An Easy One

 Because it's Hell's Sauna out there.

Seared Tuna with Thai Red Curry Sauce

It's hot outside.  

And we're without a refrigerator (more on that later). 

So dinner for Matt had to be something easy.

Earth Fare had yellowfin tuna on sale - bingo.

Alex made some peanut noodles, which paired nicely with this simple dish. I skipped the salad, because we do not have the means to store the ingredients!

But hey, he loved it.  And that's what matters.

I Did It Again

Fried Egg & Prosciutto Pretzel Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich

 

King Arthur has my number, man.

KAB:"Hey, look at this new recipe!"

Me: "OHMYGODGIVEITTOEMNOW."

 

Seriously.

 

The most recent was a Pretzel Biscuit, which...yes, please.

 

Stupidly easy, and so damn good.

 

They are biscuits, but they taste like pretzel. Really.

We turned ours into breakfast for dinner, only one of the best things in the world.

Matt had leftovers with a bit of mustard and prosciutto, and that worked.

 

And now I wait, Pavlov's dog-like, for the next KAB treat.

Pride Before the Fail

Pride Cinnamon Rolls

 

 

I knew better.

I did. 

I should have picked a cinnamon roll recipe I'd used before. 

But this was Right Here, and promised pretty things!

So I ignored the warning voice in my head, and went with these Rainbow Cinnamon Rolls.

I mean, there's nothing wrong with it. Not really.

The dough is...fine. As far as I can tell.

But see, it wants you to knead a 1/2 tsp of food color gel into each of six portions, and...nope

Because 1. that's not enough to reach the desired 'color is vibrant, fully incorporated and no longer streaky' stage asked for, and 2. that's working the dough a lot longer than I'm actually comfortable with.

 

To be fair, the final color is gorgeous.  But I can't help but think there was an easier way, one that didn't require so much additional work.

They're not the best rolls I've ever made, but they are still cinnamon rolls.  And they are covered in rainbow glitter, which means so am I.  And the table, floors, and miscellaneous items throughout the house. 

For months to come.

 

Happy Pride!

I Should Have Waited

 And made this next week.

Bruschetta Chicken Pasta

Because next week, the temps are hitting low to mid nineties.  And I will NOT want to cook.  Or eat. Or even think about food.

But this? This was easy. Light.  Perfect for those new to cooking, or, in this case, not really wanting to spend a lot (or any!) time over a hot stove.

Cook chicken, flavored with Italian seasoning, as well as S&P. Cool. slice.

Mix small tomatoes with (torn) basil, garlic and olive oil.  That gets tossed with al dente angel hair pasta. Top with the chicken

That's IT.

It's nothing spectacular. But it's summer without the heat and humidity, in a bowl. 

As for next week, we may be putting ice cream on the menu.

The Simple Things

Shirley Temple Float

It's summer.

The a/c units are running pretty much full time.

Step outside, and you're instantly gasping for air because it's so darn muggy.

The tomatoes aren't quite ready yet. The corn is close. Same for cantaloupes and peaches. 

 

But it is definitely summer.

 

 

Which means a constant quest to stay hydrated.

 

I'm perfectly happy with some flavored water. Or tea - hot or cold. 

 

Sometimes, though, you want a little more. Something special.

 

That doesn't necessarily mean 'extra', though. It can still be simple.

 

Like this Shirley Temple Float.

We're talking about four ingredients. But four ingredients that come together to make something wonderful.

Not too sweet, refreshing & come on - fun.

Happy Summer.

Seeing Stars

Ravioli filled with sun-dried tomato, roasted garlic, mascarpone, smoked mozzarella & Asiago with a balsamic cream sauce

 

Continuing with the 'use what's already here' push, there was a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in the cupboard I only recently unearthed (no worries, it was still good). 

And while it takes a toll on me (I suffer for my art!), the guys love when I make pasta.  

So I did.

The dough was colored with tomato paste; Matt 3D printed a star-shaped ravioli form.

For the filling, I first minced then processed the tomatoes before mixing that with smoked mozzarella, mascarpone (because Alex loathes ricotta), the tail end of some roasted garlic (reminder to self: make more), Asiago, and a bit of nutmeg, salt and pepper. 

I wanted the sauce to provide some oomph; I found this recipe for a balsamic cream sauce...and it stepped up.

A scattering of toasted pine nuts, and done.

So...yeah.

I ended up with not quite four sheet trays of ravioli. I think we made one-ish for dinner. 

Until Matt liked it so much, he brought the pasta water back to a boil, and cooked some more.

The rest are in the freezer, plus some leftover dough I turned into fettuccine. With the remainder of the sauce, I think the guys are set for awhile.

Monty Python Time

 

See!

 

I do make things that aren't sweet. 

 

Banh Mi Panzanella

 

I've been trying to be more...eh, I hate the word 'mindful'. More aware of what's existing in our kitchen - the cupboards, fridge and freezers. What's sitting there, not being used?

A can of this, a packet of that. What can I do with it?

 

A small thing, but there was a container of tofu, from a dish I ended up not making due to a time crunch. 

Matt loves Southeast Asian flavors.

Leading to this simple Banh Mi Panzanella. 

Let a baguette go stale (instead of oops...forgetting about it!). Cut up & marinate some tofu (since I already had a pot of oil from a previous dinner, I deep-fried rather than doing it in a shallow pan). 

There's a dressing, a bit of veg & herb, and a spicy mayo. 

It's pleasant & low effort, perfect for this time of year when it feels like you've walked into a sauna as you step outside. 

 

Copy That

Cosmic Brownies

I love copy cat, or 'clone', recipes.

I think they're brilliant. 

Take a dish you love, but make it better? Or customize to your preferences? 

YES.

Please.  Let's do this.

When Claire Saffitz 'bakes it better', I am there for it. From her BA days to her solo channel. 

Obviously, the average home cook isn't going to have the large-scale equipment or preservatives or precise molds or cutter or whatever, but you can still get close to the 'real deal'. 

I've never tasted a Cosmic Brownie. 

I didn't grow up eating a lot of sweets, and almost never mass-produced cakes or cookies. 

I'm also sort of...meh...on brownies. I can take or leave them.  

But I've been seeing recipes for a home version of these for a couple of years, and yeah. They look cool. 

There was another gathering of geeks over the weekend. Seemed like the perfect opportunity to give them a try.

I went with this recipe, which was easy even for brownies. 

Not having a personal baseline, I had to trust Matt's judgement.  Apparently, they were very, very good. 

Many were consumed. 

 

(I swear -  I do more than bake these days. Honest!)

To quote the sage...

 We love breakfast foods. 

We love pizza.

No brainer - Smoked Salmon Breakfast Pizza (for Matt!)

The 72 hour dough, the tiniest scattering of mozzarella, cracked eggs, a bit of S&P.

Bake, top with smoked salmon, creme fraiche, dill & capers.  Eat too much.

For Alex & me, it was lots & lots of cheese (mozzarella & a 'pizza blend'), eggs mixed with milk, dried sage & red pepper flakes - poured over, and chopped up Morningstar Farms 'bacon'.  Bake until gorgeously golden.

Once again, eat too much.

Save any leftovers for (gasp!) tomorrow's breakfast.

Game Day Eats - Take Two

Snickerdoodle Blondies

 

 

 

With the holiday weekend, and Matt's friend(s) still in town, there was time for more gaming.

More gaming meant more gaming food.

Rosemary-Garlic Focaccia Caprese Bites

Yesterday, I made the focaccia I talked about in this post, and topped cut squares with slices of tomato (helped along with some sugar and salt, as they were not the best), fresh mozzarella, and dabs of pesto.

There was a roasted garlic dip (not pictured) with lots of fresh veggies, and Snickerdoodle Blondies. Stupidly easy to make, but my guys love Snickerdoodles.

Games were played. Food was eaten.  My geeks were happy.

Game Day Eats

 

We learned, very last moment, that one of The Guys was in town.

That means at least one night of gaming, upstairs in the Lounge.  For which, naturally, there must be food.

 

 

Camera photo by Matt

There was the usual cheese, salamis and crackers.  A really nice pistachio hummus with veggies and pita chips. 

And Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts.

A really dense brownie (no leaveners) with both a peanut butter and a chocolate layer.  

It all happened so fast, I didn't have a chance to taste them before sending a plate upstairs, but I'm told they went over well.

Mission accomplished.

Happy National Apple Pie Day!

 ( A few hours late...)

I'll let you in on a little secret: I don't like pie.

At all. 

To me, it's a waste of a perfectly good crust to soggy it all up with squishy fruit or whatever.

Bleah.

But.

Matt & Alex like pie. 

They really like my caramel apple pie.

So they got apple pie. 

Pan de Cristal Flavor Bombs

 I think this may be the most amazing nine ingredient combo, ever.

I watch a lot of food and comic/geeky YouTube (did you know Callebaut has a channel?!). 

King Arthur dropped a video for their Pan de Cristal a week or so ago, and ...um. Yes. This I had to make.

I love this dough. I love this recipe. I love this bread.

Five ingredients. Very low-effort. As I've been telling Alex for years, bread is mostly about time.  

Excellent crust; crisp and shattering.  But the interior is soft, and shiny like glass! (Hence the name.)

And so full of flavor.  You could easily put away a loaf as is.

But if you could fill that amazing bread with flavor bombs like tomatoes slow-roasted for hours and hours, and rich, caramelized garlic, with the creamy sweetness of burrata, why would you pass that up?

You wouldn't. 

This sandwich is perfection.  That is all.

 

Valerie's Right, You know

Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia

 A lifetime ago, I was afraid of bread. Bread-making, anyway.

I called it 'yestaphobia'.  

No one in my life made bread. We bought the stuff from the store.  At home, it was whole wheat. My grandparents got either the grocery bakery 'Italian' loaf or something akin to Wonder Bread.

Before I moved to California, the only 'bread' I'd baked contained bananas.

But I was living in a new place. A city that still felt small-ish. And I was being exposed to all sorts of interesting and new foods. 

At the same time, I had access to this new and wondrous thing called The Food Network. 

It was eye-opening.  Cooks and chefs, of all backgrounds, were spending half hours showing people like me how to make...everything.

Jacques Torres and Gale Gand taught me about chocolate and pastry. Aaron Sanchez and his friends introduced me to dishes I'd never heard of before.

I still make Emeril's jambalaya, at least twice a year.

Chiarello's paella still makes an appearance on the menu from time to time.

And Jamie Oliver (before he became insufferable and impossible to watch) took me through the steps to make focaccia. 

We would occasionally pick up a loaf from one of the bougie shops in our neighborhood - I'd never seen anything like it back home.  And I loved it.

I was already teaching myself how to cook and bake, well, all the things.  Why not this?

I printed out the recipe, and with great trepidation, attempted to make bread.

...there were failures.

I'd never worked with yeast before. Let's just say there many trials and errors, 'k?

But the first time I pulled a pan of golden, fragrant bread from the oven...I wish I could bottle that feeling. Euphoric. 

I can now make this recipe without the recipe.  It's been 24 years, and I still come back to it.

It's like a foodie friend that I don't see often, but when we get together, it's as if no time has passed.  Comfortable.

I learned a lot during those early Food Network years. Those programs showed me what was out there in the food world, and helped me be brave enough to try it.

I stopped watching the channel some years ago.  The style of food being presented, along with all the competitions, felt very 'not for me'. 

Which is sad, because those early programs were my home-based cooking school.  My foodie travel guide.  I learned so much.

Like Valerie said after her firing, it's not about cooking and learning anymore. 

What a loss.

Ants Not Included

 Happy National Picnic Day!!

(Picnic is one of those word, btw, that if looked at too long, ceases to be an actual word. Picnic. Picnic. Picnic.  Like summing Beetlejuice, only not like that even a little bit.)

Despite the pleasant weather in our part of the world, we held our picnic indoors. I respect all living creatures, but I prefer to enjoy my food without flies and mosquitoes joining in.

Deviled eggs, which never last long around here (looking at you, Matt), a garlicky roasted potato salad, an Earth Fare-like smoked Gouda pasta salad, plant-based barbecue chipped ham sandwiches (holla to Western PA), and, at Alex's request, Snickerdoodles. And a cool glass of lemonade. 

The only thing missing was a checkered, plastic tablecloth.

Mortadella Pizza Sandwich

 

I confess: I'm a sucker for a sexy food photo.

So when I saw the thumbnail for King Arthur's Mortadella Pizza Sandwich, I was both seduced and confused. 

Pizza? Sandwich? What?

Watching the video cleared the confusion, thankfully, and after sharing it with Matt, it went on the menu.

I've never had mortadella. I went vegetarian...oh, god.   Nearly 28 1/2 years ago!?
Wow.

I'm not convinced grocery stores in my little home town even carried the stuff back then.

In any case, I didn't encounter it until well after I'd stopped eating 'food with a face'. 
But again, now that Earth Fare is carrying plant-based deli style meats, I'm able to find something vaguely suitable for the recipe.

Matt, of course, had actual mortadella.

It's half pizza, half hot sub.  A gorgeous, long-rise dough gets stretched, lightly bathed in olive oil, folded in half, and baked in a blisteringly hot oven for a few minutes.

One last blast of heat from the broiler gives you a solid outer crust, while the interior comes out done, but softer.

Gently pry the ...bread? Crust? open, and distribute burrata over the bottom half. 

Next, add your mortadella, lemon zest and juice, roughly chopped salted pistachios, a sprinkling of red pepper flakes and flaky sea salt to the sandwich.

Close, brush the top with some olive oil, and toss on a few more pistachios.  

 

It's stupidly good.  And stupidly easy. The dough's hands-off for the most part, with a little bit of shaping right before baking. The ingredients aren't numerous or complicated. 

And yeah, it's damn sexy.

 Edited to add: I forgot to mention the grated Asiago!!!

Getting Fancy

 

When you're only using a few ingredients, they have to count.

Alex kept getting these targeted ads for a sandwich from...I think it was Jimmy John's?

It's not a place we'd patronize, both for the lacking in vegetarian options and some social/political stances by the owners that don't align with our own.

But apparently they're now offering a caprese salami pesto sandwich, and well...that sounds pretty good, yeah?

 

Luckily for us, Earth Fare is now carrying a selection of plant-base deli meats, including salami.

They're all really good - I like the 'ham' in particular.

Their sandwich is 'salami and fresh mozzarella, slow-roasted tomatoes, basil pesto, balsamic glaze, oregano-basil, oil, onion and mayo, on French bread.'

We riffed a bit, using fresh but out of season tomatoes (helped along by a bit of sugar and salt to draw out the flavor), skipped the onions because...no, and a drizzle of this glorious, thick balsamic vinegar.

No need to reduce to a glaze, because this stuff is SYRUP.

With only a handful of ingredients, you use the absolute best you can get.

And this stuff is top notch.

Any Reason to Celebrate

 Happy National Eggs Benedict Day!

To those who celebrate...which in this house, includes exactly one Matt.

He'll 'joke' that this is a meal that's trying to kill him, but he's a willing victim. 

So I don't make it often - he's the only one who likes it, and it's a bit of work. 

But eh, the things we do for love, right? (10cc forever.)

I used this recipe from Williams-Sonoma (mostly), because I liked the idea of Gruyere and mashed potatoes in the waffles. 

I went off-book for the Hollandaise, swapping in a blender version instead.   And because Matt isn't a ham fan, smoked salmon for the protein. 

...He ate three. Quickly. 

Happy day, indeed.

Time Is a Construct

 

I overheard Alex saying that to one of his friends.   And he's right.

Matt & I were having serious 'This is Friday, right? It has to be Friday" feelings...on Thursday.

"We're having pizza!"  Which just feels like such a Friday thing to do.  

 

Using the glorious three-day dough recipe, everyone got a custom pie.

 

I'm not much a tomato sauce gal.  I'll ask for 'light sauce' if I'm ordering, or if making a more traditional pizza at home, sort of wave the sauce over the dough to impart the essence of tomato on it.

 

So this time, I went with a base of so much roasted garlic mixed with Fromager d'Affinois - not too much!  Just enough to cover the surface.

Next, thinly sliced already-baked potato, a nice scattering of fresh rosemary, & the oil from the garlic. 

I'd add some caramelized onions if I were to make it again.  And it'd be perfect cut into small pieces & served as an appetizer.

 

 

Alex loves pesto.  I mean, the kid loves it.

Originally, he was going to have marinara & pesto as his base.  But the pesto I usually get (Yes, I know.  I could make my own. But I'm already making three pizzas - I'm fine saving a little time with store-bought sauces) wasn't available.

However, the pesto Alfredo pasta sauce he likes was, so I suggested going with that, sans tomato. No objections.

Lots of fresh mozzarella.  Thinly sliced tomato (I cannot wait for tomato season!), some salt & pepper. 

 

He ate the whole thing, so I'm chalking that one up as a win.

 

 

The resident omnivore came the closest to traditional with a roasted garlic & chipotle paste-doctored marinara, smoked mozzarella, and lamb merguez (which we can now finally find at Earth Fare!).

I did say 'closest'. 

So we ate pizza on a Thursday that felt like a Friday but I'm writing about on a Saturday.

I don't know what time or day it is.  But I know the pizza was good.

My Weird Brain

 A couple of weeks ago, I woke up...with a recipe for a sandwich.

Fully formed.

I don't remember why dream me was making a sandwich. Only that I was.

So later that morning, I told Matt about it. 
And he wanted to try it.

It took a while before I got to it, because I'd already planned the menu for the week.

But at last, it happened.

The Dream Sandwich

Two slices of Texas toast. A slice of pepperjack, some smoked Mozzarella, then a layer Ruffles.

More cheeses. 

Secure with toothpicks because that monster is getting dunked in pakora batter!

Finally, fry until crunchy and golden.

And...it worked. As a template.

Very filling.  The chips stayed crisp!  But it needed more flavor. Alex suggested a smear of 'nduja. But the basic 'recipe' is sound.

Ridiculous? Yes.  Good? Also yes. 

Follow your dreams, eh?

IT IS DONE

 
I have baked and baked and baked.

And now I am done!

Time Well Spent

 

As we all know, recipes lie.  

"Cook onions until soft and brown, 3-5 minutes."

Riiiight.  

 

So, every now and then, I'll buy a bag or two of onions, slice them up, then dump into a huge pan with olive oil and melted butter, sprinkle generously with salt and sugar, and spend the next few hours slowly cooking them down until they're a gorgeous, sweet and caramel-y (totally a word). 

The above photo is the result of six pounds of onions, cooked down to just under 18 oz.  

And it was worth every minute.

Not only do they taste amazing, this one-day-every-six-to-eight-months project saves me So. Much. Time when I cook.

Instead of chopping and sweating/cooking down onions for dinner, I pull out a spoonful of these beauties, give them a rough chop, and add to the pan. 

I do the same thing with onions, celery and green peppers - cook down until soft and sweet and packed with flavor, and after cooling, put generous tablespoons into baggies and store in the freezer. 

My mirepoixpsicles. 

A half day's work that saves me hours and effort throughout the year.  That's time well spent.

Play it Again

 

I know I've mentioned it before, but I rarely repeat a recipe. I'm always looking for something new, trying different things.

BUT.

We have our favorites.  A collection of maybe...twenty, twenty-five dishes we love so much, they show up on the menu again.

One is Persian Rice with PIstachio & Dill, which I've been making for over twenty years. 

When I first saw it in the just-delivered issue of Gourmet, I knew I had to give it a try. 

And we've been in love with it ever since.

 

With just four ingredients (not including water & salt), it's ridiculously easy.  And oh, my god.  So delicious. 

The washing, parboiling, and chopping are worth it for the tahdig!

 

How good is it?  If Matt's out shopping, and lets me know "hey, dill here looks incredible", I will rearrange the menu to work it in.  

That. Good.

Sometimes, You Just Have To

 

Have I mentioned how much I hate decorating cakes? 

Because I really hate decorating cakes. 

 But, ya know, sometimes the frustration is worth it.

 It doesn't have to perfect. I do my best, and learn to be ok with it. 

 

Anyway, a big 

to those promoting trans hate.

Fancy

 

For the last couple of weeks, I've had this urge to poach eggs.

 

I don't know why; I won't eat them (it's a texture thing).   But Matt will.  

 

So I slotted in a breakfast for dinner night, and planned this for him.

 

 Eggs Benedict, with a bit of a twist.

Instead of English muffins, I made boxty.
Smoked salmon in lieu of a ham-like product.

And on top, in addition to the Hollandaise, a thick and tangy avocado crema. 

And yes, he nearly wiped the plate clean.

They Grow Up So Fast

 

Hard to believe they're not kids anymore.

Happy birthday, sis!

Totally Worth It

 

Just spent nearly 8 hours caramelizing 5 lbs of onions. 

Tiny Pasta Pies

 

To those who celebrate National Tortellini Day.

This is Hell

 I touched the Devil's herb, and I didn't like it*.

I may not recover.

No matter how many times I've washed my hands, I can still smell it.  

*I needed to make sofrito for tomorrow's dinner, but I'm beginning to doubt it was worth it.

Brioche de Saint-Genix

 And here they are!

Lovely little brioche rolls with 'pink' praline. I think it's closer to red, but hey, still pretty.

The Biscuit de Savoie were also good, but I made the mistake of filling them before plating, and those suckers were sticky to begin with. 

Less 'biscuit' and more angel food cake-like, very light and crisp on the outside. Perfect with a cup of tea.

Slowly but Surely

 Fun baking day!

If I ever get things rolling...

We're doing 'tea' for dinner tonight, so I'm making Brioche de Saint-Genix and Biscuit de Savoie. So far, I've only gotten the pralines ready for the oven! 

Photos to come (hopefully).

Grin

 

As much I enjoy cooking, what I really love is baking. 

 

And as much as I love baking, what I haaaaaaate is decorating cakes and cookies.
Like, hate hate hate. 

I mean, I don't hate looking at it. Admiring like 'whoa' anyone with the talent, skills, and patience to do it.

But me? Not so much.

Every year at this time, I promise myself 'No sugar cookies next year'. 

And every year, I bake the darn things. 

But this year, when I saw Laurie A. Conley's (@Busydrawing on Twitter) week 1 #spookyholidaychallenge drawing of the most adorable and creepy trees, I knew I had to give them a try.

 

Please keep in mind that I did all my decorating using sandwich bags and a skewer, because I did not have the energy to fill and clean a bunch of pastry bags and tips, and could not locate my scribe tool.

 

So there you have it: One adorable and creepy holiday tree!