Greek Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette

This recipe came from my newest issue of Food Network magazine.  They were super easy to make, they just took a little while to bake in the oven.  The recipe below makes 6 servings.

* Image by Jason Hedlund

Ingredients:

1 cup olive oil

6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 

1 large shallot, quartered

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 sprigs oregano, leaves only (or 1 Tbsp dried)

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, plus 1 Tbsp chopped, for servings (we used dried)

salt and pepper

3 lbs russet potatoes, cut lengthwise into wedges (we used red potatoes because that's what we had)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 425F.  Put the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, oregano, and parsley in food processor; add 1 tsp salt, and pepper to taste.  Puree until mostly smooth.

2.  Toss the potatoes with 1/2 cup of the prepared vinaigrette in a large bowl and spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. (Reserve remaining vinaigrette for dipping).  Roast potatoes for 45 minute to 1 hour, turning occasionally, under tender and golden.

3.  Transfer the potatoes to a platter and drizzle with some of the remaining vinaigrette.  Season with salt and garnish with chopped parsley.  Serve with the remaining vinaigrette on the side.  Enjoy!

Beth and Jason's Rating: Yummy and easy!

Original Recipe from:

Greek Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette

Poached Pears in Red Wine

We were assigned the dessert for a dinner party and decided to make poached pears!  The recipe is from my "Holiday Entertaining" book.  The pears take awhile to cook, but they are really good.  The recipe below makes 4 servings.

*image from "Holiday Entertaining"

Ingredients:

4 firm but ripe Seckel pears, peeled with stems intact

2 1/2 cups Pinot Noir or other light, fruity red wine

1/2 cup sugar

1 lemon zest strip, 2 inches long by 3/4 inch wide

1-inch piece vanilla bean

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen unsweetened raspberries

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Directions:

1.  Place pears in a non-aluminum saucepan large enough to hold them lying down.  Add the wine, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla bean, and the water.

2.  Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring to boil.  Reduce the head to medium-low, set a heatproof plate on top of the pears to keep them submerged in the liquid, and simmer gently until a thin knife inserted into the widest part of the pear pierces easily to the center, 35-40 minutes.  Remove the plate covering the pears.  Let the pears cool to room temperature in the liquid.

3.  Meanwhile, make a raspberry puree.  In a food processor or blender, puree the 1 cup fresh or frozen berries until smooth.  Pass the puree through a fine-mesh sieve held over a bowl, pressing with the back of a wooden spoon to push as much of the puree through the sieve as possible.  Discard the contents of the sieve.  Set the puree aside.

4.  Using a slotted spoon, lift the pears from the liquid.  Set each pear in a shallow individual bowl, or place all 4 pears on a deep platter.  Remove zest and vanilla bean and discard or save the vanilla bean to garnish, if you like.  Drizzle the raspberry puree onto the plate and garnish with a few fresh raspberries.  Serve at room temperature.  

Jason's Rating: Good

Beth's Rating: Good

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This was one of the first recipes I tried in "The New Best Recipe" book.  I've made them again since.  They were so yummy and looked like they came right from a bakery.  The recipe makes 18 large cookies.

Ingredients:
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled until just warm
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.  Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.
2.  Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
3.  Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended.  Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.  Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined.  Stir in the chips to taste.
4.  Rolls a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball.  Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves.  Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at the base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough's uneven surface.  Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.  Follow the diagram below.

5.  Bake until the cookies are light golden brown, the outer edges start to harden, and the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time.  Cool the cookies on the sheets.  Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a wide metal spatula.  Enjoy!

Beth's Rating: 9/10! Better than Tollhouse cookies!

Original recipe from this book:
The New Best Recipe

Ultimate Hummus

For Valentine's Day I received a cookbook called "The Science of Good Cooking".  This book is amazing!  It describes all the science behind the cooking and baking techniques.  For a party, Jason and I made the recipe called "Ultimate Hummus" from this book.  It was super yummy!  We've made hummus once before from a different book, but it didn't turn out because we tried to "fast soak".  Chickpeas must be soaked overnight to get the proper texture.  The recipe below makes about 2 cups of hummus.

Image by Jason Hedlund

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried chickpeas, picked over and rinsed
1/8 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp lemon juice
6 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro or parsley

Directions:
1.  Place the beans in a large bowl, cover with 1 quart water, and soak overnight.  Drain.  Bring 1 quart water, beans, and baking soda to boil in large saucepan over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 1 hour.  Drain, reserving 1/4 cup bean cooking water, and cool.
2.  Combine cooking water and lemon juice in small bowl or measuring cup.  Whisk together tahini and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a second bowl.  Set aside 2 tablespoons chickpeas for garnish.
3.  Process remaining chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds.  Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula.  With processor running, add lemon juice mixture in steady stream.  Scrap down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute.  With processor running, add tahini mixture in steady stream; continue to process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.
4.  Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle reserved chickpeas and cilantro over surface, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes.  Drizzle with olive oil and serve. (Hummus can be refrigerated for up to 5 days; refrigerate garnishes separately.  When ready to serve, stir in approximately 1 tablespoon water if texture is too thick).

Jason's Rating: Great!
Beth's Rating: Great!

Original Recipe from this book:
The Science of Good Cooking

Cheese Straws with Sesame Seeds

I recieved a book from a friend for Christmas that is called "Holiday Entertaining".  It has tons of recipes for holiday parties.  I made these for when I had my family over in February.  They were really easy to make and pretty tasty. The recipe makes 8-10 servings.

Image from "Holiday Entertaining"

Ingredients:
1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper (we used black)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup black or white sesame seeds

Directions:
1.  In a food processor, combine the cheese, butter, white pepper, and cayenne pepper and process to a smooth paste.  Slowly add the flour, pulsing to blend.  When all of the flour is incorporated, gather the dough into a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
2.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly grease a baking sheet with butter or line it with parchment paper.
3.  Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and cut it into 6 equal pieces.  On a lightly floured work surface, use your palm to roll each piece into a rope about the diameter of a drinking straw.  Cut each rope into 6-8 inch lengths, or shorter if you like.  Sprinkle the sesame seeds, coating lightly on all sides.  Place the straws about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
4.  Bake until golden brown and lightly crisp, 15-20 minutes.  Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool for 5-10 minutes.  (Or, let cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 8 hours.)  Transfer the cheese straws to a platter and serve warm.  Enjoy!

Jason's Rating: Good
Beth's Rating: Good

Original recipe from this book:
Holiday Entertaining

Dinner for Two (Main, Sides, and Dessert)

In my food network magazine there is always a weekend dinner section.  The Jan/Feb issue for this year had  a "Dinner for Two" meal.  It was meant for a Valentine's Day dinner.  This meal looked so good and pretty simple to make.  The only difficult thing was coordinating all the dishes to be done at the same time (especially with only two burners!).  The dinner below makes 2 large servings.  It was fantastic!  We've made this twice already.

Image by Jason Hedlund

Image from www.foodnetwork.com

Roast Chicken and Mushrooms with Red Wine Sauce
Ingredients:
2 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (12 to 14oz each), we used boneless, but the timing works better if you use bone-in
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb oyster and/or maitake mushrooms, trimmed and torn into pieces, spend the money on these fresh mushrooms, they are amazing!
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 tsp sugar

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375F.  Season chicken with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste.  Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat; add 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil, then add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is golden brown, about 6 minutes.  Transfer to rimmed baking skeet, skin-side up; reserve the skillet.
2.  Toss the mushrooms with the remaining 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper; scatter around the chicken on the baking sheet.  Bake until the mushrooms are tender and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 160F, about 25 minutes.
3.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in the reserved skillet over medium heat.  Add the flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer, whisking.  Add the wine, sugar and 1/4 tsp salt and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.
4.  Spoon some of the red wine sauce onto each plate; top with the chicken and mushrooms.  Enjoy!

Pappardella in Saffron Cream
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 small shallot, minced
pinch of saffron threads
2/3 cup heavy cream
pepper
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
4 ounces pappardelle pasta
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
2 Tbsp roughly chopped fresh chives
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

Directions:
1.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium head.  Add the shallot and saffron and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is softened, about 2 minutes.  Add the cream, 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper to taste; increase the heat to medium high and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice and vanilla.
2.  Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as label directs.  Remove 1/4 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and transfer to the skillet with sauce.  Add the reserved cooking water, the parmesan and half of the chives and toss to coat.  Serve topped with the lemon zest, remaining chives and more cheese.  Enjoy!

Raspberry-Chocolate Parfaits
Ingredients:
1/2 cup raspberries
1 Tbsp chocolate liqueur
brownies
chocolate ice cream
whipped cream

Directions:
1.  Toss raspberries with chocolate liqueur.
2.  Layer with crumbled brownies and chocolate ice cream in 2 glasses.
3.  Top with whipped cream and more raspberries! YUM!

Jason's Rating: "closest thing to a 10 that I've had" - the dinner as a whole
Beth's Rating: 10/10! This dinner is paired perfectly

Links to original recipes:
Roasted Chicken and Mushrooms with Red Wine Sauce
Pappardelle with Saffron Cream
Raspberry Chocolate Parfaits

Popcorn from Scratch

I was watching a movie and had a hankering for some popcorn, but didn't have any microwave kind!  So I looked up this recipe and it worked perfectly!  This recipe makes 2 very large servings.  I found this recipe from www.simplyrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp grape seed or canola oil
1/3 cup high quality popcorn
1 3-quart saucepan
2 Tbsp of butter (or more to taste)
salt to taste

Directions:
1.  Heat the oil on medium-high heat in saucepan.  Salt oil.
2.  Put 3-4 kernels in the pan with oil and cover.
3.  When kernels pop add the rest of the 1/3 cup of popcorn to the pan.  Cover and remove from heat and count to 30 seconds.
4.  Return the pan to heat.  The popcorn should start popping soon.  Once it is popping, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth across the burner.  Try to keep the cover slightly ajar to let the steam out.  Once the popping has a few seconds between pops, remove the cover and dump all the popcorn in a deep bowl.
5.  Melt butter in the empty pan and mix in with popcorn.  Enjoy!

Beth's Rating: 7/10

Link to original recipe:
Popcorn from Scratch