Mushroom Casserole

I’m in denial that it’s November already. My daughter has been sending me snow pictures from Montana, so I’m having a hard time staying in my happy place where it is still summer, my daughter is home, and we are swimming and eating outside. And, to make matters worse for my state of denial, we set our clocks back last week. A sure sign of the changing season.
I’ve always had a hard time when we change the clocks back. While I do like the extra light in the mornings, I don’t like it getting dark so early, and I really don’t like feeling I’m late for everything. My body clock must be really tuned into the sun.

To counteract the panic I always feel trying to get dinner on the table the first week of the time change, I decided to make a couple of meals on Sunday (when I had an extra hour) to get a jump start on the weeknights ahead.

One of the dinner’s I made on Sunday was adapted from Rachel Ray’s Week in a Day. I’ve made other recipes from her show, and they were successful with my family. I saw Rachel make this mushroom casserole while I was visiting my daughter in Montana. It looked so delicious; I wanted to try it when I got home.

I made a couple of changes to the recipe, but the main change was to take out the milk from the polenta. I like this polenta recipe, and if you want to make the casserole vegan, you can easily do it by omitting the cheese.

Les and I loved this casserole. My son ate it, but it wasn’t his favorite. The mushrooms were rich and meaty, and with the polenta and cheese topping it, the casserole was a filling and satisfying meal. Mushroom Casserole would be a good dish to make during the holidays for your vegetarian friends.

Mushroom Casserole
Adapted from Rachael Ray’s Week in a Day
Printable Recipe
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1 package dried porcini mushrooms, about 2/3 cup
24 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 carrot, finely diced
1 onion, chopped
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup Marsala wine
1 cup stone ground whole grain polenta (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
½ cup parmesan cheese, optional
1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella, optional

In a small pot, add the porcini mushrooms and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer to reconstitute the mushrooms, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set the mushrooms and water aside.

While the dried mushrooms are cooking, heat the ¼ cup olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the crimini mushrooms, and cook until browned and tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, carrots and onions, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring often. Add the Marsala to deglaze the pan. Add the reconstituted dried mushroom and the mushroom cooking liquid, making sure not to pour in the grit from the bottom of the pot. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a 10-12 inch casserole dish.

While the mushrooms are cooking, whisk the polenta into 2 cups of water in a small bowl. In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the soaked polenta whisking to combine, and add 1½ teaspoons of salt. Stir the polenta often, and cook until the polenta is thickened, smooth and fully cooked, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add warm water if the polenta thickens too quickly. Stir in the olive oil, parmesan cheese (if using) and ½ teaspoon pepper.

Spoon the polenta over the mushrooms in the casserole dish. Top with the smoked mozzarella (if using). Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese is brown and the casserole is bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Spiced Tomato and Red Lentil Soup

I’m sitting enjoying the quiet evening knowing my vacation is over, and I will be returning to work tomorrow.  I always feel a little bittersweet about going back to work after my Christmas vacation.  On one hand, I like my job and the people I work with, so I’m looking forward to getting back to my routine.  On the other hand, I’m sad that my winter rest is over.  I never quite attain the same relaxed pace any other time of year.  After Christmas, my life slows down, and I am more “in the moment” than I am for the rest of the year (no matter if I’m on vacation or not).  I’m not sure exactly why.  And, this year I was able to maintain a balance of rest, exercise, and entertainment that was nothing short of blissful. 

I spent yesterday cleaning up Christmas decorations.  I know I should leave them up until Epiphany, but I do like to start the year with a clean house, and Les was home to help me get the Christmas bins in the attic.  I’ve put everything away and vacuumed the needles (Can anyone tell me why my fake Christmas tree has needles to vacuum??), and was reminiscing about my vacation.  I was able to get in a couple of hikes, we went to a couple of movies, watched countless movies at home, and I was able to try out some new recipes, during my vacation. I made Spiced Tomato and Red Lentil Soup for dinner a couple of days after Christmas, and my whole family liked this soup (even my son).  Les is always very complementary of my cooking, but after he ate two bowls of the soup he said, “I really, really like this soup.”  High praise! 

I will be adding this healthy soup to my menu rotation since my whole family likes it, and more importantly, will eat it.  The original recipe gives the option of using Madras curry powder or garam masala.  Since my daughter doesn’t like curry, I chose to use the garam masala (I love the flavor of garam masala, so I probably would have chosen it anyway).  The recipe also calls for vegetable broth, but I had chicken broth on hand, so that's what I used.  Spice Tomato and Red Lentil Soup is hearty and filling.   The red lentils have a different, lighter flavor to me than green lentils, and I like them better.  I served the soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, but you could serve it with salad or a nice loaf of whole grain bread to complete the meal. 

I hope you have a Happy New Year!

Spiced Tomato and Red Lentil Soup

Adapted from Fine Cooking’s One Pot Meals

Printable Recipe

3 tablespoons oil

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

Kosher Salt

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 quarts low-salt vegetable or chicken broth (I used chicken broth)

2 14½ ounce can petite-diced tomatoes

1 pound (2½ cups) dried red lentils, picked over, rinsed and drained

2 medium celery ribs, diced

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

2 medium cloves of garlic, chopped

¼ teaspoon cayenne

Heat the oil in a 6-quart or larger Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are soft and just beginning to brown, stirring occasional.  Add the garam masala and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add the broth, tomatoes, lentils, celery, carrot, garlic, cayenne 1teaspoon kosher salt and 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently, so the lentils don’t stick.  Skim any foam.  Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 35 to 40 minutes or until the lentils and vegetables are all tender. Check soup for seasoning, and add more salt if needed.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and chopped cilantro to garnish.

Winter Vegetable Stew with Moroccan Flavors

Do you have a favorite cookbook?  I collect cookbooks, and if you had asked me the same question a couple of months ago, I probably would have chosen one of my slick cookbooks with fancy pictures on each page.  I’m fond of William Sonoma cookbooks (mostly for the pictures).  But, I’ll tell you a secret.  I usually only try a couple of recipes out of any cookbook.  I lose interest in a cookbook before trying more than one or two recipes.  With all the recipes from books, magazines and online, I’m not very loyal to any one source. 

All this changed when I purchased Fast & Fresh Vegetarian by Marie Simmons.  I’ve shared Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Black Bean Chili and White Bean and FennelCrostini, but I’ve made 10 other recipes from this book, and I’ve liked them all (this has to be a record for me). 

My favorite recipe so far, has to be Winter Vegetable Stew with Moroccan Flavors.  The stew is filling and tasty.  The sweetness of the butternut squash and the root vegetables marry nicely with the Moroccan spice mixture.  The cinnamon and cayenne pepper add a nice heat to the stew.  I served the stew over some quinoa.  My son didn’t eat it (he has an aversion to the texture of squash), but Les and my daughter have been asking for it again. 

If you are looking for some delicious vegetarian recipes or are just trying to find some new vegetable side dish recipes, you should check out Fast & Fresh Vegetarian.  By the way, there aren’t many pictures in this book, but it doesn’t bother me because the recipes speak for themselves.

Winter Vegetable Stew with Moroccan Flavors

Adapted from Fast & Fresh Vegetarian by Marie Simmons

Printable Recipe

¼ extra virgin olive oil

2 cups diced (½ inch) onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chopped (½ inch) peeled butternut squash

1 cup chopped (½ inch) carrot

1 cup chopped  (½ inch) turnip

1 cup chopped (½ inch) parsnip

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh tomatoes

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 fresh lemon cut into 4 wedges

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium low heat and add onions.  Cook until the onions are golden, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and the spices including the salt and a good grinding of black pepper.  Cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Add the squash, carrot, turnip, parsnip, tomatoes and ½ cup of water.  Cover and cook over medium low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes, adding more water if the mixture looks dry.  Taste and add more salt if needed.  Add the cilantro.  Serve with the lemon wedges.  Serves 4.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Black Bean Chili

I can’t believe summer is almost over.  We’ve had a fun and busy summer with not one but two great vacations.  We took a two-week trip through Oregon and Washington in June, and we took a trip to Disneyland the first week of August. (I know we are spoiled). 

My daughter starts her senior year in high school this week, and I’ve been living my life in denial (both that summer is over and that I’m old enough to have a senior in high school), but reality came crashing back at 2 am last Sunday morning when I remembered I still needed to order my daughter’s school books and tackle my 6^th grade son’s forever-long school supplies list.  I got back to sleep by telling myself that nothing could be accomplished at 2am.  I woke feeling sad, but I had to face the fact summer was almost over, so Sunday morning I ordered my daughters books and Les and I took our son to buy his school supplies.

Sunday afternoon I was in need of something to take my mind off my end-of-summer blues, so I headed into the kitchen to try a new recipe.

Since last October, I have been slowly been overhauling my family’s diet to a more Mediterranean diet (less refined grains and sugar and more whole grains and beans).  We have been doing well with it, even on vacation in the Northwest and Disneyland (my chocolate covered frozen bananas, ice cream and caramel apples not withstanding).  I bought Fast & Fresh Vegetarian by Marie Simmons right before we left for Disneyland, and I was itching to try some of the recipes. 

Les and my daughter enjoyed Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Black Bean Chili, although the chili was a little too spicy for my daughter.  My son even liked the spicy chili, but he wouldn't touch the sweet potato.  I liked the combination.  The chili was spicy, but I thought the spiciness went well with the sweet potato and the cool yogurt and avocado.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Black Bean Chili

Adapted from Fast & Fresh Vegetarian by Marie Simmons

Printable Recipe

4 small sweet potatoes or yams, scrubbed and cut in half lengthwise

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, separated

½ small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 chipotle chili in adobo, chopped (more or less to taste)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Plain Greek yogurt

Juice from one lime

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 avocado, sliced

Heat a large baking sheet by placing it in the oven and preheating the oven to 450°F for 10 minutes.  Brush cut sides of sweet potatoes with one tablespoon of the olive oil.  Remove the hot pan from the oven, and place the sweet potatoes cut side down on the baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes.  Turn the potatoes with a spatula and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. 

While the potatoes are roasting, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive and the onion in a large Dutch oven or skillet.  Cook the onion on medium-low heat until tender and golden, about 8 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute, and add the chili powder and cumin to bloom for about 20 seconds.

Add the black beans, tomatoes, ½ cup water, chipotle chili and salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Mix yogurt, lime juice and cilantro in a small bowl.

Assemble the potatoes by scraping the flesh of the potato with a fork and topping the potato with the chili and the yogurt mixture.  Add the sliced avocado and serve.

Warm Barley Salad with Red Cabbage and Feta

Do you have a stack of food magazines sitting on your coffee table?  I certainly do.  I receive Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Fine Cooking, Cooks Illustrated, and until it became defunct Gourmet in the mail every month.  I also pick up other magazines from the newsstand, so  I have quite a magazine collection.  I usually flip through a magazine when I receive it, but then it waits until I have some time before I can flip through it again to find interesting recipes.  If the stack grows too big, I sometimes lose hope and give the magazines away. 

I would like to get more out of these magazines (other than a bigger recycling pile), so I've decided to try and make at least one recipe from each of the magazines that come into my home.  Sounds like a New Year’s resolution doesn’t it?  Can I call it a New Year’s resolution if I start in March?  I don’t know.  Call it what you may, I am resolved!

The first recipe from my new resolution is from Food & Wine, and I decided to try it because it falls in with another resolution to add more healthy grains to my family’s diet.  I served Warm Barley Salad with Red Cabbage and Feta as a main dish salad, and it was great, but it would also be good with some grilled chicken breast or pork tenderloin.  The barley has an amazing flavor. My husband and I enjoyed the salad with the cabbage, walnuts and feta. The salad is both beautiful and tasty with the sweet and sour cabbage and the flavorful barley.  My kids didn’t enjoy this salad as much as my husband and I did, but they enjoyed the barley by itself.

Pesto Pizza with Red Peppers, Pine Nuts and Feta

I doubt anyone needs a recipe for pizza. What could be easier than throwing some toppings onto pizza dough and cooking it for 10 to 15 minutes? My family has tried countless pizza combinations. We all like a different type of pizza. Les likes sausage, salami and mushroom. My son likes sausage and pepperoni, and my daughter is a pepperoni purist. Me? I will eat all of the above, but my favorite pizza doesn’t usually include red sauce. I enjoy Barefoot Contessa’s White Pizza (which I made for myself last pizza night), but I love this pesto pizza with roasted red peppers, pine nuts and feta. I had this pizza for the first time a couple of years ago when a group of friends ordered it for an evening in the park we were enjoying during the summer. My pizza life has never been the same since.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Chard and White Beans

With the end of the holidays and the beginning of the New Year, my mind turns away from rich caloric food to something a little healthier. Some of my coworkers are participating in their own “Biggest Loser” challenge. Everyone involved forked over ten bucks, and whoever has the biggest percentage of weight loss, gets the kitty. With dieting in mind (read: no one at work would appreciate me bringing in a big chocolate cake), I flipped through Eating Well magazine for ideas. I found Acorn Squash Stuffed with Chard and White Beans, and I though it would be perfect for a light meal.

Hibernation

Well, my hibernation is almost over, and I'll be going back to work tomorrow. I'm sad the season is over even though Christmas was bittersweet this year. For me, Christmas is always a joyous season filled with love and hope, and we were blessed to spend time with wonderful friends and family to help us celebrate. But, we also tragically lost a dear friend who will always be missed.

Even with my heavy heart, Christmas had to go on, but to make matters more difficult (especially for the kids) Les had to work on Christmas Day. Despite everything, we had a lovely Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. And, lucky for me, everything slowed down right after Christmas, and I was more than ready for the slowdown.

At about noon on the day after Christmas, I finally stopped urging the kids to get dressed, so they stayed in their pajamas all day. We put together new Lego sets (or at least my son did), read our new books, and watched our new movies, and we did all of this in front of a roaring fire. I think we started a new “pajama day” tradition. We liked it so much we had a second “pajama day” on New Year’s Day to include Les who was working the day after Christmas.

With the exception of going to a New Year’s Eve party, we stayed fairly close to home during our time off after Christmas. So, what do you serve your family during hibernation? Well, if you're like me, you serve Pumpkin Black Bean Soup and Minestra with Sausage. Both of these soups are perfect for a quick meal whether you're hibernating or not. And, I had all the ingredients for the Pumpkin Black Bean Soup in my pantry, so I didn’t even have to leave the house. This soup is delicious with a creamy spiciness. I served simple grilled cheese sandwiches with it.
Pumpkin Black Bean Soup
Adapted from Rachael Ray at Food Network
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1 14 ½ ounce diced tomatoes in juice
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained
2 15 ounce cans pumpkin puree
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 green onions chopped for garnish

Add the oil to a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add onions, and sauté until the onions are softened about 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, black beans, and pumpkin puree. Stir to combine and bring soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the cream, curry, cumin, cayenne and salt. Simmer 5 minutes and taste to adjust seasonings and serve garnished with chopped onions.

My son loves the Minestra with Sausage soup. He is a big fan of sausage, pasta and soup, so this soup was made for him. And I get some green vegetables into him, so I love it too. I’ve made this soup a couple of times. The first time, I used all spicy sausage, but it was too spicy for my daughter, so I adjusted the recipe to make it less spicy. Everyone loved the soup after I adjusted it.
Minestra with Sausage
Adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 links of sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 link hot Italian sausage, casing removed
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 14.5 ounce can cannellini beans, drained
2 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup mini penne pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese, for passing around the table

Add the oil to a soup pot or Dutch oven, and heat on medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Then stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and spinach; season with salt and pepper to taste, and then add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Add the chicken stock and 2 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover the pot and stir in the pasta. Lower the heat and cook until the pasta is al dente. Serve and top with the cheese.

Here are a couple other soups for hibernation or just a quick weeknight meal...
Florentine White Bean Soup
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas

I am sharing another recipe with you that didn’t make it onto the Fist Full of Cocktails menu. These quesadillas were delicious, but there is something similar on the menu, so we needed to go in another direction. Les and I loved these quesadillas, and I am going to put them on my list of "go to" appetizers.

Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas
2 ears of fresh white corn
2 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded and sliced in quarters
ancho chili powder
½ cup chopped cilantro
4 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded
8 6-inch flour tortillas
Canola oil

Sprinkle the corn and zucchini with ancho chili powder. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill and, grill the corn, zucchini and red pepper. Grill the zucchini and red pepper until softened, and cook the corn until it is lightly charred.

Cut the corn off of the cob, and cut the zucchini and red pepper into small pieces. Mix together. Heat a large skillet (I used my electric griddle). Brush oil on the pan and place a tortilla on the heated pan. Place 1 cup of cheese on the tortilla, and add ¼ of the vegetables on the cheese. Sprinkle with the cilantro, and place the second tortilla on top of the mixture. Once the tortilla on the bottom is browned, flip the quesadilla over, and brown the other side. The quesadilla is finished when both sides are browned and the cheese is melted. Remove the quesadilla from the pan and slice. Makes 4 quesadillas.

Here is a picture of the quesadilla that did make it onto the Fist Full of Cocktail menu. I will share this recipe after the party.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

I love tortilla soup, but I haven’t found a recipe I liked, until now. I was trying to find a good soup to serve to some girlfriends last Friday, and since it was during Lent, I needed a vegetarian soup. I must have found five or six different recipes for vegetarian tortilla soup, but I couldn’t find one that completely appealed to me. So, I took the elements I liked of each recipe, and combined them into the soup below.

I did a test run of the soup, and fed it to my kids first. (This is not something I usually do, but since I wasn’t sure how spicy the soup would be, I felt I should test it first.) My daughter liked the soup, but said it was burning her throat. My son ate it, but only because dessert was hanging in the balance. I thought the soup might be just a little too spicy, but when I took it to work for lunch the next day, the spiciness had mellowed just a bit.

If you would like less spicy soup, you can reduce the number of chipotle peppers, but don’t eliminate them entirely since the peppers impart a nice smoky flavor to the soup. I really like this soup, if I do say so myself. It tasted fresh and smokey, and did live up to my expectations. My girlfriends said they liked it too, and they all had seconds, so I assume they weren’t just being polite.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano – I used Mexican oregano
4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (use fewer chipotle peppers for a less spicy soup)
2 14oz cans of fire roasted tomatoes
1 can full of water
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 quarts of vegetable stock
12 ounces frozen corn
1 14oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Juice from 1 lime

Assorted Toppings
Tortilla chips
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sliced avocado
Chopped cilantro
Limes, Quartered

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion, red pepper and garlic and cook until softened but not browned. Next, add the paprika, cumin, chili powder and oregano, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Once the mixture is fragrant, add the tomatoes, vegetable stock, water, chipotle peppers, corn, black beans and salt.  Simmer the soup for about 20 minutes. After the soup has simmered, add the lime juice and cilantro and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. This soup tastes even better the next day.

To serve, crush some tortilla chips and place in the bottom of a soup bowl. Top the chips with avocado slices, cheese and cilantro, and ladle the soup on top of the chips and toppings. This soup serves six with leftovers.

Quick Take Tuesday

Quick Black Bean Tacos
Tuesdays, usually call for a quick dinner, and Bon Appétit (2/09) has a recipe that fits the bill. I noticed this recipe in my quick flip through the magazine, and then I saw it again on Smitten Kitchen’s blog (I have to try her Whole Lemon Tart). She didn’t like the coleslaw in the taco recipe, and she recommended using a Bobby Flay recipe instead. I decided to take her word for it, and make the Bobby Flay coleslaw. I just had to hope my kids would like a black bean taco with coleslaw and feta cheese. Hmm…it was worth a try.

I made small changes to both the taco and the coleslaw recipes. I only used ¼ teaspoon of the cumin in the black beans. I like cumin, but only in small quantities. And, in the slaw recipe, I used the jalapeno chili sauce I make and keep in my freezer instead of the serrano peppers the recipe called for.

I knew my daughter would try the tacos, and probably like them, but I was worried my son wouldn’t like them. I had him try the coleslaw and he said he liked it. So, I left off the feta cheese from his tacos, but piled on the coleslaw. He ate them and asked for seconds. My daughter liked them too. Both kids said I should make the tacos again. High praise indeed!

Black Bean Tacos
1 15-ounce can black beans drained
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
White or yellow corn tortillas
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
3 teaspoons canola oil
Green Onion Slaw

Place the black beans and cumin in a bowl and partially mash. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Place tortillas in skillet. Add ¼ cup of bean mixture in the middle of the tortilla, and cook one minute. Fold in half and cook about one minute on each side or until golden brown. Fill tacos with feta cheese and Green Onion Slaw.

Green Onion Slaw

1 cup green onions, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup pure olive oil
1 head purple cabbage, finely shredded
 (I used pre-packaged coleslaw mix)
1 small red onion halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
Blend, vinegar, chili sauce, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and oil with a whisk until emulsified. Place cabbage, green onions and red onions in a bowl, add the dressing and stir until combined. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Elva's Salsa

I have a dear friend at work who is a wonderful cook (as well as a fabulous person). Every year for many years, Elva would gift everyone at work with a Cinco de Mayo tostada feast. She would make refried beans with chorizo and all of the toppings needed for tostadas, but the best part of the whole meal was her salsa. It was delicious and fresh, and I really wanted the recipe. Elva was happy to give it to me, but I was always intimidated to make what she called her chili sauce, so I had to wait for a year until she made her feast again before I could stuff myself with her salsa. Finally, last year, armed with a notepad, I grilled her for the recipe for the chili sauce and the salsa. I wrote down every word she said, and I gathered my courage and tried her recipe. Now, my kids enjoy Elva's salsa as much as I do.

Elva's Salsa
Elva makes her chili sauce and keeps it in the freezer so she can have the chili sauce whenever she needs it.

Chili Sauce
4 or 5 Jalapeno peppers (you can use Serrano peppers if you like it hotter)
2 garlic cloves
Fill a saucepan with water, and bring to a boil. Stem the peppers and put them into the boiling water and boil for 4-5 minutes. Remove the peppers from the boiling water, and place them into a blender or food processor with the garlic. Process until smooth. Place into small plastic containers and freeze until needed.

Salsa
3 cups of chopped tomatoes
1 bunch of chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons chopped onions
1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon chili sauce (or to taste)
2 avocado cut into chunks
Mix all the ingredients and serve with tortilla chips.

Game Night

I love Friday nights. Friday night is the beginning of what could be a wonderful weekend. Friday nights are made for something fun! Our new Friday night tradition was started when my husband (the fun parent) started working nights and weekends. How were the kids (my eight-year-old son and my fourteen-year-old daughter) and I going to celebrate my favorite night of the week? Game night, we decided, was the way we were going to celebrate Friday nights.

And, pizza was the perfect food for our new tradition. Pepperoni pizza works for my son and daughter, but I wanted something different. White Pizza from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten was exactly what I wanted. I made pizza dough in my bread machine on Thursday night. The pizza dough was more pliable and easier to shape when I made it the night before and put it in the refrigerator overnight. My daughter helped me stretch and shape the pizza dough. While I was making the toppings for my pizza, my daughter decided she would like to try the White Pizza. I wasn't sure she would enjoy a bunch of arugula on her pizza, but I was happy she wanted to try. We sat down to eat our pizza and my daughter proclaimed the White Pizza amazing. Wow, she liked a pizza with feta cheese and arugula. In that moment, I realized my daughter was a foodie.

Bread Machine Pizza Dough
This recipe came in the instructions for my bread machine, and it makes a 2lb. loaf.
1 3/8 Cups Water
4 Cups Bread Flour
2 Tbsp. Dry Milk
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 ¾ tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Butter
1 ¾ tsp. Active Dry Yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine in the order they appear, making a well in the flour and place the yeast in the well. Follow the directions for your bread machine for dough. When the dough had finished its cycle in the bread machine, remove the dough and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30 minutes. Once it has risen, take it out and cut into equal portions. Form the portions into balls, and let rest for 15 minutes. At this point I put the dough into the refrigerator overnight. Shape pizza dough, top and cook at 400° for 15 to 20 minutes.

White Pizza with Arugula
This recipe came from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten with a few changes.

Pizza Dough (see my recipe above)
½ cup olive oil
4 Garlic Cloves, sliced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3 cups grated Fontina cheese
1 ½ cups grated mozzarella
11 oz. Feta cheese

For the Arugula Salad
½ cup good olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
8oz. baby arugula

To make the garlic oil, place ½ cup of olive oil, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and let steep for 10 minutes making sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Let cool slightly.

Brush pizza dough with the garlic oil and top with the cheeses. Bake the pizzas in a 400° for 10 to 15 minutes until the crust is crisp and the cheese begins to brown.

In the meantime, whisk together ½ cup of the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Once the pizza is out of the oven, top with the arugula, and serve immediately.