Recipes

Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

/ Emily / 2 Comments

Life is punctuated by seasons. I think we all wake up and realize a change has happened; our tastes transition, our wardrobe adjusts and we are drawn in and out of the house. In some ways it makes me a little blue when I realize that a whole cycle of a year has passed. Fortunately, every season gives me something to look forward to. Coming out of a wet spring, I crave the summer heat. When I can’t take the sun (or mosquitos) any longer, I desire the cool winds of autumn. Then the first winter flurries arrive and I can’t wait to pull out the twinkly lights and cuddle by the fire. See how fast that went? That’s the part that makes me a little melancholy.

I can’t whine for too long, as the sun pours into my kitchen and I look at the vase of fluffy peonies on my table. Soon I will be snipping fresh greens and plucking radishes, carrots and beets from my garden. There are few things better than sitting outside, eating dinner next to the earth where it came from. Gardening has fascinated me since I was a child. Days after I put seeds in the ground and am pressing my nose to the dirt, waiting and watching for them to sprout. It is my favorite way to slow down and savor the season.

After all that garden talk, you probably expected a fabulous veggie recipe. Not today. This post is actually about another aspect of summer, wedding season! I have the honor and pleasure of making a heap of desserts for a couple of lovebirds (and 200 of their closest friends and family) in a few weeks. This is my take on a lemon bar in cookie form. Less messy and the feedback has been that they are better than their bar cousins… You can be the judge of that! I highly recommend making your own lemon curd. Cheaper and so much better than the store bought version.

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Lemon Curd

Ingredients

  • 3 lemons
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Remove zest from the lemons with a vegetable peeler. Be careful not to take off the white pith (those are bitter). Juice those lemons in a separate bowl, set aside.
  2. Blend the zest with the sugar in a food processor until the zest is finely chopped.
  3. In a bowl, cream butter and add the sugar/ lemon mixture. Add eggs one at a time. Lastly, add the lemon juice and salt.
  4. Transfer mixture to a sauce pot. Cook over low, stirring frequently. After about 10 minutes you will notice it thickening up (should be at 170 with a candy thermometer). Take off the heat and transfer to jars and let cool. After a couple hours, it will be thicker (and freaking amazing)!

This makes about 24 oz. and could easily be doubled. The lemon curd will last a month in the fridge and would make cute gifts in little jelly jars.

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Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (grated with microplane or chopped finely)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • Lemon curd (recipe above)

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350. Cream together butter and sugar until well blended and fluffy. Add in egg yolks, lemon juice & zest and salt.
  2. Beat in flour until the mixture is moistened. It is supposed to be crumbly, so don’t over mix.
  3. Form small balls (using your hands might be better than a cookie scoop, the dough is thick…). Space evenly on a cookie sheet. Grab something with a round shape, smaller than the cookie balls, to create the indentation (for the lemon curd). I used a back of my pestle, but a finger could work! A little flour will help minimize stickiness.
  4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden on the bottom. Remove from oven and fill indentations with lemon curd. Return to the oven for 2 minutes for the lemon curd to set.
  5. Let cool and before serving, dust with a little powdered sugar. Makes about 30 cookies.

Variations: You could swap another kind of jam instead of the lemon curd. I think these would be fantastic with raspberry jam. For that, I’d skip the second trip to the oven.

I hope you enjoy these little lemon bites of heaven and are taking in all that the sunshine is providing you!

-Emily

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Tomatillo Salsa

/ Emily / 4 Comments

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One of my favorite phrases in Spanish is “Por que no?”. Simply put, it means “why not?”. I used this phrase quite a bit when I studied abroad in Ecuador. To me it came to mean; don’t overthink it! Just go for it and enjoy the adventure of life. It seems like there are times when I need to apply this mentality to cooking. When I am working with an unfamiliar ingredient or a new recipe I do all my research, watch the ratios and am my own worst critic. But it seems like my most successful dishes come when I throw caution to the wind and let the ingredients “speak to me.”

This tomatillo salsa recipe has been perfected through that organic process. I simplified where I thought I could get away with it and what has come of it is a zesty, refreshing salsa. And it’s easy! I feel like I am always saying that, but seriously… So, say porque no? And venture to the tomatillo section at the grocery store and give this a whirl!

Buen Provecho!

Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients

  • 1 lb tomatillos, husks removed
  • 1 yellow onion, cut in half
  • 1-2 jalepenos
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 lime
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro
  • salt

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  1. Pre-heat the grill to medium high. If you don’t have a grill, turn the oven on broil.
  2. While your grill is heating peel husks off of tomatillos (FYI: the tomatillo skin is a little sticky), cut the onion in half, try to keep the top intact so the onion stays together on the grill. Peel the garlic and make a little aluminum foil pouch with a drizzle of olive oil in it.
  3. DSC_0226Place tomatillos, onion, jalepenos and garlic pouch on grill. Grill on medium high, turning occasionally until everything has a good char on it. You will know the tomatillos are done when they lighten in color and juices start flowing out of them. Since everything cooks a little differently, expect to take things off in stages.
  4. Let your jalepenos cool a bit then scrape the skin off. And remove seeds if you don’t want it very spicy.
  5. In a food processor blend all the grilled items with the juice of one lime, a half a bunch of cilantro and a big pinch of salt.
  6. Let cool and serve with some delicious tortilla chips! Enjoy!

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Vegetable Korma & Grilled Tandoori Chicken

/ Emily / Leave a comment

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In college my friends and I frequented an Indian buffet a couple blocks from campus. For a mere 6 bucks you could fill a Styrofoam box to max capacity and have food for at least 3 days. My friends always got creative– figuring out how to layer rice, naan, curries and tandoori in order to maximize space. I was laughed at the first time I went with them for putting salad in there. I quickly learned that salad was simply waste of space in this situation.

In addition to the college survivalism benefits, I found the aromas and flavors to be out of this world. A great thing about Indian food is that it does not skimp on spice! And a not so good thing is that a lot of restaurant Indian food tends to have a lot of cream and butter in it. Which although I have a special place for in my heart (wherever the cholesterol is stored), my belly does not always feel the same. Luckily, there are (easy) ways to make this delicious and aromatic food at home without feeling like your tummy is going to burst (tmi?). So this week you get TWO recipes, they can be made separately for a filling dinner or together for an Indian feast.

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Indian Spice Blend                                                                                                                          

With Indian food it all comes down to the spices. For the sake of time, you may want to blend together a big batch of spices that you will use as a base for these (2) recipes.

Here is what I did:

  • 1 T. tumeric
  • 1 T. cumin
  • 1T. Smoked paprika
  • 1 T. ground ginger
  • 1 T. salt
  • 1 T. pepper
  • 1 T. garam marsala
  • 1 T. coriander
  • 1 t. allspice
  • 1 t. clove
  • 1 t. cinnamon

 Vegetable Korma                                                                                                                        

Korma is basically a dish that consists of vegetables cooked in a spicy, cream sauce. You can really do whatever veggies you like. For mine I just used what I had on hand. If you change it up, remember some veggies cook faster than others. Without realizing it, I made this recipe VEGAN! So if you skip the chicken, this will make a very satisfying meatless meal. This makes a big batch (6-8 servings). I froze half the batch.

Ingredients

  • 1 TBL. Coconut oil
  • 2 large potatoes, peeled & diced
  • 1/2 lb green beans, ends cut off and cut in 1/3rds
  • 2 large carrots, cubed
  • 1 can garbanzo beans
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 can stewed tomatoes
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • 1 cup water
  • Big pinch of salt
  • 4 TBL. Indian spice blend
  • Handful of cilantro, chopped
  1. In a large stock pot over medium heat, sauté onion in coconut oil until translucent.
  2. Add the garlic, ginger and spice blend.
  3. Add potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and tomato paste and 1 cup of water (or just enough water to cover potatoes). On medium- high heat, cook until potatoes and carrots are almost tender (about 10 minutes).
  4. Add green beans and garbanzo beans and simmer until green beans are cooked.
  5. Turn heat down to low and stir in the coconut milk. Taste and see if it’s “spicy” enough for you. Adjust your seasonings, as you like! Serve over jasmine rice and garnish with fresh cilantro.

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Grilled Tandoori Chicken                                                                                                          

  This is a very tasty way to have chicken. The yogurt and lemon give it a lightness while keeping it super moist. The extra spices will give it a bit more color and spice. Side note; don’t expect the bright red tandoori you may be used to at the restaurants. This recipe is food coloring free!

  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 TBL. Indian spice blend
  • 1 TBL. Smoked paprika
  • 1 TBL. Turmeric
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  •  6 chicken drumsticks
  • Slices of lemon for garnish
  1. Mix marinade ingredients until well blended. Coat chicken in marinade and cover with plastic wrap. Let marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, no longer than 12.
  2. Preheat your grill to medium- high. Grill chicken for about 30 minutes. Turn every few minutes until each side has a good char on it. Adjust heat down to medium and finish cooking, turning occasionally. If using a meat thermometer, you should be aiming for 165 internal temp. Serve with jasmine rice and vegetable korma.

Let me know what you think about these recipes and if you’d like to see more dinner ideas. I take requests! Maybe you can even come over to my house and taste test with me. -E

Almond & Orange Biscotti

/ Emily / Leave a comment

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What I love about biscotti is that it requires you to sit down and enjoy it. It is no “grab and go” kind of treat– there are far too many crumbs for that! Biscotti is meant to be savored with a strong cup of coffee. Although I think it is technically in the cookie category, it is really it’s own variety for that reason. The other thing I love about biscotti is you can make it as simple or as extravagant as you want. Since I had intended these to be part of a balanced breakfast, I kept it pretty basic. I was going to dip them in chocolate (because, why not?), but when I shared them with my girls at work, they said they were just right. So here you have it, a simple, slightly sweet breakfast treat. Enjoy!

Almond & Orange Biscotti

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup. butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract (I prefer vanilla)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • dash salt
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1 TBL orange zest
  • 2 teaspoons milk

How to:

  1. Cream butter and sugar until nice and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating after each addition. Beat in extract.
  2. In separate bowl combine the dry ingredients. Slowly add to the cream mixture and mix well. Stir in almonds and orange zest.
  3. Transfer to wax/ parchment paper and chill the dough for about an hour. This will make forming the logs easier!
  4. With extra flour on hand, divide the dough into two equal portions. Shape in about 12 in x 3 inch rectangles. Brush with milk and sprinkle with a bit of sugar.DSC_0024
  5. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch.
  6. Let cool for about 10 minutes and turn your oven down to 300. Transfer to your cutting board and slice diagonally with a serrated knife in about 1/2 inch pieces. Place cut side down on baking sheets.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes on each side or until firm and crunchy. The idea is to dry out the cookies, not get them too dark.

Tips: Cut logs slowly. I had a couple of slices that crumbled in half when I got a little too excited.

Change up the flavors! You can really add anything to the basic recipe.

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Carnitas

/ Emily / 1 Comment

I cannot turn down a good taco. I’m not talking the crunchy shelled, “ground beef” varieties peddled by your corner Taco Bell. It’s the soft corn tortillas (perhaps doubled up), the pile of slow-cooked meat filling and those bright, fresh toppings that suit my fancy. Unfortunately we have not discovered our “taco spot” in town. It seems like everyone who is a fan, seeks out the place that becomes theirs. Taco trucks, taquerias, sometimes disguised in little tiendas- that is where you find the real deal. We are hopeful that we will find “our” place here someday. In the meantime, I can’t get too glum since I am married to someone who shares my love for tacos and has mastered cooking one of my favorite varieties: carnitas. I shadowed his process and documented it to share with fellow taco connoisseurs. This is a dish that you should cook on a Sunday when you are hanging around the house. It’s slow-going, but worth it in the end. DSC_0056

Carnitas Tacos

Ingredients

  • 2lb Pork shoulder
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • several dried chiles
  • 2 tsp. white pepper
  • 1 tsp. coriander
  • 2 tsp. paprika
  • 1 bottle Mexican Coca Cola
  • package small corn tortillas
  • cilantro
  • white onion
  • limes
  • pickled veggies (optional, link to recipe below)
  1. Heat oven to 200 degrees. Rub down the pork with the spices. Pour cola over top and add the chilies and garlic. In the picture you can see I used my enameled cast iron stock pot. This is the ideal dish to cook in, as you will be using the stove top after its cooked in the oven. If you don’t have something similar, use a glass baking dish (preferably with a lid) and then you can use a skillet for the end portion.
  2. DSC_0010Cook the pork for 4-5 hours. Once the pork is falling apart, it’s ready for the next step.
  3. If using a glass baking dish in the oven, transfer to a wide, deep skillet or stock pot. Place on the stove top over medium heat without the lid. Simmer until most of the juices and cola have evaporated, approx. 15 minutes.
  4. Once most of the juices have evaporated and what is left is a little fat, crank the heat up to high and “fry” for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom for those tasty browned bits. The meat should look moist, but not dripping.
  5. Steam corn tortillas in microwave or crisp in a skillet. Our method is wrapping about 10 tortillas in a wet papertowel and microwaving for about 1.5 minutes.

Top with your favorite toppings. We always have cilantro, diced white onion and limes. This time I made some quick pickled veggies (a la Muchas Gracias, for my Oregon friends). You can find the recipe I used here. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2014/10/pickled-jalapeno-chile-recipe/

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Kyle chopping cilantro with one of his hand forged knives.

Peanut Butter Pretzel & Chocolate Chip Cookies

/ Emily / Leave a comment

Snow days mean something different to everyone. You see the die hard skiers cross county-ing across the park, kids flinging themselves into piles of questionable snow and others staying burrowed into their cozy homes. As many times as I experience the snow, it always feels like an adventure to get out there. Even if it’s just a trip to the store to get “rations” (sounds way cooler than groceries) I feel a sense of pride and rugged sensibility. But it is also nice to get home, cook a hot meal and stoke the fire. These cookies conjure up a similar feeling of comfort and adventure. Hope you enjoy these salty & sweet treats!

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Peanut Butter Pretzel & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1.5 cups broken peanut butter pretzels**

How to:

  1. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  2. Cream butter and sugars. add in eggs and vanilla, mix well.
  3. Gradually add in flour mixture. Stir in pretzels and chocolate chips. The pretzels may not want to totally incorporate, so as you are preparing to bake the cookies, try to integrate any pieces at the bottom into the spoonfuls. They will bake into them beautifully.
  4. Chill for 30 minutes.
  5. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie tray. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.

**Trader Joe’s sells peanut butter pretzels! If you can’t find peanut butter ones, just go for the regular pretzels, it’ll still give you the salty flavor & crunch!

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Berk loves the snow.

Bourbon, Apple Cider and Ginger Fizz

/ Emily / Leave a comment

Fall was here for about a minute. And like that, it was gone. The scraggly trees holding on to a few brown leaves are now nearly invisible in a sea of white. My coworkers and I got giddy with the prospects of this winter wonderland. Twinkly lights were strung and Christmas music was playing. But wait! It’s only November! Before I jump on the Christmas bandwagon (and oh, I will) I wanted to share this fall cocktail to keep you warm from the inside out. It is simple and not too overbearing with the fall flavors. I recommend enjoying it by a roaring fire cozied up with the one you love.

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Bourbon, Apple Cider & Ginger Fizz

Ingredients

  • 1 oz. bourbon of choice
  • 2 oz. Spiced Apple cider
  • 2 oz. ginger ale (like Reeds or Cock & Bull brand- the good stuff!)
  • wedge of lime
  • cinnamon stick
  • Slice of apple

Pour bourbon, cider and ginger ale over ice. Squeeze lime over top. Stir. Garnish with a slice of apple and use a cinnamon stick as your stir stick!

Pots of Chocolate-y Goodness

/ Emily / 1 Comment

You know that song about heaven missing an angel? I am pretty sure it was written about these. And before you say, “that looks too fancy for me to make” read the recipe and see how simple it actually is. Our friend and brother came to visit this weekend and luckily, these guys enjoy food as much as we do. Kyle planned on making a French inspired dinner so I wanted to make a complimentary dessert. I had planned to make creme brulee, but didn’t get enough whipping cream so I had to go back to the drawing board. The result was a super decadent to eat, impressive to look at and easy to prepare dessert.

Trust me…

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Chocolate Pots de Creme

makes about 6 individual 4 oz. servings

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. semisweet chocolate (2 boxes of the Baker’s brand bars or 1/2 bag of chocolate chips)
  • 1.5 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 4 TBL sugar
  • pinch of salt

How to:

  1. Break up chocolate into pieces and put in your blender or food processor. Pulse it until it becomes like a coarse powder.
  2. Separate your eggs so you just have the yolks (save the whites for an omelet or something!), whisk in the sugar just until blended.
  3. In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together milk, heavy cream, egg & sugar mixture and a pinch of salt. Cook this for about 5 minutes while stirring constantly. Watch the temp of your burner. You don’t want this to get to a boil. Just a very, very light simmer. Cook until your mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon (see photo). Take off the heat.
  4. Pour the mixture directly into your blender over that chocolate powder from earlier. Pulse your blender until everything is smooth and incorporated, scraping the sides if you need to. Divide among ramekins (6) and give each one a few little taps to get out the air bubbles. Put in the fridge to chill for about 3 hours.
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This is what “coating the back of a wooden spoon” looks like.

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Ready for the fridge.

Toppings (optional, but encouraged!)

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  • 1/2 c. whipping cream
  • 1 t. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 1/2 Tablespoon powdered sugar

1. Whip it all together!

Fruit Topping

  • 2 heaping tablespoons cherry preserves (you could do raspberry, blackberry etc.)
  • splash of whiskey

1. In a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat heat the preserves. Once they start to bubble a bit, add the whiskey. Enjoy the poof of whiskey aroma as the alcohol cooks off and then let it simmer for just a minute more. Remove from heat.

The final moment…. Your pots should be set and firm. Top with the whip cream, add a drizzle of the warm fruit and then prepare to sit around the table in silence while everyone savors these pots of deliciousness!

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Side note: I have ramekins, so I used those. But since there is no actual cooking in the vessel, you could use tea cups, little jars, etc.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

/ Emily / Leave a comment

Thanks to our bountiful zucchini plants this year, I have been challenged to get creative with this green vegetable. This recipe falls somewhere between a cupcake and a muffin on the treat spectrum. No sugary frosting, but enough sweetness (& chocolate!) to satisfy a craving.

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Decadent Zucchini Muffins 

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup coconut oil (melted)*
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 14 ounces zucchini (about 3 to 4 medium zucchini), ends trimmed, grated on the large holes of a box grater (about 3 cups)
  • 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange two racks to divide the oven into thirds. Line muffin pans.
  2. Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk or sift to ensure there are no lumps. Set aside.
  3. In another bowl mix the eggs, sugars, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until the eggs are broken up and the mixture is thoroughly combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Fold in the zucchini until evenly mixed. Finally add in the chocolate chips. Be careful not to over mix.
  4. Fill the muffin wells about two-thirds of the way and cover the tops with the walnut topping. Bake about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy!

Topping

  • 1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
  • 4 TBL. Cold butter
  • ½ c. packed brown sugar
  • 1 TBL. Flour
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon

Chop the butter into little pieces. Mix all ingredients together by hand. Get in there and squeeze all the ingredients together like you are squishing one of those stress balls. Mixing by hand will incorporate the butter best. Alternatively, you could pulse it in a food processor until the butter looks like small beads (but be careful not to over do it and turn it all into a paste!)

**To melt coconut oil, just measure out one cup and microwave for about 30 seconds in a glass cup. When it looks like most of it is melted, but there are a few chunks just swirl in until everything is melted. This will ensure that you aren’t putting in molten hot oil. Alternatively, you can use vegetable oil!

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This is Berk. He is our charismatic coonhound. He can be found doing something silly or flashing his big eyes to get his way. It usually works… Here he is showing off his “I don’t like the rain, but could model for Pendelton” look.

The Soup that Made my Husband say, “I Like Kale”

/ Emily / Leave a comment

It’s raining out, getting darker earlier and the natural inclination to cook and do things indoors is taking over. I love hearty soups. Not really a fan of the pureed versions… Just doesn’t do it for me. This soup is really satisfying, flavorful and pretty easy too. Oh, and it’s true–this simple soup actually made Kyle say he liked kale– which means it must be good!

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Kale, Potato and Sausage Soup

Ingredients

  • Olive Oil
  • ½ lb Spicy Italian Sausage (ground)*
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 10ish crimini mushrooms (optional)
  • 5 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
  • 6 c. water
  • 1 Tbl. “Better than Bullion” chicken stock**
  • 5 medium red potatoes, cubed
  • 1 can Cannelinni beans
  • 1 lb. kale, chopped
  • salt & pepper
  1. In a large pot heat oil and add the sausage. Cook until browned. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard all the fat minus about a tablespoon.
  2. Add onion, garlic and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring.
  3. Add the water, bullion and potatoes. Boil until the potatoes are tender. Turn the heat down to medium so you have a nice simmer going and add the beans, kale and sausage. You now just want to cook it until the kale is tender enough for your liking. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Don’t overdo the cooking at the end or you will lose that beautiful bright green color in the kale! Top with fresh grated parmesan if you’ve got it!

*If you want to make it healthier, you can do ground turkey. If you go this route make sure to add more spices as the ground turkey can be a little bland. I’d recommend red pepper flakes, thyme, oregano etc.

**I like using the Better than Bullion. I think it gives great flavor and ends up saving tons of money on chicken stock (and space in the pantry!). That said, if you prefer chicken stock, I’d use one large container (usually 32 oz and then add 2 c. water)