I have been experimenting with making jams. So far I have made three kinds but have only tasted the first one. So I am anxious to try the other two. The first jam I made was the Apricot and Pluot Jam; I have since made Balsamic Champagne Grape Jam and Barlett Pear Jam. All have been freezer jams so once we return from vacation I will give the other two a try and let you know how they turned out. I have a lot of apples and pluots that I will need to do something with before we leave for our trip so I may be making some additional jams/jellies or applesauce before the week is out. If you have any recipe suggestions please let me know.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Balsamic and Blue Cheese Pork Chop with Caramelized Pears and Onions
We are getting ready to leave for our Big Birthday Vacation on Saturday so I am trying to cook with as many ingredients I have on hand to use everything up before we leave. You are probably wondering what the Big Birthday Vacation is? My birthday and my husband's birthday are a day apart, so this year we decided we would go on vacation to celebrate since I am turning the Big 3-5! We are going to San Francisco for a night and then off to Napa for 3 nights. I am excited about our trip however I am having heart palpitations about not seeing S for 5 days/4 nights or approximately 108 hours. I have only been apart from her for about 18 hours since she was born so I think I am having separation anxiety. She is staying with her grandparents so at least she will be in good hands while we are gone. Getting back to tonight's meal.
Menu
Balsamic and Blue Cheese Center Cut Pork Chop
Caramelized Pears and Onions
Roasted Cremini Mushrooms and Summer Squash
Making the Pork Chops
Take two boneless center cut pork chops and place them in a shallow baking dish. Pour about 1/4 cup of White Balsamic Vinegar over the top of the pork chops. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the pork chop however the internal temperature should be between 160 degrees (medium) to 170 degrees (well done). Once the pork chop is done you will take it out of the oven and add some Point Reyes Blue Cheese crumbles to the top of the pork chop. Place under the broiler for a couple minutes just long enough to melt the cheese and get a slight crust on the top. Be sure that your pork chop is not in there too long or it will get overcooked and become tough.
Pears and Caramelized Onions
Peel and slice 1 medium large or 2 small sweet onions
Core and slice 2 Bartlett Pears (Sliced into strips)
In a saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive and 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the pears and onions and cooking on a medium-low heat. Stir occasionally. Season with kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper and a little thyme. Add a little more butter if needed.
Summer Squash and Cremini Mushrooms
In another shallow baking dish, add slices of summer squash and cleaned cremini mushrooms. Drizzle with olive oil and season with Montreal Steak Seasoning and some minced garlic. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees
Serve the pork chop over a bed of the caramelized pears and onions. The blue cheese really compliments the pears and onions so be sure to get a bite with both the chop and pears/onions.
Menu
Balsamic and Blue Cheese Center Cut Pork Chop
Caramelized Pears and Onions
Roasted Cremini Mushrooms and Summer Squash
Making the Pork Chops
Take two boneless center cut pork chops and place them in a shallow baking dish. Pour about 1/4 cup of White Balsamic Vinegar over the top of the pork chops. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the pork chop however the internal temperature should be between 160 degrees (medium) to 170 degrees (well done). Once the pork chop is done you will take it out of the oven and add some Point Reyes Blue Cheese crumbles to the top of the pork chop. Place under the broiler for a couple minutes just long enough to melt the cheese and get a slight crust on the top. Be sure that your pork chop is not in there too long or it will get overcooked and become tough.
Pears and Caramelized Onions
Peel and slice 1 medium large or 2 small sweet onions
Core and slice 2 Bartlett Pears (Sliced into strips)
In a saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive and 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the pears and onions and cooking on a medium-low heat. Stir occasionally. Season with kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper and a little thyme. Add a little more butter if needed.
Summer Squash and Cremini Mushrooms
In another shallow baking dish, add slices of summer squash and cleaned cremini mushrooms. Drizzle with olive oil and season with Montreal Steak Seasoning and some minced garlic. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees
Serve the pork chop over a bed of the caramelized pears and onions. The blue cheese really compliments the pears and onions so be sure to get a bite with both the chop and pears/onions.
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| This meal was rated 4 asparagus spears |
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Italian Sausage Sandwiches
Menu
Sliced Heirloom Tomatoes with Basil
Fresh Pluots with Mint
Strawberries and Blueberries
Italian Sausage Sandwiches
Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
We had a nice casual dinner with my in-laws tonight and we had Stella as our entertainment. I could just sit and watch her play all day long. Her facial expressions are priceless. I just wish I knew what she was trying to say as she babbles all day long.
We received a ton of fresh fruit today so I thought I would serve some with dinner. I just plated some sliced pluots with a little chopped mint on one small plate and some sliced strawberries and blueberries on another.
We also received a nice ripe heirloom tomato. I simply sliced it, added a little salt and pepper and sprinkled it with a little chopped fresh basil.
In a dutch oven, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive and 2 minced garlic cloves. Add the sausage and brown on each side. Once the sausage is browned, add a splash of dry red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan and lift all of the browned bits. Remove the sausage temporarily onto a plate. Add slices of one green bell pepper, one red bell pepper and a half of cubanelle pepper. I also used a medium red onion cut into small chunks. Let the onions and peppers cook for a few minutes.
Then add a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, stir well and add back in the Italian sausage links. Place the top on the dutch oven and cook on a medium-low heat. Stir occasionally. Let cook for approximately 20 minutes. Heat up a grill pan on the stove top (or fire up the grill), place the sausage links on the grill just long enough to brown up the outside. Return to the dutch oven until you are ready to serve. To plate place a sausage link on a sausage bun with a little of the pepper and onion mixture on top.
Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
Sliced Heirloom Tomatoes with Basil
Fresh Pluots with Mint
Strawberries and Blueberries
Italian Sausage Sandwiches
Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
We had a nice casual dinner with my in-laws tonight and we had Stella as our entertainment. I could just sit and watch her play all day long. Her facial expressions are priceless. I just wish I knew what she was trying to say as she babbles all day long.
We received a ton of fresh fruit today so I thought I would serve some with dinner. I just plated some sliced pluots with a little chopped mint on one small plate and some sliced strawberries and blueberries on another.
We also received a nice ripe heirloom tomato. I simply sliced it, added a little salt and pepper and sprinkled it with a little chopped fresh basil.
Italian Sausage Sandwiches
My husband picked up 5 nice size mild Italian sausages from Lemon Tree Grocer; they make all of their own sausage. Typically I use their homemade giardiniera and mozzarella sausage for this recipe but they were sold out.
In a dutch oven, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive and 2 minced garlic cloves. Add the sausage and brown on each side. Once the sausage is browned, add a splash of dry red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan and lift all of the browned bits. Remove the sausage temporarily onto a plate. Add slices of one green bell pepper, one red bell pepper and a half of cubanelle pepper. I also used a medium red onion cut into small chunks. Let the onions and peppers cook for a few minutes.Then add a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, stir well and add back in the Italian sausage links. Place the top on the dutch oven and cook on a medium-low heat. Stir occasionally. Let cook for approximately 20 minutes. Heat up a grill pan on the stove top (or fire up the grill), place the sausage links on the grill just long enough to brown up the outside. Return to the dutch oven until you are ready to serve. To plate place a sausage link on a sausage bun with a little of the pepper and onion mixture on top.
Boil red potatoes until ready (you want to make sure they stay whole because you will be slicing them), drain and run under cool water. Slice the potatoes with about 1/4 inch thick slices. In a separate bowl make a vinaigrette by whisking together 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of stone ground mustard, approximately 3 tablespoons of good olive oil and the juice and a half of lemon. Season with salt and pepper and a little thyme. Mix well. Cover the potatoes with the vinaigrette. Top the potato salad with chopped chives and fresh parsley. Place in fridge to cool.
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| This meal was rated 3.5 asparagus spears |
2nd Fruit Delivery and Bushel Number 6
This weeks fruit delivery included Red Grapes, Flavor King Plouts, Gala Apples, Valencia Oranges, Strawberries and Bartlett Pears. I see an apple pie in my future which makes me very happy!!
Our sixth vegetable delivery had a great variety in it.
Sweet Corn
Tomatoes
Heirloom Tomato
A variety of peppers including - sweet, poblano, cayenne and banana peppers
Honeydew melon
Onions
Kale
Celery Root
2 heads of lettuce
Carrots
Eggplant
Our sixth vegetable delivery had a great variety in it.
Tomatoes
Heirloom Tomato
A variety of peppers including - sweet, poblano, cayenne and banana peppers
Honeydew melon
Onions
Kale
Celery Root
2 heads of lettuce
Carrots
Eggplant
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
California Inspired Appetizers
On Sunday my sister and her husband came over so we can plan our Napa vacation. I figured what's better than wine and cheese while you are planning a trip to wine country.
Menu
Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini
White Stilton and Apricots
Crab, Avocado and Mango Salad with a Citrus Twist
Cantaloupe, Speck, Shaved Petit Baque with a Balsamic Glaze and Mint
Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini
I found this recipe on Epicurious.com and just made a few tweaks to it.
Ingredients
White Stilton with Apricots
This was a cheese that I purchased from Costco and just served it with assorted crackers and some Champagne grapes as a garnish.
Crab, Avocado, Mango Salad with a Citrus Twist
The saw a recipe for Crab, Mango and Avocado Salad with Citrus Dressing on Epicurious.com and then came up with the following:
In a mixing bowl I combine the ingredients below:
1 fresh mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1 1/2 avocados, halved, peeled, pitted and diced
approximately 1/4 cup of diced red onion
approximately 1 1/2 cups lump crab meat
Be sure when you peel the avocado to keep them intact as you will use them as a serving bowl.
In a separate bowl combine the juice of 1 large orange, the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tablespoon of honey and approximately 2 tablespoons of good olive oil. Whisk together and pour over the other ingredients. Once everything is combined you can fill the empty avocado halves with the salad. You can serve with toasts or crackers or its good by itself.
On a side note, my foodographer criticized a few of my photos last week however a couple of the photos from this meal were underwhelming. We may just need to add a photo rating scale...ha,ha!
Menu
Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini
White Stilton and Apricots
Crab, Avocado and Mango Salad with a Citrus Twist
Cantaloupe, Speck, Shaved Petit Baque with a Balsamic Glaze and Mint
Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini
I found this recipe on Epicurious.com and just made a few tweaks to it.
Ingredients
Garnish: fresh thyme leaves
White Stilton with Apricots
This was a cheese that I purchased from Costco and just served it with assorted crackers and some Champagne grapes as a garnish.
Crab, Avocado, Mango Salad with a Citrus Twist
The saw a recipe for Crab, Mango and Avocado Salad with Citrus Dressing on Epicurious.com and then came up with the following:
In a mixing bowl I combine the ingredients below:
1 fresh mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1 1/2 avocados, halved, peeled, pitted and diced
approximately 1/4 cup of diced red onion
approximately 1 1/2 cups lump crab meat
Be sure when you peel the avocado to keep them intact as you will use them as a serving bowl.
In a separate bowl combine the juice of 1 large orange, the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tablespoon of honey and approximately 2 tablespoons of good olive oil. Whisk together and pour over the other ingredients. Once everything is combined you can fill the empty avocado halves with the salad. You can serve with toasts or crackers or its good by itself.
On a side note, my foodographer criticized a few of my photos last week however a couple of the photos from this meal were underwhelming. We may just need to add a photo rating scale...ha,ha!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tomato Risotto and Tropical Caprese Salad
The goal of tonight was to use up a number of the fruits and veggies I have in the fridge. I was able to incorporate Mango, Tomato, Fennel, Onion and Basil in this menu.
Menu
Tomato Risotto
Tropical Caprese Salad
Tropical Caprese Salad
My husband's first reaction was cheese and mango? But once he had a bite he was pleasantly surprised. I replaced the tomato slices in a typical caprese salad with fresh slices of mango. The directions for this is really quite simple. Peel the mango and cut into slices. Slice some fresh mozzarella and drizzle with a basil vinaigrette.
I made my vinaigrette in a food processor by adding a palm of roughly chopped fresh basil leaves, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of White Balsamic Vinegar, a bit of lemon zest, 1 garlic clove minced and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. I just kept blending until it the basil broke down quite a bit.
Place the mango and mozzarella on a platter and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Finish off by sprinkling a few chopped fresh basil leaves on the top of the salad. I had intended on also including some Speck Americano on the platter but forgot to get it out of the fridge. It's been one of those days.
I found the risotto recipe on Epicurious, it was originally published in the July 2008 Gourmet magazine.
Tomato Risotto
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth
Scant 1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium fennel bulb, fronds chopped and reserved for garnish, stalks discarded, and bulb finely chopped (2 cups)
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Core tomatoes and cut a shallow X in bottom of each, then blanch tomatoes in boiling water 10 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking.
Peel tomatoes using tip of a small paring knife, then halve tomatoes crosswise. Squeeze juice from tomato halves through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on and then discarding seeds. Finely dice tomato flesh.
Bring stock, water, saffron, and tomato liquid to a simmer in a medium saucepan and keep at a bare simmer.
Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until foam subsides, then add fennel and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to turn golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it turns opaque, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, then add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Continue simmering and adding hot tomato-saffron stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, 18 to 25 minutes total (you will have some stock left over).
Stir in diced tomatoes, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Thin with stock if desired.
Serve topped with chopped fennel fronds.
Note- I only had about 1/3 of a cup of fennel bulb but it was still delicious!
Menu
Tomato Risotto
Tropical Caprese Salad
Tropical Caprese Salad
My husband's first reaction was cheese and mango? But once he had a bite he was pleasantly surprised. I replaced the tomato slices in a typical caprese salad with fresh slices of mango. The directions for this is really quite simple. Peel the mango and cut into slices. Slice some fresh mozzarella and drizzle with a basil vinaigrette.
I made my vinaigrette in a food processor by adding a palm of roughly chopped fresh basil leaves, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of White Balsamic Vinegar, a bit of lemon zest, 1 garlic clove minced and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. I just kept blending until it the basil broke down quite a bit.
Place the mango and mozzarella on a platter and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Finish off by sprinkling a few chopped fresh basil leaves on the top of the salad. I had intended on also including some Speck Americano on the platter but forgot to get it out of the fridge. It's been one of those days.
I found the risotto recipe on Epicurious, it was originally published in the July 2008 Gourmet magazine.
Tomato Risotto
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth
Scant 1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium fennel bulb, fronds chopped and reserved for garnish, stalks discarded, and bulb finely chopped (2 cups)
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Core tomatoes and cut a shallow X in bottom of each, then blanch tomatoes in boiling water 10 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking.
Peel tomatoes using tip of a small paring knife, then halve tomatoes crosswise. Squeeze juice from tomato halves through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on and then discarding seeds. Finely dice tomato flesh.
Bring stock, water, saffron, and tomato liquid to a simmer in a medium saucepan and keep at a bare simmer.
Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until foam subsides, then add fennel and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to turn golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it turns opaque, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, then add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Continue simmering and adding hot tomato-saffron stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, 18 to 25 minutes total (you will have some stock left over).
Stir in diced tomatoes, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Thin with stock if desired.
Serve topped with chopped fennel fronds.
Note- I only had about 1/3 of a cup of fennel bulb but it was still delicious!
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| This meal was rated 4 asparagus spears |
Adult Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Last night I was flying solo since my husband was out of town. After work I brought S with to run a few errands so by the time we got home it was pretty much bed time. We followed our usual routine of reading, having a bottle, saying our prayers and then off to the crib she goes. But there seems to be a gap between 8:30 pm when I came down from putting S to bed and 9:45pm when I realized I hadn't eaten dinner. So I looked around the kitchen to see what I had in the fridge that could be made very quickly and grilled cheese was the winner. One issue, I didn't have any sliced American or cheddar cheese. Time to improvise...
Chris would like me to point out that he did not take this picture since there were shadows in it. I told me that I have lost my foodographer license. Ha, ha
- I cut two slices of Challah bread and buttered one side of each slice
- I took some Whole Foods Apricot Goat Cheese spread and put a little on one of the inner sides of the bread.
- Layered on two slices of tomato
- Added a little basil
- Topped it off with a few crumbles of Point Reyes Blue Cheese
- Grilled it up and it was surprisingly delicious!
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