Fresh Peach Cake

I'm ready for summer.  This winter has been nothing to complain about.  Especially compared to the last two winters.  However, my want for summer became clear a couple of times this week.

The first time was when this became an exciting view for me...

hmmm....feet are never an exciting view.  It's not the feet so much as the matching socks.  Matching socks are the equivalent of gold in our house.  Many people believe they have a sock troll that lives in their dryer.  I know we have  a sock troll that roams our house by the name of Gus.  He loves socks.  He can smell a sock from a mile away.  He will then do anything he can to conquer said sock.

Our sock troll guarding his fresh catch of the day

I'm ready for warmer weather for the freedom of socks.  Warmer weather means sandals and flip flops.  I won't have to search every laundry basket for two socks that may pass as matching.  In the last month, my attempts have just become pathetic.  I've reached the point where similar colors or patterns will pass.  In my wintery sockless haze I've come to accept one grey sock with stripes to match a black sock with stripes.  The stripes themselves don't even match.

I'm also ready for summer for the bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables.  I've noticed that many of the recipes I'm picking involve fresh fruit.  These recipes are good now, but I know they would be full of so much more flavor in the summer.

Here is one recipe I tried last week.  The cake was delicious.  In the summer when peaches are in season, it will be wonderful.  I'm posting it now, but it will deserve a revisit this summer.  I give it 3.5 cookies with out of season peaches.

Fresh Peach Cake

Ingredients:
1/4 lb- (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 lg. ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:
Click here to see directions

Bangers and Mustard Mash

How could I not want to try a recipe with this title.  This is another recipe from Barefoot Contessa, How Easy Is That?.  I had heard Bangers and Mash before but never knew exactly what it was.  It is a brat served over a big mound of mashed potatoes.  Brats and potatoes are among my favorites.

All my tabbed recipes I want to try

I briefly looked up some back ground info on the title for the traditional British meal.  Brats used to have a higher water content, especially during WWII.  The higher water content made them explode and pop more while cooking.  People started calling them bangers.  This was one theory on the title that I found interesting.

I changed the recipe slightly to match some ingredients I had on hand.  It turned out really good.  The potatoes were a little too salty.  However, when you made sure each bite had a combo of bangers and mash you didn't notice the salt as much.  I reduced the amount of salt in the recipe below.

Bangers and Mustard Mash
Based on Barefoot Contessa's recipe.  Click here to see original.

Ingredients:
2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
4 Tbl unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
4 oz sour cream
1 Tbl Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried mustard
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbl Kosher salt (divided)
Brats (I used Johnsonville Pork and Chicken brats)

Directions:
1.  peel and quater potatoes.  Place in large saucepan with 1 Tbl. of salt and cover with water.  Boil potatoes for 20-25 minutes or until soft.
2.  Just before the potatoes are finished, start grilling the brats.  They will typically need about 5 minutes on each side.
3.  Drain potatoes and place in large mixing bowl.  Add butter, milk, sour cream and beat together until smooth.  You can add more milk if they are too stiff.
4.  Add mustards and pepper and mix together.  Add the remaining 1/2 Tbl of salt to taste.
5.  Serve brats over a big mound of potatoes

Tuna and Hummus Sandwiches

Over the weekend I spent some time at the library.  I perused through all of their cooking books.  I wanted to bring about 50 books home with me.  I settled on three with the promise of coming back in a few weeks to check out some more.  One of the books I picked up was Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?.  I enjoy Barefoot Contessa.  I actually just want to be her living in the Hamptons with a gorgeous house and gorgeous garden.  And she hangs out with Alec Baldwin.

Photo by Quentin Bacon

I enjoy this book because it too has lots of beautiful pictures.  I went through and marked each recipe I was interested in trying.  I ended up marking fifteen recipes.  I've already tried three.  The first is Tuna and Hummus Sandwiches.  I made a few changes because I didn't have the ingredients or didn't feel like buying them.  I often make tuna salad by just throwing together the ingredients but never following a recipe.  It was actually nice to follow a recipe this time.

The hummus is a nice addition.  I give it 3 cookies because I find it hard to give tuna salad more.  I like tuna salad, but I have to be in the mood for it.

Tuna and Hummus Sandwiches
(Based on Barefoot Contessa's recipe.  Click here to see the original)
14 oz canned tuna
2 Tbl minced yellow onion
4 Tbl minced cucumber
2 Tbl lemon juice
2 Tbl mayonnaise
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp black pepper ground
sliced radishes
sourdough bread
Hummus (store bought or homemade)

Directions:
1.  In mixing bowl combine the tuna, onion, cucumber, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper.
2.  Toast the sourdough bread.
3.  Spread hummus over the sourdough toast.  Spread the tuna over the hummus.  Garnish with the sliced radish.


6 Servings/ 7 points each

Palak Murg (Indian spiced chicken with spinach)

We had a weekend of relaxing and catching up.  Ben spent the afternoon making asiago cheese.  I thought I should try out another Indian recipe for dinner.  I found a recipe for Palak Murg in Complete Indian Cooking.  The description says "quick and simple to make."  I thought this would be a good one to try tonight.  I'm on the mend from my head cold/sinus infection.  I still feel like I have no energy.  Quick and simple is what I needed.

This recipe was surprising mild dish that still had good spice or flavor.  I ended up with too much liquid left in the pan. The onions I used were enormous.  Next time, I will make sure I use two small onions or one large onion. It was still really good.

The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs of spinach.  I only had 1 pound.  That is a lot of spinach to fit in a saucepan.  I added as much spinach as possible, let it simmer down, and then added more spinach.  I had to do this about 3 different times.

Ben gave this recipe 4 cookies.  I give it 3.5 cookies.  The spinach base was a nice change to our typical meals.  Unfortunately the picture does not make this meal look super appetizing.

We had left overs served over rice.  It was good.

Ingredients
3 Tbl oil
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
1 inch fresh ginger
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 lbs chicken
1 1/2 lb fresh spinach (I used only 1 lb)
2-3 Tbl milk (optional)

Directions
1.  Heat oil in saucepan.  Add onions and cook over low to medium heat until golden.
2.  Mince the garlic and ginger.  Add garlic and ginger to the onions.  Add the ground coriander and chili powder.  Continue to cook for a couple of minutes.
3.  Cut chicken into pieces and add to onion mixture.  Cook until chicken is browned on all sides.
4.  Add spinach to saucepan.  Mix in with chicken.  Simmer for 35 minutes.

The book said to add milk if the mixture dried out while cooking.  I did not have this problem.

6 servings/ 6 points each (does not include rice)

Valentines Day: Artichoke Mushroom Lasagna

Five years ago today, Ben proposed to me.  I'm so thankful for the last five years.  We may seem like a mess even together at times, but we would be in chaos without each other.

I love holidays.  And I don't typically opt to not celebrate anything.  However, Ben was working all day and I had and endless list of things to do before I went to work in the evening.  I'm still dealing with a crazy head cold.  So it seemed too stressful to pull some sort of celebration together.

I changed my mind mid morning.  I decided on baking brownies and then preparing a lasagna that Ben could throw in the oven while I was working.  I could then come home and we could have a wonderful dinner together.  That was the plan...

How I pictured dinner in my head.  Ben and I being graceful and enjoying the moment.  And the table/room were perfectly set.

 
I was in the middle of baking brownies when I got a call.  The call was for me to come in for a 2nd interview that day.  The same day they called!  Of course I said yes.  Now I had to add prep interview outfit and myself to the list.  Needless to say I was a bit distracted in my baking.  Finished brownies were missing a few key ingredients.

I made pathetic attempts at accomplishing remaining tasks on my to do list while processing information for my interview.  I quickly ran to the store to buy ingredients for the lasagna.  I could go to the interview and then come home and assemble the lasagna.  All would go as planned.

I went to the interview.  It went well.  I confidently walk out to my car and realize I locked my keys inside...with my cell phone...and my coat.  At this point I contemplated walking 2 miles home in heals and no coat.  Instead I walked back inside, where I just interviewed, to use a phone to call someone to pick me up.  This was embarrassing to say the least.

Over an hour later I'm finally back at the house.  I have 10 minutes until I have to be at work.  I'm thinking all hopes of a lasagna are shot, when Ben comes home.  He puts on his hero cape and agrees to fix the lasagna while I'm at work.  It will be ready when I get home and we will still have planned wonderful dinner!  I set off for work with hope restored.  Dreaming of enjoying a glass of wine when I return.

Yes, Ben wears this under his clothes while he works

 I come home to find Ben in a state of frenzy.  He had been cooking for close to 2 hours and was just now assembling the lasagna.  It still had to bake for an hour.  He then declares that he does not like cooking because it is way too stressful.

Around 9:30 we finally sit down to eat.  The day had not come close to going as planned.  Ben and I were both stressed and exhausted.  But the lasagna was delicious.  And I got to spend time with my favorite valentine.

Our dinner was more a version of this

I was excited to try this recipe from the April/May 2011 issue of Taste of Home.  It exceeded my expectations.  We both rated the lasagna as 4.5 cookies.  It was so good!

Ingredients:
1 lb. sliced baby portobello mushrooms
2 Tbl. butter
3 garlic cloves
2 cans artichoke hearts (14 oz)
1 cup white wine (we used a pinot grigio)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese (we used 1 1/2 cups parmesan and 1 cup asiago)
1 cup white wine

Lasagna noodles (the recipe called for no cook.  We used noodles that needed pre cooked)
4 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions here


9 large servings/ 14 points each

Aloo Cakes

Another endeavor in my Indian adventures this month.  My mother in law gave me a wonderful cook book a few years ago called, Complete Indian Cooking.  I've tried a few recipes and they have been great.  I love the book because of the pictures.  If I can't see a picture of the recipe, I rarely make the dish.  This book has amazing pictures for each recipe.  Every page looks like the following:

I've had an insane cold for the last week.  I'm wanting some comfort foods.  I made chicken noodle soup earlier in the week.  But it's the weekend and I wanted something more.  The Aloo cakes seemed perfect.  Mashed potatoes filled with ground beef mixture and then fried...yes please.

The Aloo (potato) Cakes were good.  It was just what I was looking for.  Ben and I gave them 3.5 cookies.  They weren't just 3 but not quite 4.

1.  Peel 2 lbs of potatoes and cut into half or quarters.  Boil until soft enough to mash.

2.  Mash potatoes with a little milk and salt to taste.  Place aside and let cool.

3.  Heat 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil in skillet.  Cook onions and ginger in oil until golden. 

4.  Add 1 tsp crushed coriander and 1/2 lb. ground beef and cook until brown.  Add 1 tbl. raisins and salt to taste to the beef mixture.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove fat from pan.  Stir 1 tbl. chopped cilantro into beef mixture and set aside to cool.

ground coriander seeds

5.  Divide mashed potatoes into 8 portions and make into patties with hands.  You will need to flour your hands so that the potatoes don't stick.

6.  Make a well in the middle of each potato patty.  Place a spoonful of meat mixture into the well.  Then fold the sides around to fully enclose the meat mixture.

7.  Dip each side in flour.  Then fry them on each side in a pan with a small amount of oil.  Each side should turn brown and crisp.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I had a goal to do more Indian dishes this month.  Right when I thought my schedule was settling down, it's gone into chaos again.  However, I did try an Indian dish last week and haven't had a chance to post.  The lack of posting is also due partly to my extreme disappointment.  The recipe is for Chicken Tikka Massala in a slow cooker.  My favorite Indian dish cooked in a slow cooker.  What could be better?  Well, a lot could be better.

I will put the disclaimer here that I assume I must have done something wrong.  I also had a major fiasco with the bone in chicken.  I've discussed my chicken issues earlier.  The chicken became so tender that the chicken fell apart in the slow cooker.  Let's just say that I wasn't too excited to eat after I had to scour the pot for stray bones.  Mentally I was not prepared to enjoy this dish.  If someone else wants to give it a try, please do.  You can leave a comment and convince me that it was nothing but deliciousness.

Photo on Allrecipes.com

 Here is a non slow cooker Chicken Tikka Massala recipe that I had tried about a year ago.  It was delicious.  I feel more comfortable passing this one along.  Click here to see the original recipe I based this one on at Allrecipes.com.  I made changes to fit the spices we had.  I cooked for 6 people and I think we had leftovers.

Ingredients
2 cups yogurt
2 Tbl. lemon juice
3 Tbl garam masala
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
6 boneless chicken breasts
long skewers

3 Tbl. butter
3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 Tbl. cumin
1 Tbl. paprika
2 tsp. garam masala
3 (8oz) can tomato sauce
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cups fresh cilantro

1.  combine yogurt, lemon juice, garam masala, pepper, ginger, and salt.  Stir in cut up chicken.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2.  Preheat grill on high heat.  skewer chicken pieces.  Grill for 5 minutes on each side.  Get rid of the rest of the marinade.

3.  Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.

4.  Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minutes.

5.  Season with cumin, paprika, and garam masala.

6.  Stir in tomato sauce and cream.

7.  Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens (20 minutes)

8.  Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes

9.  Serve over basmati rice and garnished with cilantro

Spicy Ranch Veggie Pizza Appetizer

Here is an old favorite with a slight twist. Growing up, we always had this veggie pizza appetizer at different events.  I had forgotten about it until my sister in law, Heather Deacon, made it recently.  I decided to make it for our Superbowl gathering yesterday.  We ended up with so much food that I did not actually make it until today.

The twist happened by accident, as most seem to happen. I was in a rush when I stopped at the store and quickly grabbed a packet or Ranch Dressing Mix.  Here is what I grabbed...

I didn't even know they had a spicy option.  I'm always wishing I liked more spice than I do.  I decided to go with it. The spicy added a nice flavor.

1.  Press out 1 tube of refrigerated crescent rolls into cookie sheet.  I ended up pressing it out onto our pizza stone.  The cookie sheet gives you better shape.  Bake for 10 minutes at 375.  Let cool for 10 minutes.

2.  Mix 1 package sour cream with 1 packet Spicy Ranch Salad Dressing Mix.  Sometimes I do less than a full dressing packet to avoid some of the salt.  Spread evenly over cooked crescent roll crust.

3.  Dice up your choice of vegetable toppings.  I used broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and tomato on this pizza.  Other topping ideas include:  olives, cucumber, zucchini, mushroom.  Toss veggies over the cream cheese mixture.

4.  Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over top and serve.

The pizza works great as an appetizer or as a main dish.  If you want to avoid some of the calories, skip the last step with the cheddar cheese.  It still tastes great with the veggies and cream cheese mixture.  If you go with the non spicy ranch dressing mix, there is a low sodium option that I recommend.