To get you started, I have an excellent giveaway. And I use the word excellent in very serious terms.
The winner gets a Le Crueset 6 qt. enamel-on-steel stock pot (your choice of color)
a Trudeau pot clip spoon rest
and a Mario Batali beach wood spoon
See, I told you it was excellent. To enter, leave a comment by evening time Sunday, September 26 and tell me your favorite fall/winter soup. Mine? Butternut squash and parsnip.
This is one of those recipes that I have been making for years, but haven't ever taken the time to write the recipe down. It is one of those dishes that Ethan and I fight over who gets the last of the caramelized onions and garlic at the bottom of the pan. It is one of our favorites. And it isn't complicated and you most likely have all the ingredients on hand right now. Saute some onions, garlic and potatoes and then let the potatoes finish cooking in the oven. In the oven, the potatoes turn into these little butter sponges and soak up so much flavor. But you might have a hang up about how much butter the recipe calls for. If you do, cut it in half. It's okay, I understand. No hard feelings, okay?
Another reason to love this recipe is that the leftovers are great. I like to saute up the leftover potatoes in the morning and serve them with eggs and Tabasco. Yes, the Tabasco is essential. I am trying to teach my children to love the fire Tabasco creates within their souls.
2 Tbsp olive oil 1 onion, thinly sliced 1/2 tsp kosher salt 4 russet potatoes, thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, minced 4 Tbsp butter, divided 1 tsp kosher salt A few grinds black pepper 1 tsp dried rosemary Chopped fresh parsley or chives for garnish
Set oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet over medium high, add olive oil. Once the oil runs quickly in the pan, add the onions and 1/2 tsp salt. Saute until the onions are softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, garlic, 2 Tbsp butter, salt, pepper and rosemary. Toss well and saute potatoes until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Once browned, cut remaining 2 Tbsp butter into small pieces and set on top of potatoes. Cover the pan and put it in the oven for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are very soft. Serve potatoes with a sprinkling of fresh parsley or chives.
Yields 6 servings.
Served with this: Corn on the cob that was most likely grown in heaven because it tasted celestial.
Rookie's Notes: Let me go ahead of give you heads up on how hot the pan is going to be when you take it out of the oven. Hot as hell fire. You are probably thinking, "Duh. It just came out of the OVEN, idiot." But I have forgotten that it did and have grabbed the handle or lid and burned my hand really bad a few times. So be careful!
I tried to like it, I really gave it an honest effort. But my efforts were for naught when Ethan got home and started laughing at Demi Lovato and how she "can't back down". She is just so serious. And then I just had to laugh too. But we were both careful to hide our laughing. Jack LOVED the show. He even put a little "Camp Rock 2" poster on his bulletin board in his room. Spoiler Alert: Apparently they did back down. They don't win. Sorry.
For the big premier of "Camp Rock 2", I made Jack this popcorn. I thought he would appreciate a special treat for the show he had been counting down to for two weeks. And he definitely appreciated it. He sat on the floor, mesmerized by the movie and the popcorn was in a continuous cycle of hand to mouth. But how could you blame him. Homemade caramel popcorn mixed with peanuts and toffee bits and then drizzled with chocolate. Salty, sweet and chocolate and happy.
1 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup light corn syrup 1/2 tsp salt 4 Tbsp butter 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 cup popcorn, popped 1/3 cup chopped peanuts 1/3 cup toffee bits 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
In a large microwave-safe bowl (preferably glass), combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, butter, and vanilla. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and then microwave for 2 more minutes. Add the baking soda and stir well (mixture will foam).Pour the popcorn, peanuts and toffee bits into a large brown paper bag. Pour the caramel into the bag and stir to coat. Turn the bag under to close and microwave on high for 1 minute.
Spread the caramel corn mixture on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper to cool.
While the popcorn is cooling, add the chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 second intervals, stirring in between intervals, until melted, about 2 minutes. With a small spoon, drizzle melted chocolate onto the popcorn. Let it set for about 2 hours. Put it in the fridge to speed up the setting process.
Once set, break apart popcorn into bite-sized pieces.
Rookie's Notes: When drizzling, I found that moving the spoon around in fast circles over the popcorn made for good drizzling. If you are going to do that, wear an apron. It will be a bit messy.
To pop your own popcorn on the stove, click here for a recipe.
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THIS RECIPE OR ANYTHING ELSE? Click here.
Whether you make your own or buy it, you should keep a jar of pesto in your fridge. Here's why:
You can...
Toss some with pasta, tortellini or gnocchi Use it as a sandwich spread Mix in a spoonful with mashed potatoes Whisk a spoonful into into tomato or alfredo sauce Use in potato salad in place of mayo Make a dip with a spoonful of pesto and some pureed cannellini beans Spread it on homemade pizza Mix with a spoonful of mayo and dip with oven fries Toss a spoonful with steamed vegetables Whisk with a few tablespoons of white wine vinegar for a salad dressing Serve it as a sauce with grilled chicken, pork chops, fish or steak Mix a spoonful with softened butter for pesto butter Spread it on boiled corn instead of butter Use it as a topping on baked potatoes Add a spoonful to steamed rice making pesto rice Add a spoonful to ground beef for hamburgers Toss a spoonful with some spaghetti squash Stir in a spoonful with some vegetable soup or potato soup Add a spoonful on top of scrambled eggs
Violet was blessed a month ago. Family came to town and fun was had. Violet looked so beautiful in her blessing dress. With Violet being my first daughter, I was excited to have a really special dress for her. And long before Violet was born, I knew who would make her special dress. Megan Hall.
Megan custom made Violet dress with impeccable detail and quality. The dress is truly heirloom quality. Something more baby girls in our family will be able to wear for their special blessing day.
If you can't find the blessing or christening dress you want, Megan Hall is your girl. Click here for her website and contact information.
Maybe this can be one of you last farewells to summer? You can take advantage of fresh corn, jalapenos and cherry tomatoes and put this together for a fresh new take on pancakes- for dinner!
This was one of those dishes where when I ate the first bite, I rolled my eyes in the back of head and groaned. It was delicious and also so satisfying to develop a successful recipe on the first try. I often get asked what sparks recipe ideas. One source is a combination of flavors I see or hear of. Like I was watching some cooking show and not really paying much attention and I heard the words "corn and jalapeno" in the same sentence. And then my brain started storming. And it eventually decided on this recipe. And here it is. It is a moist pancake with cornmeal, fresh corn, onions and jalapenos. And to compliment the flavors of the corn and the jalapenos, you make the avocado relish. The creamy of the avocado is great with the texture of the corn cake. A nice way to change up what's on the dinner table.
For the corn cakes: 1 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 onion, chopped 2 jalapenos, seeded, ribs removed and minced 1 garlic clove, minced 2 ears of corn, kernels cut off, about 2 cups 1/2 cup flour 1/4 cup cornmeal 1 Tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp ground cumin 1/2 cup milk 2 eggs, beaten
In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil runs quickly in the pan, add the onion and jalapenos. Saute until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and corn and sauce until the corn is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Pour onion mixture onto a plate and set aside to cool.
Heat a griddle to medium high heat. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder and cumin. Whisk well to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk milk and eggs. Stir into the dry mixture. Fold in the onion and corn mixture.
Spray the griddle with non-stick spray. Pour batter onto the griddle 1/4 cup at a time. When the edges of the corn cakes are dry, flip them. Cook on the other side until golden. Serve with a spoonful of avocado relish on top.
Yields 8 corn cakes.
For the relish: 2 avocados, diced 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered 1/2 lime, juiced 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp cumin 1/8 tsp chile powder
Combine all ingredients and gently mix until combined, but the avocado is still chunky. Serve over corn cakes.
Rookie's Notes: After having these, my sour-cream-hating self admitted that these could have used some of the white stuff. So if you like sour cream, serve it along with the avocado relish.
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THIS RECIPE OR ANYTHING ELSE? Click here.
First off, if you thought that this recipe is popcorn with a box of Stove-Top Stuffing in it, you are out of luck. You know me better than that.
Since Jack is in morning kindergarten, we don't really have an after-school snack thing. We have afternoon-bored snacks. Sometimes I really fear the hours of about 3-6pm. It's when Van has woken up from his nap, Jack is hot and tired and I am losing steam. I am sure you have no idea what I am talking about, right?
When we have an off day like that, I make popcorn and lay out a big blanket on the floor, but with full knowledge I will be vacuuming later. The popcorn seems to recharge all of us. It occupies them while I can work on dinner or pack up the diaper bag for a quick trip to the park.
So why make popcorn on the stove and not just use a pack of microwave popcorn? Well, a couple of reasons. With homemade popcorn, you can control the amount of butter and salt. And you don't get that film on the roof of your mouth from the artificial flavorings in microwave popcorn. Also, some funky chemicals have been used in microwave popcorn. Chemicals that have given employees a certain type of lung disease. ConAgra, who makes most of the microwave popcorn, has stopped using that chemical, but not all other companies have followed suit.
Above all, making your own popcorn is MUCH cheaper than buying the microwave packs. For less than the price of a box of 3 microwave popcorn packs, you can buy a bag of popcorn and get 28 batches out of it. Yes, 28. You just can't beat that.
3 Tbsp vegetable oil 1/4 cup popcorn kernels 3 Tbsp butter, melted Salt to taste
In a large pot over medium high heat, add the oil and one popcorn kernel. Once the kernel pops, add the remaining kernels and immediately cover the pan. Using both hands, shake the pot almost constantly until you don't hear any more popping, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour popcorn into a large bowl. Drizzle the melted butter over the popcorn and season with salt. Rookie's Notes: If you are looking for a homemade microwave popcorn, my gal Sweet Pea has a great method. Click here.
Also, next week, look for a recipe for chocolate caramel popcorn with peanuts and toffee bits. It's sure to please.
First of all me, then husband, son one, son two and brand new daughter one. Happily loving aforementioned husband, raising our babies and spending way too much time in the kitchen.
