Whitefish with Lemon Vinaigrette

Lemon Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup parsley

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

Blend in a food processor or blender, slowly adding the olive oil at the end.

You will need:

4-6 whitefish fillets

olive oil

salt & pepper

flour

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Cook fillets in pan for about 3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from pan and top with lemon vinaigrette. I serve the fish with a green salad also topped in the lemon vinaigrette!

Cornbread

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. butter melted

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl combine all wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir just until blended. Pour batter into greased 8 X 8 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-37 minutes.

Pumpkin Chowder

(It's the season for the great orange squash)
1/2 lb bacon, diced
2 c chopped onion
2 tsp curry powder
2 Tbsp flour
15 oz can pumpkin
2 large potatoes, peeled, diced
4 c chicken stock
1 c half & half (or canned evap milk)
kosher salt & ground pepper to taste
garnish: toasted pumpkin seeds / chopped green onion

Fry bacon in a large soup pot over low heat and cook gently until it releases its fat, about 5 minutes. add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 min. Add flour & curry once softened. Add pumpkin, potatoes & stock and heat toe med-low until the potatoes are tender.
(I wash the pumpkin seeds and roast them 45 min - 1 hour @ 300 with sprayed cooking oil and salt)

Roasted Cauliflower

I've roasted lots of different root vegetables, but just recently tried cauliflower. It is so good! The recipe comes from Molly Wizenberg, who has a food blog, orangette.com

1 cauliflower

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450.

Wash and dry the cauliflower well. Put it on a cutting board, stem side down, and slice it vertically, top down, into 1/4-inch slices. You'll only get about 4 intact slices. That's okay. Put the cauliflower into a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Hands work best for this. You want each piece of cauliflower to get a thin coat of oil. If necessary, add 1 more tablespoon. Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on a heavy sheet pan, or if the pan seems crowded, use 2 pans. You don't want to pack it too tightly or the cauliflower will steam rather than roast. Salt it lightly.

Bake until the cauliflower is tender, golden and even deeply browned in spots, 20 to 30 minutes, turning once with a spatula. Salt lightly again.

We have a new Sunday snack!

The last few weeks we have made this...

Yummy for my tummy caramel corn!

When I was growing up Fall always meant popcorn balls (yeah!) and those will forming around here shortly, but for now our sweetened corn has come in this form... complete with sticky fingers.

Here is the recipe so you can enjoy it too.

(I modified this recipe from one my mom used to make... in a bag)

Microwave Caramel Corn

• 4 quarts popped popcorn

  1 cup brown sugar

  1/2 cup margarine

  1/4 cup light corn syrup

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  Place the popped popcorn into a large (really, it should be big) microwave safe bowl. Set aside.

  In a heat-proof (microwave safe) glass dish or bowl, combine the brown sugar, margarine, corn syrup, salt and vanilla and cinnamon. Cook for 3 minutes in the microwave, then take out and stir.

  Return to the microwave, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes remove and stir again adding the baking soda. Mix until it is all incorporated (it will bubble)

  Pour syrup over the popcorn in the large bowl. Stir until the popcorn is covered in the brown goodness. Place the large bowl into the microwave, and cook for 1 minute and 10 seconds. Remove, and stir the caramel all over the popcorn again, and return it to the microwave. Cook for another 1 minute and 10 seconds. Dump the popcorn out onto waxed paper, and let cool until coating is set.

  Store in an airtight container if you or your children don't eat it all in one sitting.

Enjoy!!!

Pesto

Pesto
makes about 4 cups

1/2 cup walnuts
3 Tbs diced garlic
5 cups fresh basil, packed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/4 cup good olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place the walnuts and garlic in your food processor and process for 30 seconds. Add the basil, salt & pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto in finely pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for one minute more. Serve, or store (in refrigerator or freezer) in an air tight container with a thin film of olive oil on top. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Carmelitas

I got this recipe from my friend Julie. Caution: these are so yummy you might eat the whole pan yourself!

Ingredients:

1 bag Kraft caramel bits (in the store by the choc. chips)

5 Tbsp. evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups flour

1 1/4 cups oats

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. soda

3/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Combine dry ingredients, mix with butter. Press 3/4 of the mixture into a 9X13 inch pan. (Save the rest to sprinkle on top.)

2. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, take out of the oven.

3. Melt caramel and milk together. While hot spread over crust.

4. Sprinkle chocolate chips over caramel and allow to stand for a few minutes. Then spread the chips evenly.

5. Sprinkle with remaining dry mix and bake 10 more minutes.

6. Cool, cut into bars.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Combine:

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup raisins (I used 1/4 cup sunflowers seeds and 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds instead)

In saucepan whisk:

3 T. oil (I use coconut)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 T water

Heat over low heat until sugar dissolves. Let cool slightly. Whisk in 1 egg white. Pour over oat mixture and spread in 8" square parchment lined pan. Bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minute or until golden brown on edges. Cool for 10 minutes. Lift out of pan and cut into bars.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this recipe from Cook's Illustrated.

Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter; the dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is browned. Use fresh, moist brown sugar instead of hardened brown sugar, which will make the cookies dry. This recipe works with light brown sugar, but the cookies will be less full-flavored.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecan or walnuts, toasted (optional)

Instructions:
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons. Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

2 cans corn/or use frozen

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans chicken breast

1 taco seasoning packet/or 1 Tbsp. taco seasoning

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

1 Tbsp. dried onions

1/2 cup squash puree-4 cubes (optional)

salt and pepper

Toppings:

sour cream

tortilla chips

cheddar cheese

fresh cilantro, chopped

avocados, diced

limes, cut in wedges

Directions:

Drain all three cans of beans and rinse. Dump all ingredients into a pot and add 2 cans of water. Bring to a simmer over medium high. To serve, put in bowls and add the toppings of your choice.