Spinach Dip on a Crostini

This crostini recipe comes from Light and Healthy and is the last installment in a series of crostini recipes.

This cookbook is all about healthy alternatives without taking away the taste. The two ingredients that make it healthier in this particular crostini recipe is olive oil spray for the toast and cottage cheese as opposed to ricotta or other hearty cheeses for the dip.

All and all it’s pretty simple, but can be a bit time consuming if you’re the only one making it.

What you’ll need

• 1 large Baguette, cut on the bias into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 2 large garlic cloves, 1 peeled, 1 peeled and minced
• Olive oil spray
• 12 ounces 1 percent cottage cheese (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 10 ounce box of frozen spinach
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 ounce of Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon of basil
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• pinch cayenne pepper

First step is to make our spinach concoction by mixing the cottage cheese, spinach, 1/4 cup of Parmesan, basil, lemon juice, oil garlic and cayenne in a food processor. This should only take about a minute or so. Once the mixture looks smooth, transfer it to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Then cover and let it sit for about an hour.

While you let the mixture soak in it’s flavor, go ahead and prepare the crostini by heating up the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the toasts on a baking sheet in a single layer and cook for about 8-10 minutes once the oven has reached 400.

Be sure to turn the toasts over about halfway through as well so both sides get a nice crisp to it.

When the toast is ready spread garlic on one side of each toast and then spray with olive oil.

If it’s been an hour since you left your spinach dip go ahead and spread a tablespoon of it on each crostini, sprinkle it with Parmesan, and viola, you’re ready to mangia!

I don’t have much to say on this one. It’s a simple recipe and it was good. Not my favorite of the crostini series, though. I think I prefer my spinach paired with some nasty fattening cheese sadly.

Still glad I tried it and it’s not a bad alternative to nasty fatty cheese.

Crabby Fritters

I’m starting with a picture today. A picture that is obviously not mine. At least I believe it’s obvious. I did take a photo of this crab and pork concoction from I Love Spice when I made it, but it disappeared somehow on me. I remember framing a shot and pressing the camera icon and yet even when I checked my deleted picture folder it was gone.

How I managed to accomplish this remains a mystery.

The patties were a little burnt anyway and I didn’t like my photo of the fritters. My sauce presentation looked almost as good as this pro photo though. I’m sad I don’t have a picture of that, but alas my evidence was burned after eating. You’ll just have to trust me.

What you’ll need

For the Fritters

• 4 ounces of canned white crab meat, drained
• 1/2 cup ground pork
• 2 fresh red chilies, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 scallions chopped
• handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 egg white
• peanut or vegetable oil for frying

For the Sauce

• 2/3 cup of water
• 4 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
• 1/2 small red onion, very finely diced
• 2-inch piece cucumber, very finely diced

The first step is to process your meat. I know processed meat is a trigger word and look it’s okay cause it’s processing by being chopped up to bits in a device as opposed to processed with chemicals. Unfortunately I can’t guarantee your actual meat isn’t processed with chemicals, cause that all depends on where you get your meat from, but rest assured you won’t be literally processing the meat with chemicals.

Anyway, we are going to put all the fritter ingredients in the processor until it turns into a coarse paste.

At this point in the recipe I rebelled, but not on purpose. I realize now the recipe said to make 20 small cakes. I just turned them into four burger sized patties. Oops.

However many you want to make, just form them into patties and set aside until you are ready to fry.

Get a skillet out and pour the oil of your choice into the pan til it covers the bottom of the skillet and turn up your heat medium-high.

At this point you probably want to make your sauce, unless you have a sous chef.

All you have to do to make the sauce is put the water, sugar, and vinegar in a small pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Once this happens add the onion and cucumber and simmer for about five minutes.

While your sauce is simmering, your oil should be hot enough for frying so go ahead and put your fritters in the pan in an even layer. You might have to do this in batches. Cook for two minutes on each side and then let them drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

After letting that oil soak up like a greased pizza you are now ready to serve!

Plate and lovingly pour that sauce to consume.

As I said earlier, my patties were a little burnt, but they tasted great. That being said I’m not a big crab and pork fan so probably won’t make this again even though it turned out well.

My favorite part of the recipe was the sauce and that’s what dials up the patty from being meh to good. My boyfriend and I discovered that the leftover sauce also makes a great dip for tortilla chips and meatballs that you can make with your leftover pork meat.

If you choose to make this an entree like I did, it pairs well with a side of diced baked potatoes tossed in garlic. I also made an avocado and tomato salad. When in doubt avocados and tomatoes are always a safe bet though.

Pork and Berries

Meal kits have really put a strain on my hobby of cooking all the recipes in my books my friends.

Slower than a tortoise have I been in not only cooking out of them but writing these entries.

Those meal kits are just so convenient. I enjoy cooking but trying to find the right ingredients and then throwing out some ingredients cause the recipe is only calling for a small amount is a real bummer. Despite this convenience, I do miss cooking out of my books. I’ll try to do better. For the fans, my mother and a handful of you that still read these…

Now that I got that confession out of the way this next recipe is a Pork Tenderloin with an earthy blackberry sauce from Cooking Light.

I consider myself an omnivore and have cooked chicken and beef often in my time, but pork is not a meat I usually cook with. The rare times I have it’s been ground up or was a porkchop. I have never cooked with a pork tenderloin. I admittedly was not aware it came in a circular shape. It freaked me out a little bit not gonna lie, but it’s not as intimidating as one would think. So fear not if you are inexperienced like me.

What you’ll need

• 2 tablespoons of minced shallots
• 3 cups of fresh blackberries
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 14 ounce can of chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed

If you have a grill the first step is to heat it up to medium heat. If you do not have a grill, preheat the oven to 400. Season the pork with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. When it reaches 400 cook for 20-25 minutes. If you have a grill, it’ll be around 20 minutes. For both methods, be sure to occasionally flip the tenderloin now and then.

While you’re waiting for things to heat up get a saucepan out and coat it with cooking spray. Then place that on your stove under medium heat. Throw your shallots on there and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Next add the blackberries, sage, and broth. Bring this to a boil and then let it simmer for 20 minutes.

When the berries have broken down, sift the mixture over a bowl. The goal here is to get the chunks out, but I reserved my chunks myself. I don’t like to waste food and I like blackberries so feel free to keep them as well.

Once you’re done sifting, place the sifted liquid back in the pan and add the vinegar and sugar. Bring this to a boil and cook for about 9 minutes.

Once cooked, remove the pan from your stove and add butter and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Hopefully you remembered to check on your pork during this time as well. If it’s cooked let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting it crosswise into 1/4 inch strips.

Serve by pouring that blackberry sauce on top and garnish with some sage sprigs if you desire.

I have discovered I’m not into pork tenderloins. It’s not my thing. That blackberry sauce is legit though. The sage gives it an earthy flavor which in turn makes the sauce not as sweet and therefore more complimentary to have with meat.

The actual pork was just too gamey for me. If I had this again, I’d probably just make some barbecued chicken and throw the sauce on it instead.

Otherwise this was easy to make and fairly low in calories and therefore could be a healthy little meal.

Soupe aux Courgettes aka Zucchini Soup

Soup is the best. Why don’t I eat soup more often?

Especially in these cold winter days where a taste of soup can melt your little snowman heart.

It is deliteful and not frightful that I’m still in the soup section in the French Farmhouse Cookbook because it gives us a warm nutritious zucchini soup to weather the storm in.

What you’ll need

• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 2 pounds of zucchini, grated
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of fresh basil

As you just read, I’m in a Winter mood, but zucchini is ideal to have in the summer when it is at their peak. Then again, this is also advised if you’re living by the Normandy countryside, so if you live on my side of the pond I say it’s best in the winter cause it’s soup and hot soup is the best.

Now that I’ve got that off my chest, the first step is to get a large saucepan and melt the butter under medium heat. Add the onion once the butter has melted and stir continuously for about 5 minutes. We want the onions to turn translucent in color.

Next add your zucchini, broth, and water.

Get this mixture boiling and then let it simmer with a lid for about 20 minutes.

Once the veggies seem tender, puree the soup to a texture of your liking and then season with salt and pepper.

Serve your soup with freshly cut basil on top and enjoy!

I regret that I did not design my soup with the basil. I could have made some great basil art. Alas the day!

I have no regrets in making this soup, however as it turned out to be full of nourishment that was much needed on those cold rainy winter days of SoCal.

It’s a beautiful marriage when a dish is not only tasty but healthy and this zucchini soup accomplishes just that.

Risotto alla Milanese aka Rice, Milan Style

This is another recipe from my hometown cookbook Little Italy Festival Town. It also happens to be the first time I’ve made risotto.

Over my extensive years of dining out I’ve seen all types of risotto. In fact right before I made this I went to Ensenada, Mexico and had this amazing risotto that was cooked in poblano peppers. It was the best risotto I’ve ever had. I still dream about it.

Spoiler alert that this recipe wasn’t the stuff of dreams, but it’s also much simpler. It’s not calling for poblano infusions. Hey we all have to start from somewhere and then branch out to discover the poblanos that give us spice in life. There is no shame in that.

What you’ll need

• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup uncooked short rice
• 3 cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 cup of Marsala wine
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Saffron
• Parmesan Cheese

The first step is to melt the butter in a saucepan. Once melted add the onion and cook until it lightly browns. Add rice next and stir until the rice also lightly browns.

I’m noticing a nice tan pattern here….

Anyway, once browned pour in the chicken broth, wine, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the Saffron. Stir this mixture and then cover the pan and let it simmer for 18 minutes.

Now here is where the instructions are a bit confusing because it asks us to turn off the heat after the 18 minutes and to leave it on the stove covered so it can steam. This must be some hidden rice knowledge I don’t have so I just let it steam for a couple of minutes. I also recommended just checking the instructions on the rice you buy. For example if it says to let it cook for 20 then after the 18 minutes just make up the difference with steaming.

Once steamed, you can serve and do so topped with some parm!

Even though this risotto wasn’t as tasty as that poblano I had in Mexico, it was still quite good. It had a bit of a nutty flavor to it which was the main taste I got out of it. I suspect Saffron would have added more flavor. I didn’t use Saffron when I cooked this because it’s an expensive spice to get. I regret that because I think for this recipe it would have been worth the expense.

As I said before this is a basic risotto recipe and a great learning tool where you could branch out with different flavors and etc.

That being said I look forward to the next risotto recipe in this cookbook because it’s author is a bit of a living legend I heard about growing up. I will hopefully honor and celebrate this woman when I cook and write about her recipe. Til then enjoy this starter risotto and I’ll write to you next time!

Rum Truffle Slam

Life is full of pleasures to enjoy. A lot of those pleasures for me involve food and a good portion of that involves chocolate, alcohol, and ice cream.

So why not slam them all together like this delicious and apparently awarding winning drink from Tastes of Monroe County.

Seriously the woman who submitted this got a free trip to Jamaica from Meyer’s Rum. I want a free trip to Jamaica….

What you’ll need

• 1 oz. Meyer’s Rum
• 1/2 oz. Frangelico
• 1/2 oz. Creme de Cocoa
• vanilla ice cream

It’s always interesting the ingredients I struggle to find when I make these recipes. This time around I couldn’t find Meyer’s Rum (which I swear in the past I’ve seen everywhere) and Creme de Cocoa. For whatever reason many liquor stores did have Creme de Cacao, which is a darker and more bitter part of the cocoa bean. The slight variation of name threw many a store clerk for a loop.

My special man friend and I even called up liquor stores to find this elusive liquor. I couldn’t help but laugh every time he had to say, “ummm no not CAH COW, CO-CO. Yeah, it’s uhhh apparently different…”

We had no luck with finding the rum or Creme de Cocoa and ended up compromising with another Jamaican Rum brand and a chocolate liqueur. We figured a chocolate liqueur was close enough to Creme de Cocoa being that they are both in the milk chocolate variety. Now this slight variation might have been than difference between award winning and just good, but it’s ok cause Meyer’s Rum wasn’t around to judge anyway. I would have put more of an effort if it got me a trip to Jamaica.

Whether you have better luck or not, one thing remains the same and that is putting all of this liquor and a scoop of ice cream in a blender until smooth. Then you want to pour it into a brandy snifter or a martini glass like I did because maybe you’re like me and not sophisticated enough to own a brandy snifter.

It’ll be ok if that’s your experience as it was for me.

It’ll also be ok if you forget whip cream like I did, but whip that on top as well if you got it.

The final result came out like a boozy milkshake. It was a delectable drink, but a little too rich for more than one serving. My first sip did put me in a tropical heaven paradise, but when I made another one I quickly felt like I was stranded on a dessert island. Yes I do mean dessert island which might sound nice, but just like that chocolate river in Willy Wonka what starts out like a dream can quickly drown you in a sugar induced coma.

I do recommend this drink and give you all permission to revel in the chocolaty rum deliciousness, but remember the tale of Augustus Goop and don’t get too gluttonous about it.

Put a Pickle in It

What I wouldn’t do for a pickled cucumber. Actually there’s a lot I wouldn’t do and also why are cucumbers the only pickled item we just call pickles?

I’m not gonna turn into Bubba here and list all the things you can pickle, but if I were Bubba you can be sure there’d be a long montage about it just like in Forrest Gump.

So what gives?

What’s so special about cucumbers that they just get called pickles? Why did I not know this fact until I was an adult in my 30s? Was it a ruse to get children to eat cucumbers that went too far? Were cucumbers contraband back in B.C. times? So many questions.

All I know is that the cookbook Portlandia has taught me how easy it is to pickle anything and everything. Will I never look back now that I have this knowledge? I probably will because pickles are cheap and sometimes one gets lazy, but it’s still cool to know how to do it right?

What you’ll need

• 1 1/2 pounds of Kirby cucumbers, ends scrubbed
• 3 tablespoons of kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 1/4 cups of distilled white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon of allspice berries
• 2 cups of water
• 4-6 chiles (variety is best) halved lengthwise
• 6 large garlic cloves, halved

Pickling is so easy my friends and so is the first step of pickling which is to get two quart sized jars and evenly distribute your cucumbers.

Next get another quart sized jar and mix up the salt, sugar, vinegar, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and allspice berries.

Seal this jar up, pretend you’re the little girl from those Shake N Bake commercials back in the day and mix it all up until the sugar and salt dissolve.

Our next step is to add two cups of water to the mix and then pour our mixture into the jars with the cucumbers.

Next, slide in the garlic and peppers into each jar and then fill the jars with more water until everything is submerged.

Cover the jar and let it marinate overnight before consumption.

The sandwich is for scale

What a beautiful looking pickle am I right?

Good news is that it tastes just as good as it looks and it has a little kick too. As you can see by the photo I was eating these with sandwiches, but later I had a little barbecue soiree with friends and we are all putting these on our cheeseburgers. Everyone seemed to love them and I felt quite proud of myself.

Although I joked earlier about being lazy and still buying pickles in the future, at the same time I would encourage everyone to pickle their own pickles. It’s really easy and tasty. Plus it’s nice to know you have control of what you’re consuming.

I will most likely treat this like I do homemade salsa. I’ll make it when I’m up for it and buy when I’m not. it’s nice to have options and the knowledge to do things yourself isn’t it?

Mission Chicken Chimichangas

This enchilada recipe comes from a little recipe card with Mission Brands stamped on it, but I don’t know where I got this recipe or why I saved it. I’ll assume I just thought I’d try it for fun and maybe got it from some tortillas I bought.

It is a mystery I’m not invested in solving.

What I was invested in learning, however, was where Mission Brands came from. I thought it was a California company because they have their own exhibit at Disneyland California Adventure. If you’ve never been or don’t know, it’s a tortilla factory where you can go and experience what’s it like to be rich and have machines make tortillas for you.

I thought Mission Brands was Californian for this reason as well as their logo which features a bell and is called Mission, which lead me to believe it was an homage to the many missions that align the coast of California. It turns out my friends that Mission Brands is Texan.

Being a Californian for over a decade now and reading this fact sprung up competitive feelings towards good ole Texas. My reaction made me think of this beloved commercial from the mid 90s.

Instead of the shock of NEW YORK CITY???? My brain went TEXAS????

Not there is anything wrong with Texas…well actually a lot is wrong with Texas but one thing they do right is spicy foods which includes Mexican cuisine. It is the one state where servers don’t question me if I can handle the spice. The rest of the country just assumes I’m a basic waspy white person who can’t even handle paprika.

I respect Texans for this and I guess I can respect knowing Mission Brands is Texan too.

So, without further ado, here’s what you’ll need

• 20 Mission Soft Taco Flour Tortillas
• 16 oz jar picante sauce
• 7 cups of cooked chicken, chopped
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 3 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded
• Toppings: guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, and diced tomato

The first step is to combine 1 1/2 cups of picante sauce with the chicken, onion, cumin, oregano, and salt in a Dutch oven. Cook this mixture under medium heat for 25 minutes and stir often. Next spoon 1/3 a cup of the mixture into your tortilla on the bottom third of the shell. Once filled, sprinkle two tablespoons of cheese on top and then we will be ready to fold our enchiladas.

To fold the enchilada, start with the two side and fold each one over and then fold over the top and bottom edges. Once folded place them into a greased pan with the folded side down and then spray the enchiladas with vegetable cooking spray.

We are now ready to put these in the oven. To do so, fire up the oven at 425 and once warmed up bake for 8 minutes. When those 8 minutes are up turn the enchiladas over and bake for 5 more minutes.

Remove the enchiladas from the oven and then pour the remaining picante sauce over it as well as all your desired toppings.

As you can see I decided to top with melted cheese as well

I was prepared to be disappointed in this recipe because living in California has made me more particular towards Mexican cuisine. Plus I have a friend who makes smoky and delicious enchiladas from a recipe her Mexican grandmother gave her. I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this recipe. It wasn’t as good as my friend’s, but it’s tough to compete with that ancestral recipe love.

As far as a basic recipe goes it was tasty and cheesy. I did have to use some of my hot sauce on it as this was not picante enough for me.

As Uncle Roger from social media fame would say “use the right amount, not the white amount”

I agree and put my leg down for you sir as a salute to that wonderful advice.

The Scent of Roasted Bell Peppers

It’s time to relish in the aromatic senses ladies and gentlemen. The scents of orange blossoms, the scent of cooking garlic, and in this particular recipe the scent of roasted bell pepper.

This Jewish-Moroccan cookbook called The Scents of Orange Blossoms is all about the senses and bell peppers. The owner of the recipe, Danielle, lives in Paris and has daughters who demand a pound of these whenever they visit. Way to humble brag there Dani girl. Some of us don’t live in Paris and only have a cat daughter who does not appreciate the scent of bell pepper let alone orange blossoms.

I’m just jealous of your life Dani, it’s all good.

You will always have Paris. I will always have affections for emotionally unavailable men. C’est le vie.

What you’ll need

• 5 red bell peppers (about 2 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

We are going to broil the skin off these peppers so the first step is to preheat your broiler and whip out a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

While the broil is heating up, get your peppers out and cut along the grooves of the peppers to create 5 or 6 lobes. Place the peppers skin side up on your baking sheet and then broil for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Once the skin blisters, remove from the broiler and place the peppers on a plate and cover. When the peppers have cooled, peel the skin off and remove the seeds.

We can now move on to the our skillet. Heat the skillet with olive oil over medium heat and then add your garlic. Stir the garlic occasionally and take in that scent for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the peppers and fry for 3-4 minutes. Remove the peppers and garlic and allow the oil to drain.

Now Dani likes to get all fancy with her presentation which I support and yet did not do. She likes to arrange the peppers as if they were petals of a flower and then she sprinkles with salt and fried garlic.

I just did this…

This is another recipe where it’s hard to go wrong for me. Bell peppers with garlic and olive oil? Yes, yes, and yes. I mean it’s a no brainer. 

I do wonder, though, what kind of magic Dani has for her daughters to demand a pound to take home. Honestly I’d like to go to Paris and experience Dani’s magic if she’ll have me. I feel like she has to do be doing something exceptional because although I like this recipe, it’s not hard to make and it doesn’t blow my mind so I can’t help but wonder if she’s leaving something out. Dani has to be a wizard of the dark culinary arts or something. I guess I’ll just have to wait for that letter to arrive from Beauxbatons Academy Le Cordon Bleu for now.

Mushroom-Barley Soup

Every friend group is divided into two groups. Those who love mushrooms and those who seem to have some gene that suspects that fungi isn’t so fun. I’m in the love category. I used to try to convert mushroom haters, but now I just slyly say, “Oh you’re thinking of getting that dish that has mushrooms? No problem, I’ll eat em. Just slide them my way please!”

Mushrooms are the belle of the ball in this recipe from Isa Does It which makes that wonderful tactic I’ve learned near impossible to pull off on mushroom haters. It’s ok though, we don’t have to invite them, right?

What you’ll need

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces of cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 average sized zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch thick half moons
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 rib celery, thinly sliced
• 1 average sized tomato, diced
• 3/4 cup pearled barley
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• Herb mix (see below)

Herb Mix

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Our first step is to pour the oil in a 4 quart pot over medium heat. Once oil heats up add in the onion and sauté with salt for about 5 minutes. Next, add the mushrooms and zucchini and cook that for an additional 5 minutes. Finally add in the garlic and stir that around for about a minute or until the garlic gets fragrant. That’s my favorite part about cooking with garlic by the way.

We are now ready to add celery, tomato, barley, broth, salt, and pepper. Cover this mixture and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat so it can simmer and then add the herb mixture. Cover this mixture and cook for about 10 minutes. Most importantly we want to make sure the barley has cooked until it’s tender. Once that happens, Isa recommends letting it sit for an additional 10 minutes to really let the flavors sink in.

I was a little bit disappointed in this soup, but it’s not Isa’s fault. In my picture you can see quinoa instead of barley. That’s because when I made this, I couldn’t find pearl barley anywhere. This was a shame. The texture of barley would have enhanced the flavor of the mushrooms. It’d give the soup a hearty mushroom and rice type of experience as opposed to grainy. I like quinoa, but not in soup I’m discovering.

Other than that the soup was quite good, I was just thrown off by the quinoa. If you end up having the same dilemma that I had with finding pearl barley, I recommend substituting with orzo rice or even jasmine. This soup just needs that tiny plump grain texture to truly live up to its potential.