Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad

Ah, Fall! Thank you for the abundance of orange foods - pumpkins, butternut squash, sweet potatoes - and a plethora of ways to enjoy them. Sweet potatoes are most commonly prepared to emphasize their sweetness, with added brown sugar and cinnamon, but they can be fantastic in a spicy, savory dish, such as Mark Bittman's Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- I didn't have red bell pepper, so used an orange one. It tasted the same, but wasn't as pretty.

- To amp up the heat, I threw in some additional chopped hot peppers.

- Just in case we might find the citrus overwhelming, I added half the lime juice.

- This versatile dish can be served warm or cold

the verdict:

I had high hopes for this salad, and it met and exceeded them! Despite the extra peppers that I added, there wasn't a ton of heat in this dish, but it was flavorful and delicious. I love that it can be served at any temperature, and can serve as a filling lunch or a side dish at Thanksgiving.

Mexican Street Salad

Browsing for recipes is one of my favorite pasttimes. My cookbook shelves are filled to overflowing and I love paging through them, contemplating the possibilities. On the bottom shelf is a basket piled high with magazine clippings and handwritten pages, an invitation to delicious exploration.

But lately the recipes come directly to me. Via Twitter. I "follow" a couple dozen content-heavy contacts - @finecooking, @nytimesfood, @ruhlman, @bittman, @beardfoundation, @MarthaStewart, @bflay, @seriouseats and the list goes on. From their tweets, I've learned about food, restaurants, cooking events, and at least several days a week I've learned what's for dinner at my house.

A fun person to follow on Twitter is Jamie Oliver (@jamie_oliver), the UK chef who champions cooking at home. Jamie's website features a recipe of the day, and it comes across daily on Twitter. Here are some sample Tweets from Jamie:

"rite u loverly lot recipe of the day is delicious blackbery and apple pie ... perfect for this time of year jxx" (Sep 25, 2009) [I bookmarked it]

"simple chicken salad recipe of the day http://bit.ly/gW1oS enjoy jxxx" (Oct 7, 2009) [I made it; will post soon]"perfect for this time of year, grilled and marinated rabbit ... jxxx" (Oct 13, 2009) [um, I'll probably skip this one]

One of Jamie's recent projects is "Jamie's American Roadtrip," a television show that's currently airing in the UK, and an accompanying cookbook, "Jamie's America." Some of Jamie's tweets are about the show:

"thanks for all the loverly mesages about the show last nite glad u all liked it the navajo were amazing jxx"(Oct 7, 2009)
" http://twitpic.com/ka3mj - me and the navaho queen from this tuesdays programe hope your all well jamie oxx" (Oct 4, 2009)

Here's one that really caught my attention:

"u can see loads of recipes from the new book http://bit.ly/1tuUpo just clik on the book cover jxxx" (Sept 1, 2009)

I clicked on the link and found some wonderful recipes from his American roadtrip. The Mexican Street Salad caught my attention immediately. I had cabbage on order from my farm box, so I made sure I had the other ingredients on hand.


n.o.e.'s notes:

- Essentially the salad is made up of lots of sliced fresh vegetables and hot chiles with a zippy dressing of lime juice, olive oil and salt.

- Jamie says that it's easiest to use a food processor or mandolin to slice the vegetables. I found an "as seen on TV" mandolin set at Marshalls, which I inaugurated with this recipe. The mandolin made quick work of the shredding with minimal cleanup. Given how sharp the blade is, however, I plan to use the hand guard every time I use it.

- Although the recipe suggests using or substituting other vegetables, I followed it as written: white cabbage, red cabbage, radishes, carrots, onions, hot peppers (I used our homegrown serranos). I'd love to try other veggies too: celery, fennel, green beans, sweet peppers, broccoli.

the verdict:

Although it has similar ingredients to a coleslaw, it has none of coleslaw's creamy subtlety. This salad is lively! It really emphasizes the taste of the fresh vegetables. I made half recipe and ended up with a ton of salad. It lasted well for several days and each time it was as delicious as the first. We never got tired of it, and the next week I made another batch!

Flash-Roasted Halibut on Green Herbs

I love popping into my local library and browsing the cookbook section. I've found some wonderful books there, ones that I've added to my own library, and others that I've politely returned. One that I've enjoyed is The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper cookbook. Although I haven't listened to the radio show, the book itself is quite inventive in layout and is so interesting that it can double as bedtime reading.

One of the first recipes that I bookmarked was for Flash-Roasted Trout on Green Herbs. I love fish and this sounded like a quick and tasty weeknight dish. I substituted my favorite fish, halibut.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- The fish didn't get as browned as I would have liked, but that was mostly an aesthetic objection.

- I wish I'd removed the bottom skin from the pieces of fish so the herbs would have steeped up through the fish as it cooked. As it was the herbs still gave delicious flavor to the fish.

the verdict:

Served with steamed broccoli, a bountiful summer salad, and some crusty ciabatta (still store-bought), this was a wonderful dinner. I loved being able to step outside to my herb plants and pick everything I needed for the bed of herbs, and, even more, I loved finding a delicious recipe from a great new cookbook.

the recipe:

Flash-Roasted Halibut on Green Herbs
Adapted from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper

Extra virgin olive oil
6 or 7 sprigs each of fresh herbs similar to herbes de Provence, a total of 38 sprigs
4 whole scallions, coarse chopped
4 whole farmed rainbow trout, rinsed and patted dry (I substituted halibut filets)
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1 large lemon cut into 4 wedges

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil a large shallow roasting pan and preheat in middle of oven.

2. Rinse herbs and scallions and dry them on paper towels.

3. Make 3 slashed in the skin side of the fish. Rub olive oil on the outside of the fish and into the slashes. Put crushed garlic into slashes and salt and pepper the fish.

4. Scatter herbs and scallions on the heated pan to create a nest for the fish; lay the fish on top, with room between the pieces of fish. Roast until fish is nearly opaque.

5. With two spatulas, lift fish on the herbs onto serving platter. Squeeze lemon juice over the fish and garnish with lemon wedges.

Roasted Chile Lime Chickpeas with Cilantro

We were looking for a great-but-not-too-unhealthy munchy snack and these Roasted Chile Lime Chickpeas with Cilantro fit the bill nicely; we started with dried chickpeas which we soaked, cooked, then roasted as directed in this recipe (which uses canned), and ended up with irresistable bits of crunchy spiciness (check the recipe for other flavor combinations) which carried the added benefit of an impressive nutritional profile!

Stir Fried Tofu

My daughter J.D.E. found this easy recipe for Stir-Fried Tofu in Mark Bittman's big red book How to Cook Everything (it's also in his big green How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and online); we loved the flavors - and the wonderful smell as it cooked! - but found ourselves wishing for some kind of crunchy texture (cashews or peanuts would be great as Bittman suggests in the variations) and a bit more spicy heat, so we'd also add the optional chiles (or red pepper flakes).

Dorie's Fruit Terrine and Vintage Pan Giveaway

I was very excited to read Dorie Greenspan's blog post highlighting her recipes for today's Parade Magazine because there was a gorgeous summer fruit terrine. I have some beautiful blackberries from my farm box that needed to be used, and honestly, I can't imagine a more light and refreshing summer dish! I had another reason to be excited, and you'll find out about that a bit farther down in this post... (unless you happen to have been tipped off by the post title!)

n.o.e.'s notes:

- This terrine highlights beautifully ripe berries along with citrus fruit. I used 1.5 cup each of blackberries and raspberries. I didn't quite use all of the sections from my 1 grapefruit and 2 navel oranges, but as you can see, my terrine was packed with fruit. I peeled the citrus sections (which I find terribly tedious, but very pretty).

- I used grapefruit juice, because I thought its tartness would be a terrific counterpoint to the sweet berries.


- Here's a piece of advice: first stir in the citrus and any sturdy berries that you are using, such as strawberries or blueberries, then gently fold in tender berries such as blackberries and raspberries. This was slap-the-forehead-obvious to me right after I added the blackberries. Which I did first. As I stirred in the other fruit, very gingerly, the blackberries began to disintegrate. I never got the fruit distributed well enough, and little blackberry bits are quite visible in my terrine.

the verdict:

With just a tiny bit of sugar added, this terrine is not much more than fruit plus a bit of juice. But its so pretty and so refreshingly healthy that it would be a great brunch dish, or a light finish to a meal, served with yogurt or creme fraiche.

And now we come to the main reason that I was excited to see Dorie's recipe. I knew it would be perfect in my long loaf pan. I was already planning to write a blog post today about this pan, and Dorie's recipe gave me a simple refreshing recipe to show it off.

It is a vintage pan, in a very hard-to-find size (10 1/4" x 3 5/8"), and with its straight sides it is perfect for terrines, pates, and even layer cakes - it produces nice rectangular slices. It is equivalent to a "one pound loaf pan" so is ideal for quick breads and yeast breads. Because it is slim, breads cook more quickly and evenly, with much less chance of having a too-done outside and under-done inside.

My mother has cooked in this type of pan since she was first married in 1950, and my pair are my favorites of all of my baking pans.

And... drumroll, please!

You have a chance to win your very own rare vintage pans - I am giving away a pair to celebrate my one year blogiversary!!

This kind of pan is scarcer than hen's teeth, so I was thrilled to locate some! These are a bit worn, scratched, and dinged, but they are nice and shiny inside so will release their contents well (especially when lined with parchment, see pictures below). They are aluminum, so I always hand-wash mine to protect the finish.

If you are interested in winning this pair of pans, leave a comment to this post by Friday, July 24 at noon Eastern time, making sure that I have a way to contact you, either by comment on your blog or via email. I will choose the winner with the help of a random number generator. I'm happy to ship these pans anywhere in the world, so feel free to enter no matter where you are located.

I cook and bake in my pans all the time. Here are some of the things I've posted in the past year:

French Riviera (Yogurt) Cake:

Chocolate Banded Ice Cream Torte:

Cranberry Coffeecake:

Berry and sorbet mosaic:

And finally, I need to give special thanks to my husband Jim, who is my #1 supporter and taste tester! Over the past year he has gotten quite used to waiting for his food (he even asks now, "Did you photograph this?") and to providing comments "for the record." He's even written some guest verdicts for the blog. Thanks, Jim!

Our wedding anniversary was yesterday; here we were 28 years ago:


[Update: I'm happy to report that Amy of My Famous Recipe has won the vintage pan giveaway!]

Cod with Leeks and Tomatoes

Last week when I was at the market I picked up a lovely piece of cod. I knew I wanted to prepare it with herbs and tomatoes, and found this quick recipe in my Everyday Food cookbook.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- Although lemon + fish are a great combination, I didn't want the lemon to dominte the vegetables, so I cut it a bit (we could always add lemon juice at the table). I used no lemon zest and about half the lemon juice.

- I chopped a fresh tomato instead of using cherry tomatoes.

- The leeks had roasted in the oven for 10 minutes before I realized that I'd forgotten the thyme, so I added thyme and tomatoes and roasted for 3 additional minutes before adding the cod. The whole dish roasted for about 15 minutes more before the fish tested done.

- I sprinkled on fresh oregano and flat leaf parsley before serving

the verdict:

This was a fabulous light and tasty dish for summer (as long as you don't mind heating your oven to 450 degrees!) Crusty ciabiatta - yes, storebought - and spinach salad rounded out the delicious meal. I will be making this simple, healthy, and flavorful dish again!

Parmesan Flans with Tomatoes and Basil

When I saw the recipe for Parmesan Flans with Tomatoes and Basil I was transfixed. All of my favorite flavors in one beautiful dish. Eggs! Cheese! Tomatoes! I couldn't wait to try it!

n.o.e.'s notes:

- I replaced one of the eggs with 1/4 cup of egg substitute.

- I used Trader Joe's shredded parmesan and ran it through the mini food processor.

- For pans I used two ceramic and two glass ramekins. The flans baked in the ceramic ramekins cooked quicker than those in the glass, pulling away from the sides of their dishes. For some reason, though, I decided to serve the ones in the glass for the two of us for dinner. They were runny inside but almost tough on the outside. In contrast, the flans in the ceramic dishes were perfectly cooked through and not tough at all. They even survived gentle reheating in the microwave the next day. If I were to use the glass ramekins again, I'd cook at a lower temperature, and check the done-ness more carefully.


- I plated one of the flans on a bed of arugula, topped with tomatoes and basil (picture below), and the other just with the tomato and ribbons of basil (picture up top).

the verdict:

My husband was not very enthusiastic about these flans. For one thing, he's rarely a fan of egg dishes (he worries about the cholesterol in eggs). Another problem: "when I think of 'flans' I expect something sweet." These were most definitely savory and not at all sweet. I though the flavor of the flan was great, but the basil verged on overpowering the taste of the other ingredients. In the future I might just do the bed of arugula and topping of chopped tomatoes.

My husband's thumbs down vote on the flans just left more for me, and I ate the leftovers happily. A dish that qualifies as healthy, pretty, easy, and tasty is a winner in my book! This would make a great luncheon dish, paired with a soup and some sort of roll or bread.

Three Sisters Saute with Sage Pesto

Last fall, at the very end of fresh squash season, I stumbled across this side dish recipe, and, given my obsession with sage (and the large supply of it growing in my garden) I cooked it right up. The draft post got a little buried, and by the time I found it, summer squash season was long gone. So the post overwintered in my drafts folder, patiently waiting until summer for its moment of glory! It's worth the wait, though, because this is a terrific way to use the bounty of summer produce.

The recipe was from a Food Network show whose theme was Native American cuisine, apparently. This recipe showcases a wonderful trio of ingredients; the "three sisters" tomatoes, squash and beans (or is it corn, squash and beans?)

n.o.e.'s notes:

- The recipe calls for heirloom beans. Some info about heirloom beans can be found here and cooking instructions for dried heirlooms are here . I love the idea of using heirlooms beans, but this time my beans were more like relics - I used dried limas. I think you could use cooked fresh or frozen beans as well.

- I have no idea why the recipe makes so much pesto when only 1/3 cup of it is used for the vegetables. I made 1/2 recipe which equaled = approximately 2/3 cup.

the verdict:

We really enjoyed this dish. The veggies cooked up tender but not too soft. The pesto, which, by the way, tastes terrific straight from a spoon, took on kind of a wonderful dusky flavor on the vegetables. These veggies would be a great accompaniment to any kind of grilled or roasted meat. Next time I might try the leftover pesto on pasta.

May m.o.m. - Strawberry Basil Muffins

By the next morning, when I took this picture, the streusel topping had melded with the muffin top.

After last month's muffin post, one of my favorite bloggers, Wendy of Pink Stripes, tipped me off to a wonderful springtime muffin that she thought would be a good Muffin of the Month for me to make for my mother. Not only was that an exceptionally thoughtful suggestion, Wendy managed to hit the nail right on the head! My mother has a million food allergies and sensitivities, and this recipe is filled with things that my mother actually can eat - and the muffins are healthy and pretty to boot! The original recipe, from Eating Well, is for Strawberry Orange Muffins, but there is a variation for Strawberry Basil Muffins which sounded intriguing. I'm a fool for herbs, so that's what I baked.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- The pink and green colors that accent this muffin variation make it so pretty!

- I love the fact that this recipe has an oil-based streusel - I used light-flavored olive oil. There isn't a ton of topping, and it barely stretched for my 14 muffins.

- Because my silicone muffin molds are dark, I lowered the oven temperature to 380 degrees. Even so, they cooked quickly. I pulled them out at 15 minutes.

- It wasn't until I was jotting down my notes for this recipe that I realized that I forgot to put the oil in the muffin batter. Oops! Luckily they seemed to bake up nicely.

the verdict:

I was anxious to taste a muffin to see if it turned out. It was plenty moist even without the oil, but I'll make sure to include it next time. The muffin wasn't decadent or rich, but had a lovely springtime flavor of strawberries and fresh herbs.

For some reason my streusel topping was a little bit salty, but it was more or less successful with the savory notes of the basil. From what I tasted, I can tell that this muffin recipe would be right up my alley, so I will definitely bake the muffins again - and next time hope I don't make any errors!

I'm frustrated that I've managed to mess up my mom's muffins for the second month in a row. As a consolation gift, I gave her a loaf of Anadama bread - click to see my Anadama post on my new bread blog.

Tune in next month; we'll see if I can manage to put together a batch of muffins without making any mistakes!

Sweet Melissa's Granola Breakfast Cookies

Cookies for breakfast? That's a concept that only crosses my mind as a guilty pleasure, not a menu plan! But this week the Sweet Melissa Sundays bakers are whipping up Granola Breakfast Cookies, so I gamely joined in. Now, I've made granola cookies once before, using Dorie Greenspan's recipe for the cookies and my homemade granola. My conclusion then? I really liked the granola better by the handful than in cookies. I was wondering if I'd end up feeling the same way about Melissa's.

This was actually a compound recipe; one of the ingredients for the granola cookies is Cherry Almond Granola, a Sweet Melissa recipe that's on the previous page of the cookbook. Although I knew that I could substitute other granola, Melissa's recipe sounded interesting, mostly because of the dried milk powder. Since I have that on hand from bread baking, I went ahead and made a batch of the granola, which gave me enough for the cookies, a quart to give my brother and some left over.

I will save the detailed granola review for when that recipe is chosen for Sweet Melissa Sundays, but here are a few notes: I baked it at the long end of the recommended time and it turned out quite crispy. I ran out of currants (for the second time this month!?) and the neighborhood Publix doesn't carry them so I subbed some chopped dates and figs along with the recipe's golden raisins and cherries. This granola has a nice combination of spices, though it's a bit sweet for my taste.

n.o.e.'s notes:

I made a few minor changes to the cookie dough:

- left out cinnamon and added 1/4 tsp ginger 1/4 tsp of mixed spice

- added 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp almond extract

- used 1 1/4 c whole wheat flour and 1/2 c white whole wheat [edit: the recipe called for whole wheat flour, so I was trying to lighten it up a bit]

As I put them in the oven, I had fond hopes that these would taste like yummy molasses cookies with some great stir-ins added. But that was not to be...

My cookies did not spread at all. They were kinda lumpy and looked rubbery. I put the second half in mini muffin pans and they ended up looking better but still strange.


the verdict:

My cookies were really odd looking and tasting. They were really dense and really sweet. Although they were plenty moist, they tasted kind of "health food-y" and dry. The granola was almost lost in all that denseness. They almost reminded me of a Lara Bar (which I do like) but not quite.

When I was out to dinner last night (where the dessert was apple beignets with absolutely scrumptious granola ice cream!!!) I mentally reviewed my cookie disaster. Suddenly it hit me: I bet I'd left out the egg! I remembered getting it out of the carton and putting it in a bowl on the counter, but I didn't remember cracking it. Aha! When I got home I headed straight to the kitchen, sure I'd find the egg sitting in the bowl. But it wasn't there...

So I'll never know what I did wrong, but I don't plan to try this recipe again to find out. The taste wasn't quite my cuppa tea, and really, I prefer my granola out of cookies more than inside of cookies. I love granola as granola and when I want a cookie, I want to indulge!

Jessica of Singleton in the Kitchen chose this week's recipe. I love Jessica's blog because she's always cooking up yummy treats (especially for her bf) and she loooves a great breakfast! You can find the recipe on her blog post, along with a fun taste test between this recipe and Dorie's.

Before writing this post I sneaked some peeks at some of the other Sweet Melissa Sundays bakers for the real scoop. Here's what I found:

1. Their cookies look like cookies, and

2. They actually like the cookies

You might, too!

Ultimate Yogurt Parfaits with Homemade Granola

A couple of Wednesdays ago, my afternoon 'to do' list ran about like this:

- go to gym; arrive in time to watch Tyler's Ultimate on the Food Network during my workout

- pick up farm box

- go home and make granola. I was going to be seeing my brother the next day and I often give him some of my homemade granola. Since baking the Granola Grabber cookies with TWD in the fall, I've been making my own granola. Commercial granolas can be filled with fat and sugars, and by making my own I make it with the ingredients that I choose. The recipe I've been using is really good; a lot less sweet than most store-bought (and most recipes), it lets the flavors of the fruit and nuts shine through. I'm glad to avoid a big shot of sugar in my morning cereal.

So anyway, I got to the gym and the Tyler's Ultimate episode was ""Saturday Breakfast", including granola parfaits. He made the granola and then the other parfait elements. What luck that the episode just happened to fit my plans for that afternoon! I made [this new granola recipe] that day and the parfaits on Saturday.

Granola notes:

I made the granola recipe from Tyler's show, but it turns out that the recipe Tyler made is credited so someone else. The rest of the parfait - the syrup and the yogurt - are Tyler's [I edited that last sentence to make it a little clearer; this was not my own usual granola recipe]

I made a few changes, mostly to boost the nutritional profile:

- used chopped walnuts not almonds

- replaced the flax seeds with wheat germ. Flax seed is a little hard for us to break down as we eat it, so ground flaxmeal is a better bet nutritionally. But the omega-3s can deteriorate with heat, so I've read that it's better to add flax once the granola is cooked. Or if you make the parfaits, you could stir the flaxmeal into the yogurt. I make sure to have a serving of flaxmeal every day.

- cut the brown sugar in half and added 1/4 cup water to the liquids

- used extra light flavor olive oil for the oil

- For the fruit, I stirred in what I like - 1 1/2 cups of a mixture: golden raisins, dried cherries, dried blueberries, and raisins. I left off the banana chips and dried apricots.

granola verdict:

I did a good job of cutting the sugar, because this granola had just the merest hint of sweetness. Because of its long bake time, the walnuts had a deep toasted flavor which was delicious with the crispy oats and the sweetness of the dried fruit.

I like adding the dried fruit after the granola was cooked - the fruit stayed nice and tender.

I'm thrilled with this new granola, but if you are wanting sweeter granola, add the full amount of brown sugar. This recipe doesn't make a clumpy-style granola - there's not enough of the liquid ingredients.

Parfait notes:

- I prepared a 1/3 recipe of the sauce and the lemon-yogurt.

- There was a partial package of mixed berries in the freezer and I filled in with some frozen wild blueberries. I used a Meyer lemon the berry sauce.

- On the show, Tyler used plain yogurt, but the written recipe calls for vanilla yogurt. I used about 1/2 cup of plain - nonfat Sigghi thinned with a little nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt - and stirred in a splash of Meyer lemon juice and a pinch of its zest. You can make it sweeter by using the vanilla yogurt.

This Icelandic-style yogurt is very thick and packed with protein. Since it's expensive, I use it judiciously.

parfait verdict:

This was a delicious breakfast. The sweet berry sauce was enough to balance the tart unsweetened lemon yogurt, and the granola added texture. Healthy and very delicious!

I'm submitting this post to Tyler Florence Fridays. Check out the roundup to see which of Tyler's yummy recipes have been cooked up this week!

Provencal Beef Daube

I have been making recipes from Cooking Light for more than 20 years. In fact before Cooking Light was a magazine it was a featured section of Southern Living Magazine, and I have some "Cooking Light" recipes that I tore out of Southern Living's pages. I don't subscribe to the magazine but I pick up an occasional issue in the grocery store. In the Fall of 2007 I came home with the 20th Anniversary issue of the magazine, which has turned out to be a veritable treasure-trove and has earned a permanent place on my cookbook shelves. (I've previously posted the Creamed Corn with Bacon and Leeks and the Penne with Vodka Cream Sauce, both from this issue. Edit: also Pasta with Prosciutto and Parmesan and Halibut with Bacon and Mushrooms) Another recipe in the issue that caught my eye was for Provencal Beef Daube, which was tagged as the "Best Beef Dish" in the magazine's history:

"It stands above all our other beef recipes because it offers the homey comfort and convenience of pot roast yet is versatile and sophisticated enough for entertaining."

Given this endorsement, I just had to try the dish for dinner guests. n.o.e.'s notes: I cut my own cubes from a wonderful beef chuck roast that I ordered through my farm box people. The roast was a tiny bit short of the specified 2 pounds, so I increased the carrots a little. As it turned out, the proportion was off - it really needed the full quantity of the meat and fewer carrots than I used. I browned the beef in two batches (in a 3 qt dutch oven, so the meat would brown rather than steam. This was the first time I used my new Lodge enameled cast iron - love the way it cooks. After starting the stew on the stove top, it finishes with 2 1/2 hours in the oven.

Ready to do time in the oven.

the verdict: I ladled the daube over buttered plain and spinach noodles. Although the recipe claims to yield 6 servings, we had just enough for 4 people. We really enjoyed this recipe (aside from wishing that I'd make it with the proper proportions of beef and carrots). All the flavors has mellowed richly during their long slow time in the over. It's as good as my go-to beef stew recipe, and more company-ready. Because it bakes in the oven rather than simmers on the stovetop, it needs less attention, leaving me do other things to prepare for company. Although it is a Cooking Light recipe, it is substantial and hearty - perfect for warming up on a gray, chilly day.

Penne with Vodka Cream Sauce

This recipe for Penne with Vodka Cream Sauce, sporting just 1/4 cup of cream, stopped me in my in my tracks when I came across it in Cooking Light's 20th Anniversary Issue. Cooking Light featured this recipe to illustrate two basic healthy eating principles:

"All foods have a place in a healthful diet" (ie, cream doesn't need to be a pariah), and

"Embellish convenience products with fresh ones" (fresh basil livens up the canned tomatoes that form the base of this sauce.)

n.o.e.'s notes:

This recipe was straightforward and fairly quick.

The only problem I have with Cooking Light recipes is that the stated portion sizes are pretty small (1 cup of the finished pasta/serving in this case). Depending on whether this will be a main course or a side dish, keep in mind that the recipe calls for just 1/2 pound of pasta, and yields 4 cups.

the verdict:

The recipe is quick and easy, and oh, so delicious! I can't believe I've never tasted this sauce before, but from now on it will have a firm place in the pasta recipe rotation at our house.


I'm submitting this post to the Preso Pasta Night's gala 100th roundup. That's a lot of fantastic pasta, folks. Stop by and browse the roundups - you're guaranteed to find a recipe you just can't live without. Congratulations, Ruth and all of the PPN regulars, for a consistently bringing us all of that delectable pasta week after week!

A few links and some thoughts

A very happy K-dog

I spent most of yesterday wrestling with a 22.5 lb turkey. My wonderful farm box folks had some extra (frozen at this point) organic turkeys available, so I ordered one. I picked it up Wednesday, and by this afternoon it was (mostly) thawed. I roasted it the way I did my Thanksgiving turkey. This was for two of us, mind you! It tasted nearly as good as the first time, I'm happy to report. After dinner I got to finish carving the beast, put up the drippings, boil the neck and innards for the dogs, and try to put my kitchen back together. That was one heavy bird and I ended up all tuckered out. (Not to mention that I'd been trying to clean the attic while it roasted.) Now all I have to do is make the stock. My freezer will be very happy when all is said and done.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that nearly all of my unsalted butter (which is a lot, thanks to all that Tuesdays With Dorie baking) and eggs come from my farm box orders. I love cooking with these fresh ingredients!

The New Year has had me thinking about this blog. My plan is to try posting 4x/week:

early Tuesdays (Tuesdays With Dorie baking post),
late Wednesdays,
early Fridays (often Tyler Florence Fridays), and
Saturday or Sunday

This works out to about once a week less than my hitherto usual posting rate. I've got about 40 partially written posts in draft stage, so even if we eat bread and water for the next 10 weeks I'll still be able to post as if I were busy cooking away! I'm hoping to participate in some more "roundup" type blog cooking events. I've enjoyed Tyler Florence Fridays and also Presto Pasta Nights, and I have my eye on a few others.

That being said, here is a stray Monday post. But it's not for anything I've cooked (unless you count that 22.5 lb bird, that is). I want to share a few links that I've been saving for you all. The first two are courtesy of one of my new favorite food folks, Dan Lephard.

1. Back in November, Dan gathered tips from 30 rather prominent folks in the baking world, and published them on the Guardian website. It makes for a fun read.

2. He followed up with a contest for the best baking tips from his readers. The tips are contained in the comments on this post and Dan announced the winner here.

3. One of the New York Times' most viewed stories for 2008 was called "The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating" - imo January is a perfect time to recommit to healthy eating habits and now I know what to put on the grocery list! I've actually heard about the health benefits of most of these foods, and have tried to incorporate them into our diet when possible. But after the holiday rich food marathon, I'm ready for clean living!

Actually, S-dog, it's a little cold for an open door!

Pasta All'Aglio e Olio

I've made this classic Roman dish, many times, from different cooks' recipes (but really, this is a simple pasta, so there's not a whole lot of difference how it's done). This time I thought I'd try Mark Bittman's Linguine with Garlic and Oil, from his book How to Cook Everything (a Christmas gift), and use his Fresh Herb variation. Here's his recipe which includes some of the variations, but not the one I chose, so here's the Fresh Herb variation: (from the book)

[you skip the parsley in the basic recipe, and] "When the garlic is done, toss in a mixture of 1 cup or more fresh herbs, whatever you have on hand.... The mixture will absorb all the oil, so, ... when you toss it with the pasta, be sure to add more oil or some of the pasta-cooking water. Garnish with more chopped herbs."

cook's notes:

- My olive oil of choice for this dish was a nice Spanish (shh!) one.

- I threw in a generous shake of hot pepper flakes. We love our food good and spicy. You can add as much or as little as you'd like.

- I chopped a scant cup of: basil, sage, oregano and thyme. About half was basil, with a tablespoon or so of each of the others. I didn't have time to chop any more herbs or I would have used a bit more, and would have saved some for garnish.

- My pasta was done just a few minutes before my oil+herbs so I stirred in some olive oil and some of the pasta water.

- Just before tossing the pasta into the oil and herbs, I added in some pre-toasted pine nuts (I keep these in my freezer). I contemplated adding some bacon lardons (I also keep these in my freezer) but decided that would be overkill. If you add untoasted pine nuts, put them in the pan and toast them before cooking the garlic.

- This recipe works with any pasta shape. I had some that I was dying to use, and this recipe was a perfect vehicle for it.

the verdict:

This was a really good weeknight dinner for us, combined with an arugula, tomato and parmesan salad. It would have been good with even more herbs, but I ran out of time to strip and chop them. The pine nuts were a great addition and the bacon a good omission.

Since blog cooking roundups seem to work for me, I'm going to try something new, and submit this dish to Presto Pasta Nights. This week's host is Ivy of Kopiaste. I've got to thank the creator of PPN, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast, who makes it all happen! To see some fantastic pasta dishes, hop over to Ivy's blog on Friday and view this week's Roundup.

TFF: Salt and Pepper Salmon

I'm almost embarrassed to post about this recipe for Salt and Pepper Salmon because it is dead easy, and took me 10 minutes start to finish. But I was thrilled to learn the technique, and the results, well, just read on!

cook's notes:

- If you have salmon, you have the ingredients you need for this recipe (salmon, salt, pepper, olive oil, and butter). I did an internet search for "Tyler Florence" and "salmon" and minutes later I was on my way. The most complicated thing was pulling out a few pinbones (well, OK, a lot of them).

- I used some wild-caught previously-frozen sockeye salmon.

- Tyler seems really big on getting the skin nice and crispy. None of us actually ate the skin, but it certainly scored high on the crisp-o-meter.

the verdict:

The three of us loved this fish and finished every morsel; not much left for the poor doggies. The salmon was beautiful in presentation and delicious in flavor. The oil and butter paired nicely and who knew salt and pepper could be the perfect way to season salmon?

This recipe is most definitely a keeper!

I've got to extol the virtues of Tyler Florence Fridays! It is the easiest cooking group ever - members each get to choose a recipe and can participate each week or not. We can even post on any day we choose - the TFF roundup is posted each Friday and if you've posted that week you're included. How cool is that? Very cool, I say, especially since Tyler Florence's recipes are scrumptious!

Cod with Soba Noodles and Spicy Tomato Sauce

I was paging through the December issue of Martha Stewart Living. and a picture of some fish in a Hunt's tomato advertisement just imbedded itself in my imagination and would not leave.  So when I found myself with some cod last week I thought I'd give the recipe a try.  I didn't have all of the required ingredients and I was far too lazy to go to the store, so I improvised.  (I couldn't find the recipe on the Hunt's site, so you won't be able to see the mezmerizing photo, but I've included the recipe at the end of this post.)

cook's notes:

- I didn't have any fresh cilantro, so I just left it out. It was just as well, because my husband and daughter both think cilantro tastes like soap.

- I also left out the toasted sesame oil, which is one oil I don't own.

- We really don't like sugar added to our savory food, so I didn't put it in. It may add some amazing flavor note, but I'll never know.

- I used kale instead of napa cabbage.

- During the browning phase my fish didn't really turn golden, but it did manage to cook almost all the way through. I didn't need to simmer it for more than a few minutes to finish the cooking - nowhere near the 20 minutes the recipe specifies. In fact, the fish was so flaky that it pretty much fell apart in the process of cooking and serving the dish. I found it tricky to have two things in the same pan - the fish and the kale - that needed to be cooked at the same time to particular optimal levels of doneness.

- I doubled the red pepper flakes because we love spicy food.

- My dish looked nothing like the picture in the magazine. Nothing.

the verdict:

This dish has a definite Asian accent, which I found surprising - but not unpleasant - in a tomato-based dish. We all liked it; my husband and daughter were even bigger fans than I was.

A.L.E.'s comment: "This is the stuff."

The soba noodles had a great texture and the kale was in that perfect state just between crunchy and tender. The red pepper added a kick without dominating the dish. I do think I would have liked the cilantro in it.

I will keep this in the rotation, especially when my daughters are visiting, since they love Asian and fish dishes.

the recipe:

Cod with Soba Noodles in Tomato Broth (Hunt's)

4 ounces soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles), uncooked
2 tablespoons Pure Wesson Vegetable Oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 small cod fillets, patted dry
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (14.5 oz) Hunt's Petite Diced Tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
4 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Directions
1. Cook soba noodles according to package directions; cool; set aside.

2. Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute ginger and garlic about 30 seconds or until fragrant.

3. Season cod with salt/ pepper. Add cod to skillet and cook 2 minutes per side or until lightly browned.

4. Stir in undrained tomatoes, broth, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, simmer 20 minutes. Remove cod from skillet; set aside.

5. Add lime juice, basil, cilantro, sugar and sesame oil to skillet; combine. Add cabbage and soba noodles. Simmer, uncovered, 1 - 2 minutes until cabbage is tender.

6. Divide noodle mixture among 6 bowls; top each with cod. Ladle additional broth over cod and noodles. Garnish with green onions. Serve immediately.

Green Bean Drama!

Mollie Katzen (author of the Moosewood Cookbook and others) was featured on NPR in the run-up to Thanksgiving. The story was titled "Making Those Thanksgiving Green Beans Exciting", and I lucked upon it while I was driving. Mollie talked about two different recipes; one of them, Dramatically Seared Green Beans with Garlic and Chile, made it to the final round of our Thanksgiving recipe selection, but ultimately lost out. The recipe continued to intrigue me, and I've cooked them recently.

cook's notes:

- This is a simple, straightforward recipe.

- You can control how tender or crunchy to cook the beans, and can also control the spiciness by adding more, or less, pepper flakes.

the verdict:

These were a huge hit! Not only was the recipe delicious as written, I love the technique of cooking the beans on the stovetop in a skillet over high heat. I'm already thinking of lots of different flavors could be added (tomatoes, citrus, herbs, etc) to beans prepared with this method.

Very quick, very pretty and very tasty.

{T-giving} Pumpkin Soup

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We are having an unusual holiday; since A.L.E. flew in today, and our relatives were otherwise occupied, we only had the three of us for dinner. We decided to split the cooking and eating over two days, and have our Thanksgiving first course and desserts today (with mac n cheese from the freezer), and the turkey and trimmings main course on Friday (with leftover pies, of course!)

Here's a fantastic pumpkin soup that we first tried last year. It made such a big hit with all of us, we just had to repeat it. You can make this recipe in a snap, and it's low fat but so rich and creamy tasting that you'd never know!

Pumpkin Soup
This is my adaptation of a recipe from Epicurious.com, but I can't find the original cite.

2 Tablespoon unsalted butter or less if using a nonstick pan
1 cup chopped onion (I used pre-chopped)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ¾ cups chicken broth (14oz can), or homemade (I used homemade)
1 16oz can pureed pumpkin (I used homemade)
¾ teaspoon brown sugar (packed)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme (I used fresh)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary (I used fresh)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
dash white pepper
dash red/cayenne pepper
dash nutmeg
1 cup evaporated skim milk or combined with 2% milk
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Saute onion and garlic over medium heat for 7-8 minutes until lightly browned.

2. Add broth, pumpkin, and seasonings. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Remove from heat. Stir in milk.

4. In a blender or food processor, combine soup mixture and pecans in batches at low speed for 1 minute. (I pureed in two batches in blender)

5. Return to pan and heat, stirring.

Today, I am overwhelmed with thanks that I have food to eat, a roof over my head, family and friends to share it with. I'm also grateful that I can enjoy cooking as an avocation, with such a bounty of resources and fellow cooks with whom to compare notes.

{Note: I'm celebrating my first 100 blog posts with a cookbook giveaway - to enter, go here and leave a comment before December 3}