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.