Jalapeno Burgers with Cilantro Mayonnaise

As you might have guessed from the recent batch of posts that include heat laden dishes, I LOVE spicy food, and lately I've been craving it. The Jambalaya and the Chicken Curry were hot, but not quite spicy enough to satisfy my need for heat. Thus, I decided to add some jalapenos to the mix, in the form of a burger. They turned out pretty darn well, if I do say so myself!

Jalapeno Burgers

Ingredients:
1 lb Laura's lean ground beef
3 Tbsp pickled jalapeno peppers, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 Tbsp worcestershire
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
4 toasted buns
Cilantro mayonnaise (recipe below)

In a medium bowl combine ground beef, jalapenos, garlic, cajun seasoning, and worcestershire. Form mixture into 4 patties.

Cook 4 to 5 minutes each side on a grill or in a grill pan over medium heat.

Serve on toasted buns with cilantro mayonnaise.

Cilantro Mayonnaise

Ingredients:
1/4 C mayonnaise
3 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp lime juice
1 small clove chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine mayonnaise, next 4 ingredients, and, if desired, cayenne pepper in a small bowl.

Indian Chicken Curry

From

The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook: The Essential Recipe Collection For Today's Home Cook
Ingredients:
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground tumeric
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 C unsalted cashews
1 lg yellow onion
2 small tomatoes
2 Tbsp clarified butter or canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp seeded and minced green jalapeno chile
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
1/2 C coconut milk
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Toast and grind the coriander and cumin seeds. In a bowl, stir together the toasted seeds, turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, the cayenne pepper, and oil until well mixed.

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Add to the bowl with the spice paste and stir to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Toast the cashews and then chop coarsley. Set aside.

Thinly slice the onion. Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and remove the seeds, then chop the flesh. In a saute pan over high heat, heat the clarified butter or canola oil. Add the onion and saute until it begins to soften, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chile, bay leaves, and star anise and continue to saute until the onion is light golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Add the chicken and saute just until the meat turns opaque, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the coconut milk and 1/2 tsp salt and bring to gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and simmer for 5 minutes longer.

Transfer to a warmed bowl, garnish with the cashews and cilantro, and serve at once.

Serving tip: Offer basmati rice to accompany the chicken and its curry sauce.

Who Dat Game Day Feast

Unlike other celebrations that involve food, game day doesn't place many restrictions on the types of food to be served. Of course there are some old standbys like chili, chicken wings, 7 layer dip, etc, but there aren't really any expectations that those items be on the menu, at least not in my family. Since none of my guests seemed to particularly side with one team or the other this year, I decided to make dishes that favored the underdog. And in my un-football-educated opinion, the New Orleans Saints seemed to be that team. Thus, our menu consisted of Creamy Crab Dip, Jambalaya, and Black-Bottom Cupcakes, among other items.

Creamy Crab Dip

11 oz cream cheese, softened
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 16 oz can Phillip's crabmeat, drained and flaked
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning, plus extra for dusting the top of the dip
1/2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 C shredded parmesan cheese
1 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, onion, mayonnaise, crabmeat, garlic powder, Old Bay, and lemon juice. Fold in parmesan cheese. Spread mixture into a 1 quart baking dish. Sprinkle Old Bay over top of dip.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. While the dip is baking, slice bread and toast. Serve dip while still hot.

Note: *I used light cream cheese and mayonnaise, measurements may need to be adjusted if using full fat versions of these ingredients.

** Consider adding Dry Cooking Sherry and Worcestershire Sauce for extra flavor.

Jambalaya

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped or 4 green onions, chopped
1 each medium green and orange bell pepper, chopped
1/2 C diced celery, greens included
2 small garlic cloves, chopped
1 can (14 1/2 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
3/4 cup rice
3 cups chicken stock
1 package (12 ounces) andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts) cubed, seasoned (see below)

Directions:

Season Chicken:

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Mix above ingredients together in a bowl and combine with chicken. Work in seasoning well.

Jambalaya Directions:

In a large deep cast iron skillet heat oil over high heat. Add onion, pepper and celery, cook 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauce.

Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When rice is just tender add chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and additional chicken seasoning.

Black-Bottom Cupcakes

Black-Bottom Cupcakes
The Great Book of Chocolate, David Lebovitz

For the Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 C granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

For the Cupcakes:

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 C firmly packed light brown sugar
5 Tbsp natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 C water
/3 C vegetable oil
1 Tbsp white or cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

To Make the Filling:

Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.

To Make the Cupcakes:

Position the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.

Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.

In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons* of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed.

Yield: 12 full-size cupcakes. The cupcake will keep nicely unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

* I only used 1 heaping Tbsp of the filling for each cupcake.

French Onion Soup

I really do eat more than soup in the winter, I swear! The funny thing is, if you asked me if I liked soup I would probably say, "It's ok, but I don't love it." I guess I didn't realize just how much I like it, in it's many varities, until I started blogging. I suppose my hidden love of soup has something to do with how warming it can be on a cold winter's day, and we have had plenty of those this year. In fact, we just got 8-9 inches of snow over the past weekend - something this area hasn't seen in over a decade! So, with being snowed in over the weekend and school cancelled the last two days, what's a girl to do but make some more soup! I started the weekend with a pot of my Black Bean with Andouille Sausage Soup and today I made the French Onion Soup recipe posted below. Both of which proved perfect when I needed to warm up after playing in the snow.

French Onion Soup
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)*
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups beef broth
1/4 C dry white wine or vermouth
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
4 slices French bread, toasted & rubbed with garlic clove
1/2 C shredded cheese (1/4 C Parmesan & 1/4 C Asiago)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepot over medium heat. Add the onions. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Uncover the saucepot, return heat to medium, and cook for another 30 minutes or until the onions turn light golden brown.

Stir the flour in the saucepot and cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, wine (or Vermouth), thyme, pepper, and bay leaf. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes.

Ladle soup into individual crocks. Top with a slice of the french bread toast and parmesan cheese. Place in oven under broiler until cheese melts.

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

After being stuck in the house for a few days due to an unprecedented snow storm, I was craving some sweets. So, I surveyed my pantry and took a spin around some baking websites and decided this chocolate cake might satisfy my sweet tooth - it didn't disappoint!

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

2 C sugar
1-3/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C Hershey's Cocoa
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 C milk
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C boiling water

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour bundt pan.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

TWO-9 INCH ROUND BAKING PANS: Grease and flour baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.


"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1/2 C (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 C HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 C powdered sugar
1/3 C milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.*

* I did not have enough powdered sugar to make a full recipe, and I don't like to overdo it on chocolate (yes, in my case that is possible), so I made a drizzle instead of icing the full cake.

Scrumptious Pumpkin Pancakes

I still had some pumpkin puree in the freezer that was leftover from the holidays and was thinking it was about time to either use it or lose it. Since the gingerbread pancakes turned out so well last fall, I decided to try my hand at making pumpkin pancakes. As usual, I consulted a few recipes and then combined what I liked from each and left what I didn't. This resulted in thick, dense cakes with a subtle spice and pumpkin flavor that was enhanced by the maple syrup.

Note: Due to the density of the cakes I had to play with my stovetop settings (and sacrifice a few cakes in the process) to ensure that the insides were cooked through without burning the outsides. Using a cast iron skillet, I ended up keeping my burner at a setting of 3.

2 C all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C milk
1 C pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a medium sized bowl. In a separate larger bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Laddle the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Cinnamon Espresso Bars

I was looking for something easy and light to make for a work gathering and came across this recipe on the Eat Better America website. The bars turned out great, but didn't have enough coffee flavor for my taste. I made a few alterations and posted the new recipe below.

Bars
1 C packed brown sugar
1/3 C butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp instant espresso coffee (dry)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 C water

Cinnamon Espresso Glaze
1 C powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
4 to 5 tsp cold espresso coffee or strong coffee

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or spray with cooking spray; coat with flour. In large bowl, beat brown sugar, butter and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until blended, or mix with spoon. Stir in remaining bar ingredients. Spread in pan.

Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until top springs back when touched in center.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix all glaze ingredients with spoon until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over bars while warm. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

We've had a cold snap recently, like most of the country, so I have been in the mood for some comfort food. I've never made chicken and rice soup, but it sounded like it would hit the spot. I consulted a few recipes, took what I liked from each, left what I didn't, and came up with the recipe below. I was very pleased with the results (see the notes below if you prefer a thinner soup). Serve with Mom's Beer Bread - delish!

Ingredients:

4 C chicken broth (I used turkey stock I made & kept in the freezer after Thanksgiving)
1 C water
3 boneless chicken breast halves
1 (4.5 oz) pkg Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice Original with seasoning packet
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 C all-purpose flour
5 Tbsp butter
2 C 2% milk


In a large pot over medium heat, bring broth to a boil. Add chicken and reduce to a simmer. Cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken from broth, reserve broth, and shred the chicken into bite sized pieces.

Return the chicken to the broth and add water. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet and veggies until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in milk, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.

Stir milk mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10to 15 minutes.

*The soup was very thick, almost like porridge. If you like a thinner soup add more water or stock. You could also substitute lower fat milk to make it lighter and to create a thinner base.

Mom's Beer Bread

My mom used to make beer bread to serve with stew on cold winter nights. It's a hearty bread that has hints of bitter and sweet flavors. Since it only takes an hour to make it's the perfect accompaniment to your favorite soup or stew.

Ingredients:
3 C self-rising flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 (12 oz) can or bottle light beer
1 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredients until fully incorporated. Turn into a nonstick bread pan, and bake for 50 minutes. Melt butter and brush over the top of the bread. Turn the oven off and return bread to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Wheat Berries with Roasted Veggies

I've been itching to use wheat berries again, but have had trouble finding anything enticing on the web or in my cookbooks. I came across some yummy looking salads, but since it's so cold outside I was hoping for something warm. I had the most delicious vegetarian yorkshire pudding with wheat berries, artichoke and mushrooms last spring while visiting Chicago and wanted to recreate it. Sadly, I didn't have the ingredients on hand and was not willing to venture out in the cold to the grocery. Instead, I used the items I had on hand and came up with the following. You can take or leave the gravy, I made it thin and thought it added a little something to the veggie/grain mixture. Let me know what you think!

1 C wheat berries
2 1/2 C broth (I used the turkey broth I made after Thanksgiving)
2 medium sweet potatoes, sliced in wedges
1 crown broccoli, cut into individual clusters
1/2 medium onion sliced in wedges
1/4 lb green beans, snapped in half
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place broth in a pot with a lid and bring to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, add the wheat berries. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes.

In the meantime, place sweet potatoes and onion in a shallow baking dish or roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1/2 of the olive oil. Place in oven and roast for 20 minutes. Add broccoli and stir. Roast for another 15-20 minutes. Add green beans and stir. Roast for another 10 minutes.

Strain wheat berries saving broth for gravy. Stir wheat berries into veggies. Serve over gravy.

Gravy
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 C stock left after wheat berries finish cooking
Salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, then add flour to make a roux. Cook roux, stirring for about 2 - 3 minutes. Add stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper.

Sour Cream Pumpkin Bundt Cake

I had quite a bit of leftover canned pumpkin in my freezer after the holidays and found this awesome recipe on the The Very Best Baking website. It was delicious and moist and stayed fresh for several days when stored covered in the fridge. I will definitely making this again next fall!

Ingredients

Struesel
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp butter

Cake
3 C all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 C granulated sugar
1 C (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
4 large eggs
1 C canned pumpkin
1 container (8 oz.) sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze
1 1/2 C sifted powdered sugar
2 to 3 Tbsp milk

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan.

FOR STREUSEL:COMBINE brown sugar, cinnamon and allspice in small bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly.

FOR BATTER:COMBINE flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat granulated sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin, sour cream and vanilla extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

TO ASSEMBLE:SPOON half of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle Streusel over batter, not allowing Streusel to touch sides of pan. Top with remaining batter. Make sure batter layer touches edges of pan.BAKE for 55 to 60 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes in pan on wire rack. Invert onto wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle with Glaze.

FOR GLAZE:COMBINE 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar and 2 to 3 tablespoons milk in small bowl; stir until smooth.

Gingerbread Pancakes

If you ever find yourself in Austin, TX be sure to stop by Magnolia Cafe for breakfast. No matter what you order you won't be disappointed, but I highly recommend trying the gingerbread pancakes. I love them so much I went on a mad hunt to find the recipe, fortunately Food Network made that easy for me. I've made a few modifications since I like my gingerbread to have a little stronger taste. I accompanied the pancakes with apples, fresh from the farmer's market, that I sauteed in a little butter and cinnamon - yum!

Ingredients
3 eggs
1/4 C brown sugar
1 C buttermilk
1/2 C water
1/4 C brewed coffee
2 1/2 C white unbleached flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 1/2 Tbsp ground nutmeg
4 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted

In a large bowl, mix eggs and brown sugar until well combined. Add buttermilk, water and brewed coffee, and stir to combine. In another large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Stir in the melted butter.

Grease a griddle or heavy skillet. Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat and then add the batter, by ladle-fulls. Cook until little bubbles appear around the edges of the pancake, and then flip. Cook on the second side until golden brown and cooked through in the middle. Serve immediately.

I'm back!

After a 2 month hiatus from blogging, I'm back! Although I got quite busy with work and training my new pup I continued cooking and saving recipes. I've got a lot to share so in the next few weeks I plan to post some of the great fare I've made over the past few months. Happy and healthy eating in 2010!

Fall Harvest

With the official arrival of Fall my thoughts always turn to harvests. Nothing says harvest like root vegetables, savory herbs, and farm fresh meats. So I decided to make a Tuscan Style Roast Loin of Pork and Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole. The sweet potato dish is a staple in my Fall and Winter cooking, but I wanted to try something different with the tenderloin this time. I was so pleased with how moist and tender the pork was; it will definitely be one of my turn-to recipes in the future. Enjoy!

Tuscan Style Roast Loin of Pork
(adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook: The Essential Recipe Collections for Today's Home Cook)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 Tbsp dried
1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage or 1 1/2 tsp dried
1 very large or 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil, or as needed
1 boneless pork loin roast, 2-4 lb, trimmed of excess fat

In a small bowl, make an herb paste by mixing together the thyme, sage, garlic and 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and enough oil to make a thick paste; you may need more or less than 2 Tbsp.

Score the top of the roast in 1 or 2 places. Rub the herb paste all over the meat and let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour before cooking (I let mine stand for 1 hour), or cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring the roast to room temperature, if necessary, before cooking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a roasting pan just large enough to hold the pork. Place the pork in the pan, fat-side up , and roast 45 minutes, or longer if needed. Test for doneness using an instant-read thermometer or by cutting into the meat. Loin of pork should be removed from the heat when the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F or when the meat is slightly pink at the center. (This is key, I pulled my roast out of the oven just as it reached 150 degrees). Let rest, tented loosely with aluminum foil, for 10 minutes, slice and serve.

Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole
(adapted from Noteworthy: A Collection of Recipes From the Ravinia Festival)

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 lb butter, melted, divided
1/3 C plus 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp dry sherry
1/4 C dark corn syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced

Cook potatoes until tender. Cool slightly.

In mixer bowl or food processsor puree potatoes with 5 Tbsp butter, sugar, salt, sherry, corn syrup, and cinnamon. Spread half of the puress in a greased 9-inch baking dish (I use a round, clear baking dish so you can see the layers). Layer half of sliced apples over puree. Repeat both layers, ending with apples on top. Brush top layer of apples with remaining 3 Tbsp butter. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

May be assembled, covered, and refrigerated over night. To bake, bring to room temperature. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

This is fairly close to the original recipe (I changed the preparation of the potatoes before boiling them). When I made it with the tenderloin posted above I made additional alterations. In order to cut the sweetness I omitted the corn syrup and used Pink Lady instead of Granny Smith apples. I also cut out the sherry and reduced the amount of butter used by about half. It was perfect with the pork.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

The weather turned cool here this weekend, so I'm on a soup kick again. I was going to make a nice pot of chili, but based on the ingredients I had on-hand I decided tortilla soup would be a better option. So, I pulled out the old google machine and stumbled upon a version of the recipe below. Of course, I made some adjustments based on my taste preferences and the items I had available. The results were yum-o!

Soup Ingredients
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 med. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 chipotles in adobo sauce, minced
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp kosher salt
6 C chicken broth, low-sodium canned
1 C corn kernels, fresh or frozen and thawed
1 C black beans
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1 med. green pepper, chopped
3 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C cilantro leaves
1/4 C freshly squeezed lime juice

Chicken Ingredients
3 chicken breast halves
Cooking spray
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 Tbsp adobo sauce from chipotle peppers

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Spray 9x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Season chicken breasts with cumin, chili powder, garlic salt and adobo sauce. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until no longer pink in the middle. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Shred chicken into bite sized pieces.

Next, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, chipotle, chili powder, and salt and cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add the corn, black beans, and green pepper and cook for 5 minutes more.

Pull the saucepan from the heat and stir in the tomato, chicken, cilantro, and lime juice. Stir to combine.

Serve with crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, and/or shredded chihuanhua cheese. Garnish with fresh sliced avocado or a lime wedge.

Eggplant & More Eggplant

My garden was a little slow to produce veggies this summer, but by the end of the season I had tomatoes, peppers and particularly eggplants coming out of my ears! It's relatively easy to find things to do with tomatoes and peppers, but there's only so much you can do with eggplant. I made grilled eggplant, eggplant parmesan, pasta with eggplant, etc., etc. I was beginning to get tired of the blasted eggplants, but I couldn't stand to see them go to waste. So, I started searching websites and cookbooks, but to no avail. Then, finally, I remembered that I loved moussaka the first time I tried it and had a vague recollection of there being eggplant in it... or were those peas? Well, after a little more searching I discovered that moussaka does in fact contain eggplant, and even better, I had all of the other necessary ingredients on hand. So I set to work, and was pretty pleased with the outcome. I'll list the recipe below as it was originally posted, but I would recommend cutting down on the custard and adding a little more tomato.

Moussaka

Recipe from FoodNetwork.com

EGGPLANT
2 lg eggplants (about 2 3/4 pounds), unpeeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 C extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

MEAT SAUCE
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 med. yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus to taste
Freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 C whole, peeled, canned tomatoes (with puree), roughly chopped
1 bay leaf

CUSTARD SAUCE
5 Tbsp unsalted butter
6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 C whole milk, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 lg egg
2 lg egg yolks
1/2 C dried breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp Pecorino Romano

Bake the eggplant: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with the oil and lay on 2 small or 1 large foil-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake until the eggplant is soft, about 25 minutes. Set aside covered.

Make the meat sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beef, oregano, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon. Break the meat up into small pieces and season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until just cooked but still slightly pink inside, about 1 minute more. Add the tomato and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cover, and cook until the sauce is thickened and fragrant, about 20 minutes.

Make the custard sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and add the milk, salt, and nutmeg. Return to the heat and while whisking constantly, bring to a boil. Simmer 2 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and stir to cool. When the sauce is cool, whisk in the egg and yolks.

Assemble the moussaka: Lower the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a 9 x 13 x 2-inch casserole dish with the oil. Scatter the breadcrumbs over the bottom of the pan. Lay half of the eggplant in the pan, overlapping the slices if needed. Cover with half of the meat sauce and smooth with a rubber spatula. Repeat with the remaining eggplant and meat sauce. Pour the custard sauce over the layered mixture and smooth with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with the Pecorino Romano and bake, uncovered, until lightly browned and the custard is set, about 1 hour.

Remove the moussaka from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to serve.

Asian Inspired Barbeque

It seems that Fall is quickly approaching so I decided it would be un-American not to take on last stab at the summer barbeque, but sadly I wasn't in the mood for traditional barbequed foods. So, I whipped out the handy google machine and found this recipe for Asian Barbeque Chicken. I modified it slightly, substituting ginger for the recommended curry powder and using chicken breasts instead of thighs, but wow was it moist and flavorful!

As an aside, does anyone know why barbeque is sometimes spelled barbecue? I recently visited Texas and even noticed the variabilty there. I prefer the q, myself.

Asian Barbeque Chicken
Adapted from Cooking Light

1/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp ginger powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Lime wedges (optional)
Cooking spray

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add chicken. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 4 hours, turning occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Place marinade in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute.

Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 20 minutes or until done, turning and basting frequently with the marinade. Garnish with lime wedges, if desired.