Cheddar and Nettle biscuits

 https://seasoned.com/blog/2021/07/cheddar-nettle-scones

These are pretty good, but I would definitely add more salt to the dough. I used King Arthur GF 1:1 Flour in place of the regular flour.

Seeds and cheese crackers

 https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2022/04/seeds-cheese-crackers.html

Pretty easy, used cheddar and parmesan cheese and sunflower, sesame, flax seeds. Turned out great but I Will try as written next time.

Thanksgiving 2022

 I made cranberry sauce, roasted Brussels sprouts, vegan pumpkin pie, and vegan pecan pie.

Pumpkin pie 

https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-pumpkin-pie/#wprm-recipe-container-3405

Pecan pie 

https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-pecan-pie/#wprm-recipe-container-11340 

With the crust from https://minimalistbaker.com/pecan-pie-bars-vegan-gluten-free/

Peach abundance!

Our peach tree exploded with fruit this year.  I made as much as I could with the fruit, including canning and freezing it.  Here are some of what I made:

Peach cobblerhttps://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/peach-cobbler/#recipe

Canned peaches https://www.sustainablecooks.com/canning-peaches/#recipe

Peach cake https://www.elephantasticvegan.com/vegan-peach-crumb-cake/

I used some vegan butter that was a little rancid, so this probably could have been better ,but the vegans liked it. 

Breadmaker Asiago cheese bread

 I made this Asiago cheese bread in our bread maker by adding all the ingredients except the cheese to the bowl. When the “Add” notification beeped, I added the cheese.

I liked it, but the cheese definitely blended in all the way. If I were to make it again, I’d leave the cheese in larger chunks. L didn’t like it, so I probably won’t make it again, bummer!

https://redstaryeast.com/recipes/asiago-cheese-bread-rolls-recipe/

IP Mac and cheese

After making a different recipe for at least 15 times, the family informed me that they didn't like it. So I searched for a new one.

I found this one and used cheddar, asaiago, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese with a small chunk of cream cheese. I thought it came out great and the rest of the family liked it too.

https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/instant-pot-mac-and-cheese/#wprm-recipe-container-4012

Christmas 2019

I made scalloped potatoes and spicy beans with cheese for dinner. Not super traditional, and quite cheesy, but it did the trick. I used the amount of salt prescribed, but as table salt it was far too much!
I liked the bean dish too. I used Rancho Gordo scarlet runner beans that I previously cooked in the instant pot.

I made a cranberry pear crisp with the pears that my parents get every year and always forget about them. I made more filling than the recipe called for and put everything in a 9x 13 pan. I really liked this. The ginger really gave it a kick.

Vegetarian Buffalo Chickpea Dip

A fellow mom posted a recipe for a vegetarian Buffalo chickpea dip. I love Franks Red Hot sauce, and I was always jealous of the Buffalo chicken dips that inevitably showed up at various parties. It was a pretty easy recipe. I opted to soak the cashews for easy blending.
I thought it turned out ok, and it’s questionable if I would make it again, I think mostly due to the texture.

The cashews do not need to be soaked for this dip, but if you’re the soaking type or don’t feel terribly confident in your blender/food processor’s capabilities, feel free to soak them overnight.  Also, I have found that this dip tastes its very best when made at least a few hours ahead to allow all the flavors time to meld together; cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate, and bake off just before serving.

1 15-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup raw cashews
¾ cup original Frank’s Red Hot sauce
1/2 cup unflavored, unsweetened non-dairy milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
1 rounded tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Ground black pepper
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh, finely-chopped parsley
1 teaspoon fresh chopped chives
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup Daiya cheddar-style cheese, divided

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the beans and cashews to the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse several times to break them up a bit.  Add the hot sauce, non-dairy milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and a pinch of black pepper.  Process until the mixture is entirely smooth (this will take several minutes), stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary.  Adjust salt to taste.

Scrape the bean mixture into a bowl and stir in the parsley and chives to evenly distribute.  Stir in the chickpeas and 3/4 cup of the Daiya.  Transfer the dip to a 9×9-inch square baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of Daiya on top. (Note: Dip can be made up to this point a day or two ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to heat and serve.)  Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until warmed through.  Serve with tortilla chips or veggies for dipping.

Cheesy "hasselback" potatoes

I was craving scalloped potatoes and I've never made hasselback potatoes. I found this recipe and thought it was perfect.
Despite the fact that this dish took an hour and a half, I was happy how it turned out.

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 Mac and Cheese

I made Butternut squash Mac and Cheese a few weeks ago and I thought it turned out great! The only drawback was it took a bit longer and Leela went to bed later than I wanted her to.
I used the recipe in my good ol' Betty Crocker Cookbook as a guide and expanded it/added to it.

I peeled and seeded a fairly large butternut squash, cut up half in ~2" chunks, and covered the chunks in about 2" of water and cooked/boiled until tender.
I used a whole box (1 lb) of swirly pasta, can't for the life of me remember it's name now.
I cooked that in boiling water per the instructions.
I made 2 cups of the thin white sauce, per Betty Crocker (in a saucepan make a roux with 2T flour, 2 T butter, salt and pepper gradually whisk in 2 c milk and bring to a slight boil, and remove from heat).
When the squash was done, I pureed the squash in the blender and added the white sauce as needed for liquid.
When the pasta was cooked and drained I combined the squash mix with pasta some butter and probably about 8 oz of cheddar cheese, grated on low until everything was melted and mixed together well - yum!

The butternut squash made it really creamy.

Apparently I like making this and make this at least once a year - here and here (though using pumpkin), each time has been a little different.

Beet and Arugula Salad with Baked Tempeh

I'm trying to go through the veggies I got in our CSA share before we get the next one. The veggies are all wonderful, but it's a weekly struggle to figure out what to make. Earlier this week, I used the kale in a smoothie. It was the Tuscan kale, and I realized I really prefer that in sautes or in the greens gratin. It is a little too stringy/hearty for smoothies - or I need to remove the ribs/stem.
Anyway, on to tonight's meal. Overall, it took a bit longer than I expected. I decided that we needed a beet and arugula salad with beets from the CSA and arugula from the garden. I popped both red and golden beets in the oven to roast at 450degF before I walked to the garden with Leela on my back and Spartacus on leash. The arugula was going a bit crazy and most if it has started to bolt, to heck with it, I still used it. I also picked one head of lettuce, as it was ready and I knew that Ebon wasn't too keen on an entire salad with arugula - "too bitter" he says.
I got back and the largest beet still wasn't done, so I decided to make candied walnuts. The recipe I found online was pretty easy.
I did some more searching and based my salad recipe loosely on Giada's Beet and Goat Cheese Arugula salad. Of course, I made some changes based on our serving size and what was on hand.
I skipped the shallots and just went with red wine vinegar and olive oil for the dressing, which I only used about half of. I used about 2 cups of lettuce torn and about 2 cups of arugula torn, stems from the leggy almost-bolted leaves removed. I threw in a handful or about 1/4 cup of the candied walnuts and skipped the dried cranberries. I tossed the lettuce mix with the dressing, walnuts and then added the beets, which I peeled and chopped, and the goat cheese (I used an herbed version).
Also while waiting for the beets to finish, I used a fork to poke holes in a block of tempeh and marinated it with soy sauce, sesame oil and vinegar. I stuck it in the oven with the beets for about 20-25 min.

When everything was finally done around 8pm, we all ate with gusto. I thought everything turned out great, but I would definitely try to do a bunch of the steps before hand, so I could just toss things together in the end.

Provoleta

We get Food and Wine magazine every month due to some glitch or because Ebon likes to spend points or miles on magazines or something like that. In any case, I enjoy looking through it and Ebon and I have been in the habit of bookmarking the various recipes we want to try out. The recipe for Provoleta with Oregano and Tomatoes stood out for Ebon because it involved bread and cheese - his favorites!
I've made it a couple times so far.
The first I got the cheese from Sessa's in Davis square and got the Supremo Italiano brand provolone cheese. We didn't have the grape tomatoes and I excluded the crushed red pepper so Leela could eat it too - she hasn't mastered spicy food yet. I followed the recipe otherwise.
It turned out great - burnt and melty cheese tastes so good.
The second time, I had run out of oregano, so I used a bit of marjoram and paprika. I used Bel Gioioso Picante provolone, it was much greasier and tasted saltier than the first go round. Maybe it was aged a bit too long- the note in the recipe says a sharp cheese that is 8-9 months old is best. I think the Supremo Italiano is a little younger, so maybe we just like the young cheese better. I had the tomatoes on the 2nd try and they are a must.
In any case we ate both with a baguette or crusty bread.
I think this is meant to be an appetizer, but we've eaten the whole thing between the two(three with Leela/four with Sparty?) of us as a meal. This will go into our regular "quick meal" repertoire!

Brunch!

Brunch!

I love brunch. My nature is an affinity to the morning hours and I love breakfast. Most weekends I have two breakfasts - one around 7am when the babe and I wake up and the second sometime between 11 and 1pm when my Sleeping beauty of a husband finally wakes up.
This Sunday, however, we hosted some friends for brunch and I made a sweet item and a savory item, both pretty simple, both turned out great!  I made baked french toast and a crustless quiche.

I followed THIS  recipe for the baked french toast, except I used day old Challa bread that I cut up and left out for a few hours. In addition I added 2 eggs (for a total of 4 eggs), about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, just to give it a bit more flavor and make sure it was good and custardy. I was really happy how it turned out. It wasn't too soggy and it was nice and crispy on top. I really liked how easy it was and that I could prepare it the night before. I forgot about the butter and sugar, so, by accident, my version had slightly less fat and sugar in it.

The Quiche or savory egg bake was an attempt to copy a similar dish I had at a friend's house the week before. I did an OK job comparatively, but I think I'll add a little salt next time.

Ingredients for Quiche
1/2 small onion diced small
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil or butter (I used butter)
4 baby Portobello mushrooms sliced
large handful of spinach (about 2 cups)
8 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
~4 oz goat cheese
4 oz cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions
1. Melt the butter or heat the oil in a frying pan on medium/Med low heat, add the onions to soften - about 5 min. Add the mushrooms to soften and as they begin to release their liquid 5-10 min more. Add in the spinach to wilt.
2. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add the salt and pepper.
3. Butter or prepare a 10" pie plate, layer about half of the veggie mixture on the bottom of the pan. Spread around half of the cheese, then pour in half of the eggs, followed by the rest of the veggies, cheese and eggs.
4. Bake in a 425degF oven for about 25 min or until the eggs are cooked through.

Overall, I thought brunch was a great success!

Double Whammy

I got our entire CSA share because our share partners are out of town this week. I have to figure out how to use up A LOT of veggies this week. Fennel was in the share, as were potatoes. Ebon suggested a potato gratin. So I googled potatoes and fennel and got this: Potato Fennel Gratin
The only substitution I made was plain low-fat yogurt for the half-and-half.
I thought the flavors turned out excellent. However, Ebon was not a fan of the fennel at all and he thought there should have been more cheese (I thought it was quite cheesy enough). I must admit the fennel was a bit on the crisp side, so if I tried to make this again, I'd probably saute or roast the fennel, so it would have a bit more flavor and a softer texture. Unfortunately, I won't be trying this again...

I needed something else to go with the gratin, and one of other the recipes I pulled up said "serve this with a bowl of minnestrone or black bean soup..." so I went with the Black Bean Soup.
I didn't have bell pepper, so I used some carrots I pulled up from my garden earlier this week.  I also added 1/2 a jalapeno to give it a bit of a kick, though I couldn't really taste it, so I added the other half to the leftovers that I froze for later. I thought it turned out pretty good. I did have to add a bit more salt and pepper at the end, and it could have maybe used another herb of some sort, but I didn't know what to add and ended up nixing the idea. Again, Ebon ate this, but probably did it out of pity.

Next up - some sort of recipes to use up the fennel fronds and the radicchio. I did find something for fennel pesto - interesting...

Crisp Polenta Cakes with Braised Cabbage and Beans

Well, I'm at it again. After several weeks of apathy for cooking, which I'm sure may only get worse, I attempted this recipe last night: Crisp Polenta Cakes with Braised Cabbage and Beans. Mine definitely did not turn out like the picture!
The flavors were wonderful. The cabbage was a bit like sauerkraut, but not so pungent. The sauce, with the beer and mustard, was a good mix and complemented the cabbage perfectly, and who doesn't like fried cornmeal with cheese!
The thing I had the hardest time with was the process of frying the polenta. It was probably my pan or maybe I wasn't using "leftover" polenta, but I did not have the lovely little patties that are pictured in the blog post. After a little while and a couple failed attempts, I had better luck, but it was mostly clumps of polenta that were mostly fried, but some that weren't.
My variations:
I was thinking of some other recipe and I used 3 green onions instead - whoops.
I didn't have any apple cider vinegar, so I used red wine vinegar instead. I used honey instead of sugar. I made the polenta (recipe from my favorite cookbook below) a couple hours before, put it in a pan and cooled it in the refrigerator. I used a brown ale that a friend and I brewed - delicious, if only I could drink what was left in the bottle! I skipped the caraway seeds since I didn't have any - I didn't miss them. I threw the beans (I used garbanzos since that was what I had on hand) into the sauce while it was reducing.

Polenta:
2 cups water
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups cornmeal
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Bring the water, milk, nutmeg and salt in a heavy saucepan to a slow boil. Turn the heat down (simmer). Slowly add the cornmeal, whisk constantly. Cook until the consistency is like mashed potatoes and it begins to pull away from the side of the pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the butter and cheese and mix in. Spread in dish or on a greased board to cool - size will depend on how thick you want the polenta. A 9x13 baking dish will give you about a 1/2" thick cake.

I was pleasantly surprised at the results (flavor-wise), and Ebon even went back for seconds. However I probably won't make this recipe again due to the amount of work required. Maybe I'll find a way to use pieces of it in different recipes.

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Last night, I didn't feel like cooking much, and the items I planned last week, I hadn't fully shopped for. So we were lacking a few ingredients.  So I did what I often do - use what's on hand.

~2 cups of uncooked pasta, I had about 1 cup of shells and 1 cup of spiral pasta, like this. Both worked well to hold onto the heavy sauce.

enough water to cook the pasta.

After the pasta has cooked to al dente, drain the water.

Add ~2 tablespoons of butter
1/3 cup of milk
12 oz of Velveeta cheese in 1/2" cubes
~2 oz cheddar cheese in 1/4" cubes
cook on low or medium low heat while the cheese melts
Add in 2 cups of pureed pumpkin
pepper to taste
~1/2 teaspoon marjoram
~1/2 teaspoon thyme

This came together pretty fast, and ended up tasting pretty good. The pumpkin and Velveeta together turned out to be very creamy.

Potato Gratin et al

We love cheese around here! So in our discussions for dinner on Wednesday night, Ebon suggested a Potato Gratin. When I said that wasn't really a complete meal, and could I add some chard or other veggie? He wasn't too enthusiastic about that, so I nixed that idea. The last gratin I made had kale and potatoes and cheese in it - I thought it was very tasty, but I think Ebon just wanted to pick around the kale. I poked around in the fridge and freezer a little more and figured out how to make the gratin- sans veggies- part  of a complete meal

Potato and Cheese Gratin:
3 medium/large potatoes sliced thinly, cross-wise
~2-3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese - I'm not sure of the amount, because I just took chunks and started grating it right into the dish.
1 cup milk
thyme (dried from the CSA share)
~1/2 teaspoon salt
ground pepper
~2 tablespoons flour

I sprayed a deep casserole dish with my trusty Misto Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer, Brushed Aluminum  layered the potatoes and cheese - it's about 3 layers of potatoes. Then I whisked the milk flour and spices together and poured it over the cheese and potatoes. I covered the dish and baked it in a 400degF oven for about 45 minutes. At which point, I removed the cover to bake an additional 15 min or so.

From the freezer, I ended up boiling up the last of the green and yellow beans that were picked for us by our CSA partners when they went to Red Fire Farm for some fall Pick Your Own. From the fridge, I found some leftover Trader Joe's Italian soysage that I fried up for our complete meal.
All in all, a good meal to end the day and Ebon gets the credit for coming up with most of the dinner idea.

Last night we had Chinese take-out from the Dragon Garden. Ebon got his usual Kung Pao Broccoli with Tofu as well as General Gau's Tofu, but I tried something new - Sesame Tofu - I wasn't too impressed and won't be ordering that again. It was just too sweet and tasted a lot like the General Gau's Tofu.
Do you have a favorite Chinese takeout place near you? How about Thai?