Sunday, March 22, 2015

#SundaySupper Welcomes Spring


Sunday Supper MovementIt is time, once again for Sunday Supper. This week we are having our Spring Fling and celebrating the rebirth that we see (or hope to see) all around us.  I am in Michigan and we have some signs of spring here.  The birds are out and about and the snow is mostly melted but the ponds are still frozen and nary a bud is yet on the trees or coming up out of the ground yet.


Our hosts this month are DB of Crazy Foodie Stunts and Valerie of Lifestyle Food Artistry.  They chose the theme for this month and I am more than ready to start thinking about spring.  Warmth, Sunshine, Blue Skies, Fresh Berries, Asparagus, Baby Peas, Crocus, Tulips and Daffodils.

To celebrate I decided to make a Spring Vegetable Risotto for dinner tonight.  Risotto does take a little bit of time and attention but the sun is shining through the window, the aromas in the kitchen are making my mouth water and I can think of nothing else I would rather be doing on a laid back Sunday Afternoon.

I found this recipe in Lidia's Family Table by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich.  For all you youngsters out there, Lidia is Joe Bastianich's (from Master Chef) Mom.  She is more from my generation.

Image result for lidia's family table

This is a lovely cookbook.  It is like being in your grandmother's kitchen with her explaining exactly why you should follow each step in the preparation and what these steps do to make the final recipe a success.  I did not include all of this information in the recipe I am sharing with you today but if you have a free Sunday and want to relax while thumbing through a cookbook this is a great choice.


This recipe incorporates tons of spring flavors!
Asparagus, spring onions, leeks and peas combine to make a perfect risotto.


All these beautiful vegetables get sauteed together in olive oil to be incorporated into the risotto as it cooks.


The risotto was creamy, rich and delicious.
A perfect spring meal for weather that has not quite caught up to the season.

Spring Vegetable Risotto
adapted from Lidia's Family Table

1 bunch asparagus, tough ends removed, cut into peas size pieces
1/4 c. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, whites and light green parts, rinsed well, halved and thinly sliced
generous pinch of salt
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
1 (12 oz)  pkg frozen peas, defrosted
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/3 c. water\
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7 c. boiling water, brought to a simmer
1/4 c. olive oil
1 lg. sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 c. Arborio rice
1 c. white wine
2 T. butter, softened
Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

In a large heavy skillet with a lid, heat 1/4 c. olive oil over med high heat.  Add the onion and leeks, season with salt and red pepper and cook until softened and fragrant.  Add the peas, scallions and aparagus, stir to incorporate.  Add 1/3 c. water, cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.  You want a thick sauce with vegetables that retain their shape.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Have 7 cups of simmering water on low setting on the range in near proximity to where you are making the risotto.

In a large pot (I used an enamled cast iron dutch oven) heat olive oil over med heat.  Add onions and garlic.  Season with a generous pinch of salt and cook slowly until the onions sweat, soften and turn golden (8-10 minutes) stirring frequently.  Ladle 1/2 c. of the simmering water into the onions and continue to cook for another 10 minutes.  The onions should be clear and glistening but the water should be all boiled away.

Add the rice, all at once. Raise the heat slightly and stir constantly for about 3 minutes until the rice is coated with oil and becoming translucent around the white center.  Add the wine and cook until evaporated, stirring constantly.  Ladle 2 c. of  the simmering water into the rice and stir continuously until all the water is incorporated.  Season the rice with salt and add the reserved vegetables along with another ladle of water and cook until all liquid is absorbed.  Continue to cook and stir adding simmering water by ladlefuls until the risotto is at the tenderness desired.  

To finish off the risotto, season with pepper, stir in the butter and the cheese and serve with extra cheese for topping. Print Recipe

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

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Saturday, March 21, 2015

Thassa one juicy meatball!!

We enjoyed meatballs with mushroom gravy for dinner tonight.  Served with mashed potatoes and buttered corn.  This is one of Frank's favorite meals so I thought I would give him one last hurrah before Spring seriously descends and our slow cooked comfort food gets traded in for salads and grilled meats.

The recipe I am giving you will make 2 dozen or more large meatballs.  I used half of them for tonight's dinner and put the other half into the freezer for another night.  Right now, I am thinking that Meatball Subs might be on the menu next week.  Doesn't that sound good?

I only made enough gravy for a dozen meatballs but if you have a large family or are expecting a crowd, you can double the gravy recipe and add all the meatballs.  That should give you enough food for 8 adults.


Make the meatballs by combining the pork and beef with the egg, breadcrumbs and onions and garlic that have been sauteed in butter.  I was out of onions so I used a leek that I had in the refrigerator. Onion is onion is onion.


Bake the meatballs for half an hour, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the cooking time.


Saute the mushrooms in butter. 
Season liberally with salt and pepper.


Add the flour and stir until flour turns brown and nutty smelling.


Add the beef broth, cook and stir until smooth and thickened.


Add the meatballs to the gravy and heat through.


Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy.


We like to serve our Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy over Mashed Potatoes with a side of Buttered Corn.  Sometimes I try to sneak in a green vegetable every once in a while but didn't bother with that tonight.

Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy

For the Meatballs:

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. fresh bread crumbs
2 T. butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

In a large bowl combine meats, egg, salt, pepper and bread crumbs.  In a small skillet, melt butter over med heat.  Add onions and garlic and cook until softened and fragrant.  Add to meat mixture and combine thoroughly.  Shape into meatballs, 1 1/2-2" in diameter.  Place on a baking sheep lined with parchment paper.  Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 15 minutes, rotate baking pan and bake for another 15 minutes.  Remove meatballs from oven and set aside.

For the Gravy:

1/4 c. butter
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. flour
2 c. beef broth

Melt butter in skillet or dutch oven.  Add mushrooms, season liberally with salt and pepper, and cook until softened.  Add flour and stir until browned and nutty smelling.  Stir in the broth.  Cook and stir until gravy thickens.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.  Add reserved meatballs to the gravy and heat through.  Print Recipe

What's up this week and the Weekly Menu

This morning we had a funeral to attend for my Nieces', Stephanie and Denise, grandpa on their Mom's side. Their father, my brother Gary, and his first wife, Debby, have been divorced for over 20 years but Debby maintained a good relationship with our family and we ache for her loss of her beloved father.

Frank is singing at Mass this afternoon.  I am going to stay snuggled up on the couch.  Winter has returned to Michigan.  It is a drab, cold, blustery day.

Tomorrow morning the choir is singing.  I had hoped to do some Spring Cleaning in the yard but the weather decided backtrack on us, maybe we will go to the show or something instead.

The rest of the week is just a typical week for us except that Monday we get our taxes done.  Fingers crossed that we don't have to dig into our savings to pay more than we have.

Friday, Jen and Randy are coming to spend the weekend with us.  I think we will go to dinner and the show Friday night.

I am sharing, as I do each week, our Weeekly Menu.  Stop by each day as I share photos and recipes. I will also be linking up at MPM.  You should stop by there for some great menu ideas as well.

Image result for what to have for dinner

Saturday
Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Corn

Sunday
Braised Beef Rolls-Lidia's Italian American Table
Risotto Cakes

Meatless Monday
Crusty Griddle Baked Quesadillas-Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen

Tuesday
Austrian Style Chicken Breast-Cooking with Chef Hermann
Bibb Lettuce Salad

Wednesday
Grilled Pork Chops with Mustard and Pickles-New Polish Cuisine
Brussels Sprouts
Baked Potatoes

Thursday
Braised Chicken with Sauteed Apples and Prosecco-America Farm to Table

 Friday
Out for Dinner


Friday, March 20, 2015

Fabulous Fish Friday

Earliler this month I shared with you a wonderful recipe for Balsamic Roasted Fingerling Potatoes.  I took this recipe from Anna of Anna Dishes for our Bloggers CLUES Society.  Anna served her potatoes with a Salmon in White Wine Sauce that sounded lovely.  I served mine with pork chops but I marked Anna's salmon recipe for another day.

Guess what??  Today is that day......

It is the first day of Spring and salmon screams out Spring to me.  It is also Fish Friday.  We haven't been eating home much on Fish Friday, instead going to area Lenten Fish Fry Dinners, but today we had nothing at all on our schedule.  I love days like this where I can putz around the house taking care of chores I have been putting off.  Spend some time reading a book or flipping through a magazine. Walk around my yard and see if there are any signs of Spring, springing up....there's not.  And, of course, spend time in the kitchen, creating a lovely meal to share and enjoy with my family.

I adapted Anna's recipe slightly.  I did not marinade the salmon in the white wine prior to cooking. But I did drizzle it with olive oil and add the wine to the baking dish prior to putting it in the oven. I know that there are those that believe fish and cheese do not go together but I am not of that belief and Anna's White Wine Cheese Sauce was perfect. I did adapt it slightly by using parmesan cheese since I was pairing my salmon with Spring Vegetable Risotto.  Oh, and I didn't have any pistachios so I just deleted them from the recipe but I am sure they would have added a nice crunch to the dish.


Salmon with White Wine Sauce
adapted from Anna Dishies

3 skinless salmon fillets
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
1 1/2 c. white wine, divided
4 T. butter
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper

Place salmon fillets in a baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Add 1/2 c. wine to the baking dish and place in a preheated 350* oven for 25-30 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets.

While salmon bakes, place remaining 1 c. of wine in a saucepan and bring to a boil, reducing by half. Reduce heat to low and whisk in the butter and the cream.  Stir in the parmesan cheese and continue to cook until thickened.   Spoon over fish fillets prior to serving.  Print Recipe

Cheese and Cauliflower for Crazy Ingredient Challenge

This month's Crazy Ingredient Challenge is upon us once again. Our hostess with the mostest is Dawn from Spatula's on Parade.  Each month Dawn works hard to help us choose 2 items that we are going to turn into a meal.  This month the items chosen were Cauliflower and Cheese.

HunngryLittleGirl


Each month we are given two lists of ingredients and we vote on them to see which two we will be using.  If you would like to join us, just contact Dawn at spatulasonparade@gmail.com, we would love to have you.


Now Cauliflower and Cheese are not too crazy, I don't think.  In fact, they complement each other extremely well.  I thought about doing a cauliflower salad to have as a side dish with cheese and dried cranberries and slice almonds.  I thought about a cauliflower and cheese casserole to serve as a hot side dish with a meal.  I thought about a cauliflower and cheese soup....yum.  But in the end, it was my weekly menu that made the decision for me.  I had decided to make Mac and Cheese for Meatless Monday and thought I would add the cauliflower and call it a day.  Then I thought "way to wimp out Klik" and started feeling bad so I decided to amp it up a bit.  I don't know about you but when I want to add something special to a dish my first thought is always bacon.  Bacon makes everything better.  

Yes, I know it was Meatless Monday but C'est La Vie.  I normally make a dry Mac and Cheese and you can find that recipe here but for CIC, I  decided to make a roux because why waste all that wonderful bacon grease???  


So I diced and fried up some bacon and then added some flour to the rendered fat, seasoning with salt and pepper and stirring until it was brown and nutty smelling.  Then I added some cheese and a little bit of some Smokey Chipotle Mustard I had on hand from El Diablo.  Whisked in the milk and had a delicous creamy sauce for my mac and cauliflower.  Mix it all together in the same pan you have been using all along and then turn it into your baking dish.  I added another cup of cheese for good measure and topped it with some bread crumbs before putting it in the oven for a while.


It was creamy and smokey and delicious.  It was very rich.  It was fine for a mainn course for my hubby and Tingting ate two servings but I would have preferred it as a side dish with something with which to cut the richness of the dish.  Perhaps if I had served a salad along with it I would have been happier with it as a main dish.  I don't have any young ones at home right now that I have to try to fool into eating their veggies but if I did this would be a perfect dish to serve for that purpose.  

Bacon and Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

3 slices lean, thick cut bacon, diced
2 T. flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 c. cheese, divided
2 c. milk
2 t. Smokey Chipotle Mustard
8 oz. elbow macaroni
1 small head of cauliflower, separated into small florets

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the macaroni and cauliflower and cook for 8 minutes.

While waiting for the water to boil, brown the bacon in a large skillet over med high heat until crisp.  Remove bacon to a plate and set aside.  With the skillet still over med high heat, add the flour and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for a few minutes until brown and nutty smelling, whisk in the milk until thick and bubbly, add 1 1/2 c.  the cheese and mustard. Stir until smooth.

Drain the macaroni and cauliflower and add it to the skillet with the cheese sauce.  Toss to coat and then turn it into an 8" square baking dish.  Add the remaining 1/2 c, of cheese and toss lightly. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top and bake in a preheated 350* oven for 20-25 minutes.  Print Recipe

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Farm News......

Happy Thursday everyone.  It has occurred to me that I have been so busy posting recipes for mydifferent clubs that I haven't talked about my everyday life in a while.  I am going to remedy that right this very minute.

I think (fingers crossed) that Spring has finally sprung here on the farm.  True, the ponds are still frozen, but the snow is all melted.  Now all that is left are 12 acres of dog poop!

Image result for dog poop everywhere

It was like an obstacle course when I went out to take care of my hens this morning.  You know what else needs to be done now that the weather is getting nicer....yep....that chicken coop needs to get a good cleaning.  That is going to be a big job so I think I will wait until the weekend and bribe Frank into helping with it.  The hens are very happy to be able to get out and roam around again, they don't like leaving the coop when it is freezing and the ground is covered in snow.  I can tell they are happy because their egg laying has increased by leaps and bounds.


Doesn't your heart just bleed for the hen that laid this egg?!!

I haven't been to see Mom in a couple of days.  Don't worry, she has had company each day, just not my company so I am going to be stopping by to see her while I am out and about this morning. Jackie was there on Tuesday and they were having a St. Patrick's Day party.  Jackie said Mom was dancing and grinning ear to ear.  I am so happy that she is happy and content.  

On the blogging front, I am excited to announce that I had one of my recipes published in the April edition of Homelife Magazine.  I even got a payment for it.  That means that this blog actually earned me some $$$.  Frank says that if measured in the amount of time I put into this blog, I am making about .0000000000001 per day LOL.  But, seriously, I was very pleased that they chose to feature my Green Bean and Corn Salad in their wonderful publication.  I know that you are all going to want to quickly order up the spring bundle so that you can have your own personal copy containing a recipe from yours truly!!  Humor me, okay.


They even included a little blurb I put together in an inset of their photo of my recipe.
"This is a great salad to serve at picnics or potlucks because you don't need to worry about refrigeration.  It looks beautiful on the buffet table and when the produce is in season, it can be bought locally at your farmer's market."

Thank you LifeWay for choosing my recipe from all of those that were submitted. 
 I am honored.




What's your favorite Girl Scout Cookie?? #Bundt Bakers

BundtBakers

Here it is, March already.  It has come in like a lion and I pray it goes out like a lamb.  March is quite the month.  We celebrate Lent a time of abstinance and fasting for many Christians.  But God has a sense of humor or maybe the devil is trying to trip us up....because it is also the month that we celebrate St. Patrick's Day (traditionally celebrated with beer and food) and the cute little brownies and girl scouts are knocking on our doors and freezing outside our local stores selling their delicious, once a year, cookies.  It's a conspiracy.....I know it....Did you hear something??

Image result for girl scout cookies

What's your favorite Girl Scout Cookie?  Mine are trefoils because I am a shortbread fanatic.  Frank's favorites though are the Tagalongs aka Peanut Butter Patties.  I have to admit that I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate as well so when Kelly of Passion Kneaded chose Girl Scout Cookie Flavors for our Bundt Bakers theme this month, I knew exactly what flavor cookie I was replicating.  Then just to cement my idea in stone, our daughter Amy, invited us over for dinner and I told her I would bring the dessert.  Guess what her favorite Girl Scout Cookie is?  Yep, you're right......Tagalongs!  

I made a simple peanut butter cake and topped it with an even easier chocolate ganache.  I usually use semi or bitter sweet chocolate in my ganache but today I used milk chocolate in keeping with the taste profile of the Tagalongs.And then I crushed up some pastel peanut M&M's to sprinkle over the top because after all it is March and Spring begins this month as well.

Don't forget to go to the bottom of this post to see what Girl Scout Cookie Flavors all the other bakers made!!




Tagalong Bundt Cake

2 1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. peanut butter, smooth or crunchy, your choice ( I used smooth because that was what I had)
2 t. vanilla
3 eggs
1 c. milk

Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a small bowl.  In the large bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffly.  Add the peanut butter and vanilla, mixing until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.  Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk just until combined.
Spread into a bundt pan that has been treated with baking spray.  Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 45 -50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake removes cleanly.  Let cake cool in pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes, invert onto cooling rack, releasing from the pan and continue to cool completely on rack before transferring to a platter and frosting or glazing with milk chocolate.

To make Chocolate Ganache, heat 1/2 c. cream for each 5 oz of chocolate used.  Place chocolate pieces in a small bowl and pour heated cream onto the chocolate, stirring until melted and smooth.  For this cake, I wanted to drizzle the glaze so I only used 5 oz of chocolate and 1/2 c. of cream.  You would double that recipe if you wanted to completely cover a 9x13" cake.  Print Recipe

And here are the other fabulous Bundts celebrating Girl Scout Cookies and their flavors!

 #BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme.  Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the BundtBakers home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.