Around the World!

Amanda and I have started a new adventure, we're going to start eating and cooking our way around the world! Each month we are going to pick a different country/culture/region and find a restaurant that specializes in that food. After eating at the restaurant we schedule a second date to attempt make a dish inspired by our restaurant visit. The only rule is if we have eaten that type of food before, we have to try a new dish. For example: when we go to a Thai restaurant I am not allowed to order Pad Thai because it's my favorite and I've had it a bazillion times.
For November we decided on Greek and went to Zorba's in Fairmount.  We got a sampler platter of various dips (delicious!), a sampler of charcoal grilled meats (mostly good, not a huge lamb fan), and a stuffed eggplant dish (yummy!). We decided to recreate the eggplant dish, called Imam Bayildi on our own. We did not do a very good job. Our dish was fine but it felt like it was lacking a certain layer of flavors. The feta cheese was a life saver and added a nice pop of flavor. Oh well, in the very least Mr. Lawyer and I have had many veggies this week! We've had two vegetarian dishes, eggs and veggies, and veggies with fish. Oh so healthy!

Imam Bayildi

Ingredients:
2 medium to large eggplants
1 large onion (white or yellow)
4 garlic cloves
Olive oil (for sautéing)
5-6 tomatoes
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tablespoons white sugar
1 can of pureed tomatoes
1-2 T tomato paste (to thicken sauce if needed)
Salt/Pepper to taste
Feta for sprinkling
Directions:
1. Chop onion and sauté in large pan until transluscent. Add garlic to pan for an additional minute or so. Remove onion and garlic from pan and add to bowl of chopped tomatoes.
2. Take both eggplants and slice down middle, scoop out a little of the flesh to make them easier to stuff.
3. In a bowl mix tomato puree, lemon juice and sugar.
4. Put eggplants skin down back into large sauté pan. Stuff with tomato, onions and garlic. Pour the tomato puree/lemon/sugar mixture on top.
5. Cover pan w/ lid and simmer on top of stove for 45 minutes.
6. After 45 minutes, remove lid and let simmer for an additional 15 minutes until eggplant is extremely tender. Add tomato paste if you’d like sauce to be thicker.
7. Before serving, sprinkle with feta!

Holy Moley! That's a lot of eggplant. 

I Love Soup

Another Rainy day means warm soup belly! This recipe was delicious and super filling. Plus I love, love, love squash. There was a lot going on in this soup: noodles, squash, fennel, zucchini and much more! I was not strict with measurements because I didn't want any leftovers. I used the whole carrot, zucchini, onion etc. So there was a higher volume of stuff in the soup, very thick and almost stew like. 

Winter Minestrone

(adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3-4 dashes of red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 cups cubed peeled acorn or butternut squash (about 1 medium)
3/4 cup diced zucchini (small zucchini)
1/2 cup chopped carrot (one carrot)
1/2 cup diced fennel (a small fennel bulb)
1 cup water
2 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
5 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
1/2 cup uncooked ditalini (very short tube-shaped pasta)
2 1/2 cups chopped Swiss chard
1 can rinsed and drained canned Great Northern Beans
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, basil, oregano, pepper flakes and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. 

2. Add squash, zucchini, carrot and fennel; sauté 5 minutes. 

3. Stir in 1 cup water, broth, and tomato paste; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. 

4. Stir in pasta; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

5. Add chard; cook 3 minutes. 

6. Add beans; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. 

7. Stir in pepper. Serve with cheese.

Fake Huevos Rancheros

I found this amazing recipe for huevos rancheros but alas I did not have many of the ingredients and my grocery budget informed me that running to the store was a no-go. I did however have a bunch of peppers and cherry tomatoes left over from last night's fish dish. Enter our poor man's huevos rancheros! Which, except for the salsa, was really more a veggie scramble. Ah well, can't go wrong with breakfast for dinner right?

Veggie Scramble

(from our kitchen of leftovers)

Ingredients:

6 eggs

Little bit of milk

Peppers

Tomatoes

Shredded Cheese

Salsa

Salt and Pepper 

Directions:
1. Saute up your veggies. In a bowl whisk together the eggs and milk.
2. Add egg mixture to pan and cook till done, adding cheese at the end.
3. Top with a little salsa and pretend that it's yummy huevos rancheros.

Nutella Cookies!

You just can't go cold turkey after all those delicious Thanksgiving desserts. Last night I was craving something sweet so I whipped up some nutella cookies. There are a ton of recipes on the internet so I picked out the parts I liked (Chocolate chips? Yes. Cocoa powder? Nope.). I did half the batch with hazelnuts on top as an experiment (plus I had these extra hazelnuts in my cupboard!). The verdict: we like the ones with nuts more. The nutella flavor is subtle but then I'm use to eating nutella by the spoonful! They were especially good reheated this morning with a cup of coffee. I highly recommend them as a change from traditional chocolate chip cookies.

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup Nutella
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Crushed hazelnuts for topping
Directions:
1. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. Cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in Nutella and vanilla extract. Mix in egg. Add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for approximately one hour.
3. Roll dough into one tablespoon balls, lightly press into crushed hazelnuts and place 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes until the edges look set. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then carefully remove to cooling racks.

Fast Fish!

This dish was fast and good. It was a light dish and loaded with veggies. Perfect for detoxing after a week long eating fest! I ended up using my Hendrickson's Sweet Vinegar and Olive Oil salad dressing because we didn't have any Italian (and the last thing I need is another bottle in my fridge!). It added a nice sweetness to it but it would have been interesting to have the zestiness from Italian. I think I'm finally getting the hang of cooking fish and knowing when it's done. This batch was perfectly moist and only semi-mangled.

Fast Fish Skillet

(adapted from Kraft Food & Family)

Ingredients:
4 tilapia fillets (1 lb.)
1/4 cup Italian Vinaigrette Dressing made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
1 tablespoon pesto
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, cut lengthwise, then crosswise into slices
1 cup grape tomatoes
3 Tbsp. thinly sliced fresh basil
Directions:
1. Brush fish with 2 tablespoons of dressing. Cook in skillet on medium heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with fork. Transfer to plate; cover to keep warm.
2. Add remaining dressing, pesto, vegetables and tomatoes to skillet; cook 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently. Spoon over fish.
3. Top with basil.

There were a ton of veggies! I just dumped everything on one big platter.

A Word About Bourbon

Thanksgiving morning started like any other: me baking away in Grandma's kitchen and then triumphantly licking the spoon. Granted I did this in a very confrontational lock eyes with you kind of way which was promptly met with "How does that salmonella taste Jennifer?" "Great, the rum totally kills the salmonella." Ha. I went on to explain my bourbon cheesecake when all of the sudden Grandma exclaims that she has some bourbon....in the telephone. Obviously I think that she has completely lost it as she motions to the top of the china cabinet which is filled with the typical grandparent things like an antique phone, a rooster teapot and lasagna noodles.

But wait! It turns out that the antique phone I thought was actually just a phone my whole entire life is a giant flask of bourbon. Which after a quick calculation of the original age and how long my grandparents  were in possession of it resulted in us discovering we had 40 year old bourbon on our hands. At which point Grandma decides what the heck, let's open it up. And so the three of us did a shot of 40 year old bourbon before ten in the morning and man oh man was it smooth. Best Thanksgiving ever?!

Oh snap, the bell pops off to reveal a hidden flask!

Right, back to the cheesecake. I have never made a cheesecake before which may have resulted in some technical issues such as the texture, it was very fluffy not thick like a cheesecake. I'm also unsure about how I feel about pumpkin flavor that is not in a traditional pumpkin pie (which is sweet). Everyone liked it and thought it was good except for the non-cheesecake texture. Mr. Lawyer said if I had plopped it in a ramekin and called it a custard or mousse no one would have thought twice. The caramel-bourbon sauce? To. Die. For. I will definitely be keeping that part of the recipe for future desserts and ice cream. It made a lot so I still have half a mason jar in the fridge which I may or may not be eating by the spoonful.

Pumpkin Spiced Cheesecake with Caramel-Bourbon Sauce

(from Bon Appetit Magazine)

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted, cooled
3 tablespoons golden brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Filling:
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
4 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Large pinch of salt
Sauce:
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted, cooled
Directions:
1. Crust - Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Grind first 4 ingredients in processor until nut mixture sticks together. Press evenly onto bottom of pan. Bake crust until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. Wrap outside of pan in triple layer of heavy-duty foil.
2. Filling - Using mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, and lemon peel in large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then pumpkin, yogurt, flour, vanilla, spices, and salt. Pour into pan.
3. Set springform pan in roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cheesecake. Place in oven. Bake until outer 3 inches puff slightly and center is softly set, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool in water bath 30 minutes. Remove from water. Cut around sides of cake to loosen. Refrigerate in pan until cold, about 4 hours. Cover and chill overnight.
4. Sauce - Bring sugar, cream, butter, corn syrup, and salt to boil in deep medium saucepan, whisking until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium; boil 1 minute without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in bourbon, then pecans. Cool, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove foil. Cut around pan sides; remove sides. Cut cheesecake into wedges; spoon sauce over.

Thanksgiving, a Love Story

Thanksgiving might be my favorite holiday. All of the food without the let down of being a big kid on Christmas morning. Although after two awesome and food filled Thanksgivings this year, I'm really just craving some ham.

A # of Awesomeness

Grandma Nancy made this dish for us and you should all thank me for this recipe. Not only is it delicious and easy to get ready in advance (say if you know your living room is going to be filled with hungover boys....) but I had to spend 20 minutes deciphering Grandma's handwriting and filling in weird culinary gaps. Which is reminiscent of Grandma's strawberry pie recipe that  was completely missing half of the steps! Luckily the Mother Unit had a full copy but sheesh! "Less than 1# (pound, get it?!) and "6-8 eggs" are not exact measurements which of course give me a panic attack in the kitchen. I also believe Grandma said she used a good bakery bread, not sandwich bread. She did not add any sausage. I could have eaten the whole thing! Don't worry if all the bits don't get soaked, they created nice little toasty crunchy spots that are amazing in a huge bite of eggy cheesy goodness. I will definitely be making this very shortly!

Aunt Marie's Strata Recipe

(From Aunt Marie via Grandma)

Ingredients:
12 pieces bread, crusts cut off and cubed
Less than one pound of cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups milk
6-8 eggs (or egg beaters)
1 stick margarine, melted and cooled
Optional: Sausage
Directions:
1. Layer bread cubes, cheese and sausage (if using) in a 9x13 pan.
2. Beat together eggs and milk, stir in melted margarine. Pour over bread and cheese and let sit in fridge for 2 or more hours.
3. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Of Leftovers and Cozy Sheets

Leftover Thanksgiving Sandwiches are the best! I'm a fan of the Wawa jingle "like mittens for your tummy." Truth. In other words, we finished off the leftovers from Thanksgiving #1 last night....just in time to get ready for Thanksgiving #2! In fact my Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel-Bourbon Sauce is baking away in the oven and the Rum Cake is on deck. Yeah, my Grandma requested my Rum Cake for Thanksgiving because that's how she rolls.

Don't forget to make your leftover sandwich this Thanksgiving! 

My non-food related musings on cheapness and cozy sheets after the jump!

Early Thanksgiving!

I did not make this recipe but I was lucky enough to consume it for both dessert and breakfast. It's marvelous and I'm keeping the recipe for future use. Last night we had early Thanksgiving with Mr. Lawyer's family and everything was amazingly delicious. From one Thanksgiving to another...I sense that I will not be cooking this week. A big shout out to Mrs. T for a ton of yummy food, thank you! We were also sent home with this:

Is this not the most glorious tupperware container of food you have ever seen?! There were also rolls and dessert which brings us to the recipe. These cupcakes were divine. Nice pumpkin flavor, maple frosting (right?!) and a heath bar crunch. All the elements were good on their own but when you got a bite of all three....oh my. It was even better for breakfast.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

(made by Mrs. T, adapted from Ina Garten) 

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin purée (8 ounces), not pie filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Maple Frosting Ingredients:
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon Boyajian Natural Maple Flavor
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Heath bars, for serving (2 1.4-ounce bars)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush or spray the top of 10 muffin tins with vegetable oil and line them with 10 paper liners.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.
3. Divide the batter among the prepared tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on low speed until smooth. Stir in the maple flavoring and vanilla extract. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

5. Spread the cupcakes with the Maple Frosting and sprinkle with the chopped toffee bits.