Menu May 5, 2013

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Luke's knee-deep with grad school, so we're not doing anything crazy. But I will be making fish tacos and enjoying some guac while planning our NYC trip (coming soon!!), which is a perfect Sunday for me. Hope yours is gentle. Here's what's on the menu this week:

Menu plan, week of 5/5

• Sunday: Shrimp and cod tacos - riffing off of recipes past and inspired by this month's Cooking Light's Blackened Shrimp Tacos.
• Monday: Spring/Summer Veggie pasta with Parmigiano Reggiano - starring asparagus and corn - my favorite spring and summer veggies! Not to mention plenty of fresh basil and mint from the garden!
• Tuesday: Tofu Tacos, also from Cooking Light. Pretty excited about these :) Will peel some long zucchini strips and marinate for a little side salad - like this.
• Wednesday: Apricot Pistachio Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts - from Aida Mollenkamp's Keys to the Kitchen - I have all the ingredients on hand and this sounds delicious - 'nuff said, right? Pairing with a sauteed mushroom rice and some asparagus if I have any leftovers from Monday :)
•  Thursday: Another recipe from Aida, starring Cod, since I've got a boatload after a recent sale! This one is marinated in Harissa and paired with braised chickpeas. Also throwing in some Moroccan spiced sweet potatoes, riffing off a recipe for carrots from Cooking Light.

What's on your menu? Cheers!

Spring Salad with strawberries and garden greens

Our spring garden is in full bloom! Nothing makes me happier then going out there and picking lots of fresh greens for a salad, and checking on the progress of my tomatoes, beets, carrots and radishes. We even have a cute little strawberry plant! Well, I didn't use our plan ton this one, since organic strawberries have been on sale at the store. I love how simple this salad is to prepare, and it's easily scalable for 1-4 people. This recipe below is for a generous lunch salad for one, or side dinner salad for two. You could easily make this vegetarian by removing the prosciutto!

Spring Salad with strawberries and garden greens

1 portobello mushroom cap
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 small sprig fresh rosemary
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot
1 thin slice prosciutto
3 ounces spring greens (I used a mix of spinach, swiss chard, lettuce and arugula)
4 strawberries, quartered
1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled
handful of marcona almonds (or nut of your choice)
Freshly cracked black pepper

Clean the mushroom cap then slice. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil and balsamic vinegar over theh slices and sprinkle rosemary leaves and chopped garlic. Gently toss. Let marinade 30 minutes - 3 hours, tossing occasionally, until mushroom slices are softened.

Heat a small saute pan and warm remaining 1 tablespoon oil over low heat. Slice shallot then saute, stirring often, until lightly caramelized (about 5 minutes). Remove shallots and set side. Add prosciutto to the pan and crisp over medium heat, about 1 minute then flip and cook another 1 minute. remove and chop into bite-sized pieces.

In a large bowl, combine marinated mushrooms (including marinade), shallots, prosciutto, greens and strawberries - toss to combine. Add goat cheese and almonds, then toss again gently. Season with some cracked black pepper. Enjoy!

Austin Food Blogger Alliance Cookbook

That's right! The fearless, ever-talented, always ambitious members of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance wrote a cookbook, and I'm a part of it! That's right - my name is in print. You can see for yourself by visiting Austin-area bookstores, including BookPeople, Whole Foods Market, Central Market  and Breed & Co, or by purchasing online at Amazon.com, and BarnesandNoble.com.

A huge thank you to Addie Broyles and the rest of the gang who compiled, edited, photographed and labored over this book. All I had to do was supply my recipes and photos (the cocktail photo isn't ours, the pasta one is) and say thank you!

It was so much fun celebrating with the group this week at Freedmen's - a newish bar in West Campus that is anything but a "West Campus" bar (present and former UT students know what I mean). Thank you to Freedmen's for having us and for sharing your delicious beer, wine and BBQ (omg the ribs and potato salad espwith the hungry & thirsty bloggers :) I can't wait to go back.

The recipes I have in the book are two that I've blogged about before - Tagliatelle with Fresh Corn Pesto (tweaked and renamed Bacon Corn Pesto Pasta in the book) and Italian Grapefruit Cocktail (tweaked and renamed Italian Grapefruit Cocktail with a Texas Twist in the book).

I hope you'll support the AFBA and me and order a copy of the book for yourself and a friend :) Thanks to our publisher, The History Press, and sponsor, Cooking Planit.

CONGRATS to all the bloggers who are included in the book!

Also, this happened:

That's right, I turned 28 on Wednesday! Thanks to the lovely ladies at The Pie Society for continuing to satiate my pie addiction :)

Menu April 7, 2013

We've had a busy past few weeks with lots of fun activities and weekend guests! I'm looking forward to having a nice week full of relaxing cooking, since I know that next week will be full of Austin Restaurant Week outings (so far I know I'm hitting Flour & Vine, and Luke is supposed to surprise me on Wednesday for my birthday!). We might also try the Russian spot, Russian House NaZdorovye, this week if we can swing it. AND, the launch party for the much anticipated Austin Food Blogger Alliance cookbook is next week! I'm so excited, and not just because I have two recipes in there - it's beautiful!

Now for the week's menu! 

• Sunday: Ginger Marinated Grilled Chicken from Whole Foods Market with brown rice, asparagus, bell pepper and mango
• Monday: One Pan Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas from Mama Pea’s new cookbook, More Peas, Thank You that Carrots n Cake shared
• Tuesday: Chicken Parmesan with pasta and broccoli (pretty traditional I realize, but I had a craving and some basil and pasta sauce that needed to get used)
• Wednesday: Walnut Miso Veggie Burgers from Love and Lemons - I've been dying to try these since I saw the recipe!
• Thursday: Spiced Salmon with Quinoa Salad - no link since this is something I'm dreaming up. Will share the recipe if it turns out!

Where are you going for Austin Restaurant Week?

Deviled Eggs Three Ways

Have leftover hard boiled eggs from your Easter celebrations? Read on!

I only recently discovered my love for deviled eggs, and now I can't let springtime pass without making and/or enjoying them several times. The great thing about them is that you can make as little as 2 and as many as 2 dozen (or more - especially if you have someone to help you peel them, which is my least favorite part!) And, if you want to please several different palates like I did for Easter, you can easily make different types. Just divide your cooked yolks into different bowls and make three different fillings. Mine all started with the same - 1 tablespoon of mustard per 2 cooked yokes - and then the additions started. Enjoy!

Sriracha Deviled Eggs

2 hard boiled eggs
1 tablespoon mayo
1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped green onion
Dash cayenne pepper

Half the hard boiled eggs and scoop out the yolks, careful to keep the white in tact. Place yolk in a bowl with the mayo and mash and stir with a fork until smooth. Add the sriracha, salt and pepper and stir. Place in a baggie with one of the corners snipped off (so the diameter of the hole is about 1 centimeter). Pipe filling evenly into the 4 egg halves, then top each with green onion and a dash of cayenne.

Twice the Truffle Deviled Eggs with Parmigiano Reggiano

2 hard boiled eggs
1 tablespoon mayo
1 teaspoon truffle salt
1/2 teaspoon truffle oil
1/2 ounce shaved Parmigiano Reggiano

Half the hard boiled eggs and scoop out the yolks, careful to keep the white in tact. Place yolk in a bowl with the mayo and mash and stir with a fork until smooth. Add truffle salt and oil to mixture and stir to combine. Place in a baggie with one of the corners snipped off (so the diameter of the hole is about 1 centimeter). Pipe filling evenly into the 4 egg halves, then top with shaved parm.

Double Mustard Deviled Eggs with Pickled Red Onion

2 hard boiled eggs
1 tablespoon mayo
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon grainy German mustard
4 slivers pickled red onion (I do this quick method from Bon Appetit)

Half the hard boiled eggs and scoop out the yolks, careful to keep the white in tact. Place yolk in a bowl with the mayo and mash and stir with a fork until smooth. Add both mustards and stir to combine. Place in a baggie with one of the corners snipped off (so the diameter of the hole is about 1 centimeter). Pipe filling evenly into the 4 egg halves, then top with pickled onion sliver.

No matter which way you crack it, deviled eggs are delicious! What's your favorite combo?

Easy Easter Brunch

Luke and I are breakfast fans (can you tell?), so this weekend I hosted an Easter brunch & lawn games party with some friends. The best thing about this menu? Everything can be prepared a day or two before and then heated, meaning you can have a relaxing morning. For a more lunch-like meal, you could add ham, potatoes au gratin and maybe sub in some fresh made rolls for the cinnamon rolls.

Savory

• Artichoke dip with pita chips and bell peppers (This Martha Stewart one was lovely, though I subbed in half the canned artichokes for marinated ones from the antipasti bar at Whole Foods Market)
• Bacon and Asparagus Quiche (recipe below)
• Deviled Eggs with Truffle Salt (recipe to come this week!)
• Spring Greens Salad with Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano (6 ounces of your favorite greens with lemon zest and juice, good olive oil, salt and pepper, lightly toasted pine nuts and plenty of shaved parm)

Sweet

• Cinnamon Rolls (I made this recipe from The Pioneer Woman - I made a half recipe and froze the unbaked rolls so I have an instant breakfast component next week almost ready) I'll be honest, these weren't the knock-out winner I'd hoped for (they were a bit dense and desserty), so I'll probably try another recipe next time
• Fresh Fruit

Drink

• Mango Mimosas (Juice Ataulfo mangos, add a little water for mixability, add desired amount of Champagne - done!)
• Bloody Maries (we're Zing Zang fans in our house - what's your mix of choice? Or, do you go whole hog and make it all yourself?)

Bacon and Asparagus Quiche 

1 pie crust (I'm a fan of William's Sonoma basic pie dough recipe)
1/2 pound asparagus
olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 pieces bacon
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup freshly grated sharp white cheddar (goat cheese would be delicious too!)
4 eggs
1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 400.

Prepare your pie crust and place in pie dish, then stick in the fridge for safe keeping.

Meanwhile, trim off woody ends of asparagus then chop into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper - toss to combine. Lay out bacon on another foil-lined baking sheet. Roast asparagus for 25 minutes, tossing once. Cook bacon about 15 minutes (will vary based on how thick-cut it is) until almost crunchy. Set both aside to cool off, and put bacon on a paper towel-lined plate, then crumble once cooled. Place asparagus and bacon in a bowl with tomatoes.

Lower oven temp to 350.

Take out your pie dish and put asparagus mixture inside, then sprinkle evenly with cheese.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Pour milk mixture over the veggies, which should just cover them. Bake quiche for 50 minutes until set, then let cool at least 15 minutes before tucking in. I refrigerated mine once it was completely cooled, then reheated the next morning at 350 for about 25 minutes.

There's a story behind the ax - I won't go into it...

Truffled Breakfast Pizza

Have I mentioned I LOVE that it's grilling season? You may remember how we discovered grilling pizza last year. Well, I couldn't wait to do it again this year. Instead of buying the dough from the grocery store (I've been grabbing the fresh dough from the pizza counter at Whole Foods Market), I decided to make my own again since it's been a while. OMG so good! I forgot! If you have the time, it's worth it and actually really easy. I highly recommend this recipe from Martha Stewart. And, if you're not a truffle fan like us, or you don't have any truffle oil on hand, this would be equally delicious with a tablespoon or two of lemon juice squeezed over the arugula.

Truffled Breakfast Pizza
 
1 mound pizza dough
Flour for dusting
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 tablespoons pesto
1 cup freshly shredded white cheddar
4 ounces arugula
2 teaspoons truffle oil (or lemon juice, if you prefer)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for topping
3 eggs

Place a baking stone in the oven and warm to 500 degrees. I let mine warm up for a good 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, dust large cutting board with flour then carefully stretch out dough. I've found that it's best to go thinner than  you want the pizza to turn out, since it fluffs up in the oven. So, go a little thinner that you're comfortable with (mine was about 16-18 inches in diameter). Carefully brush the top of the dough with olive oil.

Remove the baking stone from the oven and either slide the dough onto it, if you can manage. Or, carefully and quickly pick it up and drop it on the pan. The key here is to get it right the first time so that you don't have to mess with it. I recommend having someone help you with the transfer.

Bake the pizza for 5 minutes. remove from the oven and spread the pesto over it, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake another 5 minutes.

Place arugula in a medium bowl. Drizzle with truffle oil and Parmigiano Reggiano and toss to combine.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet and fry the 3 eggs to desired doneness. Ideally, leave the yolks at least somewhat runny so that they serve as a tasty sauce for the pizza.

Remove pizza from the oven and let cool for 1 minute. Spread arugula salad over the top, then place eggs on top. Cut into 6 pieces and enjoy!

We enjoyed outside on a peaceful Sunday morning :)