Baked Ziti with Egglplant and Spinach

This recipe was very yummy, from Leslie Sarana's blog, the dainty vegetarian. I doubled the recipe. Enjoy!

This recipe serves 4 (you can easily double and bake in a 9x12 dish - as I did above)
1/2 lb. of ziti
1/2 eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
tomato sauce, yours or my recipe
1 cup ricotta cheese
a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped
a few leaves of fresh basil, roughly sliced
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
a handful of grated parmesan cheese
a sprinkle of dried oregano

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Make your tomato sauce. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box until very al dente (chewy) The noodle will cook more in the oven and you don't want them to get too limp. When the noodles are done, toss them in some tomato sauce to coat. (this will prevent sticking) Lightly saute the eggplant cubes in some olive oil with a pinch of salt till they just begin to turn golden.


Now for assembly. Spread some tomato sauce at the bottom of the baking dish. (so the pasta doesn't stick)
Then put a couple spoonfuls of pasta down, the eggplant, the roughly chopped spinach, some chopped basil and the ricotta cheese. (for an extra surprise, sprinkle in some toasted pine nuts) Season with salt and pepper. Add another layer of ziti, then a little more sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and sprinkle with dried oregano. ( I like to add an Italian seasoning blend that has oregano, thyme, basil, red pepper, etc). Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble and turn golden.
For more detailed step by step instructions (and some really pretty food photography) see Leslie's blog.

Creamy Earthy Mushroom and Chicken over orzo

I've been a total slacker about updating this food blog. Not because I haven't been cooking. Or taking photos. I have, it's just a process to capture and document and share SO, I apologize. This recipe was one I made back sometime this spring, when it was cold and wet and snowy out. The earthy aromas of the mushrooms and comfort of chicken mixed with cream and thyme and white wine was perfect to lull you out of your winter comma... and then back under the covers for a snuggle! Serve with a nice cold glass of Viognier or a Pinot Nior :) Mmmmm yessss.

Since I don't pretend to come up with these recipes, just seek out the best ones and tweak and share, here's the link to where I found it! This was adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe and I recommend serving over orzo or brown rice, not pasta. Also, I usually don't use the full amount of wine suggested because if you don't cook it off long enough it just tastes like you spilled your wine into your food. I used a little less and turned up the heat after adding to cook off the alcohol. Lower heat before adding cream though, you don't want to curdle it.

COOK ME!

Lola's Happy Hour

In honor of Friday's I thought I'd share a gem of a happy hour. Lola's in the Highlands has yummy guacamole that they make right at your table with fresh jalepeno, cilantro, garlic, lime, etc. They also have $3 fish tacos, $5 margaritas, and $3 tecate all making for a happy afternoon! Check them out!

Dinner for one

Ok poor little blog, I am sorry for not blogging more. I am sorry because that means I haven't been cooking as much. Body, I'm sorry too. I'm taking a new approach to this food blog. I'll be posting things of the edible type that I cook, things I buy, order, steal... :) Ok, maybe not steal but that sounded interesting didn't it?

This is a common meal for me and one I do actually enjoy. 

Details:

Where: home
With: flying solo
Conditions: Empty fridge, big snowstorm, flying solo
What: artichoke with lemon dill sauce and thai vegetable rice noodles
Drink: Chime 2008 Pinot Noir
(which turned out to be tannic, but opened up a bit after an hour)

The Playoffs

As the end of football season nears, I realize just how thankful I am to see it go. Just a few more weeks and I will no longer be one of the many Sunday Widows. We succumb to the long, torturous weekend days where the husband doesn't leave the couch by choice unless of course, to get a beer or jump up and scream at the TV. Just a few more weeks ladies, and we're FREE...until next season.

Still, today is football Sunday. It is the playoffs too, so it's a special time for my husband and men in general. Because I love him and appear to have the whole day to myself to do whatever I want with my time, I'll make some grilled chicken wings with chipotle honey hot sauce, blue cheese and celery. This recipe is one of Bobby Flays and now a favorite in our house.


GRILLED CHICKEN WINGS WITH CHIPOTLE HONEY HOT SAUCE, BLUE CHEESE, AND CELERY

Ingredients
40 chicken wings
Vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Chipotle Hot Sauce, recipe follows
Blue Cheese Dip
LOTS of washed and cut celery sticks


Chipotle honey hot sauce:
1 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 to 3 tablespoons chipotle pepper puree
(or chipotle chile powder)
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
~ Serves 4-6 (8 to 10 wings per person) ~


Preparation


COOK THE CHICKEN

Heat grill to high. Toss wings in a few tablespoons of oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill in single layers and grill until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes per side.


MAKE THE CHIPOTLE HONEY HOT SAUCE AND COMBINE
Whisk together the vinegar, Dijon mustard, chipotle puree, honey, and oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Melt butter in a large skillet or a large pot on the grates of the grill. Add the hot sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Whisk in the ancho chile powder and season with salt, to taste. Add the wings and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with Blue Cheese and LOTS of celery sticks.

Note: We only make the full recipe above when we have 4 or so people over. For two of us, I only make about a dozen wings, so just divide the recipe down if needed.

BBQ Maple Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

* image from foodnetwork.com
BBQ Maple Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

Ingredients
20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
10 slices of maple bacon
Several tablespoons BBQ sauce
Preparation
Toss shrimp with your favorite BBQ sauce. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more. Wrap a shrimp in 1/2 slice of bacon, and secure with a toothpick.

Bake these in the oven at 400° F for about 10 minutes., depending on the size of the shrimp. They will be done when the bacon is fully cooked.

SWITCH IT UP!
Use scallops, or pieces of veggies such as asparagus, zucchini,
squash, or even fresh figs with your favorite marinade or dressing. Or, instead of maple bacon, try prosciutto!

Christmas Recipes

Most of the recipes I try are amazing finds on other food blogs. I do create my own recipes most of the time but I have one problem... I don't write them down :( Cooking is ever evolving and often times done on a whim, so getting into the pattern of stopping and jotting down what I've done is something I'm working on!

In the mean time, I will share the sources of the recipes that I try out with you!

For Christmas Eve appetizer we made some BBQ bacon wrapped shrimp (my recipe, will post later).

For Christmas Eve dinner we made this mussels recipe with curry and coconut milk, served with a crusty rustic bread. The mussels were cooked perfectly but I wasn't too impressed with the sauce. The recipe calls for unsweetened coconut milk, but I think it needed some sweetness so I added a few teaspoons of sugar.

http://www.2stews.com/2009/11/men-with-mussels-curried-mussels-that.html

For Christmas Day, I whipped up a pretty Christmas Quiche!

Ingredients:
frozen whole wheat pie crust
8-10 stems of asparagus, bent and broken not cut
1/2 c. sliced yellow squash
1/4 c. sliced yellow pepper
2 T. chopped red onion
5 or 6 baby portobella mushrooms
a handful of grape tomatoes
1/2 c. chopped cooked ham
7 eggs
3 T. heavy cream
1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle ontop

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Let pie crust sit out while you prep all ingredients. Saute the mushrooms and onions until they release liquids and start to brown. Take off heat and let cool.

Take the sliced squash and place in the frozen pie crust, forming a uniform layer. Then layer in the yellow peppers, ham, and then spoon on a few tablespoons of the shredded sharp cheddar. Layer the sauteed mushrooms and onions on top of the veggies, ham, and cheese.

Whisk together the eggs and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust slowly, letting it seep into the layers of veggies. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and a bit of Parmesan cheese to coat the egg mixture.

Now, to make it pretty! Break the asparagus tips to the length of the radius of the pie crust (half way from the center). Lay 8-10 asparagus tips on top of the eggs, in a circular pattern, putting the stem end at the center and tip toward the edge. Next take the grape tomatoes and slice in half, then lay a few in between the asparagus and one large half for the center where the ends of the stems meet.




Place the quiche into the oven on a baking sheet, incase there is any spill or overflow. Cook at 375 for 30-40 minutes, until the edge of the crust is golden and the middle doesn't jiggle when you give it a shake.




Serve with a brunchy cocktail like mimosas, or my Christmas favorite, Poinsettias!

Poinsettia Cocktail

Several cubes of ice in a large red wine glass
Fill with 2/3 part champagne
Add a splash of vodka
Fill with cranberry/pomegranate and some OJ
Float an orange slice and serve!


*image from foodnetwork.com

After our beautiful Christmas brunch we watched my new Julie and Julia DVD (what a perfect day!). Then as the afternoon took form, we went into our newly updated bedroom. For our Christmas gift to ourselves, we installed a new TV with a wall mount and some pretty candle sconces on each side. We also got a new bed so we just love going into our room to relax! I made us some afternoon antipasto snacks and we got out some new books I got Geof and had a nice slow Christmas afternoon.

As relaxed as we were, I had a bunch of cooking to do still! I was attempting to make Beef Wellington with two very nice fillet Mignon from Whole Foods, what I thought was puff pastry (turned out to be filo dough, way flakier and harder to work with, but pretty much the same thing), duxelles, and some prosciutto. I served the welli with some roasted brussel srpouts and hasselback potatoes. All in all the meal was fantastic and not as hard as you might think!

In the spirit of Julie and Julia: Be fearless and try out these recipes! Here is how mine turned out, before slicing the Beef Wellingtons.



Beef Wellingtons:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/beef_wellington/

*Tip: Check out this Gordon Ramsay video for technique.
(Of course, he makes it look SO easy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrF8G06HqaM

Hasselback Potatoes:
http://almostbourdain.blogspot.com/2009/07/accordion-hasselback-potatoes_21.html

Brussels:
http://myhusbandcooks.wordpress.com/2008/11/25/roasted-brussel-sprouts-try-them-and-be-thankful/