Hummus!

I made hummus again for the first time since getting rid of our old blender. I based it off of Alton Brown's recipe. The new blender is amazing, there were no lumps whatsoever.

Cheddar chive Yorkshire puddings

I hadn't really heard of Yorkshire Puddings, but a couple people posted on my dinner group for holiday meals and Ebon got the idea from some of the dads. It's kind of a creamy popover. Lots of eggs and butter! They are pretty easy but take about 45 min to bake. I halved this recipe.

I would definitely make these again!




INGREDIENTS
8 tablespoons melted roast beef fat reserved from rib roast pan drippings or 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, divided
6 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (packed) finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup (generous) chopped fresh chives

Directions
Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 450°F. Place large rimmed baking sheet in oven. Brush ten 3/4-cup glass baking dishes or ramekins with 2 tablespoons fat or butter.


Whisk eggs to blend in large bowl. Add milk and whisk until well blended. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk flour mixture and remaining 6 tablespoons fat or butter into egg mixture until well blended (some small lumps will remain). Whisk in cheese and chives; divide batter among baking dishes (about 1/2 cup batter for each).


Place baking dishes on hot baking sheet in oven. Bake until Yorkshire puddings are puffed and begin to brown, about 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake until puddings are brown, puffed, and crisp around sides, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer Yorkshire puddings to plates. Serve immediately.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, ROSEMARY, AND BLUE CHEESE RISOTTO

I made a new risotto based on some extra cheese I had laying around. My inspiration was this recipe; however, I modified it quite a bit. I halved the recipe, roasted the butternut ahead of time, used the "normal" risotto method, skipped the cream and parm and used probably about 4-5 oz blue cheese melted in. There was probably too much blue cheese (I was the only one who ate it, but I love blue cheese...)

Roasted cauliflower, chickpeas, and harissa

I had some cauliflower that I wanted to try roast. In my internet searching, I found this recipe for Roasted cauliflower, chickpeas, and harissa. I was super excited when I found this recipe, but it was just ok. It might have been because the cauliflower head was huge and didn't roast right. I think I'll keep trying to find "that" roasted cauliflower recipe.

Blueberry Muffins

I used good old Betty Crocker's regular muffin recipe, but I should have gone for the "sweet" muffin recipe. These are fine and I'll eat them, but need to find a better recipe for next time.

Christmas "Meat"balls

This post is only two months overdue! Ebon doesn't really like to make a big deal about holidays, but I want to try to have some sort of traditions. So I decided to make a substantial dinner for us on Christmas. I decided on making "Meat"balls, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans or peas, I can't remember now.

I made these lentil walnut balls. I really liked the meatballs and should make them again to freeze for a quick dinner. I skipped the kale and used breadcrumbs instead of the oatmeal.

I found out that Ebon doesn't really like my chunky mushroom gravy and would prefer a plain brown gravy. I'll be on the hunt for a new recipe shortly, or I'll have to figure out how to modify my current recipe (which I like).

Enchiladas

I made enchiladas using this sauce and a recipe I can't find anymore, but it definitely included spinach. I thought they turned out great. I probably used more cheese than the recipe called for. The sauce is a little spicy, so I put minimal amounts on Leela's. Leftover sauce is in the freezer for future use!

Breakfast for Dinner - "Sausage" Strata

In an effort to use up things we have on hand (and not let them go bad!). I tried my hand at a strata using Rachel Ray's Spinach and Sausage Strata as the guide - sort of. The things I used up - green pepper, cheese from fondue, stale bread cubes! I prepared everything in the morning as Leela ate breakfast - not ideal, but we were only a few minutes late dropping off at daycare. I meant to prepare everything the night before when Leela was in bed, but I got into a cleaning groove and got side tracked - good way to get side tracked in my opinion though.
On to my process...
I knew Ebon wouldn't like the spinach, and we didn't have any, so I skipped it. I sauteed the onions, garlic and green peppers and veggie sausage (Gimme Lean). Mixed up the eggs (I used 10 because I had a smaller dish and probably not quite enough bread, per the recipe), milk and S&P. Because I was going from memory (not very good most of the time), I forgot to add the mustard.
I assembled everything in 2 layers - bread, sausage mix, cheese (both leftover fondue cheese and parm), bread again, fondue cheese again, and sausage again. I left the last layer of Parmesan cheese off to be added just prior to baking. I wrapped it in foil and put in the fridge for about 10 hours while I toiled away at work :)
When I got home, I turned on the oven, took off the foil from the dish, added the Parmesan cheese and put it in the oven to warm up gradually (didn't have the 30 min to bring to room temp as the recipe states). I started the 1 hour cook time when the oven came up to temp.

Overall, I was happy with how it turned out, and the leftovers were pretty good too. I'd love to try this again to include the mustard to see what I'm missing. This seems like it could be a very versatile dish - mushrooms, herbs, different types of cheese, different sausages...many possible filling options and combinations, so I'll keep it in my wheelhouse when trying to figure out what to do with all the stale bread we have from time to time! Also good as a brunch option.

Things to change for next time - follow the recipe - ie use an oiled dish for baking, and don't forget the mustard. Try different fillings too!

Korean-sytle Mapo Tofu

This Korean-sytle Mapo Tofu was a bit of a miss, but the leftovers seemed to taste a bit better. If I were to make it again, I'd probably add more gochugaru and soy sauce or salt. It needed more spice and salt