and scanned what was in there that I could be creative with and also looked around the counter. And the wheels starting spinning…

I was going to make a unique (?) dressing with fresh basil, fresh lime juice, shallot, pepper, black sea salt (decided that after the first blend) and a bit of olive oil. Wanted to play with appliances so threw it all in the mini-prep. That’s all it took. WOW!

Then, the ingredients I found — simple, basic, easy and healthy — what other words do I need? Like I said, I found them ‘sitting’ around — some were in the freezer and some were fresh. Sort of mentioned this in another post — use what you have! Corn, tomatoes, edamame, mango, olives.

Put them in a bowl (some of each — no specific quantities or ratios), toss with the dressing. Can we say colorful?

Then I served the salad with some pan seared scallops. Great balance of flavors all around. And, a pretty healthy Sunday night meal. Also, with the rest of my tons of basil, I did make pesto — basil, walnuts, olive oil, S&P — that’s it. Forgot garlic…

Use What You Have

Posted on September 5, 2013 by melsmosaic

It’s amazing what you can find in the kitchen, between both the cupboards and what you recently bought at the store, that can make a great meal. I got creative tonight and whipped up a tasty salad that required nothing but ‘shopping’ in my own cupboards and fridge. It took less than 10 minutes but has and will provide(d) hours of happiness, from a full stomach…to multiple meals, aka leftovers.

Ingredients:

-(Trader Joe’s) couscous
-(Trader Joe’s) grape tomatoes
-(Trader Joe’s) frozen artichoke hearts
-(Costco) hearts of palm
-Grapefruit
-Leftover chicken breasts
–Tessemae‘s Lemonette
-S&P

Directions:

-Cook couscous per directions — boil water, put in couscous, let sit 5 minutes.
-While that’s happening, defrost artichoke hearts, cut hearts of palm, peel and cut grapefruit. The chicken I had was already sliced from last night.
-When couscous is done, place in large bowl, top with all other (solid) ingredients. Toss with salad dressing, season to taste. Eat.

Rough, right? Just think about all the additions/subtractions/changes you could make to this, too, to fit your tastes.

-add nuts
-add beans (garbanzo (chick peas), black, kidney)
-no meat
-seafood (I’m out of chicken — only had a couple pieces left so salmon or tuna’s going in there tomorrow)
-dried fruit
-different dressing
-more seasoning
-base of quinoa vs. couscous

What’s the most important thing? You can make SO MUCH out of what is in your kitchen so you don’t have to go out night after night. What’s the worse case scenario? You experiment, it’s not great. You know everything that went in there and you just keep trying. Cook on my friends, cook on.

Easy Wrap-Up Dinner

Posted on August 20, 2013 by melsmosaic

So I’m a bit late writing about a quick, easy wrap-up dinner I made for Sunday night. It only took a few minutes but gave so many flavors that it was just perfect, and it was lactose free! Served some wine with it and it made going back to work on Monday even worse. Always think…make things easy…use this during the week if you want to.

I had a yellow squash that had been around for a few days that I needed to use before it went bad. So I just sliced that and put it in a pan for a bit until it was cooked to the level I wanted. A few minutes before it was done, I threw some grape tomatoes in the pan just to have them ‘pop.’ I’d been craving shrimp, so I pulled some of the frozen one out of the freezer earlier in the day. I just pan seared those about half way through the cooking of the yellow squash. Oh, for spices on these, I just picked one of my Penzey’s blends.

I looked in my fridge for what else to serve. Had some grapefruit that I always love and they are highly recommended to eat before a meal (if you’re able to) — just having it on the plate was good enough for me. Served a couple pieces of that. And I can never turn olives down. Threw some of the greek ones from Trader Joe’s on there. Had also grabbed some bread earlier in the day and just did some olive oil, S&P for dipping.

Next, the vino! At the liquor store outside of Annapolis this time, Edgewater Liquors, the recommendation was La Mondianese Grignolino. Was about $16… Very light, refreshing…will have to get more.

Also had a little bit of Cline’s Cool Climate Pinot Noir. This is one of my favorites. Since it’s grown where the temps don’t rise a ton (I learned the specs once and don’t remember all the details), it has a different taste than the other Pinot. It’s usually about $18-$20.

Love finishing the week with a nice dinner before starting a new one.

Zuch-anoush and More Mediterranean Flair

Posted on August 1, 2013 by melsmosaic

More playing in the kitchen! I had this enormous zucchini that my friend gave me from her garden that led me make a twist to one of my favorite dips. When I can find Baba Ganoush without dairy (yogurt) because of my lactose intolerance I love it, but it can be hard. So, I tend to make it at home. But, it’s fun to make small changes to the recipe. Therefore, I have made it with zucchini vs. eggplant a few times. The hardest part of all this is thinking ahead and roasting the zucchini a for a good 45 or so minutes. You just cut the zucchini into big chunks, throw it on a cookie sheet and put it in oven at about 425 to roast it.

When it’s done, you want to be sure to squeeze it to get rid of extra water. After that, throw it in the food processor and add tahini, lemon juice, garlic, S&P…and any other spices you might like. This batch seemed to be missing something but it was still good! I dipped carrots and crackers into it.

I was in a Mediterranean mood that day and continued in the kitchen and made a Village salad. I’d grabbed a great yellow (vs traditional red) tomato at the farmer’s market and added a cucumber that I had from my friend’s garden and some greek olives. I had a red onion in my fridge but totally forget to put that in there. I threw some other ingredients in the mix to both clear out my fridge and add some fun — celery and walnuts. Sprinkled with a Penzey’s spice mix and olive oil. Great, healthy, hearty meal!