Saturday, May 21, 2011

What to do with Spinach

Doesn't this recipe sound good? I can't wait to try it out, and I think it's a brilliant way to sneak in some spinach. I also love the idea of sneaking spinach into homemade pesto. It helps the pesto go farther and gets spinach in your diet. Now I'm just waiting on the basil and spinach to grow!

Sneaky Spinach Sorbet

1/2 of an orange - peeled
3/4 c. frozen chopped spinach
3/4 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. frozen pineapple chuncks
1 large or 2 small bananas

Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulverize. Check for chunks. Process until smooth. Serve right away or put in freezer. *note - let soften on counter before eating out of the freezer

Curry and Dijon Chicken

Curry and Dijon Baked Chicken


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ tablespoon curry powder (increase the amount for a more intense and spicy flavor)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)


1. Prepare the chicken by removing any skin and flatten the pieces so they are an even thickness.


2. Mix the honey, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, curry powder, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes in a bowl.


3. Add the chicken to the bowl and mix until the chicken is evenly coated.


4. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 3 hours. The longer, the better!


5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


6. Lightly grease a baking sheet or dish and lay out the chicken pieces in the pan.


7. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes.


8. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the chicken over.


9. Return the chicken to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Note: As the chicken bakes, keep an eye on the pan to see if the juices begin to
brown. As the browning begins to form, add water to the pan. I often use about 1 to 1½ cups of water. The water will loosen the brown parts from the bottom of the pan, thicken with a little additional cooking time, and make an excellent sauce to pour over the chicken after it bakes.

** I just mixed the sauce and dumped it in a pan with the chicken. It goes great over brown rice.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Finally!

I finally got in the garden today! I haven't had a chance to put together an extensive plan so we're just going with it this year. I have started inside some asparagus bean plants. Today I planted sugar snap peas and peas. I know I wasn't going to do carrots again this year, but I discovered I had some seed left from last year. Those made it into the ground today too. Hopefully this year will be more fruitful. Yay for the garden!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Zuchini Candy?

I came across this recipe the other day. They say you can do the same thing for pineapple flavor. Just use 48 oz. pineapple juice 2 T. pineapple extract 2 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice.

Everything I've read says these taste like gum drops or fruit snacks. I certainly want to try it next summer!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Fall Garden Update 2010

Yes, as embarrassing as it is, I am just now getting around to cleaning up the garden and posting an update. I want to blame it on the current growing of something else, but really, it was more passive pouting about the lame results for the year. I was pleasantly surprised to discover some large carrots when I was pulling everything out today. The allysum seems to be doing well too around the edges which is nice as a natural bad-bug repellant. So let's recap:

Sugar snap peas -- these are probably the only thing that did great. I will definitely do these again, and next spring I won't be having any food aversions.

Spinach and lettuce -- will try again in the spring.

Carrots -- disaster. I don't think I will do these again as they're not my absolute favorite veggie. I'll leave room for something else.

Peppers - fail. I got one little one. From two plants.

Basil -- I really would like to get enough to make pesto so this will probably be a try-again.

Garlic -- turned out ok. I got probably a dozen heads, but they weren't very big. I haven't planted any yet, so it's looking like it won't be on the produce list for next year.

Squash -- It seems the plant started producing fruit just as the temps dropped into freezing which of course killed the plants. Boo. This will definitely be a try-again.

Onions -- fail. They took up too much room in the garden and didn't grow big enough to make it worth it. I'll just go to the farm stand to get my onions next year.

Tomatoes -- all fail. We got a few small Oregon Springs that Kyle thought were "tasty." Other than that, ah tthhhhh.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Homemade Pop Tarts


I love Pop Tarts. I love them so much they are pretty much banned from my cupboards - I'd eat them all in 3 days. I specifically love the strawberry ones. But recently I've been horrified at the things that Red 40 food coloring is in. Both Red 40 and Yellow 5 are HORRIBLE. They cause all sorts of problems, especially in kids, including ADHD behaviors. But the scarriest part is that they are in everything - Schmuckers strawberry jam (strawberries are already red - why add the coloring?!), pickles (not a jar on the shelves in the stores doesn't have Yellow 5), soups, butter, granola bars (Nature Valley?! Come on!), and on and on. Ok, so as I remove myself from my little soap box, all that is to say - I am very excited to find this recipe!! Made with homemade strawberry jam (no coloring, less sugar).




Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Pastry

2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pats

1 large egg

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk
1 additional large egg (to brush on pastry)

Cinnamon Filling (enough for 9 tarts)

1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) brown sugar

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, to taste

4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 large egg, to brush on pastry before filling

Jam Filling

3/4 cup (8 ounces) jam

1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

Alternate fillings: 9 tablespoons chocolate chips, 9 tablespoons Nutella or other chocolate-hazelnut paste or 9 tablespoons of a delight of your choice, such as salted caramel or a nut paste

To make cinnamon filling: Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and flour.

To make jam filling:

Mix the jam with the cornstarch/water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool. Use to fill the pastry tarts.

Make the dough:

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers, pastry blender or food processor until pea-sized lumps of butter are still visible, and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it. If you’ve used a food processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk the first egg and milk together and stir them into the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive, kneading briefly on a well-floured counter if necessary.

Divide the dough in half (approximately 8 1/4 ounces each), shape each half into a smooth rectangle, about 3×5 inches. You can roll this out immediately (see Warm Kitchen note below) or wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Assemble the tarts:

If the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes. Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8″ thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9″ x 12″. [You can use a 9" x 13" pan, laid on top, as guidance.] Repeat with the second piece of dough. Set trimmings aside. Cut each piece of dough into thirds – you’ll form nine 3″ x 4″ rectangles.

Beat the additional egg and brush it over the entire surface of the first dough. This will be the “inside” of the tart; the egg is to help glue the lid on. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, keeping a bare 1/2-inch perimeter around it. Place a second rectangle of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around the pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Repeat with remaining tarts.

Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries. Refrigerate the tarts (they don’t need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.

Charming tip from King Arthur: Sprinkle the dough trimmings with cinnamon-sugar; these have nothing to do with your toaster pastries, but it’s a shame to discard them, and they make a wonderful snack. While the tarts are chilling, bake these trimmings for 13 to 15 minutes, till they’re golden brown.

Bake the tarts: Remove the tarts form the fridge, and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Cool in pan on rack.

Whole Wheat Variation: I was itching to swap out 1/2 cup of the flour with whole wheat flour. I am sure it would make it more deliciously breakfast.

Pop Tart Minis: The biggest struggle I had with these was the size. I actually like my baked goods on the tiny size, thus I think this could make an adorable batch of 16 2 1/4″ x 3″ rectangles.

Savory Pop Tarts: Nix the sugar in the dough and halve the salt. Fill with pesto, cheese, ground nuts or olives, or any combination thereof. Brush the tops with additional egg wash and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds. Please invite me over.

Do ahead: The sweet versions should keep at room temperature in an airtight container for a week. If you’d like to make them further in advance, I vote for freezing them unbaked between layers of waxed paper, and baking them as you need.

Warm kitchen warning: Guys, I live in an inferno, the kind of steam-heated, 85 degrees inside (68 gorgeous degrees outside) existence many other New Yorkers are familiar with. Between the heat and yesterday’s rainy humidity, me and this dough were struggling. To keep it from being too warm and soft, I was stuffing the trays of dough in the freezer for 10 minute shifts almost every time I worked with them. If you find yourself in an overly warm kitchen working with dough that gets soft too quickly, just keep using your freezer. The 10 minutes here and there that you extend this project will save you many gray hairs as the dough becomes easy to work with again.


*All notes are from Deb at smittenkitchen.com

Monday, September 6, 2010

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken:

Chicken Breasts
Sliced Ham
Cheese, Mozerella or Provalone
Breadcrumbs (Panko)
One egg, beaten

Pound chicken breasts to uniform thickness.
Season with salt and pepper on each side.
Place ham slices and cheese on each breast and roll up, holding it in place with toothpicks.
Dip chicken roll in egg, then in breadcrumbs
Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes.

Optional Mornay Sauce:

1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1 c. milk
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper
In small saucepan, melt butter. With a whisk, beat in flour. When mixture bubbles, add milk all at once, stirring with a whisk to avoid lumps. Stir in cheese, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring constantly until it's thick.

Pour over baked Chicken Cordon Bleu just before serving.