The Stable Cafe at Biltmore Estate

The Bitmore Estate & Stable Cafe

My husband and I spent the Memorial Day weekend in North Carolina, travelling through various cities. Our first stop was Asheville, NC to visit the Biltmore Estate. If you have never been, I highly recommend checking it out. It's the country's largest private residence, and it is just phenomenal. Your admission to the house also includes the Biltmore village shops, the house, gardens, winery and Antler Hill Village. I've been in both the fall and spring, and each time of year had it's benefits. We were able to see the gardens in full bloom this year, and in the past I was able to see the changing leaves in the fall. I really want to go back at Christmastime as I'm sure it's even more beautiful there! 

Before our admission to the house tour, JJ and I had some time to kill and decided to get lunch. We both decided that we'd rather eat in the restaurant than in the cafe area where you purchase food and bring it to a picnic table. We chose the Stable Cafe for lunch, which was the old stable house, and was renovated into a restaurant, but still contains the original architecture. The cuisine is sort of Traditional Southern meets contemporary Bistro Cafe, a nice fusion of the two. 

We were seated at a booth, which lined the walls and were originally for the horses. Each had a trough for hay and a water bucket (which now has a plant in it). 

After browsing the menu, we decided to start with the Fried Green Tomatoes. They were very fresh, the breading had cornmeal in it and was crisp, the tomatoes were thick sliced, sweet, tart, and very warm. The tomatoes sat on a salad of sliced cucumbers, red onion, and dill-ranch-buttermilk type dressing that was exceptionally light and refreshing. 

When it came time to order, we found out we had both been eyeing up the same two dishes, but had our reservations. I thought the Apricot Chicken Salad looked great, but worried it might have too much celery, the only vegetable I despise! 

Luckily, JJ had been considering that, so he ordered it and told me we could share. The salad was enormous, made with fresh rotisserie chicken, chunks of plump, dried apricots, and minimal celery. It was served atop a bed of butter lettuce and two yeast rolls with fresh whipped butter. The rolls were warm and the butter was sweet. The chicken was tender and juicy, and the binder was really light, perfect for us may-haters.

For my lunch, I settled on the waitresses favorite, the Southern Salad. It was quite the eclectic mixture of traditional Southern favorites, and more of a platter of items on a bed of lettuce. It was amazing. Again, the base was a bed of butter lettuce (my personal favorite), then it was topped with a mound of fresh, pulled rotisserie chicken breast, shaved salty, sweet ham, a few nuggets of fried okra, 2 deviled eggs, a few tomato wedges, and a few strips of smoked Gouda. The salad was served with a light, buttermilk ranch dressing.

The okra was perfect, crisp and warm. The chicken and ham were tender and fresh, the tomato tasted  hydroponically grown, but was still good. I'm not a fan of deviled eggs, so I only ate a bite of one, but it was good. I'm also not a fan of smoked Gouda, but a few bites mixed in with the chicken and ham were great. 

Had it been dinnertime, we definitely would have sprung for dessert, the Southern Dessert Sampler looked amazing, but we had to get on our way to tour the house.

I highly recommend the Stable Cafe, the prices were reasonable, and the food and service were outstanding! 

Limoncello Cupcakes

As part of my Birthday cupcake party, I made these Limoncello cupcakes. I love Limoncello, so naturally when I was choosing drinks to model my cupcakes after, I had to find something lemony. As luck would have it, Tartelette had a recipe specifically for Limoncello cupcakes on her blog. I used her cake recipe, which was so delicious. I've never cooked with cream cheese in the cupcake, only the frosting, so that was new. I loved how light these were, so fresh and perfect. 

Tartelette's recipe is written in grams and for 12 cupcakes, but I made a 2 dozen and re-wrote the measurements. I also used regular lemons, where Tartelette used Meyer Lemons.

Limoncello Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Lemon Curd

rewritten from Tartelette

cupcakes:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cups sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup Limoncello, at room temperature

3 cups AP Flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk, well shaken

1/2 cup lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350*

Add butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a mixer and whip until well mixed.

Add sugar, and beat for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until well incorporated.

Add limoncello, baking powder and salt, beat until incorporated.

Alternately, add buttermilk and flour, starting and ending with flour, until just mixed (do not overmix!)

Add lemon juice and zest, mix until just incorporated.

Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners, fill 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream, by Martha Stewart

To finish cupcakes, ice with piped buttercream, drizzle with cooled lemon curd, and top with a lemon drop.

Tortellini Caprese Skewers

This is such a simple appetizer to make, but is a definite crowd pleaser. It's easy to make ahead of time, and is perfect for summer when you have a surplus of basil and tomatoes! 

Tortellini Caprese Skewers

Makes around 35 skewers

2 lbs. bocconcini or a ball of mozzarella, cubed

2 pints cherry tomatoes

2 lbs. tortellini (I had quite a few leftover, but 1 lb. wouldn't have been enough)

1 cup basil leaves, chiffonade

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Thread bocconcici, tomatoes and tortellini on skewers.

Drizzle with EVOO and vinegar.

Sprinkle with basil.

Keep chilled until serving.

*For most of the skewers, my pattern was: tortellini, tomato, mozzarella, tomato, tortellini. 

Grilled Vegetable Pizza

Ever since I failed miserably at my first grilled pizza attempt, I've been terrified to try it again. Obviously, grilling with a charcoal grill for pizza isn't idea as you don't have as much control. Though I do love the taste charcoal brings to grilling, the carcinogens and wait time are big cons to using one.
Since we got our gas grill, I was ready to try grilled pizza again. For this pizza, I went for maximum grill flavor with minumum work. Rather than make a marinara, I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes and torn fresh herbs. The vegetables were seasoned heavily with garlic salt and pepper, and the cheese was sliced for easier application. This pizza was a total success, the crust was crisp and chewy, the vegetables had so much flavor, and mock-sauce added punches of sweet, smoky tomato flavor.

*JJ sliced the vegetables ahead of time, I intended for rounds, but he made them into planks because he said it is easier to grill them that way. You can do whatever you'd like, if you're going for aesthetics, rounds are probably a better choice!
Also, I don't have any pretty plated photos because we simply couldn't wait to dig into this pizza!

Grilled Vegetable Pizza

1 whole wheat pizza crust, rolled out to fit your grill shape

1 15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained well

2 tbsp. fresh torn herbs (I used basil, oregano, rosemary)

1 zucchini, sliced

1 eggplant, sliced

1 bell pepper, sliced

1 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. EVOO

4 oz. part skim mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded (I used organic valley and the flavor was outstanding!)

Heat grill over medium-high.

Slice vegetables, add to a large bowl, toss with EVOO, garlic salt and pepper.

Place vegetables on the grill, cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until tender.

Remove from the grill, put on a platter, and turn grill to low heat.

Spray with nonstick grill spray, place pizza crust on the grill.

Cover, cook for 3 minutes.

Flip crust, top with tomatoes, torn herbs, grilled veggies and cheese.

Cover and grill for 4-5 minutes, until grill marks appear and cheese is melted.

Grilled Creamy Corn

As I mentioned in my previous post, my husband and I purchased a gas grill about a month ago, and have since been grilling just about every night. Honestly, grilling has become somewhat of a perfect method of preparing dinner for us. Not only does it keep the stove off and kitchen from warming up, but it gives JJ the opportunity to help with making dinner, and he definitely enjoys grilling! 

This recipe is based off one I found in a magazine. I'm not a big creamed corn fan, though I've only ever had the canned variety when I was younger. I decided to give it a try with fresh, grilled corn and it was delicious! I used cream cheese for the creamy part, but I guess heavy cream would be a fine substitute. I enjoyed just a bit of cream cheese to bind this, I wanted to keep it from getting watery. When corn hits your farmer's market, grab a few ears and make this easy side dish soon!

Grilled Creamy Corn

adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

8 ears of fresh corn, husked

1 tsbp. EVOO

Salt and pepper

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 c. reduced fat cream cheese

3 scallions, white and green parts, sliced

Heat grill over medium flame.

Place corn on a platter, drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper.

Place on the grill, turning every few minutes, about 15 in total.

Remove corn from the grill, cool for a minute, then cut kernels off into a bowl.

Add lime juice, cream cheese and white scallion parts, mix well.

Taste, adjust seasonings, top with green scallion parts.

Note - To cut corn off the cob easily, place a small mug in a large bowl, bottom side up. Balance the corn cob on the mug and let the large bowl collect the kernels.

Symon Sundays - Grilled Hangar Steak with Steak Sauce, Lola Fries with Rosemary

This week's Symon Sunday's recipes were chosen by Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. Please visit her blog for the recipes!

Though I'm not a big steak eater, I actually was looking forward to this recipe because my husband and I finally bought a gas grill a few weeks ago. We've been making burgers and grilling pizza and vegetables, but I could tell he was really excited to grill a steak. He even bought the Weber Grill app so he could quickly find out how long and over what heat to cook meat. That's grill dedication! 

Though this was one recipe, like many Symon recipes, it was actually 4. There was the steak, which got a dry rub, the steak sauce, which was a process, the picked vegetables in the salad, and the rosemary fries. 

When it came time to choose the steak, I saw Whole Foods had Grass-Fed NY Strip on sale, so rather than get a hangar steak, I chose the NY strip. From what I read in his recipe forward, he suggests a marbled cut, nothing too lean, so the NY strip was a good choice. The rub was flavorful, but not overpowering.

The steak sauce was really something interesting! I never would have thought to put raisins in steak sauce... but it added another dimension that made you stop and think! I chose to puree the mixture rather than strain it because I like some body in my sauce. 

For the fries, since I don't fry things, I baked them. and I can't lie, I totally took help from the store and bought a bag of cascadian farm's shoestring fries. For some reason my baked fries just never come out as crisp. I absolutely loved the rosemary on these fries, they were delicious. All together, this was a great summer meal, another Chef Symon success! 

Natashya's Steak and Fries 

Joanne's Steak and Fries

Cabbage and Lime Slaw with Roasted Peanuts

Don't you love it when you find another blogger, chef, or cook who loves a dish as much as you? When I stumbled across smitten kitchen a few years ago, I was so happy to find a few slaw recipes in her index. As she continued to blog throughout the years, it's been more and more slaw recipes. Almost every single one is immediately printed and put in my 'to make' file. Sounds perfect, right? 

Wrong.

My husband is not a fan of slaw. He'll eat it, if it's really  good, but for the most part, he'll pass. This can be a good thing, because I get to eat most of the slaw, but there's only so much raw cabbage the stomach can take, know what I mean? 

So when I found this one, I felt like we might have a winner. JJ loves Tex-Mex cuisine, I'd probably say it's his favorite. Because this slaw had lime and cumin, and my substitution of cilantro for the spinach, it was definitely a Tex-Mex dish. One additional change I made was to reduce the amount of peanut oil, and add a bit of sesame oil to add the nutty flavor without all of the fat. 

To complete this meal, I served the slaw with jalapeño chicken sausage and bell pepper quesadillas, and it was a definite winner! And the best part is the slaw is great the next day, unlike many others, and it wasn't watery or limp.  

Cabbage and Lime Slaw with Roasted Peanuts

via from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from the Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern

6 cups red cabbage, shredded (1 small head)

6 cups green cabbage, shredded (1 small head)

1 tbsp. kosher salt

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

1/4 c. fresh lime juice

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. peanut oil

1 tsp. sesame oil

1/2 c. roasted peanuts, chopped

Black pepper

In a colander, toss the cabbage with 1 tbsp. kosher salt, let the cabbage drain for an hour.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, mustard, cumin, and oil until well mixed. 

Add the cabbage, cilantro and peanuts, toss and season with pepper, add more salt if necessary.

Serve immediately, store leftovers for a day or two in the fridge.
*Note - I added my cilantro after the photo was taken, I forgot to mix it in... but it's a great flavor addition, so don't skip it! If you're not a cilantro fan, just add a bit less

Thank you so much for your comments on my 'housekeeping' post! 

-I have gotten some great suggestions for my picks, and will hopefully get the index completed by next weekend

-I am over the moon about my expected niece or nephew, and am happy to ship my chocoholic sister goodies throughout her pregnancy, so any recommendations for anything that's super-chocolatey and ships well is appreciated! 

-The garden is moving along well, I update that blog every Sunday, if you want to check in. If you can tell, there were originally 40 heads of cabbage in my planter (oops) and my dad thinned it to 15-ish, so there will be plenty of slaws to be made this summer! 

housekeeping...

3 Things to Announce!

1. If you've been to the actual site and not just looking through RSS, I'm currently working on creating a recipe index since the blog is now 2.5 years old with 800+ posts. It's taking a LONG time to do, but it's in the works! I'm also creating an about me page, so if you have any questions, drop me a comment! Also I'm creating a 'my picks' page that will feature some of my favorite ingredients, kitchen gadgets and more. If there's anything in particular you'd like to have recommended, let me know!

2. I recently began a blog to keep track of my garden. If you're a gardener and have any tips or advice, or if you'd like to see what I'm growing and how it will work it's way into my meals, check it out! www.farmerash.blogspot.com

3. I recently found out I'm going to be a first time aunt! (Though I do count my dog nieces and nephews...) So anyway, my sister found a cute ticker but had no blog to put it on, so it's now at the bottom of the posts on my blog. And it's food-centric, so it works for me!  I'm so excited to be an aunt :)

Quinoa Cakes with Farmer's Market Riot

Everyone knows there are countless kitchen appliances and gadgets that have just a few uses, and clutter the cabinets. I tend to suffer from this problem, and have converted my guest bedroom closet to my baking/catering supplies closet. While I was in there a few weeks ago, I found two of my favorite kitchen appliances that I tend to forget about: my ice cream maker and my electric skillet. I've used griddles on the stove top before, but they don't heat evenly like the skillet does. And it's so easy to transport to any part of the kitchen. Growing up, I remember my mom used hers for mainly brunches, pancakes, omelette's, bacon, it was perfect!  

When I stumbled across this recipe, it looked like it was going to take quite a few pots and pans. A light bulb went off in my head, why not use the electric skillet to make the whole meal in one-ish pot? Whenever I make pancakes or bean cakes I love using the skillet because it's nonstick, and I've pretty much gotten rid of every nonstick pan I own (the whole Teflon/cancer debate kind of freaks me out, so I'd rather not even have it in my house). Since I only use this skillet every month or so, and with a silicon spatula, I'm fairly confident that I'm not contaminating myself!

So the recipe! I first starred it in my google reader because it featured quinoa cakes, something I've not made before. I've said it before, but I'll say it again - I love quinoa because it's like a protein and starch in one, similar to a bean. I'm constantly looking for new ways to cook up beans. I've made just about every bean-cake you could imagine, so it seemed like quinoa was the next step. 

I also absolutely loved how the dish was served with an abundance of fresh vegetables, some hot, some cold, prepared with different flavors, yet married together by fresh flavors and contrasting textures. This meal is a rainbow of colors, flavors, temperatures and health benefits. 

Quinoa Cakes with Farmer's Market Riot

adapted from Herbivoracious

Quinoa Cakes:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups vegetable stock

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. fresh minced oregano (or 1/2 tsp. dried)

2 egg whites

Place quinoa in a fine mesh sieve, rinse under cold running water for one minute, until water runs clear.

Add stock to a small pot, bring to a boil, add quinoa.

Turn heat to medium, partially cover and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Turn heat off, let quinoa sit for 5 minutes (water should be evaporated)

Add remaining ingredients to a mixing bowl, whisk to combine.

Add cooled quinoa, mix to distribute spices and egg well. 

Heat electric skillet over medium-high heat, or around 375*

Scoop quinoa mixture out with an ice cream scoop into mounds on the skillet (I got 6 cakes)

Press down with a spatula, cover and cook for 5 minutes, flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad:

1/2 English cucumber, seeded and diced

1 beefsteak tomato, seeded and diced

Salt and cracked black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

Combine all ingredients in a small dish, refrigerate until using.

Spicy Corn Relish:

1 tsp. EVOO

1/2 red onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. red chili flakes

1 cup fresh corn kernels (or frozen)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. coriander

1/2 lime, juiced

Heat skillet over high, add oil, garlic, onion and chili flakes and cook for a minute.

Add the corn, salt and coriander, sauté' for 3-4 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings.

Spoon into a bowl, sprinkle with lime juice and set aside.

Pan-Fried Zucchini

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 lb. small zucchini, cut into rounds

Salt and black pepper

Add oil to skillet over high heat, add zucchini, salt and pepper.

Sauté' for 5 minutes, until browned and softened.

To serve:

1/4 cup minced cilantro

1/4 cup crumbled cheese (I used goat cheese)

Place quinoa cakes on plate, spoon each of 3 salad components on the side, top with cilantro and goat cheese.

Grits and Greens Casserole

If you know my husband, you know his personality is sort of hard to pinpoint. Though he was born and raised in the South in a beach town, he doesn't fit many of the stereotypes. No truck, no hunting, no country music, doesn't like the beach, has pasty white skin, and hasn't owned a pair of swimming board shorts until I got them this past spring. However, there are two stereotypes that he does fit - he is extremely polite, calling people ma'am and sir, and he loves Southern comfort food. The boy could eat pulled pork barbecue until he's sick. Corn casserole, mac and cheese, southern style green beans... he's all over it. 

When I saw this recipe in Eating Well magazine, I felt like it was representative of our marriage and combined personal tastes. Grits and greens screamed southern comfort food for JJ, and kale and polenta screamed healthy, easy weeknight casserole for me. 

He loved this casserole, just as I had hoped. And to be truthful, I'm glad he doesn't fit all of the southern boy stereotypes, but if only I could find a way to get him to go to the beach with me...

Grits and Greens Casserole

adapted from Eating Well March/April

6 slices center cut apple wood smoked bacon, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups vegetable stock

2 lbs. kale, stemmed and roughly chopped

1 cup stone ground yellow grits

1 tsp. ground white pepper

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 400*

Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Heat a deep sauté' pan over medium, add bacon, stir and cook.

When bacon is crisp, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate.

Pour fat out of pan, place back on the head and add onions and garlic.

Sauté' for 5 minutes, until caramelized. 

Add 1 cup of stock and kale, toss, turn heat to low, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, until tender.

Bring remaining 3 cups of vegetable stock to a boil in a pot.

Pour in grits, whisk constantly, bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low, stirring often.

Cook for 5-8 minutes, until thickened, remove from heat.

Stir in egg white, tomato paste and cheese, mix well. 

Spread half the grits in the bottom of the casserole dish, top with the kale, then another layer of grits. 

Sprinkle with bacon and place in the oven.

Cook for 15-20 minutes, until hot and bubbling.

Rest casserole for 5 minutes before serving.

Hearty Winter Vegetable Pilaf

Do you ever come across a recipe in a magazine, cookbook, or the internet that you feel was written specifically for you? That's exactly how I feel about this one! It looks like something I created on my own because it's chock full of my favorite ingredients, but it's derived from Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine. 

At first, I passed by this recipe because it had a tiny photograph with the short ingredient list and directions. Whenever I finish reading a magazine, I also look at the back index page, where most magazines have the dishes broken down into categories like salads, soups, vegetarian, etc. As I read through the vegetarian section, I saw the title to this one and wondered how I missed it! So I tore the recipe out in January, and put it in my 'to-make' folder. Well, here we are 4 months later, and I finally got around to making it! I really enjoyed this dish, but in the end, I feel like it was missing something. Rachael says crumbled bacon would be a nice addition, but I think it needs either a creamy cheese crumbled on top, or some kind of sauce. I do intend to make this again, perhaps with a pesto or some other flavorful, light sauce. Any suggestions? Or did you make this dish and like it as written?

Hearty Winter Vegetable Pilaf

slightly adapted from Rachael Ray

1 cup quinoa

2 tbsp. EVOO

1 lb. shiitake mushrooms, sliced

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup pine nuts (I used almonds)

1/4 cup dried cranberries

salt and pepper

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, quartered

1/4 c. chopped flat leaf parsley (omitted)

Place the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve, rinse under cold water for 1 minute, until water runs clear.

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add quinoa, stir and simmer, covered.

Cook for 15 minutes, until water is evaporated and quinoa is tender, remove from heat.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the EVOO and mushrooms, cook for 6-8 minutes, add the scallion whites, pine nuts and cranberries. 

Season with salt and pepper, cook for 2 minutes, transfer to serving bowl.

Add 1 tbsp. EVOO back to the skillet, add Brussels sprouts, season with salt and pepper and sauté' for 10 minutes, until caramelized. 

Add mushroom mixture back in as well as quinoa, toss, then add to serving bowl. 

Top with scallion greens and parsley.

Chicken Mole Chili Pizza

Every week when I'm menu planning, I ask JJ if there's anything he wants for dinner. He pretty much always says no. Occasionally he'll say, "something Mexican, or some kind of pizza." That's the most direction I'll ever get though. It's great that he'll eat anything, but sometimes I feel like I'm always cooking for me, using my favorite ingredients and flavors. When he said he'd like a new kind of pizza with chicken, I decided to try to make something he'd especially like. 

I had half of the chipotle chili dark chocolate bar sitting in my freezer leftover from the Mexican Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls I made the week before, and decided to brainstorm a bit. Immediately, chicken mole came to mind, but I had to figure out the best way to apply it to a pizza. I decided to make a chicken mole, but finely dice the chicken, simmer it a bit until it shreds, and use it as the sauce base. I topped the pizza with peppers and Monterey jack cheese, and garnished it with cilantro. We both loved this pizza, it was bursting with flavor, and was a completely new, fun way to enjoy pizza night! 

Chicken Mole Pizza

Chicken Mole:

1 tbsp. EVOO

1/2 lb. chicken breast, diced into 1/2" cubes

Salt and pepper

1 onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno, minced

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

2 tbsp. ancho chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground corriander

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1.5 oz. chopped chipotle chocolate (or 2 tbsp. cocoa powder)

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat. 

Add EVOO and chicken, season with salt and pepper.

Add onion, garlic and jalapeno, stir to combine.

Sauté for 5 minutes, until vegetables are soft and chicken has browned a bit.

Add tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, corriander and paprika, stir well to combine, turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

After 25 minutes, if mixture is too thick, add 1/4-1/2 c. chicken stock (you want it to be thick, but not dry).

Turn heat off, add chocolate, stir to melt in.

Whole Wheat Mix pizza crust (makes 2, 10" crusts):

1 packet fast acting yeast

1 tbsp. honey

1 1/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. EVOO

In a standing mixer with the dough hook on, add water, honey and yeast, stir to combine, set aside for 5 minutes, until yeast froths.

Add 1 c. whole wheat flour, salt, EVOO and AP flour to mixer. 

Turn on low and begin to mix. 

Add more whole wheat flour as necessary if dough is too sticky, alternately add water if it's too dry. 

Knead on medium-low speed for 5 minutes, set aside to proof.

Punch down, divide in half. 

If only using 1 crust, the other can be wrapped loosely in plastic (it will continue to rise), put in a freezer bag, and frozen.

Roll or stretch out pizza crust over parchment, set aside. 

Pizza:

1 pizza crust

Chicken Mole 

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup cilantro, minced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, place pizza pan or stone in the oven.

Roll out crust on parchment, top with chicken mole mixture, peppers and cheese.

Slide onto stone or pizza pan already in the oven.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until crisp on the bottom, and golden brown on top.

Cool for 5 minutes, slice and garnish with cilantro.

Birthday Cupcakes

The birthday cupcake extravaganza was a great success! I'll have the recipes posted soon, but here are some photos of the cupcakes.

I am really pleased with some of the recipes I created, and some need a little tweaking!

Included were Margarita, Mojito, Irish Car Bomb, Pina Colada, Limoncello, Fuzzy Navel and Mudslide!

Happy Birthday, Me!

Today is my 25th Birthday!

It has been such a crazy year, moving to Florida, buying a house, adopting two dogs, new job, etc.

In the past year, I've made some great friends, so my husband decided we should have a big backyard bbq party to celebrate. I was game!

He's in charge of the food, so I told him I wanted to do desserts. Yes, the "s" is necessary. I'm all about birthday cakes, but I like variety, and I like grand dessert selections...

8 lbs. of butter + 11 types of booze = Summer Alcoholic Beverage Cupcake Buffet.

So the tentative menu of cupcakes is set, and I'm still figuring out exactly how to execute each cupcake... but here's a rough idea! The results will be blogged in the next few weeks :)

Mojito

(Rum cake, Lime Curd Filling, Mint Swiss Meringue Buttercream)

Mango Margarita

(Lime Cake, Tequila/Mango Filling, Lime Cream Cheese Frosting) 

Bombay Punch

(Champagne Cake, Brandy wash, Raspberry Swiss Meringue)

Limoncello

(Limoncello Cake, Lemon Curd Filling, Cream Cheese Frosting)

Mudslide

(Kahluah cake, Bailey's Buttercream, Espresso Bean topper)

Fuzzy Navel

(Peach Cake, Peach Schnapps wash, Orange Buttercream)

Irish Car Bomb

(Guiness Cake, Whiskey wash, Bailey's Buttercream)

Pina Colada

(Coconut Cake, Pineapple/Rum filling, Coconut Swiss Meringue Buttercream)

And lastly, thanks to my mama for this shirt in my birthday package. It's scratch and sniff!

Raise-the-Dead Chili, Chipotle-Honey Corn Muffins

For some reason, I've been craving a big bowl of chili even though we're on the cusp of sweltering summer heat here in Florida. When I got my last issue of Everyday magazine, I saw this hearty vegetarian chili, and was sold. Though it says it was an award winning chili, I was less than impressed. I loved the idea of black eyed peas standing in for more traditional kidney beans, but they didn't have much flavor. I also thought the photo was deceiving, the chili was much darker and beanier. I think this is why I love food blogs recipes over magazines, though many bloggers are great at sytling their food, they photograph what they eat, and don't manipulate the end result for a photo. So I made the chili closely to as written, and will link that recipe, but I also am going to list the recipe with changes I believe would make it a better chili! 

I will say the roasted poblanos did add a lot of flavor, and that is what also appealed to me. I should have left them chunkier, I pretty much minced them. Also, the method of roasting the garlic-studded tomatoes was innovative and fun.

To go along with the chili, I thought cornbread muffins would be tasty. I like to experiment with my baking, and create originals to test my skills. These muffins were very flavorful and had a tight crumb. Dipping them in chili was great, but I wouldn't eat them without a dipper as they weren't terribly moist. I attribute that to the fact that there is no oil in them, as I was shooting for a low fat/calorie muffin. I used a cute flower shaped silicon muffin/cupcake tray to get little tulip muffins, but a regular muffin tin would be just fine.   

Raise the Dead Chili by Rachael Ray (original recipe here)

adaptation recipe listed below

&

Chipotle-Honey Corn Muffins

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 tablespoons ancho chili powder

Salt and pepper

10 plum tomatoes (about 2 pounds), cored and halved lengthwise

1 large onion, sliced crosswise

10 cloves garlic, halved

3 poblano chiles

2 c. vegetable stock

2 15-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp. corriander

1 tsp. smoked paprika

cilantro and sour cream, for garish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°. Grease a baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil.

In a small bowl, combine 1tbsp. chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Place the tomatoes, seed side up, and onion on the prepared baking sheet.

“Stud” each tomato with a garlic clove half.

Bake until the onions begin to brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, roast the chiles directly over a stovetop gas flame, turning occasionally with tongs, until charred all over.

Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly and let cool slightly.

Peel, stem and discard all the seeds.

Chop the chiles.

In a large saucepan, combine the roasted tomatoes, 2 roasted onion slices and the roasted garlic.

Add the vegetable broth. Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture.

Chop the remaining roasted onion and add to the saucepan.

Stir in the chiles, black-eyed peas, cumin, corriander, paprika and remaining chili powder.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.

Muffins:

1/3 c. cornmeal

2/3 c. white whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 egg white

2 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. chopped chives

2 dried chipotles, rehydrated and minced (or 1 chipotle in adobo, minced)

In a medium mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt and baking powder.

In a small mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, egg white, honey, chives and chipotles.

Pour wet ingredints into dry, mix until just combined.

Spoon into greased muffin cups (4 regular, 8 mini, or 6 flour shaped)

Bake for 10-16 minutes, until puffed, golden, and set.

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, serve.

Amaretti Baked Peaches

In my previous post, I proclaimed my love of almonds and almond flavors. This post also embodies all things almond by using amaretto, amaretti cookies, and slivered almonds. It's pretty much the trifecta for almond lovers. And as far as desserts go, I'm not going to say it's healthy... but it's definitely not as indulgent as most desserts!

I saw Ina make grilled peaches with amaretto a few years back. I had planned to make them so many times, but finding ripe, seasonal peaches in Indiana wasn't easy. Now that I'm in Florida, there are farmer's markets with fresh, seasonal Georgia peaches all through late spring/early summer. I'm in heaven!

I was at World Market, browsing through the food section, which I must comment on. Though it's a very small section of the store, they literally have every ethnic food I have ever had a hard time finding, and at a reasonable to cheap price. If you're ever stuck looking for an obscure ingredient, I highly recommend trying World Market. They also make their own name brand Nutella like spreads, gourmet stuffed olives, and many other delicious, cheap gourmet food items. It was here that I found a bag of Amaretti Snaps, which just might be my new favorite bagged cookie.

After finding those cookies, and the fresh peaches at the market, this dessert was begging to be made. We didn't have our grill yet when I made these, so I baked them. I also didn't feel the need to add sugar and other ingredients. I kept these simple, and the three main components were the stars of the dish. Served with a little vanilla ice cream, this was the perfect dessert!

Amaretto Baked Peaches

6 peaches, washed, halved and pitted

2 cups crushed amaretti cookies

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup amaretti liquor

1/2 gallon Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place peaches cut side up in a baking dish.

Add 1/4" of water to the pan.

Sprinkle a mound of crushed cookies in the cup of each peach.

Sprinkle with almonds.

Drizzle with the amaretti.

Cover with foil, place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove foil, bake for another 5 minutes, until peaches are tender.

Remove from the dish, plate and serve with ice cream.

Big, Beautiful Muffins with Apricots and Almonds

When I first saw these muffins appear in my Google Reader, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I absolutely love fresh, plump, dried apricots. I think dried apricots are often overlooked because when they dry out, they're like eating leather... but a fresh bag are so soft and velvety, absolutely delicious.

One of my absolute favorite flavors in baking is almond extract. Often I substitute it for vanilla extract , or combine the two for more depth of flavor. Everything about these muffins screamed "MAKE ME!"

So I let the recipe sit there, waiting for a special brunch. When apricots went on super sale the weekend before my family came to town, I grabbed some and immediately knew what they were destined for... these glorious muffins!

The end result is in fact fluffly, light, tender muffins. They're slightly sweet with little bits of almond crunch and soft apricot pieces. I think next time I make these, I'll dust the tops with a raw sugar for a final bit of crunch, but these muffins served warm with a pat of butter or apricot preserves is the perfect breakfast treat.

Big Beautiful Muffins with Apricots and Almonds

seen on Romancing the Stove, adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

 

3 cups all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups plain lowfat yogurt
2 large eggs
8 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cup diced apricots

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Generously coat a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable spray, or use paper cups with a little cooking spray.
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
Whisk the yogurt, eggs, and almond extract together in a medium bowl.
Gently fold the yogurt-egg mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined.
Fold in melted butter, and apricots.
Use a large ice-cream scoop or measuring cup to divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
Sprinkle several sliced almonds over the top of the batter in each muffin cup.
Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
 

Tabbouleh for the Parsley Hater

If you read my blog often, you'll see just about every vegetable and herb in the world appear from time to time. There are a few you'll rarely, if ever see. Celery and Parsley. Hate them. Ok, hate is a strong word. I hate celery. I just don't like parsley. I don't really understand it. To me, it doesn't have much flavor, so why use something with little flavor when you could use basil.... or cilantro... or mint! And yes, this comes from the girl who could tear up giant iceberg lettuce wedges. But I digress.

So parsley. I've been learning to like it more. I suppose it's like any ingredient, when you use it well, it makes a dish. Tabbouleh is a parsley salad, with the other ingredients simply filling in the holes. So I found that making tabbouleh with bunches and bunches of parsley and a tiny bit of bulgur was too much for me. I can take it to 50/50 parsley to 'other stuff,' but I don't know if I'll make it beyond that. I need the other stuff, which isn't necessarily traditional either.

I will say that if you've got mint growing in your garden like weeds, this is the dish for you. I used 2 bunches of parsley and 1 bunch of mint and it was the perfect balance for me. But as all cooking goes, use your judgement and taste! So here's my bastardization of Traditional, Lebanese Tabbouleh!

Tabbouleh

1 cup bulgur/cracked wheat

1 cup boiling water

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 3 lemons (about 1/2 c., I like it lemony)

1/4 c. EVOO

1 yellow bell pepper, minced

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 English cucumber, small dice

4 cups loosely packed parsley (about 2 bunches)

2 cups loosely packed mint

Salt and pepper

Pinch of paprika

*I would also 1/2 c. finely sliced scallions, but my sister couldn't eat raw onion, so I omitted them

Add bulgur and boiling water to a mixing bowl, cover and let bulgur soak for 30 minutes.

Add lemon zest, juice and EVOO, toss to combine.

Place in the refrigerator while preparing other ingredients.

In a food processor, pulse parsley and mint until it is a fine mince (or do this by hand).

Remove the bulgur from refrigerator, add bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, herbs and paprika.

Toss to combine, taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve chilled.

Symon Sundays: Rosemary Goat Cheese Mac and Cheese

When I found out Chef Symon was writing a cookbook, one of the recipes I was sure he wouldn't include was this Macaroni and Cheese. It's so amazing, I figured he'd want to keep it at his restaurants alone to keep people coming back. Surprisingly, many of the dishes at Chef Symon's restaurants are in this book, which makes me love him even more. When we went to Lolita for my birthday a few years ago, Dan ordered the Keftedes, Kristine ordered the Pork Ragu with Gnocci, and JJ ordered the Goat Cheese Mac and Cheese. They were all amazing dishes, and they're all in this cookbook!

Now this dish isn't overly complicated, but it's quite decadent. As I scanned the short list of ingredients, I was a little uneasy after reading 1 quart of heavy cream. I'll do decadent mac and cheese, but come on! From past experience with using melted goat cheese as a sauce, I know it's thick, so I decided to use 2% milk with a little cornstarch slurry added for viscosity. I'm sure it tastes even better with heavy cream, but I just can't do it!

When I made this dish, it served it as a side with a Honey Baked Ham, so I omitted the roasted chicken, but I will definitely be making this dish again, with the pulled roasted chicken. The rosemary flavor is outstanding, and the overall dish is simple, and delicious.

Here is Joanne's dish, made with pulled pork and fiddleheads. Love her creativity!

Great choice, Joanne!

Natashya's looks so decadent, true to the recipe.

And Tasha's, made a bit healthier with whole grain pasta!