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Tomato and Chive Bruschetta

As we generally do every year, hubby and I decided to stay in and cook dinner together on Valentine’s Day.  We prefer cooking at home, since we will (1) spend less money; (2) eat healthier; (3) not have to deal with crowds and restaurant reservations; and (4) have more time to hang out together and really enjoy each other’s company since we don’t have to drive, find parking…  Every year, we have a blast deciding what to make.  We go through cookbooks, make suggestions, veto each other’s suggestions, and generally act like this is going to be our last meal on earth.  For our first course on Valentine’s Day this year, though, there was no strife at all: hubby requested bruschetta and I was happy to oblige.  Toasty bread, olive oil and tomatoes?  I’m ALWAYS up for that!  Part of what I love about bruschetta is that it is so versatile; you can literally go in about a million different directions with it.  I’ve tried many different versions and I love them all.  How could I not, when toasted bread is the common denominator?  This particular one is elegent in its simplicity, and it’s easy to throw together.  Mangia!

Tomato and Chive Bruschetta

1/2 baguette, sliced thinly
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for baguette
1 garlic clove, cut in half
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons (approx.) extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped chives
sea salt
black pepper
squeeze of lemon

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and arrange sliced bread on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and toast 10 minutes or so, until fragrant.
  • While bread is toasting, combine cherry or grape tomatoes, chives, remaining olive oil, salt, pepper, and a spritze of lemon juice in a small bowl and toss together.
  • Remove bread from oven and rub with the halved garlic clove.  Spoon the tomato mixture over the bread and serve.

Source: Covered In Flour, inspired by classic bruschetta

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Sun-Dried Tomato-Parmesan Mini Corn Muffins

Tap, tap.  Is this thing on?

Hello out there!  Is anyone left?  I’m sorry.  I’m so, so, so, so sorry.  I realize that I officially take the prize for Worst Blogger Ever.  The truth is, I’ve had an incredibly hectic month – hubby and I are currently in the midst of a personal project which has taken on all the intensity of a hurricane, and what feels like the proportions of Ancient Rome.  We’re doing something completely necessary, yet completely crazy at the same time: we’re BUYING A HOUSE.  I know, right?!?!?!  We fell in love with a house back in October, made an offer, and have been in the process of buying it ever since.  If you know me in “real life,” you’ve probably heard the entire saga several times.  So I can now explain that, other than the week when hubby and I both fell sick within days of each other back in January, most of my blog disappearances have happened around the times when things were heating up in the house-buying process.  It’s been a long haul, but I finally feel that I can mention it on the blog, because our closing is in less than two weeks, our move is three days later, and we have boxes stacked up containing many (but not all – like I said, I’ve been busy) of our worldly possessions.  We received word that our sale was going through in late February, and since then it’s been a whirlwind of doing all of the things that you need to do in order to buy a house, plus numerous phone calls with our broker, discussing whether we want to sell or rent our condo.  And I’ve been dealing with the complete shock of realizing that I’m actually moving and I’m not going to be cooking in my condo kitchen anymore, which does make me sad.  Because I do love my condo, especially the kitchen.

Given all this, hubby and I decided to throw the condo a farewell party.  We had actually planned to have a party for no reason back in February, but Snowmageddon ruined our plans.  So we moved the party to early March, and it just happened to fall after we had tumbled head-first down the rabbit hole of house-buying.  I was exhausted from the whole process and making frequent panicked phone calls to my mom about how I wasn’t sure anymore if I wanted a house, like, ever… so I mostly opted for “easy,” and our friends liked it all just fine.  One of the most popular dishes at the party was a savory mini corn muffin, jazzed up with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and Parmeggiano Reggiano cheese.  Mmmmm, that’s what I’m talkin’ about!  So, in the hopes that you’ll forgive me… here ya go.

Sun-Dried Tomato-Parmesan Mini Corn Muffins

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup (approx.) chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmeggiano Reggiano cheese

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prepare a 24-well mini muffin tin by spraying olive oil baking spray in each well.
  • Combine dry ingredients.
  • Mix in milk, oil and egg, until just incorporated.  Stir in chopped sun-dried tomatoes and grated cheese.
  • Using a teaspoon, portion batter evenly into muffin wells.  (You may have a little extra, depending on the size of the wells in your muffin tin.  I got about 6 extra mini muffins out of my emergency backup Bakers Secret mini muffin tin, but my muffin tins have small wells.)
  • Bake 20-25 minutes, until muffins are just golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Source: adapted from Quaker

I promise that I am going to try to be better about blogging during this moving process.  I have some photos banked from the past few weeks, and as soon as I remember what the recipes were, I’ll post them.  However, the next two weeks are going to be a little bit difficult.  Most of my cookbooks, and a fair amount of my bakeware, are already packed.  Hubby and I have enough left out that we won’t starve, but I’m not planning to do much creative baking or cooking until we get unpacked and settled and get our condo cleaned up and on the market.  Please bear with me, and I promise I’ll be back with tons of fun new recipes from my new kitchen-to-be!

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Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

I think this just may be my new favorite spaghetti sauce.  It is simple to make, inexpensive, tangy from the olives and capers, with a subtly spicy kick from the red pepper flakes.  Making puttanesca sauce from scratch is barely more effort than opening a jar of Prego, but it’s much tastier – not to mention, you control the quality of the ingredients and there are far fewer preservatives.  Plus, saying “spaghetti alla puttanesca” is fun.  Now, who can argue with that?

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, medium-diced
kosher salt
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced anchovy
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 can crushed San Marzano tomatoes in juice
1/4 cup green olives, sliced (substitute black olives)*
1 tablespoon non-pareil capers, rinsed
whole wheat spaghetti

  • In a heavy stockpot over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until shimmering, then add diced onion and season generously with kosher salt.  Stir frequently until onion is slightly caramelized, 12-15 minutes.
  • Add tomato paste, garlic, red pepper flakes and anchovy, and stir until anchovy has melted and garlic is golden, about 1 minute.  (Your kitchen now smells amazing, by the way.)
  • Boil water for spaghetti – I prefer whole wheat – and prepare spaghetti according to the package directions.
  • Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, olives and capers.  Stir to combine all ingredients, then turn heat down and allow sauce to simmer while pasta finishes cooking.
  • Divide pasta into bowls and top with sauce.  Add a sprinkle of extra oregano if desired and serve.  Couldn’t be easier!

Yield: Serves 2 for dinner, with leftovers.

Source: Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

*The original/traditional recipe calls for black olives, but I can’t stand them, so I substituted green.  Feel free to experiment with different olives, or go back to tradition if you actually like black olives.

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Cinnamon-Chocolate Fudge

Hubby had just one request for the Superbowl: fudge.  We saw Giada make this cinnamon-chocolate fudge as part of her football snacks episode on “Giada At Home,” and ever since then, hubby has been wondering how he made it through so many football games without fudge.  Now, I like chocolate fudge just fine – generally, it’s not what I would choose, but it’s fine – but I had never tried making it before.  But seeing as this was ridiculously easy to make, and it made hubby oh-so-happy, I’ll probably be making it again.  Not for awhile, though… we’ve got quite a bit left.  To hubby’s coworkers, if you’re reading this… bring your appetites to work tomorrow (or whenever we dig out from “Snowmageddon” and actually see our offices again).

Cinnamon-Chocolate Fudge

2 cups milk chocolate chips (preferably Ghirardelli)*
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons cinnamon**
3 tablespoons butter
Maldon sea salt (about a tablespoon)

  • Prepare an 8×8 baking pan by buttering the sides and bottom, then lining with parchment – leaving an overhang – and buttering the parchment.
  • In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate, condensed milk, cinnamon and butter until smooth.
  • Pour the chocolate-cinnamon mixture into the buttered baking pan and smooth the top.  Sprinkle over the Maldon sea salt to your taste (I like to be a bit generous with the salt).
  • Place the fudge in the refrigerator and allow to set, at least 2 hours.  Slice into small pieces and serve cold.

*The original recipe called for dark chocolate, but I generally prefer milk chocolate – and my picked-over grocery store was all out of dark chocolate.  (It’s good to see where people’s priorities lie when a blizzard is coming.)  Feel free to substitute dark chocolate of whatever percentage you prefer – the recipe recommends 60%, but I could see up to 72% being good if you are a dark chocolate fan.

**I stuck with the original recipe’s recommendation and used cinnamon, and it did give the chocolate a nice depth of flavor.  Hubby really liked the combination of chocolate and cinnamon, but I was less keen on it.  Objectively, they did work well together, but I just don’t care for the combination, apparently.  I think that next time I make this fudge, I’ll do it with a teaspoon of coffee-flavored extract or raspberry-flavored extract for a bit of a different spin.  You could also leave out the flavoring altogether, and stir in some chopped nuts instead.  This fudge recipe leaves lots of room for creativity.  Go nuts!

Source: Adapted from Giada At Home.

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Roasted Cabbage with Balsamic Drizzle

It’s no secret around these parts that I love roasted vegetables.  Cabbage is one of my favorite vegetables and, personally, I’ve never had any problems with cabbage flavor.  But I’d actually never tried roasting cabbage, and I’ve been wanting to for quite some time.  So last weekend I picked up a nice little green cabbage at the farmers market, with the express purpose of roasting it.  I had planned to just eat it as it came out of the oven, but then as I put it in, I thought, “what about a balsamic drizzle?”  Roasted vegetables are good on their own, but pairing them with something a little acidic often takes them to a whole new level – and that was the case this time, too.  The balsamic reduction takes on a tart-yet-sweet character, perfectly complementing the soft, juicy, caramelized cabbage.  And the best part?  Cabbage is cheap and this is quick and easy enough to throw together after work for a deliciously simple dinner.  Yum!

Roasted Cabbage with Balsamic Drizzle

1 green cabbage, outer leaves removed
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Cut cabbage into 8 wedges of roughly equal size (just do your best).  Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet and toss gently with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper.  Roast for 15 minutes, then toss and roast for 15 minutes more.
  • During the second 15 minute roasting period, heat balsamic vinegar in a small pan, over medium heat.  Allow the vinegar to reduce by about half.  If more reduction is needed, in your judgment, turn the heat up to high and allow the vinegar to boil down during the last minute of roasting.
  • Pile cabbage wedges on a plate and drizzle the balsamic reduction over them.  Serve immediately!  They would be good over pasta, as a side dish for roasted chicken or sauteed chicken paillards, or (as I ate them) all alone, as an awesome lunch.

Source: Adapted from TheKitchn.

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Lemon-Buttered Pasta with Shrimp

Bring your appetite to this dinner.

I’ve mentioned before that hubby and I love to hike.  What I failed to mention, is that we are certifiably insane and we will quite literally hike in all kinds of weather.  And when I say all kinds, I mean all kinds.  Sure, we like to hike on those nice, pleasant, 70-degrees-and-sunny kinds of days.  But we’ve also hiked in the rain (Buttermere in the English Lake District) and the mist (Isle of Skye, Scotland) and in the snow.  We got a few inches in the DC suburbs on Saturday, and hubby and I decided to take advantage of it by throwing on the Smartwool socks and the hiking boots and the snowpants and going traipsing through our favorite neighborhood woodlands at Great Falls National Park.  Aside from the park rangers and one other crazy hiker, we were the only ones on the trails – well, with the exception of a huge flock of geese and one rather cold-looking heron (who let us get very close, since he was either too cold or too blase to fly away).  After about three hours of wading through the freshly fallen snow, hubby and I were: (1) freezing, and (2) ravenous.  We hurried home to this dinner, which took care of both the cold and the hunger in one shot.

Lemon-Buttered Pasta with Shrimp

1/3 package pasta, any shape (I used fusilli)
3 tablespoons butter, separated
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
4-5 shakes Tabasco sauce
black pepper
chopped chives (optional)

  • Boil a pot of water for pasta.  When water is at a rolling boil, salt liberally and add pasta.  Cook pasta according to package directions.
  • In a non-stick or cast-iron skillet or pot, heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil until butter has just melted.  Add shrimp and saute, tossing constantly, until shrimp turn pink.
  • When shrimp are cooked through, melt in the remaining butter.  Add lemon zest, juice, Tabasco sauce and pepper, and stir to incorporate all the flavors.
  • When pasta is finished cooking, transfer pasta with a slotted spoon over to the shrimp and sauce.  Toss pasta to coat completely.  If desired, sprinkle chopped chives (either fresh or freeze-dried) over pasta.  Serve immediately.

Source: Covered In Flour

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Whole Grain Apple-Cinnamon Muffins

I have a compulsion: I will almost always buy apples at the store, whether we need them or not.  I’ve been known to have three almost-full bags of apples knocking around my crisper drawer, because for some reason I just can’t stop myself from buying them at the grocery store.  It’s as if some unconscious part of me takes over in the produce section and says, “Mmmm, apples!  Delicious!” and just throws them in the cart without me having any control over it.  (That also happens with cucumbers.)  They are our standby lunch fruit, so we’ll go through 5-10 apples a week just by putting them in lunches (depending on if there are also grapes in the house, in which case I will take those for myself…) but we always, always seem to have extra apples.  I don’t know if they multiply in the fridge or what, but it seems to take forever to get through a bag and I invariably have leftovers at the end of the week.  When I am actually thinking intelligently about my grocery shopping, I will either restrain myself from buying apples or figure out some way to use up my extras – like turkey cutlets with sauteed apples and onions for dinner one night, or these muffins.

Ah, muffins.  Who doesn’t love muffins?  They are tasty, easy, and they have the cutest! name! ever!  But most of the time, they are also laden with butterfat and nutritionally void calories.  I try to make muffins at least somewhat nutritious by using whole grains, like rolled oats, along with whole wheat flour, and adding some flaxseed meal for the Omega-3s.  Tossing in a little fresh fruit can’t hurt, either.  And that’s where the apples come in… a relatively nutritious muffin, and an opportunity to use up some of those extra apples that are taking up half my crisper drawer?  That’s a very nice way to wake up on a weekend morning.

Whole Grain Apple-Cinnamon Muffins

1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour*
2/3 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup ground flaxseed meal
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup skim milk
8 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
2 large (preferably organic) eggs
1/3 cup honey
3 medium apples, large-diced

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin by spraying the wells with a baking spray (like Pam for Baking or Baker’s Joy), or by lining with paper or silicone muffin liners.
  • Combine the dry ingredients – flour, oats, flaxseed meal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon – in a large bowl and whisk together.
  • In a smaller bowl, combine the milk, applesauce, eggs and honey, and stir to combine.
  • Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix well.
  • Stir in the diced apple pieces.  Portion batter equally into muffin wells.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffins comes out clean.

*The whole wheat flour actually adds to the taste of these muffins, so I encourage you to stick with it.  If you simply don’t like the taste, you can substitute white whole wheat flour, which is much milder but retains the same nutritional benefits as regular whole wheat, or even all-purpose flour, which is less nutritious.  Whole wheat flour also gives the muffins a somewhat denser crumb than you would get with all-purpose flour, but again, I think it works well with the apple pieces.  Certainly, you can substitute some of all of it, but please do give it a try!

Yield: 12 muffins.

Source: Covered In Flour

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Quinoa Spinach Bake

Here’s a misconception that I’ve been harboring: I thought that quinoa was a grain.  It turns out, quinoa is a seed!  Who knew?  Here’s one thing I’m sure I’m not mistaken about, though… quinoa is healthy and delicious.  An ancient American “pseudo-cereal,” it packs all the nutritional benefits of whole grains – lots and lots of fiber – but also is high in protein.  If you’re trying to work more whole grains into your diet and you’re sick of brown rice, give quinoa a try.  It cooks up light and fluffy, with a pleasant nutty taste that matches well with many other flavors.

This dish, quinoa spinach bake, is a great way to get more quinoa on your table.  It was billed as a side dish, but I think that it also makes a fantastic vegetarian entree, given the many nutritional benefits that quinoa and spinach offer.  It’s easy to throw together after work – just cook up the quinoa, mix in the other ingredients, plop them in a baking dish, and poof!  Instant (well, after 30 minutes) wholesomeness!

Quinoa Spinach Bake

2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 yellow onion, medium-diced
extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 package spinach
2 eggs
1/4 cup lowfat cottage cheese
cracked pepper
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped fine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Coat an 8-by-8 glass or ceramic baking dish with an olive oil cooking spray and set aside.
  • Cook the quinoa according to the package directions (1 cup of dried quinoa should yield about 2 cups of cooked quinoa), flavoring with a bit of salt.
  • While the quinoa cooks, warm a drizzle of olive oil in a non-stick saute pan.  Cook the onion, seasoning with salt, until translucent.  Add the red pepper flakes and stir for a few seconds, until fragrant.  Add the spinach and wilt, tossing to coat with the onions.  Transfer onions and spinach to a bowl.  Add eggs, cottage cheese, cracked pepper and herbs.
  • When the quinoa finishes cooking, add it to the spinach mixture and stir thoroughly to combine.  Transfer quinoa-spinach mixture to the prepared baking dish and smooth out the top.
  • Bake 30-35 minutes, until top is golden.  Slice and serve with a green salad!

Yield: Serves 4 as a vegetarian entree, 8 as a side dish.

Source: Adapted from WholeLiving.com.

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Angel Kisses

I’m going to put my money where my mouth is: these cookies deserve to be called angel kisses.  They are shaped like kisses, but they’re as light as clouds in heaven.  Not to mention that eating them is, quite literally, like being kissed by an angel.  That’s right, they’re that good.

Okay, angel kisses is just my adorable name for simple meringue cookies.  And these really are simple, but they are a bit of a time investment.  You are going to need just over two hours to make them, so budget the afternoon – but really, most of that time is spent in the oven, totally hands-off for the baker.  Although they are a time commitment, angel kisses are remarkably low maintenance and they keep very well – that is, if you can stop yourself from popping them into your mouth.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you… but these truly are heavenly.

Angel Kisses

8 egg whites
1 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract (or vanilla extract, or grapefruit juice)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
pinch salt

  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In a stand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed until they have begun to get white and foamy.  With the mixer running, pour in superfine sugar slowly, in a thin stream.  Add lemon extract, cream of tartar and salt.
  • Raise mixer speed to 8 (if using a KitchenAid) or medium-high, and continue to beat for 8 minutes.  After 8 minutes – the egg whites should be shiny and smooth – raise mixer speed to 10 (if using a KitchenAid) or the maximum possible speed, and whip for 2 minutes, or until egg whites hold stiff peaks.
  • Transfer egg whites into a piping bag with a large star tip attached.*  Pipe the meringues onto a baking sheet covered with a Silpat or parchment paper.  (Don’t worry about spreading, because they won’t.  Pipe them as close together as you can – this recipe makes a LOT and you want to get as many onto your baking sheet as possible.  They won’t be as good in a second batch, so it’s best to try to get them all in the oven at once.)
  • Place baking sheets into the oven and immediately reduce heat to 200 degrees.  Leave in the oven for 2 hours.   After the two hours is complete, test one – it won’t be hot, but it should be completely dried out.  If they need more time, leave them in the oven for another 45 minutes or so, with the oven off.

Source: Covered In Flour

*Nota Baker: This recipe works best if you do take the time to pipe these out.  Piping is very easy, but very important – it ensures that the meringues will dry out relatively evenly.  However, if you don’t have cake decorating supplies – which are sold at Michael’s craft stores and are very inexpensive and worth owning – you can dollop the egg whites out with a teaspoon.  They won’t look as cute, and they won’t dry out as well or as thoroughly, but the teaspoon method works in a pinch.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though.

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Grapefruit Curd

Citrus is one of my all-time favorite flavors, and grapefruit is right up there with limes and Meyer lemons fighting for top billing as my favorite citrus.  I’ve been a fan of grapefruit since college.  We always had them in my sorority house, and I got to the point where I would be grouchy if I didn’t start the day with grapefruit.  I even took to packing grapefruits in my lunch and eating them like oranges, until my friend Amy staged an intervention.

I’m serious.

Yes, I’m serious about citrus and I’m serious about grapefruit.  You see, I grew up and went to college in a region of the country where citrus was about the only taste of sunshine we got in the winter, off the ski slopes, that is.  Since I’ve started cooking, I’ve made many citrus recipes, some including grapefruit – grapefruit and fennel salad, for instance, or roasted halibut with grapefruit-mint salsa.  So I’m shocked that it took me until now to consider making grapefruit curd.  After all, I love lemon curd and lime curd.  Once the thought occurred to me – call it the mid-winter doldrums, but I needed some citrus in my life this weekend – I did some sniffing around and found that my gal Martha has a recipe for grapefruit curd.  Apparently grape minds think alike! 

Grapefruit Curd

1/4 cup fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
1 cup granulated sugar
pinch salt
8 egg yolks
1 1/4 sticks butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces

  • In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine grapefruit juice, sugar and salt.  Whisk to blend evenly.
  • Heat the grapefruit-sugar mixture over medium-high heat, stirring in the egg yolks one at a time with a wooden spoon.  Continue stirring for 8 minutes, until mixture has thickened slightly.  (Work the spoon slowly; you don’t want to scramble the eggs.  Odds are you will have little eggy bits.  Don’t worry about this – we’re going to deal with it in a minute.)
  • Take the pan off the heat.  Working one piece at a time, melt the butter into the curd.
  • Pass curd through a fine mesh sieve to remove any eggy bits (See?  I told you we’d deal with them).  Decant into a glass jar or container for storage.  Allow curd to rest in the fridge for 2-3 hours, until set.  Serve on scones, toast, meringues, over ice cream… you name it.

Source: adapted from Martha Stewart‘s Baking Handbook, by Martha Stewart

Nota Baker: Curd is a fantastic candidate for canning.  These instructions assume that you are going to keep the curd in the refrigerator and consume it within a few days.  If you intend to can… well, I can’t help you with that.  I currently do not have room in my kitchen for the canning apparatus.  Don’t worry, I’m working on that problem and you’ll see canning recipes on here before too long (I hope).