Wilted Spinach with Tomatoes and Basil

Last weekend my best friend came to visit for Easter and she brought us a pretty sweet gift.  A cookbook signed by Giada Delaurentiis!  My friend was able to attend a signing Giada did for her new cookbook, "Weeknights with Giada", and she was so thoughtful to get one signed for Alex and I as well.  Thanks again Tere!

We've tried a couple of the recipes out so far and everything has been really good.  Since this is a "weeknight" cookbook the recipes are mostly simple and quick to prepare along with being very family friendly.  Giada has an almost-four-year old so it is nice to see recipes that are child-tested too.  

This is a very quick (15 minutes including prep), very simple spinach saute that really packs in the flavor.  I am a huge fan spinach just sauteed with a bit of salt and lemon juice but this recipe really kicks it up a notch in a very easy way. The balsamic vinegar gives it bite and the basil really adds an unexpected flavor and freshness. We made this with a Roast Chicken and it was the perfect compliment.  I hope you try it out sometime soon.

Wilted Spinach with Tomatoes and Basil, adapted from Giada De Laurentiis's Weeknights with Giada

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 pound fresh spinach leaves

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the shallots and cook 2-3 minutes.  Next add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds until it becomes fragrant.  Now add in the chopped tomatoes and saute them for 2 minutes.  Add the spinach next, working in batches to wilt it and cook for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the salt and pepper and then the vinegar and basil.  Let it cook for just one minute longer before removing it to a serving bowl.    Enjoy!

Sausage and Apple Stuffing

Stuffing?  I know, I know...I'm a little late to the Thanksgiving party, huh?  Well, as I said, we didn't cook Thanksgiving this year since we were invited to a lovely get-together with friends instead.  Still, Mr. Pears was feeling a little deprived of cooking the annual turkey so we bought one and had a little Thanksgiving of our own here this past weekend.

We didn't do much, just cooked a 15 lb turkey for the two of us, two toddlers and a couple of fat Chihuahuas.  We also had the aforementioned stuffing and a celery gratin that will not be making the blog.  It wasn't horrible but it wasn't a huge hit either.

We finished it off with some leftover (Tollhouse recipe!) chocolate cookies and a glass of wine.  Delicious.  The turkey turned out great as usual (great job honey!) and we both really loved the stuffing.  I thought I'd share it since some of you may be serving stuffing with your Christmas ham/goose/prime rib. :)

Ina Garten calls this her Sausage and Herb Stuffing but you won't find any herbs on the ingredients list.  It does have Granny Smith apples, and though it is a very hearty stuffing with such large pieces of bread and veggies, it still has a great classic "stuffing" (or dressing!) taste.  StoveTop, step aside.

Sausange and Herb Apple Stuffing, adapted from Ina Garten 
10 cups 1 inch bread cubes (use whatever "good" bread you want!  I used some rye and some french bread)
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)
2 cups medium-diced yellow onion (1 large or two medium onions)
1 cup medium-diced celery (about 3 stalks)
2 Granny Smith apples. cored and cut into large pieces (no need to peel!)
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lb sausage (without casings)
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup dried cranberries (I left these out because I didn't have any...)

** a note on the bread** If you make bread, or buy artisan breads at the store, don't throw away the ends!  Just toss them in a large freezer bag and freeze them.  When you want to make stuffing or croutons just defrost those leftovers overnight!

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Put the bread cubes on a baking tray and bake them for about 7 minutes and then transfer them to a large bowl.

While the bread is toasting in the oven, melt the butter in a large saute pan and add the onions, celery, and apples.  Saute them with the salt and pepper for about 10 minutes or until everything is nice and soft.  Pour the veggies over the breadcrumbs in the large bowl.

Cook the ground sausage in the saute pan until browned (about ten minutes) and then add that to the bowl as well.  Stir in the chicken stock and then pour the whole thing into a baking dish.  Bake it for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Enjoy!

Well I really have no great excuses for my recent lack of posting....All I can say is chasing after two toddlers is hard work and I've been lazy!  How about some random pictures of those cute toddlers?

Mommy and Daddy just bought us a jungle gym but we prefer this old lawn chair!

I want to do better though, I enjoy sharing our cooking adventures and I hope you find the recipes helpful/interesting/fun too.

With the Christmas/New Year holidays coming up I'm sure you are doing some holiday cooking or entertaining so hopefully you'll find some cool new recipe ideas here!  Personally, I'm always looking for new vegetable side dishes, so that's what I have today.

I think cauliflower is really under-rated as a vegetable.  It is mild flavored so most people will love it even if they haven't eaten it in twenty years.  It is another good substitute for mashed potatoes;  you could roast it or make a gratin like this one.  This gratin is another Bobby Flay recipe and it is so delicious.  I love love the goat cheese in it.  I hope you like it too!

Cauliflower and Goat Cheese Gratin, adapted from Bobby Flay's Bar Americain cookbook
3 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons butter, more to butter baking dish
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
6 ounces fresh goat cheese, cut into pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets

Bring the milk to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Once it is close to simmering, melt the butter in a larger saucepan. Whisk in the flour into the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute, whisking constantly.  Slowly whisk in the hot milk and continue whisking until the mixture thickens, that could take between 3 and 10 minutes, depending on how hot your milk was.  Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the Monterey Jack cheese along with half the goat and Parmesan cheeses.  Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Delicious right?  And it isn't even done. ;)

Mix the sauce and the cauliflower together in a large bowl then pour it all into a buttered baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top along with some freshly grated pepper.

Bake for 50-60 minutes in a 350 F oven.  Let this cool and set up for about 10 minutes before you serve it.

CousCous... or Not?

I love couscous.  It's a great little side dish; just add it to some hot water, cover the pot for 5 minutes and voila!  It is fast, healthy, and a great vehicle for just about anything.  But that is "regular" couscous.

Israeli couscous, I had never made until last week.  And apparently it isn't really couscous at all.  It is actually a very small toasted pasta...similar to fregula or orzo.  Wow.  Thank you Wikipedia.

ANYWAY.  If you are tired of having the same old side dishes with dinner, this is a must try.  Very flavorful, lemony and fresh, it is also easy and quick to make.

Green Pea Couscous, adapted from Bobby Flay's Bar Americain Cookbook
1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon honey
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 roasted red bell pepper, finely diced**
3 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

**You can buy roasted red peppers in a jar in the grocery store, or just brush one pepper with olive oil, season it with salt and pepper, then put it in a 400 F oven for about 35 minutes.  You will need to turn it a few times to char it on all sides.  Then just put the pepper in a small bowl covered with plastic wrap.  After about 15 minutes the skin will peel right off and you can just slice and de-seed it.  Very simple.

Okay, first bring about 2 quarts of salted water to a boil.  Add the couscous and cook for about 8 minutes.  Drain it in a colander and set it aside.

Once the couscous is done you can start the rest of the dish.  Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the lemon zest, juice, and honey.  Stir it together for about 30 seconds.  Now you can add the rest of the ingredients!  Just stir them all in and give it a taste.  Add salt and pepper as needed.  Serve and Enjoy!

Who Needs Potatoes Anyway?

Not this girl.  I have found a new "mashed potato", and I am in love.  A long while ago I attempted to make a celery root puree for my Mom and her fiance when they were visiting.  It didn't come out that great but I could see the potential and I really wanted to try it again.  Lo and Behold, Ina Garten (who is probably my go-to for solid recipes) had a recipe for Celery Root and Apple Puree.  I tried it last week and I swear it is so good that I may never make mashed potatoes again.

This recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving, which is just around the corner (time flies).  Creamy and delicious with a little sweetness and tang from the apples and cider.  This is some seriously great stuff and best of all?  It is different.  A little twist on a classic mashed potato that is sure to set your Thanksgiving spread apart from the others.  I hope you love it.

Celery Root and Apple Puree, adapted from Ina Garten
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup large-dice fennel bulb (remove tops and core and cut into large chunks!)
2 lbs celery root (slice off the dark brown outer surface) large-dice
8 ounces of Yukon Gold potatoes (1 or 2 potatoes), peeled and large-dice
3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cored, large-dice
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup heavy cream

Looks like a lot of chopping, peeling and dicing huh?  It really isn't too bad.  Just make sure to cut all the veggies into pieces about the same size...3/4 inch to an inch...so they cook evenly.  Melt the butter in a large pan (I like to use my dutch oven) and then add the veggies and fruit to the pan along with the salt and pepper. Saute the veggies for about 5 minutes before adding the cider and then bringing everything to a simmer.  Allow the pot to simmer, covered, for about 30 to 40 minutes.  Stir occasionally and make sure everything is very soft when done.  Add some more cider if it starts to dry out.  After everything is cooked stir in the cream.

Turn off the heat and let it cool a bit before transferring the contents of the pan to the food processor.  Pulse until coarsely pureed.  Serve warm.


PS.  Sorry about the lack of picture!  I had one, I swear.  Can't find it now, though, darn it.  Picture mashed potatoes....they look very similar...they just taste better! :)

Don't hate the Sprouts!

Seems like just about everyone out there hates brussels sprouts.  But why?  And when was the last time these haters actually tasted a brussels sprout?  This is my challenge.  Before you say you hate brussels sprouts again, try this recipe.  Because even though everyone "hates" a sprout....everyone loves bacon.

Bacon is indeed the key to this dish.  Instead of just plain old bacon (which is great too!) spring for the seasoned kind.  Whole Foods carries a few different ones., we bought 4 strips of ancho chili and garlic bacon.  The seasoning along with the bacon fat (yum) made our sprouts super tasty.

We served the kicked up sprouts with a rib-eye and potato gratin

Spicy Bacon Brussel Sprouts, courtesy of 4 Pears
4 strips of spicy seasoned bacon
1 lb brussel sprouts
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

To begin, put the bacon in a heavy cold pan.  Turn the heat to medium and cook until crisp.  Once cooked move the bacon to a plate covered in paper towels to drain off excess fat and to cool. Once cool, crumble the bacon into small pieces.

To prepare the brussels sprouts, trim off the stems and the outer yellowed leaves of each sprout and cut them all in half.  Put them in a colander and rinse them well.

Put the cleaned sprouts into the pan you used to cook the bacon.  Add the butter and cook the sprouts for about 10 minutes over medium heat.  Next, add the crumbled bacon.  Taste the sprouts and season with salt and pepper if necessary then cook them for one minute longer. Remove the sprouts to a bowl to serve.

Zucchini-Corn Fritters

My little guys may just turn into zucchinis before the summer is over, or maybe watermelons... Zucchini is just such an easy veggie and the kids are eating a lot of it these days.  Zucchini is inexpensive and on top of that you can chop and saute it in olive oil and be done in just 5 minutes (which is awesome when you have two screaming and hungry babies). You can bake zucchini into banana bread without anyone becoming the wiser...or you can make these fritters.  These fritters are delicious, easy to make, and great for freezing.  And while they are perfect for little hands, they are so good I have a hard time not eating them all myself.  

I was actually making veggie fritters before I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine.  A fritter is a pretty simple idea: grate veggies, mix with flour and egg and fry until golden.  Easy peasy.  This recipe mixes cornmeal along with the flour though, which I really love.  The little cakes are light and sort of sweet with no sugar added at all!  These are a definite finger food favorite but they aren't just for the kiddos, I'm pretty sure Mom and Dad will love these too.

Zucchini-Corn Fritters, found in Food Network Magazine, September 2011

2 medium zucchini, grated ( I use the food processor)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 ears of corn, kernels cut off

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup buttermilk 

1 large egg

vegetable oil, for frying

Toss the zucchini with 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt in a medium bowl.  Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes.  The salt will help to extract excess moisture.  After 10 minutes turn the zucchini onto a kitchen towel and squeeze out as much water as you can.  Set the zucchini aside.

In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Cook the onion and garlic until softened, about 4 minutes.  Add the corn and cook for an additional 3 minutes.  Set aside.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking soda and pepper in a large bowl.  Add in the eggs and buttermilk and whisk to combine.  Add the veggies and stir to combine them all.  

Now heat about 1/8 of an inch of canola or vegetable oil in your large frying pan.  Once hot, spoon about 1/4 cupfuls of the batter into the oil and flatten slightly with a spoon.  Turn the cakes when the edges begin to brown, they should cook about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.  Remove the cakes to a plate lined with paper towels and serve either warm or at room temperature.  I freeze these and then just thaw them in a small warm frying pan when I'm ready to serve them.     

Enjoy, and try to chew with your mouth closed ;)

For Mom

My Mom specially requested a post on this side dish so, even though it is another Ina recipe, here it is!  Confetti Corn!

To be honest I wasn't too excited about trying this recipe out, even though it is found in what could be my favorite cookbook ever.  I don't know...a corn side dish just seemed kind of boring I guess.  In the summer I really like corn grilled right on the cob.  Unfortunately, though, I live in the desert and the corn here can be less than stellar.  This year it seems really bad for some reason.  My corn needed some help this summer and Ina came to the rescue. We served this to my mom when she came to visit and it was a huge hit.  Even I was surprised by how tasty it was! This is a great side dish for just about anything.  Burgers? yes.  Grilled Chicken? yes.  I'm planning on having it again with some steak fajitas (and maybe a margarita) on Saturday.  This dish is light and buttery, and the orange bell pepper and fresh basil really make it a stand out.

Confetti Corn, by Ina Garten and found in Back to Basics
2 Tbsp good olive oil
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1 small orange bell pepper, 1/2 inch diced
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Kernels cut from about 5 ears of corn (4 cups)
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. julienned fresh basil, minced chive, or parsley (I used basil)

Over medium heat, heat the olive oil in a large pan.  Add the onions and saute them for about 5 minutes, then add the bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes more.  Next add the butter to your pan.  Once it has melted, add the corn, salt and pepper.  Cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in your basil or other herbs.  Remove to a large bowl for serving and enjoy!

Southern Sunday Sides

Did you happen to notice the other items on the plate with the Smoke Box Ribs? Side dishes are the hidden gems of a meal and they need to be prepared with the same care as the main course. If you are going to spend time making a great meal why would you open a can of green beans to complete the meal? Not to mention canned vegetables have sort of been banned at my house. Two side dishes I have grown to love are grits and greens. My wife loves both, so we have them quite often. Just keeping in touch with her southern roots I guess. Let me start off with the grits.

Grits by themselves, are not my favorite thing to eat. Grits with cheese? Now THAT is something I like. Cheesy grits are not difficult to make, in fact they are really easy. We based these on a recipe by Ina Garten and they are pretty awesome.

Creamy Cheddar Grits, adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten

4 Cups Water
2 tsp kosher salt
1 Cup of Quick Grits
2 Tbsp of Butter
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup heavy cream
1 ½ cup sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 ear of corn, roasted on the grill
½ cup of green onions, chopped
pepper to taste

Bring the water to boil and add the salt, then slowly pour in the grits while stirring. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits thicken, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, stir in the milk, butter and cream. Bring the pot back to a simmer then let the grits cook on low for about 30 to 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Once the grits are smooth and creamy remove from heat and add in cheese, corn, green onion and pepper. A note on the corn: we used roasted corn on the cob to give the grits a nice flavor and texture…the original recipe doesn’t include this step so if it is too much trouble for you feel free to skip it. We just threw the corn on the grill with the ribs! These are easily the creamiest grits I’ve ever had and with the crunch from the onions and corn? They are really good, try them.

Boozy Braised Collard Greens

Now "Greens" are a labor of love, they take a while to cook (1 ½ hours!) but once they are done they are just so good. And really, after you get everything in the pot, you are just leaving it to cook on its own. We have done quick greens recipes and the results just never measure up, they really are worth the extra time. Like cheesy grits, greens recipes are going to be similar with just a variation or two. We adapted the Boozy Braised Collard Green recipe from the Neely’s. Down Home with the Neely’s is a great show (on Food Network); they really do seem to get along well with each other and have a good time in the kitchen like my better half and I do. Has anybody ever been to their restaurant? Definitely a place I’d like to try. You can find their recipe here. We replaced the Bourbon with Jack Daniels and used a mixture of Collard and Mustard Greens. I know not everyone is familiar with Greens but they really are amazing cooked like this. I hope you try them!