winter squash pasta carbonara

I used butternut squash in this lovely, hearty dish from Bon Appetit  http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/winter-squash-carbonara-with-pancetta-and-sage

corned beef and cabbage - albuquerque style

We do this every St. Patrick's day - slowly saute sliced green cabbage and onions, throwing in cubes of corned beef a few minutes before serving.  Sometimes we also do a side dish of fried potatoes.  Always have green chile to roll it all up in a tortilla - is this an O'burrito?

triple chocolate cookies

These have melted chocolate in the batter, chocolate chunks, and then a drizzle on top!

Glazed Chocolate-Crème Fraîche Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen.  These rich cookies can be made 2 days ahead, stored airtight at room temperature.  They do spread a lot when baking so leave room between them on the cookie sheets!  This recipe is from the Feb. 2014 issue of Bon Appétit magazine.    

            20 oz. bittersweet chocolate (at least                 1½ c. (packed) brown sugar

              70% cacao), chopped, divided                       ½ c. butter, room temperature

            ¼ c. flour                                                          4 large eggs

            1½ tsp. baking powder                                     2 Tbs. crème fraîche or sour cream

            1 tsp. kosher salt

Place racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; heat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat 8 oz. of the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water), stirring until chocolate is melted; let cool slightly.  Reserve saucepan for melting more chocolate for glaze after cookies have baked and cooled.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.  Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Add eggs and crème fraîche and beat until just combined.  Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in melted chocolate; reserve chocolate bowl.  Mix in dry ingredients just to combine; fold in 8 oz. chopped chocolate.  Cover and chill dough until firm, at least 30 minutes.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2” apart.  Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are set but centers are still slightly soft, 15-18 minutes.  Let cookies cool on baking sheets 5 minutes.  Transfer to wire racks and let cool.  Repeat to bake remaining cookies.

Melt remaining 4 oz. chocolate in reserved bowl set over reserved saucepan of simmering water.  Let chocolate cool slightly, then drizzle over cookies.  Let sit until chocolate is set, 15-20 minutes.  

parmesan roasted potatoes

I just had to try this, from the Jan. 2014 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.  http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/parmesan-roasted-potatoes

tapas assortment

We made an assortment of tapas to take as appetizers to dinner with neighbors.  Pictured here:
-dates stuffed with a chunk of Spanish chorizo, wrapped in half a slice of bacon (sprinkled with smoked paprika) and pan sauteed until bacon browned
-rosemary raisin toasts from Trader Joe's
-skewers of quince paste (rolled in chopped almonds), baby arugula leaf, and Manchego cheese
-Marcona almonds roasted with olive oil, herbs and salt
-olives marinated in olive oil, garlic, orange peel, hot red pepper flakes, bay leaves, and smoked paprika

lemony chicken stir-fry

A fast meal to serve over steamed rice.  My sister in California had sent me some Meyer lemons off her tree, what a treat!  I used a mixture of breast and thigh meat.  This is from Food and Wine magazine.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lemony-chicken-stir-fry

pecan bacon and pancakes

This recipe for the Pecan Praline Bacon serves 6.  I had leftover chopped pecans so I added them to the pancake batter.I love using the fresh New Mexico pecan crop!

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  On rack set in a large baking pan, arrange 1 lb. of thick cut bacon (about 12 slices) in one layer and cook in middle of oven for 10 minutes, or until it just begins to turn golden.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together 3 Tbs. granulated sugar and 1.5 Tbs. red chile powder.  Remove bacon from oven and sprinkle evenly with sugar mixture, then with 1/4 c. of finely chopped pecans.  Return pan to oven and cook until bacon is crisp and browned, about 5 more minutes.  Transfer bacon, praline-sides up, to paper towels to drain.

shrimp and broccoli

A perfect dinner for a Lenten Friday, from Cooking Light magazine.  I know, one is not supposed to put cheese on a fish dish but we liked it with the Parmesan.
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/shrimp-broccoli-scampi-50400000132696/

penne and sausage

This is an interesting risotto-style cooking method for the pasta, from Cooking Light:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/skillet-toasted-penne-chicken-50400000132717/

halibut with red coconut curry sauce over cashew rice

Coconut Curry Halibut

Serves 4.  I love Thai red curry, buy the premade paste and recipes like this one from the Jan/Feb 2014 issue of Cooking Light magazine are pretty easy.  I like to serve this with cashew rice – just cook up a cup of jasmine or basmati rice, with about 1¼ c. water and ¼ tsp. kosher salt.  Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes then let stand off heat for 10 minutes.  Uncover and fluff rice, then stir in ½ c. chopped, unsalted dry-roasted cashews, ¼ c. thinly sliced green onions, ¼ c. chopped cilantro, 2 Tbs. finely sliced serrano chile, and 1 Tbs. rice vinegar. 

            1½ Tbs. brown sugar                           3 mint sprigs

            2 Tbs. red curry paste                          3 basil sprigs

            1 Tbs. soy sauce                                  1 Tbs. oil

            1 Tbs. rice vinegar                               4 (6-oz.) halibut fillets

            1 (14-oz.) can light coconut milk        ¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

            1 Tbs. fresh lime juice                         ⅛ tsp. kosher salt

Combine brown sugar, red curry paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and coconut milk in a medium saucepan over high heat, whisking until smooth.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to ¾ c. (about 25 minutes).  Remove from heat.  Stir in lime juice, mint, and basil; let stand 5 minutes.  Strain into a measuring cup; discard solids.  Keep warm.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil; swirl to coat.  Sprinkle fish evenly with pepper and salt.  Add fish to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.  Serve fish with sauce.         

savory roast chicken

This is a flavorful, juicy rendition of crispy roast chicken with wonderful shallots from the Jan. 2014 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.  http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/crispy-chicken-with-shallots

I just halved the recipe and it was a great dinner for two.  Pretty fast if you prep the chicken the night before.

rice noodle soup

This was the cover recipe in the Jan. 2014 Bon Appetit magazine - warmth on a wintery evening.
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/spicy-pork-and-mustard-green-soup

delicious gluten-free cookies

I don't know if they were supposed to look frosted, or maybe I didn't mix up the batter enough, but they are great!

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Makes 24.  These are gluten free if you make sure the powdered sugar is gluten-free.  I found this in the January 2014 issue of Bon Appétit magazine.  They can be baked 3 days in advance and stored airtight at room temperature.  I found little containers of cocoa nibs near the checkout at Trader Joe’s.  Be warned, whisking this batter takes a lot of arm power!

            3 c. powdered sugar                             2 large egg whites

            ¾ c. unsweetened cocoa powder          1 large egg

            1 tsp. kosher salt                                  4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

                                                                        3 Tbs. cocoa nibs

Place racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 350 degrees.  Whisk powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl, then whisk in egg whites and egg; fold in chocolate and cocoa nibs.  Spoon batter by tablespoonfuls onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2” apart.

Bake, rotating sheets once, until cookies are puffed, cracked, and set just around the edges, 14 – 16 minutes. 

Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cookies cool on pan (they’ll firm up).       

baked penne

Baked Penne with Sausage, Mozzarella and Tomatoes

Serves 4.  I use canned diced tomatoes if good farm fresh tomatoes are not available.  This is a delicious combination of red and white sauces.

            2 tsp. olive oil                                       1 c. hot milk

            ¾ lb. sweet Italian sausages                  salt and fresh ground black pepper

            3 cloves garlic, sliced                            ½ c. coarsely chopped fresh basil

            3 c. chopped tomatoes                         8 oz. penne

            ½ tsp. red pepper flakes                       6 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into 1” cubes

            ½ tsp. dried oregano                             ¼ c. fresh grated Parmigiano-

            2 Tbs. butter                                           Reggiano cheese

            2 Tbs. flour

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat oil over medium.  Add sausages and cook for a few minutes until firm.  Remove sausages from the pan and allow to cool; cut into slices and return to skillet over medium heat to cook until they start to brown.  Add garlic and sauté briefly; then add tomatoes, pepper flakes and oregano and cook for a few minutes (you don’t want the tomatoes to break down, keep them chunky).

Make the white sauce:  melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add flour and stir until smooth.  Cook for about 2 minutes before gradually whisking in the hot milk until it is smooth.  Continue cooking until it begins to thicken.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add white sauce to the tomato/sausage mixture and stir until well combined.  Stir in the basil.

Meanwhile, once the salted water reaches a boil, cook penne until it is about a minute away from al dente.  Drain well, reserving ½ c. of the cooking eater; add the cooked pasta to the sausage-tomato-white sauce and mix well.  If mixture seems too dry, add some of the reserved cooking water.

Transfer half of pasta mixture to a greased baking dish, layer with the mozzarella and cover with remaining pasta.  Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top and place on the hot oven’s upper rack.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until a light golden crust forms.  Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.       

lamb meatballs

I usually have ground lamb in the freezer so I had to try this from the Jan. 2014 Food and Wine magazine - I served it on a bed of arugula:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/herbed-lamb-meatballs-with-rich-tomato-sauce-and-ricotta